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Published Nov 18, 2020

How To UNLEASH Your SELF-CONFIDENCE & Find PURPOSE Today | Jericho Brown & Lewis Howes

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown as he delves into the transformative power of creativity, vulnerability, and authenticity in building self-confidence and purpose, sharing personal stories of healing, self-discovery, and embracing identity with Lewis Howes.
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Episode Highlights

  • Power

    Jericho Brown and discuss the transformative power of vulnerability. Jericho emphasizes that being true to oneself means accepting that not everyone will love or accept you, but it's crucial to surround yourself with those who do 1. Lewis shares his personal journey of overcoming societal pressures to hide his emotions, highlighting the importance of removing the 'mask of masculinity' to foster deeper connections 2.

    The real trouble with us is that we've made this hierarchy of folk that we want to be liked by. And when you look at who we want to be liked by, it's like, what do I want to be liked by that guy for? He's awful. He's cruel. If this guy could, he would hurt me. So why am I trying to prove to that guy how strong I am? I should be trying to be around people who love the person I am.

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    Fears

    The conversation shifts to the fears men face when expressing vulnerability. Jericho shares his personal experiences with sadness and trauma, explaining how honoring these emotions has been essential for his survival and growth 3. He also discusses the additional challenges queer men face in expressing emotions due to societal expectations 4.

    If you are not capable of being vulnerable, you will not fall in love. And no matter how supposedly masculine or macho you are, everybody I know wants to fall in love. I don't know anybody who don't want to fall in love.

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    Masculinity

    Jericho and Lewis explore the societal expectations of masculinity and how they hinder men's ability to be vulnerable. Lewis recounts his upbringing in a small town where emotional expression was discouraged, leading him to write a book on the topic 2. Jericho points out that true strength comes from being authentic and surrounding oneself with supportive people 1.

    It's interesting because I grew up in a small town in Ohio in middle America, where I was not allowed to really express myself, right. But I was a very sensitive kid. I had two older sisters. Older brother was an artist, but also he was in prison for four and a half years selling drugs to an undercover cop. So I went to a prison a lot to visit him. And I felt very in tune with my emotions, but was constantly told to not emote.

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