Man Up

A gay man in Maine tries to figure out how to develop closer friendships with straight men. But first, Aymann tries to understand why Sam has his heart set on those friendships in the first place. For additional help, the guys turn to Alex DeLuca, founder of the “Gaybros” subreddit, which was originally a forum for gay men who felt like they didn’t identify with mainstream gay culture. These days, Alex is critical of the mindset that spawned “Gaybros,” and in this episode, he uses the lessons he learned to help Sam get to the root of his problem. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A tech company executive named Jason feels nervous about being the only black manager in an office made up mostly of white women. He wants to create a space where people feel comfortable talking about race and gender, but he’s worried about all the biases people bring to the workplace. For help, Aymann and Jason turn to Ari Joseph, the head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Vimeo. Ari talks about all the ways men of color hold back their true identities in the workplace, and he offers tips for Jason on how to bring more of his “true self” to the office. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aymann wonders why he has so much trouble asking for help. First he sits down with his wife Mira, who paints a more detailed picture of the problem. Then Aymann turns to Dan Doty, co-founder of the men's group Evryman, who shares the benefits of accepting help from others and offers a simple technique for people who have trouble admitting weakness or inexperience.

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aymann hears from Maria, a mother in Norway who’s worried about raising her two young boys in the #MeToo era. She admits that she originally wanted girls and now wants to make sure her boys grow up to be respectful, empathetic men. For help, Aymann and Maria turn to Shehnaz, a New Jersey mother and restaurant owner who raised two sons that she couldn’t be more proud of. Shehnaz offers parenting tips and explains the importance of communication, trust, and disrupting gender norms. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Aymann learns about the military’s machismo drinking culture through the eyes of Claire, a young Air Force officer who’s trying to earn the trust of her peers while also giving up alcohol. First Claire talks about why drinking is so prevalent at military social events and why the social politics of drinking are so different for men and women. Then Claire and Aymann hear from Heather King, who used to be in the Air Force and made it her goal to out-drink all the men. Now she’s sober and says there are better ways to earn the respect of military peers. 

 What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! To kick off 2020, we're revisiting an episode we love, where writer Terrell Starr takes Aymann to do yoga for the first time. When Terrell started doing yoga in his 30s, it opened up his mind to new possibilities of what his body could do—not to mention what he could do as a man. He realized he’d been restricting himself not only physically but mentally because of what he’d learned growing up. For this episode, he talks with Aymann about yoga, therapy, and breaking free of social limits.

Read his article for The Root, “Yoga Is My Self Care: More Black Men Need to Breathe.”

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Early in 2019 Ørjan Burøe had an Instagram video go viral. It showed him and his young son wearing dresses and dancing to the song Let it Go from Disney’s Frozen. The response online was mostly positive, but a handful of louder voices argued that the video was proof that traditional masculinity is under attack. This week on Man Up, Burøe talks to Aymann Ismail about how unexpected it was for the video to blow up and what the reaction says about our on-going struggle with gender norms. Then, Aymann confronts some of his own hangups. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aymann talks to a college student named Sammy, who feels like he should allow himself to cry more. First, they talk about why so many men resist the urge to cry in the first place and why re-learning to cry is so much harder than expected. Then they talk to Avi Klein, a therapist who specializes in helping men get in touch with their feelings. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A listener named John tries to figure out how to upgrade his wardrobe. First, he and Aymann bond over their fear of taking fashion risks, and then they talk to Israel “Izzy” Bermeo, owner of the clothing shop Zero Kids. Izzy helps John and Aymann think differently about their fashion choices and shows them how to incorporate new items without looking too flashy. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aymann hears from Adam, a father who wants to talk to his teenage daughter about sex without coming off as weird, overbearing, or inappropriate. In other words, Adam wants to be the opposite of the rapper T.I., who recently said he takes his teenage daughter to the gynecologist every year to get her hymen checked. Also joining the show is Adam’s daughter, MG, who offers her dad some tips. Plus, sex educator Desiree Caro explains why these conversations are so crucial. 

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.