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unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask
272 episodes
17 hours ago
Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students - who often face DISPROPORTIONATE disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to embody a necessary change in schools, via healthy social-emotional outcomes. Come away with actionable lesson plans, relatable stories, and a renewed purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of our youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this - because real men teach. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com
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All content for unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students is the property of Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students - who often face DISPROPORTIONATE disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to embody a necessary change in schools, via healthy social-emotional outcomes. Come away with actionable lesson plans, relatable stories, and a renewed purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of our youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this - because real men teach. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com
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How To
Education
Episodes (20/272)
unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
#49 | What I Learned From Hosting the Young Men’s Conference: Community, Vulnerability & Planting Seeds for 2026

We just wrapped our second Young Men’s Conference, and I’m still taking in the power, the stories, and the lessons this year brought.

From 220 registered to nearly 100 young men showing up in person, this year felt bigger, bolder, and more aligned with the work we’ve been building: helping young men normalize vulnerability, step into their strengths, and see themselves in community with mentors who truly see them.

This episode is a reflective solo cast on what went well, what surprised us, and how we’re preparing for a global expansion of the movement in 2026.

  • The growth of the Young Men’s Conference from 50 to 100 participants

  • What young men actually said about their experience

  • Why “normalizing vulnerability” remains a radical act

  • What we learned from the 100+ youth who didn’t show up, and how to reach them next year

    • The global partners activating this movement around the world
    • A call to action for parents, mentors, schools, and anyone who cares about young men
  • Timestamps

    (0:00) Welcome & why this episode is a reflection on the conference

    (2:30) What worked: attendance, workshops, volunteers & community support

    (4:48) How we expanded to a bigger venue and deeper partnerships

    (7:14) Parent testimonials and powerful stories from young men

    (9:40) Why “normalizing vulnerability” is the theme—and why it matters

    (11:30) What we learned from 220 registrants but only 100 attendees

    (14:07) Alberto & Parth share behind-the-scenes insights

    (18:00) Why this work matters even more after recent tragedies

    (20:30) The “critical gap” and our responsibility to young men

    (22:15) A call to action as we prepare for 2026


    Join / Contribute to the Young Men’s Conference

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference 2026: https://everforwardclub.org

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


    Submit Questions, Reflections, or Episode Ideas

    Email us: totmpod100@gmail.com

    Create your mask anonymously: 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 & 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

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub

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

    #unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #totm #doace #UNWME #diaryofaconfusededucator #youngmensconference #normalizevulnerability #everforwardclub

    Show more...
    17 hours ago
    24 minutes 38 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #48 | Teaching Through Fear, Faith & Forgiveness – w/ Dr. José Luis Vilson – EduColor Executive Director

    Do you ever feel like you’re carrying the weight of your students’ futures on your shoulders?

    That tension, between hope and exhaustion, between responsibility and grace, is familiar territory for Dr. José Luis Vilson, Executive Director of EduColor and author of This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education.

    In this powerful episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Dr. Vilson joins host Ashanti Branch to talk about the humanity behind teaching, the unseen emotions, the quiet anger, and the relentless faith that change is possible through education. Together, they unpack the “mask” educators wear to stay strong for their students, and what lies beneath: doubt, exhaustion, but also deep love and purpose.

    Dr. Vilson shares his journey from computer science to classroom teaching, his struggle with imposter syndrome, and how he channels empathy and community to sustain his work. This is a conversation about purpose, healing, and redefining what it means to teach with heart.










    Timestamps

  • (0:00) Welcome & introduction

    (1:00) Dr. Vilson on identity and purpose

  • (3:45) The mission behind becoming a teacher

  • (7:20) Teaching as spiritual and moral work

  • (10:45) The mask: what students see vs. what we hide

  • (18:15) Fear, insecurity, and anger behind the classroom door

  • (23:30) Carrying loss and responsibility as educators

  • (30:00) Teaching as spiritual and legacy work

  • (33:00) Listening to young people, and learning from them

  • (42:00) Helping students see themselves in the future

  • (49:00) AI, forgiveness, and the future of teaching

  • (53:00) Finding community and collective strength


    Connect with Dr. José Luis Vilson

    Website – www.thejosevilson.com

    EduColor – a collective for equity and justice in education

    This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education


    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

  • Show more...
    1 week ago
    56 minutes 21 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #47 | Behind Prison Walls: Healing, Brotherhood, and the Power of Masks w/ Gregory Robinson Jr. (Samson Correctional Institution)

    Gregory Robinson Jr. is an author, educator, and mentor currently incarcerated at the Samson Correctional Institution in North Carolina. From behind prison walls, Gregory has built a movement of healing, accountability, and creativity,  guiding other men to confront their pain, share their stories, and take off their masks.

    Through his Wisdom of Creation series and the Million Mask Movement, Gregory has turned confinement into community. He’s teaching lessons on patience, mental health, and the power of choice, all from a place most people would never imagine transformation could begin.

    In this episode, Ashanti and Gregory explore how healing can happen anywhere, even behind bars, when men are given permission to be honest about what’s really going on inside.

    Together, they dive into:

    • How the Million Mask Movement reached inside a North Carolina prison

    • Why Gregory gathered “eight brothers, gang leaders, ex-gang leaders, and religious leaders” to take off their masks

    • What happens when men are finally allowed to cry, to feel, and to heal

    • The story behind Gregory’s children’s book The Turtle and what it teaches about patience and progress

    • How creative expression became his form of restorative justice

    • The daily realities of incarceration and how he uses storytelling to reclaim his narrative

    • His message to young men about slowing down, listening to elders, and choosing a different path

    • The truth about control, freedom, and finding peace in your own mind

    Gregory challenges us to rethink a core truth:

    “Even when you have no control, when you can’t eat what you want, or call home when you want, the one thing you do have control over is your mind and your narrative.”

    This conversation is a testament to resilience, creativity, and the belief that every man, no matter where he is, can become a catalyst for change.


    Timestamps:

    (0:00) Welcome and introduction with Ashanti

    (1:24) Gregory on growing up, miseducation, and missing guidance

    (3:43) Discovering the Million Mask Movement from inside prison

    (4:06) Bringing the mask to prison: “I sat down eight brothers…”

    (5:07) Creating mental health spaces behind the walls (

    6:40) The story of The Turtle: lessons on pacing, patience, and acceptance

    (8:16) “The turtle doesn’t run from danger, it regroups and moves forward”

    (10:32) Writing books from prison: creativity as survival

    (12:39) Gregory’s message to youth: “Be patient with life. You don’t have to rush.”

    (13:50) On control, mindset, and freedom

    (16:08) How to follow and support Gregory’s work

    (18:28) Closing reflections: healing from behind the walls


    Resources mentioned:

    • Instagram: wisdomofcreation2

    • Facebook Page: Wisdom of Creation 2

    • Books: The Turtle and A Conscious Journey of My Unfolding available on Amazon

    • GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-wisdom-of-creations-mission support Gregory Robinson Jr. publishing and youth outreach work

    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 #mentalhealthmatters #healingbehindwalls #educationjustice #restorativejustice #masculinity #emotionalwellness #everforwardclub #schoolculture #brotherhood #teacherwellbeing

    Show more...
    2 weeks ago
    34 minutes 48 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #46 | Redefining Consequences: Restorative Justice, Accountability, and Healing in Schools w/ Nicholas Bradford (National Center for Restorative Justice)

    Nicholas Bradford is the founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Restorative Justice, where he and his team help schools across the country transform discipline systems into spaces for healing, accountability, and connection.

    A former teacher in Vermont and Washington and a 24-year Coast Guard veteran, Nicholas brings a grounded, compassionate, and deeply practical approach to what it means to build emotionally safe schools. His work challenges educators to replace punishment with purpose and to see conflict as an opportunity for growth rather than control.

    In this episode, Ashanti and Nicholas unpack what it truly means to create restorative systems that work for kids, for teachers, and for entire school communities.

    Together, they dive into:

    • The difference between punishment and consequences and why most schools confuse the two

    • How restorative justice actually builds accountability and belonging

    • Why “slowing down” conflict helps kids (and adults) process and grow

    • What it takes to shift school culture from compliance to connection

    • The masks educators wear: confidence, productivity, and quiet doubt

    • How identity, harm, and vulnerability show up for both students and teachers

    • Why apology and repair are essential leadership skills

    • How Nicholas’s own journey from teaching to restorative work reshaped his view of justice, empathy, and education

    Nicholas challenges us to rethink a core question:

    Are we trying to get even, or are we trying to get better?

    And what might happen if every classroom became a space where accountability was human, not punitive?

    Timestamps:

    (0:00) Welcome & introduction

    (0:22) Nicholas on his path from teaching to restorative justice work

    (3:44) Why suspensions don’t change behavior, “Kids just get better at not getting caught”

    (6:40) Punishment vs. consequences: Nicholas breaks down the difference

    (14:06) The masks Nicholas wears: capable, caring, productive, and the doubts underneath

    (19:17) How restorative circles help students take off their masks

    (25:23) What restorative justice really looks like in schools

    (29:56) Building connection as prevention: belonging, relationships, and safety

    (34:12) Personal work before systems work: why adult regulation matters

    (38:55) “An unregulated mind can’t regulate another unregulated mind”

    (43:19) Accountability as an off-ramp from punishment

    (46:18) Restorative justice in action: student stories of harm and repair

    (48:07) Resources, books, and mindset shifts for educators

    (50:31) Closing reflections: conflict as opportunity for learning


    Connect with Nicholas Bradford

    Website: National Center for Restorative Justice

    LinkedIn: Nicholas Bradford

    Book: A Real World Guide to Restorative Justice in Schools


    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com

    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 #restorativejustice #educationjustice #socialemotionallearning #everforwardclub #schoolculture #healingineducation #emotionalintelligence #teacherwellbeing

    Show more...
    3 weeks ago
    47 minutes 29 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #45 | What I’ve learned from MAGA: Fighting back with positive male mentors

    We police ourselves too much. And by "we" I'm referring to the progressive movement.

    Those on the other side have built a large coalition by putting the conservative agenda above all, ignoring the warts and the ugly within the organization.

    This approach has made me think about what's also limiting us when it comes to recruiting male mentors: We need to embrace our warts instead of being ashamed by them. Mistakes make us better mentors.

    Topics include:

    • The weaknesses of the progressive movement and why they lose the messaging battle
    • What MAGA and people like Andrew Tate have figured out
    • Male mentors and their insecurities

    Timestamps:

    (0:00) Welcome and recapping a retreat I attended in New Mexico

    (3:00) One quote about our current political environment that has really stuck with me

    (9:45) My solution and some problems we’re facing with it: The Young Men’s Conference

    (17:30) Reintroducing rites of passage to our current society

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    4 weeks ago
    29 minutes 49 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #44 | How a high school class solved SIX MURDERS and identified a SERIAL KILLER - w/ Alex Campbell (Elizabethton High School)

    Alex Campbell is a high school social studies teacher at Elizabethton High School in East Tennessee, where he’s spent more than two decades reimagining what learning can look like. His classroom became known nationally after his students helped investigate and solve Tennessee cold cases, turning lessons in history and sociology into powerful acts of justice.

    As the author of 10 Lessons That Will Get You Fired (But You Must Teach Immediately) and a featured voice on the podcast Murder 101, Alex challenges the limits of traditional education. He believes teachers aren’t just keepers of knowledge, they’re creators of learning experiences who can help students make a tangible impact on the world around them.

    Together, Ashanti and Alex dive deep into:

    • The masks teachers wear: confidence, control, and hidden doubt

    • Why project-based learning transforms classrooms, and lives

    • The story of Alex’s students helping free a woman wrongfully imprisoned for murder

    • How vulnerability, trust, and risk-taking open doors to real learning

    • What it means to teach with courage in a system built for compliance

    • How purpose-driven teaching builds hope, belonging, and self-worth

    Alex’s reflections challenge us to ask:

    Are we teaching content… or changing lives?

    And what happens when we finally trust students to lead their own learning?

    Timestamps:

    (0:00) Welcome & introduction

    (1:22) Alex on teaching in East Tennessee and finding purpose through connection

    (4:10) The mask Alex wears: confident on the outside, uncertain within

    (8:35) “10 Lessons That Will Get You Fired”, why he wrote the book

    (14:55) The power of project-based learning in real classrooms

    (23:10) Students investigating cold cases and seeking justice

    (30:25) When learning becomes life-changing, the story of freeing an innocent woman

    (38:20) How Alex redefines the teacher’s role as a “creator of learning experiences”

    (45:05) Vulnerability and risk-taking in front of students

    (50:15) “Trust your students”, Alex’s message to every educator

    (58:00) Closing reflections: what courage looks like in education today

    ---

    Connect with Alex Campbell:

    Book: 10 Lessons That Will Get You Fired (But You Must Teach Immediately)

    Podcast: Murder 101

    Feature: Knox News – Teacher Alex Campbell and His Students Help Solve Tennessee Cold Cases

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com

    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 #educationjustice #socialemotionallearning #maskmaking #projectbasedlearning #teachersofinstagram #everforwardclub

    Show more...
    1 month ago
    1 hour 1 minute 52 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #43 | Curiosity, Critique & Courage in Education – w/ sam seidel (Stanford d.school)

    What keeps educators going when the system feels overwhelming? How do we balance creativity, critique, and care in classrooms where students face everything from initiative fatigue to gun violence?

    In this episode, Ashanti sits down with sam seidel, educator, author, and Director of Strategy & Research at the Stanford d.school. sam has spent more than 20 years designing schools, launching youth programs, and writing about the intersections of education, identity, creativity, and justice. His most recent book, From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood (with Dr. Christopher Emdin), explores how white educators can engage in classrooms with honesty, humility, and impact.

    Together, Ashanti and sam dive deep into:

    • The masks educators wear: curiosity, critique, and hidden vulnerabilities
    • School safety and Sam’s eye-opening experience shadowing a student during an active shooter drill
    • The toll of initiative fatigue on teachers and students
    • What Sam’s father (also an educator) taught him about anger as fuel for change
    • Why belonging, empathy, and critical reflection matter just as much as curriculum
    • How the Stanford d.school’s School Safety Net is helping schools strengthen community connection
  • Sam’s reflections push us to ask: What’s our learning edge as educators? And how do we keep interrogating the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden?

    Timestamps
    (0:00) Welcome & Introduction
    (1:12) Sam on trust, connection, and why safe conversations matter
    (3:25) Sam introduces himself and his work at the Stanford d.school
    (8:31) Sam’s mask: curious, critical, creative
    (12:18) Vulnerability: cynicism, Jewish identity, and what he hides
    (19:17) Challenges in education today: repression, book bans, and teacher fatigue
    (23:44) AI, initiative overload, and why teachers feel burned out
    (25:14) Sam’s experience with active shooter drills and school safety
    (33:08) Why student connection isn’t “extra”, it’s life-saving
    (44:30) Lessons from his father: anger as fuel for teaching
    (47:15) Sam shares his books & resources


    Connect with sam seidel

    Website: samseidel.isBooks: From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, Hip Hop Genius 2.0, Creative Hustle, and more

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com

    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 #educationjustice #socialemotionallearning #maskmaking

  • Show more...
    1 month ago
    46 minutes 33 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #42 | Don't Ignore It: What a 30-day cleanse taught me about educators, self-care, and the state of our boys

    I shed 30 pounds, and I’m feeling the best I’ve felt in a while. But it was 30 difficult days - of cravings, headaches, mood swings, brain fog, fatigue, you name it… But it was necessary, and it made me think, “What would that look like for our schools? Our school districts? Our educators and their classrooms?”

    Our schools and our young people are struggling. Are we willing to go through the necessary growing pains?

    (0:00) Class in session

    (8:15) My 30-day plant-based detox, and shedding 30 pounds of waste

    (15:30) Taking in the school board superintendent resignations and the budget shortages at school districts in the Bay Area

    (19:55) Speaking at a church and telling the congregation some upsetting statistics about boys and young men, and about our upcoming Young Men’s Conference

    (26:00) An invitation to contribute to your community in a way that is best for you

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    1 month ago
    37 minutes 21 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #41 | The Hidden Struggles of Educators & Students - w/ Dr. Edson Andrade - CSUF Counseling Professor

    Do you ever wonder if you are doing enough? If you are truly making an impact as an educator, mentor, or leader? For Dr. Edson Andrade, those questions have been a constant companion, shaped by his journey as an undocumented immigrant, his experience with imposter syndrome, and his work training the next generation of counselors.

    Dr. Andrade is a professor of counseling at California State University, Fullerton. He trains bilingual and bicultural counselors who are dedicated to serving Latinx communities across Southern California. His story is one of resilience, empathy, and creating spaces of belonging for students navigating complex challenges.

    Today, we discuss:

    • The masks we wear: imposter syndrome, fear, and self-doubt
    • Growing up undocumented for 25 years and finding belonging
    • The role of empathy and relationships in higher education
    • Supporting immigrant and undocumented students in classrooms
    • Why connection matters more than content in learning
    • Advice for young men questioning their worth and place in the world

    Timestamps
     (0:00) Welcome & Introduction
     (0:29) Dr. Andrade introduces himself
     (3:25) Ashanti and Edson share their teacher personas/masks
     (5:35) Edson opens up about imposter syndrome and self-doubt
     (11:16) Timeline reflections and changes in higher ed
     (19:17) Helping students unmask in safe and supportive ways
     (23:18) Edson shares his undocumented journey
     (23:18) Social-emotional intelligence in today’s graduate students
     (27:45) How Edson is navigating imposter syndrome as a professor
     (32:37) A reminder for teachers: pause and see the whole student
     (33:07) Edson’s message to his younger self and today’s youth


    Connect with Dr. Edson Andrade:
    California State University, Fullerton – Counseling Program: https://ed.fullerton.edu

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com

    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

    Show more...
    1 month ago
    38 minutes 21 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #40 | Students are Losing Opportunities for Productive Struggle - Here’s what you can do (feat. Jerome Hunter, Educator, Equity Consultant, Community Leader)

    I bet there are more ways you can create productive struggle in your classroom, and you haven’t thought of them. And I bet taking in what Jerome has to say about smartphones, dopamine, and struggle will help unlock something in you as an educator.

    Jerome is an educational strategist based in Seattle, Washington, who stands at the intersection of education, policy, community engagement, and young men & boys. A TED and NPR-featured educator and community leader, this is Jerome’s third time on the show!

    1. How Jerome works with architects and the community to design schools that promote flexibility and creativity

    2. Why analog tools are making a comeback in schools, and digital tools are being pulled back

    3. How digital technology erases productive struggle and interpersonal skills development

    4. Some new research on how smartphones affect students, and a new article by Jonathan Haidt

    (2:30) Jerome introduces himself

    (6:45) Designing school spaces for 21st-century students, and advocating for more analog learning tools

    (16:00) The disappearance of productive struggle and desired difficulty

    (21:30) Ashanti and Jerome share their masks/teacher personas, and some thoughts on inclusive masculinity and bravery

    (34:30) Jerome’s thoughts on how to start the school year

    (38:30) Jonathan Haidt and student preferences

    (40:00) Student microcognitions and how educators can tackle them

    (45:15) Jerome’s words of advice for male educators



    Website: https://www.jeromeleehunter.com/

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    2 months ago
    47 minutes 57 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #39 | Where are all the trustworthy male educators?

    We've been recruiting male educators to take part in our upcoming Young Men's Conference (details below), and the successes and difficulties in doing so have forced us to confront some important questions:

    Where are all the trustworthy male educators?

    What does it even mean to be a male? To be masculine?

    We hope you take this exercise and exploration as a rallying cry to support your young male students. To empower them with the right choices, role models, and opportunities to create their own narrative. To build their own definition of "masculinity" in a healthy, prosocial way. Enjoy the show :)

    (0:00) Class in session

    (7:00) What we've learned from canvassing the community and building momentum for the Young Men's Conference

    (9:30) What happens if your school campus does not have any trustworthy adult male educators?

    (14:25) What is my definition of masculinity?

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    2 months ago
    28 minutes 4 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #38 | Students are Leaving Their Work BLANK - Here’s Why

    I travel around the world talking to young people and educators. To start the school year, I noticed a lot of young people were leaving their work blank during my workshops. What’s behind this? Something cultural? Pedagogical? Personal? Specific to each particular school? I’m going to share what I learned for future workshops, and how you can apply the lessons of these experiences to your classroom.

    (0:00) Class in session

    (0:40) Background on the different schools I’ve visited to start the school year and the workshops I hold

    (11:30) Activity 1 that was left blank: Dear Me

    (15:30) Why are students leaning on the excuse, “I don’t know what to do.”

    (19:45) Activity 2 that was left blank: The Mask

    (23:40) Are students “less trusting” than ever?

    (25:20) Closing notes and information on the Ever Forward Club


    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    2 months ago
    27 minutes 34 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #37 | That Black Male Teacher “Hits Different” - w/ Jason Muse - SFUSD Educator

    Did you have a Black male teacher growing up? In high school? Middle school? Elementary school? The numbers go down as the grades get lower. But thankfully we have people like Jason.

    Jason is an elementary school teacher based in San Francisco, California. He’s been teaching in some capacity for 13 plus years, and his passion for teaching is rooted in his passion for mentorship and commitment to ensuring young people have what they need for self-actualization.

    Today, we discuss:

    1. How to guide boys and cultivate a healthy relationship with anger

    2. How Jason has achieved longevity in the teaching profession and made it sustainable

    3. How adopting a broad definition of mentorship can be liberating and lead to impact in your classroom

    4. Some encouraging things for male elementary school teachers at the start of this school year

    (0:00) Class Session

    (2:35) Jason introduces himself

    (5:30) Ashanti and Jason share their teacher personas/masks

    (14:00) The challenge of giving boys the space to express themselves, especially anger

    (18:30) Achieving longevity in the teaching profession

    (22:40) Infusing more mentoring in our communities, and embracing a broader definition of “mentor”

    (32:40) Seeing former students in a mentorship role

    (36:00) The role of Black male educators in elementary schools

    (43:40) Jason’s message for all educators

    ---

    Connect with Jason Muse:

    https://linktr.ee/BlackMuze


    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    2 months ago
    50 minutes 39 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #36 | The Intersection of Video Games, Neurodivergence, and Good Teaching - w/ Russell Nadel, Music and Movement Educator, Composer

    Russell is a middle school music and movement educator, now entering his 20th year in the profession! And with so many years of experience in the field, he has a wealth of experience with teaching frameworks, student motivation, neurodivergent thinking, and mindfulness. I really hope that you can integrate what he says today into how you approach the start of the 25/26 school year.

    Today, we discuss:

    1. How Russell implements mindfulness practices to help himself and his students transition between school periods

    2. What it’s like to be a teacher with ADHD, Inattentive Type, and how being transparent about this with his students creates a warm and productive classroom community

    3. How Russell uses the Orff Schulwerk framework to teach music, and how it can be applied to all different school subjects

    4. How “leveling up” in video games can be applied in baby steps, especially in school

    5. Russell’s words of encouragement for male teachers starting the upcoming school year

    6. The importance of having someone in the building, at your school site, to share with vulnerably

    (0:00) Class in session

    (2:40) Russell introduces himself

    (6:30) Russell and Ashanti share their teacher personas/masks


    Connect with Russell Nadel:

    Website: http://www.russellnadel.com

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    55 minutes 3 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #35 | How to Start the School Year: Practical Advice from a 7-Year Teaching Veteran - w/ Nicholas Ward - Educator, Mentor, Sports Connoisseur

    I guarantee this episode will make you a better teacher. Practical advice, explicit tools, a clear perspective, and a way to move throughout your school site with intention - our conversation with Nicholas was exactly why we started this series.

    Nicholas Ward is a middle school history teacher and Athletic Director in East Oakland, where he’s been teaching for the past seven years. He focuses on making U.S. and world history meaningful and relevant, especially for students from underserved communities; and he’s also passionate about mentorship, student leadership, and using sports and community-building as tools for growth, both in and outside the classroom. We discuss:

    1. How becoming a father has impacted Nicholas’s work as a teacher

    2. How Nicholas is intentional and consistent with his 1 on 1 check-ins with students outside of the classroom

    3. The mentorship program that Nicholas piloted in his school to empower students across grade levels

    4. How he instills the idea that “rigor is love” with his students and parents at the beginning of the year

    5. How Nicholas teaches history, media literacy, and primary sources in the era of “fake news”, AI, and smartphone devices

    6. The principles and practices that Nicholas implements to start every school year

    (2:45) Nicholas introduces himself.

    (4:30) Nicholas and Ashanti share their “teacher personas”

    (13:00) Being both a father and a male educator

    (18:30) Building relationships at the beginning of the school year

    (19:00) The perfect notebook for educators

    (24:50) The special mentorship program Nicholas piloted at his school

    (26:20) Communicating to students and parents how “rigor is love”; pushing students to demonstrate what they’ve learned in multiple modalities

    (31:55) Teaching history in the era of disinformation

    (36:10) Tying civic engagement to history

    (40:45) How mentorship breaks down walls - student to student, teacher to teacher, and student to teacher

    (45:00) How to start the school year according to an expert

    ---

    Connect with Nicholas Ward:

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

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    —

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    48 minutes 14 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    #34 | If you could read your students’ minds, they’d say…

    This is essential listening to start the 2025-26 school year. And as an educator, you should be able to finish the title of this episode. If you can’t, you’re not doing an essential part of the work - listening and relationship building. Well… you came to the right place to LISTEN. Listen to AJ and Angel, two young male high schoolers that are here to lift the curtain on what makes modern day students tick. They are both members of our Young Men’s Health Group and members of the council that is setting up our Global Young Men’s Conference, and today, we discuss:

    1. What exactly is on students’ minds as they navigate the beginning of the school year

    2. What are your male students feeling but not telling you about

    3. The ways you can gain and lose students’ trust

    4. As a teacher, it’s not about OFFERING support. It’s about HOW you offer support.

    5. How students are actually embarrassed to be perceived as smart

    6. AJ and Angel do some teacher student role playing

    (2:50) AJ and Angel introduce themselves

    (6:40) Ashanti, AJ, and Angel share their masks.

    (11:40) What teachers need to know to better serve their students

    (24:40) Are young men afraid to show how smart they are?

    (37:10) How to approach a disengaged student/a student facing peer pressure - an epic student-teacher role play

    (43:10) Maintaining student relationships by being approachable before, during, and after class

    (49:40) AJ and Angel describe their favorite teachers and the things they do that are exceptional

    (52:40) Final thoughts from AJ and Angel

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    ---

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    54 minutes 34 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    What Educators Get Wrong When Teaching Boys

    “We need safe spaces in which guys can drop into that boyhood, that kicking the ball, or throwing the ball, or goofing around and roughhousing with each other or telling jokes, whatever it is… Because being in those moments and acting that way, I believe, takes us back to a boyhood element of ourselves, which at some point was beaten out of us… ‘That’s immature. What you’re doing, you can’t be doing. Stop!’ What that does though is it cuts us off from the bridge that takes us to those other places of vulnerability where we really do need to share from. The boyhood energy is the bridge to get to the vulnerability for us.” - Noam Raucher

    Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Noam Raucher. As a spiritual coach, men’s coach, rabbi, classroom teacher, and father of two, Noam navigates many roles at home and in the community. Because of this, Noam is deeply reflective about masculinity, as it relates to his inner critic and the spiritual stories connected to the critic inside all of us. Please enjoy this engaging conversation!

    ---

    (6:30) Noam introduces himself, his work in the classroom and in coaching, and his identity and Jewish faith. He and Ashanti discuss the significance of finding meaning in life, and the role education plays.

    (15:00) Noam shares the front of his mask - strong, smart, compassionate.

    (17:00) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - serious, intense, funny - and he and Noam discuss how they are learning to celebrate themselves and wrestle with their inner critic more often.

    (29:15) Noam shares the back of his mask - depression, questionable self-worth, “stupid?”, failure.

    (30:50) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - fear of failure, self-doubt, worry/letting go.

    (37:00) Noam and Ashanti discuss and dissect all of the markers of traditional masculinity that are reinforced by what our culture defines as attractive.

    (48:30) Then, Noam and Ashanti consider what it really means to be on a team, and what it would take for men to be more open to asking for help.

    (52:00) Noam shares some last words for the listeners and how you can reach out to him.

    ---

    Connect with Noam Raucher:

    Website: RabbiRaucher.com

    Facebook: facebook.com/noam.raucher

    Instagram: instagram.com/noamraucher

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/noam-raucher-20933b164

    ---

    Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 

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

    Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    57 minutes 31 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    An Educator and Technology Expert Keeps It Real about Our Children

    “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 totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    3 months ago
    56 minutes 33 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    This Educator Built a Career and a Major Following on TikTok

    “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 totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    4 months ago
    54 minutes 6 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    A Teacher Quits Mid-Year, So This Man Takes the Reigns of Their Classroom

    “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.

    ---

    (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: Alfredo@eso-ventures.com

    ---

    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 totmpod100@gmail.com 

    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

    Show more...
    4 months ago
    1 hour 40 seconds

    unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students
    Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students - who often face DISPROPORTIONATE disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to embody a necessary change in schools, via healthy social-emotional outcomes. Come away with actionable lesson plans, relatable stories, and a renewed purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of our youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this - because real men teach. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com