Highlight - Josh Kerr: Seeking Validation & Acceptance In Others Made Him Feel Like A Coward.

This piece of conversation was a highlight from my full episode with Josh Kerr. His desire to feel validated & accepted amongst his high school peers led to him feeling like an outcast from his indigenous culture. We spoke about fitting in vs belonging, why true belonging is found in self acceptance & the indigenous mentors who helped him create a stronger connection with his culture.

If you loved this highlight, you can listen to the full episode on your platform of choice. See the show notes below.

Josh Kerr is one of the St George Illawarra Dragons forwards & an indigenous All-Stars representative.

When meeting Joshy, you are confronted by the mighty man-mountain's sheer size but after getting to know the man, it is no surprise that his larger than life personality & his compassionate heart are what he is known for amongst his family & friends.

Josh grew up an hour North-West of Brisbane in Narrangba. Sport was a huge part of his early identity & it is where his passions for rugby league & aussie rules were formed. With opportunities to pursue both sports, Josh eventually decided to walk the rugby league path, not without his fair share of hurdles along the way. Alongside the desire to make his family proud, his driving force was the determination to prove an early doubter wrong & prove he could be part of the 1-2% of players who make their NRL dream a reality.

A proud Aboriginal man from the Quandamooka Nation in Stradbroke Island, Joshy had his early struggles with culture. The criticism & racist jokes in the school yard created a drift with his culture, choosing to 'fit in' before realising that true belonging is found in celebration of our culture & self acceptance. Now loud & proud about his passion & pride to be an Aboriginal man, one of his great honours was to represent the Indigenous All-Stars.

Josh has an incredible heart & a desire to leave those he encounters feeling uplifted, it's the reason I connected so easily with him when we first met. His story is inspiring & it was my honour to share it on the show.

Be sure to follow Josh & I on socials (Insta) @joshmkerr (Insta, TikTok, LinkedIn) @bradleyjdryburgh

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Big love,

Brad xx

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