The Silent Mental Health Crisis Hurting Black Men | Yolo Akili Robinson | E66

For generations, Black communities have found ways to heal without ever calling it therapy. The barber who listens, the auntie who checks in, the elder who brings people together — Yolo Akili Robinson believes these relationships hold a powerful lesson for how we approach mental health today. In this episode, Yolo joins JoJo to explore what it takes to build a community that knows how to care for one another. He breaks down the emotional rules that keep Black men trapped in silence, how childhood shapes the love we accept as adults, and why asking for help is a skill we can learn. From breaking generational patterns as parents to rethinking masculinity and building collective spaces for healing, Yolo makes the case that taking care of our mental health was never meant to be something we do alone.

In This Episode, JoJo and Yolo Akili Discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:21) Rediscovering the Roots of Collective Healing

(06:11) Yolo’s Journey to Unlearning Harmful Love

(08:33) Reimagining Masculinity, Power, and Partnership

(14:13) Unlearning Emotional Rules for Black Men

(19:41) Learning to Receive Help Without Shame 

(25:04) Breaking Generational Patterns as a Parent

(31:10) Choosing Community Over Healing Alone

Yolo Akili Robinson is a healing justice practitioner, mental health advocate, educator, and founder and executive director of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective), an organization dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black and marginalized communities. Through community training, healing circles, grants, and programs, his work expands mental health support beyond traditional therapy and equips people with the tools to care for themselves and one another.

Connect with Yolo: