E63: Charting His Own Path: Bodybuilding, Coming Out, and Self Acceptance, W/Antonio Stephens

Grow With Ro

Antonio is a storyteller and creative. His career journey, from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to Levi Strauss & Co., highlights the power of storytelling and authentic connection. As the Director of Culture Communications and Talent Brand Marketing, he champions workplace inclusion and creates compelling narratives. Through his podcast “Life Chats With Friends,” Antonio shares invaluable lessons on wellness and growth, enriching both personal and professional development for his community.
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On today's episode:

• Competitive Bodybuilding: The Illusion of Health and Wellness
• Long-term, sustainable physical results begin with cultivating the mind.
• The best coaches often draw from their own lived experiences.
• Antonio’s pivotal growth moment came from accepting his sexuality.
• Marriage isn’t about the big wedding—it’s in the everyday details of how you operate and treat each other long after the festivities.
• Growing up as a gay man in a deeply Catholic household.
• Choosing himself: “Is losing my family part of saving myself?”
• Setting boundaries with his mother.
• Navigating roles in a gay relationship.
• Transitioning from a “parent-child” dynamic with family to an “adult-adult” relationship.
• Returning to family as an adult: How to stay authentic without compromising parts of yourself to make others comfortable.
• You have two choices: embrace your authenticity or remain sad and suppressed.
• Understand the emotions driving your thoughts.
• Learn from others’ processes and experiences—you’re not alone in your feelings.
• Book referenced: Atlas of the Heart.
• Practice compassion: Be kind to yourself during moments of doubt or uncertainty.
• You’re here to chart your own path.
• Ram Dass.
• Seek self-discovery: The path might be dark, but eventually, you realize that you are the light.
• Referenced: Paul Selig’s books.
• Patience with growth: You can’t excel at chapter 12 without going through chapters 10 and 11 first.

AND MORE!

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