Redefining Masculinity: Breaking the Stigmas of Men’s Mental Health (feat. Lawrence Harris)

This powerful episode sums up our season 6 finale on the Rough Edges Podcast. Today I sit down with youth empowerment speaker and author Lawrence Harris for a deeply honest conversation about youth mental health, self worth, masculinity, healing, and overcoming limiting beliefs.

Lawrence opens up about his own mental health journey, growing up feeling different from his peers, experiencing abuse in childhood, struggling with loneliness, and learning how therapy, journaling, and self discovery helped him step into confidence and purpose. Together Lawrence and I discuss the realities many young people especially young Black men face when it comes to mental health stigma and emotional suppression.

Lawrence shares why he became passionate about working with teens and young adults, highlighting alarming statistics about how long many people suffer before receiving mental health support. The conversation also looks into how cultural expectations, family dynamics, social media, and societal pressures often teach men to hide their emotions instead of addressing them in healthy ways.

Throughout the episode Lawrence breaks down the importance of challenging limiting beliefs and creating a vision for your future beyond what society, family history, or fear tells you is possible. He explains how his workshops help young people dream bigger, identify internal barriers, and begin taking ownership of their healing and personal growth.

This episode is a heartfelt reminder that healing begins when we allow ourselves to be honest about our struggles, challenge the narratives that limit us, and give ourselves permission to become who we were always meant to be. If this episode resonates with you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need encouragement on their own healing journey.

This episode also explores: ● The impact of toxic masculinity and societal expectations ● Reasons why many men avoid therapy and emotional vulnerability ● Lawrence’s personal experience with therapy as a child ● How to build self-confidence and identity as a young man ● How social media’s influence can affect masculinity and self-worth Resources and links mentioned in this episode: ● You can connect with Lawrence Harris here via his INSTAGRAM & YOUTUBE ● Find out more about Lawrence’s work on his WEBSITE ● Leave a review ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if anything in today’s episode resonated with you! ● Connect with us on Instagram! ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rough.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ) ● Connect with us on YouTube! ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@roughedgeswithsarah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ) ● Connect with us on Facebook! ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rough.)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ● Follow us on TikTok! ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@roughedgeswithsarah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ) ● Want to be a guest on our show? Send us an email at rough.@