Brian's World

It started as just a night out with the homies -- it became a rabbit hole about America's history with marijuana. The green plant has bent some legislation halls and is a topic of conversation among many of us. It's mostly about the legalization of cannabis and the never-ending war about whether it's harmful to consume. We're drowning in a cesspool of misinformation (as a society) on many subjects, including marijuana. It's easy to get lost trying to disseminate facts from myths.

"Marijuana has been illegal at the federal level since 1937," writes Michigan Attorney Bruce Allen Block. Individual states approach the conversation differently but federal guidance has been shaky, at best. It's classified as a, "Schedule 1 controlled substance, alongside hallucinogens​, LSD, peyote, heroin, most opiates, methaqualone, and ecstasy." It's interesting that it's been illegal for longer than it's been understood. Recent research, including this article by Healthline, investigates the negatives and positives of using marijuana. It's clear that it has some power as the medical field has embraced it's health benefits for centuries.

A sad view of the conversation is when I stop to think about the 40,000(+) inmates who are currently still serving time for marijuana possession (even though -- it's practically everywhere now). That's a wee-bit more political than I think we'll get on this journey but it's mentioned. I definitely came out of this one with a greater understanding of Marijuana's broken relationship with the American government.

Let's explore on Episode 169.

After a 7 month hiatus, the Brian's World Live podcast returns for Season 7 as LiveBW. The first episode of our new journey ventures into Brian's world and  meets up with the social anxiety that turned a 2 week break into a long a** time. You'll hear from experts in the mental health field who share their opinions and research on social anxiety disorder. Hear the in-depth story of crippling moments in time that millions face yearly.

According to Mental Health America, fifteen million Americans are battling social anxiety disorder. Some estimates are far greater. "Social Anxiety Disorder, sometimes called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme fear or anxiety in one or more social settings," writes MHA. "Going to a party or even having a one-on-one conversation with a new person can result in increased heart rate, sweating, and racing thoughts for someone with social anxiety. When social anxiety gets significant, it’s common for individuals to isolate and feel very alone, making recovery harder."

They continue, "ultimately, it can make it difficult for a person to live the life they want: the excessive fear of humiliation and rejection can limit them in work, school, and relationships. While most people have concerns about acceptance and embarrassment, the extreme anxiety and dread that accompany social anxiety disorder are so overwhelming that a person may find it hard to function in daily life and may avoid the anxiety-inducing situations altogether."

This episode is a story of how all of that relates to Brian and the 7 month 'see-ya-later'. If you, or someone you know, is dealing with mental health concerns and are in need of help, visit the NIH website for tips and outreach contacts.

What better way to end Season 6 than on top of the world? 

The last two weeks have been historic for mankind. We've seen two billionaires take advantage of the recently privatized industry of space exploration, publicly reaching for the stars. On July 11th, Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson took his Virgin Galactic team into space, making them the first civilians to do so. Then, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos soared to the stars yesterday (July 20th), making his Blue Origin team the second to do so. Elon Musk's SpaceX is expected to launch an all-civilian crew into the cosmos later this year. 

For a kid who has always looked up at the stars with wonder, this civilian space race has been a joy to watch. As someone who looks for the deeper story in the moment, it's been inspirational. It's easy to ignore the inspiration because they are filthy rich. You know how people treat the filthy rich. But if we look past the money, we see three guys who are achieving the impossible. We learn a valuable lesson of how determination can take you to the stars. We also learn that getting to the moon is actually bigger than ourselves. 

The blue light is on! Welcome to another 2AM episode inside Brian's World. Today, we'll travel to Cincinnati to link up with Sincerely VO. He's fresh off of a big release with Hitman Holla and Tee Grizzley entitled "Control Da Room". 

I appreciate him and his humility as he wasn't shy about his story. He left his hometown in 2018 for Atlanta in pursuit of his dream. On today's episode, he talked about the fears he felt while making that tough decision and the challenges he faced while living in Atlanta. His story is one of perseverance and determination, things that we could all benefit from hearing. 

"I really just had to let it fuel the fire," VO said about struggling in Atlanta. "Well, we here now. I'm not going home empty handed." Hear more of VO's story on Episode 166. 

It was a great weekend for my family. My brother and my mother both celebrated their birthdays and we did so with miles and miles of love. 

Right in the middle of the weekend was a heavy-contemplative, early Sunday morning. I laid in the bed and read an article about an adult missing the freedom and comfort of childhood. More so, the freedom of understanding who they were as a child as opposed to becoming an adult with a foggy sense of being. 

The rollercoaster of self-discovery never ends. It kind of feels like the tracks just keep going and some turns still make my stomach weak. Sifting through that article helped me in dealing with those emotions because it focused on something that I don't pay enough attention to: grace for myself. We have a tendency to be tough on ourselves and attach to alternative-pasts, decisions we would make differently if we could go back in time to right our wrongs. 

In doing so, we don't make room to appreciate everything that the present has to offer. Let's talk about it on episode 165. 

"A body of research has shown that signs are effective in changing behavior in a variety of domains (e.g., road traffic, health behaviors , and environmental protection)," writes Julia Meis in a 2017 study by NIH. Back when Brick & Mortar establishments were more common, a little sign on the front door controlled the entire operation. It simply read, "We're Open" and it would light up if the restaurant, store, or whatever was in fact, open. If the light is off then we wouldn't go in. Unless you were there for criminal activity. Then of course, well that's a different case. (You shouldn't do that -- stop that). 

Anyways, we've found ourselves in a new frontier of business where most transactions are done online. According to WP Forms, it's estimated that 95% of all purchases will be made online by 2040. We may not sell our merchandise or products behind the beautiful glass storefronts anymore. But, we should make sure that we keep part of that tradition alive: the "We're Open" sign. 

Just because we've moved business online, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't regulate our hours of business. That way we can work our ways up to being able to handle 24/7 business with proper staffing and products. It's important that we take every step of that process to protect our mental health and the "we're open" sign is a great way to do that. 

Find out what drove this conversation on Episode 164. Send your comments and responses to me on Instagram.

It's 2AM baby! The blue light is on. Today's discussion made me a better man. On episode 163, we welcome Atlanta-based and Grammy nominated artist, June Summers. He shares with us his outlook on life and ambition and how his humble beginnings in Rochester, New York, brought him across the country and even onto the Grammy stage. Also, Summers had the privilege of be-friending a hero of the show, Nipsey Hussle. "I love Nipsey, G. It was so much bigger than music," shared Summers. "Ain't nobody give it to me. Like my bro Nipsey used to say, you got to take the steps." On Episode 163, we get a personal view of that friendship with Hussle.

Summers' recently released single "GPA" has such a unique story that you'll lean in as he explains it here. Also, you'll be excited to know that it's just the beginning as the artist shares some of the major plans that include Griselda's, Benny the Butcher.

Dr. Orna Gulranik is a talented counselor who understands the art of connection. As we discussed on Episode 160, I enjoy watching her speak with her clients; painting her picture of a better reality for these shaken couples. 

The Showtime series 'Couples Therapy' launched its second season showcasing the growth of three couples; Matthew and Gianni, Michael and Michal, and Tashira and Dru. "During their conversations, and especially across the weeks and months reflected in the episodes, Michael and Michal, Gianni and Matthew, and Tashira and Dru all go deep: into anxiety, sexual intimacy, parenting, and other issues that surface in their relationships, and also into more disquieting territory, too, such as physical violence, alcoholism, attempted suicide," shares Andy Denhart.

Though I didn't finish the second season in time, here are 5 more things the series taught me about marriage.

Father's Day weekend is one of the brightest in my world. Though I'm not a father, it brings me joy to see so many of friends growing into phenomenal dad's and men of integrity. We have two of those men joining the show today for a detailed look into the world of fatherhood and the decisions that it begs you to make. 

Today, we welcome back Jay Julien and Miguel Sierra for our conversation. These two men have been doing phenomenal work with their men's healing group, My Brother's Keeper, and they're no strangers to tough topics. The view of fatherhood has long been clouded by all sorts of unfair commentary of emotionally unavailable fathers but very few have a true idea of what it's like to be a dad.

The goal here isn't to address those thoughtless conclusions; the goal of episode 161 is to hear from two fathers about how they assume the responsibilities of fatherhood daily. What are the ups? What are the downs? How does it feel to be a father? All questions that we will answer today. 

Please welcome Jay Julien and Miguel Sierra.