unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

What happens when a certified educator, trauma-informed healing-centered facilitator, and community organizer starts asking deeper questions about masculinity, emotional safety, and the world our boys are growing up in?

In this powerful episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Asahnti sits down with Mexican-American educator, former middle school teacher, community organizer, and Trauma-Informed Healing-Centered Facilitator, Fernando Deveras. is known for his thought-provoking commentary on history, politics, education, and current events through his growing online platforms and community work.

Ashanti and Fernando unpack the emotional realities many young men carry behind the mask, the pressure to perform masculinity, the fear of vulnerability, and the impact of growing up in a world shaped by social media, violence, isolation, and emotional disconnection.

This conversation dives into:

• What boys are really searching for beneath the surface

• Why emotional safety matters in schools and communities

• The hidden exhaustion educators carry behind the scenes

• Trauma, healing, and intergenerational patterns in Latino families

• The role educators play in helping young people feel seen

• Why “the kids don’t have time for adults to wait to be ready”

• Masculinity, community accountability, and the bystander effect

• The importance of speaking up, even when your platform feels small

Fernando also shares his personal story growing up as the son of immigrants, becoming a father while in college, transitioning from classroom teaching into community organizing, and helping families heal through culturally grounded practices.

If you care about young men, education, emotional wellness, restorative practices, or building safer communities this episode is for you.

Connect with Fernando

• Instagram: @fernando.deveras

• YouTube: Fernando De Veras

• Substack: Fernando De Veras

• Learn more about and their family healing workshops

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #MaleEducators #MillionMaskMovement #EverForwardClub #EducationLeadership #HealthyMasculinity #YouthDevelopment #EmotionalSafety #CommunityHealing

In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Ashanti Branch sits down with Nigel Williams, a longtime friend from Oakland, retired probation professional, high school basketball coach, father, entrepreneur, and founder of Future Rich.

Nigel reflects on the masks he wears as a man who leads with heart, hope, and resilience, while carrying the hidden pressure of looking good, seeming like he has wealth figured out, and navigating the unspoken shame many men carry around money, health, and struggle.

He shares his journey from Calvin Simmons Middle School and Fremont High School to 25 years in probation, where he worked with young people, challenged systems that were not serving youth well, and learned the importance of giving people resources before they reach crisis. Nigel also opens up about his health journey, including surviving a staph infection and facing prostate cancer with a commitment to early detection, honesty, and helping other men take their health seriously.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The mask of looking like everything is figured out

•  Why men often hide money struggles instead of talking about them

•  Growing up in Oakland and learning from mentors, family, and community

•  Nigel’s 25-year career in probation and juvenile justice

•  The difference between punishment, accountability, and real support

•  Why young people need financial literacy earlier

• The story behind Future Rich

• Compound interest, the Rule of 72, and long-term discipline

•  ETF dividend funds and building generational wealth

• Why “future rich” is about freedom, not just money

•  Men’s health, early detection, and prostate cancer awareness

• Starting today, even if you did not start yesterday

0:00 Welcome and introduction

1:18 Nigel’s Oakland roots and Future Rich

5:57 From engineering to education

9:50 Nigel shares his mask

16:43 Ashanti shares his mask

21:22 Lessons from 25 years in probation

29:32 The beginning of Future Rich

36:14 Money, masculinity, and young men

39:14 ETF dividend funds explained

42:31 Compound interest and the Rule of 72

47:52 Men’s health and early detection

51:03 PSA numbers, MRIs, and prostate cancer

54:42 Start today

57:46 Closing and Million Mask Movement invitation

Connect with Nigel Williams

Website: futurerichnow.com

Also mentioned: buildfuturerichnow.com

TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: Nigel Williams

Project: Future Rich

Book / Resource: Future Rich book, workbook, and teacher’s guide 

Mentioned in this episode

Future Rich Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #NigelWilliams #FutureRich #FinancialLiteracy #GenerationalWealth #MaleEducators #MensHealth #ProstateCancerAwareness #EarlyDetection #YouthMentorship #OaklandEducators #MillionMaskMovement #EverForwardClub

In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Ashanti Branch sits down with Jay Wamsted, a 20-year educator, father, writer, and author of The Lockdown Artist.

Jay reflects on the masks he wears as a teacher, being in control, joyful, hopeful, and steady, while carrying the hidden weight of uncertainty, frustration, and concern about the future of public education.

He shares his journey as a white educator in predominantly Black classrooms, how writing helped him process race and identity in schools, and why emotional safety matters deeply in math class. Jay also talks about replacing traditional warm-up problems with connection-building “cold opens,” using mistakes as teaching tools, and helping students feel like the classroom does not have to be a bad place.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The hidden mask of classroom control

• Why students can “opt out” long before they leave the room

• Teaching through COVID and learning what educators can and cannot fix

• Race, identity, and the myth of the neutral classroom

• Jay’s journey from math teacher to writer

• The story behind The Lockdown Artist

• Why educators should write down classroom stories

• Building emotional safety in math class

• Using jokes, trivia, and authenticity to connect with students

• Why making mistakes publicly can help students feel safer

0:00 Welcome and introduction

1:31 Jay opens with a classroom breathing practice

3:31 Ashanti shares the front and back of his mask

6:33 Jay reflects on control, hope, and what he carries behind the mask

9:25 The public misunderstanding of teachers and summers off

11:18 How Jay navigates the pressure of caring for students

14:28 COVID, burnout, and learning what teachers cannot fix

15:53 Jay’s journey into writing

16:11 Teaching as a white educator in predominantly Black classrooms

18:06 Summer 2020 and writing about race in education

19:35 The story behind The Lockdown Artist

22:04 “Are you in or are you out?”

23:37 Who The Lockdown Artist is written for

25:28 Race, identity, and what adults call “neutral”

30:56 Journaling, reflection, and writing classroom stories

35:07 Emotional safety in math class

36:43 Moving away from traditional warm-up problems

38:35 Using “cold opens” to build connection

43:19 Advice for educators who want to build more trust

44:43 Being real with students in appropriate ways

Connect with Jay Wamsted

Website: jaywamsted.com

Instagram / TikTok / X: @jaywamsted

Jay WamstedBook: The Lockdown Artist

Mentioned in this episode

The Lockdown Artist

The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #PrincipalKafele #MillionMaskMovement #MaleEducators #SchoolLeadership #CulturallyRelevantPedagogy #EverForwardClub

In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Ashanti Branch sits down with Principal Baruti Kafele, a 40-year educator, author, speaker, and school leader.

Principal Kafele reflects on the mask he wore as a principal... “I’m good”, while carrying the hidden pressures of leadership, staff conflict, community expectations, and student needs.

He shares how reading Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Dr. Carter G. Woodson changed his life and led him into education. He also challenges educators to make learning culturally relevant, build real relationships with students, and ask whether their teaching truly matches who is in the room.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The hidden mask of school leadership

• Why educators must understand students’ culture and lived experiences

• How to make learning relevant and meaningful

• The power of relationship before instruction

• Principal Kafele’s Young Men’s Empowerment Program

• Why administrators must coach teachers, not just evaluate them

0:00 Welcome and introduction

3:36 The mask of “I’m good”

8:56 Navigating school politics and union relationships

14:30 How education found Principal Kafele

17:42 Discovering Dr. Carter G. Woodson

20:32 Putting students in the lesson

23:04 Becoming someone students can hear

24:20 Young Men’s Empowerment Program

30:00 Does your teaching match who’s in the room?

35:50 Principals as instructional coaches

41:07 How to connect with Principal Kafele

Connect with Principal Baruti Kafele

Website: principalcafele.com

Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn / X: @principalkafele

YouTube: AP & New Principals Academy

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #PrincipalKafele #MillionMaskMovement #MaleEducators #SchoolLeadership #CulturallyRelevantPedagogy #EverForwardClub

Ashanti sits down with Clyde Cole, Principal of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School, to explore identity, leadership, education, and the masks school leaders wear.

Clyde reflects on his journey as the child of immigrants, his 35 years in education, and the classroom moment that shaped his calling. He also shares how calm leadership, transparency, and emotionally safe adults can help young men build trust and move beyond the mask.

A powerful conversation for educators, school leaders, mentors, and anyone committed to helping young people feel seen.

In this episode:

• The masks Ashanti and Clyde wear as educators and leaders
• Why calm leadership can sometimes be misunderstood as not caring
• How transparency helps students, families, and staff trust the decision-making process
• Why young men need vocabulary to express what they are carrying

• The fifth-grade teacher who changed Clyde’s life by choosing elevation over punishment
• Why educators should look for opportunities to lift students up, even in disruptive moments

• How Cristo Rey Brooklyn supports students through academics, work-study, service, and community partnership

Timestamps:

00:01 Welcome and introduction
00:44 Clyde’s background, identity, and Brooklyn roots
02:26 Leading Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School
04:48 Ashanti shares his educator mask
08:32 Clyde shares his mask as a leader
13:42 Calm leadership in difficult moments
15:54 Using transparency to build trust
19:14 The deeper work of education
21:19 Helping young men move beyond the mask
23:01 Giving young men language for their emotions
26:17 Creating spaces for emotional risk-taking
27:48 Why students need safe adults
30:59 The teacher who changed Clyde’s path
32:28 Elevating students instead of punishing them
36:19 Clyde’s five domains of school leadership
37:44 Academic leadership
39:01 Cultural leadership
40:01 Organizational leadership
41:22 Team leadership
42:28 Interpersonal leadership
45:35 Cristo Rey Brooklyn’s work-study model
46:24 How to support Cristo Rey Brooklyn students
48:21 Closing reflections and mask invitation

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School: https://www.cristoreybrooklyn.org/ Faculty & Staff /

Clyde Cole: https://www.cristoreybrooklyn.org/faculty-and-staff

Connect with Clyde Cole

Website: https://www.cristoreybrooklyn.org/

Email: [email protected]

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas, Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #EmotionalSafety #MaleEducators #AuthenticLeadership #SchoolLeadership #CristoReyBrooklyn #YoungMenMatter #BehindTheMask #EducatorWellbeing

Ashanti sits down with Bishop Foreman for an honest and powerful conversation about leadership, education, and the masks we wear.

This episode explores what it means to lead while carrying pain, why consistency can become overcommitment, and how childhood experiences often shape the way adults show up as educators, mentors, and leaders. Bishop Foreman also shares why the best teachers do more than deliver information. They help students think, connect, and transform.

If you are an educator, school leader, mentor, coach, or anyone who works with young people, this conversation offers both reflection and practical insight.

In this episode:

• The masks Ashanti and Bishop Foreman wear in public and what they carry underneath

• The connection between childhood instability and adult leadership patterns

• Why authenticity matters in teaching and leadership

• How to move from information delivery to transformational teaching

• Why educators should focus on the takeaway, not just the lesson

• How engagement, humor, and interaction help students learn

• Why students need adults who can connect before they can truly teach

Timestamps:

00:06 Welcome and opening reflections

00:14 Meet Bishop Foreman

00:30 Bishop Foreman on leadership, impact, and honoring educators

01:21 His early love of teaching and starting a business at age 12

03:47 Ashanti on entrepreneurship, schools, and setting up the mask activity

05:32 Ashanti shares his mask

08:32 Bishop Foreman shares his mask

13:39 Consistency, leadership, and knowing when to let something go

15:34 Childhood responsibility, protecting others, and emotional attachment in leadership

19:44 Ashanti connects with the role of protector in his own story

20:40 Working with adults, youth, and communicating across audiences

22:56 Speaking with energy and connecting beyond information

24:37 Youth attention spans and the challenge to make learning worth their time

26:46 Moving from reacting to students toward building growth-centered structures

28:45 Starting with the end in mind and teaching for transformation

30:02 Why many educated people are not taught to think critically

31:14 Social media, swipe culture, and shrinking attention spans

32:38 Teaching critical thinking instead of just content

33:14 The educators Bishop Foreman still remembers and why they mattered

36:36 How to connect with Bishop Foreman

39:32 Closing invitation to share your mask anonymously

Resources & Links Mentioned

• bishopforeman.com

• Text “BISHOP” to 55498 for discounts on books, coaching, and resources

Connect with Bishop Foreman

• Website: bishopforeman.com

•  Social media: @BishopForeman

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas, Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #EmotionalSafety #MaleEducators #AuthenticLeadership #EducatorWellbeing #BehindTheMask

In this conversation, Ashanti sits down with Alexander Kopelman, founding president and CEO of the Children’s Arts Guild, to explore authenticity, identity, creativity, and what it means to help children thrive as whole human beings. Together, they reflect on the masks adults wear, the stories we carry from childhood, and how our own fears, wounds, and expectations can shape the way we show up for young people. Alexander shares his journey as a refugee from the Soviet Union, the origins of the Children’s Arts Guild, and the heart behind his book, For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World.

• How identity gets shaped by what others assume about us

• Why creativity can open doors to honesty, vulnerability, and emotional safety

• How the Children’s Arts Guild began through work with boys and creative expression

• A powerful moment from a kickball game that opened a conversation about crying and grief

• Why adults in a child’s ecosystem matter just as much as the child-focused program itself

• Why children need to be allowed to fully be the age they are

• How post-pandemic expectations may still be out of step with where children really are

00:02 Welcome to UnMASKing with Male Educators

00:35 Meet Alexander Kopelman

01:41 Alexander introduces the Children’s Arts Guild and For Real

02:09 Coming to the U.S. as a refugee and rebuilding identity

03:13 Assumptions, religion, and being seen from the outside

05:25 Choice, identity, and the masks we wear

14:39 Creative mortification and the fear of drawing

17:34 How Alexander’s work with boys and adults began

21:25 Kickball, crying, and the moment things shifted

23:15 Why working with adults became essential

25:09 Authenticity as a framework for educators and parents

27:12 What games can reveal about fairness, emotion, and behavior

29:17 Why adults need inner work and practice too

31:45 Men’s work, circles, and learning to trust the process

35:31 Realizing there were no men in his life

37:04 New Warrior training and recognizing inner voices

40:20 Parenting, anxiety, and reacting from fear

41:35 What For Real offers adults

43:34 Letting children be the age they are

44:19 Post-pandemic development and shifting expectations

46:41 A final reminder for parents and educators

47:28 How to connect with Alexander

48:34 Closing invitation

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Children’s Arts Guild

• For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World

• Authenticity Works — Alexander’s website

• millionmask.org — share your mask anonymously

• Mankind Project

• Girls Inc.

Connect with Alexander Kopelman

• Website: authenticityworks.org

• Book website: forrealbook.org

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas, Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #AlexanderKopelman #Authenticity #CreativeExpression #EmotionalSafety #WholeChild #MaleEducators #Parenting #ChildDevelopment #Healing

In this thoughtful and timely conversation, Ashanti sits down with educator, facilitator, and author Jason Biehl to explore masculinity, whiteness, emotional honesty, and what it means to nurture healthy belonging for boys and men. Together, they reflect on the fears, grief, and uncertainty many young people are carrying right now, and why adults must be willing to face discomfort, tell the truth, and model courage in order to create more emotionally safe communities.

Jason also shares about his upcoming four-part graphic memoir series, Unicorns: A Memoir for Young White Men, beginning with On White Discomfort, and explains why this work matters so deeply in this moment.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• What Ashanti and Jason are carrying on the front and back of their masks

• Why hope, honesty, and vulnerability are essential in hard times

• The fears young people are holding about safety, identity, and the future

• How masculinity, whiteness, and patriarchy shape belonging and disconnection

• Why discomfort can be a necessary part of learning, growth, and healing

• The importance of creating spaces where boys and young men can tell the truth

• Jason’s new graphic memoir series, Unicorns, for young white men

• Why adults and educators must stop waiting for crisis before doing proactive work

Timestamps:

00:00 Discomfort, healing, and growth

00:34 Episode preview

01:25 Welcome to UnMASKing with Male Educators

02:02 Meet Jason Beale

04:26 Working with white men, boys, and belonging

06:52 Ashanti shares his mask

09:41 Jason shares his mask

12:24 “Hope is a discipline”

14:35 Fear, silence, and speaking up

16:28 Why more men need skin in the game

17:03 Bullying, fear, and self-silencing

19:08 Social media vs real courage

21:09 What young people are carrying right now

23:33 What gives Jason hope

26:00 The need for healthier role models

28:25 Why white discomfort matters

30:49 Othering, privilege, and race

33:15 Tulsa, erased history, and truth

38:09 Algorithms and echo chambers

40:30 Why schools wait for crisis

42:54 Boys, patriarchy, and accountability

45:16 Jason’s Unicorns book series

46:19 Closing invitation

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Change the Narrative — Jason’s website

• Unicorns: A Memoir for Young White Men

• Nurturing Healthy Belonging series for young men and boys

• millionmask.org — share your mask anonymously

• Talk to Your Boys by Christopher Pepper and Joanna Schroeder

Connect with Jason Biehl

Website: changethenarrative.me

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas, Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#UnMASKingWithMaleEducators #JasonBeale #MaleEducators #HealthyMasculinity #Belonging #EmotionalSafety #AntiRacism #SocialJusticeEducation #YoungMen #VulnerabilityIsStrength

What does it cost to always be seen as the strong one?

In this conversation, Curtis Valentine, founder of Real Men Teach and founder in residence with the American Institute for Boys and Men, joins Ashanti to talk about what it takes to recruit, support, and retain men of color in education. They explore the stereotype that men of color should always be the strong ones, how Real Men Teach grew from a local school board effort into a national movement, why male educators leave classrooms, and what schools can do to create the kind of support that helps them stay.

Listen and apply these takeaways to your life and leadership:

• Strong friends still need help. The expectation that men of color should always carry pressure quietly can make support harder to ask for and harder to receive.

• Representation matters, but recruitment is only the beginning. If schools want men of color to stay, they need real community, care, and systems of support.

• Movements can start with something simple. Real Men Teach began as a local effort and grew through outreach, relationships, and shared purpose.

• Men don’t just leave classrooms because they stop caring. They leave when the conditions around them make it difficult to sustain the work.

• School change takes partnership. This episode is a reminder that improving schools requires people to bring their ideas, their networks, and their willingness to build with others.

• Everyone can do a little bit. Whether it’s joining a movement, supporting educators, or collaborating with mission-driven organizations, meaningful change grows through collective action.

00:48 Welcome to Unmasking with Male Educators

02:25 Meet Curtis Valentine

03:17 Curtis’ background + the mission behind Real Men Teach

07:17 How Real Men Teach started: 100 texts, 100 yeses

11:51 The “strong friend” mask and why support still matters

13:02 Why male educators need to model honesty

15:36 The mask question: what students see vs. what they do not

16:50 Curtis on confidence, preparation, and insecurity in teaching

20:19 A story from teaching abroad: learning while leading

24:11 Why great educators stay open to learning from students

27:34 Why more men do not enter or stay in teaching

33:25 Curtis’ classroom story: underprepared, unsupported, and thrown in

35:50 The real barriers facing men of color in education

38:13 Men need purpose, accountability, and clear roles

41:06 Letting male educators teach in authentic ways

43:09 Why boys learn differently and schools need to respond

45:47 The cost of being “the exception”

47:49 How to support Curtis and Real Men Teach

49:06 Closing reflections and outro

Connect with Curtis Valentine

• Real Men Teach

• American Institute for Boys and Men

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas, Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #MaleEducators #RealMenTeach #CurtisValentine #MenInEducation #BlackMaleEducators

What if the way through stress isn’t to push harder, but to learn how to come back to yourself?

In this conversation, Shalin Desai, engineer, Art of Living Foundation leader, and breathwork teacher, shares how being introduced to these practices at 16 changed the direction of his life. Ashanti and Shalin talk about the masks men wear, the fear of failure, the calm we can carry behind the mask, and why breath is one of the most practical tools we have for working with stress and emotion. They also explore skepticism around contemplative practices, the difference between hearing “be present” and actually knowing how.

Listen and apply these takeaways to your life and leadership:

• The mask of competence can hide a real fear of failure, pressure, and self-judgment, and naming that matters.

• Calm is not the absence of responsibility; it’s the ability to carry life without letting stress become your identity.

• The real question isn’t just “be present,” it’s “how?” Shalin points to breath as a direct tool for working with emotional patterns.

• Breath and emotion are connected: when the breath changes, your internal state can change too.

• This work becomes real when it restores purpose. Shalin shares a story about a participant who arrived hopeless and left wanting to live.

• Skepticism doesn’t disqualify anyone. People from many backgrounds can benefit without giving up who they are.

(0:00) Meet Shalin Desai + how Art of Living became part of his life

(2:54) Shalin’s origin story: his mother’s healing, finding the course at 16, and discovering breathwork early

(8:57) Ashanti’s own Art of Living journey + wondering what shifts when young people learn peace sooner

(10:19) The masks we wear: competence, fear of failure, calm, irritation, and ending the day without regret

(13:50) “That sounds good, but how?” bringing spiritual ideas into real-life stress

(15:21) The connection between breath and emotions + why breathwork is practical, not abstract

(17:42) A participant’s suicide note story + what happens when someone reconnects to purpose

(20:20) Skepticism, openness, and why people are more ready now to try meditation and breathwork

(22:37) Research, results, and why this work keeps spreading

(26:50) Types of Art of Living courses + why the practice has to continue beyond one experience

(32:07) Emotional overload, algorithms, polarization, and making impact from calm instead of frustration

Connect with Shalin Desai

Website: artofliving.org

Instagram: @shalindesai

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org

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

Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas

Email us: [email protected]

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

Connect with Ashanti Branch

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

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

X: https://x.com/BranchSpeaks

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

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

Support the Podcast & Ever Forward Club

Help us continue creating spaces for young men to be seen, heard, and supported:

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

X: https://x.com/everforwardclub

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

#unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #breathwork #artofliving #emotionalwellness #mensmentalhealth #meditation #wellnessineducation #selfawareness #healingjourney #podcast