Men cry. Men break. Men heal. In this powerful roundtable, Brian D. Nordstrom Jr., Apostle Andre Dodson, and Will Van Dyke sit with host Barbara L. Parker, MA, LPCC-S & Co-Host Mary Kent to break the stigma around male emotions—especially for Black men—and talk boundaries, therapy, co-parenting, and choosing peace over chaos.

What happens when men's emotions are invalidated in relationships? Our raw, honest conversation with three men who've walked through relationship trauma reveals the hidden struggles many face behind closed doors.

The stigma against men expressing emotions runs deep in our culture. As one guest poignantly shares, "The only time you can show that you are human is if there's a loss of life." This emotional suppression creates devastating ripple effects through relationships, yet few talk openly about it.

These men courageously share their journeys from denial to acceptance about their failing relationships. "My friends had told me several times what was going on. I didn't want to hear, didn't want to see it," one guest admits. This resistance to seeing relationship problems keeps countless men trapped in cycles of pain and frustration.

The most powerful revelation comes when discussing healing. Against cultural norms urging men to "get another one" after breakups, our guests took radical paths of self-discovery. One spent five years intentionally single, focusing on therapy and personal growth. "Quit blaming other people. Find fault in yourself," he advises. This counterintuitive approach - taking responsibility rather than casting blame - transformed their ability to build healthy relationships later.

Communication emerges as the critical skill many men never learned. "I hid it through religion, I hid it through prayer," one guest shares about his former approach to relationship problems. Learning to express emotions clearly and set boundaries compassionately revolutionized his marriage.

Perhaps most importantly, these men challenge the stigma around therapy in the Black community. Their unanimous endorsement of counseling offers a powerful alternative narrative for men struggling with emotional issues. As one powerfully states, "I had to be broken to be as powerful as I am right now."

Join us for this essential conversation about vulnerability, healing, and finding strength through brokenness. Subscribe, share, and follow us @QueenBLParker or @BF_Empowerment for more transformative discussions on relationships and emotional health.

Support the show

After a 17-year relationship ended, veteran and artist Brian D. Nordstrom Jr. hit an unthinkable low—then rebuilt from the inside out. In this raw conversation with host Barbara L. Parker, MA, LPCC-S, Brian shares how therapy, Buddhism, creativity, and a service dog helped him choose life, self-love, and purpose.

The path from despair to self-discovery rarely follows a straight line. In this raw and deeply moving conversation, veteran Brian Norson shares his journey through the darkest moments of his life to finding profound self-love and purpose.

When a 17-year relationship suddenly ended, Brian found himself at rock bottom. Covering mirrors because he couldn't stand his reflection and contemplating suicide on his 50th birthday, he credits his service dog Miles Walker with the moment that saved his life. "I had a gun in my mouth... I looked at my dog and thought, he'll never understand. How could I do that?" From that pivotal moment, Brian began the slow, challenging work of rebuilding himself.

Buddhism became Brian's philosophical framework for healing, teaching him the compassion he desperately needed to show himself. "I started saying it out loud in the shower—you deserve this, you're a good man. And then right after, I'd say, 'You're a fucking liar,' because I couldn't get past myself." Through persistent self-work, meditation, and therapy for his PTSD, Brian gradually reclaimed not only his mental health but also his artistic passions that had been neglected during his relationship struggles.

Today, Brian creates beautiful furniture pieces, has purchased a home with a workshop, and practices meditation four times daily. His perspective on his journey reflects profound wisdom: "I would never change what happened to me. The things and trials I've gone through, I'm glad I went through them because I'm the best man I've ever been in my life now." For anyone struggling with trauma, relationship loss, or thoughts of suicide, Brian's story offers a powerful reminder that healing begins with self-compassion and that our darkest moments don't define us—they refine us.

Support the show

Three men sit around a table, sharing their raw, unfiltered stories of marriage dissolution. Their voices sometimes catch, sometimes strengthen as they reveal the moment they knew their marriages were over.

"I knew it was over like 10 years prior, like you just know," Will confesses, describing how he stayed in his 22-year marriage until a health crisis revealed his wife's true priorities. "The straw that broke the camel's back for me is when I got sick and I spent six months in the hospital and she wasn't there."

Andre's story carries a different weight – the shock of coming home to find his wife and daughters gone, disappeared to a battered women's shelter despite no physical abuse occurring. He describes years of "rearranging idols" in his marriage, constantly adjusting himself to make things work while battling what he later recognized as mental abuse. His powerful metaphor resonates with anyone who's ever twisted themselves into emotional pretzels trying to save a relationship.

The conversation delves into rarely discussed territory: men as victims of emotional abuse, the gendered differences in how people process relationship endings, and the surprising capacity for men to maintain unconditional concern for ex-partners long after divorce. As Andre observes, "A woman will leave their stability for happiness; a man will sacrifice his happiness for stability."

What emerges is a profound meditation on healing after betrayal. Each man shares how divorce, despite its devastation, ultimately freed them to grow into better versions of themselves. They speak of finding peace, raising children alone, building healthy new relationships, and discovering that sometimes, breaking ties is the most powerful form of self-care.

For anyone questioning a troubled relationship or healing from divorce, this conversation offers rare male perspectives on emotional vulnerability, recognizing abuse, and finding the courage to rebuild after everything falls apart. Listen, reflect, and remember – you can be powerfully broken without being defeated.

Support the show