Brian's World

On today's episode, we welcome back Jay Julien, co-Founder of the men's group My Brother's Keeper. We explore a different side of manhood. One that strengthens the axis between manhood and emotion. The world around us is painted with many colors but traditionally, manhood has been limited to black & white. For centuries, it has created men who are out of touch with what they are feeling, often times searching for themselves in the mirror. As men, we have a tendency to lose ourselves in the stoic expectations of manhood. Jay offers the idea that "real men" are authentically them and true to their journey. Whatever that looks like for them.

"My understanding of manliness is a man who is courageous enough to follow his path; his purpose," Julien shared during the interview. Let's dive into the conversation and discuss the need to heal our brothers of their trauma. We'll also discover the domino effect of how it can change our culture. For the better, might I add. Along with his friend and brother, Miguel, he co-founded My Brother's Keeper to strengthen this conversation. We'll learn how the group plans to face today's issues surrounding manhood and their vision for the future.

News & Notes: 

"Wisdom, Loneliness, & Intestinal Fortitude" - A recent study reveals a tie between the gut and the mind.

"Biden's Ambitious Vaccine Plan" - President Biden announces April 19th deadline for vaccine availability. 

On today's episode, let's take a dive into the world of mental health. It's a discussion that is beginning to enter more circles, a trend that must continue to save lives. Part of that discussion involves the exploration of mental health medications and how they play a role in healing for some. "What are the side effects? What do they mean? How do I know?" These are all questions that we explore with someone who has played a key role in my mental health journey. 

His name is Dr. Theodore Osuala. "Dr. Osuala graduated from the University of Port Harcourt College of Health Sciences in 1989. He works in Lanham, MD and 4 other locations and specializes in Neurology, Psychology and Psychiatry. Dr. Osuala is affiliated with Washington Adventist Hospital and Prince George's Hospital Center," says Web MD. 

He joins us today for a discussion on psychiatric medications and various mental health topics. 

I've been playing catch-up with the lives of some friends. When I moved away from home in 2014, I became disconnected from a lot of people. We moved back to the East Coast in 2017 and I've been chasing old friends and moments since then, a pursuit that has been exhausting and unrewarding. I began to feel guilty for facing the reality that I simply do not have the time to continue those pursuits and must allow the past to be the past.

Here's an investigative look on how to shed that guilt you may feel for carrying your busy schedule. It happens. Press play and let's dive in. 

Season 6 of the podcast kicks off with a look into the idea of silence. Embrace stillness helps us to remain balanced. It also helps us when facing storms. On today's episode, we'll explore how silence helps us before, during, and after the storms we face. 

Happy Freestyle Friday! Getting in the rhythm of these. It's honestly been helpful in terms of keeping me consistent so, happy Friday! Today we'll dive into a term that is widely used in our culture, "to & fro". I never really stopped to actually define the phrase. I had just always created my own definition and ran with that. 

According to Dictionary.com, it's a derivative of "toing and froing". It means back and forth movement or constant movement. Applied to our daily lives, we've been toing and froing for quite some time now. As long as we're walking this earth, we'll be doing it for a while. Here's why I say we shouldn't be shy about it and really embrace the chaos.

It's Freestyle Friday! Today's episode is without show note and completely from the heart. It's about being "petty" and how costly it can be to our lives. Because of our flesh and ego, we sometimes allow the little things to deter us big prizes in love, friendship, employment, purpose and more. 

Let's take a few moments to explore the "Arena of Petty" and how it affects our lives. Ciao.

Financially illiteracy plagues 53% of Americans, according to OPP Loans. Even more families are struggling during the pandemic as unemployment numbers rise and businesses continue to close. Within the black community, we've been plagued with financial anxiety for centuries but people like Star B. Melancon are poised to help combat the financial disconnect. 

She's the founder of the financial strategy firm for women, SHEbuildingHER, and she joins us for episode 144 to share some necessary insight on investing. Through this conversation we get familiar with some key tactics and skills to help us invest our money confidently and watch it grow for generations to come. We also get familiar with her story and how she became a voice for financial literacy. 

Let's take a dive into the topic of toxic positivity and the negative effects it has on us. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jaime Zuckerman shared with Health Line, "toxic positivity is the assumption, either by one's self or others, that despite a person's emotional pain or difficult situation, they should only have a positive mindset."

It's something that the more I study it, the more apologetic I become. Sometimes, I may have been toxically positive and for that I apologize. Now, I'm working to flee from those "good vibes only" ideals and learn to really tap into what people need to hear. Sometimes what we need to hear is short-term destructive but long-term positive. Sounds a bit convoluted, I'm aware. Just hit play and we can rap about it. 

The blue light is on. Today's episode takes us to the West Coast to link up up with Eddie Ray. He's an artist who spent his younger years moving around the country, collecting experiences to share through music. It's a conversation that is sure to help shape up your 2021.

Eddie's focus on inspiring others is one that is not only a powerful way to shift the culture, it's what he feels is his purpose. "Inspiring the world, you know? Changing the world, you know? I feel like that's what my purpose is, you know. Just to make an impact on the world," Ray shared with Brian James on this New Year's episode. We also get to hear a little about Eddie's career in the military and how the initial moments post-service were some of the most important of his life. He talks about how he had to gather himself after leaving the military. "Getting out of the military, I had to re-invent myself. Had to really find myself," Ray shares. "I had my up days, down days, and days where I just [felt] stuck." The West Coast artist maintains that he wants to push people to find themselves also. "We all grow up and we all get told all these things. A lot of that stuff ain't really true and I just want people to be able to be themselves because anything is possible," Ray shares. His recent EP Here To Stay is one that he feels can help lead people to that self-discovery. 

Please welcome, Eddie Ray.

Today's episode takes a look into the windows of the soul; the eyes. 

I've developed a knack for using eye contact to maintain steady conversation with others. It seems as if the more aware I become of maintaining good eye contact, the more aware of myself I am. I also found that I remember more from the conversation and I'm able to deliver my personality in a confident and firm way. I feel true to me when I can look you in your eyes. 

Let's take a look on Episode 142. Also, let's look at 7 ways that eye contact makes us powerful, courtesy of Business Insider.