Quentin Vennie is a celebrated wellness expert, philanthropist, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling memoir, Strong In The Broken Places. He is the former Vice President of the Yoga Alliance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that leverages yoga for social impact. His work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Entrepreneur, Chicago Tribune, NBC News, Fox News, MindBodyGreen, and others.
Quentin has been recognized as one of Black Enterprise magazine’s 100 Modern Men of Distinction and by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for his contribution in raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention, as well as appearing as the wellness keynote speaker for Colin Kaepernick’s “Know My Rights” Camp. Quentin has guided meditations and given talks at the Wagner Youth Facility at Belize Central Prison, shared his journey of healing childhood trauma for the University of Maryland Medical Systems & University of Maryland Symposium “Not All Wounds Are Visible”, and was recognized by Lululemon at their annual Here To Be Conference.
Quentin continues to work with youth in under-resourced communities, helping them understand their traumas and turn them into triumphs, and spearheads initiatives that address food insecurity, and help make yoga and mindfulness practices accessible among communities and populations that don’t ordinarily have access to them. Having spent years practicing yoga and meditation, Quentin has found a recent passion in gardening and interior design as forms of anxiety management.
In this episode we talk about:
- Growing up in Baltimore during the heroin epidemic with the life expectancy of being a black male being 25
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Being sent to primarily white schools to get a better education and the bonuses and downfalls to that
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How the school system teaches a false narrative of American History and starting his own journey of self-educating at an early age
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the misconception of silence and not speaking up about what matters and what is true
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Trying college, entering the work force and how losing his job made drug dealing appealing
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What made him stop drug dealing after making more money in a month than the teachers he talked down to him made in a year
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Becoming a personal trainer and growing his business quickly until panic attacks had him sleeping in his car in the ER parking lot to feel safe
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Getting a diagnosis for his anxiety and being told he would need medication for the rest of his life, but not given any suggestions for his mental or physical wellness outside of a prescription
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becoming addicted to his prescription antidepressants and telling his doctor and the doctor only changing his meds still now advising him to get help
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taking his health and healing into his own hands via google and documentaries
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Starting to right articles for major publications being real about what he experienced and how life is not all rainbows and butterflies
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vulnerability is his super power
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being an advocate for humanity
- Which keychain he chose from my line and why!
Find Quentin at https://www.quentinvennie.com and @quentinvennie and @greenhouseteas
Get his book Strong in the Broken Places
LINKS to other things/people/music we mentioned!
PS. If we mentioned something and I forgot to include it here leave a comment and I will track it down for you!
The articles he wrote including the first MBG vulnerable one
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F THE SHOULDS. DO THE WANTS.
Forget what you have been told you should do or should be.
Instead ask yourself, “What do I want?
Learn how to listen to what it is that you truly feel & want so that you are living your most present, aligned, and alive life.
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What was the book that he read referring to fighting cancer.
I believe it was Kris Carr’s book?