In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, Vladimir Louissaint (CEO & Founder of The Embrace Method) sits down with Craig Aarons-Martin (CCM Education Group) to explore the hidden truths of men’s mental health, the urgency of telling our stories, and the radical act of healing out loud.

Inside this episode:

• Men & Mental Health: The Unspoken Crisis

• Embrace Your Story — why your raw, unmasked truth matters

• “What Was She Trying to Tell Me?” — grief, memory, and unfinished lessons

• Healing Through Storytelling — how testimony breaks generational cycles

Chapters
00:00 Welcome + Vlad’s intro
03:25 The Embrace Method: how a love letter became a movement
09:32 The hardest chapter: acknowledging your story
17:41 Men & mental health — from silence to speaking up
25:44 Hitting rock bottom → desperate healing
34:11 Creating safe spaces for men
45:07 Why asking for help is survival, not weakness

Connect with Vladimir Louissaint:
Instagram: @vladlouissaintspeaks
TikTok: @vladthebull
Website: VladLouissaint.com

Follow Craig + Brave Voices:
Instagram: @iamcraigaaronsmartin
LinkedIn: Craig C. Martin
TikTok: @ccm_ed_group
Website: BraveVoicesPod.com

#MensMentalHealth #BlackMensMentalHealth #StorytellingHeals #HealingOutLoud #BraveVoicesPod #CCMEducationGroup

Filter with fences. Progress over perfection. Show up, then get the coffee.
In this Brave Voices in Education episode, Allison (Allie) Rodman — CEO & Founder of The Learning Loop, ASCD faculty member and Danielson Group specialist, joins Craig Aarons-Martin to talk personalized professional learning, alignment, and what it really means to be a brave school leader in 2025.

We cover:

• Filtering with fences — keeping what matters, letting go of what doesn’t

• Progress > perfection for teachers, coaches, and principals

• Making PD feel alive (no more one-size-fits-all sit-and-get)

• Mom • board member • learning designer—how Allie aligns values across roles

• Storytelling and presence: inside her Fearless Communicators journey

• The two-step courage practice: “Show up. Get the coffee.”

🔗 Connect with Allison Rodman & The Learning Loop

• Website: thelearningloop.com

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rodmanallison

• Instagram: @thelearningloop

• YouTube: The Learning Loop Channel

🔗 Connect with Craig / Brave Voices
Site & episodes: BraveVoicesPod.com
IG/TikTok/LI: @iamcraigaaronsmartin @ccmedgroup

In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Josh Kraft—lifelong advocate for youth, former CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and Boston mayoral candidate—to talk about the power of listening, community, and courageous leadership.

Josh shares heartfelt lessons from his parents, mentors, and decades of community work in Boston’s neighborhoods. Together, they discuss education reform, youth empowerment, and what it takes to lead with empathy, vision, and heart in today’s world.

If you believe in bold leadership and building a better future for all young people, this episode will leave you inspired.

Connect with Josh Kraft:

• TikTok: @joshkraftboston

• Instagram: @joshkraftboston

• Website: JoshKraftBoston.com

Follow & Support Brave Voices in Education:
🎧 Brave Voices Podcast

In this episode of Brave Voices in Education, host Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Patrick Harris II—award-winning educator, bold storyteller, and author of The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers—to explore what it takes to bring your full self into the classroom and beyond.

Together, we unpack:

• Embracing the Humanity of Teachers – Why teachers must bring their stories, identities, and passions to sustain the profession.

• Black Horror as Social Justice – How Patrick’s Black Horror course and The Black Paranormal Project help students have courageous conversations about race, justice, and liberation.

• In-Ear Coaching & Teaching Courage – What Patrick learned from his first year of teaching and why identity and equity matter in every decision we make for kids.

From Detroit classrooms to national conference stages, Patrick shares a decade of lessons on teaching bravely, finding community, and daring to be fully seen.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/presidentpat/

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itspresidentpat

• Website: https://www.theblackparanormalproject.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-harris-ii-3b5a3b54/

• Blog: https://passportpat.home.blog/home-2/

🎙️ Listen + Subscribe: https://bravevoicespod.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravevoicespod
💻 Website: https://bravevoicespod.com

If this episode moved you, share it with your village, your team, and your brave ones—because bold conversations build braver schools.

Connect with Patrick Harris IIFollow & Support Brave Voices in Education

What would make someone walk away from six-figure bonuses and corner offices to teach in classrooms? This isn’t just a career switch—it’s a radical redefinition of success. Listen in as we unpack how chasing purpose over profit transforms not only schools but entire communities.

🎙️ A must-hear for anyone questioning the grind of corporate life or reimagining what impact really looks like.

#BraveVoices #EducationReform #WallStreetToClassroom #PurposeOverProfit #TeacherLeadership #CareerChange #FutureOfEducation #LeadershipMatters #InspirationForEducators #BraveLeadership

What does it take to be brave when leadership gets uncomfortable? In this episode of Brave Voices in Education, Craig Aarons-Martin sits down with Dr. De’Shawn Washington—educator, strategist, and founder of Cultivating Changemakers LLC—to talk equity, power, and the hard truths leaders must face to spark change.

Together, we dig into:

• Why avoiding discomfort keeps schools stuck

• How equity-driven leadership goes beyond buzzwords

• The risks (and rewards) of speaking truth to power

• What it means to cultivate changemakers in 2025 and beyond

💡 This episode will challenge your thinking and ignite your courage to lead differently.

🔗 Connect with Dr. De’Shawn Washington:

• LinkedIn

• Cultivating Changemakers

#Leadership #EquityInEducation #BraveLeadership #EducationPodcast #CultivatingChangemakers #DeShawnWashington #MTOY #MTOY24 #BlackMaleEducators #BlackMaleTeachers

What happens when the curriculum hides more than it reveals? In this powerful episode of Brave Voices in Education, we sit down with Dr. Charesha Barrett, a nationally recognized equity leader, speaker, and founder of CHARP EDucation Consulting. Together, we unpack the deliberate erasure of marginalized communities in education—and the bold work required to reclaim truth, disrupt silence, and reimagine schools as spaces of liberation.

From navigating racial battle fatigue to confronting bias in AI, Dr. Barrett shares unflinching truths about the emotional toll of equity work, the dangers of superficial DEI efforts, and what it really takes to shift school culture. We also explore how Black women continue to resist the pressure to shrink themselves—and how authenticity is a radical act in systems built to suppress.

• Why educational erasure is intentional—and how to resist it

• The emotional labor of Black women in leadership

• How to move from performative allyship to real systemic change

• AI bias, digital literacy, and the future of inclusive tech

• Courage, culture, and the cost of reclaiming our narratives

Dr. Charesha Barrett (she/her) is the Founder and President of CHARP EDucation Consulting, an award-winning organization that centers equity, inclusion, and transformative leadership in schools and institutions. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Barrett is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, known for creating brave spaces where difficult conversations lead to real change.

👩🏾‍🏫 Website: https://www.charpeducationconsulting.com
📲 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chareshabarrett
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charpeducation
🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/charpeducation
🧠 Free Resources & PD: CHARP ED Store

💻 Website: https://bravevoicespod.com

🔥 What You’ll Hear:📌 About Dr. Charesha Barrett:🎙️ Follow Brave Voices in Education:

In this heart-centered and high-impact episode of Brave Voices in Education, Dr. Sarah Thomas — founder of EduMatch, global educator connector, and edtech visionary — joins Craig Aarons-Martin for a candid conversation on what it means to lead with authenticity, healing, and radical joy in education.

From burning out to setting boundaries, from invisibility to global influence, Sarah drops truth after truth on how educators (especially Black women) can reclaim their time, energy, and voice in systems that weren’t built for their thriving.

🎧 In this episode:

• How EduMatch began as a tweet and became a global community

• The difference between being visible and being seen

• Why joy is a revolutionary leadership practice

• Building boundaries without guilt

• Healing from burnout in real-time

Whether you're an educator, school leader, or changemaker, this episode reminds you: You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to serve.

💻 Learn more about Sarah: http://www.sarahjanethomas.com
🔗 Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jane-thomas

🔊 Listen to more episodes: https://bravevoicespod.com

#BraveVoicesPod #SarahDaTeechur #EduMatch #RadicalJoy #BlackWomenLead #TeacherWellness #EdTechLeadership #HealingIsBrave #EducationPodcast #LeadershipWithBoundaries #JoyIsJustice #AuthenticLeadership