On this episode, Marcus invites his better half, Latoya Meneese, onto the show to tell her story of growing up with only her mother as her main role model. Latoya's background of having to figure things out with her mother plays into how she leads her family now. 

8:50 LM - When you're a teenage girl with a father who lives hundreds of miles away, you look for all the wrong kinds of love

10:00 HS - A father should be your first love and should model the qualities of your future husband

******11:40 LM - When you have a boy and girl without parental leadership who come together, they're trying to fill voids that can lead to teen pregnancy, continuing the cycle

******13:45 MM - The father is the protector of the daughter

16:30 LM - I wrote a letter to my father when I was about to become a mother in order to let some weight off of my shoulders

******18:50 LM - I needed to forgive my father, forgiveness was for me, not him

24:00 LM - I wasn't sure I wanted to have children because I wasn't sure about picking the right man

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode, Cheryl and Bruce Williams on to tell Cheryl's story of growing up on two different spectrums, sometimes almost homeless in the projects and on the other side of plentiful. with only her mother as her main role model. Latoya's background of having to figure things out with her mother plays into how she leads her family now. 

9:25 CW - My parents divorced, so my mom was single parent of 5 kids....it came down to my mom and my grandmother

10:45 CW - Are moms today sacrificing for their kids today?

*****11:45 CW - When kids are having kids, when do the parents have time to learn to be an adult?

15:00 BW - My mom was hoodwinked by a man when I was 10, so I realized I didn't need to be a knucklehead for my mom to handle, I started working to help mom with $$

19:10 CW - A boy's first love is his mom, especially a strong foundational woman

20:00 MM - When I was in college, I was looking for validation, my parents told me to execute on my ideas, no pats on the back

*****21:50 MM - If a man treats his mom right, he'll treat his wife right

*****24:00 BW - THAT is my mother, good, bad or indifferent, THAT is my mother

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with his mom about certain parts of his upbringing that shaped him to be the man he is.

3:45 MOM - I prayed for a good husband, unlike my father, when I was 12

5:00 MOM - I wrote my father a letter when he was dying, explaining that he wasn't a good father, but didn't blame him because I had no idea how he was raised, I forgive you

7:30 MOM - How my father reacted to my letter

19:40 MOM - I knew children needed to have a spiritual and natural side, thus church was important

20:00 MOM - Why I chose Marcus to be a big brother to Dominique

******31:00 MOM - I wanted to do everything I could to keep you on the straight and narrow, I watched, made sure who you were hanging out with...etc.

*******32:25 MOM - Whatever you don't see in our house, don't bring it into our house

*******34:00 MOM - Story about Marcus in 6th grade!

*******36:20 MOM - Your child should always think they can come to mama and that she'll tell me the truth

*******37:40 MOM - Pray about your children, or the Devil will have your children

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with Angela Pitts and Sequoia about how a mother needs to step up in the absence of a father. 

6:00 AP - Healing from a tumultuous relationship with my father

8:15 AP - A father is supposed to teach you how someone else is supposed to love you

13:15 AP - I was angry at God for trying to salvage my family

16:00 AP - To my in-laws, "You say you love God, but how can you act like we don't exist?"

18:30 S - I pray and workout to grow with my emotions about my family

*****22:00 AP - I don't remember my mother ever saying "I love you", but I know she did because of her actions

23:45 AP - I pushed through because failure wasn't an option for me with my kids

*******26:00 S - I am now allowing myself grace that I will make mistakes

What would you tell yourself when you were 20?

27:45 AP - Give yourself grace, nothing has to be perfect and mistakes are necessary....wisdom of when to push and when to back off

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with Dionne and Keisha Brady about how their upbringings shaped their view of how their husbands should be. 

5:30 DB - What is a daddy's girl?

6:00 DB - I had a very strong mom

7:15 KB - Having a great dad dictated what kind of husband I wanted 

10:15 KB - Husband is the rock and influential to my boys

10:50 KB - We need that person in our lives to set the standard

13:15 DB - When looking for a husband, I knew what I *didn't* want

*****16:15 MM - Mom said marriage is like gambling, sometimes you win or you lose

23:00 DB - My boys emulate what my husband does

27:50 KB - Marcus, you're a softy

32:25 KB - As a teacher, it's my responsibility to impart my influence to my kids

35:20 KB - School consequences are littered with red tape these days

37:45 DB - I would tell my younger self that I'm going to make it

39:00 KB - I would tell my younger self to have more self-confidence

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

Al Brady :: Coaching You Into a Career That Brings Self-Worth

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with his longtime pal Al Brady about Al’s passion for Uprise Nashville and helping the fatherless find careers that improve their self-worth.

2:30 - AB - Al's story - Married 11 years, 2 boys, Director of Admissions for Uprise Nashville, was brought up with his dad and dad was there, had male role models, 

5:00 AB - Dad would tell me things that were somewhat irrelevant, I found out why later

6:00 AB - My dad was superhero when young, taskmaster when I a teenager

7:25 MM - Dads who show affection, Uncle Alfred

8:15 MM - My dad showed me love through toughness

8:40 AB - I saw my dad on some rough days, financial challenges

10:45 AB - I'm still trying me best to communicate

11:10 AB - My kids need to see affection between my wife and me.

*******12:10 AB - How was your day? I want a real answer

12:45 AB - Do you feel like your kids will be completely honest with you?

*******15:45 AB - 3 solid fatherhood tools, treat everyone equally no matter their stature, you have to believe in yourself, It's okay if you do something different and it's okay if you change

21:00 MM - Divorce rate is high because forget who they are or married to

22:00 AB - About Uprise helps unemployed and underemployed

24:45 AB - If you can help a mom find stability in a job, you won't be having bad conversations with her down the road

26:30 AB - Are you to willing to allow people to see you from the outside of you?

27:15 AB - A car breakdown can wreak havoc for a mom who's trying to get kids to school and herself to work

35:30 MM - How can a father step up to be better?

36:30 AB - Nobody will out work me

********37:00 AB - There will be bad days, but you'll have to tell yourself you'll get through it

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with Celestia Ware about knowing literally who and what your biological father was, even though he had a great Stepfather. 

2:35 - Celestia's story - Growing up in St. Louis, parents met in college, dad was in Vietnam, dad had issues with drugs and alcohol, moved to Bowling Green, KY, had a stepfather who loved him like he was his own, worked at Ponderosa, 

7:00 CW - This is the first time I'm really speaking about this

7:45 CW - When child support ended, he was disappointed

9:30 CW - My father never really came back into my life

******11:00 CW - I appreciate my stepdad, but it helps to understand who you are when you know the DNA of your biological father

12:00 CW - I was blessed to meet other guys in college who grew up the same way

*******14:45 CW - God's mercy and grace helped to find who I am...I should be dead or in jail otherwise

16:00 CW - You don't have to have much, but take care of what you have

******18:00 CW - Mental health is REAL....make sure you address it....talk about it, pray about it

*******18:45 CW - I can tell you about a father who was on drugs, not there, etc.

21:40 CW - It's a tough feeling when you can't talk to your dad

********22:00 CW - It's always a cycle that goes before my dad

23:10 MM - I didn't know the importance of fatherhood until I had my own kids

26:20 CW - Let's keep in mind that Mom is the most important factor

********27:25 CW - Everything that happened to me was God putting me in the right place, at the right time, in front of the right people

31:15 - Who's to blame for getting into the situation of having a child?

32:30 MM - That child deserves to have a 2 parent home

34:00 CW - The black boy lost movement

35:00 CW - I didn't know I had 3 other brothers

*******37:15 CW - Don't let the system stop you from being with your child

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

GUEST: Larry Powell

TITLE:  My Dad Was Present....But Not In A Good Way

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus and Harold talk with Larry Powell. Larry faced a life sentence at 25, then was changed by the movement of God to be the father he almost had.  

A few things came up:

1:20 LP - Most people wanted their father in the house, I wanted mine out of the house

3:10 LP - I was facing a life-sentence at 25

6:00 MM - Why would a dad teach their child to hustle bad things?

8:30 LP - I never heard my dad encourage me to do positive things

9:40 MM - You're only going to teach what you know....did your gfather teach your dad?

*******12:40 LP - 25 years old facing a murder charge story....his father's apology.....father's retribution

15:40 MM - My dad worked us.....we chopped wood all day....I'm half dead and tired, what am I going to do?

16:50 MM - I apologized to my dad about being a crazy teenager

17:45 LP - I was blessed to get out of the charge by God

*******20:40 LP - I see you treating this crackhead better than our mother!

23:20 MM - I want to see you have a better shot at a better life

24:00 MM - Don't walk through the projects without me....you don't look like them

******26:35 LP - Marriage and family for me was rough in the beginning....What you stand under.....you understand

29:00 LP - How to be a better father....

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with Marquise Anderson, one of Marcus’ earliest mentees about the importance of patience and listening with your kids. 

A few things came up:

3:25 MA - My awareness of not having a father intensified in Middle School

4:45 MA - I can go into any room and adapt to anyone

7:25 MA - In High School I went from typical teenager problems to having to contend with mature issues

8:15 MA - I wanted to "get back" at my mom and show her I could handle things

9:25 MA - My mom was in control and limited what I needed to do

11:05 MM - Story about being shot at with MA, aren't some things worth dying for?

12:10 MM - I knew you had a chance at a better life

14:10 MA - Wisdom from Marcus' Dad while cutting grass

15:15 MA - Life lessons come from doing hard work

18:45 MA - Why a mentor is important....

20:35 MM - Having a stable home is important for a child

25:10 MA - Reconnecting with his father by happenstance after college

29:25 MM - Before you make a bad choice, call somebody

29:50 MA - Listen to your kids, most people don't listen to their kids and have patience

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org

On this episode of The Stronger Than My Father Podcast, Marcus talks with Robert Gauthier. Robert had a rough childhood with a father who divorced his mom, mom then had a nervous breakdown, CPS having to get involved with Robert, bullying in school and even more. This enabled Robert to see the cycle and break it as best as he could, even fighting through his own divorce in his adult life.   

A few things came up:

INTRO - 

6:45 - MM Empty promises....

7:45 - Robert - Bullying at school was intense

9:00 - Robert - got into a fist fight with my dad, beat him up badly

10:50 - Robert - I was always looking for guidance from him, he was successful, dad helped him get a job

12:30 - MM did he ever say sorry?  Yes he did.....

14:20 - MM I apologized to my dad

*******15:00 MM If I leave this earth today, I know my boys can make it

17:00 Robert's story of becoming a dad, husband in his first marriage, I was a bad husband...

19:15 Robert divorced soon thereafter, this was a cycle that happened stemming from his father

20:00 Robert - My father stepped in and helped him

21:50 Robert - My post-divorce year was awful, went months without seeing my kids

24:30 Robert - I missed all the day to day interactions with my kids, I was a weekend father

*******26:20 MM - You fought for your kids...your relationship you have with them now is because you did

28:00 Robert - I was going to fight for them, absolutely

*******31:30 Robert - How to be a better father....FIGHT for your kids....you don't know what it does to them when you stop fighting

Find out more about Stronger Than My Father and get involved at:

www.strongerthanmyfather.org