E115. Modern Day Straitjackets - with Dax-Devlon Ross, Author, Equity Strategist, Speaker, and Social Entrepreneur

Taking Off The Mask

English - November 16, 2022 00:00 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MB
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Previous Episode: E114. Mama’s Boys and Traffic Cones - with Jim Young, Coach, Author, Comedian, & Speaker

Next Episode: E116. White Allyship - with Jason Biehl, Antiracist Educator, History Teacher, & Writer

“One of my deep beliefs and convictions is that we live in a society where people are hyper-focused on getting their point across and having their point of view heard and seen. And therefore they do not develop the muscle and/or ability to provide people the same space and latitude that they want for themselves. So I’ve taken it upon myself to be someone who stands in that gap, who sits in that gap, who holds the tension of [that gap].” - Dax-Devlon Ross

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Dax-Devlon Ross. Dax is the author of six books, and his journalism has been featured in Time, The Guardian, The New York Times, Virginia Quarterly Review, Nonprofit Quarterly, The Washington Post Magazine, and other national publications. A New York City teaching fellow turned non-profit executive, Dax is now a principal at the social impact consultancies Dax-Dev and Third Settlements, both of which focus on designing disruptive strategies to generate equity in workplaces and education spaces alike. Dax speaks with great conviction, and we are excited for you to experience this as he and Ashanti discuss their masks, the importance of friendship, and navigating the pitfalls of the dominant culture.

(5:45) Ashanti and Dax say hello. Then, Dax introduces himself, his name, his writing, and how he works to make sure every human being can thrive.

(12:50) After Ashanti shares how he felt guilt whenever he got good grades, Dax some of the class guilt he held onto while he was growing up.

(19:10) Ashanti and Dax make their masks together.

(24:30) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - serious, dedicated, others before self - and how unsure he feels about putting others before himself.

(27:15) Dax shares the front of his mask - intellect, family man/provider, bridge builder - and the roles he wants to play as a writer, a relative, and a worker.

(32:15) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - tired, self-doubt, worrier vs. warrior - and he and Dax discuss how hard it is to extricate themselves from the scarcity mindset/dominant culture.

(36:30) Dax shares the back of his mask - a longing for connection and friendship, anxiety over financial future, anxiety over physical and mental decline.

(40:30) Dax and Ashanti ponder male friendships and how they have been affected by the over-sexualization of our society.

(46:30) Dax reflects on how it felt making a mask. Then, he and Ashanti share some final thoughts on how men and boys can break out of “the straight jacket.”

(53:00) Dax shares how you can connect with him.

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Connect with Dax-Devlon Ross:

Website: dax-dev.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dax-devlon-ross-69b3749

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: anchor.fm/branch-speaks/support

Create your own mask anonymously at millionmask.org

If you are interested in being on the Face to Face podcast, email us at [email protected]

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: instagram.com/branchspeaks