What Men Carry, Pt. 3 | Identity, Self-Love & the Mixed Messages of Manhood

What are men really carrying right now?

In Part 3 of What Men Carry, Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with two clinically credentialed social workers — Alan-Michael Chest, M.Ed., LMHC, SAC and Adrian White, LCSW, LCAS, CCS — for one of the most honest conversations we've had in this space.

We talk about what it costs a man to not know who he is. We talk about seeking love from people who were never meant to give it. We talk about the dangerous contradiction of telling men not to feel — and then wondering why they explode.

This episode covers:

• How healers take care of themselves when the work gets heavy
• Identity and what happens when someone else writes your story for you
• Where social media and pop culture are getting it dangerously wrong on Black men's mental health
• The longing for fathering that shows up in grown men — and how good therapists meet it
• Why men are flocking to therapy more than the narrative suggests
• What it means to stop seeking love from people who aren't meant to give it
• Practical tools for men who are ready to do the work

Guest audience member Byron Garcia also joins with a powerful reflection on rebuilding after loss and finding your tribe.

This is real talk. No scripts. No performance. Just brothers in conversation.

#BraveMoves: Share this episode with one man in your life who needs to hear it.

Connect with our guests:

Alan-Michael Chest, M.Ed., LMHC, SAC (Professor C)YouTube: youtube.com/@visionsofprofessorcmovementTikTok: @visionsofprofessorcEmail: [e-mail] | [e-mail]

Adrian White, LCSW, LCAS, CCSWebsite: ajwtherapy.comInstagram: @adrianwhite23

Connect with Craig Aarons-Martin:Website: ccmeducationgroup.coInstagram: @iamcraigaaronsmartin | @bravevoicespodEmail: [e-mail] a discovery call: calendly.com/ccmeducationgroup/discovery-call

#WhatMenCarry #BraveMoves #BraveVoices #BlackMensMentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #BlackMen #Healing #Identity #SelfLove #Manhood