Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kLD27Rz4DedM7slUrVPuX?si=UuipdsoTRniN7qidrQ4V5g

Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/homeboyandthepyramids/p/homeboy-and-the-pyramids-50-clarke?r=3jp6p4&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Peace. This is Clarke Illmatical—journalist, director, and host of Homeboy and The Pyramids. In this episode, I reflect on my journey—eight years living abroad in total, across Brazil, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Mexico, and Guatemala. As I wrap up my travel memoir, I take time to celebrate those years and reflect on the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Contact:

@homeboypyramids

Homeboy’s Travel Origins

• What pushed me to leave the U.S. and build a life abroad.
• The transition from corporate life to international living.
• Key cultural influences, including how films like City of God and The Beach shaped my imagination about the world, freedom, and escape.

Countries I’ve lived in

• My experience living in Brazil, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Mexico, and Guatemala.
• How each country shaped me differently.
• The difference between visiting a place and actually building a life there.
• Which countries made me feel most accepted and comfortable as a so-called Black man.

Culture shock and adjustment

• The hardest parts of adjusting to new countries.
• Responding to the common claim that locals in some countries “don’t know any better,” and why that phrase can oversimplify people and excuse bad behavior.

Expat communities in real life

• The different types of expat communities I’ve encountered abroad.
• The positives and negatives of expat circles.
• Difficulties of integrating into those spaces.

Digital nomad reality check

• My honest thoughts on the digital nomad lifestyle and why can promote bad travel habits. 
• Whether it’s better to start with a stationary position abroad before jumping into the digital nomad lifestyle.

Friendship, romance, and temporary relationships

• How to build meaningful friendships when traveling.
• The host’s own struggle with making lasting connections abroad.
• Navigating expat friendships, romantic relationships, and dating in foreign countries.
• Learning to appreciate temporary relationships without forcing everything to become permanent.

The Passport Bro conversation

• Thoughts on the Passport Bro movement and how it has affected Black travelers.
• Whether it has created opportunity, stigma, misunderstanding, or all three.
• The racial dimension: how Black men are perceived, policed, or judged while traveling.

Beliefs that changed

• A belief I had before traveling that changed completely after living abroad.
• A belief that stayed the same no matter where I went.

The biggest surprises

• Which country surprised me the most, and why.
• Locations that helped me grow the most as a traveler and as a person.

The most transformative moments

• The most transformative experience from eight years of travel.
• Whether growth came from one defining moment or from a long, gradual process.
• Moments when something “clicked” internally.

What keeps travel alive

• What still excites me about travel after all these years.

Advice to my younger self

• What I would tell myself before my first international move.
• Advice for a younger Black traveler who wants to explore the world seriously.

The future for Black men in travel

• Reasons for optimism for Black men in the global travel space.

Podcast links:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LWmgSSgt9lx2aOxpriZhj?si=Di0bqUefS9-7MEryhGMoRA

Substack:

https://open.substack.com/pub/homeboyandthepyramids/p/podcast-49-interview-with-kyle-sexton?r=3jp6p4&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

PODCAST DISCUSSION POINTS 

• Kyle’s background in the United States
• His early interest in Japanese culture, including language, film, and women
• How he prepared for Japan while living in New York City
• Arriving in Japan (1984) with no plan and only $300
• How networking with foreigner organizations helped him build friendships
• Starting his business with help from Japanese friends
• How a positive attitude helped him adapt to Japanese culture
• Why starting a business in Japan as a foreigner is different today than when he began
• Becoming a well-known figure/minor celebrity in Japan
• Overcoming his own ingrained views on race while building his business
• How the Black presence in Japan has changed over the years
• Raising children in Japan
• His future plans for the business

Peace everyone, I am reposting to this SUB, and want to explain why. I reviewed THE CULT OF NATUREBOY documentary on my podcast because it pertains to BLACK TRAVEL.

The leader of this travel movement, used typical cult strategies to control his followers. I share my experiences growing up in a cult and how many of you can avoid cults in the future.

Especially when you're traveling. As usually, I got some hate from Youtube passport bros who are lurking around here on Reddit. Not sure why, the theme of this podcast and review of this documentary pertains to Black travel.

PODCAST Links:

Substack:

https://open.substack.com/pub/homeboyandthepyramids/p/podcast-48-the-cult-of-natureboy?r=3jp6p4&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m7qB23nqrKz3GiSeUZ4Br?si=d4hWGHt8T06wcthuZwxdBQ

PODCAST Links:

Substack:

https://open.substack.com/pub/homeboyandthepyramids/p/podcast-48-the-cult-of-natureboy?r=3jp6p4&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m7qB23nqrKz3GiSeUZ4Br?si=d4hWGHt8T06wcthuZwxdBQ

As a former cult member, I want to talk to you about this travel documentary, why so many of the members were susceptible, and how you can avoid cults.

My background: I was born into the Jehovah’s Witness cult, and I see several similarities between that group and the Natureboy cult.

What is a cult?

A cult is a group or social movement defined by unusual or extreme beliefs and practices. It typically centers around a charismatic leader who demands unquestioning loyalty and uses manipulative control tactics to isolate, exploit, and control the daily lives of its members.

• Authoritarian leadership: A single leader, or a small inner circle, holds absolute and unquestioned power. The leader is often seen as divine, uniquely enlightened, or as having exclusive access to the “truth.”
• Thought reform and control: The group uses psychological manipulation to influence members, reduce personal autonomy, and force conformity.
• Isolation: Members are cut off from outside influences, including family, friends, and broader society, to increase dependency on the group.
• Exploitation: The group takes advantage of members financially, physically, or emotionally to serve the leadership’s goals or enrich the organization.
• Fear of leaving: There are strict rules and serious psychological or social consequences for questioning authority, dissenting, or trying to leave.

Why was Natureboy successful?

• He created the image of a utopia in the jungle.
• He appealed to Black people by promoting the idea of getting back into the sun and closer to nature.
• He used pairing, romance, and love bombing to draw people in and deepen attachment.

Similarities to Jehovah’s Witnesses

• Love bombing and social pressure.
• Heavy reliance on association, belonging, and extended family connections.
• The use of code words, special language, and identity-shaping phrases

Other environments with cult-like traits

• The military.
• Corporations or corporate America.
• The art world.
• Certain forms of yoga.
• Jiu-jitsu communities in some cases.

How to build healthy community and resources

Build a real support system outside controlling groups.

• “Build Support System” YouTube link
• Dr. T. Hasan Johnson, No One Is Coming: The Brotherhood Black Men Need to Survive Depression YouTube link

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ROOHfVQ0w6tlGaqmOXAVB?si=9tdo3nBqTX63_h76jKCRLw

Substack:

https://open.substack.com/pub/homeboyandthepyramids/p/podcast-47-interview-with-corey-l?r=3jp6p4&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Podcast discussion points:

• Corey’s introduction, credentials, and global journey.
• Growing up in North St. Louis, ancestry, and identity formation.
• African American identity versus broader Black diasporic identity.
• Why Pan-Africanism matters to him.
• Why he changed his name to Mbonge.
• Study abroad in Brazil and how Rio shaped his worldview.
• Why South Africa became the place where he built his life.
• Life in South Africa: culture, belonging, and daily adjustment.
• Racism and the experience of being a Black immigrant in South Africa.
• Safety, violent crime, and how to move smart on the ground.
• Xenophobia, protests, and which immigrant groups face exclusion.
• Cultural problems Black Americans may face when visiting or living in South Africa.
• How the Black American experience differs from that of white or European expats.
• UCT law school, academia, and his intellectual development.
• Current work in law, teaching, and PhD-level research.
• Reparations, long-term vision, and creating scholarships.