“When we can look young people in the eye, and see who they are, and tell them that they matter, and show them a book, and spark their imagination, and be right there… That’s the thing. Going through the experience with them, build up their confidence… Put a battery in their back. They need that. Everybody needs that. That little bird that’s about to jump off the nest, I’m sure the little bird needs a little bit of encouragement from big momma bird, like, ‘You got this, baby.’” - Amil Cook

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Amil Cook. As a Hip-Hop educator and technologist, Amil teaches students and educators how to use their personal and historical narratives to increase self-efficacy, well-being, and capacity through the use of new media and technology. Amil is passionate about unlocking the unlimited potential of youth. He is able to see this potential, in part, because he is aware of his own emotions and, specifically, resentments that he is harboring and processing. We hope you enjoy this episode and enjoy learning how Amil’s masks apply to his talents as an educator.

---

(1:30) Ashanti’s introduction.

(7:50) Amil and Ashanti look back on their South by Southwest experience. Then, Amil introduces himself, his work, and his mission.

(13:20) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - dedicated, determined, caring - and how he manages the big expectations he has for himself.

(16:20) Amil shares the front of his mask - thoughtful, optimistic, caring - and how positivity moves him into action.

(22:35) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - worry, getting old, fear.

(25:40) Amil shares the back of his mask - resentful, mistrustful, scared - and how he is learning to let go of some of his resentments.

(31:50) Amil and Ashanti observe and analyze certain resentments that can build up in the youth. And they discuss the flip side - all the different types of encouragement we can give kids.

(38:50) Amil shares the level of emotional intelligence he’s observing in the youth in Pittsburgh.

(44:50) Amil looks back on his youth and how he was motivated to enter the world of education. And he shares a story about his work in South Africa.

(51:05) Amil delivers a final message to the youth.

---

Connect with Amil Cook:

Social Media and Podcast: linktr.ee/amilcook

BootUp PGH: instagram.com/bootuppgh

Hip Hop Ed: instagram.com/hiphoped

---

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

“It’s been a very challenging time and my way of coping with this adversity has been through humor. I think a lot of people have been using humor as a coping mechanism because it’s a hard time, and you need to be able to laugh about it or see the absurdity in it.” - Arturo Aviña

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Arturo Aviña. As a Los Angeles-based theatre teacher, Arturo found his calling within education by first experimenting with incorporating film and theatre into his lessons. Now, he also uses his skills to create satirical content on social media to chronicle what its like working in education today. Arturo is a testament to the fact that humor has the power to get us through hard times and advocate change in our world for the better. We hope you enjoy learning about his masks!

(0:00) Ashanti’s introduction.

(7:00) Arturo introduces himself and his journey in education - specifically, how he arrived at teaching theatre.

(12:00) Arturo and Ashanti discuss how the masks of acting apply to the masks of real life.

(16:30) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - funny, serious, hard-working, caring - and how opposing characteristics occupy the front of his mask.

(21:15) Arturo shares the front of his mask - funny, friendly, creative, serious.

(24:00) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - self-doubt, fear of failure, my brother’s mental health/my sadness about it - and some of the self-evaluation that he has been doing around sharing his voice with the world and supporting his brother.

(30:00) Arturo shares the back of his mask - anxiety, doubt, fear - and gives some advice to Ashanti along the way.

(38:30) Arturo shares his perspective on humor in the classroom, education-based humor, and humor as a form of coping.

(46:30) Ashanti and Arturo take time to appreciate teachers and analyze how the public has viewed teachers.

(51:00) Arturo shares how you can get in touch with him, and shares his final message for the audience.

---

Connect with Arturo Aviña:

Instagram: instagram.com/schooledbyarturo

Tik Tok: tiktok.com/discover/schoolbyarturo 

Twitter: twitter.com/schooledbyart

---

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

“Life is impermanent. And that doesn’t mean that we’re not important or what we contribute to life is not important. The institutions we create are not going to live forever. But the energy, the way we live - this will live on forever.” - Alfredo Mathew III

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Alfredo Mathew III. Alfredo is the co-founder of ESO Ventures, an entrepreneurial support organization focused on providing the confidence, competence, and capital for any Black and Brown person to become an entrepreneur. With over 20 years of experience in New York City and California public schools, Alfredo has followed in his father's footsteps, but found a path within his family's journey that allowed him to be his best self. We hope you enjoy this episode and learn more about how family heritage and legacy have shaped Alfredo's mask.

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(2:00) Ashanti’s introduction.

(6:30) Alfredo introduces himself and his heritage, and shares the best thing he’s ever written in his entire life. Then, he and Ashanti discuss fathers, the idea of a father, and how these things played a role in their lives.

(19:00) Alfredo and Ashanti look back on how they met and their teaching careers.

(32:20) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - serious, caring, dedicated.

(39:00) Alfredo shares the front of his mask - hustler, dreamer, competent.

(42:20) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - fear of failure, sadness, not enough.

(48:00) Alfredo shares the back of his mask - undervalued, fear of failure, chip on my shoulder.

(55:00) Alfredo shares how you can reach him, and talks more about ESO Ventures.

---

Connect with Alfredo Mathew III:

Website: https://www.alfredomathew.com/

LinkedIn: ​​linkedin.com/in/alfredomathew

Email: [email protected]

---

Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

Original Air Date: May 16, 2023

“What keeps me hopeful is our students. Our students and our youth, they’re fearless; they’re committed; they’re open-minded. They have always been the anchor to the work that I do. When they realize that they’ve got adults that care for them and that believe in them, they give it right back. That’s something that I’m really grateful for.”

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Jerome Hunter. Jerome is the co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at Seattle School for Boys. A proponent of healthy masculinity and its importance in an equitable society, Jerome is passionate about supporting young people to dismantle systems of oppression in education and build equitable futures. This conversation is about how we achieve these goals; specifically, it’s about the things we may take for granted when trying to achieve them. A teacher may believe in this mission, but do they know themselves well enough to carry it out and lead a classroom effectively? That’s where the mask comes in…

(3:55) Jerome introduces himself and his work in schools and with boys.

(5:45) Jerome shares the front of his mask - driven, funny, kind.

(8:05) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - dedicated, serious, funny.

(12:25) Ashanti finds the through-line in all of the masks he’s made over the years. Then, he and Jerome discuss what behaviors they are seeing in young boys in 2023.

(23:50) Jerome shares the back of his mask - imposter syndrome, anxious, sad.

(31:45) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - sadness, worry, self-doubt - and he remembers his grandmother.

(37:05) Then, Jerome and Ashanti discuss how teachers, students, and administrators can bring their full selves to school and coexist in a supportive, loving manner.

(51:45) Jerome shares why he got into the field of education and how you can get in touch with him.

---

Connect with Jerome Hunter:

Website: seattleschoolforboys.org

Website: jeromeleehunter.com

Instagram: instagram.com/seattleschoolforboys

Instagram: instagram.com/hunterj33

---

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

Original air date: April 30th, 2024

Video Episode: https://youtu.be/-NwPW3-a688

@donofriend  or Donovan Taylor Hall, joins Ashanti Branch, a master educator with 20+ years of experience in schools, to talk about what they are reflecting on as educators and what they’re seeing in the halls of modern-day schools. Donovan is an experienced teacher and positive youth development expert who travels around the country speaking at schools and pushing into classrooms. Learn more about him in ⁠season 1, episode 152⁠.

Topics include: video games, core values, extrinsic/intrinsic motivation, “call-out” vs. “call-in”, “book smart” vs. “street smart”, being a warm demander, and shared humanity amongst teachers and students.

(0:00) Welcome!

(1:30) Donovan and Ashanti introduce themselves.

(4:00) Student behavior, engagement, and distractions

(7:00) Video games and what they teach us about students

(11:00) Making education entertaining

(15:00) Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation

(17:00) Core values(25:00) Safe vs. unsafe schools; accountability

(30:00) Warm demander - running out of warm

(34:00) When to “call-out” students, and desire for attention(40:00) “Book smart” vs. “Street smart”

(43:00) Getting teachers more classroom management tools

(45:00) Teachers showing humanity; dropping ego

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Connect with Donovan Taylor Hall:

Website: ⁠www.donovantaylorhall.com

⁠Instagram, TikTok, Youtube: @donofriend

---

Create your own mask anonymously at ⁠https://millionmask.org/⁠ 

Email us questions and comments at ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks⁠

Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/⁠

Website: ⁠https://www.branchspeaks.com/⁠

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support⁠ 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub⁠

Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/everforwardclub⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/⁠

#TakingOff TheMask #millionmaskmovement #youarenotalone #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #pod #podcasts #podcastlife #podcaster #teachersofinstagram #teacherlife #education #educationmatters #educationispower #vulnerability #selfimprovement #mentalhealthawareness #madeonzencastr #vulnerabilityisstrength #mensmentalhealth #menswellness #lessonplan #lessonplanning #teachingmethods #teaching #productivestruggle #highschool #highschoolteacher #socialemotionallearning #middleschool #middleschoolteacher #videogames #corevalues #intrinsicmotivation #intrinsicvalue #booksmart #streetsmart #schoolcommunity #classroommanagement

Congratulations on another school year! As you enjoy the summertime, we have somewhat of a gift for you in anticipation of what's to come... A few things that will transform your classroom and your school in the Fall.

Enjoy your time off (if you're taking it), but keep these three things on the back of your mind.

1. The Young Men’s Conference is going global (1:00)
2. The First Week of School - Brought to you by the Million Mask Movement (5:45)
3. The new season of the podcast launches in the Fall, and there's an archival podcast this Summer (8:30)

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Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

It seems to be that more often in life, we find our selves in that vicious cycle of burning out, then numbing out, only to burnout and numb out even more. It's safe to say this especially applies to teachers.

Even the PhDs of the world, like today's guest, Brendan, find themselves in that cycle. Brendan is a sociologist who specializes in the social-emotional development and well-being of boys and men, and how that intersects with the well-being of others. Brendan has a PhD in Education from the University of Edinburgh, and was formerly a highschool teacher in Vancouver, Canada.

Today, we discuss:

1. How each of us has dealt with (or not dealt with) burnout as we navigate the field of education

2. The challenge of trigger warnings, and how they undermine the courageous and dangerous conversations required to do great teaching

3. How students and teachers alike fall prey to smartphone soothing, and how it affects your classroom

(0:00) Class in session

(2:11) Brendan introduces himself

(5:40) Brendan and Ashanti share their masks, i.e., their teaching personas

(18:00) The guilt we develop from teaching in a wealthy school district

(24:00) Differences between college students and high school students

(27:00) Trigger warnings remove discomfort from good education opportunities

(33:00) Teachers will traumatize students, but it’s more important to know how to repair

(36:45) Smartphone soothing and numbing is dangerous

(44:00) How to find Brendan

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Connect with Brendan Kwiatkowski-Hartman

Website/Newsletter: https://remasculine.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re.masculine/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@remasculine 

---

Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

---

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement  #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

“If we give our children sound self-love, they will be able to deal with whatever life puts before them.”- bell hooks

Harry Jamerson teaches 5th grade in San Francisco Unified School District, and he shared this quote with us before our conversation. After talking to him, I could tell he truly lives by bell hooks’ words. When it comes to self-love and emotional intellgence, Harry is keen on when to intervene, when to step back, and the PRESENCE required to make the right decision as an educator.

Today, we discuss:

1. The unique levels of fatigue that Black male educators endure

2. How young students are “overexposed and underexplained” to this one major societal issue, and how it affects their behavior

3. The importance of WAITING to intervene, so that young students learn how to process their emotions and big feelings

(0:00) Class in session

(2:16) Harry introduces himself and how he became a teacher

(7:00) How Harry and Ashanti let their students and fellow educators see them, and what they don’t let them see

(14:00) Empathy fatigue and how it affects educators, and especially Black men

(23:00) Overexposed and underexplained: how technology is affecting young students

(33:20) Students who need the most love ask for it in the most unloving ways

(37:50) Twenty-year conversations: technology, interventions, and overwhelming systemic issues in education

(40:45) Letting a student “crash out” at a kickball game

(44:30) Avoid intervening too quickly and allow students to process their emotions

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Connect with Harry Jamerson:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-jamerson-72b1672b7/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellacoolfotos/

---

Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator

As an educator in the community, how long is long enough? This past weekend was the Ever Forward Club’s Dance-A-Thon, the latest version of a community event that’s been going on every Memorial Day weekend for the past 21 years straight.

Barely anyone showed up.

Emotions from the day were polarized, to say the least - great connections, poor sense of relevance to the community and young people we are trying to serve. When is it time to turn the page for the sake of your students? And what self-talk was going on in my head the whole time, and how similar is it to the self-talk I’ve been seeing from students around the country?

---

(0:00) Class in session

(3:30) Letting go of a 21-year-old community tradition

(14:55) The positive side of our community event and the young men I met

(20:30) Self-talk - what students say to themselves affects their ability to be their best at school

(26:50) Through this work for students and educators, we are going to…

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Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/

A rush of memories are flowing through my head. They’ve arrived for one reason in particular - on May 28th, 2025, I’m releasing a book that I’ve been dreaming of writing for 15 years. And though it’s been 15 years, the book is really 21 years in the making - 21 years as an educator.

I’m going to read three passages from different stages of my teaching career - selected because this book release has sparked a these particular memories. The last passage is from the upcoming book, “Diary of a Confused Educator.”

(0:00) Class in session

(1:15) Book announcement, and my experience teaching at a well-resourced school while my heart was still in Oakland

(15:30) First reading - My first day and my first semester ever as a teacher

(20:00) Second reading - The founding document of the Ever Forward Club - inviting students to join a school club

(30:50) Third reading - “The Five Paragraph Essay” - chapter 4 from my new book “Diary of a Confused Educator”

Contribute to our Dance-a-thon fundraiser: https://charity.pledgeit.org/EFC-DanceAThon 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

---

Connect with Ever Forward Club:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/