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

“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/

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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/ 

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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/

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

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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?

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(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/ 

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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/

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

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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/ 

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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/

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

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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/

“If I want to be effective in this, I got to know what it feels like to be a body in pain - really - and wrestle with whatever pain is arising from me. Because if I’m not in touch with that, how can I be really anything but a fake for somebody else as they’re going through it?”

Sitting with pain. Getting close to your resentment. All with the goal of helping others. This is the crux of Dr. Bill Penuel’s work, an educator at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the co-author of a new book, “Creating Compassionate Change in School Communities: Leading Together to Address Everyday Suffering in Schools”. Today, we discuss:

1. How to shift your relationship to pain in order to best serve yourself and your students

2. How educators can put self-compassion into action

3. What does skillful care look like for children who are systemically marginalized?

4. What is an “inside-out” approach to school change?

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Bill introduces himself

(3:40) Bill and Ashanti share their teacher personas

(11:20) Applying “contemplative practice” and “meditation” to teaching and education

(12:30) Getting close to your resentment

(17:20) Sitting with your pain and suffering in order to help others

(22:00) Working as a bouncer and what it teaches you about servicing others

(29:00) Finding common humanity, and how it helps navigating difficult situations

(34:50) Critical Care - an important subject in the field of education

(39:00) Deservingness gets in the way of compassion

(41:30) Bill’s approach to helping boys in schools and confirming dignity

(51:00) Bill’s book and where to find it

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Connect with Bill Penuel:

Bill’s book: https://www.colorado.edu/crowninstitute/compassionate-change-schools-book 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-penuel-8069b5/ 

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

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

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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/ 

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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/

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

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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/

I recently attended RestorED: A Healing Experience for Educators - a collaboration between our nonprofit, the Ever Forward Club, and The Find Design, a nonprofit based in Nashville, Tennessee. During this experience, I made profound connections with great teachers, like Ms. Kayla. She’s been a rock for her students after the school shooting at Antioch H.S., in Nashville. Listen to hear what I took from this experience.

This episode was inspired by my conversation with Justin Haas. Check it out here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/branch-speaks/episodes/22--For-White-Folks-Who-Teach-in-the-Hood---w-Justin-Haas--Organizer--Educator--Anti-Oppressor-Community-Cultivator-e30vuhr 

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(0:00) Class in session

(1:00) Educator rejuvenation/restoration in Nashville, TN

(4:30) A teacher who lived through a school shooting - Antioch High School

(10:15) Modeling the behavior you desire for your students

(13:00) Math, art, and using talents to cover weaknesses

(19:45) Diary of Confused Educator announcement

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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/

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

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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/

Here's an excellent way to build culture and create buy-in at your school/classroom: rites of passage. What rites of passage are appropriate for your students? What are some values to hone in on as you create rites of passage experiences for your students? What are some outside resources you can point families toward? Listen to find out!

This episode was inspired by my conversation with Jordan Bowman. Check it out here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/branch-speaks/episodes/14--School-Community-Partnerships-How-Male-Volunteers-and-Mentors-Completely-Change-the-Dynamic-of-a-School---w-Jordan-Bowman--Community-Leader--Executive-Director--Journeymen-e2uecj4 

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(0:00) Class in session

(1:20) What is a rite of passage?

(6:20) Western Adolescence and how it plays out in school

(8:00) Rites of Passage for teachers

(15:00) How these rites of passage are subjective and vary culture to culture

(20:00) Recollecting a beautiful Journeymen Rites of Passage weekend

(23:00) Rites of Passage resources

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Resources:

Warrior Films: https://warriorfilms.org/rites-of-passage/press-kit/

Mentoring: https://www.mentoring.org/take-action/find-a-mentor/

Youth Passageways: https://www.youthpassageways.org/ 

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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/ 

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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/

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

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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/

It’s all over the news. It’s everywhere in our art. Young boys are a lightning rod in our national conversation. And that puts a lot of pressure on you as an educator. So how do you deal? What kinds of behaviors are you observing in your classroom? And what conversations do you need to be having around your school community?

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Young boys are in the news. What’s going on?

(3:00) Should “Adolescence” be screened in schools?

(5:00) The White Lotus, Tim Ratliff

(8:50) Kyren Lacy and his father

(11:00) Frisco, TX and Karmelo Anthony

(14:00) Lessons from my mentor

(17:30) What can adults do about this?

(18:55) Emoji’s in Adolescence, and learning from young people

(20:55) Action items for educators

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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/

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

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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/

“Nothing personal, it’s just business.” What teachers need to understand is the “business” of school is social capital. So when teachers have a student challenging them, disrespecting them, putting on a show in their classroom… it’s nothing personal. It’s not even about you.

Our guest, Dr. Matt Englar-Carlson, a veteran in the public school system, knows a thing or two about navigating these types of interactions. Today, we discuss:

1. How to “advocate” for students, instead of “fix them”

2. How anti-social behaviors are never “personal” and always “interpersonal”

3. How education was fundamentally changed in the year 2012

4. The one prosocial behavior you can adopt as an educator… to help you better connect with male students

(0:00) Class in session

(2:00) Matt introduces himself

(7:30) “Fixing” vs. “advocating for” kids

(10:00) School staff shortages and all the issues that come with it

(17:00) When boys act out, it’s not about you

(21:00) How do men in education help boys? 

(28:00) A student office referral story

(36:10) The motivation of future teachers to smash the system

(39:00) Netflix’s Adolescence and the influence of smartphones

(47:00) Matt’s work and conference

Connect with Matt-Englar Carlson:

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

Website: https://experts.fullerton.edu/expert?SubjectID=44&ExpertID=588 

Website: https://www.getmental.com/

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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/ 

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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/

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

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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/

There's a poster that should be in every classroom in America. It's called "The Learning Pit" by James Nottingham. The "adult" version of this concept is called the "Dunning- Kruger" effect. Look them up!

In this episode, we break down what it all means and how you can implement it in your classroom. It seriously should be in every classroom.

This episode was inspired by my conversation with Roni Habib. Check it out here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/branch-speaks/episodes/16--Foster-the-Joy-of-Learning-in-Your-School---w-Roni-Habib--Founder--EQ-Schools--Speaker-e2v2lfd 

(0:00) Class in session

(1:05) Reflecting on my conversation with Roni Habib, and taking high school classes as a middle schooler

(5:50) Teaching students who “don’t like school”

(8:38) The Dunning-Kruger Effect for educators and students, and growth mindset

(14:55) I was not a good teacher

(15:55) My slope of enlightenment was…

(18:10) An inspiring school in Mexico

(21:30) The Learning Pit poster should be in all schools

(23:40) Netflix’s Adolescence

(25:50) Final thoughts on EQ - emotional intelligence

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/ 

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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/

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

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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/

“The kids are watching. The kids see everything. If you can act and model what type of person you want them to be, that’s going to be way better than teaching them about a person you want them to be. If you can be the one who’s vulnerable first, if you can show other emotions, if you can meet them half way emotionally, that may be an opportunity for them to let their guard down, for them to see connection, and then be able to attend to the work that you want them to do.”

Easier said than done? Well, spend some time with Justin Haas - Organizer, Educator, Reproductive Rights Advocate, Anti-Oppressor Community Cultivator. Take in his energy, and maybe it’ll all start to make sense. It’s not about how you “act” as a teacher; rather, it’s about how you “be.”

In this conversation, Justin masterfully articulates what it takes to be a great teacher. Today, we discuss:

1. How to see through the performative behaviors that take place in school (By the way, this applies to both students and teachers)

2. What it means (as a teacher) to love before you listen

3. Important considerations for those “white folks teaching in the hood”

(0:00) Class in session

(2:10) Justin introduces himself

(11:00) Justin and Ashanti’s teacher personas

(19:00) Being a member of the “White folks who teach in the hood” trope

(23:15) Love before you listen

(26:00) Tested by students in Sacramento

(32:00) Teachers need to have short-term memory loss

(46:00) Teaching during the Trump Administration

(53:00) Defunding the Department of Education and “States' Rights”

(1:06:00) Justin’s message for male educators

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Connect with Justin Haas:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-haas-231491229/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannotbeneutral/

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

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

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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

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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/

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

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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/