Leadership is often defined by how much weight you can carry for your community—but what happens when that weight begins showing up in your body and the parts of yourself most people never see?
In a deeply vulnerable new episode of the unMASKing with Male Educators podcast, Kingmakers of Oakland Founder and CEO Baba Chris Chatmon sits down with host Ashanti Branch for a raw conversation about the hidden weight of visionary leadership. Chris opens up about surviving a heart attack 11 months ago, a profound wake-up call that forced him to confront how the body holds onto stress, even when the mind feels equipped to push through.
Reflecting on his life’s work—from being adopted into a family that taught him unconditional love, to raising three sons, to building movements for Black boys—Chris explores what it means to live out your sacred purpose without sacrificing yourself. He challenges leaders and educators alike to move away from unsustainable hustle, take off the mask, and schedule daily mindfulness with the exact same intentionality that they schedule their work.
Beyond personal wellness, Chris and Ashanti dive into the importance of ancestral intelligence, the power of leading with love, and why we must see our Black boys not as problems to fix, but as geniuses to empower.
This is a must-watch conversation for anyone in our village who leads, teaches, or cares for the next generation.