Outreach With Reggie | Community Advocacy & Mental Health

Reggie Holloway | Community Advocacy & Mental Health
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Outreach with Reggie is your weekly podcast on mental health, foster care reform, and community advocacy. Hosted by Reggie Holloway, it dives deep into nonprofit leadership, youth advocacy, and activism to inspire community change and social impact. With topics ranging from child welfare advocacy and trauma informed care to nonprofit strategy and policy advocacy, each episode equips listeners with tools for lasting transformation. Join us to amplify foster youth voices, champion social equity solutions, and lead with purpose in your community. 406088

  1. 4d ago

    I Didn’t Need Sex, I Needed Intimacy: Redefining Love & Connection

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. What if what you thought you wanted wasn’t actually what you needed? In this episode of Outreach With Reggie, we take an honest look at intimacy, sex, love, emotional connection, boundaries, vulnerability, and the ways we learn to understand relationships. Sometimes we think we’re looking for sex when what we’re really looking for is affection, reassurance, emotional safety, companionship, connection, or simply someone who will hold us. Reggie explores what happens when we confuse being desired with being loved, physical access with intimacy, and sexual connection with emotional safety. The conversation also examines emotional regulation, childhood experiences, early exposure to sexualized content, healthy boundaries, the power of saying no, and the different forms intimacy can take in romantic relationships, friendships, families, and communities. This episode also asks an important question for men: What happens when emotional intimacy is treated as weakness while sexual intimacy is treated as the only acceptable form of closeness? And then there’s the intimacy audit: If sex disappeared from your relationship tomorrow, would there still be intimacy? This isn’t a conversation about shaming sex or desire. It’s about understanding what we’re actually seeking—and learning that connection doesn’t always have to involve physical or sexual access. Because sometimes… you didn’t need somebody to want your body. You needed somebody to know your heart. Outreach With Reggie continues the conversations we’re sometimes afraid to have—centered on mental health, relationships, lived experience, community, healing, and what it means to genuinely show up. Access isn’t intimacy. Desire isn’t love. And needing connection doesn’t make you weak. Sometimes… you just need to be held.

    I Didn’t Need Sex, I Needed Intimacy: Redefining Love & Connection

  2. Sep 5

    Are You Really Here: The Power of Being Present

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Season 4, Episode 3 — “Are You Really Here: The Power of Being Present” What does it actually mean to be there for someone? September is Suicide Prevention Month, but this conversation goes deeper than crisis intervention. In this episode of Outreach With Reggie, we explore the loneliness that can exist even when you’re surrounded by people, the lost art of meaningful conversation, the privilege of community and family, and what happens when someone doesn’t feel seen, heard, chosen, or loved. Through the lens of my own experience in foster care, we talk about what it means to grow up with relationships that can change, people who can come and go, and the importance of having someone who doesn’t simply occupy a place in your life—but is truly present in it. We explore the difference between being physically present and emotionally present, why “How are you?” isn’t always enough, the importance of being prepared for the real answer, recognizing changes in someone’s behavior, having difficult conversations about suicide, and knowing when to help someone connect with professional support. But this conversation isn’t only about being present for others. It’s also about being present for yourself. What happens when you’re the person everyone depends on, but nobody checks on? What does it mean to listen to your own warning signs? To rest instead of constantly performing? To stop living entirely in the past or waiting for the future and actually be where you are? Because sometimes prevention starts long before a crisis. Sometimes it starts with a conversation. A phone call. A second question. A person who notices. A person who follows up. A person who stays. You don’t have to save everybody. But you can help somebody feel less alone. So, before you leave this episode, I want you to sit with three questions: Who was there for you? Who are you there for? And… are you really here? If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Outreach With Reggie — conversations about the experiences that shape us, the communities that hold us, and the work it takes to keep showing up. BPD-s84vrznxqurt

    Are You Really Here: The Power of Being Present

  3. Aug 28

    Grief Doesn’t Follow A Schedule

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Grief doesn’t follow a schedule. It doesn’t arrive on a convenient day, and it doesn’t disappear simply because you think you should be feeling better. In Season 4, Episode 2 of Outreach With Reggie, we take an honest look at grief and the many forms that loss can take—not just losing someone we love, but losing relationships, dreams, expectations, opportunities, stability, and even the future we once imagined for ourselves. We explore why grief isn’t linear, what happens when multiple losses collide, the physical and emotional weight of grief, functioning while hurting underneath the surface, escapism, the domino effect of loss, and the importance of giving ourselves grace. We’ll also talk about community—what it means to lean on others when we’re grieving, what happens when we don’t have a support system, and what asking for help can actually look like. Most importantly, we’ll explore a difficult truth: You don’t only grieve what you lost. Sometimes you grieve what you thought you were going to have. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. Moving forward doesn’t mean what happened didn’t matter. And having a good day doesn’t mean you’ve stopped grieving. Sometimes healing is simply learning how to carry the memories, the pain, and the beauty into whatever comes next. Grief doesn’t follow a schedule. BPD-s84vrznxqurt

    Grief Doesn’t Follow A Schedule

  4. Aug 21

    Season 4 Premiere: Who Told You That?

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Who told you that your dream was too big? That you weren’t capable? That you were behind? And just as importantly—who told you that you could? In the Season 4 premiere of Outreach With Reggie, Reggie explores the voices, experiences, relationships, beliefs, and moments that shape the way we see ourselves and our potential. This episode dives into the psychology of unfinished and completed goals, the power of words, early inspirations, support systems, constructive criticism, self-belief, faith, patience, atomic success, and the hidden cost of chasing a dream. We talk about what it means to stay rooted and grounded while protecting the flame that keeps your passion alive—and why success isn’t always a straight line. Most importantly, we’re asking a question that may change the way you look at your goals: Are you pursuing your dreams because you believe in them—or because you’re still trying to prove somebody else wrong? You don’t have to have everything figured out. You don’t have to have everyone’s approval. And you don’t have to wait for confirmation before taking the next step. Sometimes, you just have to believe before anyone else does. Make it personal. Not to prove them wrong, but to prove yourself right. Welcome back to Outreach With Reggie. Season 4 starts now BPD-s84vrznxqurt

    Season 4 Premiere: Who Told You That?

  5. Jun 22

    Men’s Mental Health Month: Soft Life vs. Purpose-Driven Life | Can Men Heal Without Running From Their Calling?

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Men are often told to “man up,” stay strong, and push through life’s challenges. But what happens when the pressure becomes too much? In recognition of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, host Reggie explores the growing conversation around men’s mental health and the rise of the “soft life” movement. Is the soft life truly about healing, or can it become a form of escapism? Can men prioritize peace and mental wellness while still pursuing purpose, responsibility, and calling? In this episode, we discuss: ✔️ The history and importance of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month ✔️ What mental health really means ✔️ The “boys will be boys” culture and its impact on emotional wellness ✔️ The pressures and responsibilities men carry ✔️ Mental health stigma among men ✔️ Unique challenges facing Black men ✔️ Emotional regulation and healthy coping mechanisms ✔️ Safe spaces for men to have honest conversations ✔️ Rest vs. responsibility ✔️ Escapism vs. healing ✔️ Is softness a privilege? ✔️ When it’s time to ask for help This episode is an invitation for men to be honest about where they are mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically—and a reminder that seeking help is not weakness, it’s wisdom. 💙 If this episode resonates with you, share it with a friend, brother, father, mentor, son, or someone who may need this conversation. BPD-s84vrznxqurt

    Men’s Mental Health Month: Soft Life vs. Purpose-Driven Life | Can Men Heal Without Running From Their Calling?

  6. May 30

    “Can We Talk?” – What It Means to Create Healthy Spaces & Conversations

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this powerful episode of Outreach With Reggie, Reggie explores what it truly means to create healthy spaces and have honest conversations in a world where connection can often feel surface-level and performative. “Can We Talk?” challenges listeners to reflect on the environments, relationships, and conversations shaping their lives. Are the spaces you occupy helping you heal and grow — or are they simply familiar places you’ve learned to survive? This episode dives into the difference between healthy and unhealthy spaces, the impact of performative relationships, the importance of emotional safety, mental health conversations across communities, and how to recognize when it’s time to fight for a space, walk away, or build one of your own. Drawing from lived experience, advocacy, and community leadership, Reggie offers honest insight on vulnerability, accountability, friendship, inclusion, and the courage it takes to create spaces where truth can exist without fear. This week’s challenge: Ask yourself — Are you in a healthy space… or just a familiar one? Because healthy spaces don’t just exist. They are built.

    “Can We Talk?” – What It Means to Create Healthy Spaces & Conversations

  7. May 10

    Never Know What Will Be the Last Words: A Love Letter to My Mother

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this deeply personal episode of Outreach with Reggie, Reggie reflects on grief, closure, motherhood, and the reality of navigating life after the passing of his mother on Mother’s Day 2024. Continuing his foster care journey from last episode, Reggie opens up about the psychology of loss, the weight of last conversations, healing without closure, and what it means to keep showing up for others while grieving privately yourself. This episode is a love letter to his mother — and to anyone learning how to carry loss while still moving forward.

    Never Know What Will Be the Last Words: A Love Letter to My Mother

  8. May 2

    National Foster Care Month: My Story, My Survival, My Purpose

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In honor of National Foster Care Month, this episode of Outreach With Reggie is one of the most personal I’ve ever recorded. This is more than awareness—this is my story. From entering foster care as a child, being separated from my siblings, and navigating constant instability… to facing trauma, loss, and mental health battles during my teenage years—this episode walks through the reality of growing up in the system. I share what it felt like to: • Be placed into foster care for the first time • Reunite with my mother—and lose that stability again • Move from home to home and struggle to build relationships • Experience deep grief while still trying to survive • Have my story publicly shared through FOX 5’s Wednesday’s Child • Face suicidal thoughts and identity struggles as a teen • Lose an adoption opportunity at 17 • Age out of foster care during college—and experience homelessness But this isn’t just a story about what I went through. It’s about who I became. In this episode, I also open up about: • Rebuilding relationships with my family • Reconnecting with my sister and my mother • Graduating from college against the odds • Finding purpose through advocacy, storytelling, and impact This episode is for anyone who has ever felt overlooked, displaced, or misunderstood. And it’s for those who want to truly understand foster care—not just as a system, but as a lived experience. Because behind every statistic… there’s a story like mine. 🎧 Listen. Learn. Share.

    National Foster Care Month: My Story, My Survival, My Purpose
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5
out of 5
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About

Outreach with Reggie is your weekly podcast on mental health, foster care reform, and community advocacy. Hosted by Reggie Holloway, it dives deep into nonprofit leadership, youth advocacy, and activism to inspire community change and social impact. With topics ranging from child welfare advocacy and trauma informed care to nonprofit strategy and policy advocacy, each episode equips listeners with tools for lasting transformation. Join us to amplify foster youth voices, champion social equity solutions, and lead with purpose in your community. 406088

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