Men are often told to “man up,” stay strong, and push through life’s challenges. But what happens when the pressure becomes too much?

In recognition of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, host Reggie explores the growing conversation around men’s mental health and the rise of the “soft life” movement. Is the soft life truly about healing, or can it become a form of escapism? Can men prioritize peace and mental wellness while still pursuing purpose, responsibility, and calling?

In this episode, we discuss:

✔️ The history and importance of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

✔️ What mental health really means

✔️ The “boys will be boys” culture and its impact on emotional wellness

✔️ The pressures and responsibilities men carry

✔️ Mental health stigma among men

✔️ Unique challenges facing Black men

✔️ Emotional regulation and healthy coping mechanisms

✔️ Safe spaces for men to have honest conversations

✔️ Rest vs. responsibility

✔️ Escapism vs. healing

✔️ Is softness a privilege?

✔️ When it’s time to ask for help

This episode is an invitation for men to be honest about where they are mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically—and a reminder that seeking help is not weakness, it’s wisdom.

💙 If this episode resonates with you, share it with a friend, brother, father, mentor, son, or someone who may need this conversation.

In this powerful episode of Outreach With Reggie, Reggie explores what it truly means to create healthy spaces and have honest conversations in a world where connection can often feel surface-level and performative.

“Can We Talk?” challenges listeners to reflect on the environments, relationships, and conversations shaping their lives. Are the spaces you occupy helping you heal and grow — or are they simply familiar places you’ve learned to survive?

This episode dives into the difference between healthy and unhealthy spaces, the impact of performative relationships, the importance of emotional safety, mental health conversations across communities, and how to recognize when it’s time to fight for a space, walk away, or build one of your own.

Drawing from lived experience, advocacy, and community leadership, Reggie offers honest insight on vulnerability, accountability, friendship, inclusion, and the courage it takes to create spaces where truth can exist without fear.

This week’s challenge: Ask yourself — Are you in a healthy space… or just a familiar one?

Because healthy spaces don’t just exist. They are built.

In this deeply personal episode of Outreach with Reggie, Reggie reflects on grief, closure, motherhood, and the reality of navigating life after the passing of his mother on Mother’s Day 2024.

Continuing his foster care journey from last episode, Reggie opens up about the psychology of loss, the weight of last conversations, healing without closure, and what it means to keep showing up for others while grieving privately yourself.

This episode is a love letter to his mother — and to anyone learning how to carry loss while still moving forward.

In honor of National Foster Care Month, this episode of Outreach With Reggie is one of the most personal I’ve ever recorded.

This is more than awareness—this is my story.

From entering foster care as a child, being separated from my siblings, and navigating constant instability… to facing trauma, loss, and mental health battles during my teenage years—this episode walks through the reality of growing up in the system.

I share what it felt like to: • Be placed into foster care for the first time • Reunite with my mother—and lose that stability again • Move from home to home and struggle to build relationships • Experience deep grief while still trying to survive • Have my story publicly shared through FOX 5’s Wednesday’s Child • Face suicidal thoughts and identity struggles as a teen • Lose an adoption opportunity at 17 • Age out of foster care during college—and experience homelessness

But this isn’t just a story about what I went through.

It’s about who I became.

In this episode, I also open up about: • Rebuilding relationships with my family • Reconnecting with my sister and my mother • Graduating from college against the odds • Finding purpose through advocacy, storytelling, and impact

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt overlooked, displaced, or misunderstood.

And it’s for those who want to truly understand foster care—not just as a system, but as a lived experience.

Because behind every statistic… there’s a story like mine.

🎧 Listen. Learn. Share.

In this thought-provoking episode of Outreach with Reggie, I sit down with educator, author, and speaker Kevin Cripe for a powerful conversation on what it really takes to help young people succeed—both inside and outside the classroom.

With over two decades of experience working with students from diverse and often underserved backgrounds, Kevin brings a perspective that challenges how we define intelligence, measure success, and support the next generation. From building a nationally recognized after-school chess program to shaping the lives of first-generation college students, his work goes far beyond traditional education.

We dive into the realities of public education today—where it’s working, where it’s falling short, and what needs to change. Kevin also opens up about his personal journey through adoption, offering insight into identity, family, and the deeper emotional layers that shape who we become.

This episode explores:

• Why intelligence can’t be reduced to test scores

• How parents and educators can better nurture cognitive and emotional growth

• The role of empathy and moral development in raising strong leaders

• How tools like chess can unlock critical thinking and life skills

• What meaningful, long-term change in education actually looks like

This conversation is for anyone who cares about young people, systems change, and building a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

🎧 Tune in and rethink what learning, leadership, and impact really mean.

In this episode of Outreach With Reggie, we delve into the transformative power of therapy in promoting youth mental health, especially within foster care and community advocacy contexts.

Host Reggie Holloway explores how therapy can serve as a critical tool in trauma informed care, fostering systemic change and personal healing for vulnerable populations.

Through engaging personal stories and expert insights, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the role of therapy in nonprofit leadership and social impact. Join us to learn how embracing therapy can amplify youth voices and inspire meaningful community development and policy advocacy.

In this powerful episode of Outreach with Reggie, we delve into critical issues surrounding foster care, youth mental health, and juvenile justice. Too often, young people navigating the juvenile justice system—especially those from foster care backgrounds—are misunderstood. This episode explores the connection between foster care and juvenile justice, highlighting how trauma, instability, and early life experiences shape behavior and contribute to the pipeline from foster care to incarceration.

We examine gaps in the current system, including the widespread lack of trauma-informed care, and how these challenges call for systemic change driven by community advocacy and youth advocacy. Through personal stories and social research, we learn why punishment alone fails these youth and why social impact efforts must center on understanding and compassion.

Join host Reggie Holloway as he calls on listeners to rethink foster care reform, mental health awareness, and juvenile justice policies. This conversation is a crucial step toward fostering real community development and inspiring nonprofit leadership committed to supporting vulnerable youth and championing equity within social systems.

Outreach with Reggie is a weekly podcast dedicated to community advocacy, youth advocacy, foster care reform, and social impact. Hosted by Reggie Holloway, the show delves into critical topics such as child welfare advocacy, nonprofit leadership, mental health, trauma-informed care, and policy advocacy, providing listeners with valuable insights and practical strategies for creating community change.

Through in-depth research, lived experiences, and engaging conversations with advocates, professionals, and change-makers, Outreach with Reggie highlights real stories and actionable solutions to systemic challenges affecting our communities. The podcast emphasizes social equity solutions, foster youth voices, and nonprofit strategy to inspire and empower listeners to take impactful action.

Whether you are a community leader, social worker, advocate, or passionate about fostering social justice and supporting vulnerable populations, Outreach with Reggie offers thoughtful discussions on nonprofit funding, outreach, activism, and social research designed to inform and motivate meaningful change.