Well, folks--we made it to 200 episodes. Holy crap! First off, I'm incredibly grateful to you. Thanks for listening and providing constructive criticism. Feedback is part of what keeps me going, and I don't take the fact that you put DTP in your regular pod rotation lightly. If this is your first listen-welcome! I hope you enjoy and go back and listen to some older episodes! Second, thanks to everyone who submitted questions (a mixture of former guests and regular listeners to the show)! Your qu...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 191
I'm very happy to welcome my friend Ty McKinnie back to the show. Listen to his first appearance here . Originally from Atlanta, Ty works in the music industry as a creative as well as an executive. He released his album Tyrie last year, and I highly recommend it! It's Black Music Month and Pride Month, and Ty stands proudly at the intersection. We talk about how his queerness informs the music he makes, and how he aims to be seen as a representative for a section of the music listening audience...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 190
Backline.ca re is an organization that aims to provide mental health resources for humans in the music industry, and they have done great things since emerging in 2019. One of the people at the helm of that change is their clinical director, Ari Jacobson. In our chat, Ari takes us through his origin story; we talk about how he joined Backline and go through the circuitous route that led to him becoming a mental health professional in the first place. We discuss his upbringing in Baltimore, his b...
May 27, 2025•57 min•Ep. 189
Earlier this year, I interviewed Tyson Allred , the co-founder of Dad Bods and Beards. I've been impressed with DBAB's mission since I found out about them on Instagram through their creative, heartwarming and often funny Reels. Logan is the other half of Dad Bods and Beards, and our chat covers quite a bit of ground: from his bipolar diagnosis and the cop that saved his life to his ongoing fitness journey. From his passionate (and much appreciated) support of the queer community to the power of...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 188
I recorded this interview with Greg Burmeister back in October. Because of everything that happened at the beginning of November (you know what I'm talking about), I put this one on the shelf for a while before coming back to it and remembering how good a conversation it was. Greg co-hosts the podcast " Talking Schmidt" , which I was lucky enough to appear on last fall. He is also the second (at least) DetoxPod guest to have worked with (for?) the legend David Letterman. Greg and I chat about mo...
May 07, 2025•54 min•Ep. 187
Hope you are doing as well as can be given current times. Remember, we are stronger together! Community remains of utmost importance! I'm excited to bring you my conversation with Tom Gentry. Tom is not only a treasured friend, but he's a counselor specializing in addiction. He's also a passionate advocate for progressive masculinity, which makes him a perfect fit for Detoxpod! Tom and I chat about his own experience as an addict and what drove him to recovery. We talk about familial cycles and ...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 186
Hi Friends! Happy to bring you the latest episode, starring Rodney McCoy AKA Daddy Rod. Rod's appearance (I'm pretty sure) marks the first instance of a romantic couple appearing in back to back episodes, as he is the partner of 2x DetoxPod guest Damon Jacobs. Like Damon, Rodney is an activist for sexual health. But he has a story all his own. Rod and I connect over our shared Brooklyn upbringing, and the unique local pride that stays with you even when you move away. Rod also shares his coming ...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 185
I'm happy to welcome my friend Damon Jacobs BACK to the show, on a less-than-ten-episode turnaround. Damon is an NYC-based therapist who also hosts a great podcast called Tub Talks , and has been on the frontline of queer advocacy and STI (specifically HIV) awareness for years. Damon and I reconnect to talk about life in the new American presidential administration, and how to keep your wits about you when it seems like the world is falling apart. We discuss spirituality in depth, and it was rea...
Mar 26, 2025•59 min•Ep. 184
I'm super excited to bring you this conversation with Tyson Allred. Tyson is the founder of Copper John's, a natural men's grooming and beard care brand. He is also half of the team that makes up Dad Bods and Beards (hey, I have both of those!), which is a community and podcast centered around positive portrayals of masculinity and the acknowledgment of the work it takes to overcome some of the more toxic elements of being socialized male (hmm...sounds familiar?) Tyson and his partner Logan do i...
Mar 05, 2025•52 min•Ep. 183
I'm happy to welcome my friend John Hill back to the podcast. He originally appeared on Episode 128 , which was released in December 2022. That feels like a fucking lifetime ago. At any rate, it was good to catch up for the pod. John and I chat about a lot of things; including his bodybuilding journey, the current political climate (and dealing with a conservative parent), navigating popular culture as a middle aged person, and I ask John to sell me on Denver (which is on my list of cities to vi...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 182
In this episode of Detoxicity, I welcome Rob Cohen back to the pod for a crossover episode. Rob first appeared in Episode 153, at which time Rob was promoting his podcast Two Bi Guys and his book Bisexual Married Men. The main impetus behind us recording together again was to discuss our recent experiences with alternative therapies, including ketamine and ayahuasca, and how these experiences relate to our journeys with masculinity and mental health. While these therapies aren't necessarily ever...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 181
Hi Folks, Marco is a group organizer for the polyamorous/non monogamous community here in Brooklyn. This is how he and I met. Digging a little deeper, Marco is now underway in a new and interesting career, as a surrogate partner. What is a surrogate partner, you ask? Well...listen to the episode to find out. You can also get a little more info about what Marco does here . I've been fortunate enough to get to know a lot of people from wildly disparate backgrounds over the course of my life, but M...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 180
Happy New Year, friends! Our first episode of 2025 spotlights Courtney Brame, who is doing a ton of work around men's mental health and erasing STI stigma. He's the founder of SPFPP (Something Positive for Positive People) , which supports people who are living with herpes. He also founded SELFED , which promotes emotional wellness for men and recently hosted a symposium for Black men's emotional wellness, which is how he and I came into contact. Our conversation sits at the intersection of race...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 179
Tristan More and I have been friends for over a decade. We've touched on a lot of the topics we discuss over the course of this conversation many times over the years, but never this much in depth. Through the hour we spend together, we chat about everything from grief and loss to the evolution of our particular relationship. The meat of the episode, I think, relates to Tristan's evolution as a spiritual being and his struggles with the ways Christianity is practiced in the present day. We don't...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 178
Hey Folks! Happy to bring you an episode co-starring "Fin", the co-host of the podcast Normalizing NonMonogamy . He, with his spouse "Emma", also leads a community of hundreds of other polyamorous, non-monogamous, and lifestyle-curious people. Fin and I discuss his journey through nonmonogamy, which started back in his college days. We chat about creating and cultivating community and being a container for the feelings and emotions of others. We also talk about Fin's personal journey, which incl...
Oct 09, 2024•55 min•Ep. 177
Hey Folks! I'm excited to bring you this latest conversation, starring Damon L Jacobs, a licensed marriage and family therapist. In our chat, we discuss the intersection of mental health and sexual health. Damon shares shis personal journey of growing up gay, the impact of the AIDS crisis, and the evolution of sexual health awareness. He emphasizes the importance of body image, self-acceptance, and the role of pleasure in relationships, while also addressing the cultural influences on sexuality ...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 176
Nore Davis is a comedian, writer and actor. He has appeared on "Succession", "Boardwalk Empire", and "Last Week Tonight", in addition to a lengthy list of talk show appearances. His new special Element: A Solo Show Film is available on his website and covers several of the topics we wind up talking about in this episode. Our conversation explores themes of healing, emotional vulnerability, and the impact of trauma on individuals and communities. We touch on the influence of religion and the inte...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 175
I first interviewed comedian and writer Josh Gondelman way back in Episode 39 , a conversation that took place nearly four years ago. So we had a lot to catch up on. We talk about the world opening back up and how that’s had an effect on Josh’s career and personal life. I give a shout out to his substack newsletter, and what it feels like to give advice (or more accurately: pep talks) to others. The conversation delves into empathy, social interactions, and the importance of understanding differ...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 174
In this episode, I’m chatting with Jayson Greene , a journalist and author based in Brooklyn, NY. Jayson is probably most-well known as a senior editor at the influential music site Pitchfork, and we kick off our conversation by discussing what got him into music journalism and writing in general. Jayson’s memoir, “Once More We Saw Stars” is a tragic account of loss, and we also touch on that. The greater part of the conversation, though, focuses on societal expectations of masculinity and how i...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 173
Hi Friends! In this episode, I interview Isaac Knox , a comedian and freestyle rapper (and Guinness world record holder!) Isaac shares his journey of becoming a freestyle rapper (because, do people dream about doing this as kids?) and his decision to move to New York. Isaac shares stories about intentionally living in his car for fairly lengthy periods of time-- on two occasions, and emphasizes the importance of staying connected to communities and institutions that need change, rather than comp...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 172
Hi Friends! In this episode, I'm talking to my buddy Bryan Dunn . During our conversation, Bryan chats about his experiences growing up as a military brat (and the enhanced worldview that afforded him), and his fairly recent move from Brooklyn to upstate New York. He reflects on the social pressures and obligations of living in a big city, especially when you're in a creative field. Bryan also shares his journey as a musician and the shift in mindset that led him to be content with his artistic ...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 171
Hey everyone! I'm bringing back my friend Ryan Bentham, who some of you may know from having appeared in three previous Detox episodes, and who others may know from the Life on the Swingset podcast. Ryan (AKA Prof) and I talk (somewhat loosely) about sexy stuff, but we also talk about his long road back from a major health setback and how going through the experience changed his life. We talk about almost being an empty nester and what it feels like having raised two successful adult men. What d...
Jul 03, 2024•59 min•Ep. 170
Brian and I befriended one another nearly two decades ago, and while we've been peripherally in touch in the years since our work relationship ended, we had our first face-to-face LONG conversation in quite some time earlier this year. Turns out Brian's made some moves since our early days. Now based in L.A., Brian discusses his upbringing, talks about his early days in the music industry (not to mention his first months and years as a New Yorker), and shares how he (accidentally) stumbled into ...
Jun 19, 2024•56 min•Ep. 169
I'm excited to welcome Benjamin Wagner back to the show! Ben is a musician and filmmaker who, in previous lives, was a high-ranking exec at MTV News as well as at what is now Meta (Facebook, Instagram, etc). Ben recently completed a film called "Friends and Neighbors", in which he charts his own journey through abuse and trauma. We talk a bit about the process of confronting such a personal topic on screen and inviting loved ones to take an active part in the journey. Zooming out from that, we a...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 168
Chad and I go back at least fifteen years. When we met, he was working for a gospel label, but he didn't have the "holier than thou" attitude a lot of Christians have. We became friendly, and I became more intrigued as I got to know his life a little better. He's the son of missionaries, grew up in Papua New Guinea, he's the parent of a Black child. We discuss all of this during our conversation, as well as delving into how the racial uprising of 2020 turned into a major inflection point. We als...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 167
With this appearance, my friend Kevin A. Patterson ties the record for most Detoxicity appearances. This is his fourth time on the pod, and my man drops gems every time. Kevin is the author of "Love's Not Color Blind; Race and Representation in Polyamorous and Other Alternative Relationships", he co-authors the "For Hire" series of graphic novels, and he runs the site Poly Role Models . This typically wide-ranging conversation covers everything from parenting challenges to relationship pointers ...
May 08, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 166
In this episode, Cameron Mazzeo, a NJ-based licensed clinical social worker, shares his personal journey and what inspired him to create a private practice that caters to alternative lifestyles and relationships. Cameron and I discuss the importance of expanding his practice to include other communities, such as the kink community and ethically non-monogamous relationships. Cameron emphasizes the value of authenticity and representation in the mental health field and shares stories of individual...
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 165
I don't need to throw out content warnings for this show anymore, right? It's pretty well-known that heavy stuff is discussed here. In this particular episode, Tony Pacitti shares his experience of becoming a father, and dealing with his wife's postpartum depression and psychosis all in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic's early days. It's a lot for a new father to deal with (understatement of the century) but, Tony managed to find support from his family and friends and eventually reached a po...
Apr 10, 2024•56 min•Ep. 164
In this episode, I chat with Matt Kovachis, who is a life coach and the host of the podcast "The Men in The Arena". Matt shares his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Matt talks about the pivotal moments that led him to make changes in his life, including ending a long-term relationship. He emphasizes the importance of seeking support and the power of therapy in his transformation. Matt also explains why he started a podcast and how it has allowed him to help others. He highlights th...
Mar 27, 2024•59 min•Ep. 163
In this episode, Tarik Carroll (AKA AMIR), a Brooklyn-based creative, photographer, musician, and fat liberation activist, shares his journey of self-discovery and healing through art. He discusses the intersection of photography and music in his life and the role of art in his healing process. Tarik also delves into the concept of fat liberation and the challenges of navigating fetishization in media as well as within the queer community. He shares his experiences with identity and sexuality, e...
Mar 13, 2024•59 min•Ep. 162
