The Modern Man Podcast

“HOLD FAST TO DREAMS. FOR IF DREAMS DIE, LIFE IS A BROKEN-WINGED BIRD THAT CANNOT FLY.” Langston Hughes They say it’s always darkest before the dawn, but they never specify how long that darkness will last. If you’re like me, you’ve lost count of how many days this pandemic has impacted our lives. Though some states are slowly starting to reopen and ease up on restrictions, there are still a number of people dealing with the very real and very impactful Covid-19. Whether it’s a friend, family member, loved one, a colleague, or ourselves it’s safe to say we are in some way connected to someone who has felt the brunt of this outbreak. If the sickness itself hasn’t impacted you personally, you likely know someone who is feeling the financial strain this pandemic has put on the economy. No matter how you slice it, we’re all feeling the effects of the Coronavirus. As we battle this invisible enemy, it’s easy to lose sight of hope. I get it. Things have changed, routines are different, and we’re not sure if things will ever truly go back to “Normal.” However, there is still a lot of good around us and plenty to be hopeful for. Don’t just take my word for it. Today’s guest J. Hope Suis is the founder of Hope Boulevard which is a blog and website devoted to inspiration, motivation, and relationship advice. She encourages her readers to live their best lives now and offers insight and encouragement through her blogs and social media posts. (Sound familiar) J. Hope also authored a book that was published in 2017 titled Mid-Life Joyride: Love in the Single Lane. She has been cited in online magazines worldwide and I was lucky enough to connect with her over email and share a conversation via Zoom. Take a listen as J. Hope walks us through ways we can hold on to hope during times of fear and the steps we can take to fully grasp control of our lives. Definitely be sure to connect with J. Hope Suis through the links below: Website: https://www.hopeboulevard.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeboulevard/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHopeBoulevard/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hopeblvd Also, Be Sure To Get The Book Below: Mid-Life Joyride: Love In The Single Lane If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery, and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

6 Mai 202025min

“Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.” Doug Cooper Negative self-talk, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs are sure to suppress the true potential that lies within us all. When we’re young we quickly learn what the environment around us deems acceptable. Instinctually we mold our identity into what we THINK this environment would want to see. As time goes on, we forget to explore a reason why. When we do this, we are bound to fall into a life that is different than what we want. Notice I didn’t say worse. There are a lot of people working great jobs, making good money, wondering why they still don’t feel fulfilled. It may be because fulfillment comes from within, not without. My guest today, Dante Duval Barfield knows all about that pressure. He is a licensed professional counselor based out of the city of Philadelphia. Dante's therapy background is based on diversity, identity, and trauma. Rather than pathologies our life experience, he explores how all of our identities and past intersect within the realms of mental health.  This is only the current chapter in a story that started with uncertainty and exploration. Growing up as an African American in Philadelphia, cue Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, attention to mental health was taboo, to say the least. It’s a feeling I’m sure many of us can relate too. We get caught up in the aesthetics of who we think we’re supposed to be and forget to explore the things we actually like. Dante accurately observes a cycle we’ve all likely fallen into at some point in our lives when he says: “I Was Hiding Who I Really Was.” Dante Duval Barfield The hard part about getting out of such a confined situation is the battle that happens within. Many of us get stuck, unable to hit that reset button, fearful of what’s waiting for us on the other side. This is where Dante also says we need to reframe our thinking. “It’s not resetting. It’s Upgrading” Dante Duval Barfield I like the idea of upgrading who we are rather than the thought of starting over, don't you? Instead of remaining paralyzed in the fear of starting over, what if we simply added to the foundation of who we’ve become so far? Just like the caterpillar secludes itself into darkness before emerging as a butterfly, you too are allowed to change. Let’s call it; You 2.0 Dante takes us to therapy in this one, and I mean that in the best way possible. Hop into the episode and join us as we discuss letting go of our trauma, being fair when we compare ourselves to others, and fully embracing and being okay with who we are! You’ll definitely want to connect with Dante via the links below: Email: UnorthodoxTherapist@gmail.com Podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4K784m7ARwLOebD1RSK2LX The Unorthodox Therapist IG: https://www.instagram.com/theunorthodoxtherapist/ Podcast Page: https://theunorthodoxtherapist.buzzsprout.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

29 Apr 202040min

“A blind man's world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man's world by the limits of his knowledge: a great man's world by the limits of his vision.” E. Paul Hovey Let’s do an exercise here… Close your eyes… (wait that won’t work.) Okay, just imagine for a second, you can craft the life you want with no limits and no strings attached. No one will be hurt or negatively impacted by your desires. What does that life look like? How big is your house? What car do you drive? How much money do you have in your bank account? If the exercise worked on you like it did on me, chances are you limited yourself. Why just one house? Why just one car? Furthermore, if you didn’t mention an amount of money over a billion, you likely limited yourself even more. Before you dismiss my conclusion as greed or gluttony, remember that I said your abundance will not take from anyone else. In fact, if you’re really concerned about the greater good, couldn’t you use that abundance to give back in a hugely generous way? The world needs good people to be rich. The point is, regardless of the life you have now, or the life you painted in the exercise above, it’s great the way it is, but you can do more. Today’s guest, Amy Pecoraro has created a wonderful life around her. Born and raised in Williamston, SC, Amy's artistic nature, love of giving back, and passion for design would combine into her work as the owner and CEO of PECULIAR, LLC - a creative agency located in downtown Fountain Inn.   This wife, mother of three, and business owner knows that there is more out there for the taking and she is determined to discover just how much. She is a builder of family, community, business, and life, and is happy to help others create their unique stories as well. It’s never too late to chase that purpose, that idea, or that passion that’s been eating at you for years. Now is the perfect time to claim your future and make it happen! Hop into today's episode with Amy Pecoraro and get some amazing insight on being a spouse, a mother, a business owner, and most importantly a builder of your own life. This is a truly inspiring episode! Be sure to connect with Amy through the links below: Peculiar Website: http://www.peculiar.co/ Peculiar FB: https://www.facebook.com/PECULIARinc/ Peculiar IG: https://www.instagram.com/peculiar_llc/ Amy FB: https://www.facebook.com/amy.m.pecoraro Amy IG: https://www.instagram.com/theamypec/ Amy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-pecoraro-93949336/ If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

22 Apr 202042min

"An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head." Emil Zatopek It's amazing what perspective can do... If two people under similar circumstances can have two different outcomes. Wouldn't it be safe to conclude that it's the person that's different, not the situation? With that in mind, how do you want to emerge from your situation? Identity is an interesting thing. We can spend years taking in our surroundings and reflect the things we think other people want to see. When we do that for too long, we forget who we actually are. It's easy to validate who we are with what other people seem to value. But it's also dangerous. When we make things around us the definition of who we are, who do we become when those things are gone? Today's guest, Adekunle Olusanya (AK for short) knows what it's like to transition from one identity to another. After the life of being an Athlete Student (Read that again), AK had to transition to life after college football. Thankfully through mentorship and self-education, AK was able to move past a former identity and redefine himself finding a passion helping other Athlete Students (That's Intentional) find life after sports with NextPlay. They do a full needs assessment with each individual athletic program and provide students with a "Playbook" on increasing their career development and finding a fulfilling life after sports. AK drops knowledge in this one! Join us for today's episode while we discuss finding our identity, never getting caught "ball watching," learning to be vulnerable, and embracing love. Trust me when I say, we could have gone on and on. You will want to play this one a couple of times. Be sure to connect with AK through the links below: Website: https://www.nextplay.me/ Email: ak@nextplay.me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kooonie/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adekunle.olusanya LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adekunle-olusanya-2b7767113/ If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

15 Apr 202047min

“Be willing to change because life won’t stay the same.” Anonymous When Emanuel Thomas and I sat down to record this podcast, Covid-19, Pandemic, and Outbreak were absent from headlines. The main concern that Tuesday afternoon early in the month of March was whether we'd continue to see rain all week or if sunshine would grace us and usher in an early Spring. Little did either of us know that when this podcast would air, many people will be in the midst of the most uncertain and volatile time of their lives. Regardless of the environment that day, our focus was on adaptability. Emanuel Thomas is a TEDx Speaker, Transformational Mindset Coach, Columnist, and the author of "The Power Of Thinking Inside The Box." When exploring the topic of today's podcast, Emanuel educated me on the concept of AQ. If you're reading this, chances are you have a basic understanding of what IQ is and what it measures. I'm even willing to venture you've explored the meaning and importance of EQ at some point as well. These two terms respectively translate into Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient. When it comes to growth and development, we typically focus on these two measurements and increasing them at some point in our lives. However, what if there was another variable to consider? We're talking about your Adaptability Quotient. (AQ) How good are you at adjusting to your environment? How aware are you of your current stress level? These are the questions Emanuel and I pose when discussing AQ. One thing we knew for sure that early March afternoon is that life is going to happen. We will be tested and those challenges lurk right around the corner. How will you prepare for it? Here we are being tested by a Pandemic that doesn't have an expiration date posted. How will we come out on the other side? Take a listen to today's episode as Emanuel and I discuss the importance of going through it, documenting your movements, and accepting weakness as strength. In Emanuel's words; "The peaks can't teach you what the valleys can." We're all in the valley now. What are you learning? Be sure to connect and read more of Emanuel's work below: Website: https://www.empowersight.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emanuel.thomas.1272 Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mremanuelthomas/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/etthemotivator/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mremanuelthomas/ Also, be sure to pick up the book on Amazon today! If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

8 Apr 202034min

“Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit.” Napoleon Hill At least 80% of America is under some form of "Stay-at-Home" order as of writing this. The impacts of such a stop in everyday life have already been felt in the economy and disrupted countless businesses while re-defining what we view as normal. Through this pandemic, there has been many creative, innovative and unique ideas. The best within us is coming out and forcing it's way to the surface to help us stay afloat in these troubled waters. What is that saying? "It's always darkest before the dawn." While we sit in the dark together, I'd like to challenge everyone to find the light within themselves. While some see the gloom and doom, others see a chance and an opportunity to learn this lesson, take advantage of the opportunity and grow through this problem. It all comes down to PERSPECTIVE. My guest today is more than just a friend. Charles Russ has been a mentor, an adviser, and a brother to me for years now and helped me grow through some of my darkest days. When it comes to going through this Pandemic, I couldn't think of a better person to share space with, social distancing approved of course, and discuss the lessons and opportunities we can take while experiencing this first hand. It's too late to prepare for a disaster. However, I hope that by listening to Charles' insight and perspective, you can acquire some strategies and tools to make it through this Pandemic and build a rainy day fund (pun intended) to weather the next storm in our lives. And just like I am confident we will make it out of this situation, I am also certain we will see more storms to come. I hope we can build our resilience to make it through whatever life decides to throw at us next. Please take advantage of Charles' services by reaching out through the links below: R-Axis Financial Planning & Investments: https://www.r-axis.com/ R-Axis FB: https://www.facebook.com/raxisfs/ Charles' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-russ-8b401830/ Charles' IG: https://www.instagram.com/cjruss_/ If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

1 Apr 202032min

"The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he's dead." Bette Davis How do you adjust to the things you didn't plan for? I'd say a lot of us are getting a forced lesson in grit, persistence, and creativity. Covid-19 has impacted countless businesses, jobs, and lives, making things extremely volatile in our economy. With all this uncertainty, the choices we make now are likely to shape our future more than we think. While some see this and freak out, others do their best to absorb the information they have, assess what they can do, and make a decision. Which one are you? Today's guest is used to volatility. Working his way up in the restaurant business from a dishwasher and barback, Chad Gangwer now runs three restaurants in Greenville, SC. If you know anything about the industry, you know it's extremely challenging, volatile, and taxing. Chad continues to take on the challenges and increase his skills every step of the way. The latest challenge he faces is one that has caused possibly the biggest economic shock of our time. We're talking about Covid-19. The Coronavirus has many people staying at home practicing social distancing. Because of this, restaurants and bars find themselves on the front lines of this blitzkrieg that is this pandemic. Like many of us, everyday Chad and his team need to make the call on what to do next given the current situation. In a time of uncertainty, the best thing to do is rely on your work ethic, lean into the people you serve, and work on getting through it together. When all this is said and done, we'll hopefully be sharing the lessons we learn from this with others in the future. Take a listen to today's episode as Chad and I explore moving up within the ranks of a company, challenges of running a restaurant, how to constantly improve on your craft, and how we can hopefully make it through this pandemic. Be sure to show your support and love by connecting with one of Chad's restaurants below: Southern Culture: https://southernculturekitchenandbar.com/ SC IG: https://www.instagram.com/southernculturegvl/ SC FB: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernCulturekitchenandbar LTO: https://ltoburgerbargvl.com/ LTO IG: https://www.instagram.com/ltoburgersandbar/ LTO FB: https://www.facebook.com/LTOBurgerBar/ Habitap: https://www.thehabitap.com/ Habitap IG: https://www.instagram.com/habitapgvl/ Habitap FB: https://www.facebook.com/thehabitap/ If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

25 Mar 202036min

“In every situation, life is asking us a question, and our actions are the answer.” Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way I'll be honest. I don't know exactly what's going on... All I can tell you are the facts. However, I cannot tell you what they mean or how to interpret them. There has been so much uncertainty and fear surrounding this Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak. From schools closing, employees working from home, restaurants & bars shutting down their dining areas, and curfews being set, there is no denying the impact and scale of this outbreak. Whether you agree with these measures or not, the fact remains the same. The reactions and the current situation are real. PERIOD. So where do we go from here? Again, I don't know. What I do know is the way we as individuals, communities, states, and countries emerge from this Pandemic will be discussed, recorded and dissected in history. This is one of those moments in life where we will remember where we were when Covid-19 first hit. The only question that remains moving forward is this: "How will we write history?" We've already seen the mass hysteria and hoarding of hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, toilet paper, bottled water, guns, and ammo. Yeah, everything is every man for himself out there. We've also seen free food given, kind gestures, selfless acts, and shared joy and encouragement. This is two sides of the same coin. The beauty of it is you don't have to play this one out by chance. You get to choose heads or tails. And last I checked, nobody wants to be the ass. I certainly don't want to. How will we emerge from this Coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak? The ink is wet, the page is blank, and the next words that get written are yours. What will it say? Learn more about Coronavirus Covid-19 with the links below: Current Numbers: Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases CDC's Website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html Influenza Numbers: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to join our Patreon Page and help us continue to bring you more great content. If you are unable, no worries! You can show your support by sharing this with a friend or leaving us a review on iTunes. Every little bit helps! Become a Patron! This Podcast was filmed in the studio at ComRADery: A collaborative Work Space in Greenville, SC. If you live in the Greenville area, connect with ComRADery and find out how you can try the space for FREE! Be sure to mention you found them through the No Rain… No Rainbows Podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode of No Rain… No Rainbows. #LetsGrow

18 Mar 202013min