"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.

#beautyinthebeast #blackmeninamerica #barbershoptalk #whiteskinblackspaces #motherwound #maskedmasculinity #oxycrisis #addictionrecovery #blackmenhealing #emotionalintelligenceformen

“You cannot control your emotions. You have to control the reaction to the emotion.”

– Kevin Bentley

Kevin Bentley returns to Beauty in the Beast for a deeper, more revealing conversation about masculinity, fatherhood, emotional suppression, and what growth actually requires of men.

In this episode, Kevin reflects on the pressure Black men carry to appear confident while quietly battling fear, self-doubt, and emotional restraint. He opens up about suppressing emotions, wearing masks to survive, questioning himself as a father, and the unexpected power of hearing affirmation from his own father. This conversation explores why men struggle to talk honestly, how ego becomes armor, and why professional coaching, counseling, and intentional support are not weaknesses but necessities.

As a returning guest, Kevin brings added clarity, self-awareness, and depth—showing how growth evolves when men are willing to confront what they’ve been avoiding. This episode is not about having it all figured out. It’s about learning how to stop hiding, stop retreating, and start choosing help.

If you’re navigating masculinity, fatherhood, emotional intelligence, therapy, confidence, or the pressure to always be “strong,” this episode will resonate deeply.

#KevinBentley #BeautyInTheBeastPodcast #BlackMenHealing #MensMentalHealth #EmotionalIntelligenceForMen #FatherhoodJourney #MasculinityRedefined #TherapyForMen #BlackMaleIdentity #VulnerabilityIsStrength #MenAndGrowth #ReturningGuest #football #nfl

Even through the turmoil, I want them to look back and say, Dad did everything he needed to do." Hershey

DJ Hershey joins Beauty in the Beast for one of the most honest and revealing conversations on identity, fatherhood, heartbreak, and healing. From growing up under strict structure, to being baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness at 13, to discovering his gift for DJing, Hershey walks us through the emotional path that shaped his manhood.

He opens up about the sacrifices he made for marriage, the career moment he still regrets, the pain of divorce, raising daughters as a young father, and what it means to switch between his public persona and his private truth. Hershey shares how he learned self-worth, how he rebuilt after loss, and why he now lives by the mantra: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder — I’m not beholden.”

This episode speaks to men navigating identity, resilience, co-parenting, emotional armor, and the journey back to themselves. If you’re exploring masculinity, healing, or redefining your purpose, this one will hit home.

#BeautyInTheBeastPodcast #DJHershey #BlackMenHealing #MasculinityRedefined #FathersAndDaughters #EmotionalIntelligenceForMen #MenAndMentalHealth #HealingAfterDivorce #BlackMaleIdentity #ResilientMen #FatherhoodJourney #InnerHealing #PurposeAndIdentity #HonestConversations #VulnerabilityIsStrength #DJ