Beauty in the Beast Podcast
Beauty in the Beast Podcast
Podcast Description
“Black men have been called many things—beast, menace, threat—but the truth is, we are a tapestry of strength, compassion, and beauty.” This podcast is committed to challenging stereotypes and reshaping the Black male narrative. Through in-depth conversations, we highlight the compassion, resilience, and courage of Black men, showing how they navigate societal pressures while maintaining their humanity."
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of emotional awareness, resilience, and personal growth among Black men, with episodes like 'They Taught Us How to Succeed — But Not How to Feel' exploring emotional isolation and the pressures of success, and 'Behind the Mask: Kyle Vaughn’s Journey from Survival to Selfhood,' which examines the struggle of navigating corporate America while uncovering one's true identity.
“Black men have been called many things—beast, menace, threat—but the truth is, we are a tapestry of strength, compassion, and beauty.” This podcast is committed to challenging stereotypes and reshaping the Black male narrative. Through in-depth conversations, we highlight the compassion, resilience, and courage of Black men, showing how they navigate societal pressures while maintaining their humanity."
"I already didn't feel wanted. I didn't feel the love, …I was never accepted. Where was I getting the acceptance at? You know what I mean? Was everywhere outside of the house.” – Ron Rimko
Ron grew up as one of the only white kids in his school and neighborhood, feeling more comfortable in Black spaces than in his own home. In this episode of Beauty in the Beast, he opens up about being dropped off at his dad’s house for a “month-long vacation” that secretly became 13 years, the depression that followed, and what it meant to be the “piece of salt in a pepper shaker” in metro Atlanta.
Ron talks about growing up with a military father who didn’t talk about emotions, losing daily contact with his mother, and having to “mentally and emotionally raise” himself. He shares how he found warmth and protection in the homes of his Black friends and their single mothers, why he felt more accepted in those spaces than with his own family, and how he learned to wear a mask around white folks just to avoid being judged.
We get into his move to small-town Ohio, the shock of Oxy-infested neighborhoods, dealing weed to try to pay for college, catching charges, and the moment in jail when his grandmother’s disappointment and a sergeant’s blunt, “You don’t fit the mold here,” forced him to choose a different life. From there, Ron walks us through basketball as his escape, the barbershop as his sanctuary, and how cutting hair for Black men showed him the weight they carry every day.
Finally, we ask Ron directly: What do you think about Black men being seen as the beast in this world? His answer is honest, emotional, and unapologetically clear: it’s unfair, unbalanced, and Black men have it a lot harder than most people admit.
If you care about race, belonging, cross-cultural friendship, addiction, masculinity, abandonment, mother wounds, and barbershop truth, this conversation is for you.
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