The Homebase Podcast returns with a powerful season premiere centered on Dr. Ricky Pope’s original poem The Quiet Part Out Loud (TQPOL) — a raw and resonant work about what it means to speak truth when silence feels safer.In this episode, Dr. Pope invites listeners behind the creation of TQPOL, a poem born from years of listening to students’ unspoken struggles and navigating his own quiet battles as a psychologist, professor, and mentor. The piece gives language to emotions often buried — grief, anger, hope, and longing for belonging — and challenges the cultural and institutional patterns that keep many young men of color silent in spaces where their voices matter most.Throughout the dialogue, listeners are invited to imagine “homebase” — not just as a metaphor, but as a lived practice. A homebase is a psychological and relational safe space where you can exhale, gather strength, and return to the world with clarity and purpose. For first-generation students, especially young men of color, homebase is where personal narrative meets collective support — where art, mentorship, and academic success intersect.Whether you are a student trying to find your voice, an educator searching for ways to support belonging, or anyone who’s ever wrestled with unspoken truths, The Quiet Part Out Loud will leave you inspired and challenged. It’s a call to break silence, build homebase, and step boldly into one’s own story.Episode highlights: Live excerpts of Dr. Pope’s poem The Quiet Part Out Loud How spoken word and storytelling help process mental health and identity challenges Defining “homebase” as a secure, empowering space for growth and connection

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