EveryMAN Mondays/Lamar Shambley

Happy Monday Everyone!⁠
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Welcome to special edition edition of #everymanmondays⁠
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Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from The EveryMAN Project.⁠
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This week we will be highlighting philanthropist, educator & founder of Teens Of Color Abroad , our very own Lamar Shambley
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We will also be featuring a playlist of body positive & motivational tracks curated by Lamar available below & on spotify

Self care to me means calming my mind and re-centering my spirit. I tend to think at a million miles per hour and it's exhausting. My self care exercises can range from lying around in bed and listening to albums on repeat to going on a long walk through the neighborhood.

I like to celebrate my body by going to the gym! Afterwards, I generally feel great about my body and I love how it calms my mind. I've shifted my thinking to see going to the gym as an opportunity to celebrate what my body can do

EveryMAN MONDAYS/ Tarik Carroll

Happy Monday Everyone!⁠
.⁠
Welcome to special edition edition of #everymanmondays⁠
.⁠
Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from The EveryMAN Project.⁠
.⁠
This week we will be highlighting photographer, activist & founder of @theeverymanproject , our very own @tarikcarroll .⁠
.⁠
We will also be featuring a playlist of body positive & motivational tracks curated by Tarik available below & on spotify

Tarik on masculinity

“In becoming my own man & embracing my authentic self I’ve realized that my masculinity is something that cannot be defined by any mold or dated toxic social constructs. My gender expression is fluid, my gender identity is male – these two things are not mutually exclusive & can co-exist. “

Tarik’s thoughts on self-care

“When we talk about self care, people tend to talk about expensive trendy face masks, massages, trips & meals. For me self care has always been a focus on the internal work that needs to be done. Taking care of your mental health is imperative and that needs to be emphasized when discussing self care.

As someone who deals with ADHD & Anxiety, self care means making sure that I get 8 hours of sleep. Self care can also mean eating healthy foods that nourish my mind and body, investing in a planner & organizational systems that keep me focused. Self care can also mean walking away from triggering relationships and toxic situations. The core purpose of self care is to invest in yourself.”

Tarik on celebrating his body

“I celebrate my body by being mindful of how I treat it. Every day I make strides to be kinder to myself. Whether I am reciting my affirmations in the mirror naked, taking a day of mental rest when I can, or correcting any negative self talk during the day. My goal is to plant small seeds of self love daily.”

Tarik on keeping active

“Walking to clear my mind, swimming, twerking with friends and low impact cardio in the gym are ways that I like to move my body. The gym isn’t necessarily my favorite place to be so I am always looking for interesting ways to keep moving.”

EveryMAN MONDAY/Graham Breitenstein

Happy Monday Everyone!⁠

.

Welcome to another edition of #everymanmondays⁠

Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from The EveryMAN Project.⁠

Meet L.A Based Dancer, Choreographer & Stylist Graham Breitenstein @the502kid

We will also be featuring a playlist curated by Graham available on @spotify⁠

“ The word “masculinity” and its meaning to me have transformed over time. At this point, I think the classic social definition—juvenile bravado, a deep voice, a provider, protector, etc.—is obsolete. At present, I believe masculinity is simply a term that defines a person who completely accepts him/herself and shares that expression fearlessly.”

“Self care to me is putting daily systems in place that protect and maintain physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. When one of the four is out of sync, the others tend to follow suit until the walls of our “temple” collapse. Destruction prevention lies in the simple, daily investment of time and energy to ask, “am I okay? If not, what needs to change?”

“I celebrate my body by accepting that it changes constantly! Some days/weeks/months I feel snatched and other days...well, not so much! All in all though, it’s the body I’m in and it’s mine to mold, tweak, and fine tune as I may.”

EveryMAN MONDAYS/Derrick Lemos

Welcome to another edition of #everymanmondays⁠
Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from The EveryMAN Project.⁠
Meet L.A Based Activist & Comedian and host of the Mansplain Yourself podcast @derricklemos.
We will also be featuring a playlist curated by Derrick available below & on our Spotify

What is your definition of masculinity?

“My definition of masculinity comes from years of having to be my own man without the guidance of a father. It means making hard, but ethical choices. It means acting with integrity and keeping your word. It means confronting attitudes and behaviors in yourself and others that result in people being hurt physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's something I'm exploring with others on my podcast "Mansplain Yourself".

What does self care mean to you?

“To me, self care means finding things that restore your spirit and sense of well being. For me those things are going to the barbershop regularly, seeing my therapist and making sure I'm responsible with my medication, and finding time to reflect/process what i'm feeling after a hard week.”

How do you like to move your body?

I'm not good at dancing, so I always feel awkward doing it. I'd much rather play instruments or sing than be the one on the dance floor, but I love to swim because it helps with my back pain.

How do you celebrate your body?

I'm still finding ways to celebrate my body. I only recently starting buying and wearing clothes that I think look good on me and find reasons to dress up and wear them outside.

EveryMAN MONDAYS / Sir Knight

Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from the EveryMAN Project.

Meet NYC Based Model/Recording Artist/Content Creator & co-founder of @blacktranstv , Sir Knight !

We will also be featuring a playlist curated by Sir available below and on our @spotify

"Sir knows that despite the labels society gives us or the ones we give ourselves that at our foundation we are all the same, spiritual beings living a human experience."

Check out Sir’s latest single “Cry For You” below available on Apple Music

EveryMAN Mondays / Laquan Pegues

EveryMAN Mondays

Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from the EveryMAN Project.

Meet L.A based model and writer Laquan Pegues @withlovelaquan

We will also be featuring a playlist curated by Laquan available below and on our @spotify

“What self care used to be for me was a mystical magical remedy to pain that everyone knew about except me. I always thought it was face masks, glasses of wine and luxury vacations to a tropical island. Now I understand that that can be a part of it but my self care today is making sure I wake up early in morning and not waste my day. It’s choosing to kale salad in stead of a Popeyes chicken sandwich not because I’m looking to lose weight but it’s because my body cant run off of fast food alone. It’s also walking away from people, places, and ideas that make me feel less than myself. “

EveryMAN MONDAYS / Joshua Althina

EveryMAN Mondays

Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our kings from the EveryMAN Project.

Meet L.A based recording artist, producer & content creator @joshuaalthina`

We will also be featuring a playlist curated by Joshua available below and on our @spotify

“Masculinity, to me is a social construct that we should all work to dismantle. My idea of masculinity in 2020 is taking a stand on social issues which have a long standing history of plaguing our world. In the gay community, many under lying power dynamics exist to create a sense of superiority amongst ourselves. I believe as gay men, we should strive to not adhere to these ideas of what it means to be a “man” and understand that when we are not dismantling toxic masculinity, we’re only propelling it’s negative influence.”

Self Care Tips from Joshua Althina

Self Care to me is removing negative stimulus to create a sense of peace. Often times I’ll sit with Beta or Delta wave sound patterns to create a peaceful environment. Other times i will indulge in physical therapy like massages or steam rooms to relax the body. Other times self care can be putting down a desert and replacing it with healthier options like berries. Self care can come in different forms and it’s important to reflect on all actions and appreciate the forms of self love that we invest in.