Foster and Cesar dive into the topic of gatekeepers—those visible and invisible forces that control access to success, opportunity, healing, and recognition. They explore how gatekeeping shows up in creative industries, media, friendships, and even family dynamics. With vulnerable storytelling, they unpack moments where they’ve felt on the outside looking in and how they've reclaimed power by creating their own doors—or walking away entirely.
This episode is a call to self-trust and liberation. Through honest and sometimes embarrassing revelations, Foster and Cesar invite you to consider where you might be waiting for permission instead of granting it to yourself. If you’ve ever felt like someone else held the keys to your next step—this one is for you.
In this episode:
- What gatekeeping is and where it shows up
- The surprising place Foster encountered a gatekeeper
- Cesar’s embarrassing truth of being a gatekeeper to someone else
- Why being a “Gate Greeter” might be their new favorite thing
- The most beautiful gesture Foster received from strangers
- The invisible ways we gatekeep ourselves
Also mentioned:
The loss of Foster’s son Wilde, outlined in Episode 3.
Community leader and actress Leonora Pitts.
The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass
If this episode spoke to you, you will love Breaking Open where Foster & Cesar explore transformation through leaps of faith. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.
If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!
Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to beautyinthebreakpod@gmail.com and be sure to follow on Instagram.
Cesar Cardona:
- Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
- Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
- Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
Foster Wilson:
- Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
- Learn about her postpartum services
- Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village
Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson
Executive Producer: Glenn Milley
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com