Let's Talk Bruh

We're hitting yall from all angles today! We value the small and growing community that we're building with the #LetsTalkBruh fam so in this episode we really wanted to include yall in the conversation. Coming off of last week's Black Male Privilege Episode we wanted to recap the episode a bit, respond to some feedback as well as some pushback we received.  It was important for us to address some of our blind spots with topics we may have missed during the discussion as well as speak to the responses folks had with the episode. But that's not all.  If you've been following us on social media you've seen us ask for your questions and today we'll be responding to a few. We even introduced a brand new segment titled: This Week In Toxic Masculinity.  Needless to say, this episode was a lot of fun.

Black. Male. Privilege.  The mere idea of this concept is controversial and causes pushback for many of us. But let's talk about it because this is real. As Black Men we exist in a rather unique space of both oppression AND privilege. However when we talk about Black Male Privilege, first and foremost, we are not saying we possess the same privilege that white people and white men do.  Black Male Privilege is based on the privilege that we experience in relation to Black Women. Black Male Privilege also does not deny the oppression, racism, and prejudice that we as Black Men experience, but causes us to listen and acknowledge Black Women's experiences with oppression which differs from ours and take accountability for the ways in which we can be oppressive to Black Women (physical & sexual abuse to name a few).  If the idea of Black Male Privilege makes you uncomfortable, good. This episode is for you.

Note: The Black Male Privileges Checklist by Jewel Woods as well as work from L'Hereux Lewis, and Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw were referenced to help guide parts of our discussion.

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Would you say that you're a good friend? Be real. Cuz lemme tell you, as we discussed in this episode, apparently there's legitimate research proving just how trash men can be when it comes to our friendships. Ask yourself this question, how many of your friends fit into 1 of these 3 categories: Activity based, Convenience based, or Mentor based friendships?  In this episode we take a look at some of this research, examine why it's sometimes difficult for men to make new friends, and even discuss some of the dire consequences of not having friends as we get older.  Because as we found out, having friends we can depend on can actually save our life. 

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It's been awhile since dropped the script and hit y'all with a good ol fashion venting session and let's just say it was much needed.  This week's topic? Going the doctor. Recently we both went to a volunteering event, shoutout to Be Great DC, and got our blood pressures taken.  Needless to say, both of our readings were a lot higher than we anticipated and caused us to pause and re-examine our health. So in this venting session you hear us talk through this frustration as well as the importance of going to the doctor for those regularly scheduled visits that bring us so much joy. 

Fellas, when's the last time your eyes got sweaty? Can you even remember the last time your allergies started acting up? Jokes aside, when did you know it was okay to cry? Growing up, most of us are taught that crying is not an acceptable part of manhood so we suppress those natural urges.  Needless to say, today we dive all the way into our feelings and talk about not only when we knew it was okay to cry, but vulnerability as a whole. What it looks like for us today, what it looked like for us as kids, and ways we want to improve our ability to be vulnerable with the ones we love. So get ready because this one gets deep. 

Chakras. Meditation. Crystals. Reincarnation. The Universe. Retrograde and a bunch of other sh** that happens to be brand new for us too. See the thing is, we don't pretend to be the experts here on #LetsTalkBruh and we're not afraid of talking about concepts that we have little to no information on.  Today we talked about this concept of Spirituality and what it means to us. We invited a couple friends on, Michelle and Deb, to join our conversation and act as our spiritual guides for this journey. Now many of us would agree that having some type of spiritual foundation helps one lead a more fulfilled life, but wtf does that even look like if you can't even see it? Well join us and prepare to have an existential crisis as we tackle spirituality in today's show. 

This episode completes our 3 part series on Mental Health & Therapy.  Now, this by no means will be the last time we ever discuss mental health on #LetsTalkBruh, but it was important for us to discuss these issues now and continue to discuss them as they play a significant role in our lives. In this episode you'll hear us talk to 2 therapists, Dr. Justin Hopkins as well as Jeremy's own personal therapist, Dr. Jonathan Goode. So needless to say we got schooled by the professionals in these quasi-therapy sessions/conversations, but don't get it twisted, these conversations cannot be substituted with real therapy. Ya gotta put in that work, when you're ready.  Speaking of being ready, you'll hear from some brothers, who have experienced therapy, call in that to speak about their experiences in this episode. We also want to make it clear that it's perfectly fine if you're not considering therapy or simply just not ready. We just want you to know, as black men, that it is okay to talk our shit out and you don't have to be alone. 

How often do you really think about your mental health? I mean, it's easy to know when we're physically sick or in pain, but mentally? Naw. Not so much. To be honest, as your hosts we really just started considering our own mental health to be important probably less than a year ago.  So we took this episode as a moment to reflect on how stress, anxiety, and depression has shown up in our lives. We also talk through the ways in which we cope with mental health issues and explain what self care looks like for us. It's Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and one thing important to remember is that none of us our alone. Once we begin to open up and talk about experiences we realize they are more common that we had thought. So if you're willing and able, comment below on how mental health has showed up in your life. 

We're back with another installment of #LetsVentBruh and this week we broke from the script and stumbled upon the topic of therapy. In the upcoming weeks you'll hear us have a few deep dive conversations on the topic of black men in therapy with some licensed professionals who actually know what they're talking about, but for now you'll hear from us. In this episode Jeremy talks about his own recent therapy experiences and Kyr starts to process what therapy may look like for him, deflections and all. After all, we're all still works in progress and in this episode you get to hear another glimpse of where we are currently in our journey. 

Now, #LetsTalkBruh is not a music podcast, so this won't be a 4:44 album review. However your hosts happen to be 2 hip-hop heads so we felt obligated to tackle this topic. Last Saturday (6/30/18) marked the 1 year anniversary of Jay-Z's 4:44 album. An album in which he was far more vulnerable than most mainstream rappers exhibit on wax by admitting his infidelity in his marriage with Beyonce and the affect it had on not only himself, but his wife, children and family. So we used that cultural moment of Jay-Z's growth and Beyonce's pain to talk about the broader conversation and impact of why often times black women and their pain are the catalysts for our self discovery and growth as black men. So buckle up, because this one gets kinda deep. We both get personal with some reflection on our own past mistakes as well as solutions for the future. And before we get started, this podcast episode couldn't be done alone.  You'll also be hearing from a very talented friend of ours, PhD student Courtnee Fenner, who took time away from her busy life to join us on this one. Thanks again Courtnee. So y'all know what to do now, press play and let us know what you think!