Embracing Vulnerability: What More Men Should Know

Dawud Wallace is a speaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for emotional wellness among Black men. With years of experience navigating the caregiving journey and the layered challenges of grief, identity, and mental health, Dawud brings a deeply personal and relatable perspective to his work.
He’s lived the heartbreak of losing loved ones—and the healing that comes from having a strong, no-nonsense support system. Dawud believes in breaking generational silence, embracing vulnerability as strength, and making sure every brother knows: your peace is not a luxury—it’s a right.

Kendra Dahlstrom helps high-achieving leaders face what they usually hide: self-doubt, burnout, and the quiet fear of not being enough.

She's led executive coaching for some of the world's top brands—including leaders inside Fortune 10 companies—guiding them through the pressure of visibility, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. Her work blends emotional intelligence, honest storytelling, and real-world strategy to help leaders lead with more presence, less proving.

Kendra is also the host of The Unworthy Leader Podcast, a growing platform that pulls back the curtain on what leadership really looks like when we stop pretending we have it all together. Through raw conversations and hard-won lessons, she invites people to see self-doubt not as a flaw, but as a doorway to deeper wisdom.

Her message is simple: you don't have to feel worthy to lead—you just have to show up and be willing to find the answers and support.

More than a health coach, Brian Parana is a transformative catalyst who comprehends the intricate balance between professional achievement, personal well-being, and family responsibility.

With 20+ years of experience, Brian focuses NOT on a diet or just exercise but on empowering and building confidence for his clients. By blending science-supported strategies, relentless support, and a personalized plan, each client is designed to regain control of their health while building a career and supporting a family.

He helps clients prioritize health, whether that be weight loss, improving poor health, or simply a desire to live a healthier lifestyle. He helps clients identify other areas that may be obstacles towards a healthy, balanced life. Once identified, Brian and his clients work towards that desired balance.

Over the years, Brian has helped 1,000s of clients through being a personal trainer, CrossFit Gym owner, online speaker, and now coaching professionals around the globe with their fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle goals through commitment and dedication. He has had the privilege of coaching a 2-time Olympian and a CrossFit World Champion.

Now he helps men transform their bodies and lives with The Call To Rise, a 100-Day Fat Loss and Transformation Experience.

He is married to his high school sweetheart, Amber. Together, they have four children, ranging in age from 10 to 15. With three boys and one girl, Brian lives what he teaches every day. The Paranas have a passion for travel, having explored all 50 states and three conti… Read More

From Texas, drafted out of high school and opted to go to college. Drafted again my junior year of college and began 12 professional baseball career. Second year of pro ball I tried crack cocaine for the first time and became addicted. Lasted for 6 years and then decided to get sober. Got to play for another 6 years once I got sober. Retired in 2012 and was diagnosed with MS in 2013. I chose an alternative route to treat my disease and as of today I have no symptoms and am healthier and in better shape than when I was playing. Obviously there is a lot more to this story, but keeping it really brief. I have been married since 2013, have one son and we live in Alabama. I currently work for Johnson & Johnson helping neurologists diagnose and treat myasthenia gravis.

Ethan Getchell, LLMSW, is a therapist, author, and speaker dedicated to men's mental health. After the tragic loss of his younger brother to suicide, Ethan transitioned from a career in commercial real estate to pursue a path in mental health counseling. He now specializes in helping young men navigate depression, grief, and the challenges of modern masculinity. Through his work, Ethan aims to break societal stereotypes and create safe spaces for emotional vulnerability and healing.

Eugene Z. Bertrand is a Master of Social Work candidate at Columbia University and an advocate for trauma-informed mental health care. With a background in history and education, he combines rigorous academic training with a deep commitment to amplifying marginalized voices. His writing explores the complexities of trauma, resilience, and healing, inviting readers into conversations that challenge stigma and inspire hope. Recognized for his advocacy in trauma-informed care and mental health access, Eugene not only embodies resilience but also empowers others to cultivate it in their own lives. Through this work, he fosters awareness, empathy, and systemic change to support individuals and communities on their journeys toward compassion and healing through the power of vulnerability.

Robbie Nebergall is a firefighter, fitness coach, and founder of RECLAIM—a program helping firefighters transform their health through sustainable, lifestyle-based fitness. With a background in philosophy, martial arts, and emergency response, he brings a warrior mindset to mental and physical resilience. Robbie is on a mission to make being in shape part of the uniform again.

We're all a little narcissistic. Yes, you and even me. But not in the way the internet thinks.

Narcissism has become one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern psychology. It’s been flattened into a buzzword for selfishness, villainy, or garden-variety ego. But what if narcissism was less about labels and more about the loss of connection — with ourselves, with others, and with the truth of who we really are?

I’m Dr. Sterlin Mosley — a professor, Enneagram teacher, and author of Center of the Universe and The Narcissist in You and Everyone Else. My work explores how narcissism shows up in all of us — not as a fixed disorder, but as a spectrum of behaviors shaped by personality type, instinctual drives, and the systems we live inside. I’ve spent the past two decades helping people understand the deeper roots of emotional disconnection — and how we can transform those patterns into compassion, self-awareness, and genuine relational presence.

Whether we’re discussing the 27 forms of narcissism (yes, they exist), decoding personality through the Enneagram, or exploring how to soften the armor we wear in daily life, my goal is to make complex psychology accessible, relatable, and healing. I don’t just want to talk about what’s wrong with people — I want to illuminate how our deepest flaws are often misguided strategies for love, safety, and belonging.

My interviews go beyond clickbait and diagnosis. Together, we’ll uncover how narcissism operates in everyday life — in relationships, work, spirituality, and even self-help culture — a… Read More

For years, I told myself a story. That I was a victim of my past. That I was trapped in a life I didn’t recognize. That if my marriage ended, I’d be a failure—not just as a husband, but as a father.

Five days after my 43rd birthday, that story almost ended me.

I was married. I had two beautiful kids. I worked a blue-collar job in the film industry. On paper, I was doing everything I was supposed to. But inside? I was unraveling. After years of suppressing childhood traumas, after decades of numbing myself—whether with work, distractions, or anything else—I finally hit a breaking point.

One night, after a fight with my wife, I snapped. I walked upstairs, grabbed a bottle of Xanax, shook it—25 pills. “I could just take these and never wake up,” I thought.

I had spent my whole life believing the story that I was broken. That I was destined to repeat the cycles of my past. That I wasn’t enough. But those were just stories. And once I learned how to question them—how to rewrite them—everything changed.
I walked out of that treatment center with a mission: to help others break free from the stories that hold them back. To teach men—especially men—that it’s okay to feel, to heal, to ask for help. That you don’t have to carry the weight of your past alone.

Today, I’m a speaker, a coach, and a guide for people ready to rewrite their own narratives.

Many people don't learn emotional intelligence K through 12. Year-by-year gaps in psychology and mental health often grow because there's no structured format to take someone from where they're at to where they need to be. They didn't inherit the psychological privilege of having emotionally intelligent parents.

All too often, when we see people on the outside we don't know their life story. We're meeting them at this present chapter in their life. So much of adulthood calls for people to be a well put together, fully responsible adult, to keep their private lives to themselves out of courtesy, professionalism, personal responsibility, and self protection.

If we really knew what was going on for people, we might collectively have that heartfelt tug “Oooh, I feel that. That’s very difficult to go through.” And struggle to hold back the tears. Pain is universal, yet also carefully curated for consumption and kept under wraps.
The years are passing, yet improving their mental health doesn't happen passively over time. The gap in mental health isn’t accidental, it’s intentional, and it echos back the collective gaps in current systems where people are 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, and still unavailable to understand why love doesn’t work out.

Many adults are left to fend for themselves and are quietly carrying pain with no structure, no skills, no insights. As a result, they spend so much of their time in loops of emotional self sabotage.

My heart led mission is to help people not suffer alone, trying to fi… Read More

I am the CSO, Founder & Host of Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement podcast with more than 2,100 episodes reaching over 1 Million people in more than 180 countries.

After a brush with suicide, I decided to go all-in on my dreams of being a full-time podcaster and entrepreneur.

I believe in a heart driven, but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement and teaching others how to get to the next level of their lives!

I started where so many midlife adults find themselves: confused, dismissed, and wondering, “Is this it?”

After turning 60, I realized how deeply shame, silence, and misinformation shape our experiences of sex and aging. I was done whispering. I certified as a menopause coach & sex educator, got loud, and got real.

Now I use science, humor, and lived experience to spark the conversations most people are afraid to have. I talk about the real stuff: disappearing libidos, lube, orgasms, kink, fantasy, painful sex, performance anxiety, and what happens when you start dating again in your 50s and 60s and realize no one taught you how to use a dating app—or ask for what you want in bed.

I’m Karen Bigman, a Certified Sex Educator, Menopause Coach, and host of Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50, a podcast where we say the quiet parts out loud. My mission? To bring honesty, humor, and expert-backed insight to the often-ignored world of midlife sexuality, aging bodies, and relationships that evolve (or explode) and to get everyone to have sex for the rest of their lives.

Whether your audience is partnered, single, curious about open relationships, rethinking monogamy, or just wants to spice up their long-term sex life, I help make the taboo feel totally normal—and even exciting. From reigniting intimacy to navigating kink in midlife, I provide the language, tools, and permission people need to explore sex on their own terms.

I'm a guide for men in midlife who are often left out of the conversation—dealing with changes in libi… Read More

Craig Perra is a world-renowned expert in overcoming compulsive sexual behaviors, sex addiction, and porn addiction. As the co-founder of The Mindful Habit® System, with his amazing wife Michelle, Craig has helped thousands—including Olympians, professional athletes & coaches, famous celebrities, C-suite executives, religious leaders, and high-achievers from all walks of life—take control of their habits and transform their lives using an alternative to traditional 12-steps and therapy.

Together they run the highest-rated sex and porn addiction recovery program in the world based on over 490 verified client testimonials (TrustPilot: 4.9, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Excellent - https://www.trustpilot.com/review/themindfulhabit.com).

We’ve been featured on The Steve Harvey Show, The Katie Couric Show, The Anderson Cooper Show, A&E, Lifetime Television, and the BBC. Before becoming a sought-after coach and speaker, he was a high-powered attorney and executive advising billion-dollar companies—until his own battle with addiction and failures with traditional approaches forced him to confront his demons and build a system that has now helped millions break free.

Now, he’s here to share his wisdom, challenge traditional recovery models, and help you lead all parts of yourself—especially the ones you hate.

As the Purposeful Action (Men)tor for the Awakened Man movement, Alain has been on a mission as the beacon for what it means to live an authentic life. For the past three decades, Alain has lived the highs of the Culinary Olympics to the lows of losing it all...almost twice. Today, Alain leads men to reclaim their mission as fathers, husbands, and leaders as members of The Band of Brothers Group Mentoring Program.

Kerry is a mother, shaman, and newly published author. She grew up in Southern California in a single-mother household. Her challenging family life left her feeling isolated. She struggled socially, so she put her energy into other things. At 14, she began a 6-year career at Hot Dog on a Stick, but her college pursuits in Chinese and Religious Studies consumed her. After getting married in 1995 to an Israeli man she met in Tibet, she received a master's degree in East Asian Studies from UCSB in September 1997. That same month, she became pregnant with her first of three children. In 2005, she divorced and began working in the compliance department at a large health insurance company.

In 2015, her mother passed away on her 45th birthday. That's when she knew she had to embrace her psychic gifts and heal from her childhood trauma. The following 10 years felt like a treacherous and exhilarating roller coaster ride. She attempted suicide, embraced her shamanic gifts, and experienced enlightenment. She learned how to transform her emotional wounds into personal wisdom from shamans, psychologists, physicists, yogis, and other medical professionals.

However, her opportunities for personal growth were best found within romantic relationships. She needed a heart-to-heart connection with several powerful men to mirror her wounds back to her for self-improvement opportunities. They were a chess champion, Justin Waller (& Andrew Tate), two decorated fire academy instructors, and a former FBI assistant special agent in charge. They showed her how the … Read More

Louis Stockley Jr. is an Army veteran, husband, father, and the founder of Before 22 — a movement built on truth, brotherhood, and the kind of storytelling that saves lives.

After 17 years of military and federal service, Louis faced the war that doesn't make the news — the one that starts when the uniform comes off. He battled identity loss, burnout, and silence, the same fight that's taken too many of our brothers long after they've come home.

Instead of letting it break him, he turned it into fuel.

For the past decade, Louis has coached and mentored veterans, entrepreneurs, and men across the country — helping them master their emotions, rebuild their confidence, and reclaim their sense of purpose.

Through Before 22, he's created a movement that reaches the ones most people overlook — the quiet warriors fighting invisible battles. His mission is simple but deadly serious: to reach veterans and first responders before silence wins.

He doesn't just talk about healing, he shows men how to fight for it — one honest conversation at a time.