Beyond the Echo Chamber

After a brief hiatus, I am back with one of two new episodes. In this episode, I'm shifting the conversation to talk with three college-aged women about dating and politics. Thoughts? Email me at [email protected].

Frederick Van Riper joined me on this episode to discuss asking for help, how we grow from uncomfortable conversations, and how men want rich relationships — but they would never admit that. Frederick is a relationship coach for CEOs and entrepreneurs, coaching 1:1 and helping them leverage tools, systems, and business fundamentals so their most important organization stays their most important organization.  Find Frederick here: Schedule a consultation here: https://calendly.com/setyourkeystones/consultation?month=2024-02  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frederickvanriper/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1447747353&ref=xav_ig_profile_web  Dads Interrupted Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/dads-interrupted-7088597944634892288/   Learn more about Eve Rodksy and Fair Play here:  Eve Rodsky: https://www.everodsky.com/  Fair Play Life: https://www.everodsky.com/fair-play  Find Sandi Konta of Done Being Good here:  Website: https://www.donebeinggood.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donebeinggood/

Chicago native Rob — new father to 6-month-old Millie — and I talk about parental leave, childcare, and how solid support of a birthing partner looks.  Links: It Starts with Mama by Mamatasha, Natasha Heath The Childcare Crisis: A Deepening Dilemma for Modern Families by Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo   The History of Family Leave Policies in the United States

In this episode, it’s just me. No men. Sorry not sorry. It felt like the right time to pause so I could refresh you on why I am doing this podcast as well as some things I’ve been thinking about since recording the first episode.  Put very simply: I’m inviting men into conversation about gender equality because I want to empower you to do the same. We aren’t talking enough about uncomfortable topics that impact all of us, like the division of household labor, workplace inequities, making space for women, why men are struggling, loneliness, social media addiction, porn addiction, parental leave, etc. I mention a bunch of sources in the episode, so all those delicious links are below!  Liz Plank: https://www.elizabethplank.com/ For the Love of Men, by Liz Plank: https://www.elizabethplank.com/book  Man Enough podcast: https://www.elizabethplank.com/book  Scott Galloway: https://profgmedia.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAzJOtBhALEiwAtwj8tj08pULOTFP-eqEmfIINNBA_EKBE332F7eZp5QmzWjHpvXVqzYAPxRoCYw4QAvD_BwE  Scott Galloway newsletter: https://www.profgalloway.com/boys-to-men/  ManTalks Podcast: https://mantalks.com/podcast/  ManTalks Best of 2023 episode: https://mantalks.com/podcast/mantalks-best-of-2023/  The Station in Fredericktown, MO: https://sawyerslanding.co/ Good Inside, by Dr. Becky Kennedy: https://www.goodinside.com/topic/home/  Kolbe Corp: https://www.kolbe.com/  Kolbe’s Powered by Instinct podcast: https://poweredbyinstinct.com/ 

I invite my college-aged nephew, Peter, to the pod. We discuss pay equity for the USWNT, social media addiction, disturbing women-hating social media content that’s targeting men his age, and how we’re all addicted to social media.   For more on the equal pay settlement between the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Women’s National Team, read this: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37625711/uswnt-us-soccer-federation-settle-equal-pay-lawsuit-24-million 

In this episode, we continue the conversation about the division of household labor, using Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play cards to guide our conversation. We discuss sleep routines, holiday cards, thank you notes, spirituality, and more. Is it worth it? According to Josh, “Just  going through this process is productive for our relationship, for setting expectations, for creating our values.”  Empathy, FTW! In the episode, we mention:  Dr. Becky Kennedy: https://www.goodinside.com/about/  Kolbe: https://www.kolbe.com/  Mika Ross: https://www.mikaross.com/  Eve Rodsky: https://www.everodsky.com/  Fair Play Life: https://www.everodsky.com/fair-play 

Mary Pat’s husband Josh joins the pod again to continue the conversation from Episode 2 about the division of household labor. They use Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play deck of cards to determine who owns each task and in the process, realize that not only is the mental load overwhelming, but TALKING about it is incredibly exhausting. Yet, it's important to have these conversations. And there might even be more than logistical benefits... Get the Fair Play book: bookhttps://www.fairplaylife.com/the-book Get the Fair Play cards: https://www.fairplaylife.com/the-cards Listen to the podcast, Time Out: https://www.fairplaylife.com/podcast

My brother, Joe, is back for another conversation. This time, we talk about loneliness and the state of his male friendships with who he calls his “funeral friends,” setting boundaries in our  friendships, exercising our civic duty of voting in local, state, and national elections, and how relationships require work.   https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/18/health/male-loneliness-epidemic-wellness/index.html https://www.profgalloway.com/boys-to-men/ /

Joe Anselm — Mary Pat’s older brother — joins the pod to talk about THE BARBIE MOVIE!!! And feminism, beauty standards, and the color PINK. Joe is a musician, actor, and all-around jokester. He is in a 90s alt-rock band in the St. Louis area called Zero To Ninety and recently debuted his original band, Freedom Man.  Joe's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeonaroll/?hl=en Joe's single My Last Cocktail: https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-last-cocktail/1660490831?i=1660491077 Zero to Ninety: https://zerotoninetyband.com/ [email protected].

We'll talk about how I am the she-fault in our family, you’ll hear me vent about packing for family trips or just regular outings, and you might even just hear me do a spot-on impersonation of Josh.

We talk about the enormous, impossible standards society has on women, particularly mothers, how "normal" it is for men to be vulnerable with their feelings, and feeling validated when my husband, Josh, says, "It kinda sucks for you."

Get ready to experience awkward, taboo, uncomfortable, and oh-so-real conversations.