Life (UN)Closeted: LGBTQ+ Coming Out Stories & Advice for living out and proud!

623: Kevin O’Connor – Navigating Grief and Coming Out

Wed, 15 May 2024 03:30:00 -0700

From coming out to losing people in life, grief is part of he equation. Yet you an rise above grief and move forward, if you choose. Helping us unpack the grief of coming out and moving on is author Kevin O'Connor who learned a lot about grief living two floors above it in his family's funeral business. These experiences helped him navigate is way forward through lose, life, and finally coming out of the closet after two marriages.

About Kevin

Kevin O’Connor enjoys chronicling the stories of families and friends through tracing genealogical histories, writing, and picture collections. His prior writing includes personal letters, articles in professional publications, dissertations, anthologies, and presentations delivered at conferences, seminars, and webinars. He brings people together personally and professionally. Collaborating with friends and relatives, he plans family and class reunions.

He sings and performs in theaters near his home. He is active with SMART Ride, a bicycling group that rides annually from Miami to Key West, raising funds for HIV treatments and education. He was an elementary teacher, principal, professor, and curriculum coordinator in California, Illinois, and Florida from 1973-2020.

In his final educational position, he authored content and provided training in areas including support for substitute teachers, LGBTQ advocacy, and Sexual Health/Family Life. He resides in Ft. Lauderdale with his husband, Leon. Their family includes five sons and seven granddaughters.

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622: Deanna Fierman – Unwrapping all the colors of the relationship rainbow.

Wed, 08 May 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Not sure monogamy is for you, but an open relationship scares you, but you do know something isn't working, and you know you just can't love only one person and make it work. Rather than assume it is all about sex, we're here today to have an open dialogue about all the ways to love and be in relationships. Deanna Fierman of All The Colors Counseling helps us see all the colors of the relationship rainbow in a healthy way.

About Deanna

Deanna Fierman is a licensed professional counselor in Colorado who established All The Colors Counseling and Consulting to provide a welcoming space for non-monogamous and LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and polycules seeking support. Deanna has practiced psychotherapy in a wide variety of clinical settings since 2010, and has been an advocate, educator, consultant, and researcher in queer communities for decades.

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621: Jeza Belle – The Truth About Being Gay, Christian, and a Drag Queen

Wed, 01 May 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Shocking as it might sound, you can be gay, Christian, a drag queen and to write the 1st traditionally published Christian Devotional as a Drag Queen - Hallelujah! Speaking her truth, Jeza Belle shares Jeza's Jesus Juice: A Drag Queens Christian Devotional for all to consume. Cause who couldn't use a little good in their life?

About Jeza

Jeza Belle is a Drag Queen, Comedian, Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Award-Winning Author. With her guest articles appearing everywhere from the Huffington Post to the Advocate, her former celebrity interview column, the hilarious comedic variety live shows, and her multiple award-winning trashy cookbook "The Harlot's Guide to Classy Cocktails," Jeza's wry humor and highly-charged opinions have delighted people around the globe.

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620: Dr. Zachary Stier – Owning Your Mental Health And Thriving

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out and being out is challenging enough. Then add to the mix your challenges with mental health and it could be potentially too much. So what do you do? You choose to thrive. A great example of this is our guest today, Dr. Zachary Stier who is thriving beyond his bi-polar diagnosis and embracing his life daily as a gay man, step-by-step, day-by-day.

About Dr. Zachary

Dr. Stier has been the director of Children's Services at Ericson Public Library in Boone, Iowa since October 2011. He has revolutionized services at the library for children and families through the expansion of early literacy programming, the redesign of space to emphasize play, family engagement initiatives, enhanced community partnerships with community, state, and national partners, after-school STEAM programming, to name a few. He was project director for NASA@My Library, is the Project Director for the library's equity project, Activating Community Voices, and Project Director for the library's piloted mobilized family engagement program, Little Engines. He recently became an independent consultant for the Space Science Institute and is the lead researcher on a project focused on STEM and Quality of Life. In 2011, Stier opened Mr. Z and Company, LLC, a consultancy firm for educators and librarians. He is also an adjunct lecturer for the University of Illinois Champaign iSchool graduate program teaching Early Literacy and Public Library Partnerships, a course he recently developed. He serves on numerous state and national boards and was recently selected to be part of the Fred Rogers Institute program, The Educators Neighborhood. He is a published author. He holds degrees from Des Moines Area Community College, Grandview University, Drexel University, and Concordia Portland, as well as postgraduate studies in Early Childhood from Erikson Institute, and a Doctorate in Education from Concordia Chicago.

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617: Nate Shalev – Making Inclusivity a Daily Human Experience

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Inclusivity doesn't have to be hard, it just has to be human. But to0 many humans today, think inclusivity is just too woke. Well, let's wake them up with the truth about inclusivity and how to have those tough conversations. Inclusivity and workplace culture expert Nate Shalev shares their insights on how this can work without it breaking down systems and relationships.

About Nate

Nate Shalev is a leading expert on inclusivity helping to create workplace cultures where both businesses and people thrive. They were named a LinkedIn Top Voice and have been highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, the NY Times, the Wall St Journal, and more. Nate earned a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University and an MA from New York University. They are the founder of Revel Impact, a consultancy that specializes in social impact and diversity, equity, & inclusion

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618: TJ Billard – The Importance of Trans Voices

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 03:30:00 -0700

You have to be hiding under a rock and not listening to not know that Trans voices are under attack which only means, the entire queer community is under attack. Giving voice to the Trans community, TJ Billard shares their new book Voices For Transgender Equality: Making Change In The Network Public Sphere. This is great episode to learn about why and how to support our trans brothers and sisters.

About TJ

TJ Billard is an Assistant Professor and William T. Grant Scholar in the School of Communication and, by courtesy, the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University, where they are affiliated with the Institute for Policy Research and the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Outside of Northwestern, they are the founding Executive Director of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies in Chicago—the leading academic organization dedicated to scholarship on the social, cultural, and political conditions of transgender life—and Editor-in-Chief of the Center’s flagship journal, the Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies. Billard’s research spans political communication, the sociology of social movements, and transgender studies, with a primary focus on the relationship between media and transgender politics in the United States and United Kingdom. They also conduct research on typography and graphic design, with an emphasis on the role of design in political branding. Billard is the author of Voices for Transgender Equality: Making Change in the Networked Public Sphere (Oxford University Press, 2024). The book offers an insider’s view into transgender activism during the first two years of the Trump administration, during which trans people were thrust onto the center stage of US politics. Drawing on extensive on-the-ground observation at the National Center for Transgender Equality, Voices for Transgender Equality shows how these activists developed an unlikely blend of online and offline strategies to saturate a diverse ecology of national news outlets, local and community media outlets across the country, and both public and private conversations across multiple social media platforms with voices in support of their cause. Billard is also co-editor (with Silvio Waisbord) of Public Scholarship in Communication Studies (University of Illinois Press, 2024). Taking the position that “public scholarship” should not prioritize publicity for scholars and their ideas, but rather should prioritize serving the public good in ways that go beyond conventional scholarly work, the volume brings together an all-star cast of public scholars to offer both critical meditations on the role and importance of public scholarship in communication studies’ various subfields and “how-to” guides for enacting public scholarship. Billard’s current research project, tentatively titled Cisinformed: Disinformation and the Media War on Transgender Rights, focuses on the central role of misinformation in anti-transgender movements’ political strategies in both the US and UK, why these strategies work, and what can be done to curb misinformation’s influence on policy and public opinion. This research is supported by a five-year award from the William T. Grant Foundation’s Scholars program. Billard’s research has appeared in a number of prominent academic publications spanning several fields, including Communication Monographs, Digital Journalism, Frontiers in Psychology, the International Journal of Communication, The International Journal of Press/Politics, JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, the Journal of Social History, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Marketing Theory, Mass Communication and Society, Media, Culture & Society, and Politics, Groups, and Identities, as well as in venues such as the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics and the SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies. Billard received their PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California and their honors BA from the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University.

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Hey Guys, Check This Out!

Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why. Join the 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk, monthly chats. They happen the third Monday of each month at 5:00 pm Pacific - Learn More! Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies

617: Ron Thomas – The Fears of Coming Out To Live Your Truth

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine hiding your truth because of your work, your family, and more so out of your own fears of "Can this actually be me?" Today I have a candid conversation with Ron Thomas, actor, voice over professional, radio host, but overall a normal, everyday gay who was afraid to come out until he did. And if that sounds familiar then you will love this show as it is simply straight up truth talking about the fears of coming out.

About Ron

Ron Thomas a TV and Radio Host focusing on LGBTQ+ projects that deal with coming out later in life. How to navigate that journey with support and positivity.

616: Gregory Allen – Inviting the monsters of your life out to play

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being 19, just coming out, and heading to NYC - broadway to be exact - and all those dreams turn into a different dream you never would have imagined. Now, fast forward 35 years later and you let that twist of dream guide you through all the other coming out journeys that life has to offer. That's where we are arriving today with author, screenwriter, filmmaker and actor, Gregory G. Allen as he shares his multiple coming out stories and a little gem of a book that any of those states that are banning books would have a hard time banning, because the subtext is all about just being yourself!

About Gregory

Gregory G. Allen is an award-winning author, screenwriter, filmmaker and actor. He has been in the entertainment industry for 35 years having acted in plays, musicals, TV, film and national tours. His short films have screened at 100 festivals around the world including twice at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival (Hiding in Daylight: Writer/Producer & Reparations: Writer/Director) in 2019 & 2020.

He has been the recipient of several awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay for his short films and was inducted into the prestigious 125th Anniversary Year (2023) Marquis Who's Who for his dedication to the fields of arts, entertainment, and advocacy. Gregory has received writing grants from BMI, ASCAP, the Watershed Foundation and is a member of The Dramatist Guild, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and a former member of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop.

He is the award-winning author of four novels, one nonfiction memoir, two short stories, and four children's books. He has spent over 15 years in arts management and currently is the manager of a theater in Westchester County, New York.

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615: Suzette Mullen – The Only Way Through Is Out

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Were you raised to play it safe because you were afraid to cause others pain? Then, you decide to put on a happy face facade and instead of walking boldly through life, you held yourself back. Leaving the “unspeakable” feelings unspoken, until you finally decide to take a leap that might be your only chance to feel fully alive and to experience your new possibilities of what you are meant to be. In her new book, The Only Way Through Is Out, Suzette Mullen takes you on an introspective, bittersweet, and empowering, journey for coming-out and coming-of-age for every human who is longing to live authentically but is afraid of the cost.

About Suzette

Suzette Mullen (she/her) is a memoir and nonfiction book coach, retreat leader, and the author of the new memoir The Only Way Through Is Out, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, today.com, among other outlets. As a book coach, Suzette focuses on amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ writers as she guides them to find their deeper stories and define their big ideas. Suzette made a big leap personally and professionally at midlife and now lives in Pennsylvania with her wife and their rescue pup.

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614: Amanda Udis-Kessler – Flourishing as a Progressive LGBTQ+ Christian

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 03:30:00 -0700

How do you step into an an attitude of being less hateful and more grateful when it comes to Christianity and LGBTQ+ individuals? You step beyond your diversity bias and stop practicing moral exclusions. Out and proud bisexual Amanda Udis-Kessler provides us with insights on how loving others and ourselves is the truest expression of floursing and being more christ like as LGBTQ+ individuals. All of this is explored through the lenses of her new books and spiritual music.

About Amanda

Amanda Udis-Kessler is a sociologist, writer, songwriter, progressive sacred music composer, and antiracism trainer.

She came out as bisexual in 1982 and more recently has been coming out as a progressive Christian, an experience given more urgency by the upcoming (May 2024) publication of her book Abundant Lives: A Progressive Christian Ethic of Flourishing by Pilgrim Press.

Find her writing at amandaudiskessler.com and her free-use music at queersacredmusic.com.

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613: Brian P. McGunagle – Building LGBTQ+ Community, One Community At a Time

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:30:00 -0700

What do you do when you move from NYC to the Connecticut burbs to create LGBTQ+ Community? You literally create it yourself. Showing us the path on how to do that in any community, is Brian P. McGunagle founder of Westport Pride. Learn how he, his husband and kids are living out loud and proud in a small town community that has even battle the wars of book bans.

About Brian

Brian is the founder of Westport Pride. Having moved to Westport with his husband in 2016, he was curious about what the LGBTQ+ community looked like and moreover where they were. In the fall of 2020, during COVID, he posed these questions to the residents of Westport through a story featured on the popular 06880 blog. The outpouring was overwhelming, and in 2021, Westport Pride was born.

Brian is an active volunteer in Westport and serves on the Board of Directors at Positive Directions, Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, Aspetuck Health District Community Needs Advisory Committee, and The Westport Library Common Ground Initiative. Brian also represents Westport Pride during TEAM Westport meetings.

Brian has spent over 20 years in various senior positions within the financial services, retail energy, and residential real estate sectors. He holds a bachelor's degree from Trinity College and an MBA from Fordham University. Though currently on sabbatical, he is also a Postulant for Priesthood with the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

Brian lives in Westport with his husband Stephen Gustafson, their two children, several silkie chickens, and their moyen poodle Gracie. He enjoys gardening, carpentry, and going to Compo Beach in his spare time.

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612: Roger Kuhn – Uncloseting the Kaleidoscope of being Two-Spirited Through Music

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 03:30:00 -0700

From a very young age he knew he was different in spirit, two-spirits to be exact. Yet, he pushed through, did the things that were expected of him, and yet, never lost sight of the essence of who he was. While he left the world of music for a time, the music never left him and the kaleidoscope of his life finally caught back up to him, nudging him back into his passion of music, story telling, and writing about the beauty of being an Indigiqueer artist and creative. Roger Kuhn talks about his two-spirit roots and being as well as talks about his new pop single Kaleidoscope and his new book Somacultural Liberation.

About Roger

Roger Kuhn’s new single, “Kaleidoscope” - his first since signing with music label, So Fierce Music - is a dance song rooted in classic house and progressive EDM that asks listeners: what do you believe? and what does it mean to be free? For the artist, freedom is pursing his dreams and living his truth, which is why after working as a psychotherapist for the past decade, Kuhn decided to take time away from his practice and prioritize his creative expression once again. “I love being a music artist,” explains the singer-songwriter whose breakout single from 2008, "What's Your Name," was crowned Song of the Year by the Stonewall Society for the Arts. “Even the lyrics in “Kaleidoscope” reflect on my joy,” Kuhn continues. “I sing about flying through the sky, never being so high, and how I can’t believe I’m not falling. That’s who I am when I am performing live or writing songs. I am living my ultimate purpose and celebrating my authentic self.” Roger Kuhn’s real self includes being a bi-racial, bi-cultural, Two-Spirit Indigiqueer artist. His father was of German and Russian descent and his mother is a Poarch Creek woman. He recalls his childhood in rural North Dakota as being a mix of curiosity and wonder where he would spend hours meandering through the forests on the family farm, singing and writing songs. Sadly, there were moments of horror, too, as his father was an abusive alcoholic who terrorized Roger’s family. The pain was further exacerbated by the young boy’s feelings of isolation as he began to question his gender and sexual orientation. Roger says his gender is best described as circular, meaning he is not on a fixed binary. It is the same with his sexuality. “Gender and sexual orientation can be seen through a kaleidoscopic lens,” he explains. “When you peer through a kaleidoscope you see multiples shapes, colors, expressions, and beauty, which is what life is like if we allow ourselves to see beyond the ordinary.”

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611: Wendy Cole – Embracing Your Trans Truth at Any Age

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 03:30:00 -0700

When you know, you know, but when you act on what you know could take years. Transition Mentor, Wendy Cole shares her story of transitioning into her truth at age 67 to be the woman she always knew she was. Now she guides others to step into their rightful self, and take the journey of transition so that they can be authentically who they are meant to be and live a life filled with happiness.

About Wendy

As a Transition Mentor, Wendy Cole helps her clients face any significant life changes. Since 2017, Wendy has guided others through transitions. Her life experiences are the tools she uses. She believes in the mind’s powers; she practices mindfulness, shifting her beliefs and energy to support herself going forward, making profound changes in her life, health, and finding joy in being. Knowing who you are, and not BEING who you are: this is the starting point of every Transitional situation. You KNOW who you truly are, in every aspect, but the outside is what matters. That is what people see. Taking that first transitional step is TERRIFYING. It’s the stress: stress of the journey, stress of the mental weight, stress of worrying about the outside world… The physical transition is the easiest part; it’s getting through the mental transition that holds us back. Knowing from childhood she was a girl, Wendy yielded to familial and societal expectations to fit in. At age 67, Wendy changed her life with her transition. Beginning in January 2015 she focused internally: accepting who she really was, confronting fears, doubts, and anxieties that held her back for decades. She took the leap of faith to find freedom and joy in being herself. By July 2015, Wendy was living as a woman. She had her long-awaited surgery at NYU Medical in 2017. Wendy knows by focusing inwardly to find freedom and joy will benefit the rest of your life.

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610: Jaime Adrian – Learn How to Walk Through Rejection Into The Love Of Yourself

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 03:30:00 -0700

It's Valentine's Day and time for some love and rejection. Let's hope more love than rejection. But, if have no agenda, and you learn to master rejection, then you can be happy and in love with yourself. Helping us give ourselves a little love this Valentine's Day is pop artist, Jaime Adrian, sharing his story of major pop star rejection and how he's learned to rebound to love himself. Plus he shares all about his new new single - If You Could Read My Mind!

About Jaime

Jaime Adrian’s explosive new album, No Agenda, dips into multiple genres of dance music from Latin beat to country twists, house tracks and euro pop. “I didn’t want people to say it all sounds the same,” the artist reflects, with a grin. Releasing with the album is Jaime Adrian’s cover of “If You Could Read My Mind”.

“That song was an anthem for me and my friends growing up,” he explains of the house music version, released in 1998 for the film 54. “I jumped at the opportunity to record and put my own spin on it. I hope I do it justice.” Other tracks on No Agenda include “Jaded”, an original song about Jaime’s obsession with Jade Thirlwall from the girl group Little Mix, and “Belong,” a nod to Jaime’s self-described nerdy quirks. “The songs I wrote are all based on my experiences or things I’ve seen people I love go through,” he explains. “Every song has a different attachment to me.” Produced by Velvet Code, Jaime Adrian’s No Agenda is being distributed by So Fierce Music/The Orchard/Sony Music Entertainment and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms.

Jaime Adrian was born on the east side of Chicago. His father passed away when he was 17. His mother raised him and his little brother and sister on her own. It was a Mexican and very Catholic neighborhood and kids often made fun of Jaime for being different. They called his love of singing “not something a real man would do” and for years, they managed to silence his voice.

Until The X Factor came calling. Jaime Adrian flew to Kansas City and after performing for the preliminary judges, he learned he had made it to the live show auditions! The show did not go as planned, however. L.A. Reid called Jaime’s performance horrible karaoke. Demi Lovato told Jaime that he was a good singer but that it was the wrong song choice. He spent the rest of the day crying in his hotel room from embarrassment, determined to stop singing.

In 2020, Jaime moved back to Chicago where he met music producer Velvet Code. “Velvet encouraged me to find my voice again,” Jaime explains. “We started with one song, then another, and another.”

Their latest single, “Lollipop,” released this summer, won much acclaim for the young singer. With its dark Latin/reggaeton pop beat, the track clapped back at the negative people who have tried to quash Jaime’s spirit. It appears on No Agenda.

“If you would have told me before 2020 that I’d have a completed album in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed it. I worked my butt off all last year to complete No Agenda, saving and paying for it all out of pocket.”

“This journey has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I want Velvet Code and all of the people who have supported me to know how grateful I am,” Jaime continues. “This didn’t happen overnight and no luck was involved. No Agenda has been years of blood, sweat and tears but in the end, I can attest that it’s worth it to take a chance on life and keep shooting for the stars!”

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609: Moe Ari Brown, Hinge’s Love and Connection Expert – Making Love and Connection Happen!

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Love and connection. Who doesn't desire those things? Very few. So why is it so hard for us as humans, and especially LGBTQ+ beings to find it and keep it. It's starts by deliberately choosing to live authentically and doing the internal work so that love can show up. Guiding us today to that truth, is Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's (online dating app based on the premise that anyone looking for love should be able to find it) Love and Connection Expert. Take a listen and let's explore love and connection.

About Moe

Moe is Hinge’s first ever Love and Connection Expert. They are a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and one of the leading mental health experts in the realm of Transgender Identity. Over the past decade, Moe has worked with LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families on their journey to love their authentic selves and establish meaningful connections. They are also a Diversity & Equity Consultant and former Adjunct Professor at Adler University. Moe graduated from Northwestern University with an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy.

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608: Roxy Manning, PhD & Sarah Peyton – Uncloseting Racism & White Supremacy

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 03:30:00 -0700

You can't turn on the news these days without white supremacy and racism being part of the headline news. Yet, how we define both these things isn't just about the color of one's skin. And then, how we choose talk, or not talk about them is what is causing more strife on the planet. Roxy Manning, PhD and Sarah Peyton share with us in today's podcast how to have antiracist conversation and how to truly understand our own biases, even when we think we don't have them. Plus they talk about their books - How to Have Antiracist Conversations: Embracing Our Full Humanity to Challenge White Supremacy, and the companion workbook - The Antiracist Heart: A Self-Compassion and Activism Handbook.

About Roxy and Sarah

Roxy Manning, PhD is a clinical psychologist and certified Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) trainer. She brings decades of service experience to her work interrupting explicitly and implicitly oppressive attitudes and cultural norms. Dr. Manning has worked, consulted, and provided training across the US with businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations wanting to move towards equitable and diverse workplace cultures, as well as internationally in over 10 countries with individuals and groups committed to social change. She also works as a psychologist in San Francisco serving the homeless and disenfranchised mentally ill population. She is the author of How to Have Antiracist Conversations: Embracing Our Full Humanity to Challenge White Supremacy and the co-author with Sarah Peyton of the companion text, The Antiracist Heart: A Self-Compassion and Activism Handbook. Sarah Peyton, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and neuroscience educator, integrates brain science and the use of resonant language to awaken and sustain self-compassion, particularly in the face of such difficult issues like self-condemnation, self-disgust and self-sabotage. She teaches and lectures internationally and is the author of the Your Resonant Self book series. She is also the co-author alongside Roxy Manning, PhD of The Antiracist Heart: A Self-Compassion and Activism Handbook.

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607: Mark Daley – Fun and Fears of The Unlikely Path To Gay Parenthood

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Every day seven hundred children enter the foster care system in the United States, and thousands more live on the brink. In his new “truly revealing” (Hilary Clinton) memoir, SAFE: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family, longtime activist Mark Daley traces his, and his husbands unlikely journey to parenthood through the American foster care system, shining a spotlight on how we treat the most vulnerable among us and sounding a vital call to overhaul a thoroughly broken system.

About Mark

MARK DALEY is a social activist, entrepreneur, and foster-turned-adoptive father. Daley has over two decades of experience in message development, communication strategy, and public policy, including as a communications director and spokesperson for then-Senator Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He has worked with more than thirty members of Congress, numerous governors, and other elected officials. He is the founder of One Iowa, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ equality organization, and TheFosterParent.com, a national platform to connect interested families with foster organizations.

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606: Joli Hamilton – Stop playing with fire and color outside the relationship lines

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 03:30:00 -0700

Do you really want to cheat on your spouse, significant other, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Maybe you love them but you need to venture out of the script of monogamy. It's time to step into the juicy, exciting, and scary world of coloring outside of the lines of your relationship while avoiding playing with fire. Dr. Joli Hamilton takes on a candid stroll through how to make your unhealthy relationship a better open relationship.

About Joli

Dr. Joli Hamilton is the relationship coach for couples who color outside the lines. She is a research psychologist, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and AASECT (pronounced ay-sect) certified sex educator. Joli also co-hosts the Playing with Fire podcast with her anchor partner, Ken. Joli’s been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and NPR.

She’s spent the past two decades studying and reimagining what love can be if we open our imaginations to possibility. Joli helps people create non-monogamous partnerships that are custom-built for their authentic selves, no more shrinking, pretending, or hiding required.

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605: Ry Levey – Out & Proud In The Wrestling World

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 03:30:00 -0700

"And in this corner we have an out, proud, wrestler." Wait, what? Wrestlers can be gay? Of course they can. We queers are everywhere, so let's celebrate with Ry Levey, film maker.

His film Out In The Ring, showcases the hidden world of queer wrestlers and also parallels the nuances of the wrestling world imitate the queer world. From drag and performance art to the homoerotic costumes and positions. Nothing is left to the imagination when Queers invade the ring.

About Ry

Ry Levey is a 20+ year film industry professional who has publicized and or distributed over 100 Feature films, including award winning documentaries like Emmy Award winner MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE, Oscar nominated THE INVISIBLE WAR, and films by documentary legends Frederick Wiseman and Steve James, Tony winning and Oscar nominated filmmaker/Theatre icon Julie Taymor and 2 time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

His documentary feature directorial debut, OUT IN THE RING was the recipient of 4 Intl. film festival awards.

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604: River Faire – How to start living a life of Radical Integrity – right now!

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 03:30:00 -0700

It's 2024 and I want to invite you as LGBTQ+ individuals to step into a life of Radical Integrity. But, what does that mean? How can it benefit you? Today we explore that concept with author, soul coach, and body-centered therapist River Faire. He candidly shares how living a life of radical integrity has changed his life for the better and how you can do the same.

About River

River Faire is a multi-award–winning author, body-centered therapist, and Paris-trained chef-turned-holistic-wellness coach. For more than three decades, in a variety of modalities, he has assisted people with transformation and personal evolution. Currently, he hosts the video podcast, Radical Being with River Faire, and works with clients internationally in his signature, 8-week holistic coaching program. His new book, WHERE TWO WORLDS TOUCH: AN OUTSIDER'S MEMOIR IN ENGLAND, is forthcoming in December.

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603: Patty Cabot – Living Beyond The Person You Thought You Were

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine gaining and losing 50 to 75 pounds every two years as a teen. Miserable, right? The imagine at 38 years old discovering that you issues with food and weight were a symptom of a much deeper issue: your childhood sexual abuse. Today's Guest, Patty Cabot, author of Not That Girl Anymore, shares the tremendous effort, the suspension of doubt, and a steadfast belief that took to come out of her food disorder and sexual abuse closet to find and love herself, so that she could find and love men.

About Patty

Beginning in her teens, Patty battled drastic weight fluctuations. Desperate to break the cycle and thinking it was what prevented her from meeting men, in her late 30s Patty embarked on a therapeutic journey that led to her unresolved childhood sexual abuse. Over 12 years she worked with her therapist and EMDR, a chiropractor to release trapped “fight or flight” responses, a sex therapist and attended group therapy for sexual abuse. Patty published Not That Girl Anymore, a memoir about the alternative therapies she explored in the hopes of undoing the ruin within to claim the happiness she – and everyone else struggling with trauma – deserves.

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602: Quinn O’Briant – Becoming The Joy Boss of Your Life!

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 03:30:00 -0700

It's the most joyful time of the year...or is it? For many of us the holidays bring joy, joy, joy but then it also brings stress, frustration, and overwhelm. Yet, in life, we are the master of our own joy! Today we explore how to bring joy into our life by planting seeds or creating little breadcrumb moments, with the Joy Boss - Quinn O'Briant. In this episode you will discover the shortcuts to more joy even in the craziest, most joyful time of the year.

About Quinn

Quinn O'Briant is the Joy Boss, and she's celebrating 30 years out of the closet! Quinn is the creator of the life-changing Joy + Money Mindset, Joyful Entrepreneur, and Joy-Based Business programs. Before she was the Joy Boss, Quinn founded and ran an innovation firm where she led a team that worked with Fortune 500 companies and large school districts. Quinn spent several years working at Google and is an alumna of Stanford University, Goddard College, and Emory University. Quinn believes joy is the key to living an unapologetic, authentic life.

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601: Jarie Bolander – Step Into A Resilient Mindset of Ride or Die

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 03:30:00 -0700

There's human experience that we will all face at some point. The trauma and tragedy of losing someone we love or care about. It is inevitable. When that moment comes, whether it is losing your family due to them not embracing you as LGBTQ, or actual loss of life due to an accident or disease, you have a choice - Ride or Die! Author Jarie Bolander shares his Ride or Die Journey with us today and it is guaranteed to show you how similar his closet is to our own about coming out in the midst of a tragedy.

About Jarie

Jarie is the author of a bunch of books on business and entrepreneurship. The most current one is Story-Driven Decks, which is all about how to create a pitch deck that gets you that next meeting with investors. IT’s book two of his Story-Driven Startups Series. His first non-business book, the subject of this podcast, came out in September and is about his late wife Jane and his experiences with her leukemia diagnosis and treatment. It's called Ride or Die: Loving Through Tragedy, A Husband's Memoir. Additionally, Jarie is an entrepreneur who for the better part of 30 years has been at various successful and not so successful startups. Currently he is a B2B Sales and Marketing strategy consultant that focuses on high ticket, complex products, mostly in SaaS companies that were put together via private equity. He lives in San Francisco and has found love again with a wonderful woman who has been instrumental in helping him live his best life after his first wife Jane passed away.

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600: Schuyler Bailar - Celebrating the Diversity of Gender & 600 Episodes

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 03:30:00 -0700

In a world of divisiveness, one thing remains constant to learning about humanity - being curious. To celebrate the 600th episode of Life (UN)Closeted, were going to invite you to realize, we all have genders, it more complicated than school science, shame and fears have no place in this discussion, and just because someone lives outside the box of your norm, doesn't mean they deserve your hate. Sharing his new book He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters, Schuyler Bailar guides us to the table of curiosity, understanding, and empathy.

About Schuyler

Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is an educator, author, and advocate. He is also the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division I men’s team. Schuyler’s exemplary work has earned him numerous honors including NYC Pride Grand Marshall, the Out100, LGBTQ Nation’s Instagram Advocate of the Year, and the Harvard Director’s Award. He holds a degree in cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology from Harvard and works in four research labs focusing on trans health.

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599: Gender Without Identity – Ann Pellegrini and Avgi Saketopoulou

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 03:30:00 -0700

There's a lot of backlash, misunderstanding and confusion about gender identity, as if it is something brand new. In this candid conversation about trauma, sexual and gender identity, Ann Pellegrini and Avgi Saketopoulou share their book Gender Without Identity and the challenges we face in embracing all sexualities and genders.

About Ann & Avgi

ANN PELLEGRINI (they/them; she/her) is Professor of Performance Studies & Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, teaching classes on queer theory and psychoanalysis, among other topics, as well as a psychoanalyst in private practice. They are the author/co-author of three previous books, including “You Can Tell Just by Looking” and 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People, co-authored with Michael Bronski and Michael Amico (Beacon Press, 2013), which was a finalist for the 2014 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Non-Fiction. Dr. Pellegrini has also co-edited two anthologies and is founding co-editor of the “Sexual Cultures” series at NYU Press. AVGI SAKETOPOULOU (she/her) trained as clinical psychologist in New York after emigrating from Greece and Cyprus, and subsequently completed training as a psychoanalyst at the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, where she currently teaches. She also serves on the faculty of the William Alanson White Institute, the Stephen Mitchell Relational Center, and the National Institute for Psychotherapies, where she offers courses on psychosexuality and gender. Her interview on psychoanalysis is on the collection of the Freud Museum in Vienna and she is the 2022 recipient of the Scholarship Award from the American Psychological Association’s Division of Psychoanalysis. Dr. Saketopoulou is also the author of Sexuality Beyond Consent: Risk, Race, Traumatophilia (NYU Press, 2023).

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598: Grateful for being LGBTQ+ - Rick Clemons

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Here it is, the day before Thanksgiving in the U.S. For most of us, this is a time of family, gratitude, and munch, munch, munch on amazing food. Yet, for many of us this can be a time of year that is challenging at best. You might be alone, not have a circle of friends, or you may just wonder if being LGBTQ+ is even worth it. Hey, snap out of it and listen to ways to be grateful this Thanksgiving season. You are loved and worth being grateful for being your authentic awesome LGBTQ self.

Need help coming out of the closet?

Coming out, regardless of your closet, is about freeing yourself from excuses, fears, and learning to be unapologetically you. Sounds great, right? So why aren't you doing it? More than likely it is because you don't have the confidence to move forward because your fears and excuses are holding you back from being you the way you are intended to be.

If that sounds like you, lets chat. I'll gift you 30 minutes of my time to explore what might be possible if you had someone in your court, focused purely on you and your next best steps. Schedule "Your Next Move Strategy Session" today.

597: Juliette Karaman – How to Feel and Have a Scrumptious Life Beyond The Closet

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out is all about emotions and feelings. But what happens when you lean it the whole journey as a scrumptious experience. When you let your body, thoughts, images, and emotions come alive to the full potential of fully feeling you as you. Today, coach Juliette Karaman - the Feel Fully You coach, mentor, and guide shares four elements from her jewel box on how to life a fully free life feeling fully you.

About Julia

Juliette Karaman is a certified mind and body coach, expert on relationships, sensuality, healing, trauma and body shame. She specialises in the reinvention of the most intimate relationship in life… The one you have with yourself.

With courses, coaching, VIP experiences and retreats Juliette has guided and mentored thousands of women over the past decade and a half, rewrite the relationship with self, confidence, their bodies, mind and spirit using her unique Rapid Release Rewire and Restore method ™. Her mission is to create a world where every woman, man, and any gender remembers the truth of who they are and where scrumptiousness, pleasure, ease, spirituality and sensuality are prioritised. She is a mother to 4 children in their early twenties who she loves fiercely.

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596: Joe Makston – Learning to live beyond a half life!

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Life is a circus, a carnival, and sometimes it is simply the place you run away from because you realize, living a half-life just isn't worth it. Author, dad, business professional, recovering person of faith, who came into his truth during the COVID-19 pandemic and in his own way ran away from the circus that had become his life to live his truth as a gay man. He shares his story and his new memoir Creosote Rain about running away to live your full life.

About Joe

Joe Makston is a seasoned professional with over twenty years of experience in the banking industry. He then entered the technology space to lead learning & development and employee experience centers of excellence. However, it is his passion for leadership development that truly sets him apart. Joe has dedicated himself to nurturing and empowering individuals to reach their full potential, believing in the transformative power of leading self, leading others and leading together. In addition to his career, Joe has been a podcaster, TEDx speaker, and is an accomplished author. He co-wrote a book titled "Tummy Tales: Questions with My Dad" alongside Mars, capturing the heartwarming bond between a father and child. Joe continues to share his own personal story and encourages others to share theirs, recognizing the power of vulnerability and the building of genuine connections. His passion for storytelling serves as a catalyst for authentic communities where individuals feel seen, heard, and supported. Joe resides in North Central Phoenix, with his kids and two dogs, Olive and Scout. He enjoyed running and mountain biking on the vast trails in the Phoenix area.

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595: Marissa Alma Nick – Being A Queer Rebel In Your Own Right

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:30:00 -0700

There's an uprising that is beginning to happen. It's coming from the depths that says, "We will not be silenced." It also brings about feelings of being alone, lack of acceptance, lowered levels of self-love. All of which, can stir up the rebel within. As queer culture continues to feel that target on our backs, it is good to remember that the rebel within each of needs to be seen, heard, understood, and experience empathy. In her debut book, Rebel in Venus, dancer, choreographer, and author Marissa Alma Nick brings to light the way to be yourself in a world hell bent on taking your personal worth away. Today we explore ways to let your rebel shine and never back down.

About Marrissa

Marissa Alma Nick illuminates queer experiences with an authentic perspective on emerging concerns including mental health, trauma, sexual assault, abuse and gaslighting. More than anything, Rebel in Venus, is a book about empowerment, self-realization, self-acceptance and self-love - a coming-of-age story, about a woman who is realizing she can no longer outrun herself.

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594: Sophie Kietzmann – Putting Your Non-Conforming Lens On The World

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Life is all about the lenses we look through and how we perceive what we see through that lens. Sometimes that lens, leads us to see ourselves in the truth of who we are. Joining me today to talk about those lenses, and to share their beautiful lens as queer creative, Sophie Kietzmann shares their lens on the world as gender non-conforming individual.

About Sophie

Sophie Kietzmann is a Berlin born, Brussels raised, gender fluid, queer photographer that currently resides and creates in New York City.

So far, their path in photography has taken them through play, trauma, uprooting, coming out, identification and spirituality and has taught them precious lessons about topics like visual representation of social minorities, gender expression and the fragility of social constructs. They strive for alignment of their head, eye and heart through the tool of their craft.

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593: Madeline Popelka – You’re going to be ok!

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Whether you're coming out of the closet or coming out of divorce, the truth is, "You're going to be ok." The reality is, you get to make the being OK happen, if you choose to do so. In her new book, You're Going To Be Ok: 16 Lessons on Healing After Trauma, author Madeline Popelka helps us navigate the path to embracing the ongoing process of being human and being OK!

About Madeline

Madeline is a writer, mental health advocate, the creator of the @healingfromptsd community, and the author of You’re Going to Be Okay: 16 Lessons on Healing after Trauma. Madeline’s work has been featured in Newsweek, Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Bustle and Cosmopolitan among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California with her partner and Corgi.

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592: John Sovac – Celebrating National coming Out Day With Support for Parents and Teens

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From bullying to finally accepting their truth as an LGBTQ+ individuals, teens and parents often struggle with the journey and can even think that they are alone. In celebration of National Coming Out Day, we are proving you are not alone. Author and LMFT Psychotherapist, John Sovec shares his new book, "Out: A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your LGBTQIA+ Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond". Let's celebrate the journey of coming out, regardless of where you are in the journey as a teen or parent.

About John

John Sovec, MA, LMFT is a Psychotherapist based in California. He is also the Author of the new book "Out: A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your Lgbtqia+ Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond". John specializes in working with LGBT teens and their families during the coming out process. His work has been featured on The Riki Lake Show, OWN, FOX, The Advocate, YHTV, LA Talk Radio, Huffington Post & more. John's Book: Out: A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your LGBTQIA + Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond The coming out process for LGBTQIA+ adolescents can be a terrifying moment, not only for themselves, but also for their family and friends. Offering essential guidance and advice, Out: A Parent's Guide to Supporting Your Lgbtqia+ Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond (Comes out April 21) is here to help you with chapters that explore LGBTQIA+ terminology, understanding the coming out process, effective communication strategies, talking to your LGBTQIA+ kid about sex, the parents' process of acceptance, and the family coming out process. Importantly, this guide also covers a wide range of lesser-known orientations such as pansexuality and asexuality as well as dedicated chapters on trans youth and the often overlooked grieving process for parents with stories of lived experience throughout.

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591: Savannah Hauk – Living with Crossdressing

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 03:30:00 -0700

There's a simple phrase that if we all embraced, would make the world a better place, "You be You!" Of course, we rarely allow others to be themselves and then we wonder why we have to dress up as being someone we're not to please others. Today's guest has done her fair share of dressing up - cross dressing to be specific - and she's not afraid if someone is not happy about. Savannah Hauk shares her journey to own her truth, living a successful male-to-female dual gender life.

About Savannah

Detroit-born Savannah Hauk is an author, podcaster, advocate and TEDx Speaker. She lives a confident, visible and successful male-to-female dual gender life. Through a lifetime of experience and research, Savannah has come to understand the many reasons men need to express a more feminine persona, the struggles and fears they face, and the weight of the transgender labels they accept but may not truly or fully understand. Her eLit award-winning "Living with Crossdressing" book series is written to demystify and destigmatize the dual gender experience for both crossdressing men and the people who love them. Savannah also co-hosts the weekly The Fox and the Phoenix Podcast, reinforcing the same positive and inclusive message of diverse gender identity and multiple expression. She also leads conference workshops and has given two TEDx talks. When Savannah isn’t working or advocating, she spends her time with the MCU, LEGO, Netflix, and spending time with her girlfriend and their two fur babies.

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590: Bruce Anthony – Unsolicited Perspective about Overcoming Homophobia

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 03:30:00 -0700

We never really understand our inherent bias until we understand our inherent bias. Fellow Podcaster Bruce Anthony, comes clean about his own homophobia and how it has enabled him to step beyond the judgments and open up to empathy and understanding so that he can continue to lean into other perspectives of life.

About Bruce

As an individual with an insatiable curiosity about people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and ideologies, Bruce believes that acquiring knowledge from diverse aspects of life helps us evolve as individuals and become more complete human beings. His journey into podcasting began as people found interest in my thoughts and opinions on various aspects of life. He seized the opportunity to start this podcast as a platform for interviewing intriguing individuals and engaging in captivating conversations. By exploring the intersections of society, politics, and identity, we aim to provide insightful perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom and foster meaningful dialogue. While his academic background includes a degree in history from the University of Maryland, where he initially pursued a career in teaching, the essence of being an educator remains at the core of who he is. Throughout his professional journey, which encompasses diverse roles such as bartender, restaurant manager, part owner of a pro wrestling company, personal trainer, and fitness director, he has had the privilege of interacting with people from all walks of life.

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589: Victor Diaz – Moving Beyond Your Beliefs and Into Your Truth

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 03:30:00 -0700

He spent most his life living to the faith that was drilled into his head, always believing this was the way, until it no longer was. Through this thought-provoking and inspiring conversation about overcoming religious constraints, embracing personal growth, finding peace, and aligning with one's authentic self, Victor Diaz share the transformative power of breaking free from religious bondage, embracing self-love, and finding harmony with his true self.

About Victor

Victor is a Heroic Performance Coach whose philosophy centers around embracing one's heroic self—the courageous, authentic, and empowered version of oneself. By focusing on Energy Work and Love, clients unlock their true potential, tap into activating their heroic best selves, while navigating life's challenges with grace and resilience. With Victor as their guide, individuals are empowered to live a life that aligns with their values, passions, and aspirations, creating a powerful and lasting impact in their personal and professional spheres. Victor has served as Fortune 100 Corporate and Hospice Chaplain, a Pastor, an Entrepreneur and Real Estate Investor, and is now a Heroic Public Benefit Ambassador and Heroic Performance Coach.

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588: Gayle Petrillo – Moving beyond the closets of scars

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From the scars of life at an early age - literal scars - Gayle Petrillo has dealt with being different. Physically different. yet, in all her life of making first impressions, the one she most had to make with herself, of accepting herself, just as she was. Sharing her closet story of being a burn survivor, Gayle provides an impactful interview that shows, no matter how you've been burned you can always thrive instead of just surviving.

About Gayle

Born and raised in Albany, New York, Gayle has called Tucson home for 24 years. She is married to her best friend and most avid supporter, Al, for over 43 years.

Gayle earned her MBA at 50 and has over 30 years in healthcare leadership roles, much of it in the human resources arena.

In 2017 Gayle launched First Impressions, an image consulting firm because “We never get a second opportunity to make that all important first impression, on paper or in person”.

As a career and confidence coach, Gayle enhances her clients’ first impressions, from customer service (eye contact, listening skills and body language) to business etiquette; interview preparation, negotiation strategies, and networking skills. She provides personal shopping services ensuring one’s confidence shines no matter the occasion.

Gayle’s book, The Accident, released in 2021, shares her story as a burn survivor, being fearful of everyone and everything, to becoming fearless; and turning obstacles into positive outcomes, tackling many phobias in an attempt to gain and retain self-confidence.

Gayle gives back to her community as Board Chair for Junior Achievement of Southern Arizona; vice chair and chair of the philanthropy committee of the American Red Cross of Southern Arizona, and helps bring Arizona Burn Foundation support, education and activities to Tucson.

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587: Jim Fielding: Coming Out With All Pride, No Ego

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Many LGBTQ+ individuals struggle with the question, "How do I show up at work, and as a leader, while still being true to myself as a queer person?" The answer, "Your way, on your terms!" Jim Fielding, author of the brand new book, ALL PRIDE, NO EGO: A Queer Executive’s Journey to Living and Leading Authentically, shares he navigated his gay life and roles at t top global brands including Disney, DreamWorks, and Twentieth Century Fox. From his conservative Midwestern roots and a lovingly imperfect family to higher education, travel, advocacy, Jim found how seeing the world through a distinctly different lens is actually a positive way of being in the world, living life without apologies.

About Jim

Jim Fielding is an acclaimed retail and media industry veteran whose expertise combines storytelling, product innovation, merchandising, and consumer experiences. He is a partner at independent media company Archer Gray, and president of its Co-Lab Division. Having led consumer products groups at the world’s largest media companies, Jim served as president of Disney Stores Worldwide, and transformed global consumer experiences at DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, and more. His early career experience has included top global brands, from The Gap to Lands’ End, where he mastered vertical specialty retail, product design, store operations, visual merchandising, and supply chain management. Jim later served as CEO of Claire’s Stores, Inc., a leading jewelry and accessories retailer.

An active community leader and philanthropist, Jim is a founder of the Queer Philanthropy Circle, the nation’s premier fundraising and advocacy group for the queer community. He also participates in the Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Circle and the Black Philanthropy Circle. Jim serves on the board of directors for the Indiana University Foundation, and has served as an executive-in-residence for IU’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and as a board member for GLSEN, Make-A-Wish International, and American Red Cross. He lives in Atlanta with his partner, Joseph.

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586: Dr. Roger Leslie – How to step into the light of being your LGTBQ+ Self

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 03:30:00 -0700

There's something absolutely beautiful about stepping into the light of our truth and coming out of the closet. That light is you being you at your soul level. Dr Roger Leslie joins us on the podcast today to shed light on how you can step into the light of you and be your most authentic LGBTQ+ self.

About Dr. Roger Leslie

Dr. Roger Leslie is an author, editor, publisher, and inspirational teacher. He discovered his life’s mission from the light he discovered after emerging from the youthful struggle to reconcile his sexual orientation with his spirituality. Once he discovered his soul, he has lived from it to inspire people to live the life they dream and empower them to find their unique spiritual destiny. Dr. Roger's new book is Light Come Out Of The Closet: Memoir of a Gay Soul.

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585: Nick Santo – Don’t let guilt, shame, anxiety rule your LGBTQ+ life

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Guilt, shame, anxiety, depression. These are some of the most common traits affecting the LGBTQ community as a whole. Today, my guest Nick Santo, Psychotherapist, and I share our own experiences on our journeys to combat these issues as well as provide ways to step into self-love and self-awareness to enrich who we are as LGBTQ+ individuals.

About Nick

Dr. Nick Santo earned his MSW at Fordham and his DSW at NYU. He holds a certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice and completed the Psychodynamic Psychotherapy one-year program at the Training Institute for Mental Health. He is currently a psychoanalytic candidate at the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity. He has been practicing psychotherapy for 14+ years, and currently maintains a private practice. Dr. Santo’s interests include treatment with sexual and gender minority adults with histories of relational and/or religious trauma.

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584: Riana Milne – Embracing our traumas for true, authentic growth

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 03:30:00 -0700

We all have trauma. Yes, that's a truth. But if you don't embrace that truth, you are actually causing more trauma to yourself. Guiding the direction of unpacking trauma as a LGBTQ+ individual, Riana Milne (CCTP-II) brings her expertise of facing our traumas and learning the power of holding hands and moving beyond them. This podcast includes the 10 Childhood Traumas that we most experience and is an insightful acceptance of how to see them so we can go do the work with them.

About Riana Milne

Coach Riana Milne was Selected as “One of the Top Coaches to Follow in 2022” by Wealth Insider Magazine and is also featured in FORBES Magazine and Business Success Magazine. She’s a Certified, Global Life, Love Trauma Recovery & Mindset Coach, Advanced Cert. Clinical Trauma & Addictions Professional (CCTP-II), a #1 Bestselling Author, the Host of her Podcast called Lessons in Life & Love™, an Educational Speaker, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for over 23 years living in Palm Beach County, Florida. Riana also won the 2022 GIVA International Award for Top Female Entrepreneur of the Year and Top Global Wellness Coach; and was selected in 2021 as “One of The 100 Most Successful Women Around the World” by The Global Trade Chamber. She was also a Life & Dating Coach for the 12-show Docu-Series; Radical Dating – Finding Lasting Love Over 40 (and her client is now happily married!). Riana specializes in those who have had past Childhood or Relationship Trauma and offers Group & VIP Coaching programs for Singles & Couples globally. Riana’s 5-star rated books; the #1 Bestseller, LOVE Beyond Your Dreams – Break Free of Toxic Relationships to Have the Love You Deserve - and - LIVE Beyond Your Dreams – from Fear and Doubt to Personal Power, Purpose, and Success addresses Life's Difficult Transitions, Personal Transformation, The Mindset for Success, and having Loving, Conscious Relationships with yourself and others.

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583: Ronnie Gladden – Letting Out The White Girl Within

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:30:00 -0700

We all have many layers and facets to who we are as human beings. Yet, we hide some parts and voices of ourselves. How fun is that? Instead when we unleash all aspects of ourselves into the world we discover the power of living our truth and being exactly who we're meant to be. Dr. Ronnie Gladden shares their story, and book - White Girl Within: Letters of Self-Discovery Between a Transgender and Transracial Black Man and his Inner Female - and the power of being fully yourself.

About Dr. Ronnie Gladden

Dr. Ronnie Gladden is an international speaker, actor, and tenured college professor. They regularly speak about identity, diversity, and inclusion for K-12 schools, universities, and nonprofits, including the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the city of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University, and more. In addition to advising student LGBTQ+ organizations, Dr. Ronnie has implemented critical diversity and inclusion training curricula and dynamic speaking series across multiple campuses. Their approach centers on fostering identity reconciliation, empowerment, and independent representation via authentic, transformative, and diverse leadership practices. Dr. Ronnie holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Northern Kentucky University, where they defended and published a dissertation on diversity leadership and intersectionality. They have also earned a master of fine arts from Miami University, a master of education from Xavier University, and a bachelor of arts from the University of Cincinnati. They attended the International Summer Schools Study at the University of Cambridge and have been accepted into the dramatic performance program at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music and into a prestigious conference at The Juilliard School. Along with their contribution to Mithu M. Sanyal’s award-winning book Identitti, Dr. Ronnie has been featured in UCLA’s Queer Cats Journal, Medium, POPSUGAR, and Yahoo! Additionally, Dr. Ronnie was mentored by Jackie Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean and the first inductee into the Oprah Winfrey Book Club) and Alissa Nutting (Made for Love). Also, Dr. Ronnie appeared in The Rachel Divide, a documentary about complex identity, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and now streams on Netflix.

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582: William Allen – Confessions of a Sensitive Man

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Just because a guy is not the epitome of masculinity doesn't mean he isn't a man. Yet, so many sensitive men get given a bad rap - especially gay men, but even more so the straight guys who get mislabeled as gay because they are sensitive guys. Author William Allen shares his new book Confessions of a Sensitive Man and his journey to his truth and why we need to make more room for sensitive men in the world.

About William

William Allen is an author with a writer’s heart and researcher’s mind. After getting a degree in Psychology with an eye on doing psychology research, he recalibrated for a career in Information Technology. He found himself in a thirty-year career as an Information Technology manager at Wells Fargo who enjoyed managing highly intelligent, often difficult staff, many of whom were highly sensitive. He retired early from his corporate job to start his Hypno-coaching and neurofeedback brain training business, BrainPilots, in Bend, Oregon. In late 2016, he began his blog, The Sensitive Man, about his experiences, as a highly sensitive man. The blog became the genesis of his first book, Confessions of a Sensitive Man. His new book, On Being a Sensitive Man, is the follow up book, which focuses on how to live in the world as a sensitive man. He feels that HSP males need to take their keen insights and intuition and make them public. He would like to shed more light on highly sensitive males and the much-needed role they need to take in our society.

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581: Bryan Ruby – Breaking the molds of Baseball and Country Music

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Baseball and a love for country music. That's about as heteronormative as... Wait that would be generalizing and putting someone in a box, which is not we want in the LGBTQ+ community. So why would you think a major league baseball player, and country singer doesn't really fit the gay box. Because that is making an assumption of what it means to be gay. Breaking the molds is professional baseball player and rising country music artist Bryan Ruby who has a message about assumptions and boxes you get put in as a gay man, and who aspires to inspire others to be themselves, regardless of the box people try to put you in.

About Bryan

Bryan Ruby is a trailblazing professional baseball player and rising country music artist based in Nashville, Tennessee. In September of 2021 he became the only active professional baseball player to come out as gay, and his story was featured in USA Today as well as 100+ media outlets around the world including CBS, Yahoo, Bleacher Report and Teen Vogue. As a songwriter, Bryan has penned songs that have appeared on the Texas Country Top 50 chart and the iTunes Country Top 25 (#16), and songs he has written have been featured on both Huffington Post and People Magazine. As an artist, he won season 7 of the talent-search competition Nashville Rising Song, and is preparing for the release of his debut EP in 2023. Also in 2023, Bryan will be the subject of a feature-length documentary directed by award winning filmmaker Clay Westervelt (Life In The Doghouse, Miss You Can Do It), which will focus on his underdog path through the traditionalist worlds of baseball and country music. It will also chronicle the founding of his first-of-its kind charity, Proud To Be In Baseball, which supports and encourages LGBTQ youth in the sport. A native of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Bryan grew up “country,” splitting his time between the baseball field, his family’s barbecue restaurant and the local country radio station (92.5 WXTU), where he worked as an intern. He then took his two loves to Vassar College where he studied on a vocal music scholarship and captained the baseball team to First Team All-Conference honors. In college, Ruby won a $5,000 songwriting prize and caught the attention of NYC-based producer and sound engineer Chris Connors (John Legend, Kanye West, NEED2BREATHE). The two collaborated on several projects including commercial music for the New England Sports Network. Bryan relocated to Nashville in 2019, and in-between baseball seasons, has developed an impressive network of co-writers and collaborators. To date he has 12+ professional cuts and has performed the National Anthem at several major events, including for the LA Dodgers. He has worked with several major influencers in support of the Sports Equality Foundation and is becoming a respected voice in the baseball, country music, and LGBTQ+ communities. More than anything, Bryan hopes to write music that “speaks to kids who feel like he did at 14,” when his love for baseball and country music seemed at odds with the secrets he kept hidden away. “Baseball and country music are woven into the fabric of America; I just want to make sure that anyone who loves them like I do feels safe and welcome there.”

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580: Sarah Salisott – Navigating past life’s traumas to thrive

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Using her own life experience of trauma - coming out late in life, hiding herself for years, and then a traumatic brain injury, Sarah Salisott is now on a mission to helps parents and children navigate past the traumas to live their best lives. Here is her coming out story.

About Sarah

Sarah is a Certified Parent Coach whose passion is helping families with children who have experienced trauma or struggle with attachment. She started The Foster Lane Parent Coaching in 2016. Her goal: Use coaching to help others avoid some of the parenting challenges my own family faced. She's spent over 5,000 hours researching trauma, children’s brain development, parenting strategies, and foster and adoptive parenting. She successfully completed the graduate-level Parent Coach Certification program through the Parent Coaching Institute®, have completed the initial training in Theraplay, and continues to attend conferences on trauma-informed parenting. Sarah's upcoming book is called "Welcome To The Foster Lane!"

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579: Stephanie Serone – Moving beyond bullying and self-criticism

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Born with the gene of needing to make everyone like you, this Tomboy was afraid of being abandoned and being alone. She lived her life as a chameleon, blending in to keep the peace and make everyone happy. That trauma lead to mental, and physical pain until she finally did the work she needed to do to live life on her terms. Stephanie Serone shares how she broke free from bullying and self-criticism to live her most empowered life.

About Stephanie

Serone is a licensed Transformologist® an authority in empowering women, and facilitating the worlds only female specific transformation process based on the science of epigenetics to resolve chronic emotional issues and inter-generational trauma to create inspiring, instant and irreversible change.

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578: Rick DellaRatta - Jazz For Peace in The LGBTQ+ World

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Rick DellaRatta is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, who believes the only way to bring peace to the world is to unite is all in our empathy and understanding of one another. Share himself and his music today on the podcast Rick takes us on a journey of why embracing the LGBTQ+ community is a form of peace on the planet.

About Rick

Rick DellaRatta is his brand "Jazz for Peace," to bring peace to the LGBTQ+ world and world at large. Now considered by many to be one of the finest Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz. Through his life long endeavor to help advance people to their highest potential through the understanding of Jazz as well as spreading peace worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour", Rick DellaRatta is considered to be an innovator and a visionary. His unique and original piano playing and composing has been compared in print to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk while his signature vocal sound and style has been likened to Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Joao Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Dr. Billy Taylor put Ricks impact in perspective when commenting on Ricks "Thought Provoking CD - he said: "Rick DellaRatta is one of the people who is taking Jazz to the next level".

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Freedom Edition – Yuval David – Fighting Forward For LGBTQ+ Acceptance

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:30:00 -0700

You'd have to be blind, not listening, and burying your head in the sand to not realize LGBTQ+ rights and lives are on the line, as well as other marginalized communities - black, asian, hispanic, jews, muslims, women. It's a crazy time to be "the others." But does that mean we hide and let them win? No we "fight forward" as today's guest Yuval David says. Using his platforms as an actor, filmmaker, host, director, and advocate, Yuval is here to entertain, uplift, and inspire." Here are his thoughts and the state of our "fighting forward."

About Yuval

Yuval David is a celebrated and Emmy Award winning actor, host, director, and filmmaker, who has won over 100 international film festival awards. His creative mantra "to entertain, uplift and inspire" shapes his approach to “storytelling with boldness, vulnerability, and authenticity in representing characters and narratives.” In addition to his work in entertainment and media, Yuval is a passionate advocate and activist. Advocacy for the marginalized and under-represented is a driving force, along with his focus on Jewish, LGBTQ, humanitarian, arts and creative initiatives. He uses his creative work as a vehicle for the greater good on behalf of highly respected American, Israeli, and international organizations.

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577: Michael Jeffries – Reimagining Queer Black Life

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Times are insane. It can make you want to hide, stop watching the news, and pretend you are something that you're not. But it's not easy to do that when you are black and queer. Your skin color literally gives you away, and then when it's revealed that your queer...lawd help ya. Breaking the mold and having candid conversations about being Black and Queer on Campus, is Dr. Michael P. Jeffries, Dean of Academic Affairs Wellesley College - ally and advocate for black and queer rights - because it is just morally the place to be. Catch this inspiring conversation about doing what's right for equality in America.

About Michael

Dr. Michael P. Jeffries is Dean of Academic Affairs, Class of 1949 Professor in Ethics, and Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and works at the intersection of race, culture, and politics. Dr. Jeffries is the author of four books. Black and Queer on Campus (NYU Press, 2023) provides an inside look at Black LGBTQ college students and their experiences. Behind the Laughs: Community and Inequality in Comedy (Stanford University Press, 2017) explores the world of professional comedy, where social and professional demands force artists to build strong communities in an industry divided along lines of race, class, and gender. Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford University Press, 2013) uses Obama's presidency to demonstrate how race relies on other social forces, like gender and class, for its meaning and impact. Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (University of Chicago Press, 2011) puts the spotlight on hip-hop fans and describes how everyday listeners define hip-hop and use it in their lives. Dr. Jeffries has published dozens of essays and works of criticism in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and The Boston Globe, and has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and other outlets. He is a regular contributor on television and radio at Boston's public broadcasting station, WGBH.

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576: Ocean Atlas - Let’s Talk Candidly About Being a Nonbinary Ally

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Nonbinary. It's simple. Just ask the questions you're afraid to ask, in the right way, and you will learn and you will support our nonbinary community. But we make it so much harder than that. Guiding us to have the candid conversations is Author Ocean Atlas as they discuss their book Nonbinary For Beginners: Everything you’ve been afraid to ask about gender, pronouns, being an ally, and black & white thinking.

About Ocean

Ocean is a 30-something explorer of this beautiful planet and the internal landscapes of human beings. Ocean is trans; nonbinary; an inclusivity consultant; an artist; an enthusiast of animals, plants and sunrises; and a friend you have not yet met. Pronouns: they/she/he/none.

Ocean's book, Nonbinary For Beginners: Everything you’ve been afraid to ask about gender, pronouns, being an ally, and black & white thinking, is a book about autonomy and allowing people (including yourself!) to be exactly who you are. The book is designed to be so readable that even people who hate reading (and definitely aren't interested in nonbinary people) will finish it. In a world of seemingly increasing division, we can all benefit from a little more empathy and open-minded

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575: Koshin Paley Ellison – Untangling The Trauma of Being Queer

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out is an act of compassion and courage. But without the clarity to step forward, many of us will continue to hide our beautiful selves from the world. Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, author of Untangled: Walking the eightfold path to clarity, courage, and compassion, joins us today to talk about his journey out and how it lead him to step into the world buddhism and zen practices to quiet his own mind and live a life uncloseted.

About Koshin

Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After many years as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Today, New York Zen Center’s methodologies are internationally recognized—and have touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals. Koshin is a world renowned thought leader in contemplative care. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019) and the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016). His work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, Tricycle among other publications. Koshin has served as the co-director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine and as the chaplaincy supervisor for the Pain and Palliative Care Department at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, where he also served on the Medical Ethics Committee. He is currently on the faculty of the University of Arizona Medical School’s Center for Integrative Medicine’s Integrative Medicine Fellowship, on Faculty of the Integrative Medicine Fellowship of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, and he is a visiting professor at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, of the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston Medical School.

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574: Molly Sider - The Art of Telling Your LGBTQ Story

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Happy Pride and it's time to celebrate you, your story, and all our queer stories. And why should we tell and share our stories? Because it helps to move you forward into loving and owning your story as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Joining us in celebration of our stories is Molly Sider, ally, fellow coach and storyteller to help you better tell your story, your truth, and be who you are meant to be in the world.

About Molly

Molly Sider is the creator and host of I Am This Age, the podcast proving you’re never too old to make a big change. Molly has been making her own changes throughout her 40’s including transitioning from being a long-time wine professional to a podcaster and certified professional life coach. Molly is also a storyteller and believes the most efficient way to create peace in the world and within yourself is by sharing your story and listening to other people share theirs. Molly’s favorite thing to do is to coach people into revealing their true identity and life purpose through, of course, stories.

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573: Rick Clemons – A Call To Pride

Wed, 31 May 2023 03:30:00 -0700

As a precursor to PRIDE Month, this is a call to PRIDE. To ensure we move forward in the way that we need to, to not have our voices silenced, and our rights taken away. As you celebrate pride, take heed to how we can use P-R-I-D-E as our mantra to celebrate our truth and stand in the face of right-wing insanity.

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572: Ilene Mitnik & Allison Baldwin – Zest Joy and Step Into Living A Delicious Life

Wed, 24 May 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Joy, happiness, being in love with you. Sounds great but as humans we find it oh so hard to get there. Until now! Step into the joy zone and uncover your zest for living. Whether you've be through a traumatic coming out experience or one where you just followed your heart and it went really smoothly, you can find your joy in the zest zone. Joining me today are two amazing, loving women who have found their zest for life and can help you find yours. Ilene and Ali form The Zest Zone, share their coming out stories and how they have found a way to be the love experts for loving life, even in the toughest times.

About Ilene & Allison

Ilene Mitnick and Allison Baldwin have practiced breakthrough coaching, transformational work, large-scale cultural change and leadership development for decades. Whether it’s working with those who want to start up, start over or stand out, or those who need a personal kickstart, they take a creative and unique approach allowing clients to let go of what they know and experiment with new perspectives. Their lives have always been canonized by choosing only those things that bring them joy. They have ignited their own big-life changes trailblazing new careers, launching award-winning businesses and manifesting a life where they play resident Love Experts — because, as they say, “If you’re not in love with your own life, how can you give the best of yourself to others?” Ilene and Alli currently reside in sunny St Petersburg, Fl with their beloved pet family – dog Bōdhi and cats Epstein and Jersey — and are continuously working on their reputation for living an insanely positive life.

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571: Marci Warhaft – Coming Out About Lies, Loss, and Lap Dances

Wed, 17 May 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Some would say she went to the extremes, but secrets make us do that. Others would say, she isn't a good Mommy. We say, she uncloseted herself to save herself and step out of the secret life she thought she had to live to survive. Baring it all, Author Marci Warhaft unclosets her life, stripping down to the bare essence of her truth as a Soccer Mom sharing the truth about her lies, losses, and lap dances.

About Marci

Marci is the author of “The Good Stripper: A Soccer Mom’s Memoir of Lies, Loss and Lap Dances” Where she shares in raw, honest and intimate detail her eye-popping journey to self discovery. Her book is dedicated to anyone who may be struggling to forgive themselves for mistakes they made when they were just doing their best to survive. Marci is a recognized expert on body image and self-esteem and the body image expert at Defy magazine. She also hosts the podcast “How to Ruin Your Own Reputation” highlighting people living unusual lives unapologetically.

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570: Mark Anthony – From Panic To Peace. Finding your gay self in the wilderness of life

Wed, 10 May 2023 03:30:00 -0700

He spent most his life dealing with anxiety, and panic attacks that kept him from speaking his truth. Then a move to the desert, alone, not knowing anyone, and spending a year finding himself led him to his truth, he was a gay man and worthy of happiness. Mark Anthony shares his story and how he found that the numbers of his life finally lined up to bring him peace and joy.

About Mark

Mark is a freelance website designer, marketing specialist, and numerologist. Before this, he spent 16 years teaching high school band. In 2019, Mark left teaching full-time after burning out twice. He spent most of his life dealing with anxiety and panic attacks while afraid to speak his truth. In 2021, Mark moved to Las Vegas, NV, and spent a year hiking Red Rock Canyon while contemplating what he truly wanted for his life. In September 2021, a month after his 40th birthday, Mark had another severe panic attack and called his family to tell them he was gay. During this time, Mark searched for tools to help him understand his most authentic self. He completed a spiritual life coach certification course and developed a passion for numerology. He started a website design business called Maddhouse and gives numerology readings to help people discover the deepest parts of their soul. Today, Mark lives in Atlanta, GA, and after 40 years, he is completely out of the closet. He is in a much healthier place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and now helps others achieve the same.

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569: Parrish – Confessions and ramblings about Sexuality – fresh perspective.

Wed, 03 May 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From bullying to finally accepting his truth, Parrish came into his attraction for men from a different perspective on who he is and how he chooses to show up in the world of sexuality. This unique perspective may challenge some of you to think differently about how you talk about your LGBTQ+ self, and I hope it helps you be open to another way of talking about and being in our sexuality and gender lives.

About Parrish

Parrish is a writer, filmmaker and podcast host! Nomadic since birth, he has moved at least 20 times and lived in fifteen cities in three states on both coasts. After 30 years in the bar/restaurant industry, Parrish has a wealth of experience in human condition and an endless supply of interesting and alluring guests from around the country and around the world. After years of "fake news," party-picking and the general dumbing down of America, he decided to funnel all of these interactions into a no-nonsense, completely honest podcast where many guests remain anonymous so that they will be truthful in their answers with no fear of persecution. Hopefully this medium of exposure will lead him to his one true dream- his very own Sirius show!

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568: Linn Rivers – Getting into your health for a healthier coming out journey

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 03:30:00 -0700

After multiple near death experiences, and realizing not all doctors have all the answers, Linn Rivers bundled up all her experiences from trauma and has made it her life's work to show others how to break the trauma patterns with microshifts for true healing - mentally and physically. Linn shares what you can do today to create habits of "trauma breaking" and better living, plus she talks about her brand new film - "So you think you're healthy!"

About Linn Rivers

Linn Rivers is photographer, filmmaker and writer. Her background is extremely diverse and she loves sharing knowledge from all areas to assist people in moving forward on a truly authentic and healthy path. She is a graduate of the renowned, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Her journey with holistic medicine and spiritual counseling however, started way before this time. Linn's educational background includes; Holistic/Functional Medicine, Microbiome Therapy, Spiritual Counseling, Eastern and Western Massage Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming, Yoga Therapy, Life Coaching, Death Doula, Hypnosis, and Human Design Analysis. It was her own journey that led her to all of these practices. Linn is able to connect with people on a wide range of traumatic events that she herself has overcome, such as: death of loved ones, abandonment, neglect, sexuality, growing up with an alcoholic, relationship trauma, career challenges, lack of direction, feelings of hopelessness, gender identity, anger and fear, addiction, illness, and near death experiences. Rather these events took place as a child or later in life, Linn has the tools to assist you in moving forward to create a new reality and to live the life you absolutely deserve.

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567: Burak Yilmaz – From Jail Time To Living A Proud Out Life

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From jail time to living on the streets, it takes pure determination and a belief in yourself to trust that who you are is more important that what your life circumstances have handed you. Sharing his heartfelt story of coming out with it's crazy myriad of twists and turns, author, Burak Yilmaz takes us into his world of thriving beyond the impossible.

About Burak

Burak Yilmaz was born and raised in Turkey. He always wanted to write, using it to escape the harsh reality of being forced to hide who and what he truly was. Life took a twist when Burak’s father discovered his son was gay. At just seventeen years old, Burak was thrown out into the streets and left to survive on his own in a society that didn’t want him. Instead of breaking, Burak summoned the depths of his strength and wrote his first book at twenty-two years old. Burak published his book under the pen name Devrim Yilmaz to protect himself from the dangers of writing such a book called Bir Escinselin Siradan Hikayesi (An Ordinary Story of a Homosexual) became an instant bestseller, earning him accolades and unwanted attention. Burak was arrested and tortured after completing a television interview. Again, he clung to himself and, after being released, escaped Turkey. His journey took him to the United States, where he currently resides. Life seldom asks what we want, however. Burak worked as a model for erotic magazines and in some of the most popular nightclubs in New York City. It was a poison-filled life that left him at the point of moral bankruptcy, depressed and suicidal. The light dawned on Burak after checking in to a psychiatric rehab facility, and he turned his life around. After receiving his GED, he graduated from nursing school at NYU with honors and multiple scholarships. Now a successful Registered Nurse in critical care settings, Burak’s passion is advancing his degree in Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. If My Mother Never Left, detailing raw and emotional events after his first book. Burak Yilmaz opened up the depths of his soul for the world to read.

About The Book

In, If My Mother Never Left, you will step into a harrowing and profoundly moving story of one man’s battle against abuse, depression, gaslighting, and homelessness. Being abandoned by his mother and subjected to years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his uncle and stepmother, Burak Yilmaz has few fond memories of his childhood. And when his family discovers the truth about his sexuality, he’s cast onto the streets by his father and left to fend for himself. Burak Yilmaz survives by doing things he never imagined–but that only sends him deeper down a self-destructive spiral. Even after he escapes to New York to rebuild his life as a fitness model and bartender at the most popular club in NYC, the specter of his childhood continues to haunt him. Tormented by bouts of anxiety and chronic depression, the faint glimmer of rehab offers his only hope. He may have escaped his family–but can he heal the scars left behind in its wake? Told with poignant reflections and brought to life with vivid detail, this gripping and powerful memoir shares Burak Yilmaz’s story, confronting the harsh realities of abuse, depression, gaslighting, homelessness, and being gay in Islam. Readers will discover an unforgettable glimpse into one man’s fight for survival in a world where everything is stacked against him, along with his first-hand experience of homosexuality in his profoundly religious home country of Turkey. Once again, Burak opened up the depths of his soul for the world to read. If My Mother Never Left, is detailing raw and emotional events after his first book.

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566: The Authenticity of Multiple Coming Out Journeys – Ember Swift

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From out activist to living in anti-lgbtq China, this musical artist found a way to explore the truth of universal love and doing her own reverse coming out on so many fronts. Ember Swift, singer, songwriter and international artist reveals the power of queerness and staying true to yourself without apologies, even in the face of fears.

About Ember

Ember Swift is a Canadian original artist, musician, songwriter and performer with 13 original albums and countless international tours under her musical belt across the last 25 years. She is also queer-identified, straight-marriage-divorced, the mother of two kids, an active writer, part-time vocal coach and music-creation instructor, a hobbyist figure skater and a damn good self-described "culinary engineer" of soups and biscuits. Based in Beijing, China since 2008, this Canadian artist, fluent in Mandarin as well as French, is an active performer throughout China with her own eclectic blend of original pop music that consistently pays tribute to jazz, folk and rock among other styles. Her China fan base has especially expanded since the pandemic as international travels have been more restricted. 2023 will hopefully see Ember's return to fans back in North America, Australia and Europe.

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565: Dr. Brad Schaeffer – He’s a bro, athlete, Doctor who happens to be gay!

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 03:30:00 -0700

He went from Christian Athlete to married straight guy, to focused on medical school and has catapulted his Podiatry practice to heights he never thought possible. Oh, and he finally freed himself to live his gay truth. Blowing up every box in his life, Dr. Brad Schaeffer shares his journey of coming out of the closet like a true Titan, to live his truth, and why it was so important for him to breakdown the stereotypes that held him back.

About Brad

Dr. Brad Schaeffer [“Dr. Brad”] is a board-certified podiatrist and foot surgeon with the ABFAS [American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery]. He is the owner of Central Park SOLE, the state-of-the art head-to-toe wellness practice on the upper west side of NYC. Dr. Brad helps people get back on their feet, literally and figuratively, to enjoy the activities and life they love and deserve. With a focus on sports medicine, foot & ankle reconstructive surgery, regenerative medicine, and aesthetic procedures, he offers a myriad of innovative, preventive, and effective treatments to alleviate a wide range of issues, from simpler, uncomfortable symptoms and issues to complex surgical solutions. He was recently recognized as one of the three finalists in Men’s Health Magazine’s Ultimate Men’s Health Guy Contest 2023 for his hard work, humility, integrity, and the belief that each of us can always do a little better. Formerly, he competed, and was a finalist, in NBC’s The Titan Games, hosted by executive producer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Dr. Brad continues to share his love of fitness on his motivational fitness portal “Nothing but NET [No Excuses Team],” simply to share and generate interactive excitement about fitness. Now an IG sensation, it is where he continues to spread his message of perseverance, health, and wellness. He lives by the motto “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in!” Dr. Brad can also be seen on the popular TLC show, My Feet Are Killing Me, where he is known to bring compassion and expertise of Podiatric Medicine to patient’s lives. My Feet Are Killing Me follows Dr. Brad and two colleague podiatrists who radically transform the feet and lives of their patients. He is a proud member and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. His public coming out story was featured on NBC News’ Today.com and continues to reverberate across straight and queer media. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in Biology from Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida, where he played collegiate level baseball, he returned to his hometown of Philadelphia to attend Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. A 3-year comprehensive Foot & Ankle Reconstructive Surgical Residency at Hoboken University Medical Center followed, and Dr. Brad continues to train and craft his skillset in cutting edge surgical techniques and regenerative medicine. He is the proud uncle to his niece and nephew, is an avid Phillies fan, and spends any free time he has biking, running, and traveling. He dedicates time to various organizations including the Arthritis Foundation and as a spokesperson for Dr. Scholl’s.

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564: Is it possible to be queer, Christian and Enjoy Sex? – Jon Carl Lewis

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 03:30:00 -0700

The question is, "Is it possible to enjoy sex, be queer, and be a Christian?" For some people those three just don't go together. However, if we are made in the image of God, does that mean...??? Unraveling this interesting construct of Christianity, Sexuality, and Sex, is Jon Carl Lewis, founder of Sex & The Queer Christian community, and author of 7 Steps to Sexual Peace of Mind for the Queer Christian.. In this candid conversation we discuss this interesting triad and how as humans we simply need to allow ourselves to be our sexy, sexual, God made selves.

About Jon

Jon Carl Lewis is the host of Sex & the Queer Christian, a growing, sex positive community dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ folk make sexual decisions and construct a personal sexual ethic in line with their values as part of the Body of Christ. He is also author of the guide, 7 Steps to Sexual Peace of Mind for the Queer Christian. A trained and certified spiritual director, Jon Carl seeks to help Queer Christians and their allies come to peace with their sexual and relational decisions while being a blessing and a witness to the world of Christ’s radically promiscuous love. Jon Carl lives with his husband of over twenty-six years in Central Jersey where he serves as a cantor and occasional preacher at a beautifully diverse, radically affirming United Methodist congregation.

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563: Why LGBTQ+ Representation in Film Matters – Christin Baker

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood. Everything in Hollywood is so open, diverse, welcoming, and gay. Maybe not so much. But it has gotten better. So good that it is becoming more common for the LGBTQ+ crowd to be honored with Emmy's, Oscars, and all types of film acknowledgements. Sharing her journey as Founder of Tello Films, a queer content driven film house, Christin Baker talks candidly about where the film industry stands and why more fluidity in the industry helps LGBTQ+ individuals have more impact in the arts.

About Christin

Kristin is the founder of Tello Films, which focuses on lesbian/queer content and is the first LGBTQ network to receive an Emmy nomination. Their 2017 series “Secs & EXECS” earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for Austin Powers actress Mindy Sterling. Also, in 2019, their series Riley Parra received two Emmy nominations for actresses Liz Vassey and Carolyn Ratteray. The SVOD platform has a wide library of the best LGBTQ+ women's titles and thousands of paid subscribers. The majority of their million-dollar revenue goes back to filmmakers, enabling them to make more shows. Christin is also the Founder and Chief Director of A Baker Production, which focuses on bigger budget films and a range of genres, including LGBTQ, horror, and socially relevant stories. The project is built upon the values of respect, inclusion, diversity, creativity, fiscal stewardship, profitability, and artistic integrity. In 2016, Christin was awarded Best Director at the London Raindance Film Festival for her work on Maybelle, a series that follows the story of a 35-year old gay woman in the south after the death of her mother. Over the last four years, as an indie producer, she has made five features on SAG Ultra Low Budgets, but she believes the storytelling quality is as high as anything on Netflix.

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562: An average small town gay and a drag queen. What could go right? – Chandler Myer

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being a 32-year-old gay accountant who’s never outside your rural upbringings and you move to major metropolitan area where you struggle to find your way. Sound familiar? But wait there is a twist. A six-foot, nine-inch, sensational drag queen takes you under her colorful wing for lessons in shopping, first dates, hosting brunch, furnishing an apartment, and living in the gay community.

This is the story brought to life by Chandler Myer in his debut novel, Jayne and the Average North Dakotan, which is an unconventional coming-of-age and coming-out story filled with humor and humanity. Today he Chandler joins us for an exploration of his work and to share with us why this fun, whimsical book came to life.

About Chandler

Chandler Myer published his first novel, Jayne and the Average North Dakotan, at the age of 57, following a 35-year career as a professional musician. The book is based on his short story, “That Night I Ran the High Heel Race,” published in the Medium publication Prism & Pen. He has also been published in Bear Creek Gazette, as well as Medium publications Rainbow, An Idea, and Atheism101. Myer lives in Philadelphia with his husband of more than a quarter century. He loves to walk, travel, and make friends with every dog he sees.

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561: Living Through The Twists of Life To Be Yourself – Adele Bertei

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 03:30:00 -0700

From troubled upbringing with her mother who suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia, to foster homes and reform schools, then finding her groove in her own band The Bloods, it's not surprising that this former backup singer for the likes of Culture Club, and Whitney Houston, final made her move to live her queer identity. Three time author, singer, songwriter Adele Bertei joins us to share her life journey of self-acceptance and to talk about her new book Twist: An American Girl.

About Adele

Adele Bertei musical history includes singing back up for Culture Club, Whitney Houston, Sandra Bernhard, and Matthew Sweet among others. She released records as a solo artist with the Geffen and Chrysalis labels and has had international dance and pop hits with Thomas Dolby (“Hyperactive!”) and Jellybean (“Just a Mirage”). She has also written songs for artists as diverse as Sheena Easton, Arthur Baker, Lydia Lunch, and the Pointer Sisters, among others.

In the '70s, Adele fronted the punk band the Wolves in Cleveland, OH with Pere Ubu bandmate Peter Laughner which became the basis of her first book Peter and the Wolves. His sudden death prompted her move to NYC in 1977 where she immersed herself in the counter-culture movement of art, film, music and literature. A founding member of The Contortions (produced by none other than Brian Eno), she dove deep into the underground, having toured the world with her other band The Bloods, America’s first out, queer, all-women-rock band.Why Labelle Matters was also extremely well-received and it was about Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash and how their band Labelle revolutionized how women bands were perceived. Her second book Why Labelle Matters was also extremely well-received and it was about Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash and how their band Labelle revolutionized how women bands were perceived. Twist: An American Girl, is a memoir about her troubled upbringing with her mother who suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia, her subsequent placing in foster homes and reform schools, her discovery of her own queer identity and her appreciation of music.

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560: Turning Your “Bad Days” Into Your Greatest Possibilities – Kyle Motsinger

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 03:30:00 -0700

We all have bad days, months, and years. Especially as someone in the LGBTQ+ community. But the beauty in the bad is the good that comes from it. Singer, songwriter, broadway performer Kyle Motsinger has take taken the concept of "Bad Years," and turned it into song to help people battle through and preserve regardless of their challenges. This is queer life, his queer story, and how he is living his life (un)closeted.

About Kyle

In “Bad Years”, singer/songwriter Kyle Motsinger reflects on the long, arduous, road he has travelled in the pursuit of his rock star dreams. “It’s been challenging with daily obstacles like waking up to find my bank account overdrawn and having to call mom and dad for grocery money,” he admits. “Or promoting a show at the venue I always dreamed of playing to only have one friend show up. It can be pretty humiliating and soul-crushing. You start to wonder if anyone cares or if you are even talented.” Produced by Motsinger and engineered, mixed, and mastered by MP Kuo, the alternative rock anthem is a theatrical song that features talents from the New York theatre stage including Broadway pit musicians Janey Choi, Conrad Harris, Mark Kosmala, and Joel Lambdin. Broadway’s Trisha Jeffrey (Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, All Shook Up, and Motown the Musical) and NYC actor Jason Pintar provide the background vocals. NY Drama Desk nominee Mark Hartman plays piano. “The message of ‘Bad Years’ is a hopeful and encouraging one,” Motsinger continues from his Manhattan home. “It is about how things can and will get better if you hold on. One day, you will look back from a better place.”

Kyle Motsinger was born and raised in a small, conservative town of five hundred people near Peoria, Illinois. “I grew up singing Broadway tunes in the middle of cornfields,” he remembers.

He participated in school productions and community theatre as a youth and in college, he earned a BFA in musical theatre at Western Illinois University. He then moved to NYC where he performed in several Off-Broadway productions including Fancy Nancy The Musical, a show based off the popular children’s books. Motsinger originated the rapping shark role and can be heard on the show’s cast album. “I am the OG baby shark,” he laughs.

While performing, he continued writing his own music and it eventually took the focus of his creativity. Kyle Motsinger has released two full-length albums, Far Away and Any Way I Want It To. He’s also released six singles including “Dark Shadows”, based on the gothic sixties’ series and film by Tim Burton. The music video for the song starred Kathryn Leigh Scott from the series and it premiered to much fan acclaim at the Dark Shadows convention in Los Angeles.

As Kyle Motsinger approached his mid-thirties’, he began to feel that he wasn’t where he wanted to be in life. He channeled that frustration into a batch of new songs that appear on his upcoming album. Like “Bad Years”, much of the material muses on life’s struggles and finding joy in conflict.

“The life I have chosen hasn’t been an easy one but I wouldn’t change it,” Kyle Motsinger explains. He says he has matured through trial, both as a person and an artist, and believes that it shows in his music. “I think ‘Bad Years’ is the best piece I’ve written so far. I’m proud of it and I really believe in it.”

He credits the engineering wizardry of MP Kuo, best known for her work on Trixie Mattel’s first two EPs, with the quality of the recording. Also, the incredible artistry of Zachary Eldridge on drums, Chris Bonner on bass, and Adam Stoler on guitars.

“The song is inspirational and the first of several stories I will be sharing that will hopefully encourage people to battle through and persevere. I, for one, am ever the dreamer!”

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559: The Joy of Celebrating Queer Women – Carine De Mesmaeker

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Many may ask, "Why?" Why is it important to have festivals, parties, private vacations, for LGBTQ+ individuals. The answer is simple, "Why Not?" And especially "Why not?" for queer women. Helping us answer that question and sharing about her own exciting, Mediterranean event - Velvet Ibiza - is Carine De Mesmaeker. We're exploring the celebration of queer women and creating safe spaces for them to be themselves.

About Velvet Ibiza

Velvet Ibiza - Europe’s most epic queer women party - is celebrating its 7th anniversary this year and taking the festivities to the next level. Happening May 2 - 7, 2023 in idyllic Ibiza, Spain, Velvet Ibiza, the all-inclusive 5-day/5-night party, has, in only a few years’ time, become a holy ground for queer women who continue to descend on the pine-covered isle to enjoy one the most life changing and bonding experience. Created and (ever since) produced by Carine De Mesmaeker - the mastermind behind Velvet 69, one of Europe’s biggest queer Women party in Brussels, Belgium - Velvet Ibiza made history in its inception year by (surprisingly) being the first ever queer women event held in the small Balearic island famously known for its LGBTQ-friendly culture, its vibrant nightlife scene and celebrity sighting. The event attracts a vastly international crowd with LGBTQ+ women traveling from all over the globe for one big giant celebration of the community. The all-inclusive nature of the event (tickets include 5 nights in bungalow, all 3 meals, day and night activities & parties, transportation from airport to resort, and all drinks t’il 11pm) creates a safe and unique environment that imparts a palpable sense of belonging and freedom. No need to venture anywhere, the party is literally on your doorsteps as De Mesmaeker rents out the entire resort.Having everything in one place is key for the event producer who strives to create a great community vibe allowing people to organically connect. From the pool parties, sports tournaments, yoga classes, club nights and now the infamous duck race to the top queer female DJs from Europe and America dropping the sickest beats Velvet Ibiza has it all! The host hotel is Cala Martina, the location of the historical Hippie Market - one of the few places in Ibiza where you can still find today the peculiar and unique hippie essence. It was founded in 1973 and for that reason it is currently the largest and oldest market on the island. A second hotel, Paraiso Beach, next to Hotel Cala Martina has been retained as well Paraiso Beach is a 4* boutique hotel at only 5′ walk from the event hotel. Only 20 rooms available! Velvet Ibiza is about inclusivity for the amazing diversity of queer women around the world.

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558: Marriage, Businesses, Health and Doing Life On Your Terms – Bill Rossi

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Whether it is starting a business or choosing to get married as a gay or lesbian individual, it is always in our best interest to do what we know is best for us, not what everyone else expects us to do. Proving this point over and over again, serial entrepreneur, resilient hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) thriver, and LGBTQ+ community advocate, Bill Rossi share candidly about his life decisions and his intentionality behind desire to get married to his husband when he did.

About Bill

Bill Rossi is a respected entrepreneur and veteran business leader in the Chicago area, as well as a devoted partner and father, an inspirational LGBTQ+ advocate and a passionate proponent of health and fitness. As founder and CEO of Rossi Enterprises, Bill helps a diverse array of organizations thrive in their industries, by guiding them and serving as their fractional chief operating officer and/or chief financial officer. He frequently collaborates with startups and small- to mid-size organizations to foster innovation and help them recover from business challenges or put them on a path to greater success. He does this by leveraging his expertise in finance, operations and marketing and 20 years of experience as a leader and entrepreneur. He is also a co-owner of several small businesses where he functions as CFO as well as proud member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council. By lending his leadership and voice and authentically sharing his story, Bill incites meaningful conversation and personal growth. He is passionate about discussing the challenges and achievements that have been part of his personal journey as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and as someone who suffers from a rare heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). He gives others the inspiration, confidence or support they might need to move forward, overcome adversity and thrive in business and in life. Bill, who is frequently called upon to share his unique journey and the stories behind his many successful professional endeavors, greatly values his role as a teacher and mentor.

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557: Coming Out For Love – Nicole Conn & Jessica Clark

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Lesbians just want to find love. Yes it is true, so why not give them their own reality TV show and let the fun, drama, and reality of dating life ensue. Filmmaker Nicole Conn along with model and actress Jessica-Rose Clark bring the desert life of Palm Springs to life fully in this rolicking adventure of Coming Out For Love. Think Bachelorette for Lesbians. Learn all about this ground-breaking approach to making sure Lesbians get some much needed air time about dating and mating.

About Nicole, Jessica, and Coming Out For Love

Prolific queer filmmaker Nicole Conn (A Perfect Ending, Elena Undone, More Beautiful For Having Been Broken), through her Nicole Conn Films Global, presents Coming Out for Love (“COFL”), a new, 16-episode dating competition premiering worldwide on February 14, 2023, across various digital streaming platforms. New episodes will air weekly. Watch the sizzle reel HERE. Conn tapped LGBTQ+ icon and activist Jessica Clark to host. An actress in such films as True Blood, Season of Love, ALIEN: Harvest, and A Perfect Ending, she is also known as co-owner of High Art Tattoo. "Jessica is made for this,” says Conn, “She's our Padma Lakshmi and Cat Deeley all rolled into one. Her imprint is so strong on this series, we immediately made her a producer.” COFL showcases sixteen queer women living together under one roof and participating in emotional and physical challenges to win weekly keys that unlock the heart of Season One’s Single, influencer and activist Amber Whittington. The series prides itself on authentic representation of the queer community and does not shy away from, or edit out, hot button topics or highly volatile scenes, including sensitive racial conversations, racy sexual encounters, and not so “pc” moments. The format, competitions, and relationship interactions will appeal to all audiences, queer or straight. Queer visibility and representation are important for LGBTQ+ individuals to feel validated and helps challenge the toxic misconceptions and offensive stereotypes about the queer community. Season One Single Amber Whittington is a multi-nominee for LGBT Influencer of the Year awards and was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine as a “creator to watch” in May 2022. Whittington’s YouTube channel and her “Amber’s Closet” platform have been beacons of hope for many young queer women coming out. She boasts over 1.9M followers. Showrunner Nicole Conn continues, “Amber is Gandhi and Barack Obama’s love child. She is the absolute strongest first lead we could have ever imagined and everyone in America will fall in love with her.” Conn is thrilled to finally have this series come to fruition, sharing, “I’ve always been labeled a pioneer and am proud to have the first female-loving-female reality dating competition show make Herstory in 2023. My daughter Gabrielle and I have watched The Bachelor together faithfully for years, rooting for our front-runners. I kept wishing there was a show that represented the love of two mothers she’d experienced in her own life. I’ve wanted to make this show for over 15 years. My business partners, Lissa Forehan, Brandon Amelotte, and I thought we’d try and have some fun with a small budget. After day one, we knew we were onto a project we'd all be damn proud of in its representation of a very diverse, multi-talented group of young queer women. THIS is the future of reality dating shows.” Co-Executive Producer Brandon Amelotte says, “Coming Out For Love gives the enormous fan base of dating competition shows another fun and engaging option. These are real women opening themselves up as they explore their issues, emotions, and sexuality. Come along for this remarkable journey, you won't be disappointed." The 16-episode series, from Nicole Conn Films Global in partnership with Just Jo Productions and Pelican Films, was filmed entirely on location at the Palm Palace in Palm Springs, CA and features a veritable Who’s Who of queer celebrities as judges and guests, including Sedona Prince (Oregon Ducks basketball star), Stoney Michelli Love (CEO and founder of Stuzo Clothing), Caroline Rose Giuliani (filmmaker, political activist, writer), Whitney Mixter (Showtime’s The Real L Word), Jill Osur (gender, racial and social activist, CEO Teneral Cellars wines), fashion designer Nik Kacy (founder of Equality Fashion Week ), Franco Stevens (Curve) and her wife, Jen Rainin (Ahead of the Curve), Tisha Floratos-Silano with Olivia Travel, singer/songwriter Tanerélle, and country music singer, Brooke Eden. To learn more about the show, the casting submission process, and get access to exclusive “members only” content, please visit: comingoutforlove.com and follow the show on socials FB: @comingoutforloveshow IG @ ComingOutForLove_ShowConnect With Kellie Website Instagram Twitter

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556: Coming Out With Empathy In Your Favor – Rob Volpe

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 03:30:00 -0700

It's really easy to say, "My way or the highway." Especially when coming out or dealing with all the things we deal with as LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet, things can be so much easier when we add a dash of Empathy and as the question, "Tell me more about that?" Empathy Activist Rob Volpe, and author of the book Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time, shares insights on how to be more empathetic and still be your unique and powerful LGBTQ+ self.

About Rob

Rob Volpe is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. As CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals serving the world’s leading brands across a range of industries. He is the author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. As a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing and the workplace, he is a contributor to Entrepreneur’s Leadership Network and frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, corporations, colleges, podcasts and with the media. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in San Francisco with his husband and 3 cats.

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555: Coming Out and Fitting In Reset – Rick Clemons

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out is a complete reset in our lives. A big reset. Yet, when we do it and we really dial into a reset of thoughts, feelings and beliefs, our journey out of the closet can become so much better. Filled with simple tools in this 8 minute power packed podcast, you will find ways to reset your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about coming out and fitting in, on your terms.

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554: Let’s Talk Candidly, One Conversation At A Time – Kellie Woolf

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Polarization. Gun shootings. Politics just for politics. It's all frustrating, scary, and leaves you wondering, can we ever navigate away from it as planet again? Maybe, maybe not, but you never know unless you try. And, it starts with one conversation at a time. It's time for empathy, understanding, and conversations, as hard as that might be, but what's the alternative - another mass shooting? Live from Colorado Springs, Mother of a transgender child and amazing advocate for the LGBTQ+ Community, Kellie Woolf joins me for a candid conversation about having one conversation at a time with those you just don't think you might could have a conversation with in these times that test all of our ability to be civil to one another.

About Kellie

Kellie Woolf’s debut novel, Mount Hope, is set in Topeka, Kansas,where she was born and raised. While she now lives in Colorado With her husband, Steve, and her cat Figgy, Topeka will always be home. She graduated from Seaman High School, and all other children were born at Stormont Vail hospital. Mount Hope Cemetery is the resting place for precious family members, and as a young adult, her first employment experiences crisscrossed the city. Kellie has been a fierce supporter and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Multiple family members on every side, dear friends and herself belong. In this human experience, she believes three things are designed innately for everyone: faith, hope, and love. In this work, she presents all three, with the greatest of these being love. While she is serious about her family, faith, and social justice,you can usually find her laughing with friends and exploring nature. Her adventures include marrying Steve, raising three children, and adopting two teenagers—to say nothing of evading London’s subway bombs in 2005, competing in Irish Hard shoe dancing, and being a contestant on Ellen’s Game of Games. She is currently acting as co director of a non-profit organization that offers healing and inspiration to today’s weary teachers and is working on her second novel.

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553: Coming Out About Anxiety and Depression – Brittany Richmond

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Anxiety, depression, no, no, no. Let's not talk about that. Really? Yes, yes, yes, let's talk about it instead of shoving those conversations in the closet. Whether you're coming out of the closet, or coming out of isolation from a pandemic, or just living your everyday life, anxiety and depression hit all of us. Yes, all of us and the best way to deal with it is to talk about it and get support. Joining me today is my good friend, Brittany Richmond who is coming out of the closet about her own journey managing anxiety and depression. She's having impact in the world as a mental health expert helping teens navigate this journey of mental wellness while simultaneously continuing her own day-to-day travels of dealing with anxiety, depression and all that lovely jazz that makes us humans. She's got great insights for finding your path through.

About Brittany

Brittany Richmond is an energetic, charismatic communicator and a mental health expert of 10+ years.

Right after high school, Brittany was diagnosed with multiple anxiety disorders (including an impulse control disorder) which led her into the field of counseling and psychology. From there, she has made it her mission to not only end the stigma, but "hug as many young people hurting" as she can with her stories and her voice as a youth speaker!

Brittany uses her own battle with mental health to inspire students, but most importantly, let them know that they are not alone; and that there is help and hope. When Brittany shares her life with anxiety, she tells compelling, relatable stories from what peer pressure was like, people-pleasing, even social anxiety which led to her being a 2x college drop out. She says, what saved her life in her own mental health battle was learning to lean into the things that brought her joy, which led to strong proactive coping strategies and creating structure in her daily routine.

Brittany's energy and knowledge instantly draws students in as she creates a safe place to be vulnerable and compassionate - to connect with students and help them start to build, develop and implement proactive coping strategies. Brittany is a sought after student influencer and is a popular youth mental health speaker. She has given presentations across the country at conferences, conventions, school assemblies, and other student events. She is one of only about 15 active women speakers in the youth market today!

While Brittany does love speaking and inspiring students, she loves her husband and cats even more! She also loves rockin' out in her vintage band tees, sequins and leggings while listening to 80s hair bands. If she’s not riding on her Peloton, you might find her at a St Louis Cardinals game, drinking coffee at a local coffee shop, or binge watching Christmas Movies or Gilmore Girls on her couch - she lovingly calls herself, a "hot-mess express, in a good way!" She lives in Green Valley, Illinois with her husband Zach and cat Missy.

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552: Coming Out With A No Excuses, No Fears Attitude – Rick Clemons

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out is no easy journey, but when you have a no excuses, no fears attitude, it does get a little easier. Helping you step into a new year, with a new mindset about coming out, whatever your coming out journey may be, are some steps for getting clear and honoring yourself for doing this on your terms, your way in 2023.

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551: Things you don’t have to tolerate as an LGBTQ+ Person in 2023 – Rick Clemons

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Life is full of challenges, many of which we feel we have to tolerate, especially as LGBTQ+ individuals. But tolerance is mostly bullshit that we create ourselves, and then we find ourselves wondering why we are always the one tolerating things. As you head into 2023, let's explore what you don't have to tolerate as an LGBTQ+ person in the world. And, Happy New Year. Thanks for being listeners.

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550: The Gift of Being LGBTQ+ – Rick Clemons

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 03:30:00 -0700

You are a gift. Yes you. That fact that you are an individual in the LGBTQ+ community makes you a gift to the world and you need to own that. No better time than the holiday season to see yourself and the amazing gifts you bring into the world as an LGBTQ+ person having a human experience. Open up this gift of insight and enjoy your holidays.

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549: Embracing Christianity As Your Authentic LGBTQ Self – Rev. Brandan Robertson

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Christianity. It's a very triggering word in today's climate. You either embrace, hate it, or have completely walked away from it. But what if you could find a way to make it work for you, in a way that says, " I can be Christian and LGBTQIA? Joining the conversation today, is Rev. Brandan Robertson. A progressive Gay Christian, who call us to wake up and take action for the collective good in the ways of Jesus--challenging and inspiring all to believe that a just world is on the horizon.

About Rev. Brandan

Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted author, activist, and public theologian working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. He currently serves as the Pastor of Metanoia Church, a digital progressive faith community and is the host of The Big Questions Podcast.

A prolific writer, he is the author of seven books on spirituality, justice, and theology, including the INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace. Robertson has bylines in publications such as TIME Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune, The Huffington Post, NBC, and The Washington Post, and is a regular columnist for Bishop John Shelby Spong’s Progressing Spirit newsletter as well as Baptist News Global. As a trusted voice on progressive faith and politics, Robertson is regularly interviewed in national and global media outlets including CNN, National Public Radio, MSNBC, Hot Press Ireland, The Independent UK, and The New York Times. In 2021, Rolling Stone Magazine included Robertson in its annual “Hot List” of top artists, creatives, and influencers who "are giving us reason to be excited about the future."

Each year, Robertson speaks on a variety of topics across the globe and has been an honored speaker at renowned institutions such as The White House, Oxford University, and The Parliament of World Religions. He’s taught seminars for San Francisco Theological Seminary and Disciples Seminary Foundation and currently serves on the faculty of The Lakelands Institute. He has served on advisory committees and working groups for the Democratic National Convention, the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services, The Humane Society, and in 2020 was named a Fellow of the prestigious Salzburg Global Seminar.

Named by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the top faith-leaders leading the fight for LGBTQ+ equality, Robertson has worked with political leaders and activists around the world to end conversion therapy and promote the human rights of sexual and gender minorities. He works as a national organizer of people of faith on a wide array of social and political issues, and is a founding member of The Union of Affirming Christians, The Global Interfaith Commission on LGBTQ+ Lives, and The Ozanne Foundation US.

Robertson received his Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and Theology from Moody Bible Institute, his Master of Theological Studies from Iliff School of Theology, and his Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Eastern Illinois University. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Religion from Drew University. He currently resides in New York City.

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548: Living OUT and Proud as Black, Fat, and Femme – Jon and Joho

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 03:30:00 -0700

You're too fat. You're to femme. Oh, and no blacks. Really? You can't be serious. There is no such thing as being too Black, Fat, and Femme. Driving this point home are today's guests, and hosts of the Black, Fat, Femme podcast - Jon and Joho. Listen as we uncover the "T" of being who you are in your world and making the most of it.

About Jon & Joho

Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins aka DoctorJonPaul (they/them pronouns) is an educator, professor, national speaker, freelance journalist, thought leader and media critic who examines the intersections of identity, gender and race in entertainment. Dr. Higgins is a trailblazer who is creating, sharing, and crafting the stories their ancestors didn’t get to tell. Jon was named National Black Justice Coalition’s Inaugural “Emerging Leaders to Watch” and Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40.” They are a Tedx Speaker, and their op-eds and personal essays have been featured in Essence, Ebony, Complex, MTV NEWS, Out Magazine, BET & Paper. With over 15 years of experience in leadership and social justice education, DoctorJonPaul is focused on using their voice and platform to highlight the joy and resilience of marginalized people. Dr. Higgins currently consults at United Artists, Amazon, and other media leaders. They have worked on inclusion projects with leaders in entertainment including Fox, the NFL, Apple, Disney, Instagram, Buzzfeed and GLAAD. They have also been a featured speaker for SXSW & TEDx and also competed on the latest season of Netflix’s hit show, “Nailed It”. Jordan (he/him) is a Fat Black/Jewish/Queer writer for fashion, body liberation, philanthropy, and LGBTQ+ experiences. His work has been published in numerous publications around the US and globally. He is also co-host of the Black Fat Femme podcast, which focuses on celebrating the intersection of these identities through unique interviews, joy and compelling conversations with his cohost, Jon.Jordan particularly strives to create a pathway collective liberation through joy. By day, Jordan works in intersectional philanthropy, and by night he can found perusing coffeeshops for their best Pumpkin Spice offerings this season, exploring museums, or cooking elaborate meals for his loved ones at home while blasting Beyoncé.

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547: Making the Most of Your Queer Advantage – Andrew Gelwicks

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0700

What is the advantage of being queer? Andrew Gelwicks, explores the answer to this question, through a collection of incisive, deeply personal conversations with LGBTQ+ trailblazers about how they leveraged the challenges and insights they had as relative outsiders to succeed in the worlds of business, tech, politics, Hollywood, sports and beyond. In his book, The Queer Advantage, Andrew celebrates the unique, supercharged power of queerness, and invites you into that experience.

About Andrew

Andrew Gelwicks is a writer, celebrity fashion stylist, and speaker. He has been featured in Forbes, the Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, People, Harper’s Bazaar, and WWD, as well as on the OUT100 and Variety Power of Pride List. Gelwicks lives in New York City. The Queer Advantage is his first book.

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546: Grateful For Being LGBTQ – Rick Clemons

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0700

For those of us in the U.S. it is Thanksgiving eve and a wonderful reminder to be grateful. Yet, how often do you remind yourself to be grateful for being LGBTQ. Before we stuff ourselves with Thanksgiving goodies, it is time to take a little breath and give thanks for being our unique selves with 10 Things I'm Grateful For Being LGBTQ+.

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545: Mastering The Art Of Being Sorry, Not Sorry About Who You Are – Samantha Gibb

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0700

You reach a point in your life where you finally realize, who you are is more important than what you think you're supposed to be in the world. That's when you take the stand to say, "Sorry, not sorry," and then write an amazing song about that exact subject. Drawing upon her own talent and DNA as daughter of Maurice Gibb - one third of BeeGees fame - Samantha Gibb, shares how she has come to a space where showing her true colors as a musical talent, and as an authentic person is the only way to put Good Lovin, out in the world.

About Samantha

Samantha was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida and now lives in Nashville, TN. Sam’s father, legendary Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, vastly influenced her life and her music. She has said, “Growing up watching my father and my uncles really set the bar for what kind of musician and songwriter I wanted to be”. In 2004, after her father passed away, Sam partnered with Lazaro Rodriguez, creating M.E.G. Records/M.E.G. Productions (M.E.G. being the acronym for her father’s initials, Maurice Ernest Gibb). “It was a way for me to keep my dad’s personal studio alive and making sure the instruments would always be played.” Samantha has said. In 2007, along with her band and studio, Sam relocated to Nashville, TN. Upon arriving, Sam began to work on a music documentary called “A Nashville State of Mind”. The film was inspired by the musicians she met and the evolving music scene she encountered while living in East Nashville at that time. “A Nashville State of Mind” was accepted into over 15 film festivals and won the best international music doc in 2008 at the LA/NY International film and music festival. In 2010, her band, Samantha Gibb and The Cartel, crossed the pond for her first U.K. tour to promote her album “Wrong Side”. Later that year, they followed up with an acoustic tour of the East Coast. In February 2012, Sam performed at the Hard Rock Live in Ft. Lauderdale with her Uncle, Barry Gibb. With great success from the show, she continued to tour with her uncle on his Mythology Tour where she performed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland and North America until 2014. In the beginning of 2015, Sam sang with again with her uncle at the Miami Beach Centennial show in Miami Beach, FL. In 2016, Sam began to work on a tribute album for her father and her uncles (Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb, and Andy Gibb), titled “The Gibb Collective”. The song titled “Please Don’t Turn Out the Lights” brought together her family, including the eldest children of Barry, Maurice, Robin, and Andy. The album included covers of their music with a different style and new flavor. The album was released in 2017 for Father’s Day. In 2021, she collaborated with award winning country singer-songwriter Kyle Jacobs on her single, “Spiraling" and later that year she released “Christmas in a Small Town” which she wrote with Kyle Jacobs and another award winning songwriter, Tony Wood. In July of this year she released her newest singles “Good Lovin’” and followed up with “Sorry, Not Sorry” at the end of September. Samantha’s writing is unique and has a versatile musical sound that blends perfectly with her sultry vocals.

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544: What you don’t need after coming out of the closet – Rick Clemons

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Many people fear coming out of the closet because of what might happen. However, many good things happen and a lot of stuff you don't need any more will disappear after you come out. If you're feeling anxious about coming out, especially as the holidays get closer, here's 10 things you won't need anymore after you come out of the closet.

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543: Finding your forever LGBTQ Home – Loren Ostrow

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Aging. It's happening to all of us. Can't avoid it. But how you step into your golden years and where you land for living out that final years of life, can often push many of us in the LGBTQ community back into the closet. Or does it? Loren Ostrow, the founder and developer of Out Palm Springs shares how he and his organization is changing retirement living for the LGBTQ community. This insightful conversation might surprise you of the things you aren't thinking about as you march towards those golden years.

About Loren

The driving force behind Living Out, Loren Ostrow has an extensive background in large project development and management. As president of Silver Slipper Gaming, LLC., Bossier Casino Venture, Inc., and a principal in KOAR International, LLC. Mr. Ostrow and his companies have successfully acquired, developed, and managed properties that include casinos, hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, condominiums, and other major commercial real estate endeavors. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and President of Living Out, Palm Springs. Loren holds a B.A. degree from the University of Rochester (graduating Magna Cum Laude), an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Rochester, and a J.D. degree from Stanford Law School. Loren is also a well-known member of the LGBTQ community, both as an active participant in LGBTQ causes and as a generous philanthropist. Loren has served on the Boards of Directors of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and Congregation Kol Ami. He continues his 20+ – year tenure on the Los Angeles LGBT Center Board of Directors and continues to be a significant financial benefactor for issues important to the LGBTQ community. Loren and his business partner, Paul Alanis, have been in partnership for more than 40 years. Loren and his husband of 30 years, Brian Newkirk, reside in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Provincetown.

About Living Out Palm Springs

Living Out Palm Springs will be an upscale resort apartment community built on nine acres in central Palm Springs, California. It will comprise 122 luxury apartments, in four unit configurations ranging from a 1 bed, 1 ½ bath + den, to a 2 bed, 2 ½ bath + den. Units will range from approximately 1,100 sq. ft to 1,700 sq. ft. with every unit containing a large usable balcony or patio. The architecture of the community will reference the iconic Mid-Century Modern style for which Palm Springs is famous. The project will feature dramatic landscaping, desert mountain views, an upscale, full-service restaurant and bar operated by nationally-known chefs and restaurateurs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, movie theater with reclining seats, game room, card room, state of the art fitness center, arts and crafts studio, massage rooms, a hair salon including manicure and pedicure facilities, and an innovative community lounge that will include a coffee bar, prepared food options and work space.

The exterior of the property will include covered surface parking for all residents as well as guest and retail parking, an event lawn, BBQ and entertainment areas, a resort-style swimming pool, three separate jacuzzi spa areas, bocce ball courts, a putting green, orchards, rose gardens and walking paths. One of the unique features of the project will be a large pet park, with areas for large and small dogs adjacent to a full-service pet facility, including a retail store, grooming facilities, pet daycare and overnight boarding.

Living Out Palm Springs will provide onsite and virtual concierge services to meet the needs of all its residents. Additionally, to provide choices for Living Out residents who are interested in aging-in-place options, Living Out Palm Springs will work with local LGBTQ+ organizations to recommend in-home care companies with LGBTQ+ cultural competency. Living Out Palm Springs will be the flagship property for Ostrow's plan to develop Living Out communities around the nation.

Connect With Loren

Livingout.com

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542: Combating a Spooky GOP Takeover – VOTE – Rick Clemons

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Yes, it's almost Halloween. But what is scarier is that it is almost November 8th, which here in America means we could have a dreaded republican, fascist, theocracy take over. Hopefully not, if we and every other sane person in America gets out to vote. This is a simple get out the vote message to help save our LGBTQ rights. Make your vote matter.

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541: Living in chaos of sex, drugs, and Jesus – De’Vannon Hubert

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine going from being an active church member of a very well known evangelical church in Houston, to becoming a drug addict, dealer, being homeless and serving in the armed forces. Take a ride on this crazy yet endearing story of De'Vannon Hubert as he shares his journey of life beyond struggles and near catastrophe to living his truth and not fighting against himself.

About DeVannon

De’Vannon Hubert is the author of Sex, Drugs, and Jesus, a memoir about his struggles with drug dealing, drug addiction, homelessness, serving in the Armed Forces, contracting HIV and HEP B, and rejection from his church for his sexuality. De’Vannon is also the host of the Sex, Drugs, and Jesus Podcast and is the owner of DownUnder Apparel. Aside from this, De’Vannon is an Honorably discharged veteran of the United States Air Force and a graduate of both Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Hypnosis Motivation Institute. He also graduated from the Medical Training College of Baton Rouge and is a Licensed Massage Therapist. De’Vannon’s story is one of surviving the social outskirts and finding one’s way back to a balanced path.

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540: Accepting and Loving Yourself To Power Through The Nightmare- J.R. Price

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

A massive breakup. Moving back in with the parents. Then getting thrown back out of that house. It's enough to make most people give up. But not J.R. Price. He found song, after song, after song to share with the world and turn his nightmare into his music. His inspiring story of accepting and loving yourself in your music and your life is what we are exploring today.

About J.R.

Grammy-nominated songwriter J.R. Price is out now with his Nightmare EP, the follow-up to his debut EP, Daydream. Where Daydream was vibrant, exuberant and full of hope, Nightmare is the opposite. “My light has been completely depleted,” Price, who has recently sustained a devastating break-up, admits. “When a dream is drained of all its light, it is by very definition a nightmare. The darkness I have felt lately is unlike any of the other things I have been through, because I was given hope first, then had it ripped away.” To those who say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, he adamantly disagrees. “After heartbreak, I am the exact opposite of who I used to be. I’m full of shadows and hatred. I am mad all the time. I cry myself to sleep. I wake up every few hours. I can’t talk to my friends. I am living in a nightmare.” The EP explores the five stages of grief, navigating through the dark, chaotic journey one must travel after experiencing loss; before ultimately, hopefully, achieving some level of normalcy. The EP starts with “Dagger,” about the first cut to bleed and the denial one must feel in accepting the reality of the situation. The second is the title track, about suffering through the aftermath of the split: the anger, the resentment, and the crushing heartache. In “Tiny”, the third single on Nightmare EP and the first release from it, Price sings about coming to the realization that the love who diminished him is really the one who is miniscule with little compassion and a shrunken heart. The song calls out all men who cause pain and feel no remorse. Through the process of writing and recording Nightmare, J.R. Price has finally come to the realization that the love he has been seeking from family and friends his whole life cannot be found until he loves himself. “I have learned that I must accept what I have been dealt in life and that the only thing I can change is how I view myself. I have to love myself. That’s the real message I received while making Nightmare.”

Connect With J.R. Price

Website Album Facebook Instagram

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539: National Coming Out Day – Special Episode – Rick Clemons

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

What's the point of National Coming Out Day? It all depends on where you are in your journey. It can be a day of celebration or a day of starting your journey. Either way, today is a day for you to be you in your own way. Here's 5 Empowering Coming Out Thoughts to guide you on your journey. Happy National Coming Out Day.

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538: Coming Out Of The Closet – No Apologies – Rick Clemons

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

In this third part of the National Coming Out Day Series, we explore living Unapologetically. Not by being a jerk, but by allowing yourself to be fully who you are in your own way and loving every minute of it. Take note of the cool exercises that can help you unapologetically step into being yourself on your journey out of the closet.

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538: Coming Out Of The Closet – No Apologies – Rick Clemons

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 03:30:00 -0700

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537: Coming Out Of The Closet – No Fears – Rick Clemons

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 03:30:00 -0700

National Coming Out Day is October 11th. And to celebrate this once a year event, Life (UN)Closeted is going solo with host Rick Clemons for a 3 part series on dumping your excuses, facing your fears, and living your unapologetic life as an LGBTQ+ person. In this episode Rick challenges you to face down your fears. Look them in the eye, and slay them with powerful tips for being you - a proud LGBTQ+ individual.

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536: Coming Out Of The Closet – No Excuses – Rick Clemons

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 03:30:00 -0700

National Coming Out Day is October 11th. And to celebrate this once a year event, Life (UN)Closeted is going solo with host Rick Clemons for a 3 part series on dumping your excuses, facing your fears, and living your unapologetic life as an LGBTQ+ person. In this first episode Rick explores the excuses, brought on by confusion, that keep you from taking the brave step forward to be fully who you are in the world. He gives you the tool of curiosity to help you kick those excuses to the curb so that you too can celebrate National Coming Out Day when the time is right for you.

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535: Being Brown and Gay in LA – Anthony Christian Ocampo

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Being gay is hard enough. Imagine being gay in the margins where immigration, race, and LGBTQ issues clash with your sexual identity, and the conservative values, expectations, and fears of your hard working migrant parents make you feel less than the perfect son. Author, Anthony Christian Ocampo, PH.D. explores these types of stories in his new book Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons, and he shares his insights, challenges and guidance on the podcast today.

About Anthony

Anthony Christian Ocampo, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is the author of Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons and The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race, which has been featured on NPR, NBC News, Literary Hub, and in the Los Angeles Times. He is an Academic Director of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity and the co-host of the podcast Professor-ing. His writing has appeared in GQ, Catapult, BuzzFeed, Los Angeles Review of Books, Colorlines, Gravy, Life & Thyme, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. He has received fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Jack Jones Literary Arts, Tin House, and the VONA/Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation. He was recently featured in the Netflix documentary “White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch,” as he was one of the employees involved in suing the company for racial discriminatory hiring practices. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles, he earned his BA in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and MA in modern thought and literature from Stanford University and his MA and PhD in sociology from UCLA. In his free time, he loves reading memoirs and essay collections, watching figure skating and gymnastics clips on YouTube, playing with his rescue dog Schmidt, binging queer content on Netflix and HBO Max, and being chaotic with his multigenerational Filipino American family.

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534: Stay Vigilant During Questionable Times For LGBTQ+ People – Scott Gatz

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 03:30:00 -0700

From Monkeypox to Roe vs. Wade. Gay marriage to sodomy laws. This is not a time to say, "Oh that doesn't affect me, so I am not concerned!" Trust us, you do not want to get caught with you pants down during what could become very challenging times ahead for our LGBTQ+ community. Sharing his perspective as a media founder of Q.Digital, Scott Gatz, uses his platforms - GayCities, Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, and IntoMore - to bring truth to the world of what is really happening and important for LGBTQ+ people. There's no FAKE News here and don't let others fake you at about the truth of what is actually happening, or could happen if we don't' stay vigilant as a community to protect our rights.

About Scott

Throughout his life, Scott has managed to turn his hobbies into his career. His love of TV news led him to NBC News, Good Morning America, and Lifetime. Later, his passion for tech drew him to startups and to Yahoo! where he led products including My Yahoo! and Yahoo! Search. This experience ultimately resulted in his latest and most personal endeavor, in which he founded Q.Digital, the media company behind GayCities, Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, and IntoMore. Through these sites, Scott hopes to enhance the lives of LGBTQ people across the globe; helping them to live their lives to the fullest. Q.Digital enables dozens of major brands such as HBO Max, Mastercard, Nissan, Macy’s, Lexus, and Target to connect with our community in a way that only an LGBTQ-owned and operated network can do; creating touch points through custom branded content, video, live events, sweepstakes, high-impact display, and more. Aside from work, Scott is an avid traveler and lover of pop culture. Scott and his husband live in the Castro district of San Francisco with their 12-year-old son, and he is actively involved in furthering opportunities for LGBTQ families and aspiring parents.

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533: Embracing The LGBTQ You, You See – Danny Freeman

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Growing up LGBTQ can be very confusing. Your heart feels it before your head. You try to assimilate into hetero norms, but can't. Then once you accept who you are do you really take time to grieve the you that once was for the you that you've always been? Exploring all these types of thoughts in his brand new book - The You I See - author Danny Freemen brings us a big-hearted and humorous novel about young gay life and love.

About Danny

Danny Freeman is a native Texan: born in Dallas and raised in Houston. He is a former elementary school teacher and intervention program coordinator for a large Texas school district. Danny now lives and resides outside the Lone Star State in a happy spot somewhere between his head and his heart. He is busy writing his second novel. If there is an afterlife, he hopes he’ll get assigned to a small cottage between his two favorite couples in the world: Westley and Buttercup, and Alex and Brandon.

About The You I See

The You I See is a big-hearted, humorous novel that functions as both a sweet 'coming-of-age, coming-out' tale and an unapologetic affirmation of queer identity which traces the sexual awakening of two gay teens as they mature through adolescence. Set against the backdrop of a fundamentalist Christian context and the changing cultural landscape of Houston in the early 1990s, The You I See weaves together faith, politics, shifting social attitudes, the journey to self-acceptance, and the importance of LGBTQ+ allies like few other young adult novels.

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532: Living from Boys To Men In Rural America – Taylor Brorby

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Growing up a boy in a mans world is hard enough. But growing up a gay boy in a rural masculine, coal and ranch country is a whole other way of growing up. From bullying to beatings and watching the correlation of tearing up the planet as a metaphor for tearing up someone's self worth, author Taylor Brorby lays it all down in words with his new book BOYS AND OIL, a haunting journey of living life as a closeted gay man until you just can't any longer.

About Taylor

Taylor Brorby is an essayist and poet. The coeditor of Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in America, his work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Orion, and North American Review, where he is a contributing editor.

About The Book

In BOYS AND OIL, a bracingly honest coming-of-age memoir, Brorby brings new focus to a chronically ignored region of the country whose rich resources—its land and its people—are too often ravaged for America’s expedient purposes. In his hometown, Center, North Dakota, there are no stoplights, grocery stores, or motels, just a few bars and churches, with pews filled on Sundays by men who will return to the coal mine or the power plant on Monday and every day after. Here Brorby recounts his story, and that of the prairie, too, interweaving historic coal-country vignettes with scenes from his youth to forge a new path across a notoriously unforgiving landscape. In visceral prose, Brorby recalls his upbringing in a trailer house in Center, and later in Bismarck; his adolescent infatuation with books; and how he felt intrinsically different from other boys in his home state, a state that ranks first in binge drinking. Childhood memories of picking chokecherries and fishing for bluegill with his beloved grandfather are soon replaced with the recollections of a closeted adolescent—of taunting and mocking, even beatings, from peers. Still, Brorby remained in North Dakota until he was outed to his family, and it became clear that to survive home, he had to leave first. Drawing readers into the tumultuous relationships of his early adulthood, Brorby relays his decision to flee North Dakota—physically, but never spiritually—for Minnesota, and eventually to come out on his own terms. Now an environmentalist, Brorby casts the prairie as a place of vulnerability, “where humans and animals must be resilient to survive.” Using the terror he experienced as a youth as a metaphor for the destruction of his homeland, Brorby describes his awakening as an activist, his arrest in Iowa at the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the yearning for the lush green grass and brown buttes of his childhood, “for a way to return.” Haunting and deeply affecting, BOYS AND OIL is as much a book about growing up gay in rural America as it is an extraordinary paean to the natural environment, and a plea to stop destroying the land we call home.

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531: Time To UNClobber The Bible Passages That Clobber Homosexuality – Colby Martin

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 03:30:00 -0700

The Bible doesn't condemn homosexuality, DOES NOT, DOES NOT, DOES NOT. The bible actually preaches, start with love, and live each day from the point of love and all will be well with the world. However, for whatever reasons, religions, not all, but many have chosen to use the bible as a weapon to clobber the LGBTQ+ community. But one former Evangelical Pastor has said, there's another way. Author, Colby Martin, in his book Unclobber, literally unclobbers the Bible passages that have created pain and disillusionment LGBTQ+, all at the cost of his own space in the evangelical world. And he couldn't be happier as an amazing supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Dive in and learn how you too can unclobber these Bible passages and know you are good in the eyes of God.

About Colby

Having experienced his fair share of pain and rejection from mainstream Christianity, Colby is awake to the flaws, tragic missteps, and misplaced earnestness that too often define the direction of the church. But God’s vision for creation as revealed in Jesus still compels him - a window into a way of being human that fosters wholeness, and can move communities away from shame into vulnerable, flourishing connection.

As author of “UnClobber: Rethinking our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality” and the soon to be released, “The Shift: Surviving and Thriving after Moving from Conservative to Progressive Christianity,” Colby has emerged as one of the leading voices of the Progressive Christian movement.

Together with his Co-Pastor and wife, Kate, they founded and lead Sojourn Grace Collective in San Diego, CA, while enjoying life with their four sons.

Colby is passionate about carving out a space within Christianity that includes:

a whole-heartedly affirming posture toward LGBTQ individuals,
a broader acceptance of other spiritual practices and religious perspectives,
an agreeableness toward science,
and a commitment to always growing, transforming, and trusting that the best days are yet to come.

Colby is currently partnering with other progressive Christian churches as a co-director for Launchpad Partners Inc, an organization committed to planting and resourcing similar faith communities all across the country.

It is Colby’s deeply held belief that when people are reminded they are loved children of God, wholly and exactly as they are, they begin to live from a place of freedom. His work as author and pastor aims to point us toward that freedom, stubbornly, hopefully, until we believe in it. Until we can live in it, that the church - fully loved, liberated, and empowered - may continue the long work of changing the world.

Connect With Colby

Website Facebook Instagram Get Colby's Unclobber Cheat Sheet

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530: Making The Music of Your Queer Life – Alysia Kraft

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine growing up on a cattle ranch in small-town Wyoming and feeling like you are literally the only queer in town, or for hundreds of miles for that fact. No imagine you are creative, artistic, and want to be a music person, but you can't let the real music out of the bag you want write to express yourself because that would "out" you. Welcome to Alisia Kraft's world. She joins us today to showcase her cool queer self and to share her story from cattle ranch to music stages.

About Alysia

Having amassed devoted regional followings for projects Whippoorwill and The Patti Fiasco as an award-winning songwriter and incomparably magnetic frontperson, Alysia Kraft has sold out most of Colorado’s big stages and directly supported icons Bon Jovi, Blondie, Nathanial Rateliff and Bonnie Raitt on significantly bigger ones. Embracing the complexities of growing up queer on a cattle ranch in small-town Wyoming and choosing to love within a landscape that didn’t always love back, First Light is a triumphant homecoming and a defining solo debut. Kraft was signed to Louisville-based sonaBLAST records (Jack Harlow, Grlwood) in January 2022 and won Best Original Song at the Los Angeles International Independent Film Festival for Cold Mountain in February of 2022. Atwood magazine called the second single, Little River “a classic in the making… A driving outpouring of tension released through emotionally charged vocal lines brimming with heartfelt poetry.” With First Light dropping everywhere June 17, Kraft’s smart, retro-influenced indie pop and lush, bioluminescent folk will find crossover appeal with fans of HAIM, Sheryl Crow, Kacey Musgraves, and Waxahatchee. Enlisting close collaborator J. Tom Hnatow & Grammy-nominated Justin Craig to produce and mix and acclaimed engineer, Sarah Register to master, First Light is vastly open-hearted and thoughtfully hook-adorned and feels destined to put the-most-vibrant-yet version of Alysia Kraft onto a much larger map.

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529: Uncloseting Fun In Your Life and Work – Mike Rucker

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 03:30:00 -0700

FUN. Something many of us have let disappear from our lives. Whether it is because of COVID, political strife, human rights, or simply because we keep letting life get in the way, FUN is a commodity that is worth fighting for to bring joy into our lives. Guiding us to uncloset fun and make it a habit is Mike Rucker, PH.D. He gives us cool insights on making fun an unapologetic habit in our lives.

About Mike

Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness and is the author of the upcoming book The Fun Habit, available January 2023.

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528: Beyond Labels: Uncovering The Power Of Who You Are – Meagan O’Nan

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 03:30:00 -0700

When you discover who you are, you need the power to move forward, get past the naysayers, and step into a space where you just may have to forgive and agree to disagree. Helping us embrace this way of showing up in the world, Meagan O'Nan, author of "Courage: Agreeing to Disagree Is Not Enough," helps us understand how to hold ourselves in a loving embrace so that we can be free.

About Meagan

Meagan O’Nan is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and vulnerable storytelling expert. She is the author of the award-winning book, “Creating Your Heaven on Earth,” and “Courage: Agreeing to Disagree Is Not Enough.” Her third book is forthcoming and will be published in September 2022 with New Degree Press.

Meagan has spoken to thousands of people at live events since 2008, including alongside internationally recognized spiritual leaders such as don Miguel Ruiz, author of the best-selling book, “The Four Agreements,” and she has appeared multiple times in local and national media. Meagan even received a personal note from Desmond Tutu after hearing a talk of hers on forgiveness.

Meagan is passionate about creating connections through storytelling as a way to overcome differences and generate healing. For the last decade, she has been a significant voice for the LGBTQ community in Mississippi, speaking with pastors, university representatives and classes, on the radio, and on the news as a voice offering unity and cooperation. Meagan now lives with her wife, Clare, and their daughter, Merit, in Starkville, Mississippi.

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527: Coming Out To Be Creative and Conscious– Andrew Sam Newman

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Time to uncloset our creativity and consciousness. From wee ones to adults, author, speaker, and coach, Andrew Newman is inviting everyone to wake up, be creative and make the last 20 minutes of each and every day matter.

About Andrew

Andrew Newman is the award-winning author and founder of www.ConsciousStories.com, a growing series of bedtime stories purpose-built to support parent-child connection in the last 20 minutes of the day. His emerging work on The Creative Cycle heals ‘the dark aloneness of the unexpressed spirit’ by encouraging clients to stay connected to their creative spark and express their hearts fully. He is a graduate of The Barbara Brennan School of Healing, a Non-Dual Kabbalistic Healer and has been actively involved in the Mankind Project and Soul-Games men’s work for over 15 years.

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526 – The Legalities of Letting Trans Be Trans on The Planet – Paisley Currah

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Ever filled out a Driver's License application? Doctors patient form? Passport form? School enrollment form? Of course you have. Now imagine filling out the form and the only options for the question - Male or Female - is Male or Female. Or even worse, "Gender at Birth!" This is where the nightmare starts for any transgender or gender non-conforming person when it comes to filling out the day-to-day forms of life, to do the stuff that life requires of us. Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies Profession, Paisley Currah joins us to talk about his new book Transgender Right and Corpus: An Interdisciplinary Reader on Bodies and Knowledge, to help us better understand the continuing challenges of living your life uncloseted as a trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming individual in a world of conformity.

About Paisley

PAISLEY CURRAH is Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. An award-winning author, he is the founding co-editor of the journal Transgender Studies Quarterly and the co-editor of Transgender Right and Corpus: An Interdisciplinary Reader on Bodies and Knowledge.

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525: When The Greatest These is Love For This LGBTQ+ Ally – Kellie Woolf

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 03:30:00 -0700

What happens when a Mom says, "That's ok, you are who you are and I accept that!"? You get an amazing author who is giving out HOPE. Her debut novel, Mount Hope, takes readers on journey where a murder victim and Jesus have a conversation that could change the world...something we all need right now. A little change and empathy to let LGBTQ people just be themselves.

About Kellie

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524: Keeping up the fight for equality – Fran Hutchins

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 03:30:00 -0700

As we wrap of PRIDE MONTH, let's never forget, our lives and our freedom as LGBTQ individuals continues to be in the crosshairs of so many people in the world. Over 300 bills to date, in 2022 have been brought to the political forefront as a strike to who we are and how we live our lives. Helping us see how to be more vigilant and active to keep our freedoms is Fran Hutchins, Executive Director of Equality Federation. This candid and fun conversation shows how to take a stand and never give up as an LGBTQ Person.

About Fran

Fran Hutchins is the Executive Director at Equality Federation, the national strategic partner to state-based organizations working to win equality in the communities we call home. She has been with the Federation since 2012 and has worked on the ground with our partners to build strong organizations, develop tailored strategies, and create data-driven solutions to meet the needs of our movement. Fran’s career has focused on building a strong progressive movement that changes the way we approach some of our most pressing social problems: poverty, homelessness, education, economic inequality, and discrimination. She is especially proud to have served as Regional Field Director for Mainers United for Marriage, the successful 2012 campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples in Maine. Fran completed her MBA and Masters of Public Policy and Public Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Fran grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her wife, Laura Kalba, a professor at the University of Minnesota, and their orange cat, Oscar Wilde, and fluffy dog, Otis.

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523: Loving and Raising and LGBTQ+ Child – Heather Hester

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Being LGBTQIA is messy. Hell, being human is messy. But no one prepares you as a mother of four to have two of two kids that are LGBTQIA. Yet what she never saw coming is her life calling to come out of her cocoon to support kids and families on the journey out of the closet. Heather Hester, proud mom, coach and podcaster joins this PRIDE season with a candid conversation and insights about raising two LGBTQIA children and the ups and downs of parenting.

About Heather

Heather is a podcast host and coach for parents and allies of LGBTQIA+ adolescents and young adults. She believes the coming out process is beautiful. She works with her clients to let go of fear and the feelings of isolation so that they can reconnect with themselves and their child in a meaningful, grounded way. She is a writer, the mother of four (two of whom are LGBTQIA), and a student of life who believes in embracing the messiness, opening to education, strengthening through empowerment, and overcoming anything with love.

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522: Your Pride Wellness Survival Guide – Victoria Albina

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 03:30:00 -0700

It's Pride month and that means go, go, go. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. Then you hit the block wall of overdoing it, overthinking it, and even getting down on yourself because everyone else is doing Pride so much more fabulous than you are. WRONG.

But what do you do when you start getting in your head? How do you get back to you? What if you could navigate Pride in a very health way and state of mind? You can with a Pride Wellness Survival Guide. That's what the Fabulous Victoria Albina (Certified Life Coach, UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner and Breathwork Meditation Guide) is sharing today, besides her lipstick recommendations, on the Life (UN)Closeted Podcast. She gets real about her FEM self, taking stock of our lives, and making things better with a dose of self-care, self-love, and self-appreciation.

About Victoria

Victoria Albina (she/they) is a Certified Life Coach, UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner and Breathwork Meditation Guide with a passion for helping women realize that they are their own best healers, so they can break free from codependency, perfectionism and people-pleasing and reclaim their joy. She is the host of the Feminist Wellness Podcast, holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health and a BA in Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. Victoria has been working in health & wellness for over 20 years and lives on occupied Munsee Lenape territory in New York’s Hudson Valley.

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521: Step Up and Be an Amazing LGBTQ Leader – Ash Beckham

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 03:30:00 -0700

How do you live with courage to become an everyday leader in your life? As an LGBTQ individual? As a Human? Let's ask Ash Beckham. She's got a new book at - Step Up: How To Live With Courage and Become an Everyday Leader, where she takes everything she's learned about leadership since her TEDx Talk "Coming Out of Your Closet" went viral, and distills it down in an easy to understand and apply way of being in life.

About Ash

Ash Beckham is an inclusion activist whose TEDx Talk “Coming Out of Your Closet” became a viral sensation. Her intrepid, relatable, and intrinsically comical style has made her an in-demand speaker, including events at Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, and the keynote for the first LGBTQ Conference at Harvard University.

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520: Celebrating Pride and Becoming Addicted To Loving Yourself – David Houle

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 03:30:00 -0700

It's Pride Month and we are kicking it with a celebration and a deep dive into loving yourself in your prideful skin as an LGBTQ person - regardless of your flaws and addictioins. During this fun and deep conversation, David Houle a multidisciplinary artist shares his coming out and addiction recovery journey with ways to celebrate you and your life this pride season. Happy PRIDE everyone!

About David

From rural Loretteville, Quebec, Canada, multidisciplinary artist David Houle battled addiction for a decade; he is now motivating audiences to face their struggles and inspires them towards a path of recovery and healing. In 2019, as a guest keyboard artist and dancer with Montreal’s atypical metal band Deadly Apples, he performed at the 25th Vans Warped Tour, alongside Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and Blink 182. He also performed at the VIVO X El ROCK festival in Peru with Slipknot, The Strokes and Bullet for My Valentine and toured with Marylin Manson. Both of his parents served in the Canadian Armed Forced, and after his mother’s death in 2003, he decided to study dance full-time, later graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2015 he worked alongside Cindy Lauper in the Tony Award-Winning musical Kinky Boots in Toronto. In 2020 before the global pandemic, he was set to debut the world premiere French adaptation of it in Montreal with Serge Postigo and Just for Laughs Productions. Singer/Songwriter David Houle was also the lead character for two productions of Cirque Du Soleil and a dancer for the Canadian Opera Company. He is also the choreographer for Billboard charting artist Dion Todd.

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519: Surviving sports as a gay dad – Bradley Jacobs

Wed, 25 May 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being a gay dad. Cool. Now imagine your child loving, loving, loving sports. Is that your worst nightmare come to life? Maybe and if so, you will love this conversation with writer, journalist and hopeful TV Writer of a new sitcom - looking for a home - Bradley Jacobs. No he's not looking for a home but his sitcom, "One of the Guys," needs to land in the public eye in order to bring laughter, insights about the world of gay parenting and sports in a heteronormative world.

About Bradley

Bradley Jacobs (also known as BJ) grew up in Santa Monica, California, and graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. He has served as a writer and editor at Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, Bloomberg, and Us Weekly, attending the Oscars and Sundance and regularly discussing showbiz news on CNN and MSNBC. His collection of essays on the ups and downs of being a gay dad for Shondaland, USA Today, Mom.com and more inspired his 2022 comedy pilot, “One of the Guys.” He's also the author of “The Bungalow,” a short about four-times-wed “Rebel Without a Cause” director Nicholas Ray’s secret romance with future Oscar-nominee Gavin Lambert.

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518: Design Your Own Rules For Limitless Opportunities – Meg He

Wed, 18 May 2022 03:30:00 -0700

We all want to experience freedom, joy, confidence. Many of us also want to keep it simple. When you bring all those desires together, along with burning desire to carve your own path, you meet a woman named Meg He - a clothing brand innovator, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and a queer, British-Chinese digital nomad. She's here keeping it real simple about living her life uncloseted.

About Meg

Meg He is the co-founder and co-CEO of Aday, a sustainable capsule clothing brand designed for outfit repeating, so you can do more with less. Aday sources innovative super fabrics and partners only with factories who put people + planet first. Aday has been named one of the Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies and Meg has been named one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 under 30 and Gaingels 100. She's also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and World medallist.

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517: Taking Care of Your LGBTQ Life With Functional Nutrition – Andrea Nakayama

Wed, 11 May 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Our LGBTQ bodies are beautiful machines, but not unless we take care of them. Now add the stress of being LGBTQ, plus normal life stuff, and it can easily become a recipe for disaster. But what if you had a plan that stoked your body full of good just by eating right and know what is best for your body, not the fit you in the box way most medical professionals try to make you fit into. Enter Andrea Nakayama, Founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance to guide us with tips and ideas for fueling our LGBTQ lives and bodies in a powerful sustainable way.

About Andrea

As the host of the 15-Minute Matrix Podcast and the founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance, Andrea is leading thousands of students and practitioners around the globe in a revolution to offer better solutions to the growing chronic illness epidemic. By highlighting the importance of systems biology, root cause methodology, and therapeutic partnerships, she helps historically underserved individuals reclaim ownership of their health.

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516: Bringing Trans and Nonbinary Voices To Music – Aiden Feltkamp

Wed, 04 May 2022 03:30:00 -0700

We've all heard the term "life imitates art, and art imitates life" or something along those lines. Now add to the mix a person who lives, as themselves, as trans and nonbinary opera singer and you have today's guest - Aiden K. Feltkamp (they/he). They are breaking the molds of opera and musical theater with their intimate perspective of their release of the Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices. Get ready for an enlightening and eye-opening journey of truly expressing one's authentic self.

About Aiden

Aiden K. Feltkamp (they/he) is a Turn the Spotlight fellow and graduate of Bard College Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program. As a trans nonbinary singer, Aiden often found opera and musical theater compositions to be aggressively gendered and binary and was at a loss for repertoire that spoke to them.

Aiden came up with the idea to build a first-of-it’s-kind collection of vocal and piano music that, rather than focusing on a particular instrument or voice type, centered on identity. In partnership with NewMusicShelf, Aide is proud to release the first-ever volume of songs written for and/or by transgender and nonbinary people, Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices.

The collection presents composers who highlight the multifaceted intersections unique to the lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary people and stands as a declaration that despite the many historical attempts to isolate them, these communities will not be silenced. Their voices are beautiful, and through printed compositions, the anthology spotlights these important artists so that the world can recognize and revel in their beauty. NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices, Vol. 1 is published by Dennis Tobenski and curated by Aiden Feltkamp. They hope it will be a resource for voice teachers and recital presenters and reach audiences beyond the book through live performance.

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515: Embracing Being Unapologetically You! – Rick Clemons

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Regardless of what's going on in the world, or how you struggle to find yourself in this crazy world, the one thing I want you to know, is you can, should, and have the right to be UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOU! That's what this short little solo episode with me, Rick Clemons, your host is all about.

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514: BEQOMING You – The Deeper You – Benjamin and Azrya Bequer

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Who are you and why are you? Do you ever entertain those thoughts as you navigate your life? As you wander out of the closets of your life? Of course we do, but what if you could step deeper into those questions and uncover that we are on an ever evolving journey into discovering yourself as yourself, completely uncloseted. Benjamina and Azrya Bequer, co-founders and stewards of BEQOMING, a platform and process for unveiling the deepest aspects of ourselves to awaken our aliveness. Join us for the journey in this powerful and informative conversation.

About Benjamin and Azrya

Azrya and Benjamin Bequer are the co-founding stewards of BEQOMING, a platform that provides transformational tools, media, and experiences to help people see beyond the veil of who they thought they were supposed to be and awaken their full-spectrum aliveness. They also co-authored a book titled BEQOMING: Everything You Didn’t Know You Wanted. To purchase the special edition hardcover (not available on Amazon) please visit www.BEQOMING.me/book or download at www.Audible.com/BEQOMING.

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513: Coming Out of The Poverty. External Validation, and PTSD Closet– Sara Church

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Sara Church, author of the new book Mending My Mind, spent much of her childhood living below the poverty level. Her mother was a crystal meth addict. One summer she lived in a tent. This caused her severe, constant anxiety and distress. Filled with shame, she became hooked on receiving external validation as she grew older through both her studies and ultimately, her career. She put herself through college by working two jobs. She got her graduate degree at night. Today, she’s a successful biotech executive. But hard work wasn’t all it took for her to get there: she also needed to overcome the trauma that her childhood poverty and parental addiction led to. The trauma nearly destroyed her chance at happiness despite her professional success. Ultimately, through a journey of self-exploration and with the help of therapy, Sara was able to heal and retrain her mind -- and reap true satisfaction from both her career and her personal life.

About Sara

Sara Church is a biotech executive and an advocate for mental health. At age forty, upon discovering that she was suffering from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), Sara embarked on a quest to understand and overcome the condition holding her back in her personal relationships so she could live a more fulfilling life. Her book, Mending My Mind, began as a journal she kept during that process and her children’s book, A Giraffe Named Monroe, is a tale about resilience and kindness. Today she continues to transform her own Complex PTSD into a force for love and strength. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, reading, and traveling.

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512: Creating Rituals For Smooth Change – Day Schildkret

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Life is a series of change and transitions. Yet, when we get most frustrated with change - coming out, losing relationships, navigating a career change, battling life threatening diseases - do we really take the time to pass through that change and honor, release, and welcome in the new way of being in our life. Today, we venture into creating rituals for some of life's biggest moments with Author and Ritual expert Day Schildkret.

About Day

Day Schildkret is an award-winning author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which Buzz Feed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” Working for over a decade with individuals, communities and organizations, Day is helping to heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to change. Day is the author of Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change (Simon Element/Simon & Schuster) publishing in 2022 as well as, Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art and Ritual (The Countryman Press/W.W. Norton). More about Day at morningaltars.com and dayschildkret.com

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511: Telling our LGBTQ+ Stories, One Book at A Time – Greg Howard

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0700

We've all got our story and stories. Yet, in this day and age where books are being burned that inform young minds about LGBTQ+ people, it's more apparent than ever that we need a hero. An author hero. That hero is author Greg Howard who lovingly and bravely puts pen to paper, or in this modern age types like a mad man on his computer the stories that bring LGBTQ+ life to spotlight, unlike when most of us were growing up. It is not time to hide the truth, but to print the truth and continue to live the truth and to let our stories, even fictional stories, stake our claim as human beings who do belong in society - no guilt or shame. Here's Greg's story.

About Greg

Greg Howard was born and raised in the South Carolina Lowcountry where his love of stories blossomed at a young age. Originally set on becoming a songwriter, Greg followed that dream to Nashville, Tennessee, and spent years producing the music of others before eventually returning to his childhood passion of writing stories. Greg’s critically acclaimed debut middle-grade novel, The Whispers was nominated for an Edgar Award and his second middle-grade novel, Middle School’s a Drag, You Better Werk! is being adapted for television by Harry Potter producer, David Heyman, Heyday Television, and NBC/Universal.

Greg writes about LGBTQ characters and issues as his focus is writing the kind of books he wishes he’d had access to as a gay kid growing up in the South. There’s also a measure of his own life in all of Greg’s stories. On writing, Greg says, “The more of yourself you leave on the page, the more the readers will connect and engage. But once you write your story and send it out into the world, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the reader.”

Also, the author of the young adult novel Social Intercourse, Greg’s latest middle-grade offering, The Visitors, will be published by Putnam/Penguin on February 1, 2022. Still involved in the music industry as co-owner of an independent record label in Nashville, when he’s not writing books or producing music, Greg enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and spending time with friends. He currently resides in Nashville with his three rescued fur babies--Molly, Toby, and Riley.

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510: Coming Out, Finding Love, and Thriving Late In Life – Matt Bays

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out late in life has its moments. In this case it started with a graveside moment that made him realize, "It's time to be me." He called himself out of hiding and shares his story in his book "Leather and Lace: a gay man, lost love, and a road trip with his dead sister," Matt Bays takes us on the road trip of love, loss, and redemption.

About Matt

Matt Bays is a writer, speaker, and life coach with a passion for calling people out of their hiding places. He joins the ranks of writers such as Anne Lamott, Donald Miller, and Glennon Doyle in offering readers honest, raw, funny, and insightful compassion for the journey of life. He and his husband, Chris, live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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509: The art of selling yourself, or anything else for that matter – Leah Neaderthal

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0700

We're all creating stories and doing sales jobs in our lives - all day long. From coming out to getting a new job, to finding the right relationship, to closing your next big client. There's always a story we tell ourselves and a sales job that leads to us finding our next level of happiness and trust in ourselves. Using the art of selling and our own smarts, sales coach and lesbian (gasp) Leah Neaderthal shares her story and insights for selling yourself through life and making the most of who you are meant to be in the world on the other side of the closet doors.

About Leah

Leah Neaderthal is a sales coach for women who run B2B consulting and coaching businesses, the founder of Smart Gets Paid, and the host of The Smart Gets Paid podcast. A three-time business owner who started her career in corporate marketing, Leah didn’t learn to sell by being a commissioned salesperson. She taught herself everything she could about selling, overcame “selling shyness,” and created a sales approach that feels comfortable, builds strong client relationships, and gets results. Prior to starting Smart Gets Paid, Leah built, grew, and sold three businesses. Learn more about Leah at smartgetspaid.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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508: Getting to the Soul of Being an OUT, Asian, American, Lesbian Singer – Elisa Nicolas

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0700

This is not where you anticipate being but yet here you are. Ever had one of those moments? Maybe when you finally decided to come out? Or, maybe it was when you took that next big career move, or wrote that song you thought would never hit the airwaves? Regardless of where you are, here you are. Elisa Nicolas - singer, songwriter, and proud member of the LGBTQ community - shares her story, her craft and her truth about being "here you are!"

About Elisa

Elisa Nicolas is a Canadian-born, Ohio-based Asian-American songwriter. Nicolas has been observing, experimenting, and translating the human experience into song for almost three decades. Respected as a multi-instrumentalist, solo artist, singer and songwriter, Nicolas has been writing and recording across numerous styles including rock, jazz, country, pop, and R&B. Nicolas has been described as having a “wryly eloquent self-awareness” - 614 Magazine. “Nicolas swings with the Jazz power of Rickie Lee Jones, sways with the Pop chops of Aimee Mann and spits with the authority of Chrissie Hynde, sometimes all within the same song.” -Cincinnati CityBeat. "A smoky voice guides a gorgeous album of low-key -- but definitely not low-wattage -- jazz, blues and pop.” - The Columbus Dispatch.

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507: The Dangerous Closet of Secrets – Elaine Pasqua

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0700

We all have secrets. We all keep Secrets. And, all those secrets cause pain and trauma. Sharing her own secret, as an LGBTQ ally, Elaine Pasqua takes us on a journey of a family secret that took her own Mother and Step Father that led her to turn to one community, that helped her find solace, while that community was having the world turn their backs on them.

About Elaine

A 6’5″ 250-pound man once looked at Elaine Pasqua standing at 5’3″ and said: “You are the biggest little thing I’ve ever seen!” For 25 years this funny, passionate, and energetic woman has been traversing the country, helping her clients obtain peak performance through positive relationships and choices. She has worked with countless businesses and associations, 31 professional sports teams across the NFL, NBA, and MLB, hundreds of college campuses, our military leaders, and high schools and parent groups. Her passion lies in transforming people to create stronger, innovative teams to increase business profits. When Elaine is not traveling for fun, or singing with friends, you can find her home in her gardens with plenty of dirt under her fingernails!

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506: Gay and Banned From California – Robert C. Steele

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being gay, and being institutionalized. Imagine being gay and being jailed for being gay. Nothing to imagine, this is reality. The reality of being gay in the 1950's, just a little over 70 years ago, this was our LGBTQ reality. Robert C. Steele, captures Jim Foshee story in the book he authored, Banned From California - of what it was like to grow up as an out gay man, in the '50s being banned from family and life, just because he was gay. We're exploring this true story that truly shows why our fight to be who we are is never done.

About Robert

Robert C. Steele served as a reporter and producer at various radio and television stations in Colorado and Arizona. He was a broadcaster at the Italian National Broadcasting Company (RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana) in Naples, Italy. While on active duty in the U.S. military he was a reporter for Armed Forces Radio and Television along the coast of Vietnam, the Asian Western Pacific and Vicenza, Italy. He was a volunteer and activist in the early gay liberation movement with the Gay Coalition of Denver and with two weekly gay radio shows in Colorado. Later, as a federal government public affairs officer, he served as a government spokesperson and managed media relations with reporters who worked for media outlets from across the USA and around the world.

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505: Diversity and Inclusion: Being in someone else’s story – Don Reed

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Diversity and inclusion isn't just a once a year endeavor to be brought out of the closet and then shoved back into the closet. It is a daily practice of learning to stand in other peoples stories. Taking us into the diversity zone, Don Reed - master storyteller and entertainer - guides us to step into other peoples world so we can be better humans for all.

About Don

Don Reed (NPR Storyteller/Tonight Show with Jay Leno/Co-Headed NBC Advertising & Promotion Voice Over/Radio Division) is a multi-hyphenate with a career that spans television, stage, and network advertising & promotion. But the fundamental building block of all his successes is that Don… tells stories. With over 20 years of experience in the world of storytelling – tales of diversity and inclusion have been the overarching thread throughout Don Reed’s multi-faceted career. From public speaking to stand-up comedy to advertising for film and television to his solo shows – Stories of cultural diversity and gender inclusivity are at the heart of it all. In addition, Don has attended and participated in JEDI Discussion Series Training (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion). He is on the Board of Directors of both Elevate Oakland – a non-profit that brings culturally vibrant art, music, and speakers to Oakland’s public schools – and Shotgun Players – a theater company determined to create bold theatre that inspires, challenges and impacts EDI for both artist and audience within the community.

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504: Finding Yourself. Finding Your Way. - Yumna Aysen

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 03:30:00 -0700

From South Africa to New York City, you never know when you are going on your journey or where you will find yourself to finally be yourself. Speaking straight from a very purposeful heart, Yumna Aysen - aka Yumi - helps people find themselves so they can be the best version of themselves. Funny, insightful and full of energy, Yumi joins us today with tips on how to be you regardless of where you land on the planet.

About Yumna

Yumna Aysen is a success coach & a motivational speaker who has a passion for helping people find purpose, clarity, happiness and success. She ultimately aims to help people become the best version of themselves and to create a life that they can’t wait to wake up to and live every day. Yumna has been featured in Medium and interviewed on national television and on local radio in South Africa including eNCA, The Afternoon Express Show and Cape Talk Radio. She has also been featured in the Weekend Argus and on Bizcommunity.

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503: Creating A Space For Care, Belonging, and Peace – Diana Cutaia

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 03:30:00 -0700

You need to make more space. Get a storage unit for the crap in your life so you can make space for more PEACE in your life. Why? Without PEACE, it's a pretty miserable existence here on the good old planet earth. To help us get there, I've found an awesome guest - Diana Cutaia - who is witty, funny, and GASP a lesbian who coaches people and team to bring more PEACE into their lives and work places.

About Diana

Diana Cutaia founded Coaching Peace in 2012, a company focused on using the power of play and connection to empower organizations and teams to create cultures of care, belonging, and peace. However, the work started for Diana 25 years earlier when she first began to explore the meaning of peace. In that time, she hasn’t just defined it; she has built a brand bringing the principles of Coaching Peace to her vast clientele. Today her clients range from school districts to national organizations and global companies. Diana takes pride in discussing how employers, sports teams, and organizations alike can challenge norms and define a culture that doesn’t just make people feel welcome but makes them feel like it was designed for them. She brings high energy, a sense of humor and great story telling to any conversation!

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502: Blowing Up Your LIfe, To Uncloset Your Life – Francis Yahia

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine, growing up in a cult, being married to a female-to-male transgender individual for 10 years, and through all of that, plus life's other twists and turns, you find your calling to help others come out of their subconscious closets to live their fullest life! Today, Dr. Frances Yahia, tells her story and guides us to uncover the one impure thought we have about ourselves that '"we closet" repeatedly in our lives that gets threaded into every single problem or story we tell (or don't) about ourselves.

About Dr. Frances

Dr. Frances Yahia is an archetypal astrologer, shaman, akashic records' reader, and spiritual counselor based in South Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in Mental Health Counseling and Educational Leadership from Barry University and has studied and taught metaphysics for over two decades. Dr. Yahia's main interests are Jungian analysis with an emphasis on depth psychology, patterns, shadow work, and the use of symbols and archetypes to assist clients with their deepest subconscious patterns. She helps client identify the narratives they've built their lives upon, deconstruct the story and build a new foundation with the clients authentic values and philosophy at the forefront of their life. She is the author of The Seven Gates: Seven Steps beyond Self-Awareness & Witch Bitch: Ceremonies, Rituals and Magic for Gods and Goddesses. She is the President at Hidden Truths College of Metaphysics where she teaches consciousness coaching, her 12 truths to a spiritual path, akashic records, esoteric astrology, universal laws and metaphysics.

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501: Jesus Loves You, Yes He Does You Little LGBTQ Bundle of Joy – Eric Feltes

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Religious trauma. Seems to be the norm for a majority of LGBTQ people that you encoutner. “You’re damned to hell!” or “You’re a sinner!” Of course most those people hurling those words for get that they’re divorced (a sin), have committed adultery (a sin), have eaten pig (a sin), worn woven fabrics (a sin), but all of that is forgivable, but you just can’t be a man and lay with another man, or a woman and lay with another woman – well women that’s ok because men find that pleasing to their naughty little minds. Well listen up you LGBTQ sinners (which you're not), there’s a new minister in town and his name is Eric Feltes and he is sashaying his way into your world on Instagram and TikTok show you a new light for accepting yourself and moving past your religious trauma.

About Eric

Through creativity, authenticity, and courage, Eric Feltes cultivates connection and tells stories in order to inspire others to love themselves and the world around them. In his professional life, he does this through acting and life coaching. Through his coaching business, Eric helps other gay men free themselves from Church shame, a topic he knows a great deal about, seeing as he has lived through this trauma himself. In his free time, Eric loves spending time with his dog, his twenty plants, and his close friends in Los Angeles.

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500: Celebrating Living A No Excuses, No Fears, No Apologies Life – Rick Clemons

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 03:30:00 -0700

In 2014 when my friend Leah Jantzen approached me to take over her radio show - I scoffed and said, "Not my thing!" Well, it's very much my thing and here we are at the 500th Episode of Life (UN)Closeted. What started as an Internet radio show known as The Coming Out Lounge, has now become one of my greatest joys. A place where guiding and inspiring people to come out of the closets of their lives, fills my soul with joy. Today, I want to celebrate by taking you on a journey, of how you, yes you, can dump your excuses, face your fears, and live your unapologetic life. Today, I celebrate you and the 500th Episode and from the bottom of my heart I think you for being a listener. Hope this episode gives you inspiration to step out, step up, and step into living your uncloseted and unapologetic life.

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499: Flying High, Serving Your Country, and Living Your Best Transgender Life – Bree Fram

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine, being told by your Commander In Chief - "You don't matter, you don't count, and you're a danger to our military!" The reality is, he got fired and she's still there, serving the US Space Force and living her best transgender life. Bree Fram, a woman of courage and perseverance, continues to pass the test with honor and integrity. Today we explore her story and her book aptly entitled, With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops In Their Own Words.

About Bree

BREE FRAM is a lieutenant colonel in the US Space Force who has held command at the squadron level, led Air Force security cooperation with Iraq, and led space acquisition programs. She is the President of SPARTA, a transgender military advocacy organization, and is currently the second highest ranking out transgender officer in the US military.

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Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why. Join the 40 Plus Men's Circle. Learn about about - Click Here! Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies P.S. get your free My Bold Life Manifesto, right here - rickclemons.com/manifesto/

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498: Uncloseting Your Inner Vixen – Cat LaCohie

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Whether you're stripping your clothes off or coming out of the closet, it's all about the big reveal. But, what happens when you are terrified to let people see the real you, the you that you're meant to be? Do you freeze, and get scared of exposing your true self to the world? It's time to be confident and stop concerning yourself with what others think and unleash your inner vixen on the world. Actor, award-winning International Burlesque performer, and Speaker Cat LaCohie helps us strip down to our truth so the world can see us for who were truly are - our most authentic selves.

About Cat

Cat LaCohie is a multi-talented LA based British actress, Speaker and award-winning International Variety Burlesque Performer, ‘Vixen DeVille’. In addition to multiple appearances on TV’s, “Masters Of Illusion”, her solo stage show “Vixen DeVille Revealed” toured the US in 2019 picking up multiple awards and is currently being produced as a TV special. With a BA(hons) in Theatre Creation and Solo Performance, plus 15 years experience of performing and teaching burlesque in over 3 continents, Cat has learned how to step out into the world confidently, authentically and unapologetically – her mission is to help others to do the same. In addition to performing for audiences, Cat also teaches her craft to students all over the world. Her unique training is designed for bodies of ALL ages, abilities, shapes and sizes, to break free of others’ restrictive and damaging labels and, to instead, rediscover and celebrate their inner badass, their inner goddess, their inner Vixen! Whether gaining the confidence to step out onto the Burlesque stage, or out of your own front door, this work provides the individual a new found freedom of self-expression, without shame or judgement. It provides the ability to be seen, to eradicate insecurities and in some cases, even prove doctors wrong.m.

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497: Don’t Forget Yourself This Holiday Season – Rick Clemons

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 03:30:00 -0700

It's really easy to get uptight, and lost in the holiday shuffle. Especially when you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and you may not have fond experiences surrounding the holiday. Yet, in the words of RuPaul - "If you can't love yourself, then how the hell you going to learn to love anyone elses!" To that I say, if you can't give yourself some gifts this season to make you appreciate you, then your Schrooged! Give yourself the gift of a listen to this pre-Christmas holiday episode, because if you do, YULE (pun intended) still find time to put a little something under the tree for YOU. Happy Holidays!

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496: Managing loss of life, and being with your gay self – Mike Keren

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 03:30:00 -0700

You're parents are aging, you're settled in your gay life, and all of that gives you plenty of material to come out of the closet as a comedian...until you do. Then life throws you curve balls, and then the comedy comes to you not on stage, but through the words of your book, addressing the challenges of funerals, caring for parents, and managing your gay relationship. So let's dive in and explore - Four Funerals, No Marriage with gay author Mike Keren.

About Mike

Mike Keren is a clinical psychologist with advanced training in psychoanalysis and family therapy. He currently maintains a private practice with adults and couples in central New Jersey, although in the past he has worked in a variety of community and correctional facilities. Although he has a general practice he has a particular interest in working with caregivers as well as helping families talk about end of life issues. Mike enjoys a challenge in his free time and has explored the world of competitive gay tournament bowling (several trophies and a bit of prize money), golf (bored to tears) as well as stand-up comedy. His foray into stand-up comedy even became the subject of a friend’s senior thesis at film school. Mike worked the open mic and bar comedy scene for several years but decided to leave the stage to the younger folks. He decided then to channel his humor into creative writing. His first book is Four Funerals, No Marriage, plunges the readers into Mike's caregiving journey when his loving but difficult parents come to visit and both end up hospitalized over the course of one weekend, followed shortly by his Mother-in-Law also needing care. Keren finds support for the stresses of caregiving over the next three years from his relationship, his friends, and a special affinity to the character of Aurora Greenway from “Terms of Endearment”. Told with humor and compassion the book will bring laughter and tears, sometimes at the same time. Mike is supported in his endeavors by his loving husband, Tom, and their two canine children, Carley and Clyde. They divide their time between central New Jersey and the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

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495: Why there’s nothing wrong with still figuring out your pronouns – (Eli)zabeth Owens

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Nothing anyone did caused them to know they were different. But, they felt it and began exploring it and realized they were on the right path for them. Beyond addiction and into full recovery they found that their music, digital artistry and desire to explore more of who they are, led them to create “Knock Knock,” a psychedelic folk-rock sound recently launched by Baroque-pop singer-songwriter and LGBTQ+ advocate (Eli)zabeth Owens. Join us as we explore the dark side of their ego, confronting and overcoming their alcohol/drug use to achieve sobriety and showcase their individuality in their own unique LGBTQ+ way of being in the world.

About Eli(zabeth)

Baroque-pop singer-songwriter (Eli)zabeth Owens bravely displays their vulnerabilities in their full-length album Knock Knock, released August 13. Knock Knock, the second heavily visual album by (Eli)zabeth Owens, is an ambitious and exhilarating departure from the psychedelic folk-rock sounds they’ve come to be known for. Showcasing an eclectic mix of electronic samples, experimental production and complex vocal layering atop lush arrangements of harp, piano and lead guitar, this avant-garde baroque-pop roller coaster makes for an intense and captivating listen.

Conceptually, Knock Knock is a continuation of Owens' "Coming of Age" saga. Told in three acts, the record explores themes of sobriety, ego deconstruction, and spiritual materialism. For Eli, creating this album helped them explore the dark side of their ego, confronting and overcoming their alcohol/drug use to achieve sobriety.

The 15-song album is laden with experimental sounds of breathing, atmospheric vocals, ocean waves, and samples of ordinary things (rain, record player fuzz, salt & pepper shakers, piggy banks) paired with more traditional instrumentation such as piano, guitar, synth, bass, drum loops, and harp. The fusion of unlikely sound creates an immersive and transformative listening experience that can only be experienced. Eli isn’t concerned with trying to sound like someone else in their music, instead, creating honestly with a passion for the project and what it means to them. Their ability to combine folk mythos and sound with experimental pop production and video components allows Eli to stand out as an artist in today’s oversaturated music industry.

Eli has created enchanting music videos for each song on the album, expressing the transformative and surreal nature of the music to the listener through visual aide.

Eli also helps run an LGBTQ+ benefit label and artist collective called Grimalkin Records. They support marginalized artists (priority to QTBIPOC) through releasing and promoting their music and also connecting them with local advocacy efforts to bridge the gap between art and grassroots activism.

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494: Write Your Stories Your Way – Gregory L. Norris

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 03:30:00 -0700

We all have our story. We live our story daily. And, some of us take our stories, and the stories in our heads and turn them into our passion purpose...as a an author, with thousands of pages of articles and books. Gregory L. Norris is that person, a gay author who writes the stories that brings his life to life, even if many of those stories are fiction...because that is what brings him alive. Today we're exploring his new book, Ex Marks The Spot, and how the joy of coming out to be who he is has shaped his life.

About Gregory

Raised on a healthy diet of creature double features and classic SF TV, Gregory L. Norris writes regularly for numerous short story anthologies, national magazines, novels, and the occasional episode for TV or film. Gregory novelized the NBC Made-for-TV classic by Gerry Anderson, The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity (as well as a sequel and a forthcoming third entry into the franchise for Anderson Entertainment in the U.K.), a movie he watched as an eleven-year-old sitting cross-legged on the living room floor of the enchanted cottage where he grew up. Gregory won HM in the 2016 Roswell Awards in Short SF Writing and took home first place in the Queerotica fiction competition in 2018. He once worked as a screenwriter on two episodes of Paramount’s Star Trek: Voyager. Kate Mulgrew, Voyager’s “Captain Janeway,” blurbed his book of short stories and novellas, The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse, stating, “In my seven years on Voyager, I don’t think I’ve met a writer more capable of writing such a book—and writing it so beautifully.” In late 2019, Gregory sold an option on his modern Noir feature film screenplay, Amandine, to the new Hollywood production company Snarkhunter LLC, owned by actor Dan Lench, a devotee of Gregory’s writing. In late 2020, Snarkhunter optioned Gregory’s tetralogy Horror film based upon four of his short stories, Ride Along. That same month, his short story “Water Whispers” (originally appearing in the anthology 20,000 Leagues Remembered), was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Gregory lives and writes at Xanadu, a century-old house perched on a hill in New Hampshire’s North Country with spectacular mountain views, with his rescue cat and emerald-eyed muse.

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493: – Giving Thanks For Motherhood - However, You Get there - Liz Grubb

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 03:30:00 -0700

You had a plan. Marriage - check. Children - check. Your own flesh and blood family - no check. But that didn’t stop you and you went full-in to become a parent - despite the odds, and challenges. Giving full gratitude this Thanksgiving Eve, my friend Liz Grubb and I uncover her route to non-traditional parenthood and why her forever children are just the right fit for her and her hubby.

About Liz

Liz Grubb is a higher education professional juggling serving students full time and parenting two adoptive special needs children. She and her husband have been foster parents and made two trips overseas to Poland and then to China for intercountry adoption. Her faith, an amazing network of support, and a regular chai latte in hand have helped this mama of two navigate countless therapy sessions, specialist appointments, and a variety of medical procedures. She is currently working at a local private college, co-hosting the podcast 2 Adoptive Mama, and being a wife and a mom. Liz is committed to helping other adoptive mamas thrive professionally and personally amidst the growing needs of family. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, son, and crazy cat.

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492: Never forget our Transgender Brothers and Sisters – Trevor Boylston

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 03:30:00 -0700

"This transgender walked into the bar..." Cringe. Or, "You can tell he's a man by the apple logged in his throat, no matter what dress he wears!" Cruel, cruel, cruel. These are the types of off-handed, transphobic remarks that can have a painful impact on the person in your office, in the cubicle right next to you that causes us to have to honor, those who are no longer with us on Transgender Day of Remembrance. To help us better understand how to be more accepting and supportive of our transgender brothers and sisters, Trevor Boylston, an expert in LGBTQ+ empowerment, and man who happens to be trans, joins us as we honor Transgender Remembrance Day, November 20th.

About Trevor

Trevor Boylston is the guy in the cube next to you who brings the ‘everyman’ perspective to working in a corporate environment as a transgender individual. Trevor’s decision to be open regarding his identity as a transgender man allowed him to develop an open communication path, welcoming questions from colleagues and creating space for growth and learning. With experience driving LGBTQ+ empowerment at a leading medical device company, and volunteer service with a leading LGBTQ+ community health center, Trevor brings an authentic view of how to foster an inclusive culture within a corporate structure. Trevor currently resides in Massachusetts with his wife, toddler, and energetic dog. He works in Supplier Diversity and Sourcing, serves on the Board of Directors for Fenway Health, and founded the Grafton MA LGBTQ+ community organization. He enjoys the sport of curling and spending time creating works of art from stained glass, wood, and acrylic.

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491: Coming out of the AMAB Closet – Kat LaMar

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 03:30:00 -0700

You're a man, with a penis, but you enjoy dressing up as a woman. OMG, you must want to be transgender! Not exactly. Ok, so you want to do strange things to children in bathrooms by dressing up as a woman..HELL NO. Truth is, you are simply a man who likes men and women, and who one day you like presenting as a man, and the next day presenting as a woman, and you enjoy sex with both...Welcome to being gender fluid. Kat LaMar shares his, hers, their story on the life of being a genderfluid individual which actually has nothing to do with their sexual orientation, until it does. Let's go explore gender fluidity.

About Kat

I'm an AMAB (assigned male at birth) who identifies as genderfluid/non-binary. Before I knew those words, I described myself as a "cross dresser." That term is now antiquated and does not reflect my gender identity. I knew I was "different" at around 4 years old. From then until my 20s, I struggled with all of the typical shame and self-hatred associated with feeling different. I told no one. I did everything I could to get rid of it. I was surrounded, as many of us were and are, by toxic masculinity.

I finally came out to someone at age 19. From then, my circle of people who knew about me gradually grew bigger and bigger. Still, I kept a list in my head of people who could never know. I got married and had three kids. They all knew and embraced it. I was lucky. For unrelated reasons, my wife and I separated in 2017. It was then that I decided I didn't want to have a "circle" of people who knew and a list of people who didn't. I decided to come out to the world, via social media, of course. I credit a girlfriend I had at the time. Although we only were together for about two months, she left me with one of the best pieces of wisdom I had ever heard: give those around you the change to love you as a queer person. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by so many people who love and embrace my authentic self-the authentic version of me who I hated and tried to get rid of for so long.

My sexual orientation follows a pretty similar arc. I knew as a child that I liked girls. But I also liked guys. I had the same feelings of guilt and shame. I hid it from everyone and tried to rid myself of it. Eventually, there was a small circle of people who I told. That circle got bigger and bigger, until there was no circle at all. My wife, who was also bisexual, knew and embraced it. I identify as pansexual and polyamorous. Ironically, I'm not currently seeing anyone.

Living authentically is critical to living a happy and satisfying life. There is nothing like it.

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490: How To Not Let Addiction Rule Your LGBTQ Life This Holiday Season – Gregory Silva

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 03:30:00 -0700

The holidays are upon us along with the fun, joy, and STRESS. So how do you not let the stress drive you into your potential addiction, or ratchet up that addiction? You take the necessary steps to say, I need help. You also realize as an LGBTQ inidivual that you are up to 10x's more likely to become an addict than our heterosexual counterparts on the planet. Helping us unravel the mysteries of addiction and offering up ways to combat it, Gregory Silva, Director of Operations at Living Longer Recovery, joins us for a candid conversation about addiction and recovery...just in time for the holidays!

About Gregory

Gregory Silva was born and raised on a farm in Northern California. After graduating from Sonoma State University, he was employed in the media industry and various international marketing firms. This career path took him all over the world, and at one point he was even living and working in France. However, in 2012, Gregory’s best friend overdosed and passed away. Looking for answers to the addiction plague, Gregory ended up changing careers in order to help people recover from addiction and live fuller lives. He is now dedicated to educating people suffering from addiction, as well as their loved ones and employers, about the pathways to recovery. As the Director of Operations at Living Longer Recovery, he enjoys the challenges that come with the position and the opportunity to help change the direction of the clients he encounters. In his spare time, you will find him volunteering and rescuing abandoned pets.

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489: Learning To Lovingly Say – It’s My Time – Joey Salinas

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Sometimes you hit a big block wall life and realize "It's My Time!" Through heartache, a wake up call or even a simple moment when you realize you do need to put yourself in the driver's seat of your life, and that's ok, no matter what anyone else says. Singer, artist, and dancer Joey Salinas, a a latin gay man, channeled all that energy into his latest pop song "My Time / Too Much Goin On" to help him come out of the closet of making others more important than himself. This is his Life (UN)Closeted story.

About Joey

Joey Salinas’ “My Time / Too Much Goin On” is a traditional pop song about reclaiming one’s worth, not allowing anyone to define you, and accepting that some people are around for a reason or a season and it is up to you to know when their time is up. Joey Salinas wrote the song after a tumultuous relationship that left him feeling empty and depleted. “I had lost all motivation,” he recalls. “I needed to reignite my spark so I left Los Angeles for a summer to get back to me.” While out on his personal adventure, Joey enjoyed a romantic fling that taught him what he truly wanted from future relationships. He returned home reinvigorated and determined to jump back into his craft. He channeled his past frustration into not only “My Time”, but the entire Identity: Chapter 1 album. “My Time was the first song I cut and it helped shape the sound for the rest of the project, one that echoed my first album, ‘In the Beginning…’” Joey Salinas’ “My Time / Too Much Goin On” is available now on Apple Music, along with all tracks from Identity: Chapter 1. The music video for “My Time / Too Much Goin On” is available at YouTube. “Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and push forward,” Joey Salinas continues from his Los Angeles home. “That may mean letting go of those who no longer benefit your life. Too many of us continue in relationships that aren’t working in the misguided hope that things will get better. Most often, they will not. I learned that it is liberating to finally realize that you can move on to a bigger, more powerful life.” “My Time / Too Much Goin On” is the fourth video release from Identity: Chapter 1, Joey Salinas’ pop album that is sprinkled with dance, R&B, rock, Latin fusion, and electro beats. Each song on the album represents a different facet of his life. The title track reflects on his many shades, colors and textures. “Stomp” attests to his drive to achieve goals; and “Wonderland” examines a romantic love in its infancy. The overall message is one of self-discovery; figuring out what defines you as an individual. “I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum,” Joey reflects. “And I have always felt multi-layered, like there is more than one version of me.”

In the music video for “My Time”, Joey Salinas plays multiple characters to depict his different sides. Drawing inspiration from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, he and director Wes Culwell created a concept of being trapped in a loop; in an illusion and not knowing it, like Alice in the film. Joey likens Alice’s experience to being trapped in a toxic relationship.

The video was shot over two days in Washington DC. It was choreographed by Viktor Wallace; assisted by Joey. Andrea Masse-Tognetti of Merimask best known for creating the Egyptian masks for Katy Perry's Prismatic Tour, created the White Rabbit steampunk mask that Joey wears in the video.

Other Alice in Wonderland characters viewers will recognize are The Madd Hatter as the master manipulator, The Caterpillar as the accomplice, and The Cheshire Cat as the pied piper DJ who helps lure victims into the illusion. The Red Queen appears as the bad influence and the tweedles are represented by the bartender and bar patrons. Joey Salinas was born and raised in northern Virginia, the oldest of four children. He was of the latchkey generation, so spent a lot of time alone in his bedroom with his music. Mariah Carey, George Michael, Aerosmith, and Janet Jackson were his favorite pop artists and they remain a strong influence today. Much of Joey Salinas’ music today explores the many facets of his identity. He is a strong believer that representation matters and while his songs’ sounds and subject matter are mainstream and universal, he expresses them from his own unique perspective as a gay man of Latin descent. Joey Salinas’ “My Time / Too Much Goin On” is available now on Apple Music, along with all tracks from Identity: Chapter 1. The music video for “My Time / Too Much Goin On” will premiere on YouTube.

Follow Joey Salinas on Facebook @JoeySalinasMusic and on his YouTube channel.

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488: Kicking ass and taking names, even when bedridden – Andrea Mastrobattista

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and before you know it, you find yourself in bed, and not for the funnest reasons. For many of us that would mean - THIS LIFE SUCKS! For others, it means kick yourself in the ass, even though your ass is the reason you're bedridden and transforming nearly overwhelming physical challenges and into your greatest superpowers. Inspirational is the best way to describe Andrea Mastrobattista who shares her journey out of the closet of a medical condition that bound her to bed for over three years.

About Andrea

Andrea Mastrobattista is an inspirational speaker, workshop facilitator and Chief Empowerment Officer at her company, Operation INSPIRATION. Born with spina bifida and recently coming off a more-than-three-year journey on strict bedrest healing a Stage IV Pressure Ulcer, Andrea is known to her audience as InspiraWoman, and she’s widely recognized for her resilient nature and her ability to take any adversity she faces and transform it into one of her superpowers. Andrea’s credo and her message to the world is: No matter what challenges you face, you have what it takes to create and live the life you love. And through her inspirational work, Andrea helps you to recognize, embrace and embody your unique, innate ability to be who you truly are so you can have that life you were meant to live.

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487: How To Have A Blessed Gay – Tyler Martin

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 03:30:00 -0700

One of 6 children. Surrounded by a family of pastors. Drawn to theater. Is it any wonder why one might be GAY? Well bless your heart. When grow up in White Settlement, Texas (yes that is a for real city deep in the heart of Texas), and you're called (he hates that term BTW) to the arts and theater, you just gotta let your gay shine and shine it has for Tyler Martin. Join us on a fun filled, spiritual, and religious romp through being gay, deep in the heart of Texas, even though he now resides in little 'ol New York, New York!

About Tyler

Tyler Martin is an award-winning actor, writer, comedian, singer, and podcast host. Originally from small town Texas, he now works out of NYC. He began acting professionally at a young age and has continued into adulthood, receiving a BFA in Musical Theatre with an emphasis in Acting and Directing. Since his move to NYC, he has worked in multiple Off-Broadway and Regional shows, performed as a stand-up comedian, and worked in independent film. Tyler wrote, directed and is the leading character of the award-winning LGBTQ+ short-form series "DON’T SUCK," which can be found on YouTube. From the show’s success (over 5 million channel views), he created and hosts the spiritual-comedy podcast "Have a Blessed Gay," which was named one Feedspot’s Top LGBTQ podcasts of 2020 and Stitcher’s Top Podcast Picks. Tyler critically discusses religion, spirituality, & social issues from an outcast’s perspective and features discussions and interviews with celebrities, faith leaders, and experts of various faiths and traditions who are trying to make the world a better place. Continuously working toward social justice, Tyler is a featured author for the new book, "The Deconstructionist Playbook," exploring how to navigate religious deconstruction.

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486: Why National Coming Out Day Matters – Rick Clemons

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 03:30:00 -0700

It happens every October 11th, since 1988 - National Coming Out Day. The day was founded in 1988 by Richard Eichberg, a psychologist and Jean O'Leary, a gay rights activist, to raise awareness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and its civil rights movement. They chose October 11th to mark the anniversary of the second major National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place 1987. With estimates of half a million people participating, it was nearly five times the size of the first march in 1979. National Coming Out Day is observed throughout the U.S. and other countries around the world. Today we celebrate all those who have come out, and those who have yet to come out. It is a personal choice and one to be celebrated when the time is right. Here's support for those how need it and those who want to celebrate coming out.

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485: It’s ok to come out, and come out again – Jenna Slaughter

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 03:30:00 -0700

It's one thing to come out, but to do it again...oy vey. That takes guts, bravery, and courage. Yet, when we are who we are, the world is so much easier to navigate. That's why, we, Jenna Slaughter and I believe it is important to have the conversation about being exactly in the world just as you are. Jenna is a non-binary individual who first came out as Lesbian (which is about sexual orientation), then they came out as non-binary (which is about gender identity). It's the perfect authenticity conversation about being your most authentic self as we head into National Coming Out Day - October 11th.

About Jenna

Self-love Coach, Speaker, Holistic Embodiment Educator, Podcaster and LGBTQ+ Mental Health activist. They help perfectionists and people pleasers get out of cycles of self-sabotage so the can gain momentum to take off!

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484: Lessons Learned, Coming Out Late In Life – Rick Clemons

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

It's been 22 years, since I finally made the brave step to come out of the closet after living for 36 years in the closet. It was scary, exciting, worrisome, and joyful. Here are a few things I've since learned about coming out of the closet, that I hope will inspire some of you to take the brave step to just be yourself...YOU'RE WORTH IT!

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483: Why We Need All Need a Drag SUPER-SHERO – Anthony Hand

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

What do you do when you need some help? Call a super hero. But what do you do when you've been medically laid up, off work, and then jsut as you come out of that challenge, COVID-19 hits? You finally let your dream to be a superhero come to life...or you create your Drag Super-SHERO. Anthony Hand let the solitude of COVID-19 bring his dream of creating a comic book character come to life by introducing the world to the first Drag Super-Shero - Maxxie LAWOW. He's sharing his journey and the impact he hopes to have on the world when you know what the world needs is SHERO!

About Anthony Hand

Creator, Director, Producer: Anthony Hand is a product designer and former entrepreneur in Silicon Valley where he puts his storytelling skills to use on a daily basis. Anthony has seen every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race since Season 1, frequents local and national cabaret and theater, and is a recovering comic book geek. Drag legend Dina Martina is his spirit totem. Anthony is the president of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.

Anthony is bringing his feature-length animated film MAXXIE LAWOW: Drag Super-Shero to life featuring the very first drag heroine. Backed by both private investors and a fandom that meets at the intersection of LGBTQ+ culture, anime, and a comicbook universe that Marvel and DC have yet to venture into. It will be marked by the film’s “Adventure Reel” screening in LGBT+ bars and cafes in major markets around the globe and be the world’s first introduction to these over the top, out of the box characters. The films crowdsourced funding initiative on IndieGoGO launches in September of 2021

Anthony believes the world has never needed a super-shero more than during these times that can only best be categorized as “Other”… much like his characters. Our super-shero’s first silver screen adventure pits her against her archnemesis Dana Bolical. With a nefarious scheme tucked-up and ready for every situation, Dana will quickly become the villain audiences love to hate. The first animated film to feature a drag superhero—and villain!--, Maxxie LaWow will feature a strong LGBTQ+ and BIPOC cast that will make turn heads and raise carefully plucked eyebrows as it evovlves into a camp favorite that will go down in HERstory.

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482.1: Special Edition – Making It Work For 20 Years – The Anniversary Edition – Rick Clemons

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Today I celebrate 20 years with my guy, my man, and I don't mean that in an ownership sort of way. I mean it in a "look what we've created" way. It takes love, work, patience, understanding, and getting each other, to make it this far. Here's my insights about what I have learned over the last 20 years with my man, George Solis to make it work, work, work.

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482: There’s No Shame In Sex – Rick Clemons

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

It's time for the "sex shame" brigade to sashay away. For to many years, those ashamed of sex, except for the purpose of procreation, have tried to shame the rest of us into submission. Well, "Buh-bye, and buh-bye, to you pent up angry sex-deprived individuals!" We're queer and we're here because God made us to be humans and sexual humans and to enjoy our sexual selves not be shamed into hating sex. Rant over, not over, so listen to my take on sex shaming the LGBTQ community to hell.

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481: Making Quantum Leaps In Your LGBTQ Relationship – Jennifer and Stephanie PageWise

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Relationships are wonderful and ho hum. Loving and conflicted. Easy and challenging. Then add a dose of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, polyamorous, or any of the other sexual orientations, gender identities or ways of being in a committed relationship, and the plot thickens. Or does it have to? Bring their own unique sense for awakening relationships to make quantum leaps of success - regardless of your sexual orientation, gender identity, or form of your intimate relationship, Jennifer and Stephanie PageWise want your intimate partnerships to thrive - using three primary pillars. Listen as they guide us to be open to their formula for creating a relationship that is grounded in learning, loving, and leaning into the unknown.

About Jennifer and Stephanie

Jennifer and Stephanie PageWise are Quantum Relationship Coaches who work with the LGBTQ+ community. Their mission is to bring more love to the world, one relationship at a time. They focus on creating holy relationships through teaching self-love, boundaries and communication. They have been married for a year and have been through the wringer in their relationship: They met, disability occurred, they broke up, found their Authentic Self based in their Spiritual Path and then found their way back to a solid, healthy, loving relationship. They have identified the major components that go wrong in relationships and have developed tools to help people learn the ways to have true intimacy and build rock-solid relationships.

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480: Why You Should Come Out Regardless Of Your Age – Rick Clemons

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Whether you're 30, 40, 50, 60, etc. , it's never too late to come out and there are actually huge benefits to coming out and being authentically you in your sexuality. Here's a few of the most common reasons to come out and be who you are, even when you think you are to old, or have wasted too much time.

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479: Coming Out To Be A One Arm Wonder – Nick Gatto

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Stuttering, and one arm

About Nick

Nick is an incredibly unique individual. Born with only one arm, Nick was forced to turn what many would call a handicap into an unforeseen opportunity. Nick grew up playing sports and was blessed with the opportunity to play football at both the collegiate and professional levels. He has been featured in many local and national publications and TV shows including USA Today, FOX SPORTS LIVE, ESPN, and The George Michael Sports Machine.

In 2004 he founded a kicking and punting school - 4th and 10 - where he now trains and works with specialists at all levels including NFL, NCAA, and High School. Over the years his clients began to ask questions regarding motivation, nutrition, and life skills.

In 2017 he decided to enroll and join the Institute of Integrative Nutrition earning his certification. Seeking further knowledge, Nick received additional certifications in nutrition through Precision Nutrition in 2019.

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478: Embracing The Season of Your Life – Christine Sako

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 03:30:00 -0700

In the midst of the lovely and unexpected pandemic - COVID19 - love can was found and lost. It was a season. A season that brought to a head by a clear cut understanding that you can think and feel one way about the person you are in a relationship with, only to find out they are thinking and feeling a completely different way, and suddenly - GAME OVER - or in this songwriter/singers case - THAT'S THE END OF THIS SEASON!

Yet, seasons are meant to start and stop, come and go, and that's why for Asian American singer songwriter, Christine Sako, the season of falling in and out love during a pandemic helped her realize you gotta be real with the journey and the situation if you are ever going to grow. Her new song Seasoned, takes us on a journey to her truth of being exactly who she is meant to be in the world.

About Christine

Asian American indie synth pop artist unveiled a fresh chapter of her music career with her new single “Seasoned."

Known for peeling back the layers of everyday problems and human experiences, Sako is a master at uncovering the depths of life while keeping her music captivating and one-of-a-kind. Layered with gorgeous harmonies and bright instruments, “Seasoned” showcases Sako’s strong writing and overall musical imaginativeness.

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477: The Beauty of Being Flawed And Complicated – Benji Carr

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 03:30:00 -0700

We're all flawed, all complicated, and all hunger to be accepted to be just who we are in the world. But, we also desire to feel safe. The bigger question is, "How do you feel safe when everyone sees you as flawed or complicated?" You don't let them IMPACT your life. You live you, and share your flawed and complicated life, even if that means you admit you've been abused - physically and emotionally...because someone else needs to hear your story. Benji Carr, author, journalist, and performer, takes us on his journey to come out of his closet - gay and otherwise - to embrace his flaw with making it complicated journey.

About Benji

As a child growing up in the South with cerebral palsy, Benji Carr developed an eye for the bizarre and quirky, which provided all of the stories he told his friends and family with a bit of flavor. Working as a journalist, storyteller and playwright, his work – whether the stories be personal tales of struggle and survival or fiction about cannibal lunch ladies, puppet romances, drag queen funerals, and perverted killer circus clowns – has been featured in The Guardian, ArtsATL and Pembroke Magazine. Onstage, his pieces have been presented at the Center for Puppetry Arts, Alliance Theatre, and as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival in Manhattan. He lives in Atlanta and helps run the online literary magazine, Gutwrench Journal. IMPACTED is his first novel.

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476: Uncloseting your dating life – Tyler Greenberg

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Dating is either an adventure or a thorn in your side. Then add to the mix being LGBTQ and all that comes with dating the same sex, dating both men and women, or trying to explain the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity, and the dating world needs a whole new way to interact. Well how about connecting with connection and having a real conversation on that first encounter rather than depending on the standard, tried and true - posed profile pic, short description, likes/dislikes, and then swipe right or left. Enter Teleport.co. Stop swiping, start dating from the comfort of your own space, with real online connections...not just a photo. It's a new way of brining connection to your dating adventure and helping you get where you're trying to get - meeting your people, finding your person. Founder, Tyler Greenberg shares their idea and his candid views on what is wrong with the dating environments today, and how Teleport.co is getting ready to shake up the dating world - regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

About Tyler

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475: Coming out of abuse, debt, obesity, and living inauthentically – Travis Daigle

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 03:30:00 -0700

From being an obese young man who was bullied, to bullying himself into a job that everyone else - including himself - thought was the perfect path for him, Travis Daigle just couldn't come out to be himself, until he realized, the Army was calling. Tricked into joining and being told they would teach him how to swim, Travis takes on his own coming out journey to live life on the other side of abuse, obesity, misery in a corporate job, to step into the world as an Army Green Beret which has now lead him to be a speaker who values the journey of living your life on your own terms.

About Travis

Travis Daigle overcame a childhood haunted by physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, he battled obesity, weighing over 300 pounds at 17 years old. After years of failed attempts, in the midst of constant bullying at school, he lost over 100 pounds, as he began his college career at the University of Houston. There, he would spend 5 years grinding out sleepless nights spent studying, dealing with financial struggles, and overcoming social awkwardness from his past. In May of 2005 he graduated with honors, majoring in Electrical Engineering as a 1st-Generation College student. After a brief stay in Corporate America, Travis decided that he needed a deeper sense of purpose at work. In August of 2007, he enlisted in the US Army with hopes of becoming a Special Forces Soldier a.k.a. Green Beret. At the time, he was 25 years old. He had never been on a hike, never shot a gun, never been camping, and he didn't know how to swim. He would go on to graduate in the top 20% of his class of Green Beret's and spend a year deployed to combat in Afghanistan. During the two and a half year Special Forces Assessment Process, he would also pay off $60,000 dollars of debt and leave the military in 2012, debt-free. Today, Travis continues to challenge himself as he pursues competition as a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter. He speaks with the hope that his story will help others to meet life's challenges with the determination to Adapt and Overcome.

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474: They Can’t All Be Betty – Angela Briones

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 03:30:00 -0700

you Do you ever wish your parents were as accepting of you as Betty DeGeneres was of Ellen? Or maybe you wish you could just accept that your parents our on a journey, just like you, when you make that grand announcement that you are LGBTQ? We all have our moments where we wish, wish, wish we could have more acceptance - one family at a time.

Banding together, in true LGBTQ fashion, Angel Briones - creator and host of the "They Can't All Be Betty" podcast - and I take you a dual podcast recording venture to talk about families, coming out, and how we can all be Betty in our own way when we allow open-minded conversations to take place in the coming out process.

About Angela

Angela Briones is the creator and host of the podcast They Can't All Be Betty, where she flips the lens on the coming-out story, invites families into the conversation, and opens the closet one story at a time. You can follow her on Instagram at @theycantallbebettypodcast.

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473: Overcoming the Inner Saboteur – Yannick Picard

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Whether you're coming out of the closet or leaving a job that is sucking the life out of you, as you make that decision, your ugly little saboteurs are going to show up, you know those inner critics, to throw you off track. They don't want you to do what you want to do most. Instead they want to throw you curve balls to play it safe. That all ends today. Or at least let's try to make it the beginning of the end with your inner saboteur. Fellow coach Yannick Picard and I take on our inner saboteurs and guide to the work of Shirzad Chamine’s, New York Times bestseller and Stanford lectures about the 9 Ways We Self Sabotage. If you're ready to move forward out of your stuckness, this is the podcast to kick start your journey and to kick your saboteur in the ass.

About Yannick

Yannick Picard was only 16 years old when he was bitten by the coaching “bug”. He was watching a late-night infomercial and actually purchased the Tony Robbin’s Personal Power audio cassette program. He was blown away with what he learned from the 30-day personal development program.

Back then, “coaching” was a term reserved for sports coaches, and being pre-internet days, Yannick put the desire aside as he couldn’t find training for it.

Since then, Yannick has been a highly successful associate in the corporate/business world, a top selling Real Estate Broker and even a personal trainer!

Let’s be clear, it wasn’t all roses and sunshine in the 25 years that followed. Yannick, as most do, experienced life’s rollercoaster ride of ups and downs and he didn’t understand why relationships, and careers seemed to come so easily for many, yet remained elusive for him.

Then, he met a guy. “THE guy”. Out of nowhere, he ended 9 months of happy, fun dating and in doing so, lit the fuse that made a KABOOM in Yannick’s world.

Shortly thereafter, an opportunity came up to be a certified coach.

Yannick jumped at it. Yannick’s desire to help people overcome their saboteurs, increase their level of confidence, and transform their lives has developed into his mission, purpose, and pathway.

Today, Yannick helps people uncover what’s stopping them from living the life and the relationships of their dreams. He teaches them how to expose and weaken their saboteurs and strengthen their inner sage; break free from and transform their limiting beliefs and create a vision for what they would love to have. By sharing his unique tools and strategies, Yannick helps them make their dream a reality

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472: Liberated Living For Gay Men – Matthew Raymond

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 03:30:00 -0700

So why is it that gay men say they want love, success, happiness, but they let fear and and failure get in the way? Surprisingly it stems from a lot of internalized shame and beliefs that we are simply "not enough!" To prove that theory wrong, burned out teacher and fellow life coach Matthew Raymond and I dive deep into the world of liberated living as a gay man, as we explore what you can do when you dump your fears, excuses, shame and guilt for being who you are.

About Matthew

Matthew Raymond is a gay life coach and the creator of Liberated Living. He brings his former experience as a teacher and community organizer into his coaching practice. Matthew works primarily with individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, supporting them to unpack their shame, stop performing, and live more authentically. He loves working with anyone who has a vision of who they want to be, but are held back by thoughts of who they “should” be. More than anything, Matthew is a lover, a healer, and a great listener. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with his husband and dog.

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471 – How To Be An Out Entrepreneur – Jacob Ratliff

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 03:30:00 -0700

There's a crazy correlation to coming out of the closet and coming out to be an entrepreneur. As we wrap up the month of celebrating pride, let's not forget to celebrate who you are in all aspects of life, especially in your life's work. Jacob Ratliff, is a client attraction coach who helps LGBTQ entrepreneurs build their dream businesses, to be out and proud in the world, doing the work that that they love - regardless of their sexuality.

About Jacob

Jacob Ratliff is a Client Attraction Coach and entrepreneur based in Asheville, North Carolina. Using his identity and lived experiences as the catalyst for creating his business, Jacob uplifts people and helps them to grow their businesses by leaning into their authentic, confident, empowered selves. With over five years’ experience in growing clients’ businesses as well as his own, Jacob is uniquely positioned to help high impact coaches build intimate relationships online to attract high-paying clients.

Over the past five years he has developed the Organic Client Attraction System™, a comprehensive training and coaching program that helps entrepreneurs increase brand awareness and visibility, create meaningful engagement, and maintain long-term clients. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Jacob enjoys uplifting fellow entrepreneurs and coaches and has shared his story in Chris Guillebeau’s Side Hustle School, Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal Community, and several other publications as well.

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470 – Raising LGTBQ Allies – Chris Tompkins

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:30:00 -0700

What started from his own experiences on the playground and in his familial unit, has led to those moment. A moment where sexuality and gender identity need to be viewed as sacred space for each and everyone of us and human beings. A moment where we can all be eased into a healthy sense of sexual and gender identity, without the messages from the playground of life damaging us at our core.

Author Chris Tompkins, shares insights from his new book, Raising LGBTQ Allies, an awesome guide for the non-LGTBQ ally to learn how to squelch the wrong messages that cause scars that deeply wound individuals in the LGBTQ community.

About Chris

Chris Tompkins is a teacher, TEDx speaker, spiritual life coach, and LGBTQ inner-advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. He’s also the author of the forthcoming book, Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground. The book is available for purchase at most book retailers.

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469: Watch Out, Tranpa In The House – Buck Angel

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Never one to walk away from a fight or a belief system, Buck Angel is coming out swinging this PRIDE Season letting everyone know that TRANPA is in the house. But what is TRANPA? An elder TRANSMAN who is not going to be told, " Go sit down TRANPA and let us younger TRANSMEN take the lead now!" All Buck is asking for is some respect. Respect for those who've gone before us all in our fight for equality rights and voice as we celebrate pride season this year.

About

Buck Angel is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pioneering filmmaker, and a human rights activist. Buck Angel's message of empowerment through self-acceptance and the mission to encourage everyone to be comfortable in their own skin - whatever that means to them - has struck a passionate chord with people around the world.

Buck was born female on June 5,1962. He never felt female and struggled through life until he had the life-changing opportunity to transition from female to male and finally live life authentically. He had many obstacles during his transition mostly due to no information for transitioning for FTM transsexuals. But with the help of compassionate doctors, he lives his truth and now can help to educate the world with his story. His mission is to inspire people to re-define gender and to foster a new generation as they discover the fluidity of sexuality and navigate gender politics. His message "It's not what between your legs that defines you" has sparked many a conversation and opened minds to the important message that gender is what you say it is for you, and that self-acceptance is not only what makes a person happy, it's how others come to understand you. Buck has made appearances on HBO, National Geographic, Netflix, The Tyra Banks Show, Dan Savage, AOL, Spike TV, The Women's Entertainment Network, Howard Stern Show, Much Music, Sirius Radio, and many others. He's been written about in Forbes ,Esquire, Cosmo, VICE, Huffington Post, ELLE, Buzz Feed, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Time Out, Maxim, New York Times, and other publications around the world. Armistead Maupin included Buck Angel in his latest book Michael Tolliver Lives. In August 2016 Buck produced the world’s first pleasure product specifically for the transgender male community. His product, called The Buck Off, was produced in collaboration with Perfect Fit Brand as a means to re-imagine a transmale sexuality and the specific needs his community looks for. The Buck off won most innovative pleasure product at AVN and XBIZ 2017.

2017 Buck created T-Lube with Sliquid and is the first lubrication to be directly targeted to trans male vaginal health. Once again creating conversation about trans healthcare where there was none. 2016 HBO's The Trans List Buck is one of the featured speakers. In 2013 Mr. Angel a documentary about Buck's life premiered at the SXSW film festival to rave reviews. It won a Telly Award for Non-Broadcast Productions Film/Video - Social Issues. Aired on Netfilx, Amazon and Itunes. Angel's groundbreaking documentary series, titled Sexing The Transman, has shown worldwide and opened a new audience’s idea to what trans male can be and is. Visit sexingthetransman.com to see this series in its entirety. British artist Marc Quinn created a life sized sculpture of Buck Angel, that was included in the sculptor's global tour. The sculpture is now a permanent piece in The Adelaide Museum of Classical art in Australia. Angel made history when he received the prestigious award from Adult Video News (AVN) for Transsexual Performer of the Year in 2007 for his groundbreaking work in the adult entertainment industry. Buck is the first trans man to win this award. Buck created this genre and has since won a second award for his work, 2017 AVN award for Best Transsexual scene.

Buck partnered with longtime trans activist and photographer Leon Mostovoy to create Pride Wellness [pridewellness.net]. A cannabis company that has made it focuses the LGBTQ community. To educate about the use of cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs. Both Leon and Buck have many years of sobriety from drugs and alcohol. They believe in natural medicine and the amazing benefits that cannabis has to long-term health. Conversations with Trans men: Talking identity/transition/Sex is now on Amazon Prime. It is the first transgender series of its kind to be included on this platform. Teaching people worldwide that not all trans men are the same. Angel travels the world spreading his message of self-love, compassion and exploring how to live authentically in your own body.

Buck Angel Entertainment has been on the cutting edge of producing trans male sexual wellness products and films since 2002. Known for taking the subject matter of transgender sexuality and bringing it to the world. Award-winning films that have shown all over the world and now are used in many Universities to help educate about trans male sexuality.

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468 – Bisexual or Pansexual or What Does It Matter – Fabian Luetzig

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Sometimes it's not clear where you land on the sexuality spectrum. It my even gradually present itself to you in a manner that isn't a big reveal. For some people it truly is a gradual awareness that this is who I am, and I don't fit into any particular box or letter of the LGBTQIA alphabet, but they no for sure they aren't 100% heterosexual.

Today we explore the world of bisexuality and pansexuality as we celebrate another beautiful aspect of being out and proud as you are in your own way with Fabian Luetzig.

About Fabian

For the longest time, Fabian had no idea that he was part of the LGBTQ community. Six years

into an amazing marriage and… surprise! Four years later he’s here to tell you that a mixed-

orientation marriage can work – with a lot of patience, humility and soul-baring. He’s still

learning to claim and communicate the label ‘bisexual’.

In his professional life, Fabian is a professional leadership development coach certified by the

International Coach Federation. He coaches young and emerging leaders as well as senior

managers on the cusp of breaking into the executive level. Fabian is a coach training facilitator

for Erickson Coaching International. Fabian regularly hosts ‘Erickson Live – Coaching

Conversations That Ignite’ and more occasionally his personal podcast ‘The Global Campfire of

Coaching’. He also facilitates trainings for top-tier international organizations such as the

United Nations. Check out his TEDx talk ‘Surfing With Robots – How to master any job transition

authentically’. Get in touch if you are interested in group coaching programs aimed specifically

at folks who identify as bisexual, pansexual et al. and we’ll make something happen!

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467 – Gender FCK the Stereotypes – Rae McDaniel

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:30:00 -0700

FCK GENDER! At least that's what a sector of our world population about the twice the population of Canada has to say. But what does that mean when THEY don't identify as he/him/his or she/her/hers? It simply means they see themselves as something other than the norm. So why should that boggle the minds of the rest of us? It shouldn't, but it does, only because we have to re-engineer our own societal grooming about what gender really means.

Rae McDaniel, sex therapist and coach walks us through this "new" way of being in the world as who you are, no need for apologies. We kick off Pride Month with this candid informative interview.

About

Rae McDaniel is a non-binary gender and sex therapist-turned-coach who works with transgender/non-binary/questioning folks feeling lost while transitioning their gender identity. They are the creator of GenderFck: The Club, a one-of-a-kind, research-based online group coaching community of transgender/non-binary/questioning folks who are on a mission to transition with less suffering and more ease. Rae is the founder of Practical Audacity, a gender and sex therapy practice in Chicago. They also provide training for medical and mental health professionals wishing to uplevel their knowledge in trans-affirming care. Rae holds a Master's of Education in community counseling.

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466 – Godly But Gay – Joel Barrett

Wed, 26 May 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Just remember this. GOD LOVES YOU...EVEN IF YOU'RE LGBTQIA! If you don't believe that, then you need to read this little book - Godly But Gay. Because you can be Godly But Gay! Just ask Joel Barrett, a conversation therapy dropout. He knows first-hand the challenge of try to hold God in your heart, and loving yourself and having room for both. In his newly released book Godly But Gay, Joel shares how he lived a life of fear and shame for over 30 years, until he came face to face with himself when he had an encounter with another closeted gay minister. As we kick off PRIDE Month, Joel gives us a glimpse into how you can love GOD and love YOURSELF, just as GOD would want you to.

About Joel

Joel Barrett of Joel Speaks Out is an LGBTQ Author, Speaker, and Gatherer. He is recognized for his honesty in sharing his story as a former Baptist pastor and survivor of ex-gay therapy. He has a unique ability to bring people together, and his message encourages everyone to challenge their fears and live with authenticity and transparency.

Joel is a regular guest expert on podcasts, news reports, and panel discussions. His story has been featured on StoryCorps, Risk!, The Daily Mail, and more. He is the co-author of Cultivating Culture Like a Garden: Reaping the Harvest of Diversity & Inclusion. His memoir Godly…But Gay is now available at JoelSpeaksOut.com

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465 – How to be an accepting parent to your LGBTQIA child – Zach Selch

Wed, 19 May 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Parenthood. One of the most rewarding and challenging roles on planet earth. Then add to the mix that your child reveals they are non-binary, or a lesbian, or both, but both meaning that two of your 3 children are now expressing they are not gendered or identifying in the sexuality that you would have thought. What do you do? You grow, you learn, you then take the family out for ice cream. Zach Selch helps to kick off the pre-PRIDE shows with this candid conversation where he shares his journey as a Father of a non-binary individual and a lesbian daughter. It didn't stop how he loves and it shouldn't stop how anyone loves their child. Happy pre-pride and don't forget - we are who we are...yes it is that simple.

About Zach

At 11 he was living in a 29 foot trailer on cinder blocks behind a gas station in rural Pennsylvania. At 15 he was fending for himself. At 19 he was a paratrooper scout sergeant leading men into combat. Zach has breakfasted with the Dalai Lama, run the original course marathon in Greece, was in Germany when the wall came down, Jordan when the peace treaty with Israel was signed, and been in a surprising number of right places at the right time. Zach has sold to more than 100 governments as well as to some of the biggest corporations in the biggest economies in the world. Zach has spent time at War College, a world class business school, and at the University of North Carolina BBQ pitmaster certification school.

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464 – Thriving beyond the closet of prison – Travis Barnes

Wed, 12 May 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Anyone who is living their life in the closet, is living their life in prison - a metaphorical prison. But, how does that closet feel when it is an actual prison cell where you find yourself living for 10 years? Will your life ever be the same on the other side of that prison once you are released? Dive into this candid conversation about life in prison and life in the closet, and see the parallels as Travis Barnes shares his life uncloseted story beyond the life of prison.

About Travis

Before Travis Barnes became a best selling author, international presenter, founder and franchisor of Journey Fitness 333 he spent a decade of his life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. Upon returning home to his wife and daughter he worked hard to buy them a home of their own only to have it flooded to the second floor. Travis Barnes began his fitness franchise while on an unemployment check and living in a FEMA trailer. Simply put Travis Barnes is an overcomer and it is his passion to help others overcome adversity and live their dreams.

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463: From Pastor’s Wife To Taking Care Of Orgasms – Sabrina Torres

Wed, 05 May 2021 03:30:00 -0700

At 19 she was married. Didn't got to college. Became the Mom of three autistic kids, and in her kids playgroup, she fell in love - real love - with the woman who would one day become her wife. Sabrina Torres shares her journey from pastors wife to owner of thriving online adult sex toy store. Buckle up kiddies, we're no longer sitting in the pews, but the life she is leading is her truth and her blessing and its the inspiration for you to Make Yourself Happy.™️

About Sabrina

She went from depressed pastor's wife to out, thriving, sex toy shop owner. Her story is essentially a journey of becoming a seeker of happiness. She found that first in coming out, then in becoming an entrepreneur, and being able to care for her family (no small feat with 4 kids with autism), and finally to recently opening an online adult toy store that focuses on women taking charge of their sexuality. Her Motto and tagline for her sex toy business - Make Yourself Happy.™️ You can see that store HERE.

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462: How to STOP letting UNCERTAINTY keep you in the closet – RIck Clemons

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Ask anyone who has come out of the closet, regardless of what that closet is for them, and they will tell you, "The moment you tell UNCERTAINTY to F*CK OFF, is the moment you will have the courage to come out. The other side of that coin is, you can use uncertainty as a driver to also guide you out of the closet. That's what we're exploring today on the Life (UN)Closeted podcast.

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461: Why Fatherhood Means As Much As Being Gay – Steve Disselhorst

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 03:30:00 -0700

He knew from a very young age that Fatherhood was for him. But then the reality of being gay put a damper on the expectation...until it didn't. Author and proud gay dad, Steven Disselhorst was determined to be a Dad and made it happen. From adoption nightmares to candid parenting realities, Steve shares his life uncloseted story of being a gay dad.

About Steve

Steve Disselhorst specializes in personal & professional leadership development and consulting for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and is the author of the memoir Determined To Be Dad: A Journey of Faith, Resilience, and Love. Before founding his firm, Steve worked for Genentech, a biotech company, and is a veteran healthcare marketer.

Currently, he serves on the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission and is a speaker for the San Francisco LGBTQ Speaker’s Bureau. Steve is the father of two wonderful children who are the center of his world.

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460: Three Tips For Stepping Out Of The Closet– Rick Clemons

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out of your closet is a scary proposition. It's filled with fear, anxiety, but also filled with excitement and a future sense of peace of mind. Yet, if you do not have these three things present, you could have a rocky journey to your truth, regardless of whatever that (UN)Closeted truth might be. You need to TIB!

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459: How Your Gay Life, Leads You To Your Life – Jason Connolly

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 03:30:00 -0700

A golf game, a dare, and a life changing event that brought Tyler Schrenck out of a closet of his life that he never saw coming. From got it all going on, living an easy life with not a lot of intention, to suddenly having to depend on a group of people for his basic life necessities, Tyler shares how his closets helped him understand what was really the important stuff in life.

About Jason

Jason was born in 1987 and grew up in London, he attended one of the five worst-performing comprehensive schools of the day.

Jason was bullied in school for being gay. He left school at 16 with only a few GCSEs. Throughout his teenage years Jason’s was very passionate about performing magic; he would regularly contact local newspapers journalists round to assist him in obtaining bookings. Jason would busk anywhere he possibly could. One year after leaving school at the age of 17, Jason was signed up to an entertainment agency and travelled around the country performing at corporate events. Jason would later go on to audition and become part of a prestigious Magic Circle in London; where he would win many magic competitions; it was then that Jason landed a gig in smaller Las Vegas hotel where he performed for three months.

At 19 years old, Jason joined Virgin Atlantic, initially working as Heathrow Operations, before becoming Cabin Crew. Jason flew long haul for the airline; it was here that Jason began to accept his sexuality.

At 24 years old, Jason joined the Metropolitan Police as a Police Officer. He worked in several different departments whilst at the Met. Jason experienced bullying at the Metropolitan Police for being gay, which led to Jason taking the Metropolitan Police to employment tribunal. Being a victim of domestic violence in his mid-twenties.

Domestic violence is a topic close to Jason’s heart following his personal experiences.

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458: They, Them, Theirs. It’s just who they are so get over it already. – Jessye DeSilva

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 03:30:00 -0700

They, them, theirs are simply pronouns just like he/him/his or she/her/hers. So why does it get so many peoples knickers in a wad when someone says, "I'm a they, them, theirs!" Simply because it's a new way of being with someone who says they don't feel themselves as he or her. And, BTW it has nothing to do with their sexuality. So buckle up, open your mind and take a journey with Jessye DeSilva as they helps understand a little bit more about the pronouns of those who don't fit the boxes. Plus, enjoy the music that Jessye brings to the world to make it a better place.

About Jessye

Jessye DeSilva’s (they/them/theirs) brand of indie folk music centers around a philosophy of radical openness and specificity in storytelling. They believe in the idea that empathy is an artist’s greatest tool in nurturing a sense of community with their listeners. Armed with a piano and a voice which is both fierce and fragile, Jessye “... evokes a chest-ripping emotion that hovers inches above the ground, pouring forth the kind of wellspring folk music rarely witnesses” (Jason Scott, B-Sides and Badlands). Their upcoming EP Hover deals with the dilemma of remaining emotionally present through mental health struggles, grief, and political unrest all while showcasing Jessye's trademark confessional lyrics and a sound which is both ethereal and firmly rooted in Americana.

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457: Let your Drag Shine as an Advocate – Michael Nguyen

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 03:30:00 -0700

What happens when you discover that you have a voice, all because you took a risk to do DRAG! Sahaying into the world of advocacy and fundraising, attorney Michael Nguyen, discovered that his alter ego - Juicy Liu - gave voice to another side of himself who just needed to be unleashed on the world - FOR GOOD!

Dive into this Dragolicious conversation as we explore what happens when a little bit of hair, makeup, and fabulous gowns brings you onto a stage...where winnine was never even part of the equation.

About Michael

Michael T. Nguyen is a San Francisco-based speaker, advocate, and community organizer. When not protecting software inventions as a practicing patent attorney, Michael volunteers his time and energy as Chair of Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), an advocacy organization that envisions a powerful Queer, Trans, Asian and Pacific Islander community that is seen, heard, and celebrated (www.gapa.org). Michael’s alter-ego drag persona, Juicy Liu, performed regularly in the Castro preCOVID, and has since started a queer comedy podcast called Juicy Thots (JuicyThots.com @JuicyThotsPod) Over the years, Michael/Juicy has personally raised over $60K for community organizations in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, SF AIDS Foundation through AIDS/Lifecycle, and Livable City, an advocacy nonprofit that works to improve transportation, land use, open space, and environmental policies in San Francisco. Michael holds a JD from University of California Hastings College of the Law and a BA (cum laude) in Computer Science and Music from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.

Accomplishments:

• Crowned Miss GAPA 2016 (Juicy Liu)

• Founded #JuicyThots monthly drag show, a QTPOC showcase in the Castro in 2018

• Founded #JuicyThots podcast, a queer comedy podcast interviewing LGBTQIA+ public figures in the Bay Area in 2020

• Elected to BALIF Board (Oldest and Largest LGBTQI Bar association) in 2019

• Completed three AIDS/Lifecycle rides (2015-2017)

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456: After The Closet – Rick Clemons

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 03:30:00 -0700

We try so hard to come out of the closet - regardless of what that closet is, but then we suddenly discover, that what lays on the other side of the closet door might not be everything we hoped it would be. Here's just a little bit of mid-week advice on how to embrace the other side of the closet door.

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455: Stepping Out of The Suicide Closet Into Your Authentic Purpose – Rob Tull

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 03:30:00 -0700

What happens when you finally come to that moment where it's stay in the game or step out? If you are lucky like Rob Tull, the universe said, "Sorry we're not done with you yet," and you get another chance to step into your path beyond the burnout of life and step out of the closet of despair to be unethically who you are. Rob shares his journey beyond suicide and a failed relationship to stand solidly in the path that was just waiting for him to catch up to it.

About Rob

Rob is a success coach, author, and speaker, and founder of Path2 Coaching. He is passionate about helping others find the best path for their happiness and success. Rob has over 20 years of experience as an executive, consultant, and thought leader in the financial services field. He understands first-hand the burnout and personal consequences that come from years of stress and postponing genuine happiness.

Rob is the creator of the Path2 Program which is philosophy and process to achieve happiness and fulfillment without compromising on goals or what we already have. His Path2 techniques and insights have been featured in 3 international best-selling books. Rob is a Certified Professional Coach. He has degrees in finance and business law, and several professional certifications, and he is an adjunct law professor. Rob is a single father to a teenage son.

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454: Equality For All And How You Do Your Part Your Way - Rick Clemons

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 03:30:00 -0700

About

Tyler Schrenk, based outside of Seattle, Washington, is the President of the TSF Foundation and the owner of Assistive Tech Consulting. Through both his business and non-profit organization, Tyler works to provide individuals with disabilities the technology they need to live a fuller, more independent life. Unlike many other assistive technology providers, Tyler Schrenk understands what the challenges people with disabilities face because he himself needs and uses the same technology he provides them.

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453: – Uncovering the sacred brand of you – Mike Iamele

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 03:30:00 -0700

What kind of possibilities open when you allow yourself to come out of your closet? When you have to be vulnerable so that you can be successful? Everything changes and comes into alignment. Candidly speaking Mike Iamele - Life Purpose Expert, shares his own coming out journey and how he now helps people connect the dots in their lived experiences to their most sacred brand of being who they are meant to be in the world.

About Mike

Mike Iamele is a Life Purpose Expert + Brand Strategist. With his proprietary Sacred Branding® system, he’s helped hundreds of people to connect the dots between their lived experiences to find the common threads that explain their subconscious motivations, unique genius, and life purpose. People use this work for all kinds of things — from branding and building a business, to exploring identity and sexuality, to finding their artistic voice, to even re-discovering themselves after a life-altering event, like divorce or retirement.

Mike’s also the author of Enough Already: Create Success on Your Own Terms (Conari Press 2015). He’s shared his provocative and vulnerable take on life in dozens of magazines, podcasts, and online publications, including a personal interview with NPR about his viral story on rethinking sexuality in his first same-sex relationship. Prior to Sacred Branding®, at only 22 years old, Mike co-founded Torch Communications, a boutique public relations firm, specializing in healthcare and disruptive technology.

He currently lives in Somerville, MA, with his husband and two adorable dogs.

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452: Finding Pride and Joy Beyond Suicide and Conversion Therapy – Elena Joy Thurston

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Trapped in a belief system, a marriage, and a construct that said, "Just be happy being a wife, Mom, and serving God or go to hell, caused Elena Joy Thurston to finally wake up to her truth. She was a Lesbian and it wasn't just about sex. It was about being who she was authentically at her core, regardless of what anyone else was trying to say or destroy inside her. Out of that tortuous journey she rose out of the madness, and through another twist of madness - COVID19 - establish a community of Pride and Joy helping others from all sides of the coming out journey to find peace and tranquility - no conversion therapy necessary.

About Elena Joy Thurston

I am Elena Joy Thurston and I am a suicide survivor. I lived an inauthentic life until my late 30s, feeling crushingly alone even though I was married with kids and surrounded by love. I am now the Executive Director of the Pride and Joy Foundation. We are the only nonprofit that supports entire LGBTQ families, whether they are queer parents navigating the “Mom & Dad” parenting world, straight parents trying desperately to keep a close connection with their LGBTQ child, or a grandparent who just wants to learn how to best love their favorite grandchild. We make sure every LGBTQ person feels valued and knows they belong.

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451: Asian, Queer, Experienced Homeless, Advocate – Amazin LeThi

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Breaking all the rules, Amazin Lehti doesn't her gender, sexuality, color of her skin, culture, the fact that she is adopted, or that she's been homeless get in the way of living her life uncloseted. It's her tenacity to do the right thing, and bring equality to the forefront that launched her to have impact in the world. This is her Life (UN)Closeted story.

About Amazin

Amazin LeThi is a global Vietnamese LGBTQ sports and human rights advocate and thought leader. She is also a former competitive bodybuilder, entertainment executive and the first Vietnamese internationally published fitness author. Amazin has captured audiences with her story from the United Nations to Google and governments from all around the world.

As a thought leader and through conversations, panel discussions and Q&As, Amazin shares her personal journey of homelessness to becoming one of the most visible and influential LGBTQ activists in the world. Her story was included in the

It Gets Better campaign and the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Asian anti-bullying campaign Act to Change.

GLAAD and NQAPIA have recognized Amazin for her contribution in accelerating LGBTQ sports equality and she has been listed in many mainstream articles for her contribution, these include, Australian Pride Power List, Out 100 List, Human Rights Campaign - Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Honours list, 2020 Go Magazine 100 Women We Love List and 2020 Global Changemakers, first Asian LGBTQ Athlete to be honoured at the Brooklyn Nets 4th Annual Pride Night at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn with the 'Game Ball Delivery’. In October 2020, Amazin was named the first Asian and LGBTQ official judge for their first ever ABB FIA Formula E Open Call Talent Presenter Search. In 2021, Amazin was only one of 10 listed in the #Attitude101 100 LGBTQ Trailblazers under sports and part of ICON 2021 in New Zealand.

Amazin is invited to launch, campaign and run global advocacy projects with governments and human rights campaign groups. In 2019 Amazin’s work included the launch of both projects in collaboration with the LGBTQ Institute at the National Centre for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.

The first Asian Pride in the USA in Washington DC presented by the Capital Pride Alliance and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
The first Asian LGBTQ Southern Voices event in Georgia and UN LGBTQ Business Standards for the entire southern region of the USA with the UN.

During Pride Month 2020, Amazin partnered with (The Advocate) to host the first Pride Month Asian LGBTQ voices Instagram live series; her guests included out Asian Hollywood actors: B.D Wong, Leo Sheng, Leonardo Nam, Rain Valdez and Jake Choi. Amazin was also part of the first 24-hour Global Pride 2020.

Amazin is a Stonewall UK and Athlete Ally sports champion ambassador, a global ambassador for Vietnam Relief Services and health and fitness writer for Livestrong. In 2022, Amazin will made LGBTQ history by becoming only one of two Asian ambassadors for Copenhagen2021 and the 2022 Commonwealth Games Pride House.

In 2021, Amazin will launch the Amazin LêThi Foundation with a global sports campaign and in 2022 with a flagship program to support and address LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness through leadership and development using sports as the platform for change.

She advisors’ governments and companies all over the world around LGBTQ equality and most recently was part of the Team Biden campaign as part of their Out For Biden Team: LGBTQ and Asian communication digital advisor.

Born in Saigon where she was left in an orphanage by her mother, Amazin is a transracial adoptee growing up in an all white background, Amazin was bullied constantly as a young child and it was because of this she went into bodybuilding at the tender age of 6 going onto become a competitive bodybuilder in her teens then qualifying as a strength and conditioning coach.

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450: – How to Focus On One Thing As You Come Out – Rick Clemons

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Coming out can be very confusing and loaded with tons of stuff on the checklist. It's enough to make you say, "SCREW IT, I'm just going to stay in. the closet." But will that get you where you want to go, or the peace of mind you deserve by being your most authentic self? Regardless of the closet you're coming out of, there's one thing that can make this task much easier. That one thing is the focus of today's podcast!

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Temporary show hiatus

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 03:30:00 -0700

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449: Six Habits That You Can Use To Be Free of Your Closet – Laura DiBenedetto

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 03:30:00 -0700

We're just barely a couple of weeks into the new year and already some of you have blown the resolutions, and even more of you said, "Screw resolutions, I'm just going to keep living!" Regardless of your approach, the way to succeed at anything is by creating a positive effective habit around the goal you are trying to achieve, even if that goal is coming out of the closet.

Today we explore Six Habits For Bringing Your Dreams To Life with Author Laura Di Benedetto. We talk practical ways to step beyond any closet you might find yourself stuck in.

About

Laura DiBenedetto is a TEDx speaker, success coach, podcaster, educator, and researcher. She started her first company at nineteen years old and went on to retire at thirty-seven, only to discover happiness wasn't what she thought it was.

Her awakening and subsequent journey into true success, passion, pleasure, joy, and profound love of life inspired the book, The Six Habits. She has helped countless people to transform their lives through her public appearances, newsletters, books, and products.

Laura grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, USA, and now lives on the Island of Maui in Hawaii, USA. You can find out more about her and sign up for her newsletter at lauradibenedetto.com

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448: Embrace The Uniqueness of Being LGBTQ – Rick Clemons

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 03:30:00 -0700

Let's kick off the New Year with something positive to help you be exactly who you are as an LGBTQ individual. Don't see yourself as different, see yourself as unique. It may sound simple but here are some quick tips for really embracing the uniqueness of who you are as an LGBTQ in a world that wants to box you in as the same old same old hetero-normative individual.

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447: Coming Out of the Boy Band Closet – John Chandler

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being courted by a big name music producer, diving into a boy band, and then being at the right place at the wrong time. Suddenly who you thought you'd be comes to a halt, but that halt provided you the insight to show up in your own life, doing music your way, and fully being you as you are meant to be. That's exactly what signer, songwriter, John Chandler has lived and is living, beyond his dreams of success that somewhat crashed and burned early on his life.

He's found his way out of the shadows and come out of "missing" so to speak, with his new song Missing. He provides a candid look inside the closets of his world as an gay man in the music business. He's determined to step further out of his closets and fully into his world as a performer - no excuses, no fears, no apologies.

About John

John Chandler is an LA-based former boy-bander (from Maurice Starr’s 6PIECE). He is out now with “Missing”, his gritty and soulful new track about rediscovering self. Check out the music video for “Missing" at https://youtu.be/_mf_5Kuw86c

Much of John's recent struggles, he realizes today, stem from finding success as a teen. “Being discovered by Maurice Starr, the man behind New Kids on the Block and New Edition, in Atlanta, was a blessing and a curse. On one hand it was amazing, opening for NSYNC on the Pop Odyssey Tour and sharing the stage with acts like Alicia Keys, Jagged Edge, and Trisha Yearwood. On the other, it gave me a false sense of how the world works. I thought dreams were just handed to you at 16, and then you lived happily ever after.”

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446: Why Being You Makes You Stronger – Colton Ford

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 03:30:00 -0700

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Right? From coming out the closet, to facing the triumphs and challenges of the music industry, to being know only for your short stint in the adult film industry, nothing makes you stronger than being 100% yourself. Just ask Colton Ford, musician, songwriter, and yes, former adult film star.

“Figuring our way through challenges, hardships and difficult times is an integral part of life for most people, and where we can learn and grow the most on our journey through it.” Colton Ford acknowledges that the past several years have been challenging for him – debilitating, at times – but he has found inspiration through the process, reflected in his songwriting, as he is coming out to reclaim his direction for his life and his music. This is his coming out story.

About Colton

His debut single, “Stronger,” from his upcoming EP, “Unity,” was written by Ford along with his collaborative partners, Ron Schrader and Spin Sista, collectively known as Woop Woop Productions.

Colton was also named in AfterElton.com's Top 50 Gay Male Musicians, he was featured in Cyndi Lauper’s video for her hit “Into The Nightlife,” and also performed on the Lauper-helmed 2008 True Colors Tour. He was the subject of the acclaimed 2003 documentary, “Naked Fame,” and has had cameos in the films “Another Gay Sequel” by Todd Stephens, and John Schlesinger’s “The Next Best Thing” starring Madonna and Rupert Everett. Glenn co-starred for three seasons playing Sheriff Trout on Here! TV’s “The Lair,” and was also a featured panelist on the channel’s resident chat fest, “Threesome.” He made his off-Broadway debut in 2012 co-starring in “Little House on the Ferry,” and also co-starred in Studio C’s Production of Howard David Rivers’ critically acclaimed play, “And All The Dead, Lie Down,” in Hollywood California, 2018.

For the past seven years, Ford took a conscious step back from his public life, still releasing an album (“Glenn Soukesian” in 2016) and several singles during that time, but not pushing his work the way he had done previously. “I needed time to process the losses I was experiencing during this time, reflect and grow,” he says. “With regard to my work, these days I’m not compromising my vision, changing who I am artistically or doing music that doesn’t represent me. I’m doing what I feel is right for me first and foremost. I’ve grown very comfortable and confident trusting my creative voices without question or compromise. I’ve become Stronger.”

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445: Big Ol’ Baptist, Big Ol’ Gay – Tim Seelig

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 03:30:00 -0700

When you're the child of Southern Baptists who are the Elite of the church, is it any wonder that you don't just stand up and shout from the pulpit - "I'm gay!" Good Lawd, no! But, the evil self-loathing and hate that resides in you is worse. The living a lie, not lying, eats you alive. Until one day, after being outed by your church counselor and your wife, you realize you've got nowhere to hide but at the local Motel 6.

Shamed by his church, and forced into a life of being a Kelly Girl (look it up), Dr. Tim Seelig found himself and his joy on the other side of closet, making the music of his life. No more protecting the image of who he thought he was supposed to be and instead being who he was meant to be, a Big Ol' Gay!

About Tim

Tim Seelig is conductor, singer, teacher and motivational speaker. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. He continues an extremely busy guest-conducting and teaching schedule throughout the U.S. and across the globe. Dr. Seelig holds four degrees, including the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas and the Diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has authored seven books and DVDs on choral technique. His memoir, Tale of Two Tims, has just been released.

Dr. Seelig’s early training was as a singer. He made his European operatic debut in St. Gallen, Switzerland and his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. Interesting facts include conducting the Guinness Book Of World Record's Longest Choral Concert (20 hours) and carrying the Olympic torch as a community Hero. His recordings have been on Billboard Top Ten and iTunes Top Ten classical charts. His choruses have been the topic of three documentaries, one receiving an Emmy award for best documentary and another, Audience Favorite Award at its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, NYC.

Known for his enthusiasm and sense of humor, Grammy Magazine says, “Dr. Seelig takes eclecticism to new heights.” The New York Times calls Seelig an “expressive performer,” and the Fort Worth Star Telegram quips, “Seelig slices a thick cut of ham.” He is the proud grandfather of four grand girls: Clara Skye; Eden Mae; Ivy Hope and Cora Rose.

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444 – Coming out at work & late in life – Peter McGuire

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Married, two kids, an interracial relationship, and a jetting setting high flyer for a major technology company. Oh, and BTW, he's gay. He came out late in life. And he couldn't be happier. The key is how you get here with dignity and respect and continue to get that type of respect in the workplace, regardless of your sexuality. Meet Peter McGuire.

Unapologetic about who he is, Peter shares his journey in a very candid manner that helps you see, you too an come out late in life and still have a very wonderful life.

About Peter

Peter McGuire has had a successful career as both an Entrepreneur and a Corporate Executive in Real Estate and Technology. In 2015 he came out as LGBTQ+ and has embarked on helping other latecomers adjust and maneuver in the Corporate America. He was featured panelist on the Verizon 2019 Pride Celebration in NYC

Peter currently is developing a series of Podcasts for Late comers to the community and how to prosper as a LGBTQ+ in the Corporate World.

Peter has two children, Will and Tess and is in a Domestic partnership with Musician and Choreographer Ahmad Ratliff

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443: Kicking It With Struggle Guru – Kirsten Beverly Waters

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Life doesn't have to be a struggle, but it can be if you decide, "Life is just a constant struggle!" However, if you leverage the low moments of life and make them your friend, then the struggles become the powerful lessons that get you where you want to go and desire, regardless of whether that is coming out of the closet, getting fit, of finding your just right path life.

Kirsten Beverley-Waters takes us on a journey of going into the arena with struggling and how she uses it to guide her next best steps for success in all aspects of her life.

About Kirsten

Kirsten Beverley-Waters is a Yoga Medicine teacher, fitness coach, author, and motivational speaker. Through her unique approach to teaching movement, Kirsten has built a reputation for helping others to find their sacred body and soul connection. When it comes to defining the heights of her career, Kirsten credits the low moments in her life with enabling her to find her voice and harness her powers. Like many, Kirsten’s past has been punctuated with seemingly insurmountable challenges unique to her own journey, that ultimately provided her with a landscape for success.

In her new book STRUGGLE GURU (September 1, 2020 / US$14.99), Kirsten dives deep into an exploration of personal experience and how our individual stories and struggles help shape our biology, giving breath to our individual superpowers. Kirsten credits the low moments in her life with enabling her to find her voice and harness her powers. Her strategy helps people optimize their sense of self through the lens of mental wellness, whole body health, and spiritual grounding. Part instruction guide, part field guide to self-optimization, the book features chapters that simply beg to be read including:

Uniquely Unqualified
A Bad Case of Authenticity
Swipe Right, Dodge Left, Stuck Center
Humble Pie is Making Me Fat
The White Rabbit of Struggle

With the Kirsten’s expert guidance, everybody will find their hidden superpower for overcoming struggle tucked in among these pages. She has shared her work and in been featured in publications such as Shape Magazine, Maine Women’s Magazine, the Daily Burn, Yoga Medicine, Misadventures Magazine, Strategic Athlete, The Outbound Collective, and Yoga World. She is available to interview at almost any time.

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442: Coming Out of the Dieter Closet – Tyler Hall

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 03:30:00 -0700

You're too fat, not built enough, and god knows nobody wants to see you naked. Sound familiar? For many of us it is the bane of existence in the yo-yo world of hiding in the dieting closet. Add to that world the fact that you are LGBTQ and our own community thrives on the perfection of the perfect body, mostly to hide from our own insecurities that have still not been dealt with in our lives.

Speaking from the heart, Tyler Hall takes us on his journey out of the self-abuse dieting closet to come out and love himself and his body as a gay man just as he is.

About Tyler

Tyler is a certified Holistic Health and Wellness coach who specializes in helping chronic dieters DITCH the diet so they can live a happy healthy life.

At the ripe age of 14 he tried his first diet, and would spend the next 10 years struggling with deprivation and restrictive eating during the day; followed by nights of uncontrollable binging.

Eventually he had a spiritual awakening moment that forever changed the way he saw his body and dieting forever.

For the majority of his life he had been chasing success and weight loss with a deprivation, and restrictive mindset. The way he talked and treated my body was horrible. He wasn’t nurturing or supporting his body. And then, just like that he realized that DIETS DON’T WORK! Diets deprive, and when we are depriving, we aren’t allowing ourselves to truly be in alignment with who we truly are.

The diet culture is all about telling you that you’re not enough. You’re not thin enough. You’re not healthy enough. You’re not fit enough. And this constant propaganda from the diet and weight loss community is toxic. ONLY YOU GET TO DECIDE IF YOU’RE FIT ENOUGH, OR HEALTHY ENOUGH, OR THIN ENOUGH.

After 10 years of the toxic diet culture he decided to dive head first into really tackling his weight-loss and taking complete control of his life.

Since doing so he's been able to lose over 50 pounds, completely change the way he views his body, and for the first time he's able to look at himself in the mirror and actually say “I Love You” to himself…and mean it!

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441 – Voting For Your Life – Ashley Morgan & John Flanagan – Faultlines

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Ashley Morgan and John Flanagan, of the folk-pop duo Faultlines, are causing a political storm with the re-release of their anti-Trump song, “Rain,” the first single from their next full album, Bittersweet Revival. Many of the songs on the album speak out against the current political climate with messages of love, inclusion, and community. “Rain” focuses its spotlight on the threat to women’s, LGBTQ, and immigrant rights. “As we are approaching the 2020 election, it’s so important to remind everyone that we cannot endure four more years,” says John Flanagan. “Donald Trump is not a president for the majority minority of America. We want to encourage everyone to get out and vote.”

About John & Ashley

John Flanagan, a rock singer/songwriter best known for his Freddie Mercury/Robert Plant high notes and Ashley Morgan, a young artist who grew up singing in church, belting out Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston songs, make up Faultlines. Before coming together, John spent years in a publishing deal, writing for major label artists and Grammy winning producers while Ashley toured and sang back-up for major label artists and on TV for shows like The Voice, American Idol, and The Grammy’s.

They met performing as front singers in a Top 40 cover band and connected on their shared obsession of Brandi Carlile. When John later presented Ashley with some folk songs he had written that didn’t fit an individual solo project he was working on, they decided to record them together. They soon released their first self-recorded EP, and their band, Faultlines, was born.

Their unique brand of folk is a mashup of modern pop and roots country. Oddly, the duo has become known for their signature three-part harmonies. To achieve their sound, they rotate between two talented guitarists, Sean Beck and Todd McCool (who sings the third verse of “Rain”).

While their first two EPs are acoustic, Bittersweet Revival features a lot more instrumentation. There is a good amount of upbeat songs and ballads with the duo drawing inspiration from Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Joni Mitchell and, of course, Brandi Carlile.

They hope the album inspires activism and encourages fans to make small positive changes in their community.

“Folk music has a long history of protest songs,” Ashley points out. “As Nina Simone says, ‘An artist’s duty is to reflect the current times.’ We feel it is our duty to use music to shed light on injustices. We want to bring people together and encourage them to have an open mind and to be inclusive because love is all we own.

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440 – Gay and over 40 does not mean you’re put out to pasture – Will Smith

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 03:30:00 -0700

You might argue that being over 40 is no different for gay men versus straight men. On the surface that may seem correct. However, straight men don't have a history of having to deal with lack of acceptance, or missing role models everywhere they look of what life is like as a heterosexual. In fact, most straight men - even though I have no science to back this up - probably don't deal with loneliness and isolation near as much as gay men. Regardless of where you stand, being gay after 40 is like being told you're being put out to pasture.

Today, Will Smith - founder of GayLifeAfter40.com - shares candid perspectives on the challenges gay men face as they age, and he even unveils a scammy way daters are taking gay men down scary paths that have horrible impact on their lives.

About William

William Smith has been in the “people” business for many years helping support individuals and families. He is the President of Senior Care Advisers. This informational company gives mid-lifers and above an opportunity to be engaged and explore new concepts and trends in aging. He is the Founder of GayLifeAfter40.com providing useful information for gay me after 40.

He works for SmithFin, LLC-A Life Insurance Comparison which operates The Life Insurance Store and LGBT Life Insurance Quote.com particularly focusing on helping people over 40 find the best insurance rates from the nation’s top rated life insurance companies saving them time, money and frustration. He understands that it isn’t always easy to talk to a non- gay professional about your life insurance needs as well as medical history. As we grow older, get married, and possibly build extended families and or start businesses, we come to realize more and more that life insurance is a fundamental part of having a sound financial plan. There is a certain comfort in knowing money will be available to protect your loved ones in the event of your passing. Smith is filling a void in the after 40 gay community by educating LGBT folks about the importance of having Life insurance. Before founding and publishing Gay Life

After 40, he successfully launched and developed a referral company for seniors and their families in the Midwest by becoming the sales and marketing resource for health care professionals and senior housing communities. He has worked over 15 years in Human Resources in an executive capacity. In addition, he has been a volunteer Hospice counselor in his locale community. He had been awarded a Certified Senior Advisor designation by the Society of Senior Advisors and awarded the Spirit Award for creating positive driven information on the internet.

Connect With William

Gay Life After 40 Facebook Group

Gay Life After 40 Dating Facebook Group

Gay Life After 60 Facebook Group

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439 – What Scares You Most About Coming Out – Trent Park

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Needed to come out before his family found out.

About Trent

Trent Park is out now with “Scare Me Most”, the first of his new singles and music videos that he will be releasing this summer. Written and produced by the artist in collaboration with his creative partner Bodes, the haunting Pop/hip-hop track paints love as the villain in Park’s life story; something with as much potential to inflict pain as it does to bring joy.

Park admits, “For me, the most terrifying thing in life is love. So many times, I’ve invested in relationships that weren’t real or I foolishly believed there was a spark only to find out it was one sided. ‘Scare Me Most’ is about my desire (mixed with horror) to have the real die-for-you type of love as opposed to the weak, Netflix and chill/it’s complicated type of love most people are after these days.” Trent Park’s “Scare Me Most” is being distributed independently and is available via Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms. The music video is available on YouTube.

As an indie artist, now with no management or backing, Trent Park acknowledges the benefits to music being the #1 love in his life. The absence of romantic love allows his focus to be solely on creating and ingesting art. Music is his business and Park has a job to do. He even refuses to wait around for inspiration. He spends his days pushing himself into creativity: constantly searching, fighting and working for it.

Trent Park was born and raised in Syracuse, NY, the son of a black minister father and a Mexican minister mother. As one of two people of color in an all-white private Christian school, he learned to adjust to different situations, like a chameleon. “My whole life was playing a part, switching constantly to appeal to the crowd I was hanging around,” he explains. As he grew older, his outsider status was only compounded by the fact that Trent is gay.

“It wasn’t until after college when I moved to the west coast that I finally met people that looked like me. I saw black, gay, music industry professionals, fully open with their sexualities and living the life I wanted to live. It was the coolest thing and it really helped my confidence to grow so that I could walk boldly in my truth.”

“What I know today is that being a cocktail of minorities makes me special and it’s that unique perspective that I look forward to serving.”

Connect With Trent

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438: A Bisexual Perspective for National Coming Out Day – Melissa DaSilva

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 03:30:00 -0700

The "B" in LGBTQ is often the people told to "pick a lane, just pick a lane!" Yet, more people are bisexual than would want to admit it. Thus the reason on this two eves, before National Coming Out Day we decided to explore the other side of the closet with a bisexual queer person. It's a fun exploration with my friend Melissa DaSilva - a coach and therapist who works with LGBTQ folks to help them be themselves.

We explore her coming out - which really wasn't a huge coming out, and how she finds it being in the world of the bisexual, when everyone seems to have very interesting thoughts about what a bisexual needs and should do to fit in.

About Melissa

Melissa DaSilva, LICSW, is a therapist, author, podcast host, and artist. She started her career in social work, focusing on children and wellness in her community. She has found countless ways to help others thrive through therapy, coaching, and her dedication to spreading information and resources to LGBTQ+ individuals.

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work at Rhode Island College with a focus in School Social Work. For years, Melissa worked in school systems to support students and help individuals succeed at what they love to do.

In 2015, Melissa founded East Coast Mental Wellness in Providence, RI, a mental health agency where members of the LGBTQ+ community can find safe and specialized therapeutic services.

She has created an environment in which clinicians have a place to do the work that they love, so they can help clients change their lives for the better.

Melissa is the author of The Profitable Practice: Helping Healing Professionals Build and Grow a Successful Business. , which helps healers and new business owners succeed. She is the creator and host of the successful LGBTQ+ podcasts Pride Connections and Chit Chat with a Therapist. Her work has been published on many websites and she has been featured as a guest on several podcasts including Loving Without Boundaries, The Dots, and Shameless Mom Academy.

When she isn’t helping others through her job, DaSilva spends time at tag sales, creating art, and spending time with her spouse and pets.

For years, Melissa DaSilva has improved the lives of others through therapy, outreach, and life advice. Now, as an Executive Life Coach, Melissa helps successful and motivated LGBTQ+ individuals get “unstuck” in their lives so they can take their life and career to the next level through the use of goal setting and therapeutic techniques.

Connect With Melissa

Radical Alignment - The Book

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437 – Breaking Out of The Music Closet as a Boomer – Michael Fairman

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 03:30:00 -0700

It's time to uncloset ageism. No more saying, "You're to old!" You're only as old as you buy into the voice in your head. But, you have to believe that too. Breaking the barriers as an artist, Michael Fairman is coming out of the closet as a 'Boomer' signer, songwriter, giving the young pop singer crowd a run for their money. His coming out story is not only about being a gay man, but being a 'Boomer' gay man who is going to use his voice to entertain, even when people say, "That's nice," which is code for "Good luck with that boomer, you're to old for the music industry."

He's not buying into that thought and he's coming out of the ageism closet to prove the doubters wrong with his new single, "Other Side." This is his coming out story.

About

Michael Fairman grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where music was always his passion and first love. As a teen, he released his first recordings through a small label in Chicago. Once he graduated high school, he moved to Los Angeles and eventually to New York to pursue his career as a recording artist. He formed a band with some of the top studio musicians in the city, performed in rock, pop, and soul clubs, recorded, and tried to get the A&R reps out to his showcases in order to get signed by a label. Between the financial drain, and the disappointment of not having key people show up to his gigs, Fairman eventually felt burned out and needed a major change. He decided to put music on hold and move back to Los Angeles where he began a career in TV Production and entertainment journalism.

Michael Fairman is after what his name implies: a fair chance. He is out now with “Other Side,” his mid-tempo pop/soul track about ageism, personal struggles, and finding ones inner-strength to face adversity and ultimately triumph. He cowrote the track with engineer and producer, Kyle Mangels, in hopes it might inspire those over 35 into action. “For years now, I have been told, ‘You’re doing music? You sing? How nice!’ when what was really meant was ‘Good Luck with that boomer, you’re too old for the music industry,’” he explains. Fairman says he understands that pop radio is targeted to those under 25, skews female, and that there are only a few coveted spots for artists. Many amazing talents – both younger and older - simply don’t get the airplay they deserve. He hopes to be the artist to break that barrier, because the music he performs and writes is similar to that being played on pop radio and in dance clubs right now. “I have a point of view and a unique vibe and sound to share, and I hope listeners will give me a chance.” Michael Fairman’s “Other Side” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify and all major music digital platforms.

Connect With

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436: Tiny Leaps, Big Changes – Gregg Clunis

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Let's get that great paying job. Oh wait, that's way to big of a step. Let's take that trip around the world. Oh wait, that's to big of a step. Let's finally come out of the closet. Oh wait, that's to big of a step. Life is full of big steps, that lead to big changes, but the key is realizing, you can get there with tiny steps.

Author Gregg Clunis - Tiny Leaps, Big Changes - shares insights on how all big changes come from the tiny leaps you take every day.

About Gregg

Gregg believes that no matter how busy you are or how hopeless and confused you might feel, your goals are possible if you can focus your time and energy on the tiniest next step rather than letting the fog overwhelm you.

That might be hard to believe, but his life is proof of what is possible when you keep moving forward taking each day with one tiny leap at a time. When he was 8 his family sold everything they owned and immigrated to the U.S. with no real connections, no options, and no opportunity.

Over the next 19 years his parents worked themselves to the bone taking every tiny opportunity they could find and squeezing it for everything it had. Slowly but surely they created a life for their family and allowed Gregg the opportunities they never had.

All big changes comes from the tiny leaps you take every day. This is the approach to life that my parents used to create the life he has now and, if you’re willing to embrace it, it’s the same approach that will help you take a tiny leap of courage and get more out of your life.

That philosophy has turned into a podcast, a book, and a thriving digital community that spans 170+ countries.

Most importantly? That philosophy has become the commonality across all of his work.

At the end of the day, it’s not actually about personal development.

It’s about understanding the factors that cause and effect change across all of life. Change on a personal level, changes in society and culture, and change on a global scale.

In his content, art, and businesses he will explore these topics and create frameworks around them in order to help each of us harness those factors.

Connect With Gregg

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435: Uncloseting your Hidden Demons – David Clive Price

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Let's be honest. We all have little demons that infest our thoughts and prevent us from being who we really want to be and are capable of being. Some of these little demons are hidden demons. Yet, we all have more control over them than we give ourselves credit.

David Clive Price, author of Hidden Demons, shares his tools for getting at those hidden demons so that you can step into your life, whether you are coming out of the closet, or taking your next big risk. You've got to dump the demons unless you wish to stay isolated in your own miserable life.

About

Dr. David Price is a #1 Best-Selling Author of, Bamboo Strong: Cultural Intelligence Secrets and the newly published Hidden Demons: How to Overcome Fear, Anxiety and Addiction to Thrive in Crisis. The story of Hidden Demons is raw and straightforward. Just like many of us in these difficult times, the author battles with hardships as he searches for a way to self-acceptance, overcoming alcoholism, fear of coming out as gay man (in the 1970s) and finding his true love. It is the story of David’s life, yet it is also a story of how each one of us can conquer adversity, find one’s true self, and the become the best that we can possibly be. David has spent decades living and working across the globe as a CEO and LGBTQ +

Life Coach, helping leaders to achieve their full potential...to develop mental and emotional resilience in new and challenging environments.

Connect With David

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434: Creating Radical Alignment To Come Out of LIfe’s Closets – Alexandra Jamieson & Bob Gower

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Nothing is harder in any kind of relationship than having difficult conversations. They make us feel uneasy, scared, sometimes even disempowered. Now, what if you found a way, by becoming radically aligned, to get through big conversations, decision, and some of the toughest moments of your life - would you jump at it? I think most of us would.

Today's guests Alexandra Jamieson and Bob Gower, are repeat podcast guests, who are here to guide us how to become radically aligned when moving through difficult situations and conversations so that you can get better results and feel more supported. Whether you are coming out of the closet, considering a trip to the family, or trying to decide whether to end your relationship or keep it going, radical alignment is a powerful process to get you there with grace and ease.

About Alex and Bob

Alexandra Jamieson is a success mentor, life, and health coach to creative, professional women who want it all. She is the best-selling author of Women, Food & Desire, co-creator and co-star of the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me, and highly-sought-after wellness expert.

Bob Gower helps organizations move faster, create better products, and become happier, more engaged places to work. He is an authority on agile software development, lean theory, and responsive organizational design, and has advised leaders at numerous companies—including GE, Ford, Chanel, PG&E, and Spotify—in creating more effective organizations. He is the author of Agile Business: A Leader’s Guide to Harnessing Complexity and speaks regularly on organizational development and leadership.

Connect with Bob and Alex

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433: Tapping into your soul wounds to uncloset your personal destiny – Deneen Joyner

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 03:30:00 -0700

How often do we hold ourselves back simply because we let the wounds of our past, or from others keep us from showing up as our truest self? Way to often! It's the relinquishing of our power that keeps us from dealing with our wounds and stepping into the healing so that we can live our truest self and life.

Soul Medium and Spiritual Coach Deneen Joyner helps us explore our wounds so that we can come out of the closets of our life to create our own sacred revelations of who we are meant to be and how we are meant to show up in life.

About Deneen

Deneen Joyner is a Soul Medium, Spiritual Coach and Storyteller whose soul mission is to guide others on how to follow the footprints left by their ancestors to uncover the spiritual inheritance tied to their pain, gifts and destiny, so they may heal and fulfill their holy assignments. As a seventh-generation shaman and heiress to her ancestor’s ancient indigenous practices in self-guided soul healing, Deneen offers a unique approach to how women can partner with themselves and their pain to clear their souls. Deneen offers insightful guidance surrounding the intergenerational DNA behind family karma and emotional pain, which she gained as an 18-year professional in social work. She offers soul readings through private coaching, as well as with live audiences and radio interviews.

About Her Book

Deneen is the nationally award-winning author of Soul Wounds & Sacred Revelations: A Warrior Daughter's Awakening to Pain and Destiny. In it, she examines the DNA surrounding emotional pain and provides a blueprint for uncovering the lessons that are sent into our lives for the purpose of healing, evolution and mastering pain. The author delves into the role our ancestors and family play in allowing us to know ourselves, including how our divine assignments are intrinsically tied to yet-unfulfilled soul contracts that can span several lifetimes.

The book begs the questions: Why have we settled for living with emotional pain? How did we learn to respond to it? Why must we hit rock bottom for God to gain our attention? Deneen’s intimate story of struggle and redemption provides answers for how each of us can see ourselves for truly who we are: more divine than human. The book gives us permission to break our own hearts and be wrong about all the ugly things we’ve ever thought about ourselves. Ultimately, it offers the hope of embracing the possibility that we are so much more than our pain.

Connect With Deneen

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432: Managing the Uncertainty of Coming Out – Virginia A. Campbell

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Nothing in life is certain. Yet we allow the uncertainty in life to hold us hostage, especially when are are coming out of the closet. How would your fears, and worries be different if you didn't allow uncertainty to drive your decisions.

Virginia A. Campbell, M.D. talks about her book Are you sure? The Unconscious Origins of Uncertainty and how our perceptions of certainty lead us to hold ourselves back, and even keep us from coming out of the closet to live our most powerful truth in our sexuality and essence of ourselves.

Join this candid conversation about overcoming uncertainty and living your truth.

About Virginia

Virginia Campbell is an experienced physician with a long-standing interest in mind-body medicine, the brain, and consciousness. She is also interested in a wide variety of other topics including the history of science and ideas. She began podcasting in 2006 and has discovered that it is a great way to share ideas with people from around the world.

In July 2014 she left Emergency Medicine to begin a Fellowship in Palliative Care at the University of Alabama School of Medicine (UAB). She completed the fellowship in June 2015 now practices Palliative Medicine at the VA Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. She currently hosts the three monthly podcasts described below.

Brain Science was launched in 2006 as the Brain Science Podcast. The goal is to explore how recent scientific discoveries are unraveling age-old mysteries, such as intelligence, emotions, personality, and memory. We also look at why the brain is much more complex than any computer yet devised. Since the podcast launched, I have had the opportunity to interview quite a few leading scientists and writers and the show has been ranked #1 on iTunes™. There are now 150+ episodes available and in November 2018 the show passed 10 million downloads.

If you are curious about how the brain makes you who you are this is the podcast for you. Listen in Apple Podcasts™.

She started Books and Ideas in 2006 so she would have a place to share her thoughts about everything from science to philosophy. She has done everything from Harry Potter to an interview with Nobel Prize winning physicist, Frank Wilczek. The show has evolved to have a focus on promoting science over pseudoscience, but it is an outlet for her diverse interests. When her husband died unexpectedly in 2015, it became difficult to keep both shows going, but she resumed monthly production in January 2019. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

In November 2018 she launched a new podcast called Graying Rainbows: Coming Out LGBT+ Later in Life. Since she came out as gay at the age of 60 (about 6 months after my husband’s death) she has found it difficult to connect with the LGBT community. The goal of this podcast is to create a community for others who are coming out later in life. She shares resources and stories and are currently encouraging listeners to join the Facebook. Listen in Apple Podcasts.

Connect With Ginger

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431: How to not let a worldwide pandemic limit you! – Laura Gassner Otting

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 03:30:00 -0700

COVID19 came in with a roar and an intent to get us all to pause and reset. Many of us lost hope, sheltered not only in place but crawled into despair. Then, with a swift kick in the pants, many of us also said, "This is not how I am meant to show up in the world!"

My friend Laura showed up again, to bring her Limitless insights on how we can leverage this pandemic to restart and find a new way to show up in the world. She's now got a companion course for her book - Limitless and a Facebook Group - where you can discover for yourself, the power of being Limitless even when the world is spinning out of control.

About Laura

Laura Gassner Otting helps people get “unstuck” — and achieve extraordinary results.

Through Limitless Possibility, Laura collaborates with change agents, entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and donors to push past the doubt and indecision that consign great ideas to limbo. She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and catalytic perspective informed by decades of navigating change across the start-up, nonprofit, political, and philanthropic landscapes.

Laura’s 25-year resume is defined by her entrepreneurial edge. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at respected nonprofit search firm, Isaacson, Miller, to expand the startup ExecSearches.com; and founded and ran the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, which partnered with the full gamut of mission driven nonprofit executives, from start-up dreamers to scaling social entrepreneurs to global philanthropists. She is the author of Mission-Driven, a book for those moving from profit to purpose, and the upcoming Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life (April 2019).

Through her own commitment to give back, Laura has helped build a local Montessori school, co-founded a women’s philanthropic initiative, advised a start-up national women’s PAC, grew a citizen-leadership development program, and completed three charity-inspired marathons—projects emblematic of her passions and values. She’s turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She’s an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she’s never met a revolution she didn’t like.

Connect With Laura

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430: How to have healthy Sexual Desires – Robb Kornoelje

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Happy Pride and Happy Sex. So let's talk about sex and pride. What makes good sex? What's a desire? Why do we shame sex? We ask these types of questions and then still wonder why the LGBTQ community can be so screwed up about sex and love. Well maybe need to admit, that as humans we tend to shame thoughts of sex when what we need to do is celebrate that we are sexual beings.

Join Robb Kornoelje (pronounced core-new-l-yeah), sex therapist and I as we explore sexual desires and pride of being sexual beings without shame. If you're not into penis talk you might not want to listen to this one. Or maybe you should - wink, wink.

About Robb

Robb brings a diverse set of experiences to the uncloseted world. His story is not all that uncommon. He believed that if anyone ever knew he was gay that they would reject him. After being a pastor for 18 years, married to a woman with three children together that fear was substantiated when he came out in 2013. After a few years of struggling to land on his feet Robb went back to school to get his master’s degree in counseling. In 2019, he graduated and started a private practice for mental health called The Truism Center in Grand Rapids, MI. He currently specializes in Sex Therapy for individuals and couples and is an expert in helping people sort out their issues with faith and sexuality.

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429: Generational Pride & Coming Out – Two Stories – Anthony Catalino

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 03:30:00 -0700

He's 38, the other he is 56. One came out at 16 but still hid, the other came out at 19 and hid until he was 36. In honor of pride we take look at generational pride and what coming out, being out, and living with pride means from two different perspectives.

In the heat of the COVID19 outbreak, I met Anthony Catalino on one of my free calls that I offer for the LGBTQ community. Over the past few weeks we've become social distanced friends who are both working to help people to live their truth. Today we explore the pride perspectives we both hold dear to our hearts as gay men and what pride means to us. Enjoy this fun, brash conversation as we celebrate PRIDE 2020.

About Anthony

Anthony Catalino is a Transformational Coach based outside of NYC, helping gay men in their

20s & 30s become their true authentic self. As a gay man in his late 30s, he has been successful

finding his own inner happiness, seeing life through a positive lens, and building healthy

relationships with himself and others. The freedom he experienced was far too brilliant to keep

quiet, and so he’s been motivating others to do the same since even before getting his coaching

certificate in 2015.

Prior to his success, Anthony had spent years living in fear, judging his worth, and confused with

the purpose of life. Self-educating himself became his primary focus, and he’s literally

transformed his world and resembles something all walks of life crave; Authenticity, Courage,

Compassion, and Love.

Today, Anthony offers a range of coaching programs and services - from individual coaching, to

group coaching, to masterminds, seminars and keynote speeches

Connect with Anthony

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Special Edition – America's Racism Just Came Out of The Closet – Jeff Harry

Sat, 13 Jun 2020 03:30:00 -0700

It goes without saying that "America's racism, truly just came out of the closet!" While it has been simmering there ever since the first African slave landed on our shores, and even prior to that as native Americans had this land taken from their hands, it is as err apparent as it was in the 60's and 70's that a revolution is under foot and everything is out of the closet when it comes to racism, diversity, and inclusion.

As an advocate for individuals to have the right to be who they are, I personally do not advocated racism, fascism, or discrimination in any manner where it harms others. You can be who you are, but when being who you are mentally and physically abuses others, it's time for you to check your values and beliefs and take a knee and look into your own soul.

Today, my friend Jeff Harry and I have a candid conversation about the national conversation that has erupted about racism, anit-racism, white privilege, and every thing that is now on the table following George Floyd's brutal murder at the hands of incompetent police.

About Jeff

Jeff Harry shows individuals and companies how to tap into their true selves, to feel their happiest and most fulfilled — all by playing. Jeff has worked with Google, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Adobe, the NFL, Amazon, and Facebook, helping their staff to infuse more play into the day-to-day.

Jeff is an international speaker who has presented at conferences such as INBOUND, SXSW, and Australia’s Pausefest, showing audiences how major issues in the workplace can be solved using play. Jeff was selected by BambooHR as one of the Top HR Influencers of 2020 to watch. His play work has been featured on AJ+, SoulPancake, the SF Chronicle, and CNN.

While we spend most of our time pretending to be important, serious grownups, it's when we let go of that facade and just play, that the real magic happens. Fully embracing your own nerdy genius — whatever that is — gives you the power to make a difference and change lives. Jeff believes that we already have many of the answers we seek, and by simply unleashing our inner child, we can find our purpose and, in turn, help to create a better world.

Connect with Jeff

428: A Different Kind of Transgender Story – Meredith Talusan

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 03:30:00 -0700

What little boy doesn't wish to grow up as an albino, Phillipino girl trapped in a male body? And what Phillipino woman, wants to transition into her truth only to battle white privilege, from her own trans community? The answer is no one, and no one. Yet, these factors are only the beginning of Meredith Talusan's story that has lead her to realize, being a fair-skinned woman isn't all it is cracked up to be.

This candid and forthright conversation is a perfect mid-Pride month story to show each of us how we tend forget the trials and tribulations we all face for the things that make us, us, and that others tend to find the most reason to hate about us. Just in time for the launch of her Book "Fairest," Meredith, brings us insights and truths of about the closets she faces that many of us will never even consider due to our own inherent privilege.

About

Meredith Talusan is an award-winning author and journalist who is the founding executive editor of them.,Condé Nast's LGBTQ+ digital platform, where she is now a contributing editor. She has contributed to other books, including the New York Times bestseller Not That Bad (edited by Roxane Gay), Nasty Women, and Burn It Down. She writes frequently for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, WIRED, Condé Nast Traveller, and many other publications. She lives in the Western Catskills with her spouse and rescue mutt.

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427: Coming Out with Pride, Diversity, and Inclusion – John Volturo

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Whether it's the rainbow ceiling, the glass ceiling, or the race ceiling...diversity and inclusion is here to shatter those ceilings. No longer is it acceptable for any place of work, or on the planet, to not be inclusive and diverse...even in our own LGBTQ Community.

Bearing his pride flag as an LGBTQ equality workplace advocate, John Volturo helps us kick off Pride month with a look inside why Diversity and Inclusion are still hot topics, and not just for the LGBTQ community. Truths, insights, and ideas for how to be comfortable in the discomfort of creating a diverse and inclusive work culture.

Also, John is offering a 25% discount on all of his coaching services for anyone who listens to the podcast, simply email him at the email by CLICKING HERE to get the discount.

About John

John is an internationally recognized lecturer, NGLCC certified coach, and an advocate for LGBTQ equality in the workplace.

For over 20 years, John Volturo has served in Executive Management, most recently with eight years as a Chief Marketing Officer, General Manager and Board Member at startup, mid-size, and large private and publicly traded companies. Having hired around 600 people and managed well over 1000, John is known for creating diverse, talented teams that companies retain longer than other groups.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, John grew up conforming to heterosexual norms to succeed, he understands that not everyone is alike and deserves cookie cutter solutions. Through his coaching, John advises CEOs and leaders on how to make better decisions, overcome obstacles, hire peak performing teams, realign vision, and train and retain the company's best talent while building diverse and inclusive teams.

John currently resides in California with his husband and two daughters. He is the President-Elect of the International Coaching Federation, and founder of Volturo Coaching.

Connect With John

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426: Pride is all about Healing – Brian Falduto

Wed, 20 May 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Imagine being cast in a major motion picture, and suddenly having to fight your truth, or at least hide it until you are ready. You fight it, don't want to confront it, and basically avoid it because you have to heal yourself before you can be yourself. Sound familiar.

Brian Falduto of "Fancy Pants" fame from the movie School of Rock, had to start hiding and confronting his truth at age 11, in front of the world. Then he realized, his truth is his truth. Now this actor, singer, and life coach, guides others to freely step into their truth without shame. We're kicking off this pre-pride show with a fun and candid conversation about letting healing guide you to your truth to have PRIDE in yourself. Also make sure you stay on the lookout fro Brian's new music video - God Loves Me Too - being released during PRIDE season.

About Brian

At the age of 11, Brian was cast alongside Jack Black by casting director Ilene Starger and Golden Globe-winning director Richard Linklater in the Scott Rudin / Paramount Pictures film School of Rock as Billy, a.k.a. (“Fancy Pants”). Brian returned to working on and pursuing his craft in college. A dual-degree graduate in Theatre Performance and Arts Administration, Brian proudly calls himself an alumnus of Wagner College.

Since college, Brian has immersed himself back into the industry, working with renowned theatre organizations such as the Broadway PR firm DKC/O&M, the Broadway producing company Jujamcyn Theatres, the regional Paper Mill Playhouse, the Off-Broadway show Fuerza Bruta, the Venus / Adonis Theatre Festival, and the New York International Fringe Festival. He has also taken a dive into the world of radio with various formats including 95.5 WPLJ, 77WABC on the AM dial, and Radio 103.9. However, he is especially proud of the role he had in helping bring country music back to NYC with NASH FM 94.7, the flagship station of the now national and influential NASH brand.

Bit by the music industry bug, Brian is now a singer-songwriter himself, delivering heartfelt lyrics through infectious melodies. His debut, acoustic EP, “Love One Another” was released on June 13, 2017 and within 24 hours hit #94 on the US iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts. By the end of the week, it was #64 on this same chart in the UK and #31 for overall album sales on iTunes in Norway. Prior to releasing his 2018 Live Performance Session series on YouTube, Brian spent the majority of 2017 sharing his music live in concert throughout the tri-state area and also devoted some time partnering with various non-profits including The Trevor Project, H.D.S.A. (Huntington’s Disease Society of America), S.A.G.E. (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders), and H.E.A.R.T. (Help Educate At Risk Teens Foundation), all causes dear to his heart.

Brian was recently named one of the “20 most influential, outspoken, and optimistic individuals on the planet” by PrideLife Magazine in their 20th Anniversary #20intheir20s issue.

The past few Pride seasons have brought great opportunities for Brian to continue his advocacy for the LGBTQ community with Broadway Sings for Pride at their 8th & 9th annual star-studded benefit concerts for the Tyler Clementi Foundation & through his own efforts organizing NYC's 1st ever LGBT Songwriter's Night in support of The Trevor Project, a now annual event.

Most recently, Brian has had some amazing opportunities to share his life story openly and honestly through both a self-written piece in The Advocate and a heartfelt interview with Now This News, both of which have since gone viral.

Brian is the founder of his own life coaching business in compliance with the International Coach Federation standards and is part of the marketing committee for the Gay Coaches Alliance. He also hosts "The Gay Life Coach Podcast," which provides biweekly queer mindfulness content & can be found on Instagram as @thegaylifecoach.

Brian’s 1st studio album “Stage Two” dropped at the end of 2018 & featured the lead single, “Rainy Day.” He and his band recently performed at the East Coast Music Conference in Norfolk, VA just prior to heading out on a June 2019 #PrideMonth tour with a full set of #gaycountry tunes. Brian has been booked to speak at ECMC again in 2020 and will do so following the release of the music video for his forthcoming single, "God Loves Me Too." Meanwhile, his latest release "Like a Wave" is currently rippling through the digital streaming world.

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425: Coming Out Of The COVID19 Closet - Rick Clemons

Wed, 06 May 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Like a sneaking suspicion, or a bad Halloween nightmare, COVID19 hit the world and suddenly, we were all thrust into the closet. Isolation, fear, stress, uncertainty. If you've never hid in the closet, now you know what it is like. So what happens next?

At some point we all hope to come out of this, but while you're in this closet are you exploring positivity or wallowing in negativity? Will you bring your new found discoveries out of the closet with you in a positive way, or will you rush out, back to old habits or possibly even worse, new addictions.

Today we explore the possibilities that lie beyond the closet door of COVID19, because like it or not you might be experiencing your first coming out story and you don't even realize it and you are going to need these six steps to help you integrate back into your life.

424: Hope Is A Verb – Amy Downs

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 03:30:00 -0700

A regular day, doing her regular life, left her realizing that hope was going to be the only thing that would get her through what she was about to experience. That same hope would lead her out of the closets of her life around obesity, her God given talents, and her belief in herself.

Amy Downs, a college dropout turned CEO, shares her closet journey that has led her to living in a choosing mindset that now serves her well as she step daily into her life choosing to live with intention and not regrets.

About Amy

Amy Downs began working as a teller in 1988 at Federal Employees Credit Union, now called Allegiance Credit Union. In 1995, the credit union was nearly destroyed when the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed and 18 of their 33 employees were killed. Amy was buried alive for over six hours and was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble.

Amy now serves as President and CEO of the same credit union. Allegiance Credit Union is now four times the size and is consistently voted a Best Place to Work in Oklahoma . Amy was recognized as a Most Admired CEO by the Oklahoma Journal Record in 2020.

Amy loves cycling with her husband and each summer they take week off to ride their bicycles across the state of Oklahoma, from the Texas border to the Kansas border.

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423: Diversity & Inclusion. Change behaviors not beliefs! – Bernadette Smith

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 03:30:00 -0700

At the height of the gay marriage battle, she discovered her calling - being a gay wedding planner. Then suddenly a series of incidents found her explaining to the wedding industry what they needed to know to work with gay couples as they planned their big gay weddings. From that momentum, Bernadette Smith, Founder and President of The Equality Institute knew she was coming out of the closet to have an impact in the world helping change behaviors in the workplace towards LGBTQ other other marginalized populations.

Today she shares insights, tips, and honest answers about why diversity and inclusion is everyone's responsibility.

About Bernadette

Bernadette Smith is founder and president of Equality Institute, and award-winning author of three books.

In 2004, Bernadette started 14 Stories, an award-winning wedding planning firm with an LGBTQ specialty. Her vision was to disrupt the heteronormative wedding industry with a vision of inclusion of all couples. Several years later, she took this passion and started to share her expertise with her peers in the global wedding and travel industry. Her business naturally evolved as she received questions on LGBTQ concerns for the front desk, concierge and other front line staff. Bernadette has since expanded her training offerings and now consults with finance, airlines, insurance, health care and many other industries. Bernadette and her colleagues have consulted with and trained thousands of people from more than 24 countries on LGBTQ issues.

Clients have included Alaska Airlines, Grant Thornton, Hard Rock, MGM Resorts, Melia Hotels, Marriott Hotels, and Ritz-Carlton brands. She has spoken at conferences such as the World Education Congress, Catersource, the LGBTQ Marketing & Advertising Symposium, and many other events.

Bernadette's expertise has been sought after by the Today Show, National Public Radio and the New York Times, among many others. In 2018 and 2019, she was named one of Crain Chicago Business’s Notable LGBTQ Executives.

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422: Uncloseting a major life injury to live your best life – Tyler Schrenk

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 03:30:00 -0700

About Tyler

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421: 5 Steps For Dumping Guilt and Shame – Rick Clemons

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 03:30:00 -0700

No matter what the closet is that you are living in, in your life, there will always be some ridiculous level of guilt and shame associated with coming out of that closet. Guilt and shame of causing others pain. Guilt and shame of letting yourself or others down. Guilt and shame because you aren't playing by life's rules. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!

You will know you have come through the closet doors when you dump your guilt and shame and are living your life uncloseted. Here's 5 Steps For Dumping Guilt and Shame.

420: Uncloseting The Stigma of HIV & AIDS – Charles Sanchez

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 03:30:00 -0700

It's January 2020. HIV and AIDS have now been in our world since 1983. We've gone from pandemic panic to people living productive, healthy lives. Yet, there is still stigma, and lack of education, and no one giving a light-hearted look at life with HIV and AIDS. But why would we? That would be blasphemous. Or would it actually help the cause. Enter Merce - an award-winning HIV-positive musical comedy web series. Wait what?

Yes, Merce is a HIV-positive, musical comedy web series that dives into some hot button topics impacting today’s HIV community as well, including PrEP, slut shaming, and gay marriage. Per shame, per shame that a musical comedy has the audacity to address these issues...or should we say "Bravo, bravo, bravo!"

Creator and lead character, Charles Sanchez unclosets the black cloud that should no longer hang over the world of HIV and AIDS in this candid and fun interview that shows, even a once devastating disease can bring a ray of sunshine and laughter to the world. And I show how stupid I am that I can't pronounce the shows name. It's Merce, not Merced, not Merci...Merce, Merce, Merce!

About Charles (a.k.a. Merce)

Charles Sanchez is a gay, HIV+ writer, performer, director and activist living in New York City. He is one of the co-founders of Skipping Boyz Productions, and conceived, writes and stars in the musical comedy web series, Merce, which was named Best HIV/AIDS Content at America’s Rainbow Film Festival in 2016 and won the Audience Award for Short Film at the 2017 Kaleidoscope Film Festival.

Sanchez grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and started his artistic life as a member of the Phoenix Boys Choir. With the choir he toured Europe, Canada, and the US, and even sang for President Carter. Sanchez moved to New York City at 19 to study performing at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. His acting career has taken him from Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, to the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock, AR. As a director, he has staged plays and cabarets in New York, Los Angeles, and in several theatres regionally.

In 2003, Charles woke up in the hospital to find out he'd been in a 3-week drug induced coma, due to advanced HIV: AIDS. Because of his diagnosis, he became an activist. He has attended the national AIDSWatch conference in Washington D.C. four times, and has been featured in public service videos for the CDC’s “Start Talking. Stop HIV.” campaign, as well as for Remedy Health Media and EverydayHealth.com.

He was a member of the HIV Divide Flash Collective led by artist Avram Finklestein and writer/activist Mark S. King, which created messaging and imagery around the viral divide between HIV positive and negative gay men. He was also chosen to be a Social Media Fellow at the US Conference on AIDS in 2016, sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council. Sanchez has been a Contributing Editor for TheBody.com since 2017, and has had essays published on PositivelyAware.com, Them.us and HuffPost Queer Voices.

Sanchez has received many nominations at several festivals for his writing of and acting in Merce, and was named Best Actor in a Webisode at The 2016 Official Latino Short Film Festival. He was included in Healthline.com's list of HIV Honors: The Most Influential Voices of 2017, and was honored in POZ Magazine's 2018 POZ 100, celebrating people over 50 making a difference in the fight against HIV and the stigma surrounding it.

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Hey Guys, Check This Out!

Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why.

Take the Unapologetic Life Assessment - Click Here, and stop playing it safe.

For a real, deep-dive, one-to-one coaching session where we make things happen to get you out of your own way, check out my "Your Next Move" Strategy Session. Check it out - Click Here!

Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies

P.S. get your free My Bold Life Manifesto, right here.

419: Uncloseting Yourself To Build Your Destiny – Grant Baldwin

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 03:30:00 -0700

He went from being a youth pastor to a conversation with his Dad about his destiny, to now running a highly successful online business, all because he uncloseted himself to go live his destiny. Now he has a brand new book out, The Successful Speaker - 5 Steps For Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform - which is fully aligned with his mission and business to help speakers be successful.

Grant Baldwin has done what a lot of people aspire to do, create a life built on freedom and flexibility. But it wasn't without challenges. Today he shares his insights for staying focused, building confidence, and overcoming paranoia.

About Grant

Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak he has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. As a keynote speaker, Grant has delivered nearly one thousand presentations to over 500,000 people in 47 states and has keynoted events for audiences as large as 13,000.

Grant has also been featured in national media including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post.

He now lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Sheila, and their three daughters.

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418: Love making advice from yo’ Momma – Natasha Ria El-Scari

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Men, boys, man boys - whatever you want to call the male species, seem to get their love and love making advice from tight lipped men, or loose lipped boys in the locker room. Neither usually serve them well and make them better men when it comes to love and love making. So let the tides shift, and invite the mother energy in to do the job of teaching men about love and love making.

Natasha Ria El-Scari is coming out of the closet to say, "Let Mama do the job!" Yup, she's grabbing her son, and other men by whatever appendage makes sense, sitting them down to teach them about the fine art of love and love making. Here to share her new book - Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to My Son - and to take us all to the church of love, sex, and love making, Natasha is not going to let what she feels needs to be taught on deaf ears. Buckle up folks, this one is full of straight-forward, no bullshit, closet busting truths.

About Natasha

Natasha Ria El-Scari is a poet, performer, writer, Cave Canem fellow, 2016 Ragdale Residency recipient and educator for over a decade. Her poetry, academic papers, and personal essays have been published in anthologies, literary and online journals. She has opened for and introduced many great writers, singers and activists, and has been featured at a host of universities and venues nationwide. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Natasha has a BA from Jackson State University and a MA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Natasha’s Black Feminist approach is reflected in her writing, poetry and performance pieces. Once asked in an interview what makes her unique she replied, “…most people lie to themselves, but I like to reveal myself.”

In 2015 Natasha released her first book, Screaming Times (Spartan Press, 2015). Of her work, critic and poet Denise Low writes, “Poems lift off the page, almost reading themselves. Unlike some performance poetry, her words translate well to the printed page.” Her second book, The Only Other (Main Street Rag, 2016) dives into the taboo voice of the other woman. In 2019 Natasha released her first self-published and non-fiction book in collaboration with her son entitled, Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to My Son. Natasha’s CDs, DragonButterFirefly (2006), This is Love… (2010), CuddleComplex (2016) and DVD Live at the Blue Room (2015) display how Natasha connects with any crowd with maternal warmth and unrelenting honesty.

This mother of two is also the founder and curator of Black Space Black Art, an organization created to promote the exhibition of African American visual arts and businesses. She is also the founder and curator of the El-Scari Harvey Art Gallery, a small art gallery that focuses on exhibiting marginalized artists and creating relevant events.

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417: Uncloseting a minimal life – The RV Way – Ashley Gann

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:59:00 -0700

She already knows how to stand out in crowd. She's a STEM gal - science, technology, engineering, and math wizard. She's a woman in a mostly male dominated world - Chief Meteorologist at CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama. And, now she's coming out of the closet to live a minimalist life with her husband and three young kids...wait for it...in an RV. Not out of necessity, but out of choice.

Loving what it's done for her and her family, and discovering that we really don't need as much stuff as we think we do in life, Ashley is sharing her journey out of the closet of suburbia living, to permanent RV life...at least for now...and the joys and happiness it has brought to her life.

About Ashley

Ashley Gann, Chief Meteorologist at CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama is a mom, wife, and advocate. With her background in Aerospace Engineering and Geosciences, Ashley engages women in the sciences. Professionally, Ashley is one of a very small group of women named Chief Meteorologist. She knows that our professional STEM communities needs more women and when she isn't delivering the daily forecast, she is actively speaking to groups, schools, and corporations about the need for young girls to engage in STEM and the need to retain working women in STEM.

Ashley is passionate about gender equity and equality and hopes to provide ways to bridge the gender gap in our STEM communities. And....Ashley and her family have decided to go live in an RV, yes, sell their home and move into a house on wheels, in the middle of the woods, just off the lake. She has learned the value in being a minimalist and found that she has reprioritized what matters most; spending time with the people she loves.

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416: Living an unredacted life – Jim Koury

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Unredacted. Raw truth, Nothing censored. No obscurity. It takes a lot of guts and a real sense of self to say, here's my story - unredacted. Yet, most of us feel the need to keep our truth from the world, or at least some of it. However, it can be very cathartic and freeing to say, this is my truth.

Jim Koury, author of Unredacted, takes us on a journey of his raw uncensored truth as a gay man and human. Emotional, scary, and yet completely truthful, Jim shares how putting yourself out there with your truth isn't for the recognition, it's for the purest essence fo living your truth.

About Jim

Jim Koury has written his first literary work entitled, “Unredacted.” He is a seeker of personal truth, and desires to empower others to find their own personal truth, whatever it may be. He is also an activist who is not afraid to speak his mind, and ruffle some feathers, if necessary. His main objective is to get people to think and think for themselves. He espouses Aristotle’s mantra, “It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Jim does not force his views on others but just puts them out there for folks to think about and discard if they wish Jim is also the Editor/Publisher of Diversity Rules Magazine, an alternative focus publication primarily dealing with empowering the LBBTQ community. It is also a publication that discusses concerns and issues related to the queer community, along with issues of diversity generally, and special interest topics.

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415: Uncloseting your faith and becoming an non-believer – Geoff Kullman

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 03:30:00 -0700

Sometimes you gotta have faith, and then other times you realize that maybe not believing in God is more your truth. But what kind of crisis of faith causes you to stop believing and to live in the integrity of your own truth?

Geoff Kullman shares his coming out of the closet to become an Atheist story and everything that entails from leaving his church to managing his relationships with his spouse and children, to the world at large. This fascinating chat shows how losing faith in anything can cause you to wake up and find your own "faith" truth to live by.

About Geoff

Geoff Kullman is a brand-awareness and direct-response copywriter for influencers, experts, and thought leaders. That’s basically a fancy way of saying he writes marketing materials for people you’ve heard of but he’s too polite to mention their names (probably because he’s from Canada). Geoff puts identity and integrity at the core of his writing… which is why you’re going to want to listen to his story!

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Hey Guys, Check This Out!

Are you a person who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why.

Take the Unapologetic Life Assessment - Click Here, and stop playing it safe.

For a real, deep-dive, one-to-one coaching session where we make things happen to get you out of your own way, check out my "Your Next Move" Strategy Session. Check it out - Click Here!

Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies

P.S. get your free My Bold Life Manifesto, right here - rickclemons.com/manifesto/

414: Screw Resolutions. Create your 2020 F*ck It List Instead – Rick Clemons

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 11:30:00 -0700

It’s about to be 2020. Or it might already be 2020 by the time you listen to this podcast. Instead of resolutions, how about creating a F*CK IT List to live by this year. It’s simple, it’s genuine, it’s honest, and it can be real if you put your mind to it. It’s also damn freeing. Your F*CK IT LIST can be your best friend this year, and here’s how to do it and succeed.

413: Holiday Gifts You Should Give Yourself – Rick Clemons

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 11:30:00 -0700

It’s Christmas Eve, or right in the middle of Hanukkah, but regardless of where you are or the holiday you celebrate, how about giving yourself some really good, non-materialistic holiday gifts this holiday season. The kind of gifts that truly improve your life and bring you peace. No more feeling the blues about these holiday gifts, because these gifts will make you one holly jolly happy person.

412: Stepping Into the Race and Out Of The Closet – Martina Kwan

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 11:30:53 -0700

What do you do when you’ve built two successful companies, received awards for those companies, then move to Southern California, and you just do feel fulfilled? You come out of the closet at age 50, to become a championship Porsche 911 race car driver – and you don’t look back.

Martina Kwan, kicked open the closet doors, entering a very male dominated sport, to show that you are never to old nor that being a woman has any reason for you to hold yourself back from pursuing your passion and living life on your terms.

About Martina

Martina Kwan is a Race Car Driver, Driving Coach, Finance and Accounting Professional, Critical Thinker, and Award Winning Entrepreneur.

She has worked for some of the World’s best companies and successfully founded 2 award-winning companies.

She won Emmy and Telly Awards for Production Management and Producing with So! Animation, the first company she founded, and numerous Furniture Design Awards with the second company she founded, Neoteric Luxury Outdoor Collections.

She is a Championship Porsche 911 race car driver with the competitive Porsche Owners Club in Southern California. She has won 3 consecutive Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

She is also an FIA licensed Saleen S1 race car driver, and ran in the Saleen Cup in conjunction with the Blancpain GT World Challenge America. She podiumed twice during the season and is currently in discussions to continue driving the Saleen S1 in 2020.

She is a National Certified PCA Driving Instructor as well as with POC.

She recently supplemented her Master of Science in Accountancy and Master of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management with a Certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently taking Python, R Programming and Statistics from Stanford University and a Micro Masters in Statistics and Data Science from MIT.

She currently owns a Porsche GT3RS Streetcar Porsche 997.2 Race Car, Porsche Cayenne S, and a Mercedes-AMG CLK63 Black Series Race Car.

Martina Kwan is looking to collaborate with an International Luxury Brand as a multi-faceted, versatile Brand Ambassador that will bring Class, Recognition, Exposure and ultimately, higher sales to one of the biggest target markets in the World: Women.

Women Empowering Women, Women Inspiring Other Women, Women Mentoring the Next Generation of Girls, Dare To Be Different, and Be You are some of the powerful slogans she believes in that will deliver results for any Organization looking to expand their market in the lucrative, profitable and populous Southern California Region of the United States.

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411: Making it ok to break the rules – Tanis Frame

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 11:30:13 -0700

Life is a series of rules. Or is life meant to be about breaking the rules? In reality, it’s a combination of both that require us to play with the rules and see where that takes us. As a Status Quo Disruptor, I’m all about breaking the rules…for good. I found my co-conspirator in breaking rules with Tanis Frame, creative play Ninja, who breaks the rules in order to help people thrive.

To often we get caught up in follow the rules, follow the rules, follow the rules, when maybe the better route is to test, break, and re-write the rules. That’s exactly what living a Life (UN)Closeted is all about – rewriting the rules, and that is what Tanis and I explore today – the play of rewriting life’s rules so that we can thrive.

About Tanis

Tanis Frame is a sought after speaker, long time facilitator, leadership coach and creative play ninja who spearheads the DECIDE TO THRIVE MOVEMENT, helping passionate people create the impact they are called to make in the world while thriving deeply in all aspects of their lives.

With a background steeped in science she is uniquely skilled at teasing out the relevant insights and connecting the dots in a profoundly actionable way and brings a refreshingly adventurous spirit to exploring our human nature unlocking huge opportunity for change and growth.

Tanis believes thriving starts with deeply aligned and integrated personal leadership – without which we can’t effectively nor sustainably lead anyone or anything else. That leaning into joy is our sacred responsibility and that play is the way home. When we decide to thrive, we play by a different set of rules.

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410: Coming out of the awkwardness closet – Vanessa VanEdwards

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 11:30:52 -0700

Now that was awkward. Or was it just your own self-imposed closet of feeling awkward? Too often that awkwardness is what keeps us in our closets. No one else will understand. I feel so weird talking about this. Other people will think I’m weird. All of these are just excuses for not realizing, we are all awkward in our own way, and way more alike than different.

Vanessa Van Edwards, a recovering awkward person, tells it like it is with candid, value loaded conversation about coming out of our closets, especially the closet of being awkward. Calling upon her expertise as the lead investigator at Science of People and from her bestselling book Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, she goes raw and uncloseted with insights about how to come out of your own awkward closets, whatever those might be in your life.

About Vanessa

Vanessa is Lead Investigator at Science of People. She is the bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Her book has been translated into 15 different languages and more than 20 million people watch her on her popular YouTube channel.

Her unique work has been featured in dozens of media outlet including CNN, BBC, CBS, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, the Today Show and many more. Vanessa regularly speaks to innovative companies including Google, Nike, Facebook, Comcast, Miller-Coors, Microsoft, and Penguin Random-House. She has been a spokesperson for Dove, American Express, Clean and Clear and Symantec.

Millions visit her website, scienceofpeople.com, every month for her methods turning “soft skills” into actionable, masterable frameworks that can be applied in daily life. Hundreds of thousands of students have taken her communication courses on Udemy, CreativeLive, LinkedIn and her flagship course People School.

Vanessa is renowned for teaching science-backed people skills to audiences around the world including SxSW, MIT, and CES to name a few. Her groundbreaking and engaging workshops and courses teach individuals how to succeed in business and life by understanding the hidden dynamics of people.

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409: Coming out of the closet about suicide – Anne Moss Rogers

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 11:30:57 -0700

Death is never pretty, easy, or something that we are trained to contend with in our lives. We know it is inevitable, but death by suicide is never anything that we can be fully prepared for, especially with it is a death by suicide by our child. It hurts, it brings up tons of questions, and it incites grief, anger, and blame. Yet at the core of the suicide equation is a mental health issue that needs to be addressed.

Anne-Moss is a mother of a son who died by suicide, not commited suicide, and there’s a reason she prefers to use that terminology. In her journey of loss she has come out of the closet of blame, grief, and sorrow, and continues to come out of the closet on so many fronts about how you work with, process, and live through a suicide. Her book Diary of a Broken Mind, shares her journey, insights, and tips for moving through and past the loss of a loved one by suicide. Today she shares her story by coming out of the closet of a mother surviving her child’s death by suicide.

About Anne-Moss

Anne Moss Rogers is the emotionally naked® public speaker, the 2019 YWCA Pat Asch Fellow for social justice, brain tumor survivor and author of the book, Diary of a Broken Mind. She owns the popular Emotionally Naked blog and sold her digital marketing business to pursue suicide prevention after her son Charles’ died by suicide June 5, 2015. He struggled with depression and addiction. She has given a TEDx, been interviewed by the New York Times and was the first suicide loss survivor asked to speak at the National Institute of Mental Health. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, she lives in Richmond, VA and her surviving son, Richard, is a filmmaker in LA.

Connect With Anne-Moss

Get Her Book – Diary of a Broken Mind

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408: How To Escape The Toxicity Closet – Rick Clemons

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 11:30:06 -0700

If you watch the news on a daily basis, you might feel like we live in a very toxic world. Or maybe, you find yourself in a relationship that is draining you. And, let’s not forget that you might be in a work environment that daily only brings out the BEAST in you instead of the BEST of you. Regardless of the situation, it’s time to release the toxicity from your life, especially as we enter the holiday season.

Today we explore five ways to release toxic people, situations, thoughts and activities from your life so that you can thrive not only through the upcoming holidays, but everyday, by just letting that toxicity go…once and for all.

407: Out of the Closet & Back In – Alex Petrarca

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 11:30:35 -0700

Love happens. Or maybe we should say, attraction happens, even if it isn’t deep love. For some, that means the come out of the closet, then go back in. I know, I was one of those. For others, they believe they are gay, but based on family and societal pressure, religious beliefs, a distrust of oneself, or just downright confusion, some people give the heterosexual life a shot, only to find that, “Yep, this isn’t for me, and I am truly gay!” Such is the story of today’s guest. Alex Petrarca. She came out, went back in, then came out again. It’s much more common than you think and it is multi-generational, even in today’s more accepting society! This is her coming out story.

About Alex

Alex Petrarca is a filmmaker, podcast booking agent, and owner of After School Productions LLC. She has a BA in Film Studies from Rhode Island College and uses her video production savvy and compulsion to document everything in order to create episodes of Alex’s Vlog, a weekly Youtube series following the mundane adventures of a gay couple and their senior pets. Alex is also a volunteer for Vintage Pet Rescue and Girls Rock! RI in Providence.

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406: They Won’t Win: Uncloseting the music within – Danny M. Cohen & Greg Lanier

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:30:16 -0700

Music lifts us, binds us together, and when it’s really done right, it makes us think, even if that thinking is about dark subjects that no one really wants to talk about. But if we don’t talk about things, those things win. So what happens when you take a stand and say, “They Won’t Win!” You get a talented, gay music duo (no they aren’t a couple) who is tackling some dark parts of life, in the hopes of giving others hope so they can see that they are not alone.

Danny M. Cohen and Great Lanier of “They Won’t Win,” met through an organic circumstance at a dinner. It all started with noticing a guitar in the room and from there the relationship blossomed into the two becoming music husbands, producing folk-rock songs that take on dark subjects like partner abuse, the LGBTQ struggle, and loss. Their debut album Lost at Sea, is out and making a splash and having immediate impact with people from all walks of life. Touching, endearing, and soulful, Lost At Sea metaphorically paints the picture that we are all lost at sea in so many aspects of life…both good and bad.

About They Won’t Win – Danny & Greg

Led by Danny M. Cohen and Greg Lanier, They Won’t Win doesn’t shy away from the tough issues with their first studio offering. Lost At Sea is filled with soulful tracks that take a deep-dive on topics like coping with loss of friends and loved ones and the grief that follows, falling in love and heartbreak, struggling with acceptance within the LGBTQ space and outside of it, and same-sex partner physical abuse – in fact the album serves as a coming-out of sorts for Lanier who reveals he is an abuse survivor. While the album is peppered with difficult themes it is also teeming with redemption, pride, and love. More than a roadmap to the LGBTQ experience, it is a roadmap to the human experience.

Connect With They Won’t Win – Danny & Greg

405: Uncloseting The Truth of Being A Reluctant Entrepreneur – Stephen Warley

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 10:30:35 -0700

You’re moving along in life. Doing the thing that you do. Then suddenly, that life plan is no longer going the direction that you thought it would. Happens to all of us and it’s how we respond, not react that can make all the difference to moving ahead towards the life that you truly desire. Even if that means being a reluctant entrepreneur.

Stephen Warley, a reluctant entrepreneur, has seen his own share of ups and downs as he went from being employed to self-employed. As a podcaster, coach, minimalist and vagabond traveler, he’s discovered that living (un)closeted means doing work that matters using the life skills that matter to help him get there. His belief is that self-employment and becoming a reluctant entrepreneur is sneaking up on more of and more us as jobs are automated or outsourced, and that it’s time for everyone to come out of the closet and learn about self-employment and embrace it.

About Stephen

Stephen has been happily unemployable for 15+ years now. But it hasn’t always been that way. He’s been stuck and got himself unstuck many times to transform myself from compliant employee into an accidental (formerly reluctant) entrepreneur

His journey to embrace the thread of his career has been a long and challenging one. In the end, it’s been totally worth it. He now lives and works on his terms.

There are loads of experiences, stories and emotions he shares from his career over the past 20 years on his podcast Life Skills That Matter.

He doesn’t do social media, and he believes in purging on a regular basis, which makes him a minimalist. He is currently living a nomadic life for the next year to see what life will bring him.

Connect With Stephen

Life Skills That Matter Podcast

404: Losing it all to come out and be Great – Erik Bergman

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 08:30:00 -0700

No one with a logical head ever said, “I’m going to make a ton of money, then blow it all, just because I’m not happy to see if that brings me happiness!” Just doesn’t makes sense. Yet to be great, sometimes you have to literally make a ton of money to realize that many the…

403: Stepping out of the status quo closet – Shane Mallory

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Bullied in school. At 17 left at the crossroads of pursuing a career as a DJ or becoming a police officer, he chose, the badge. Even with the badge, the bullying continued, but he survived for 26 years in the line of duty working his way up the ladder, leading the status quo life, becoming…

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 6: Owning Your LGBTQ Truth

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:55:00 -0700

Whether you’re exploring your sexuality, considering coming out, or recently out, one of the most often overlooked challenges in owning your truth. Yes, we own it to come out, but the own it I’m talking about is owning it consistently and with commitment. Doing your best to not falter. Standing in your values your way.…

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 5: Dating & Mating Outside The Closet

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:50:00 -0700

You’ve come out, or maybe you’re only out to a few people in your life. You know the ones you can trust with your truth. Or maybe the ones you can’t trust but you don’t care because you are going to live your life. Cool. Now it’s time to start dating and mating. Maybe you’ve…

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 4: Having The Big Talk

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:45:00 -0700

You’ve explored how you feel. You know who you are. You’ve worried, had sleepless nights, maybe even considered that it’s not worth it to come out of the closet, but in your heart and soul, you know this is who you are. Now you’re considering having that big talk – with family, a spouse, your kids, friends, co-workers. But the thought of that scares the crap out of you. Here’s some tips to help you as you prepare for the big talk, that will change everything, and make you more of who you are…the person you’ve always been.

About Rick

Rick’s a culture disruptor (shakes up the status quo), closet buster (shatters silly beliefs), and a bold move expert (like Superman without the muscles and cape). His superpower is guiding closet dwellers – which is every human – to break free of fear, make bold moves, and live life without apology.

Everything Rick’s discovered about living life his way, he learned from coming out of the closet at 36, getting laid off from two sweet corporate jobs, and making the crazy decision to become an entrepreneur at age 43. Rick’s book – Frankly My Dear I’m Gay, podcasts – Life (UN)Closeted and 40 Plus: Real Men, Real Talk, his coming out coaching practice, in-your-face keynotes, and experiential workshops represent his no b.s. approach for making bold moves, no excuses, no fears, no apologies

He was put on this earth to remind people that closets are for clothes not living. He’s a husband to his husband, survived raising two girls—thus, the reason he’s bald—and will gladly work for wine, but prefers money to pay for things like toilet paper and ice cream.

Additional Coming Out Support

Get The First Two Chapters Of Rick’s Book

Schedule a Complimentary Coming Out Strategy Session

Get Rick’s Book

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 3: Let’s Talk About Sex

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:40:00 -0700

It can be scary saying I’m LGBTQ. Why? For many reasons, but one of the biggest is because everyone, including yourself, might just think you’re that way because it is all about SEX. Well, we’re talking about SEX and why it’s not just about SEX, and how to handle those thoughts, and accusations to be a solid, healthy individual as you begin to explore the sex of your sexuality and gender identity.

The more you know the better you will be in navigating the interesting twists and turn of discovering you and your desires in your sexuality, and don’t you let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t like about sex in your AWESOME self.

About Rick

Additional Coming Out Support

Get The First Two Chapters Of Rick’s Book

Schedule a Complimentary Coming Out Strategy Session

Get Rick’s Book

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 2: Religion, Faith, and God

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:35:00 -0700

One of the greatest weapons against the LGBTQ community is the weapon of faith and God. Combine that with the threat of going to hell and you have a mind blowing experience that has been used for years in the realms of conversation therapy. For others it’s a conflict, of “Do I love God or…

Coming Out Without Coming Unglued – Part 1: Breaking through the lack of acceptance

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 09:30:00 -0700

One of the hardest parts of coming out is the fear of being loved, accepted for who you are. Yet, when you step into who you are and accept yourself first, you can find the strength to do what you need to do. During this episode we explore four ways to overcome the fears of…

402: That Conversation Therapy Just Ain’t Working – Justin Utley

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:30:00 -0700

It is estimated that over 20,000 LGBTQ minors will be subjected to conversion therapy (reparative therapy) treatments in states where protections do not exist to prevent this cruel and ineffective treatment (Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law). For those who have endured these practices, an overwhelming majority of them have faced this treatment due to erratic religious beliefs and practices. Fortunately for the music world and the rest of us, Justin Utley, OUTMusic Award winning singer/songwriter, he survived and is thriving beyond the reparative therapy abuse he received.

As we approach National Coming Out Day 2019, I felt it was important to focus on the power of coming out and being yourself, and the negative impact that these practices have on individuals and the world at large. Justin, candidly shares his story and how it has influenced his music and the songs that he has manifested – Survivors and Scars – that shine a bright light on the emotional trauma of conversion/reparative therapy.

About Justin

OUTMusic Award winning singer/songwriter Justin Utley has released “Survivors,” the debut single from his soon-to-be-released third studio album, Scars. Recorded in Salt Lake City, “Survivors” is an anthemic pop track, written by Swedish songwriting duo Linda & Ylva, reworked and expanded upon by Utley to include his rallying cry against conversion therapy, the disproven pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation using psychological and spiritual interventions. The stirring music video to “Survivors” features a collaboration with the University of Utah Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestral version will be featured on the forthcoming album. “Survivors” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms. During the month of July, all proceeds from “Survivors” will be donated to the Born Perfect Campaign, an organization working to ban conversion therapy.

“Survivors is about facing and overcoming insurmountable odds and learning to thrive in the face of adversity,” explains Justin Utley from his Salt Lake City home. “It’s about survivors of abuse in all forms and how it takes a great deal of effort to move forward in life while carrying the heavy burden of trauma.” Justin Utley knows about survival first-hand. He grew up in a devout Mormon home, believing his same gender attraction was an addiction, disorder, and learned behavior. He was required to undergo two years of faith-based conversion therapy, even taking medications prescribed to help suppress the feelings.

The therapy wasn’t successful and Justin began dating men. However, his newfound joy of freedom quickly turned to grief when the man he dated died from a suicidal drug overdose. Justin’s bishop asserted the death was a sign of God’s displeasure. Soon after, Justin’s employer discovered he was gay through monitoring his company email. At the time, Utah had no protections in housing or employment and so it was legal for them to terminate him, and they did. “My entire existence seemed to be broken and unfixable, and I got to a point where I thought not existing would be a better option. Working through that dark period of my life was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.”

Justin Utley’s experience with discrimination, religious bullying, his own internal homophobia, and suicide are all depicted in the music video for “Survivors.” It features a little girl (played by Justin Utley’s niece!), confronting a fight or flight moment, who learns that she has the power to survive, thrive, and learn to fly. It perfectly echoes Utley’s life mantra: even if you can’t see a silver lining, you can make one.

Born and raised in Utah, Justin Utley’s music career took off when he was selected to perform at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. After breaking ties with his Mormon roots and moving ...

401: Uncloseting Your Money Story – Jill Schlesinger

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Money, money, money, money. We all want it, love it, hate it when we don’t have it and we sure have our own wicked versions of our money story – good or bad. For some it can be a frightening nightmare what money does to their person. For others it is just a fun little…

400: 4 Ways To Uncloset The Closets of Your Life – Rick Clemons

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 09:30:00 -0700

I woke up to a bunch of closets, as will be discussed in this episode, and then began to panic! How am I going to get all this crap done? What should I do first? Will I die before this stuff is completed? Ok that last question was a little over dramatic, but it got…

399: Beyond the closet door of depression and suicide – Frank King

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Imagine depression and suicide running in your family. Then imaging contemplating suicide as regularly as you change your underwear. Now imagine using humor to inspire hope, and laughter to save lives. Frank King, Suicide Prevention speaker and Trainer was a writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years. He’s fought a lifetime battle with Major…

398: Honoring 9/11 victims and spotting your own terrorists – Rick Clemons

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Today is the 18th anniversary of 9/11. As we honor those whose lives were lost and impacted by this tragic event let’s not forget that we are all impacted. Each and every time a world event happens, involving terrorists or not, even if we aren’t directly involved, we are impacted. I’m not simply talking about…

397: Bringing Balance To Your (UN)Closeted Life – Travis Ruskus

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 09:30:00 -0700

He and I met on the set of a Creative Live shoot for my buddy Mike Michalowicz who was shooting his Profit First course. Little did I know that this young guy would have the impact he did, and that he would help me see that to live a life (un)closeted meant finding the means…

396.1: Bonus Episode: Think Before You Assume – Rick Clemons

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 09:30:00 -0700

We all assume and too often that makes an ass of ourselves. When we assume to know why someone does what they do, it creates a false sense of security, of superiority, and sometimes it at least seems to heal the wounds. This is short episode that brings something very close to my heart to…

396: No More Bad Days – Michael O’Brien

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Every day is a good day. Nothing is ever bad. Life is wonderful. I don’t what you’re smoking, but I’m not buying all that. Until I realized bad days only exist if we make them exist. I learned part of that lesson when I realized I could focus on the shit storm of my life,…

395: Break Rules With Creative Trespassing – Tania Katan

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 09:30:00 -0700

“I hate my job. I’m just here for the paycheck. What difference does it make what I do, no one cares as long as I do what they tell me!” Any of this sound familiar? At times we all have the mindset, “Just show up and do the job!” That can lead to a very…

394: Uncloseting Risk and a New Life – Gareth Martin

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 09:30:00 -0700

At 16 you almost die from a from a crazy motorcycle accident. At 18 you take a risk and say, “I’m outta here (with a South African Accent).” Before you know it, you’re in America, then off to the UK with minor stops around Europe. Had you known this time of life would teach you…

393: LGBTQ Leadership, The Rainbow Difference – Steve Yacovelli

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Leadership. We hear this term thrown around alot these days. It means many things to many people, and in different contexts it takes on lots of different meanings. But what does LGBTQ Leadership look like. “What unique challenges do you face as an LGBTQ individual in the roles of leadership? How do you present yourself?…

392: Listening With Intention Creates A Deeper Love – Kendra Erika

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 09:30:00 -0700

What’s getting lost in society? Empathy? Understanding? Patience? All true, but what about listening with deep intention and trying to understand one another more. There’s so much noise and chatter in the world, on social media, and in the news that it’s easy to escape the deeper sense of humanity. Yet, Kendra Erika, #1 Billboard…

391: Discovering the truth of who you are! – David Conley

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 09:30:00 -0700

Who are you? Seems like a pretty easy question to answer, but most of us rattle of the standard answers. Father, mother, executive, cyclist, etc. The stuff that is part of the truth of who you are, but what is underneath all that easy to spout off stuff? Who are you really? And, what does it take for you to discover the real you, to be introduced to yourself? To say, “This is the truth of who I am!”

David Conley came home to a tragedy, that changed everything for him. It led him to know what it was like to die of a broken heart, but it is also what introduced him to the truth of who he is, and the truth that “the journey is what makes life magical!” Today we explore the trip that he has taken to shed weight, find himself, and to explore what it means to nurture yourself, your soul, when life takes you out of the closet to be the truth of who you are and always have been.

About David

When Dave Conley worked for AOL, he introduced 32 million people to the internet for the first time. Now, he introduces people to themselves. A health and wellness architect, Dave specializes in helping people lose one third of their body weight–or more–just like he did.

Connect With JR Reed