Let's Talk Bruh

This episode is important because for 52 episodes we've talked about masculinity from primarily a cisgender perspective.  Today, thanks to our guest, Geronimo Collins aka Geronimo Knows, we are able to learn about the experiences of a Black transgender man and what masculinity means for him in particular.

Geronimo is a former blogger, podcast host, urban culture + lifestyle enthusiast and full-time conversationalist.  On this episode we talk about his navigation through life before and after his transition, what masculinity means for him, gender identity, black male sexuality, the meaning of behind his name, and much more. 

He wants you to know that his opinions are his and his alone.  And as a 37 year old Black trans man there are even some things he's still learning and unlearning when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community. 

This is an episode that admittedly, I did much more listening than talking.  It's rare that cisgender and transgender black men discuss masculinity and create community with each other. Hopefully this can be the start of more to come.  

A list of resources used in this week's episode:

• The gender identity terms you need to know - CBS

• How do I know if I’m transgender? - Planned Parenthood

• Mom, I'm Not a Girl: Raising a Transgender Child - Cosmopolitan

• Two Black Trans Boys, Two N.Y. Families, and Boundless Love

• Straight Men Recall the First Time They Were Attracted to a Trans Woman - Vice

• I Took My Wife's Last Name - Buzzfeed

Follow Geronimo on Twitter & Instagram

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

They say change inevitable.  They say life is gonna throw you curveballs.  They say when life gives you lemons...ight enough of the cliches. 

Today we're talking all about the various changes and transitions that we experience throughout life.  From breakups, to entering and exiting college to even the current cultural change in discussions of masculinity, we're tackling it all today.

With the help of a little internet research and personal experiences, we also cover how to handle or better yet embrace life's changes. 

Lastly, we discuss a very real and somewhat unexpected change occuring on our very podcast.  Tune in. 

A list of resources used for this week's episode:

• 9 ways to navigate loss, change, and transition - Chopra Center

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

They say everyone gets the define Black masculinity except for the Black man. And well, historically this has been largely true. However as true as it has been, we have not only the power, but the responsibility to redefine what a healthy masculinity looks like for us.  

But before we get there, it's important to talk about toxic masculinity and hold ourselves accountable for the ways in which we've ALL at one point participated in this toxic culture of manhood.  We can't get to a place of healthier manhood or masculinity without acknowledging the work and time by women in our lives who have helped us get here. 

So now where at the point where it's time to define healthy masculinity and you may be asking yourself a few questions: Why is healthy masculinity important? How do I create a healthy masculinity? What is healthy masculinity? Well you're in the right place. Tune in now. 

A list of resources used for this week's episode:

• Detoxing Culture & Healthy Masculinity (The Good Men Project)
• Healthy Masculinity (Princeton University)
• What is Healthy, Respectful Masculinity? (Talkspace)
• Boundless Black Masculinity (PBS - First Person)
• I am a Man: Black Masculinity in America by Byron Hurt

Big shoutout and thank you to Ryan, Keanon, Larry, Jordan and Justin for providing their perspectives on healthy masculinity in this episode.

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

Nowadays it seems that everyone is talking about two words: toxic masculinity. There are endless articles, tweets, IG posts, and now podcast episodes on the subject.  But what is it really? 

And if you're a man/masculine identifying person it can feel like your masculinity is under attack with the recent attention on toxic masculinity. 

Today we break down what toxic masculinity is, our experiences embodying toxic masculinity and we talk to a couple guys about their opinions on toxic masculinity. 

A list of resources used for this week's episode:

• The Difference between Toxic Masculinity and Being a Man (The Good Men Project)
• What is Toxic Masculinity? (The NY Times)
• Black men, we need to acknowledge that we are the problem. Let’s talk toxic masculinity. (The Black Youth Project)
• What We Mean When We Say, “Toxic Masculinity” (Tolerance.org)

 

Big shoutout and thank you to Dwayne, Courtney, Kenneth, Nino, Ace, Gavin & Deangelo for providing their perspectives on this episode. 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

This week on Let's Talk Bruh we're talking all about dick.

*awkward silence*

We're bringing yall the sequel to an episode we dropped in February titled, "You're More Than Your Dick | The Fetishization Episode". Only this time we're expanding the conversation to discuss our close relationship with our penis, why for many of us our dick = our manhood and the pressure to live up the BBC.

In order to have this conversation we invited our extremely talented artist friend TJDDN to the show who is very comfortable with his body. Just how comfortable? This is taken directly from his website:  "Send a media request and ask him why he's always naked."

Not only that, we break down the fact that men also experience body image issues, discuss healthy ways to engage with our bodies and consider what body positivity looks like for men. 

As black men, we've been stereotyped to have the big black dick, but what happens if you can't measure up to that fantasy? 

A list of resources mentioned in this week's episode:

• Childhood trauma and pornographic visions of the Black phallus made me ashamed of masturbation - Black Youth Project
• Why Pop Culture Can't Deal With Black Male Sexuality - NY Times
• Me and my penis: 100 men reveal all (Guardian, NSFW)
• Male vs. Female Body Image (Bradley University)
• Think Only Women Have Body Image Issues? Wrong (AARP)

 

Check out TJDDN's art on his website: TJDDNdoesART

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

The Black barbershop is a staple in the Black community. It's a safe space for Black men to be themselves, vent, talk shit, and establish community with Black men of all ages. However, as much as some of us love the Black barbershop and regard it so, historically it has not been a safe space for ALL black people as much as we'd like to think.

This week on the show we break down our experiences in the barbershop (the good, the bad, and the Bibby), the types of barbers in the shop, the feeling of invincibility that accompanies a fresh cut and also why the barbershop has not always been safe space for Black women and our brothers in the LGBTQ community. 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

Has racism ever made you sick? This week on #LetsTalkBruh we talk about the impact that racism has had over the course of our lives as Black men.

As we know all know, racism and just dealing with white folks in general is stressful, but how exactly have we dealt with both the overt and subtle racism we've experienced in our lives? How does racism impact our health both physically and mentally? And since it doesn't look like racism is going anywhere anytime soon, what can be done to live healthier lives knowing that racism is inevitable?

We talk about our experiences with racism on this week's episode as well as the correlation between racism, stress, and unhealthy coping behaviors. 

A list of resources mentioned in this week's episode:

• How Racism Makes Us Sick by David R. Williams (Ted Talk)
• How Discrimination Changes Your Brain (VICE)
• The Secret to Keeping Black Men Healthy? Maybe Black Doctors (NY Times)
• How Racism Affects Your Health (The Walrus)

 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

1 Year + 46 Episodes later and we're still here!  On this week's episode we celebrate making it 1 year in the podcast game and NOT getting cancelled! 

We catch up with other about what's been going on in our lives, getting out of our introvert bubbles and break from the script by tackling some current events in black masculinity + mental health including:

- Kevin Durant's Injury

- Ava Duvernay's "When They See Us" mini series on the Central Park 5

- Kanye West talks about his mental health journey during new interview w/ David Letterman

- Black Boy Joy and Masculinity controversy on Twitter

We couldn't have made it this far without your support. We appreciate yall rocking with us for a year and hope to see you when we make it to year 2. 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

 

Self Care is defined as "the powerful commitment to constantly choose activities and situations that make you feel healthy and good about yourself”.  It's a very simple concept in theory, yet for some reason it's very difficult to put into practice for many of us. 

Well for starters, let's take into account how much time we spend at work, time spent supporting family + friends, time wasted on social media, time committing to our side hustles, time trying to make relationships work, trying to get 2.5 meals in per day, the list goes on and on. And we haven't even started talking about how hard it is just surviving being a Black man every day.  That's a full time job with no days off in itself.

With all that being said, self care is extremely important.  It's not a luxury, it's a NECESSITY for our emotional, physical psychological, and spiritual health. It's also not something to feel selfish about.

So for the next hour, we break down what self care looks like for us and provide some easy ways to implement self care into our lives today.

It's no one's responsibility to heal you, except for you. So start with some self care today to make this life thing a little easier.

A list of resources mentioned in this week's episode:

• Self Care: A Help Guide by Harley Therapy
• You Feel Like Shit - An Interactive Self Care Guide
• All About Love by bell hooks
• The Six Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
• 31 Day Self Care Calendar by Bashea Williams

 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.

Welcome to Part 2 of our Black Man's Guide for Mental Health series. Next up? Depression.

As Black Men, most of us have been taught by family, media, or peers that expressing our feelings is unacceptable. Unmanly. Weak.  Even when we're at our lowest and know deep down we should talk to someone we still choose not to.  According to research, 90% of Black Men with depression never seek treatment for their mental condition. That means that many of us exist in isolation and it's resulting in a slow, painful, and silent death for us and our brothers. 

Even when Black Men decide to seek mental health treatment, professionals have a hard time diagnosing Black men as being depressed due to biases when it comes to how strong Black folks are, our perceived ability to tolerate more pain, and reported differences in how depression shows us in men of color vs white men.

So what can be done? Well on this week's episode, we bring back on our good friend Dr. Justin Hopkins to break down how we can combat the depression we may face in our lives. 

Tune in next week for Part 3 of our Black Man's Guide for Mental Health series as we break down Self Care + Healing.

A list of resources mentioned in this week's episode:

• Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic and Sexual Minority Boys and Men - American Psychological Association
• Black Men and Depression by John Head
• The Invisible 90%: Changing the Narrative on Black Men & Depression - The Black Doctor.Org
• 6 Signs of Depression in Black Men - Patrice Douglas

 

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Email us your questions/comments/feedback at [email protected] and we'll read and respond to your email on an upcoming episode.