I Had To Become The Father
In this searching and deeply reflective memoir, Joel Davis Brown explores the courage it takes to release inherited pain. Retracing his path from quiet childhood wounds to hard-won freedom and self-acceptance, Brown provides an inspirational case study for others to begin the process of addressing their own healing.
From an outside perspective, Joel seemed eminently successful. Yet, success did not quiet the enduring questions about identity, family, belonging, and love. Along the journey, Brown encounters a number of painful contradictions: the communities that nurture one part of him struggle to accept another. In college, he feels free but alone. At work, he feels competent but unfulfilled. At home, he feels known but alienated. Over the years, those haunting experiences become an invisible ceiling, dimming the full light of who he might become.
However, when Joel received shocking news, everything changed: he could no longer hold court as he used to. As he peeled back the layers and looked at his life unflinchingly, Joel knew there was work to be done to achieve the life that he still found to be elusive.
What started as a reflective exercise led to a beautiful unraveling, fearless confrontations, and ultimately, a triumphant breakthrough. This is not a story of an easy transformation but a more powerful realization: healing is not something granted by others.
It is the gift you give to yourself.
Buy I Had To Become The Father:
Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown
About Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown
Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown is the Chief Visionary Officer of Pneumos LLC (“Pneumos”). Joel works strategically with a variety of non-profit organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and other institutions to build consciousness, capacity, community, and collective esteem. His work spans 6 continents, and his mission is to facilitate liberation for every global citizen. As an internationally recognized leader in Organizational Development, Change Management, and Global Inclusion, he is a professor at the IESEG management School in Lille and Paris, France. Additionally, Joel is a certified leadership coach and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Joel graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota with a double major in Political Science and Philosophy and a double minor in African-American studies and Spanish. Joel also received his law degree from the University of Virginia, as well as a doctorate in leadership and adult education from Saint Mary’s College of California. In the creative realm, Joel is also a well-respected storyteller and spoken word artist.
Learn MoreWhat People Are Saying
What People Are Saying
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Brown through the Diversity Collegium, a pioneering DEI think tank. My first impression of Joel was that he was someone who would bring innovative ideas and elevate the field. Over the years, this has proven to be true, and this book is another stellar example. Written in a voice that is lyrical yet practical, the book introduces a new platform based on qualitative and quantitative research to not only verify and understand the culture of LGBTQ+ but how the identified values are critical to leadership development in our new reality. What I especially appreciated is that the book’s architecture is one of head, heart, and hands. A research-based intellectual platform is supported with storytelling to engage the heart and practical “how to” recommendations to put one’s understanding into action. It is groundbreaking work that individuals, organizations, and societies can reap the immense benefit.
Joel Brown's new book, The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Culture Can Transform Your Leadership Practice, is an unexpected and newly explored analysis of the life skills many LGBTQ+ people develop in order to cope in the world and lead authentic lives. But, Joel posits, these life skills are indeed also leadership skills grown out of oppression by a marginalized community. Joel builds a reasoned and logical case for his premise that these skills can be applied in anyone's life and, in fact, are the leader skills we need now to function in our fractured society. The application lessons at the end of many of the chapters are special gems for self-inquiry and personal development. I highly recommend this book, both as a critical examination of LGBTQ+ culture and, more specifically, as a guide to the leadership qualities necessary for our world.
In his new book, The Souls of Queer Folk, Joel offers readers a beautiful portrait of LGBTQ+ culture, highlighting the intrinsic values, extraordinary gifts, and diverse talents of a community that often go unnoticed and underappreciated. Deeply researched and analytically rigorous, Joel’s book is also deeply personal, reflecting his own journey with vulnerability, courage, and humor. The Souls of Queer Folk is a book that will give every reader a better understanding of LGBTQ+ culture and a deeper appreciation for the values, norms, and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Brown’s book offers readers practical strategies and new frameworks for leading with authenticity and self-mastery.
