This is the first in a series of Q&A episodes. Feel free to submit your questions via Facebook, Twitter or using the voice memo feature on your smartphone and emailing it to [email protected].
Enjoy the show!

We talked about:

• Why did you start this podcast? [06:59]
• Is there anything that’s off the table in these Q&A? [10:45]
• What’s the impact of physical distancing due to COVID-19 on the LGBT community? [11:47]
• How are you managing the tight living quarters? [18:44]
• Why are gay men still on Scruff and Grindr if we aren't allowed? [29:15]
• How can we navigate the risks and the rewards as we break this isolation? [33:45]
• Why are gay men obsessed with sex? [39:56]
• Opinions on the differences between men and women regarding the crave for sex [43:36]
• It always seems like the more stereotypical a gay man is, the smaller the dog he owns. Explain. [52:38]

 
Get connected!

• Subscribe to my newsletter and blog on our website.
• Email me directly at [email protected].
• Or join the conversation on Facebook.
• And, for your viewing pleasure, find us on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

Today I talk with Dr. Frankie Bashan, renowned relationship coach and dating expert.

Dr. Frankie Bashan (or, just Dr. Frankie) is the founder of Little Gay Book, the most successful exclusively lesbian (and bisexual women) matchmaking agency in the United States.

I wanted to interview Dr. Frankie Bashan because of her authenticity, her dignity, and her courage to serve her community. She leads by example. If I am reincarnated as a lesbian, I hope to be exactly like Dr. Frankie Bashan.

Dr. Frankie launched “Little Gay Book” and quickly became the premiere lesbian matchmaking service in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, San Diego, Hawaii, Denver (and growing).

She is now expanding the cities she serves AND her client base. In addition to her traditional, Lesbian and bi-women client base, she is now helping everyone, regardless of sexual identity or orientation, find heart-centered-connection.

She is an optimist who believes that everyone deserves to love and be loved.

We talked about:

• Using Crossfit to feel centered [02:54]
• How and where it all started for Dr. Frankie [05:00]
• Finding and following your intuition [13:16]
• Queer Hero’s Journey [19:31]
• What gay men and lesbians have in common (if anything) [24:39]
• Investing in yourself & your family [32:00]
• GerleMen resident lesbian: Lesley’s questions [40:30]
• Advice on navigating relationship with your ex [51:45]

More about Dr. Frankie:

• Dr. Frankie's official website 
• Dr. Frankie's Instagram
• Dr. Frankie on Facebook or Little Gay Book on Facebook
• Dr. Frankie's YouTube

Get connected!

• Subscribe to my newsletter and blog on our website.
• Email me directly at [email protected].
• Or join the conversation on Facebook.
• And, for your viewing pleasure, find us on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

Today, I’m speaking to JD Wolfe.

I wanted to interview JD because I saw his gifts in action in brotherhood at the ManKind Project (MKP). It’s a pleasure to have JD Wolfe joining us on today’s podcast to discuss (among other things) re-framing our gay personal history as a hero's journey, healthy emotional advice for this quarantine season, and navigating healthy, sustaining relationships.

He has the ability to connect with men and support them in their own work to become better individuals and better members of society. That’s exactly what the GerleMen podcast is about. Helping men see their own gifts and challenging them to step into leadership in their own life. 

JD is a coach, yoga teacher, and facilitator. Every time I’ve encountered JD, I could feel his empathy and heart-centered connection. 

We talked about:

• Investing in your dignity [02:43]
• Dealing with being different [06:46]
• Finding my mentors [07:18]
• Intuition [14:45]
• Good coaching practices [20:09]
• Who is your family [32:16]
• Best tools for communication [36:14]
• Gifts from my Hero's Journey [42:24]
• Moving from Oppression to Celebration [51:05]
• Coronavirus: Don’t make up stories [52:50]
• This is the time of the introvert [1:00:07]

Mentioned in this episode

• JD Wolfe's websites for Yoga and Coaching
• ManKind Project: “The Mission of MKP USA is to create a world where men act on their individual and collective responsibility for the future of humanity, by initiating and supporting men on a path of emotional maturity, spiritual awareness, and deepening community.” 

Get connected!

• Subscribe to my newsletter and blog on our website.
• Email me directly at [email protected].
• Or join the conversation on Facebook.
• And, for your viewing pleasure, find us on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the "Being A Man" series!

These are not “BE a man” directives. Instead, I present ideas on “living” and “being” I find useful in my own life.

I’m not telling you what to do to prove you’re a man. I’m sharing insight on “being,” the inward reflections of a conscious man who knows what he wants and how to get it.

Your authenticity is the tool and a heart-centered connection with yourself, with other gay men, and with your own chosen communities is the goal.

Use the parts that work for you and leave the rest.

“Being A Man” episodes are wrapped up in a cool three-letter acronym. “BAM.” So you can find the Being A Man episodes easily by looking for the BAM heading. 

And now today's show...

Today I talk about the importance of identifying and expressing our emotions; the usefulness of feeling our feelings and how it can lead every one of us to achieve what we desire by doing so.

I use the process of hooking-up, both to make it more interesting and to illustrate why it's important to know what your feelings are, so you can get the experience that you deserve.

I hope you’ll find something useful in today’s episode. Enjoy.

We talked about:

• Addressing a lie that targets men [3:19]
• Living in my genius [4:42]
• Unpleasantness is useful [8:25]
• My Values & Mission [9:24]
• Tune into emotions. Feel empowered [12:49]
• Conscious Leadership [16:15]
• Love and fear are both useful emotions [16:42]
• Hooking up using fear [21:59]
• Hooking up using love [24:44]

Mentioned in this episode:

• Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Jim Dethmer
• The King Within by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette
• Hot n Dry

Get connected!

• Subscribe to my newsletter on our website.
• Email me directly at [email protected].
• Or join the conversation on Facebook.
• And, for your viewing pleasure, find us on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

Today we talk with the Mayor of West Hollywood, John D’Amico. He’s a civic leader who recently contracted COVID-19 and is here to tell us his story.

I first met Mayor D’Amico when I was working in the City Manager’s Office at West Hollywood City Hall. Later, John believed in my vision of creating “TRIBE - Gay Men’s Discussion Group” that was made possible by the City Council and I facilitated for over 5 years.

For more than 20 years, Mayor John D’Amico has participated in city leadership as a member of Advisory Boards and Commissions, and for the past several years, as a member of the City Council.

He also has worked at AIDS Project: Los Angeles, was the Co-Director of Public Policy for the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services, where he worked for nearly 23 years.

Mayor D’Amico welcomes questions, comments and feedback directly via his Twitter account @ourWeHo.

We talked about:

• The transition from AIDS to healthy sex lives [3:23]
• Exploring AIDS and COVID-19 [6:56]
• His experience coping with the symptoms of COVID-19 [14:20]
• Finding humor during an epidemic [25:32]
• The positive social outcomes that followed the era of AIDS [28:11]
• Why he moved to West Hollywood back in the 80s [39:25]
• Advice for men who still want to hook up [42:26]

You can find more about Mayor D’Amico on:

• City of West Hollywood | Home Page
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• City of West Hollywood Coronavirus updates: weho.org/coronavirus

Get connected!

• Subscribe to my newsletter on our website.
• Email me directly at [email protected].
• Or join the conversation on Facebook.
• And, for your viewing pleasure, find us on YouTube.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

Blessings from Sister Unity. 

Sister Unity and I met more than 25 years ago at a photo shoot where the boys were naked and the sisters were in full, clownlike “face”: bright-colored heretical nun gear.

We were shooting for a “cooking calendar” fundraiser. I stood on set naked while Sister Unity drew the Ohm symbol on my right butt cheek in cake frosting. It was a wonderful beginning.

Later I noticed this incredible being, along with the other Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence providing rituals in unusual places like bars and leather contests.

In addition to her hilarity, she brings deep spiritual centeredness that emanates from her open heart and Hindu practice.

Please listen closely as she outlines the Hero’s Journey and how it applies to queer people. 

You'll hear her mentioned Hamlet, Ram Dass and the Tao, all while making us laugh and reflect on our inner queer lives. She listens deeply, and that listening touches people's hearts. Especially, the hearts of those who know we are “the other.”

Ultimately, she leaves us feeling better about our queer self.


Episode Chapters:

• Coming of Age in the Age of AIDS [3:34]
• Losing my virginity and coming out [4:42]
• Queer Hero’s Journey [9:15]
• The fate of remaining in the closet [12:29]
• The transformational power of queer kids [14:49]
• The Ego [18:43]
• Blueberry Yoga & Being Confounded [31:20]
• A Sisters’ Blessing  [35:15
• The Sister’s un-fuck the Shit [37:01]
• Who is Sister Unity [39:54]
• Toxic Masculinity [46:58]
• Use Intuition to Define Family [53:02]

Episode Resources:

• International Mr. Leather
• Ram Dass
• Hinduism
• Auntie Mame

You can find Sister Unity on

• Youtube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

• Worldwide
• Los Angeles

Join us!
Subscribe to my newsletter on our website
Email me directly at [email protected]
Or join the conversation on Facebook

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

As a culture, we are facing a sexual moratorium that, for gay men, is simultaneously familiar and completely new.

I discuss the impact on gay men’s connecting culture, hooking up, missing the gym, AIDS vs. Coronavirus, and the opportunities this social isolation presents.

The GerleMen team was planning to launch this podcast in June of 2020 on Father’s Day, but right now, it’s impossible to have a conversation about brotherhood, conscious sex, and heart-centered connection without also discussing the isolation caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic.

So, we are putting this out now because it’s relevant and because we need connection more than ever.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

• Connection [2:38]  
• Sex [5:33]
• AIDS vs. Coronavirus [6:24]
• Importance of gym culture [3:12]
• Huge opportunity for personal growth [10:46] 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• GerleMen Website: www.GerleMen.com 
• Facebook: @GerleMen 
• Email us at [email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe

I grew up in the late 70s and early 80s as a kid in the state of Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho with a last name pronounced girly.

Yeah, you heard that right, girly. That name was challenging. It was a daily experience and being seen for who I was a gay boy. And then lying to everyone, telling them that the girly nature inside of me was just a joke.

Fostering heart-centered connections between gay men is what this podcast is about. 

It's a place for gay men, and anyone self-identified as “the other”, designed to help you: own your personal dignity, strengthen your connection to your chosen family(ies), and thrive in general society.

This is an authentic, honest, and open space - not a forceful, overhyped or fanatical one.

Welcome home, brother!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikegerle.substack.com/subscribe