MUC Presents: 14 Kids, Alcoholic Uncle, Suicidal Father, but I Made It!

On this episode of The Man Up Club Presents, host Shaman Cross welcomes Antoine back for a powerful part two conversation centered on emotional processing, grief, and what real strength looks like for young Black men today.

Antoine opens up about growing up surrounded by loss—death, suicide, and trauma—and how emotional numbness became a survival tool. Rather than seeing tears as weakness, he reflects on learning when to feel, when to hold space, and how bottling emotions can eventually lead to harmful emotional outbursts.

Raised by his grandmother with strong traditional values, Antoine shares how faith, discipline, and love shaped his character despite the absence of a consistent male role model. He speaks candidly about witnessing addiction and violence in the home, unpacking the difference between discipline and abuse, and how those experiences formed his understanding of respect, accountability, and emotional control.

The conversation ultimately returns to the power of community. Antoine emphasizes that healing does not happen in isolation. Being seen, understood, and supported is essential for growth. Strength, he explains, is not the absence of emotion, but the wisdom to process it honestly and safely. Learning through lived experience, leaning into faith, and engaging in healthy community are the tools he believes help young men navigate grief, pressure, and life’s hardest moments.

Timestamps

00:00 – Emotional numbness and grief in young Black men
00:54 – Introduction and Antoine’s return
02:00 – Growing up in a large household
03:55 – Being raised by a grandmother
05:44 – Absence of a father and its impact
06:42 – Suicide, loss, and generational cycles
12:37 – Cultural approaches to grief
18:15 – Bottled emotions and emotional release
22:57 – Addiction, violence, and trauma
28:14 – Faith and early spiritual grounding
31:11 – Discipline vs. abuse
42:01 – Mental health and unresolved trauma
48:35 – Closing reflections and Man Up Club mission

Related Radio Show: The Corelink Solution Show