The calendar year 2020, by any stretch, has been an emotionally, spiritually, psychologically and physically drainingyear. For Black people in the United States of America, it’s been even more exhausting thanks to systemic oppression, white supremacy and rampant social injustices. In this episode, we explore how we’re managing the recent upheavals, the marketing of "Black Pain” and why sometimes Black folks need to shout. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

Self-Sabotage - [verb] (1) Actively or passively taking steps to prevent one’s self from reaching goals; can affect every aspect of one’s  life, relationships, career and personal aspirations. (2) Behaviors or thought patterns that hold you back and prevent you from doing what you want to do. (3) The act of destroying or damaging something deliberately so that it does not function properly; to stop achievement. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

Humans are social creatures. Our need for connection shapes our neural architecture, our response to stress and the interpersonal dilemmas at the heart of our lives. Some of us develop Secure Attachments, while others develop Insecure Attachments to the people in our lives. In this episode, we explore the varied aspects of Attachment and the ways in which these patterns, unless addressed, persist in our lives. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

For many of us, it can be difficult to recognize we are stuck in moments and situations that first gave rise to our pain; because time is moving, we believe we are too. Yet year after year the same haunting past resurfaces. In this episode, we explore the ways in which we superimpose our past experiences onto our new experiences, preventing us from moving beyond the stories we now recite by heart. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

Typically, when we think of the “heartbreaker" we look outside of ourselves, to people and circumstances that have had a memorable negative impact on our own heart experience. Rarely do we look at ourselves as generators of heartbreak, but, what would happen if we did? In this episode, we explore the ways in which our hearts were first broken and how those breaks paved paths to many more. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

The impact of silence is deafening; particularly if that silence is shrouded in the fear of rejection, criticism, disappointment, harassment, humiliation, ridicule or other forms of punishment, perceived or realized. In this episode, we explore the tendency towards silence among black gay men and the ways in which it breeds loneliness and deep feelings of isolation. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

So much of our lives are unspoken. When your decision to fall silent is based on a deep and pervasive fear of rejection, silence often seems the only answer. In this new series of conversation, we explore the makings of an Invisible Life and how black gay men can learn to be not only seen, but heard. Featuring Akim Bryant, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

At the time of this recording, the world continues to suffer from the physical, emotional, financial and psychological impact of COVID-19. Hundreds of thousands of people are sick, millions have lost their primary source of income and even more are struggling through social isolation, quarantined in their homes far from the people and happenings that give their life meaning. In this episode, we explore how facing the mirror helps us to see all things through the eyes of love. Featuring Ahmir Rashad, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

Most of what’s occurring in our lives is related to the stories we are creating about the events and our relationship to them. It is practically impossible to view the world objectively given our dependance on the stories we tell and our commitment to see them through. In this episode, we explore the purpose of thought and direct correlation our thoughts have on the life we live. Featuring Ahmir Rashad, Viva Latrice, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.

Perhaps the most important place we could be in any given moment, is fully present, in the here and now. But the challenge of everyday living, coupled with our disparate intentions for our lives finds us living in stories we’ve created that have no true middle or end; they simply repeat until we decide to free ourselves. In this episode, we explore what it takes to be truly free and how beingness allows us to experience ourselves in ways we’ve never imagined. Featuring Ahmir Rashad, Viva Latrice, Dan Hollaway and music by Lakey Inspired.