This week we sat down for an open and honest conversation with mental health expert, celebrity life coach and author Pervis Taylor.

Having recently published his book, Surthrival Mode, Pervis talks openly about his revolutionary views of emotions and mental health by depicting his own personal narrative of abuse, depression and low self-esteem.

Through his writing, Pervis has found a devoted audience of young men of colour who connect with his progressive vision of masculinity and emotional intelligence. In this episode, he emphasises the importance of acknowledging how labelling and stereotyping can leave black men and women unable to have a space to express and accept their emotions, and opens up a crucial conversation about the ways in which race and gender come into play in emotional situations.

Pervis currently lends his expertise to the New York City Department of Education, as well as several colleges across the city and has been invited to take part in CUNY’s Black Male Initiative, and honored as a ‘BE Modern Man’ by Black Enterprise Magazine.

Thank you so much to Pervis for taking the time to speak to us from New York this week about his personal experiences and journey with emotions. We are incredibly honoured. You can find him on Instagram here and his book is available to purchase here.

TW: Suicide. During the recording for this episode, there is brief mention of suicide and depression. Pervis also shared a story about a friend of his who died by suicide which was not included in the final cut. Whilst we think it is incredibly important to have discussions about topics such as this, after consulting with Samaritans guidelines for broadcast media, we felt that as distinguishing details were revealed, it was not appropriate to include this segment. If you or someone you know needs confidential support and advice, you can reach the Samaritans by phone 116 123 or via email [email protected]

We also apologise in advance for some of the audio in this episode, unfortunately we had a few sound issues as Pervis did not have access to a microphone.

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