Growing Up Cuban with Jorge Emanuel Berrios

03/18/20 • 105 min

Behind The Mask-ulinity

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"No llores coño, tu eres hombre!" aka "Don't cry damnit, you're a man!"

This is one of many phrases I heard growing up in a Cuban community in Miami, Florida, where if you're not Latino, you're a minority.

A community that is very big on masculinity, machismo and just men flaunting their peacock feathers to show how tough and manly they are. Where things like emotions and feelings and tears are reserved for women and children.

Where if you don't adhere to the strict rules of what it means to be a man, you run the risk of being labeled gay, feminine, weak, soft or many other disparaging insults that are thrown at men who dare venture into the softer side of being a man.

My guest Jorge Emanuel Berrios, like me, knows all about growing up in this macho atmosphere. An atmosphere where men are expected to take ownership of their women, expected to cheat on their women, and expected fight anyone who says otherwise.

Jorge is an actor, comedian and writer now residing in Los Angeles, California. He is part Cuban, part Puerto Rican. Join us as we reminisce on our lives of growing up Cuban and how those manly expectations shaped the men we are today. Listen in as Jorge shares some deeply intimate stories and feelings that he hasn't shared with many people, and how he's worked hard to become and express the man that he truly is and was born to be, and let's go of the man society told him he should be.

To join the community and be part of the conversation:

Behind The Mask-ulinity Private Facebook Group

To connect with me directly:

E-Mail Me: [email protected] or Instagram Me

"No llores coño, tu eres hombre!" aka "Don't cry damnit, you're a man!"

This is one of many phrases I heard growing up in a Cuban community in Miami, Florida, where if you're not Latino, you're a minority.

Previous Episode

Forget Six-Pack Abs, Emotional Intelligence Is The New Sexy with Victor Ung

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As men, we do many things to attempt to win the favor of an intimate partner, to build a strong friendship, to establish successful business partnerships and to just attract others to us in any way.

We work out to maintain our physique, we get trendy haircuts, we wear fashionable clothes, we drive sports cars, we flaunt our proverbial peacock feathers--all in an attempt to get people to notice us, to like us, to think highly of us, and to get them close to us in any way possible.

But... that's all outside stuff. That's all stuff--as much as we may say it represents our personal taste and individuality--that tries to paint a picture of who we are for others to see, but it only goes so deep. It's pretty shallow.

All this stuff screams "look at me" but we hardly ever stop to take the time to look at someone else, really look at them and really see them. We never let people see the real us, the true us, the us that needs that needs that sports car to make up for our lack of communication, the us that needs that perfect body because we are deeply insecure.

Join me as I have a deep conversation with Victor Ung on the rise and importance of emotional intelligence. We talk about why it's so important and how we can strengthen it to form deeper connections not only with others, but with ourselves.

In this day and age where women are becoming more empowered and more independent than ever, being a man with a chiseled body, large bank account and a garage full of sports cars isn't quite as enough as it used to be to attract those relationships into your life. We need to go deeper.

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25 Coronavirus/Covid-19 Myths and How to Stay Safe with Dr. Roy Vongtama

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We're in it folks! A pandemic. It's here, it's real, it's going to leave such an impact--physically, mentally, emotionally, economically, socially--that it will be something we'll never forget for the rest of our lives.

But, just because it will have such an impact, doesn't mean there aren't little steps we can take to minimize that impact, protect ourselves and protect those around us and essentially the world as a whole.

Join Dr. Roy Vongtama and I as we sit down for this very timely conversation on Coronavirus/Covid-19. He gives us vital information that we can use to give ourselves and our loved ones the best possible chance of making sure we're as safe as we can be, whether we contract the virus or not.

We also discuss many myths that are going around the internet and social media and figuring out which are fake news, which are backed up by evidence and which still can't be determined because scientists, doctors and researchers need more time.

Dr. Roy is a Board Certified Cancer Specialist with degrees in Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, a Medical Doctorate from the University of Buffalo, and a residency at UCLA. His work includes authorship in 14 peer-reviewed scientific papers, hundreds of hours of study in nutrition, positive psychology, emotional wellness and meditation techniques. He's led hundreds of group meditations, given public talks, and provided private coaching for people interested in taking more control of their health.