The Bro Talk Podcast

Launching Bro Talk: A Foundation of Brotherhood, Faith, Healing, and Purpose

• Jermine • Season 1 • Episode 1

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The conversations that should’ve been recorded finally are. We opened the vault on decades of late-night calls—two brothers in two cities—turning private truth into a public space where men can breathe, speak, and be seen without judgment. From the first minute, we ground the show in an origin story of chosen family, spiritual kinship, and a thirty-year habit of checking in that kept our bond strong across state lines.

We set the mission with clarity: build a podcast for men, especially Black men, to process life without the mask. Real talk isn’t a slogan here—it’s a standard. We break down our R.E.A. L. framework—Responsible, Empower, Authentic, Loving—as the compass for every topic we’ll tackle. Responsibility means owning our choices and showing up for family and community. Empower is purpose over ego, leading with conviction. Authentic is showing up flawed and faithful. Loving is strength through compassion and connection. Along the way, we lean into accountability—the iron-sharpens-iron kind that calls a brother higher while standing beside him.

The conversation expands into the season ahead: faith, fatherhood, mental health, financial literacy, brotherhood, money, legacy, purpose, and transformation. We name the quiet battles men face and offer a lens we call healing the hustle—addressing burnout, pressure, and the myth that strength means silence. Our promise is to sustain this work, not just start it, and bring in fathers, leaders, unsung sheroes, and everyday builders who model growth in real time. The heartbeat is simple and bold: stop hiding behind strength and start living in truth.

If you value honest talk that transforms and a community that keeps showing up, hit follow, share this with a brother who needs it, and leave a review so more men can find the space to heal and grow with us.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Bro Talk Podcast, where we keep it real about life, love, leadership, and living with purpose. I'm Jermaine Alberty, coming to you from Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm Brian Williams in H-Town, coming to you from Houston, Texas. We are two brothers and two cities with one mission. Real men, real talk, real transformation. All right, Jermaine, let's let's kick this off for real. So let me start with this question. When you think about our origin story, the beginning, when do you feel that the Bro Talk podcast truly started for us?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, honestly, I think it started many years ago. We were always trying to figure out something we would do jointly. And we had so many phone calls where we unpacked life, talked about jobs, faith, and family. And every time we hung up, I would say, man, this should have been recorded.

SPEAKER_00:

I agree. Those deep, intimate conversations should have been and uh would have been recorded, but we we just didn't do that. But they could have been transformative for brothers out there struggling with the same issues that we talked about.

SPEAKER_01:

So when you think about those conversations, why do you think it hit for I think it it hit differently because we have a relationship, and in that relationship we can be honest with each other, and even though we both uh had the titles of reverend, uh and you got several degrees, I got you know a couple of degrees myself. It never was about that. Um, it was us not pretending, but really just being two black brothers working through life with transparency and real love for one another. And that kind of realness is rare.

SPEAKER_00:

You know what's interesting to me? We live in two separate cities now. I'm in Houston, you're in Vegas, but our brotherhood has stayed relevant, consistent, and tight. Why do you think that God has kept us connected all these years?

SPEAKER_01:

I think sometimes we don't get to choose our blood family, but we do choose those we link to as our spiritual uh family. And you've been just that, uh, my spiritual brother. Uh, we are brothers from another mother, and I believe we have a divine assignment. And even though our story started in Kansas City, Missouri, it just kept unfolding over the years, and the roots got deeper and the bond got stronger. And this podcast is just the next chapter.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I I you know I come from a large family, five sisters and three brothers, and um those are my blood brothers. And you and I have uh friendships and extended friendships with other brothers. But when I think and compare those relationships, the one I have with you runs stronger, deeper, and it's more enriching. That kinship and spiritual bondship, it runs pretty deep. And we've kept it up for 30 plus years.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, it's been straight up just been intentional, checking in on one another, calling one another, and I think that's gonna make this podcast such a powerful one because it's gonna be genuine, it's gonna be really genuine. And so I want to talk with you about that too, uh, which is you know, this the why behind the mic. And that is let's talk about the why behind the mic. Is there a deeper reason for you about why we're doing the Bro Talk podcast?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Uh, I think about one of the things or one of the initiatives that we collaborated on 31 years ago. And when we came together and put our minds together and capitalized on our strengths, that landed us, our first jobs as youth coordinators for the housing authority of Kansas City. And those positions were never created before. And when you and I came together, we uh were able to influence the executive director of the housing authority to create those positions so that we could impact young people in a meaningful way. So you and I have talked and we realized that when we come together and use our strengths, we can do some amazing and transformative work. And for years, um, you and I have tried to try to create some initiatives or some spaces for men, especially black men to gather, but it's never fully materialized. And so this podcast is just the beginning of that space, a space that we can create for men to breathe and speak, to be seen and to be heard. And when you think about men in particular, and particularly black men, we grind, we love, we lead, create spaces to process and reflect.

SPEAKER_01:

That's so real. And now I've spent years advocating for mental health and spiritual wellness, but this platform lets us reach brothers who may never step into a faith community uh or a therapy room. And so when we talk about real talk, what does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_00:

So when I think about real talk, for me, it means those conversations that you and I are able to have. It means being able to be truthful and have candid, honest conversations. It means that that you and I can and others can remove our masks. It also means being able to be truthful and to speak our truth without fear of any judgment. It means being able to be vulnerable and transparent without having to think about being shamed or humiliated, but talking in ways that inform, that transform and inspire, not just to entertain.

SPEAKER_01:

And man, that's where the acronym RIL comes in, because real uh it's not just you know a word, but for me, when I think about being real, I think about ways people can actually take in that word and give it meaning. And so we created an acronym for real, and real stands for responsible, empower, authentic, and loving. And so let's break that down. When we talk about being responsible, that's when we take ownership of our choices, families and communities. We talk about empower, it's where we lead with purpose and confidence and not ego. Uh, we think about being authentic, it's when we show up as ourselves, and when we show up as ourselves, we are flawed yet faithful, faithful and free. And that L, as we mentioned earlier, it's loving, where we build strength through compassion uh and connection. And so, Brian, which part lands uh most for you when we talk about those four words responsible, empower, authentic, and loving?

SPEAKER_00:

So when I think about those four words, they all speak to me um personally, and they all have significant meaning. And so it's hard for me to kind of you know allow one to rise or elevate above the other. But if I had to, if I had to pinpoint one, I'd go with responsible. And when you talked about being responsible, where that means taking ownership of our choices, our families, and our communities. You know, for me, um, that's all about being accountable. So accountable for our choices, our families and communities, but not just accountable for those things, but being accountable for one another as men and as brothers. And you know, you and I know uh the word says that as iron sharpens iron, so a man or another person sharpens another person. So that responsible speaks to me.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I love that. And I think it is both our backgrounds in so many different fields, whether it be our spiritual backgrounds, a professional backgrounds, that's gonna really, really make a difference in this podcast. But I want to know uh what else do you think? What else will make a difference uh about our podcast here, The Bro Talk?

SPEAKER_00:

So you and I have had many conversations about podcasts and even some podcasts with similar names. But one of the things that we've discovered in our research is that a lot of individuals start podcasts, they initiate them, but they don't last, they don't sustain them. And so you and I have made a commitment, along with our 30-plus year friendship and brotherhood history, that we are gonna make a commitment to not just start and initiate this podcast, but to see it through. And uh, we made a commitment that it's not about trying to attract viewers or an audience, but that we're just gonna create a space for us to discuss issues that are relevant and real for men. And you know, you and I do our best work when we collaborate and we build on each other's gifts and talents and strengths. Uh, and when we do that, we're able to do some transformative work and inspire and encourage other people. So we're not just gonna start this, but we're gonna sustain it. That's what's gonna make this podcast different.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And then we're also not afraid to go deep and talk about faith and fatherhood and brotherhood and mental health and money uh and love and legacy. Um, we also though want to take some time and discuss those things that men wrestle with privately. And so I'm so excited about um this podcast and what we have coming ahead.

SPEAKER_00:

Those are some really relevant and interesting topics. Um, and there were some topics you didn't mention. But when you think about all the topics that we will cover and that we can cover, what do you think is the topic that men are gonna want us to cover the most?

SPEAKER_01:

Listen, I know that you and I both get up every day and we also. But in the process of hustling and moving, it is learning how to not only uh have that hustle, but healing the hustle. Uh, because men are pushed to be all things to all people. And sometimes we just get tired, we get burnt out, we have all these pressures and expectations. And sometimes brothers don't always know how to manage it. And so I think it's so important that we uh help brothers heal uh through through these processes that we're we're all going through.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm glad you you lifted up this process of healing uh because you and I know a lot of brothers who are hurting, and they're hurting financially, they're hurting, hurting financially, mentally, uh, but you and I are gonna create this space, and we know that that real healing, authentic healing, can have some joy in it.

SPEAKER_01:

So I'm excited to absolutely, absolutely, and uh, you know, I I just want to um also give our listeners the opportunity to know what they can expect this season.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, um you mentioned some topics that we're gonna cover, but you know, we're gonna discuss topics related to manhood, mental health, financial literacy, brotherhood, accountability, as we already talked about, purpose and transformation. And so we're excited that on this platform and in this space, we're gonna be bringing together fathers and leaders and unsung sheros and everyday brothers and sisters doing the work that we've just talked about.

SPEAKER_01:

And we really want to make sure that every episode will remind you as a listener that you're not alone, that you can heal, that you can grow, and that you can transform. You can transform yourself.

SPEAKER_00:

I like that. We're not alone, we can heal, we can grow, and we can transform. But if you had to, Termaine, just summarize the heart to the heartbeat in the pulse of the Bro Talk podcast in one sentence, what would that be?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I would say it's time for men to stop hiding behind strength and start living in truth. We do not have to be um, you know, strong in every situation. We can most definitely gain strength in our truth, and I think when we are honest with ourselves, that's when we are really our strongest. So, Brian, what's your final message to people joining us?

SPEAKER_00:

So, the final message I have for the brothers and even sisters listening to us. Yeah, absolutely. Is that we want to welcome you to this space and this place where we all can breathe. Yes, and we want to welcome you to this movement that we call the Bro Talk Podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I want to thank everybody for tuning in to the Bro Talk Podcast, where it's always real men, real talk, real transformation. And I want to encourage you to subscribe and to share and to follow us online at the BroTalk Podcast.com. And Brian, uh, you got any final words you want to say?

SPEAKER_00:

Final words. We want to thank um our audience for listening, but thank you for helping me to kick off this inaugural episode. And until next time, stay real, stay rooted, and keep transforming.

SPEAKER_01:

And this is the brook the bro talk podcast.