Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 145 : Sonny Harding (Educator/Musician)

This episode features my friend Sonny Harding. He's based in the Atlanta area, and in addition to being a drummer and a fairly new Dad, he's also a high school teacher. Education is a profession that fascinates me, and I ask Sonny how he picked that as a vocation and we also talk about the generational divide that naturally exists between teachers and students. We also go into some depth about Sonny's Southern upbringing and common misconceptions that some of us Northeners (read: me) may have about people who live below the Mason/Dixon line. Those are just a couple of the topics we cover over the course of what I think is a very entertaining conversation. I hope you enjoy it!

DetoxPod 144 : Tommy Mattera (Coach/Counselor)

Hi everyone! This episode features counselor/therapist Tommy Mattera, who is based out in California. He specializes in men's work, helping men through issues with relationships, anxiety, depression and raising families. I'm endlessly curious about what drives mental health professionals to choose their work, and Tommy talks about the experiences that led him to pursue mental health as a vocation. We also talk about processing anger and uncomfortable feelings, and go deep on male loneliness and friendships and he discusses his own difficulty maintaining close relationships. 
Find out more about Tommy here, and enjoy the episode!

DetoxPod 143 : Luke Wesley (Musician) Returns

Luke Wesley initially appeared on Episode 109, but our conversation felt unfinished in a lot of ways.
We've hung out a couple of times in the year since recording, and finally got it together to press the record button. What came out is a really transparent, sometimes funny, sometimes dark conversation about loss--loss of connection (due to the pandemic and loved ones moving away), loss of income (struggling to make ends meet as a New Yorker without a stable, corporate job), and the loss of his mom last year, and all of the complicated feelings that can dredge up.
Hope you enjoy the episode.

DetoxPod 142: Gregory Flynn (Coach/Facilitator)

I've had a few coaches and mental health practitioners on the show over the years, but few have seemed as genuine as Gregory Flynn. Based in Seattle, Greg is the host of a podcast called "The Bind" and co-founded The Seattle Men's Circle, which started right as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020 and continues to this day.
Greg and I talk about his journey and how it continues to this day, we discuss surviving and thriving in middle age. We talk about how cisgendered white men can handle the guilt and shame they feel in their own bodies and how they can show up best for others--and there's much more.
Enjoy the conversation, check out more of Greg's work here. And you can follow him on IG here.

DetoxPod 141 : Micah R (Creator/Mental Health Advocate)

I say this all the time, I know: this is a good one!
Micah R is the host and creator of a YouTube series called Realistically Free. 
He and I initially connected for an episode of his podcast, and we talked for two hours and change. Then the internet ate it. I hate the internet sometimes.
We then talked for almost two hours for Detox. Thankfully a) the internet didn't eat it this time and b) I was able to edit our conversation down to about 80 super interesting minutes.
One thing that never occurred to me before is the perspective that many of our transmasculine friends have, similar in a lot of ways that racial minorities or gay people have-where your ability to be empathic can be magnified due to being socialized in a way that runs counter to who you are. I mean, we live in a very white, heteronormative, cisgender, male-dominated society, right? Anyone that runs counter to that has the benefit (and the curse, because this shit ain't easy) of essentially living two (or more) life experiences simultaneously.
Anyway, Micah and I talk about everything from his bout with homelessness to losing his father at a young age to shopping for a penis. I hope you enjoy this conversation--hit me up and let me know what you think!

DetoxPod 140 : Edward Miskie (Actor/Author)

Our latest conversation is with actor, writer and author Edward Miskie, who is based in New York City.
Edward hightailed it out of his rural Pennsylvania town almost immediately after graduating from high school not only because he wanted to pursue a career in theater, but because he was outed by a church elder when he was still a teenager. He never looked back, and has sustained a career as an actor, voice over artist and author with a book entitled "Cancer, Musical Theater and Other Chronic Illnesses". 
As you may infer from the book title, Edward is also a survivor of a rare form of lymphoma, which put his career and life on hold and also revealed some not-so-great truths about people he considered close.
Listen to more of Edward's journey in this episode. I hope you enjoy!

DetoxPod 139 : Tyler Gobble (Artist)

CW; descriptions of physical and sexual assault.
This episode features an interview with Tyler Gobble, an artist based in Indiana. Tyler and I chat about his rural upbringing and the positives and negatives that come with that. We go in depth about his experiences with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, and we talk about how those experiences have shaped his relationships over the years. There's a lot to unpack in this episode, but this conversation caused me to think a lot about context, nuance, owning your narrative even when your actions reflect badly on you, forgiveness from others, forgiving others, and forgiving yourself.

DetoxPod 138 : Tyrone Scott (Attorney)

My guest for this episode is entertainment lawyer Tyrone Scott. We've had this chat on the books probably since late 2020, and I'm glad we were finally able to make this happen.
Tyrone was brought up as a military brat, all over the US. He was inspired to study law by an episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and moved to NYC the day after passing the bar to pursue his career. There have been a lot of twists and turns over the course of his story, but now Tyrone is in a position where he can help get others (especially people of color) into spaces that we are normally not prominent in.
Me and Tyrone also discuss his recent marriage, what it was like growing up gay in a military household, his (very pricey) love for Beyoncé, and more. It was a great conversation (as you can tell by the somewhat lengthy running time), and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it!