Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 114 : Zander Masser (Author/Occupational Therapist)

Zander Masser is an occupational therapist based in Montreal. He recently released a book called "Unburying My Father", which contains narrative text designed to thread the needle to photographs taken by his father Randy, who contracted HIV via tainted blood and passed away from AIDS-related complications in 2000. Zander speaks eloquently about grief and how putting together this book was a healing balm for him. He also speaks about the value of his friends and family, who supported him throughout what was clearly a difficult project to put together, and he connects the dots between his loss and grief and his current job as an occupational therapist.
Zander's on Twitter and Instagram at zandermasserYou can find "Unburying My Father" at randymasserphoto.com

DetoxPod 113 : Alex Marcus (Behavioral Therapist/Podcast Editor)

Alex Marcus, by day, is a behavioral therapist working with autistic children. By night, he is building an empire as the podcasts editor for the pop culture website thepopbreak.com. Our conversation covers divorce and being the "man of the house" at an early age, and why Alex's fractured sense of family led him to his current career. We also talk Alex's life with a debilitating bone disorder and the bullying that illness caused him, and we revisit Alex's brave coming out process and how his queerness informs the life he lives today.
You can find Alex on Twitter at mediathinkings, and again, at the popbreak.com.

DetoxPod 112 : Lenny Schwartz (Playwright/Filmmaker)

In this episode, I talk to Lenny Schwartz. Lenny is a playwright and filmmaker based in the tiny town of Scituate, Rhode Island. He came into the world of theater by accident, but now has a lot of opinions about film in general and about the art he makes specifically. Lenny also discusses growing up socially awkward and developing a debilitating case of body dysmorphia as a teenager. We also discuss the many different types of people his life in the arts has exposed him to, and his not-so-secret (well, definitely not secret anymore) other life as a model.
Follow Lenny on Twitter: @lennyschwartz
Follow Lenny on IG: @lnnyschwartz

DetoxPod 111 : Noam Osband (”The Nosy Anthropologist)”

Proud to bring you Episode 111, which is kind of a wild one. I talk to filmmaker & musician (and "The Nosy Anthropologist) Noam Osband about his extreme interest in getting to know people, raising his kids in San Francisco, navigating his youth in an Orthodox Jewish community, and more. 
You can find Noam on IG and Twitter at @noamosband, or hear some of his (admittedly quite creative) songs/see some of his film work at noamosband.com!

DetoxPod 110 : Sean Zearfoss (Musician)

Sean Zearfoss is an educator and musician (drummer in the band Small Reactions), based in the Atlanta, GA area. Our conversation covers the diversity of the South and his pride for his hometown. We talk about his experiences in the Scouts, what led him to therapy, his late start in music, and the advice he learned from Evel Knievel.
 
Follow Sean on IG: @seanzearfoss
Follow Sean's band on IG: @smallreactions

DetoxPod 109 : Luke Wesley (Musician)

Brooklynite (by way of Ohio) Luke Wesley made the decision to become a musician after deciding a life in the clergy probably wasn't the life he wanted after all. You'll hear about that fateful career switch and more during our conversation. Luke discusses his Midwestern upbringing as one of six (!!) boys, he talks about the skills he's acquired as a New York City bartender, waxes poetic about his love for gatherings, and goes deep about his lifelong battle with depression. 
Get to know Luke better after this podcast by following him on IG and Twitter at @lukewesleymusic, or go to lukewesley.com. 

DetoxPod 108 : Relationship Round Table II

About a year ago, I got together with relationship experts Kevin Patterson, Dylan Thomas and Ryan "Prof" Bentham to discuss "coming out of the pandemic", and how we'd adjusted our relationship styles and practiced self-care during a trying period. Little did we know that twelve months later, we'd still be navigating our way through things. In addition to discussing the changes that have occurred in the way we interact with potential new partners and maintain relationships with our old one, this panel discusses parenting and how two years of limited social mobility has changed or affected the way we interact with our children, we discuss self-care solutions we've been practicing, and we discuss allyship and using our privilege for good when it comes to listening to and protecting those who may be less privileged than us.
You can find Kevin online @polyrolemodels on IG and Twitter.
You can find Dylan online @dylanthethomas on IG and Twitter.

DetoxPod 107 : Patrick Brown (Record Store Owner)

In this episode, we're traveling out to Denver Colorado to talk to Patrick Brown, who is the newly-minted owner of Twist and Shout, the Mile High City's #1 independent record store. Patrick and I talk about the thrills and hard work that come with being a brand new business owner, and what management tactics he's learned over the years. We travel back in time to Patrick's time at NYU film school and find out how he became obsessed with media. We also talk about how Patrick's queerness informed his life and how he tries to create safe spaces in every environment he's a part of, and why he doesn't feel there's enough being done for mental health in either the record store/music community or the queer community. 
 
Follow Patrick & Twist and Shout on IG:
@iknowpatbrown
@twistandshoutdenver