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

#89 | Keeping the Imagination Alive: Learning, Teaching, and Becoming w/ Dr. Joseph Brown

What happens when educators see themselves not only as teachers—but as conduits carrying history, culture, wisdom, and possibility from one generation to the next? In th

#88 | Bad Lessons: What Schools Teach Black Boys Without Saying a Word w/ Matthew R. Morris

What happens when Black boys are taught that they have to choose between being authentically themselves and being seen as intelligent, successful, or worthy of belonging

#87 | Stop Shaming Boys: A Better Way to Talk About Masculinity w/ Chris Hemmings

What happens when we stop shaming boys for the masks they wear—and start getting curious about why they learned to wear them in the first place? In this episode of unMAS

#86 | You Are Not Alone: Trust, Mentorship, and The Power of Showing up w/ Ray Seol

What happens when educators stop believing they need to have all the answers—and start recognizing trust, curiosity, and presence as some of the most powerful things they

#85 | Hip-hop Lessons for Life and Learning w/ David Spellmon

What happens when educators stop seeing hip-hop as something to keep outside the classroom—and begin recognizing it as a tool for building confidence, self-awareness, con

#84 | Your Words Can Build—or Burn w/ Maurice McDavid

What happens when educators recognize that their words can create warmth, build confidence, and strengthen belonging—or leave wounds students carry for years? In this ep

#83 | Behind the High Performer: What We Hide Behind the Mask w/ Ron Rapatalo

What happens when someone appears confident, connected, and successful on the outside while privately navigating anxiety, avoidance, pressure, and self-doubt? In this ep

#82 | Behind the Confidence: Let Kids Learn To Live w/ Dr. Ray Boyd

What does it mean to lead with confidence while carrying vulnerability, caution, and responsibility behind the mask? In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, As

#81 | Leading With Compassion w/ Joshua Stamper

What happens when an educator chooses to look beyond behavior and uncover the story, need, or struggle beneath it? In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Asha

#80 | Beyond The Mask: What Education Owes The World w/ Professor Richard Weissbourd

What does it truly mean to raise caring, moral, and engaged young people? In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Ashanti sits down with Harvard educator and M

#79 | Behind the Mask: The Masks We Wear, the History We Carry w/ Dr. Frederick Gooding Jr.

What happens when a historian, educator, and cultural critic invites us to think more deeply about the masks we wear, the stories we inherit, and the truths we often avoi

#78: More Than One Way to Be a Man: Redefining Masculinity w/ Gabriel Mizunaka

What happens when young people are only shown one version of what it means to be a man? Ashanti Branch sits down with educator, spoken word artist, and author Gabriel Mi

#77: Student Rights Aren't Optional: Why Student Rights Can't Be Left to Chance w/ Preston Cary Green III

What happens when the protections students depend on begin to disappear in plain sight? In this conversation, Ashanti Branch sits down with education law scholar Preston

#76: The Power of Questioning: Why Critical Thinking Must Belong to Everyone w/ Colin Seale

What if the behaviors schools label as problems are actually signs of untapped brilliance? In this conversation, Ashanti Branch sits down with educator, author, and Thin

#75: What Does It Mean to Be Black in America’s Schools? w/ Brian Rashad Fuller

What happens when your earliest memories teach you lessons about race, identity, and belonging before you even understand what those words mean? In this conversation, As

#74: Hope Dealers and Possibility: Reimagining What Young People Can Become w/ Hasan Davis

What happens when one person sees your potential before you can see it yourself? Ashanti Branch sits down with Hasan Davis, educator, youth advocate, storyteller, and se

#73: From Survival to Purpose: The Courage to Uncover Your Light w/ Steve Sapourn

Content notes: This episode contains discussions of trauma, addiction, mental health, and psychedelic-assisted healing. Steve shares his personal experiences and perspect

#72: What Happens When the Hope-Giver Needs Hope? w/ Chase Mielke

What happens when the people everyone relies on for hope, encouragement, and positivity are struggling to carry everyone else's burdens? In this powerful conversation, A

#71 | Helping Kids Feel Safe Enough to Connect w/ Fernando Deveras

What happens when a certified educator, trauma-informed healing-centered facilitator, and community organizer starts asking deeper questions about masculinity, emotional

#70 | If You Didn’t Start Yesterday, Start Today — w/ Nigel Williams

In this episode of unMASKing with Male Educators, Ashanti Branch sits down with Nigel Williams, a longtime friend from Oakland, retired probation professional, high schoo