Embracing Vulnerability: What More Men Should Know
In this unique clip show, host Andy Grant of Real Men Feel compiles powerful, honest answers from 17 previous guests to one pivotal question: 'What do you wish more men knew?' These responses shed light on the significant themes of love, vulnerability, self-worth, and emotional resilience.
From emphasizing the importance of self-love and accountability to advocating for better sexual health and emotional expression, these insights reveal a common thread—strength and vulnerability are not opposites, but essential mates.
This episode encourages men to be true to themselves and engage deeply with others.
00:00 Introduction to Real Men Feel
00:37 The Power of Vulnerability
03:34 Embracing Emotional Resilience
07:35 Redefining Masculinity
14:18 The Importance of Sexual Health
17:20 Conclusion and Community Invitation
Connect with Andy and the Real Men Feel Podcast:
Join me and connect with other like-minded men in the
Authentic AF Community | http://realmenfeel.org/group
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Andy Grant | https://theandygrant.com for coaching, healing, and book info!
Real Men Feel | http://realmenfeel.org
YouTube | https://youtube.com/realmenfeel
#RealMenFeel ep 383
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Hello and welcome to Real Men
Feel.
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I'm your host, Andy Grant.
Today's show is a little bit
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different.
It's my first ever clip show.
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Over the years, I have asked
many dozens of people one simple
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question.
What do you wish more men do?
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Today I'm sharing the answer
from 17 past guests who answered
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with honesty and hard won
wisdom.
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And as you listen, I am sure
you'll hear a very clear theme
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emerge, one that goes straight
to the heart of what real men
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feel has always been about.
Let's do it, Ellen.
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What's one thing that you wish
more men knew?
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I wish more men knew that people
love you.
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And I think, you know, as boys,
once we're old enough to run and
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crawl and get off of your dad's
knee, we don't get much
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affection after that.
And so we grow up then being
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these rough and tumble guys.
And don't get me wrong, and
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kids, the boys need that energy
as well.
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We don't get a lot of the
nurture piece.
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And so I want men to know that
you are loved beyond measure.
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Know that you were put here for
a purpose and you were put here
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to do something, whatever that
is.
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All that we're asking you to do
is to lean into it, lean into
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who you are and know that you
are loved.
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Ryan, what's one thing that you
wish more men knew That that
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it's OK to love themselves.
It's OK to be open.
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It's OK to be vulnerable.
It's OK to express themselves.
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And, and often times they just
close up and they don't know how
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to to do any of that.
What's one thing you wish more
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men knew?
Geometry.
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No, I think.
No one has.
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You ever seen that?
That's great.
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I always thought this joke
because I took geometry in 10th
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grade and I felt it.
And so my dad sat me down and
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realized like he taught me how
to think about geometry and like
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in steps, like, you know, when
you're doing proofs and stuff,
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don't just think of it how to
get to the answer, how to think
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about understanding what you're
doing.
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And I think that's in life.
That's actually a good point of
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how to not just get to an
answer, but how to understand
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how you got to the answer.
But I think more men just need
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to know how to that, that word
again, accountability, being
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vulnerable.
And it is all right to be
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vulnerable, yo.
No one's going to be tripping
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and hating on you.
And if they do, you probably
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don't even need to be around
them.
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But I don't care who it is.
If someone doesn't respect your
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vulnerability, someone doesn't
respect your pace and your space
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of how you move it through life,
and someone doesn't give you
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room to grow and adapt, Yo, you
probably don't need to be around
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them because they are even
respecting you, not as a man,
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but just as a human.
They want to inject their
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personal and ego on you.
So I would just tell men it's OK
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to be vulnerable.
Yo, it's it's actually OK.
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So it's all right to strength is
in the vulnerability.
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Strength isn't in, you know,
popping off and talking, talking
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ish all day.
That's that's weak strength is
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in being strong and vulnerable
and knowing you can handle
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situation, knowing you're going
to go through that storm.
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You're going to get wet a little
bit, but at the end you'll be
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all dry and you'll you'll get
through that storm.
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Aaron, is there one thing that
you wish more men knew?
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There's nothing wrong with
asking and saying that you don't
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know if you know if.
I had.
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One guy like wants wanted to
learn.
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Like tell me I want you to be my
teacher.
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Like be open to to learning.
Because the.
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Definition of sex that you
learned as a heterosexual man
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and the script that we had
doesn't have to be the same and
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if you.
Really.
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Want to?
Pleasure A.
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Woman and really have a.
Good relationship.
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That's the best way to do it,
Aaron.
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What's one thing you wish more
men knew?
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I mean, I think it goes back to
my mantra in, in the, you know,
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in, in the men's groups.
It's it's we knew how to get out
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of our heads and into our
hearts, how to feel more, do
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less fixing and more feeling.
What is one thing you wish more
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men knew?
That they can talk to other men
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and they're not alone.
That whatever pain they feel
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that they hold, and all of this
being that they are holding, is
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held by other men too.
And it'd be so much lighter if
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they just did.
And finally, Kelly, what do you
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wish more men knew?
What?
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What I.
Expressed earlier, man, that the
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because like I said, when I was
a kid and growing up, that word
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repent was scary.
And it's never too late.
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You know what I'm saying?
It's never too late to do the
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right thing.
It's never too late to turn
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around.
You always have an opportunity
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until your last breath to turn
around.
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What is one thing that you wish
more men knew?
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I think I wish more men knew
that vulnerability is not
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weakness.
It is can be a strength.
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And it sounds cliche because I'm
sure you've talked a lot about
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that.
But but it's just it bears
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repeating, right?
Because I think that someone who
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studies narcissism and knows
that the protection, I mean, we
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all are hardwired to protect
vulnerability, but it's also to
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me, it's the doorway into not
only greater self acceptance,
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but also like better
relationships with other people.
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And so I just, I wish that was
more men knew that that that
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allowing in their own
vulnerability and showing it
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occasionally to people is is a
really beautiful thing.
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What is one thing that you wish
more men knew?
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Well, I think I started by
saying that the work isn't
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always tied to productivity,
performance, and the pressure to
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hold it all together.
I am that that your value isn't
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what in what you do.
Although you can talk about self
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actualization and Maslow's
hierarchy, that's a different
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conversation, but it's more
about who you are, like as if
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you want to be who you are.
And, and I think a lot of, like
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I said, men find themselves
defining who they are by what
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they do.
And that's an easy thing to do,
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especially because we want to be
the change we want to see.
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And so when you start getting
those kinds of idioms and
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whatnot, it, it makes it really
complex.
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But I, I, I would say that
that's number one.
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And then the next thing is that
vulnerability is not a weakness,
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it's a strategy.
It's not to be overused, right?
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It's supposed to be used with
deliberateness and precision,
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and it's not to be manipulator.
But when used appropriately
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within context, it has so much
power to open up relationships
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and conversations in a room.
And if you're really after
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influence and leadership and
building deep relationships,
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whether it be with your team or
family, that's where it starts
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because that's when fight safety
kicks in.
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And then actually people are
open to sharing thoughts and
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ideas.
And that's how we become a
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better people, a better culture.
And that's where innovation
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lives in the technology realm.
Kevin, what's one thing you wish
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more men knew?
You probably are not crying
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enough.
I bet money on it that most men
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are not crying enough.
I.
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Love.
A good cry.
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I love a good cry.
And your partner probably wants
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you to ask for help more than
you are.
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Whether you're in a heterosexual
relationship or not a
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heterosexual relationship, your
partner probably wants you to
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ask for help more.
But we're convinced that that
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that's weakness.
And I don't think so.
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There's a drastic difference
between weakness and connection
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that I wish, I wish more men
knew that because that's
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something that took me to be 30
years to learn that.
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I wish that more men knew that
emotional resilience, mental
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strength does not equate and is
not synonymous with weakness or
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softness.
We go back to being this topic
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of of a warrior.
Having control over yourself,
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Having self mastery means having
understanding.
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It means that instead of
bottling it away because it's
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quote UN quote weak, look it in
the eye, acknowledge it for what
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it is, and then take control of
it.
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More men need to understand that
emotional resilience comes from
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first struggling with those
emotions, which you you won't
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have an opportunity to do if you
push it down, then getting
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familiar, getting comfortable
with those and then still
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responding well.
If you want to be a leader, if
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you want to be a caretaker, a
provider, that means having that
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emotional maturity that comes
from the experience of
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acknowledging and working
through those emotions and those
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mental states.
More men need to realize that
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it's OK to feel.
It's not OK to act however you
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want.
But that's the whole point,
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right?
Is that you decide.
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You decide that where that line
is between who's the person I'm
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going to be today and I'm the
only one that gets to decide
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that.
One thing I wish more men knew.
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There I am innocence wrapped in
valor.
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As a woman, I wield my sort of
compassion, cutting open
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emotional wounds to reveal
hidden wisdom within.
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That's the feminine, OK,
masculine valor wrapped in
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innocence.
You know, it's the, it's the,
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it's the romance.
It's the acknowledging the
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feminine and getting on a knee
to this one woman who is just
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everything.
That's what like, women really
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need that and men need that.
Like, women are complaining that
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men don't express their
emotions.
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Oh, yes, they do when they're
chivalrous.
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That's expressing emotion
because men act, women talk.
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And when they're not chivalrous,
like there's a lot of that right
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now that is men talking clear as
day and giving feedback to women
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clear as day all day long.
But women don't want to hear it
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that way because women don't
want to take accountability.
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So I would say men embrace that
you are Val or wrapped in
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innocence and you in that build
yourself the the the working
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out, the diet, the the business
and love on yourself so
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profoundly that the only woman
who could earn the privilege of
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being in bed with you and you're
providing and protection is this
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one woman.
Value yourself that much that
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all these women taking this
money and this problem and you
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know, pulling you this way and
that way just well, just do this
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for me and just pay for this.
They do not value you set your
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life up.
If you're young enough, you have
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in your family in a way that you
can provide for your girl, your
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wife, the mother of your
children well enough that she
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can stay home and that you value
yourself so much that you won't
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settle for a woman that will do
anything less.
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That her wife is her man and her
children and anything less don't
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settle.
So I guess that's when I have
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some men don't settle.
Finally, what's one thing you
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wish more men knew?
Being vulnerable isn't a
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weakness.
Being vulnerable is a strength.
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And really tuning into that
masculinity with being
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vulnerable and naming that is
transformative within itself.
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You just have to take that
chance and be vulnerable.
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Alexandra, what's one thing that
you wish more men knew?
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I want more men to know that
they will be loved and cherished
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and accepted for their full
health by women who appreciate
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them or their whole humanity.
I I think sometimes.
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So much of.
Self management and self
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preservation kind of filled
armor and layer and not showing
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vulnerability leads to gap in
understanding and.
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Compassion.
Sometimes just having that safe
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space inside of a relationship
can just feel hard and be so
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restored, and it's just a matter
of having those healthy
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relationships where feeling
annually charged, fired because
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it's a psychologically safe
environment.
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I wish more men knew that.
Don't beat yourself up because
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nobody hasn't figured out 100%.
And so the best thing that you
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00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:23,200
can do as a man is to try to get
around those you feel are
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00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,120
further ahead than you are and
give yourself grace for the
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00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,720
mistakes that you made.
And not to say that you don't
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feel anything from making a
mistake and you're not going to
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00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,840
try to correct it, but it's a
lot easier process if you don't
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beat yourself up over it because
you have to look at your life,
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00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,160
the life for those that came
before you.
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00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:47,160
And I look at my parents, you
know, the father, my biological
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00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,840
father, he's kind of emotionally
disconnected.
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00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,880
We have a good relationship, but
he's not as connected as
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00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:56,560
emotions or as vulnerable as I
am.
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00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:00,560
He's coming along, you know,
talking to me, but you have to
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00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:05,000
say they worked with everything
they had available to me, all
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00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:09,000
the tools and all that stuff.
And you're doing everything that
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00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000
you experienced and all the
tools you had.
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00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,240
You're doing the best you can
what you've got.
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00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,480
So just try to figure out how to
do more and learn more and be
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00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,400
around the right people.
Besides the aggressive pursuit
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00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,240
of a great life, what else would
you like men to know?
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00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,360
I like men to know by
prioritizing sexual health, you
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00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,680
prioritize physical health,
mental health, and spiritual
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00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:33,840
health.
Like I said earlier, sexual
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00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:38,560
health touches all three.
And we live in a society where
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00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:40,840
our sexuality has been
cheapened.
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00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,560
It had been demeaning that it,
it's, it's useless to sell off
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00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:48,520
things.
And the sooner that men wake up
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00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:54,240
to how our sexual energy is
being exploited, turning us into
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00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:58,720
weak men, the sooner that
they're going to awaken and
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00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:04,920
realize that this isn't normal.
We are not wired to be have AI
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00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:08,560
girlfriends and to, to, to for
only fans.
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00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,400
Like it's not healthy for most
people.
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00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,120
It's really, really, really you
owning people's lives in ways
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00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:21,400
that you and I couldn't even
imagine as a kid.
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00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,400
But I want everyone to know that
your sexual energy is powerful,
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00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:31,880
and with great power comes great
responsibility, and you have to
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00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:36,440
treat your sexual energy with
that same level of respect as
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00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,800
referenced by Voltaire and
Spider Man.
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00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,000
Ethan, what's one thing you wish
more men knew?
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00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,440
It's a good question.
I wish that they knew.
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00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,400
What comes to mind is just like
that.
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00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,040
They don't have to have it all
together.
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00:15:53,120 --> 00:16:00,280
They don't have to be Superman.
They don't have to be on 100% of
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00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,520
the time.
And you know, I don't think this
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00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,880
is a new revelation.
I think people figure this out.
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00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,400
I think unfortunately, a lot of
people figure this out the hard
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00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,400
way.
And so helping you allow
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00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:18,000
yourself to be human and know
that you don't have to be
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00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:19,520
perfect.
You don't have to have it all
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00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,160
figured out.
You don't have to do it alone.
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00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,440
Yeah, not even that.
You don't have to.
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00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,160
Nobody does.
Like, like, I think that's an
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00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,520
entire myth that that hurts men
that you can have it all figured
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00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,280
out.
And, you know, alone especially
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00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,920
makes that an impossibility.
The more I'm willing to be wrong
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00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:41,280
about things, you know, the more
I'm willing to see, though
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00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:42,600
there's more to learn.
Like that.
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00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:47,520
That that that used to, that
used to feel like life just
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00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:48,680
pummeling me.
Oh, there's more.
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00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:49,920
Come on.
But now I'm like, oh, good.
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00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,240
There's more, right, So if we
can appreciate that there's
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00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,440
more, appreciate our
imperfection, appreciate that we
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00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:00,120
really don't know anything and
there's more to to experiment
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00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:01,360
with.
You know, trial and error are
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00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,400
all like great things that that
we can use.
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00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:06,839
And I wish if we could find a
way to celebrate that more in
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00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,640
the daily experience, especially
of young men, instead of going
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00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:12,720
pick the right major, get the
right job, you know, get it,
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00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:14,880
make sure you're right.
The first thing you try for
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00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,079
everything you do, that that's
just a horrible standard to try
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00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:22,720
to to reach for anybody.
If any of those answers
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00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:24,720
resonated with you, you're not
alone.
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00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,040
Men everywhere are waking up to
the truth that strength and
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00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,640
vulnerability are not opposites.
They belong together.
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00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,360
The world is full of men who
feel alone, overwhelmed, or
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00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:40,680
unsure where to turn.
But you don't have to figure
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00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,040
this out on your own.
If you resonated with any of
295
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,840
those answers, you're not alone.
Men everywhere are waking up to
296
00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,360
the truth that strength and
vulnerability are not opposites.
297
00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,240
They belong together.
The world is full of men who
298
00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,600
feel alone, overwhelmed, or
unsure of where to turn.
299
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,080
But you don't have to figure
this out on your own.
300
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,880
If you want a place to explore
that for yourself with other men
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00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,600
who get it, join my free
community, Authentic AF at
302
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,360
realmenfeel.org/group.
That's where these conversations
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00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:19,120
continue, deepen, and actually
change lives.
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00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,000
Thanks for listening and until
next time be good to yourself.
Author
Dawud Wallace is a speaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for emotional wellness among Black men. With years of experience navigating the caregiving journey and the layered challenges of grief, identity, and mental health, Dawud brings a deeply personal and relatable perspective to his work.
He’s lived the heartbreak of losing loved ones—and the healing that comes from having a strong, no-nonsense support system. Dawud believes in breaking generational silence, embracing vulnerability as strength, and making sure every brother knows: your peace is not a luxury—it’s a right.
Coach / Podcaster
Kendra Dahlstrom helps high-achieving leaders face what they usually hide: self-doubt, burnout, and the quiet fear of not being enough.
She's led executive coaching for some of the world's top brands—including leaders inside Fortune 10 companies—guiding them through the pressure of visibility, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. Her work blends emotional intelligence, honest storytelling, and real-world strategy to help leaders lead with more presence, less proving.
Kendra is also the host of The Unworthy Leader Podcast, a growing platform that pulls back the curtain on what leadership really looks like when we stop pretending we have it all together. Through raw conversations and hard-won lessons, she invites people to see self-doubt not as a flaw, but as a doorway to deeper wisdom.
Her message is simple: you don't have to feel worthy to lead—you just have to show up and be willing to find the answers and support.
Responsible For All The Things Paranas or Founder of The Call To Rise
More than a health coach, Brian Parana is a transformative catalyst who comprehends the intricate balance between professional achievement, personal well-being, and family responsibility.
With 20+ years of experience, Brian focuses NOT on a diet or just exercise but on empowering and building confidence for his clients. By blending science-supported strategies, relentless support, and a personalized plan, each client is designed to regain control of their health while building a career and supporting a family.
He helps clients prioritize health, whether that be weight loss, improving poor health, or simply a desire to live a healthier lifestyle. He helps clients identify other areas that may be obstacles towards a healthy, balanced life. Once identified, Brian and his clients work towards that desired balance.
Over the years, Brian has helped 1,000s of clients through being a personal trainer, CrossFit Gym owner, online speaker, and now coaching professionals around the globe with their fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle goals through commitment and dedication. He has had the privilege of coaching a 2-time Olympian and a CrossFit World Champion.
Now he helps men transform their bodies and lives with The Call To Rise, a 100-Day Fat Loss and Transformation Experience.
He is married to his high school sweetheart, Amber. Together, they have four children, ranging in age from 10 to 15. With three boys and one girl, Brian lives what he teaches every day. The Paranas have a passion for travel, having explored all 50 states and three conti… Read More
Retired Baseball Player/Johnson & Johnson Rare Disease
From Texas, drafted out of high school and opted to go to college. Drafted again my junior year of college and began 12 professional baseball career. Second year of pro ball I tried crack cocaine for the first time and became addicted. Lasted for 6 years and then decided to get sober. Got to play for another 6 years once I got sober. Retired in 2012 and was diagnosed with MS in 2013. I chose an alternative route to treat my disease and as of today I have no symptoms and am healthier and in better shape than when I was playing. Obviously there is a lot more to this story, but keeping it really brief. I have been married since 2013, have one son and we live in Alabama. I currently work for Johnson & Johnson helping neurologists diagnose and treat myasthenia gravis.
Author / Podcaster / Keynote Speaker / Counselor
Ethan Getchell, LLMSW, is a therapist, author, and speaker dedicated to men's mental health. After the tragic loss of his younger brother to suicide, Ethan transitioned from a career in commercial real estate to pursue a path in mental health counseling. He now specializes in helping young men navigate depression, grief, and the challenges of modern masculinity. Through his work, Ethan aims to break societal stereotypes and create safe spaces for emotional vulnerability and healing.
Author
Eugene Z. Bertrand is a Master of Social Work candidate at Columbia University and an advocate for trauma-informed mental health care. With a background in history and education, he combines rigorous academic training with a deep commitment to amplifying marginalized voices. His writing explores the complexities of trauma, resilience, and healing, inviting readers into conversations that challenge stigma and inspire hope. Recognized for his advocacy in trauma-informed care and mental health access, Eugene not only embodies resilience but also empowers others to cultivate it in their own lives. Through this work, he fosters awareness, empathy, and systemic change to support individuals and communities on their journeys toward compassion and healing through the power of vulnerability.
Fitness Coach
Robbie Nebergall is a firefighter, fitness coach, and founder of RECLAIM—a program helping firefighters transform their health through sustainable, lifestyle-based fitness. With a background in philosophy, martial arts, and emergency response, he brings a warrior mindset to mental and physical resilience. Robbie is on a mission to make being in shape part of the uniform again.
Personality, Empathy and Narcissist Researcher and Expert
We're all a little narcissistic. Yes, you and even me. But not in the way the internet thinks.
Narcissism has become one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern psychology. It’s been flattened into a buzzword for selfishness, villainy, or garden-variety ego. But what if narcissism was less about labels and more about the loss of connection — with ourselves, with others, and with the truth of who we really are?
I’m Dr. Sterlin Mosley — a professor, Enneagram teacher, and author of Center of the Universe and The Narcissist in You and Everyone Else. My work explores how narcissism shows up in all of us — not as a fixed disorder, but as a spectrum of behaviors shaped by personality type, instinctual drives, and the systems we live inside. I’ve spent the past two decades helping people understand the deeper roots of emotional disconnection — and how we can transform those patterns into compassion, self-awareness, and genuine relational presence.
Whether we’re discussing the 27 forms of narcissism (yes, they exist), decoding personality through the Enneagram, or exploring how to soften the armor we wear in daily life, my goal is to make complex psychology accessible, relatable, and healing. I don’t just want to talk about what’s wrong with people — I want to illuminate how our deepest flaws are often misguided strategies for love, safety, and belonging.
My interviews go beyond clickbait and diagnosis. Together, we’ll uncover how narcissism operates in everyday life — in relationships, work, spirituality, and even self-help culture — a… Read More
Coach & Facilitator
For years, I told myself a story. That I was a victim of my past. That I was trapped in a life I didn’t recognize. That if my marriage ended, I’d be a failure—not just as a husband, but as a father.
Five days after my 43rd birthday, that story almost ended me.
I was married. I had two beautiful kids. I worked a blue-collar job in the film industry. On paper, I was doing everything I was supposed to. But inside? I was unraveling. After years of suppressing childhood traumas, after decades of numbing myself—whether with work, distractions, or anything else—I finally hit a breaking point.
One night, after a fight with my wife, I snapped. I walked upstairs, grabbed a bottle of Xanax, shook it—25 pills. “I could just take these and never wake up,” I thought.
I had spent my whole life believing the story that I was broken. That I was destined to repeat the cycles of my past. That I wasn’t enough. But those were just stories. And once I learned how to question them—how to rewrite them—everything changed.
I walked out of that treatment center with a mission: to help others break free from the stories that hold them back. To teach men—especially men—that it’s okay to feel, to heal, to ask for help. That you don’t have to carry the weight of your past alone.
Today, I’m a speaker, a coach, and a guide for people ready to rewrite their own narratives.
Author / Coach
Many people don't learn emotional intelligence K through 12. Year-by-year gaps in psychology and mental health often grow because there's no structured format to take someone from where they're at to where they need to be. They didn't inherit the psychological privilege of having emotionally intelligent parents.
All too often, when we see people on the outside we don't know their life story. We're meeting them at this present chapter in their life. So much of adulthood calls for people to be a well put together, fully responsible adult, to keep their private lives to themselves out of courtesy, professionalism, personal responsibility, and self protection.
If we really knew what was going on for people, we might collectively have that heartfelt tug “Oooh, I feel that. That’s very difficult to go through.” And struggle to hold back the tears. Pain is universal, yet also carefully curated for consumption and kept under wraps.
The years are passing, yet improving their mental health doesn't happen passively over time. The gap in mental health isn’t accidental, it’s intentional, and it echos back the collective gaps in current systems where people are 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, and still unavailable to understand why love doesn’t work out.
Many adults are left to fend for themselves and are quietly carrying pain with no structure, no skills, no insights. As a result, they spend so much of their time in loops of emotional self sabotage.
My heart led mission is to help people not suffer alone, trying to fi… Read More
Podcast Host & Coach
I am the CSO, Founder & Host of Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement podcast with more than 2,100 episodes reaching over 1 Million people in more than 180 countries.
After a brush with suicide, I decided to go all-in on my dreams of being a full-time podcaster and entrepreneur.
I believe in a heart driven, but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement and teaching others how to get to the next level of their lives!
Midlife Sexpert
I started where so many midlife adults find themselves: confused, dismissed, and wondering, “Is this it?”
After turning 60, I realized how deeply shame, silence, and misinformation shape our experiences of sex and aging. I was done whispering. I certified as a menopause coach & sex educator, got loud, and got real.
Now I use science, humor, and lived experience to spark the conversations most people are afraid to have. I talk about the real stuff: disappearing libidos, lube, orgasms, kink, fantasy, painful sex, performance anxiety, and what happens when you start dating again in your 50s and 60s and realize no one taught you how to use a dating app—or ask for what you want in bed.
I’m Karen Bigman, a Certified Sex Educator, Menopause Coach, and host of Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50, a podcast where we say the quiet parts out loud. My mission? To bring honesty, humor, and expert-backed insight to the often-ignored world of midlife sexuality, aging bodies, and relationships that evolve (or explode) and to get everyone to have sex for the rest of their lives.
Whether your audience is partnered, single, curious about open relationships, rethinking monogamy, or just wants to spice up their long-term sex life, I help make the taboo feel totally normal—and even exciting. From reigniting intimacy to navigating kink in midlife, I provide the language, tools, and permission people need to explore sex on their own terms.
I'm a guide for men in midlife who are often left out of the conversation—dealing with changes in libi… Read More
Bad Habit & Addiction Coach
Craig Perra is a world-renowned expert in overcoming compulsive sexual behaviors, sex addiction, and porn addiction. As the co-founder of The Mindful Habit® System, with his amazing wife Michelle, Craig has helped thousands—including Olympians, professional athletes & coaches, famous celebrities, C-suite executives, religious leaders, and high-achievers from all walks of life—take control of their habits and transform their lives using an alternative to traditional 12-steps and therapy.
Together they run the highest-rated sex and porn addiction recovery program in the world based on over 490 verified client testimonials (TrustPilot: 4.9, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Excellent - https://www.trustpilot.com/review/themindfulhabit.com).
We’ve been featured on The Steve Harvey Show, The Katie Couric Show, The Anderson Cooper Show, A&E, Lifetime Television, and the BBC. Before becoming a sought-after coach and speaker, he was a high-powered attorney and executive advising billion-dollar companies—until his own battle with addiction and failures with traditional approaches forced him to confront his demons and build a system that has now helped millions break free.
Now, he’s here to share his wisdom, challenge traditional recovery models, and help you lead all parts of yourself—especially the ones you hate.
Purposeful Action (Men)tor
As the Purposeful Action (Men)tor for the Awakened Man movement, Alain has been on a mission as the beacon for what it means to live an authentic life. For the past three decades, Alain has lived the highs of the Culinary Olympics to the lows of losing it all...almost twice. Today, Alain leads men to reclaim their mission as fathers, husbands, and leaders as members of The Band of Brothers Group Mentoring Program.
Author / Healer
Kerry is a mother, shaman, and newly published author. She grew up in Southern California in a single-mother household. Her challenging family life left her feeling isolated. She struggled socially, so she put her energy into other things. At 14, she began a 6-year career at Hot Dog on a Stick, but her college pursuits in Chinese and Religious Studies consumed her. After getting married in 1995 to an Israeli man she met in Tibet, she received a master's degree in East Asian Studies from UCSB in September 1997. That same month, she became pregnant with her first of three children. In 2005, she divorced and began working in the compliance department at a large health insurance company.
In 2015, her mother passed away on her 45th birthday. That's when she knew she had to embrace her psychic gifts and heal from her childhood trauma. The following 10 years felt like a treacherous and exhilarating roller coaster ride. She attempted suicide, embraced her shamanic gifts, and experienced enlightenment. She learned how to transform her emotional wounds into personal wisdom from shamans, psychologists, physicists, yogis, and other medical professionals.
However, her opportunities for personal growth were best found within romantic relationships. She needed a heart-to-heart connection with several powerful men to mirror her wounds back to her for self-improvement opportunities. They were a chess champion, Justin Waller (& Andrew Tate), two decorated fire academy instructors, and a former FBI assistant special agent in charge. They showed her how the … Read More
Louis Stockley Jr. is an Army veteran, husband, father, and the founder of Before 22 — a movement built on truth, brotherhood, and the kind of storytelling that saves lives.
After 17 years of military and federal service, Louis faced the war that doesn't make the news — the one that starts when the uniform comes off. He battled identity loss, burnout, and silence, the same fight that's taken too many of our brothers long after they've come home.
Instead of letting it break him, he turned it into fuel.
For the past decade, Louis has coached and mentored veterans, entrepreneurs, and men across the country — helping them master their emotions, rebuild their confidence, and reclaim their sense of purpose.
Through Before 22, he's created a movement that reaches the ones most people overlook — the quiet warriors fighting invisible battles. His mission is simple but deadly serious: to reach veterans and first responders before silence wins.
He doesn't just talk about healing, he shows men how to fight for it — one honest conversation at a time.