Have you ever found yourself conflicted about being top, bottom or vers? Or maybe you find yourself torn between whether or not you want monogamy or non-monogamy... Sometimes we can see pros and cons on both sides of our inner conflicts and it paralyzes us from making decisions. Being conflicted about your desires is completely normal. In this episode, Matt Landsiedel and Miguel Ezra Ramirez talk about polarity in life and how to navigate contradictions, preferences and the duality of the human ...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 84
While emotional health falls under the overall umbrella of mental health, it deserves its own conversation because your emotions have a profound impact on how you show up in the world and your overall quality of life. This episode will answer questions such as: What does it mean to be emotionally healthy? How can you tell when your emotional health may be suffering? How do you handle challenging emotions? What are some simple things you can do to support your emotional health? By the end of this...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 83
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States that affects an estimated 17.3 million adults and 3.2 million adolescents according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Research shows that gay and bisexual men are at a higher risk for: Major depression, Bipolar disorder, and, Generalized anxiety disorder, and are more likely than heterosexual men to attempt suicide. In today's episode, host Calan Breckon unpacks the heaviness around depression ...
May 12, 2022•59 min•Ep. 82
Each year, over 800,000 people die from suicide and it is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. The LGBTQ community has a significantly increased risk and that’s why we’re dedicating an episode to having a candid conversation about suicide. In this episode, we’ll answer questions such as: How have you been impacted by suicide? What are some of the stigmas around suicide? What is your advice to someone who is feeling suicidal? As a community, how can we best support someone who is...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 81
Your environment plays an important role in developing a strong identity and sense of self. Everything from the people you spend time with, where you get your news, and the social media accounts you follow will influence your sense of belonging in a community. In this episode, LGBTQ+ affirmative psychotherapist Justin Oberste joins host, Michael DiIorio to discuss mirroring: how we reflect back our lived experience with the world around us. Today’s episode will answer these questions: What is mi...
Apr 28, 2022•56 min•Ep. 80
Relationships can be a minefield to navigate when you don't have the right tools or language to help you. Whether it's romantic or platonic ones, we all could use a little more guidance and support with it comes to creating more secure, healthy relationships. In this episode, we're giving you a sneak peek into our exciting new course, Building Better Relationships , where we guide you on how to build better relationships in your life as well as deepen the one you have with yourself. Today we're ...
Apr 21, 2022•52 min•Ep. 79
In today’s episode, host Matt Landsiedel speaks with Nutrition Coach Scott Weisgarber about the relationship between fitness, nutrition and mental health. Together they explore questions like: What is the relationship between fitness, nutrition and mental health? How come gay men are so concerned about physical health and appearance? How does this obsession with appearance impact mental health? The difference between approaching health from feel good vs look good mentality How can we find more b...
Apr 14, 2022•46 min•Ep. 78
Intimacy is defined as the feeling of mutual vulnerability and closeness in personal relationships. In this episode of Gay Men Going Deeper, we’re talking about our unique experiences with intimacy as gay men. We’ll answer questions such as: What does intimacy mean to you? What was an intimate experience you’ve had that was not sexual? What unique challenges do gay men face when it comes to intimacy? How can you nurture intimacy in any kind of relationship? By the end of this e...
Apr 07, 2022•54 min•Ep. 77
Grief can be a hard experience to navigate because nothing can really prepare you for deep and emotional loss. It's something that everyone will have to experience at least a few times in their life and each person's experience with it is going to be different. In today’s episode, host Calan Breckon is joined by special guest Addison Brasil to talk about his journey with grief after the lose his brother to cancer, find his father from suicide and survive a fatal event that killed a dear friend a...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 76
Relationships have a natural rhythm between feeling connected to your partner, and other times feeling disconnected from them. Each end of the spectrum can trigger different fears: the fear of being too close and/or the fear of abandonment. Understanding attachment styles helps you see how these fears show up in your relationships. In this episode, we're exploring our attachment styles and sharing ways we can find a greater sense of security in the naturals ebbs and flows of connection in relati...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 75
In this juicy and personal episode, Michael is letting you take a behind-the-scenes peek into his relationship with his partner, Star. While vacationing in Mexico, they are opening up about the lessons learned after one year together. Specifically, they're talking about relationship dynamics including conflict, intimacy, and communication. They'll be answering questions such as: How have they grown over the last year? What have been their biggest challenges? How do they handle conflict?&nb...
Mar 17, 2022•48 min•Ep. 74
The painful sting of heartbreak is a uniquely awful experience that brings up a lot of our wounds around abandonment and rejection. In today's episode, we're getting raw and real about our heartbreak and breakups. We'll be answering questions such as: What was your hardest breakup and why? What do you need when you go through a breakup and how do you usually manage it? What have been some of the biggest life lessons you’ve learned through heartbreak? Looking back, what are you grateful for about...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 73
Sensitivity is one of the most misunderstood temperament traits due to toxic gender norms and stereotypes about masculinity and femininity. Come learn about the science of sensitivity and ditch the stigma you may have inherited about what it means to be a sensitive gay man. In today’s episode, host Matt Landsiedel unpacks all you need to know about sensitivity with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Chris Horan. Together they explore questions like: What does it mean to be sensitive? (the science and the...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 72
Forgiveness is a necessary part of the healing process. When we are able to truly forgive others, we liberate ourselves from the pain of the experience so we can find peace and move on. But forgiveness isn't always easy In this episode, we're here to help you out by answering questions such as: Do you find it harder to forgive or to apologize? Can you truly ‘forgive and forget’? How can you tell if an apology is sincere? What advice do you have for people who have a hard time with forgiveness? W...
Feb 24, 2022•56 min•Ep. 71
Therapy is crucial for our mental health, yet some people still look at it as unobtainable due to financial struggle. There are also still myths around Therapy that say you’re weak if you need to go, you’re less of a man if you want to talk about your emotions, and that Therapy is only for “other people who are broken.” In today’s episode, host Calan Breckon unpacks all you need to know about Therapy with licensed marriage and family Therapist, Jake Myers, who’s also founder and CEO of LGBTQ The...
Feb 17, 2022•55 min•Ep. 70
Whether we're aware of it or not, we all have an inner victim within us that needs to be acknowledged. Processing this can be uncomfortable and triggering, but it is necessary in order to grow and evolve beyond it. In this episode, we're talking about victimhood both at the macro level as queer people, right down to the micro level as individuals. We are answering questions such as: How have we been victimized as gay men? What impact do you see in our community from this victimization? What is y...
Feb 10, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 69
Your life is a series of choices. Sometimes those choices will ask you to bet on yourself - to pursue what you love, even if there is an emotional risk in doing so. When you bet on yourself, you awaken a world of possibility. When you bet against yourself, you always lose. In this episode of, Michael is joined by Alex Ray as they talk about what it means to bet on yourself and why doing so can help you get unstuck and feeling more enthusiastic about your life. Today's Guest: Alex Ray...
Feb 03, 2022•53 min•Ep. 68
We all have those days when motivation is hard to come by. Whether you’re lacking time, energy, or inspiration, this episode will give you the useful tips you need to get and stay motivated. We answer questions like: What helps you get motivated? What are your biggest motivation distractors and how do you avoid them? What keeps you on track with your goals and deadlines? By the end of the episode, you’ll be ready to slay your goals and start taking action towards them. Watch this ep on YouTube -...
Jan 27, 2022•59 min•Ep. 67
In this episode Matt speaks with Gay Olympian, Kung Fu Master, QTBIPOC Counselor and Shaman Devante Love. They talk about how to heal and discover your most authentic self through connecting with the body. Here are the questions explored in this episode: ►What does authenticity mean to you? ►What does embodiment mean to you? ►What is the connection between the body, our thoughts, our emotions? ►Why is it important for gay men in the 21st century especially to engage in embodiment practices...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 66
Personal transformation can be fun when it comes to setting goals and imagining the possibilities of the future, but things get tricky when it comes time to execute these plans. In this episode, we are going deeper on the topic of personal transformation. We’ll be exploring questions like: What does ‘personal transformation’ mean and why is it important? What is the most challenging part of changing yourself? What is the best advice for anyone who is serious about personal transformation? By the...
Jan 13, 2022•50 min•Ep. 65
Dating is already a minefield to the everyday gay, add living with a disability to the mix and things get even more complicated. In today's episode host Calan Breckon explores the DO's and DON'Ts around dating and disabilities in the gay community. He's joined by special guests David Oliver Wudel and Ryan Michael Williams who both live with different levels of cerebral palsy. In this episode, we're unpacking questions like: What is acceptable vocabulary and what is no longer acceptable? What’s t...
Jan 06, 2022•46 min•Ep. 64
Emotions can cause a lot of unnecessary suffering when we are not equipped with the tools to manage them. In this episode, we are exploring what it means to have emotional intelligence: the idea of knowing our feelings, what they mean, and how they affect others. Listen in as we share: How we describe our relationship with our emotions How we avoid our emotions What situations bring up a lot of emotions for us Our greatest learning about emotions By the end of this episode, you'll realize that y...
Dec 30, 2021•58 min•Ep. 63
Your sexuality is yours, and how you express it is the fun of life. But for so many of us, sex is wrapped up in shame. In this episode, Michael has a candid conversation with special guest, Mike Iamele, about sex positivity and sexual confidence. Together, they explore: What is sex positivity? The link between shame and sexual desire How to be more sexually confident Michael also volunteers to have his sensitivities mapped to illustrate how your sensitivities and desires are linked. By the end o...
Dec 23, 2021•56 min•Ep. 62
Dating apps are one of the most common ways we connect with other gay men. Yet many people struggle to make the connections they seek, and many more give up altogether... at least for a little while. In this episode, we're sharing many years of combined experience with using dating apps, specifically: What are some best practices and a rule of thumb when using dating apps? How can someone find success using dating apps? What's the biggest mistake people make on dating apps? What’s the # 1 thing ...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 61
In this episode Matt interviews Psychotherapist and Clinical Sexologist, Dr. Joe Kort about Sex and Porn Addiction. Dr. Kort shares his 36 years of clinical experience working with sex addiction and compulsive sexual behaviors. In this episode we unpacked the following questions: How do you define addiction? What is the difference between compulsion and addiction? How come you stopped labeling it sex addiction and now refer to compulsivity instead? Why do gay men tend to struggle with sex and po...
Dec 09, 2021•41 min•Ep. 60
About today's sho w Self-confidence looks like a lot of different things, depending on who you ask. In this episode, we're shedding some light on the difference between fake confidence and real confidence. We'll be looking at: What does it mean to be truly self-confident? How do you tell the difference between fake confidence and real confidence? What are some unique challenges gay men face with respect to building confidence? What are some habits that help develop greater self-confidence? By th...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 59
About today's sho w Have you ever seen that movie "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore? Well, today is kind of the adult gay man version of that story...only with love. I'm sure many gay men out there can relate to Tyler Boyle's story of being a 30' something gay man who still has yet to fall in love. After being a late bloomer Tyler found himself navigating a very different dating world compared to his heteronormative past life. Along his journey, he figured out 4 key things to help him navi...
Nov 25, 2021•54 min•Ep. 58
About today's show Personal and Relational Boundaries are easy to talk about but can be challenging to implement. In this episode, we're sharing how setting and honouring boundaries is an act of self-care and ultimately helps increase your sense of self-love. These are the questions we'll be discussing: What do boundaries mean to you? What are some things you practice setting boundaries for? How do you know when you need to set a boundary? What are some fears that come up for you when setting bo...
Nov 18, 2021•57 min•Ep. 57
About today's show While homosexuality and Christianity are often incompatible, there are many people who must navigate both. In this episode, Michael hosts a panel discussion with 3 queer men who grew up in the Christian faith. They are sharing their experiences in the church including how they came to terms with their sexuality. Even if you don’t consider yourself religious or spiritual, their stories will inspire you and illustrate that despite our differences, we have more in common th...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 56
About Today’s Show We all have needs that, when met, allow us to live more authentically and enjoy more fulfilling relationships with ourselves and others. In this episode, we're talking about getting these needs met and will unpack questions such as: What self-care practices do you have in place to ensure you are meeting your personal needs? How do you know when you’re out of alignment with your needs and no longer being authentic? What tips and advice do you have that have helped you along the...
Nov 04, 2021•59 min•Ep. 55
