The Vulnerable Man

Chris is an author and speaker, a California transplant, and a therapist that specializes in working with gay men around identity, masculinity, shame, and religious trauma. Our conversation wanders through what drew him to a career in therapy, navigating shame, the false feminine and the false masculine, and his next book. Website: www.aroadtriptolove.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christompkinslife/

Andy is an author, a suicide attempt survivor, and host of the Real Men Feel podcast. We talk about his journey with depression and suicide attempts, the moment he chose to accept help, the power of journaling, what drew him to start his podcast, and emotions. Website: https://theandygrant.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfgrant/

Joe is a father of three, a regular guy, and author of the book, Dadbod: Focusing on You So You Are There for Them. Our conversation ranges from what's helped him lean into vulnerability, how vulnerability changed him as a father, spending time with his kids, and writing and publishing his book. Website: https://yourdadbod.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephjwheelerjr/

Shay is a former banker and consultant, a world traveler, and a sexual performance anxiety coach for men. In our conversation we talk about when Shay lost his father to cancer, his own story of performance anxiety, how he works with me to overcome sexual performance issues, and he shares some tips for anyone supporting a man navigating this topic. Website: https://shay-doran.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shay-doran/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shay-doran

Paul is a husband, father, grandfather, a law school professor, and an author. In this episode we discuss learning to stifle emotions, his soon-to-be published book, navigating his wife's cancer journey, when he recognized that he needed therapy, supporting caregivers, and plenty more. Website: https://www.paulwaynepennington.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulwaynepennington/

In this episode I am sharing thoughts around relationships and vulnerability. You may be in a relationship, considering one, just ending one, or somewhere else. Regardless, we need people in our lives to build community and connection, and I spend some time talking about self-awareness and communication in relationships.

Oscar is a husband, father of three daughters, he's active-duty Air Force, and host of the Daughtered Podcast. We discuss vulnerability in his marriage, community, being a girl dad, bringing vulnerability as a parent, and starting his podcast, plus much more. Website: https://daughteredpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-peña/ IG: @daughteredpodcast

Chris is a leadership and executive coach, a consultant, and a husband and fellow girl dad. We talk about losing his best friend to suicide, the acronym B.U.S.Y., how vulnerability impacts his marriage, being a girl dad, and shots on goal, plus more. Website: https://tricordtrainers.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-dechillo-b1621344/

McKenzie is a men's coach, a former marketing executive, and a co-Founder of Groups for Men. In our conversation we wander through his first experiences in a men's group, articulating emotions, recognizing our narratives, embracing D+ work, and better utilizing focus. Website: https://groupsformen.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckenzie-beeby-93b338a7/

Shaun is a serial entrepreneur, a father and husband, and host of the Raising Men podcast. We get to talking about the power of community, paying it forward, giving and receiving help, what inspired him to start his podcast, the "more love" bell, and life lessons at the driving range. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaundawson/ Podcast: https://raising.men/

Chris is a father, a physician, a husband, and someone who's still trying to figure things out. In our conversation we discuss messaging young that boys get around emotions, how his past medical training runs counter to being vulnerable, being more Ted Lasso-like, how he brings vulnerability into practicing medicine, physician burnout, and leaning into connection.

Carson is a college student, a philanthropist, a mental health advocate, and a suicide survivor. We don't go light into this one. We explore the story of his suicide attempt, how creating a TikTok video shifted his purpose, his work advocating for mental health resources for Children's Miracle Network, building connection, and how his close relationships have grown over the years.

Raymond is a former HR professional, an entrepreneur, a father, a podcast host, and an author. In our conversation we dive into receiving someone's vulnerability, staying away from fixing others, designing boundaries, how his dad's incarceration shaped him, pushing through fear, and finding his why, plus a few other things. Website: https://careerminds.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondmlee/

Chris is a consultant, an Agile Coach, and a great human. We talk about navigating depression, being vulnerable with our kids, parenting lessons learned, empowering subordinate leaders, and showing emotions. And we laugh quite a bit as well. Website: https://chrismurman.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismurman/

In this episode I am sharing my thoughts from my experience this past week for a powerful fundraising event put on by In the Cellar. It was a great reminder about the power of community, and how a group of committed individuals can have a tremendous impact on their communities and beyond. Website: https://inthecellar.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-the-cellar/

Dave is an author, an entrepreneur, a builder of custom luxury homes, and dare I say somewhat of a philosopher. In our conversation we discuss breaking past animal instincts, boundaries in relationships, self-awareness, fear, and his upcoming book, Alphas Die Early. Website: www.daverossiglobal.com IG: @daverossiglobal

Chris is a husband and father, a writer, and a former competitive rower that has competed internationally. Our conversation ranges from him stepping into his power, how he's evolved, showing up to support his wife, his experience as a competitive rower, and the crime fiction trilogy that he's written, as well as much more. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-johns-2abba12/ Other: Reach him at [email protected]

In our conversation we discuss choosing to be vulnerable, vulnerability in relationships, trust, repair in relationships, intention and impact, and reconnecting to ourselves, plus a fair bit more. Website: https://fromo2u.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlysauceda/

Craig is someone with mental illness, an advocate for men, a former sex and drug addict, and a coach helping others. We talk about shame, finding and asking for help, the stigma around sex and porn addiction, sexual health, and emotional regulation. Website: https://mindfulhabithelp.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigperra/

Jonathan is a marketer, a writer, a community organizer, a men's work advocate, and someone who has strong opinions about cream cheese. In this conversation we discuss vulnerability with groups versus with individuals, relationships and being imperfect, his work around men walking and men talking, creating change, the concept of American manhood, and internal versus external measures of masculinity. Website: https://www.jonathanjacobs.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjacobs89/

Jonathan is a marketer, a writer, a community organizer, a men's work advocate, and someone who has strong opinions about cream cheese. In this conversation we discuss vulnerability with groups versus with individuals, relationships and being imperfect, his work around men walking and men talking, creating change, the concept of American manhood, and internal versus external measures of masculinity. Website: https://www.jonathanjacobs.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjacobs89/

Whit is a father of two boys, a writer and published author, and a lot of other things on top of that. We talk about modeling vulnerability for his boys, his relationship with his father, his book, his past career writing about fatherhood, and a bunch more. Website: https://whithonea.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whithonea/ Book:  https://whithonea.com/parents-phrase-book/

Joanna is a wife and mother, an executive coach, and someone committed to developing, growing, and seeing the whole human. We talk about mental health and stigma, self-care and self-compassion, asking for help, boundaries, and psychological safety. We could have continued this conversation for quite some time, so I hope you enjoy listening in.  

George is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, a husband and father of two, a consultant to credit unions, a cross-country cyclist, a man living the dream on his terms, and someone I'm looking forward to sitting down and having a beer with one day. Our conversation wanders to lots of places, including leveraging the phrase "I don't know" as a consultant, how vulnerability shows up in his personal life, his two cross-country cycling trips, the generosity of people, and how he found his way to working with credit unions. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hofheimer/

In this episode I finish my conversation with Dominick Shattuck. Dominick is a men's health researcher, a husband, a father of two daughters, and frankly one of those people that it is easy to talk to. In this second part we talk about normalizing safe sex conversations in dating, helping men talk with each other about reproductive health, Dominick shares resources to help educate, and we discuss how relationships improve when couples can have these types of conversations. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dshattuck/  

Dominick is a men's health researcher, a husband, a father to two daughters, and frankly one of those people that it is just easy to talk to. We discuss recognizing others' openness to deeper vulnerability, navigating losing a job, normalizing sexual health conversations with young men and boys, his experience speaking to men around the world, modeling healthy dialogue around sex, and leveraging the concept of transmedia to make an impact. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dshattuck/

Vicki is a wife and mother, an Army veteran, a coach, and a former Department of Defense agency leader. In our conversation we talk about navigating leadership as a woman in a male-dominated organization, putting 'we' ahead of 'me,' gathering diverse perspectives, her work supporting leaders, owning your impact as a leader, and knowing your values. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-jordan-8a6a1923/

Erin is the Co-Founder of ACT Leadership, she is a coach, a mom and a wife, and so much more. We discuss the idea of progress over perfection, living life in color, experiencing our emotions, Erin's work around embodiment, and connection and distraction. Website: https://actleader.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hutchins-62012216/

Jyllian is a former Special Agent, a coach, an authentic leadership expert, she's a wife and a mother, and a soon to be published author. As our conversation unfolds, we talk about how her vulnerability as a leader creates connection, being vulnerable as a parent and a partner, "hot seat" questions, her work around authentic leadership, and we discuss her upcoming book. Website: https://isocoachingllc.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyllian-clarke/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jyllian_clarke/

In this episode I am sharing some of the things that I've learned after more than four years, and 100 plus episodes of the podcast. I also share how it's changed me along the way.

Erin is a DEI practitioner, she's passionate about inclusion, she's a wife and a mother, and a soon to be published author. In our conversation we talk about destigmatizing mental health, her diagnosis of ADHD as an adult, navigating parenting a neurodivergent child, extending grace to others and ourselves, helping leaders say, "I don't know," we discuss her upcoming book, finding connection, and a lot of other things. See the link in the comments to listen in. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-dewsbury-ribeiro/ Other: https://www.instagram.com/lets_read_diversely

Tansley is president and ceo of Community Financial Credit Union, a mother, a runner, a pizza lover, and a believer of bringing the impossible to life. We talk about how vulnerability has enhanced her leadership, modeling humanity for her daughter, learning not to solve other people's problems, her passion for credit unions, the power of building community, and the importance of continuing to grow. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tansleys/ podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/despite-impossible/id1659658283 and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curiously-driven/id1760927756

Ben is a Vice President for Enrollment Management in higher education, a father, a lifelong learner, and a fellow Sig Ep from North Dakota Alpha. We discuss dealing with the aftermath of his brother's suicide and how it impacted Ben, communication in relationships, talking about versus arguing about issues, getting to see our children thrive, and asking for help, along with a bunch more things. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hoffman-b3a89412/

Robert is a Fractional CFO, creator of Your Financial Freedom, a podcast host, and author of the book, unHidden. Some of the things we talk about are how his wife keeps inviting him into greater vulnerability, how therapy changed his life, his tips for starting to do self-work, overcoming his past addiction, intimacy, and writing his book. Website: https://robertkandell.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkandell/

Tina is an intuitive coach, a feminine leadership facilitator, a former lawyer, and the founder of Warrior School. Besides talking about a lot of stuff, there's also a lot of laughter here. We bounce from balancing masculine and feminine energy, to the importance of discernment, leadership and vulnerability, she shares about her Warrior School, we speak to the prevalence of paradox, and we both share about our own challenges with learning to receive. Website: www.tinameyersintuitive.com  www.womenadvocatesrising.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-meyers-intuitive/

In this episode David Jurasek and I continue our conversation from the last episode. We get deep here, so get ready. We discuss gratitude, the experience of writing a book, using story to connect, stepping outside the boundaries for the sake of connection, and we spend a LOT of time around repair and heartbreak. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed being in the conversation with David. Website: http://www.powerfulandloving.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjurasek/

David is a father and husband, a cancer survivor, a therapist, a mentor, and an author. We pack a lot into this conversation. We talk about weaponizing vulnerability, mentoring young men, mindful moments, his breakthrough in dealing with his anger, his cancer journey, and co-regulation versus self-regulation. Website: http://www.powerfulandloving.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjurasek/

Michael is a Doctor of Chiropractic, specializes in the nervous system, is a husband and father, founder of IgKnight the King, and a man on a mission to have awakened men in the world. Our conversation covers a lot of ground. From the triple A's of awakened masculinity, to passing the evolutionary baton, rites of passage, wellness states versus disease states, trauma and the nervous system, and what's going on versus the story we tell ourselves. Website: https://igknighttheking.com/ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@IgKnighttheKing

Suken is a team and leadership coach, a marketing and business consultant, a husband and father, and host of The Sync Leadership Lab podcast. We discuss the importance of belonging, prioritizing work for those you lead, respectful curiosity, leading across generations and cultures, and Suken shares how he helps his clients connect with their authentic leadership style. Website: https://www.synergysyncsolutions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukenjain/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sync-leadership-lab/id1737521472

Shana is a relationship and leadership coach, and author of the book, "Honest Sex." This conversation seems to fly by, and we get to a lot of places in it. From being present to life, to how women can better receive men's vulnerability, naming the fear, the idea of regular check-ins for relationships, sharing impact versus interpreting intention, and allowing ourselves and others to grow and change. Website: https://shanajamescoaching.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shana-james-3004065/ Book:  https://shanajamescoaching.com/honest-sex/ Podcast: https://shanajamescoaching.com/man-alive-podcast/

Kristal is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Trauma Professional, a wife, a men's ally, and the author of the book, "STRONG: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man." There's a lot that we talk about in this conversation. From how connection inspired her to become more vulnerable, to working smarter and not harder, sexuality, culture, intimacy and pleasure, her tips for women who want to be open to men being more vulnerable, and the power of hope. Website: https://www.strong.love LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristal-desantis/ Book:  STRONG: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man

Michelle is a culture consultant, a leadership and team development coach, a mother and wife, and the author of the newly published book, "Meaning Indicator." Our conversation ranges from how she is learning to be with her husband's vulnerability, raising kids to be independent, being an entrepreneur, her journey of publishing a book, being more vulnerable with her family, and modeling healthy masculinity, plus a bunch more. Website: http://imprintcoaching.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehollingshead/ Book:  https://meaningindicator.com/

Matthew is a husband and father of two, a facilitator, an ally to fathers, and he's the author of the book, "Hiding Inside a Man." Our conversation moves from how his conversations with male friends has evolved, to external measures of masculinity, showing emotions in front of our kids, the journey of creating his book, and he shares a technique to help with nervous system regulation, plus a bunch more. Website: https://matthewsloane.com/ and https://matthewsloane.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattsloane/

In this episode it's just yours truly. I decided to record a short episode and share some thoughts I have around what I like to call, 'appropriate vulnerability.'

Eric is a husband, a partner, and a father. He's also a therapist who focuses on sex ed and relationship issues. And if that's not enough, he's the author of the book, "The Better Man." There's too much to capture everything that we talk about. From doing versus being in relationship, to navigating a polyamorous life, having choice versus having control, requesting and demanding, consent culture, and the two choices we always have in life. Website: https://www.drericfitz.com/the-better-man/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drericfitz Book:  https://amzn.to/43jojfY

Christie is the co-founder of UpLevel Productions, a best-selling author, a leadership coach, learning consultant, and in her own words, "a work in progress." We go deep pretty quickly in this one. We talk about calibrating our levels of vulnerability, asking for help and making room for others to step up, how she's growing her capacity to be with her partner's vulnerability, taking responsibility for impact, and she shares about the creation of her Lil' Sass book series. Website: https://www.uplevelproductions.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiemann/ Book:  https://www.lilsass.com/

Conrad is a coach who works with people in transition, he' an entrepreneur, an Air Force veteran, and he loves blueberries. We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, including his upbringing around vulnerability, being diagnosed with dyslexia, being with differences, compassion, the choice of living with a closed heart or a bruised heart, and he shares tips for being more vulnerable. Website: https://www.thewindsockgroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradhayter/

Roxanne is a leadership coach, founder of The Hobbs Consultancy, an advocate for inclusive leadership, a wife and mother of two boys, and author of the book, Diverted. Our conversation takes us through boundaries, the origin story of Masculinity in the Workplace, the importance of owning it when you get it wrong, genuine vs. false vulnerability, and Roxanne offers tips for women who want to support men in being more vulnerable. Website: https://thehobbsconsultancy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxannehobbs/

Laban is a speaker, an executive coach, an author, and a husband. We talk about the story of writing his book, the power of generosity, he and his wife's struggles with multiple miscarriages, not having all the answers, and honest communication in relationships. Website: https://labanditchburn.wordpress.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/labanditchburn/

Philip is an anthropologist, author, culture consultant, and a husband and father. Our discussion wanders from his work with culture in organizations, to intentionally taking off the armor, depression and post-traumatic stress, hierarchies, and his work with wolves. Website: https://www.mywolftribe.com/   http://k4men.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipfolsom/