Excellence Above Talent Podcast

Aaron Thomas
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

The State of Man Is in Crisis—It’s Time for a Conversation.  The Excellence Above Talent podcast was born from pain, loss, and a deep need for change.  - Men are 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide than women.  - Men commit the majority of violence in the U.S., including domestic abuse and sexual assault.  - 90% of the prison population consists of men.  These are not just statistics—they represent broken families, lost lives, and a cycle of harm and abuse that must end.  As a BIPP (Batterer’s Intervention and Prevention Program) Director for four years, I’ve had countless conversations with men—men who believed abuse was necessary, men who didn’t even realize they were abusers. What I learned is that men want to talk, but they have no safe space to do so.  Society teaches men to suppress their struggles, to avoid vulnerability, and to uphold a toxic version of manhood. But silence is destroying us.  The Excellence Above Talent podcast is here to challenge the status quo. We’re redefining what it means to be a man—one conversation at a time.  Join me. Let’s fight for the future of manhood. Our sons are watching.  #ExcellenceAboveTalent #MensMentalHealth #RedefiningManhood #BreakTheCycle  

  1. 6d ago

    Who Are You Living For When Motivation Fades?

    Send us Fan Mail We talk straight to young men and grown men who feel behind, worn out, or stuck, and we name perseverance as a daily choice when life stops going to plan. We honor Cavione and Greenie, share how their lives still shape ours, and offer practical ways to keep going while asking for the support we all need.  • perseverance when effort brings no results  • feeling behind without losing your sense of worth  • Cavione's “Less Money, More Love” mindset as a guide for intentional living  • Greenie’s example of brotherhood and emotional support under pressure  • honoring people we lost by carrying their best qualities forward  • asking for help from a coach, teacher, counselor, or trusted person  Think about one quality you love in somebody you lost, then find ways to practice it.  Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

    Who Are You Living For When Motivation Fades?

  2. Oct 30

    The Unloaded Gun And The Loaded Questions

    Send us Fan Mail Knowing you’re going to die someday can either wake you up or wear you down, and I’ll be honest, I’ve felt both. We talk about the specific heaviness of trying to stay engaged with life when you can’t stop thinking about the end, and why that’s not the same thing as wanting to take your life. I slow down and define the terms people often mix together, because when it comes to mental health, suicide prevention, and real care, words shape what we notice and how we respond. I also open up about the last few months, why I went back to the VA for an assessment and counseling, and how trauma doesn’t disappear just because you stay busy. When structure changes, old pain can come roaring back, especially for veteran mental health and PTSD experiences, but also for anyone who’s been surviving on momentum. We walk through a clear spectrum from passive suicidal ideation to active thoughts, intent, planning, preparatory behavior, interrupted attempts, and what a suicide attempt actually means, without turning the conversation into armchair diagnosis. The goal is simple: listen better, take distress seriously, and reach for qualified support sooner. From there, we widen the lens to what makes life feel worth participating in. I talk about missing the brotherhood and mission clarity from Iraq, how divided life can feel back home, and what it might look like to build community on purpose. We get practical about morals, accountability, boundaries, and asking for care when you’re always the one giving it. Faith has a place here too, not as a tidy ending, but as a way to bring unfinished questions to God and to trusted people. If any part of this sounds familiar, don’t carry it alone. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find honest conversations like this, and tell us: what helps you stay present on the days that feel heavy? Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

  3. Oct 23

    What Happens When A Nation Forgets Its Own Violence

    Send us Fan Mail Black Wall Street is a phrase most people recognize, but few can describe the everyday Greenwood that existed before it was attacked. We start with the neighborhood as it was: a Black district in Tulsa with schools, professionals, workers, local businesses, and institutions built under the crushing limits of Jim Crow segregation. That context matters because it keeps us from turning human lives into a myth about wealth, and it forces us to see Greenwood as a full community that deserved safety and dignity. We then walk through the events surrounding 1921 with care and precision: the Dick Rowland and Sarah Page allegation, the role of rumor and racist coverage, and the ways public power shaped what happened next. The Tulsa Race Massacre was not just “violence in the streets.” It involved deputizing, looting, burning, mass displacement, and long-term harm after the flames were out, including detention, insurance claim denials, and city obstacles that made rebuilding harder than most people realize. One image stays with us: Buck Colbert Franklin, a Black attorney, working from a tent after his home and office were destroyed. His story shows what survival actually required and how legal knowledge became a tool for defending land, rights, and the chance to rebuild. We also connect Greenwood to present-day patterns of scapegoating, wealth inequality, and moral inconsistency, and we end with practical ways to preserve history in your own family and community while people can still tell it. Subscribe for more hard conversations, share this with someone who thinks they already know the story, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. What part of Greenwood’s history do you think we avoid telling, and why? Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

    What Happens When A Nation Forgets Its Own Violence

  4. Oct 16

    Be Better!!!

    Send us Fan Mail Stuck can feel like failure, especially when you’ve done the “right” things and life still won’t move. I’m talking about the kind of season where you relocate, change careers, apply everywhere, and still wake up wondering what you’re supposed to do next. If you’re trying to be a better man, a stronger husband, and a healthier leader while your plans keep stalling, this conversation is for you. I share what it’s like rebuilding in California, fighting the mental and spiritual battle of unemployment, and learning why consistency matters more than hype. We dig into faith and personal growth the practical kind, where reading the Bible and praying isn’t a performance, it’s how you stay grounded when your confidence gets tested. The goal is simple: keep moving forward even when your emotions swing from motivated to worn out. Then we go deeper with a picture that changed how I see waiting: the butterfly in the cocoon. The struggle is not random. It strengthens what you’ll need later, and if you rush the process you can lose the very power you’re asking for. We also get real about forgiveness and energy, using Ephesians 4:32 to confront pettiness, comparison, and the exhausting need to “get back” at people who overlooked you. If you’re searching for encouragement, resilience, men’s self improvement, and faith-based motivation that doesn’t sugarcoat the fight, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s in the waiting season, and leave a review so more people who feel stuck can find a way forward. Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

    Be Better!!!

  5. Oct 9

    How Watermelon And Fried Chicken Became Racist Symbols

    Send us Fan Mail We break down how racist stereotypes get created, why they stick, and what history gets erased when a joke becomes “truth.” We connect the origins of food stereotypes, modern data on assistance and arrests, and the mental health pressure of having to prove you are the exception.  • tracing the watermelon stereotype to post-emancipation independence and racist propaganda  • explaining the waiter carrier history and how Black women used food sales to build livelihoods  • challenging the “lazy” label with examples of Black labor and ongoing barriers to opportunity  • unpacking media narratives in sports and how bias shapes who gets respect  • sharing a personal story of workplace promotion bias and what it does to motivation  • comparing SNAP, cash assistance, and housing assistance numbers to the welfare queen myth  • separating arrest data from convictions and questioning what makes the newsfeed  • linking stereotypes to men’s mental health and the pressure to shrink yourself  This week I want you to choose one stereotype you have heard and find its source. Read what the evidence actually says. And then share it with me on social media, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok. But then also share with somebody that matters to you. Maybe help them understand their history. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And for daily, motivational, and up-to-date content, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Excellence Above Talent. Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

    How Watermelon And Fried Chicken Became Racist Symbols

  6. Oct 2

    What If Dignity Matters Even For People You Dislike

    Send us Fan Mail Silence can look like strength, but it often starts as fear. I’m back from a short reset with a new direction for Excellence Above Talent: one week we go deep on men’s mental health, accountability, and how we show up, and the next week we dig into Black American history that deserves more attention. We’re kicking that off with a theme I needed to learn the hard way: strong does not mean silent.  I tell a story from my time at a large oil field company, where I saw something disrespectful in a restroom and chose not to speak up because I didn’t know what it would cost me. Looking back, I wish I had used simple words that matched my values. That regret turns into a bigger question for every man listening: what response are you afraid of when you consider being honest, and what would a safe, respectful first step look like right now?  From there, we get practical about communication skills, emotional vulnerability, and real accountability. I share a moment where I was short with Yanni before a workout, then had to call back and own it. You’ll hear a clean apology script, why “I’m overwhelmed” isn’t an excuse to hurt people, and how to follow a pause with a real return time. We also talk men’s mental health warning signs highlighted by the National Institute of Mental Health, when to talk to a primary care provider or counselor, and how faith can sit alongside professional support.  If this helped, subscribe, share it with a man who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What’s the one honest sentence you need to say this week? Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

  7. Sep 11

    Stop Trying To Be Everyone’s Hero

    Send us Fan Mail We wrestle with the fear that hits when a move or life transition makes us feel unseen, unneeded, and disconnected. We draw a hard line between healthy responsibility and the dangerous belief that our worth depends on being useful.  • why men need a place where our presence has weight  • the identity shock of moving from being known to being anonymous  • the danger of confusing being needed with being loved  • how usefulness can mask loneliness, burnout, and suicidal thinking  • why men connect better shoulder to shoulder while doing meaningful work  • what real brotherhood looks like in practice: accountability, consistency, showing up  • how to serve without becoming the savior or self-destructing  • the difference between providing for a family and being present with a family  • mentoring as a way to turn pain into purpose and build legacy  • the question to write down: where would someone notice if we disappeared  Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And for daily, motivational, and up-to-date content, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at ExcellenceAbove Talent.  Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

  8. Sep 4

    Survival Mode Kept You Alive, But Is It Keeping You From Living?

    Send us Fan Mail Survival mode can keep us alive in one season and quietly steal our peace in the next. We unpack how hypervigilance forms, what it costs our relationships and identity, and how discernment helps us learn when the battle is truly over.  • redefining strength from constant readiness to grounded awareness  • childhood memories that shape hypervigilance and a trauma response  • racism and real-world danger without letting every room feel like a threat  • the “charity kid” wound and why money can represent safety  • the difference between stewardship and financial performance  • what happens when a soldier comes home but the nervous system stays deployed  • the price of survival mode in marriage, parenting, friendships, and rest  • separating what is happening now from what happened back then  • learning to receive help without shame or interpreting it as pity  Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. For daily, motivational, and up-to-date content, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at ExcellenceAboveTalent. And remember, keep moving forward, never give up, and you are never alone in this battle.  Support the show #excellenceabovetalent #EAT #dontgiveup #youdeservethebest #youareenough ...

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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The State of Man Is in Crisis—It’s Time for a Conversation.  The Excellence Above Talent podcast was born from pain, loss, and a deep need for change.  - Men are 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide than women.  - Men commit the majority of violence in the U.S., including domestic abuse and sexual assault.  - 90% of the prison population consists of men.  These are not just statistics—they represent broken families, lost lives, and a cycle of harm and abuse that must end.  As a BIPP (Batterer’s Intervention and Prevention Program) Director for four years, I’ve had countless conversations with men—men who believed abuse was necessary, men who didn’t even realize they were abusers. What I learned is that men want to talk, but they have no safe space to do so.  Society teaches men to suppress their struggles, to avoid vulnerability, and to uphold a toxic version of manhood. But silence is destroying us.  The Excellence Above Talent podcast is here to challenge the status quo. We’re redefining what it means to be a man—one conversation at a time.  Join me. Let’s fight for the future of manhood. Our sons are watching.  #ExcellenceAboveTalent #MensMentalHealth #RedefiningManhood #BreakTheCycle  

Information

  • Creator
    Aaron Thomas
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Excellence Above Talent Podcast
  • Show Website
    Excellence Above Talent Podcast