Manalizing

Pele grew up on the North Shore of Hawaii, where love and violence lived side by side. In a world that taught boys to fight first and feel later, he learned to survive by strength, anger, and silence. But survival isn’t the same as peace.

In this episode of Manalizing, Garth Haslem sits down with his close friend Pele — a husband, father, grandfather, and quiet warrior — to talk about what happens when the rules of your childhood no longer fit the man you’ve become. They explore the weight of cultural expectations, breaking cycles of aggression, and what it really means to love your family when you’re still learning to love yourself.

Pele’s story is one of faith, humility, and hard truth — a man raised in war who found his strength in gentleness, his honor in healing, and his purpose in serving others.

If you’ve ever felt like an island — cut off, misunderstood, or carrying a world that no one else sees — this one will hit home.

Pele Manalizing, Polynesian men, North Shore Hawaii, Samoan culture, breaking cycles, fatherhood, men’s healing, trauma recovery, faith and family, masculinity and vulnerability, men’s mental health.

Todd Nielsen spent his life chasing danger. As an undercover cop, he kicked in doors, faced gunfire, and cleaned up the darkest corners of humanity. But the real battle wasn’t on the streets—it was inside.

When an injury ended his career, Todd lost everything he thought made him a man: the adrenaline, the badge, the brotherhood. What followed was addiction, darkness, and almost the end of his life. Then came a different kind of rescue.

In this episode of Manalizing, Todd sits down with Garth Haslem to talk about pain, trauma, and the long road home. He opens up about the police world’s silent struggles, the night he nearly gave up, and the faith that rebuilt him from the inside out.

It’s raw, redemptive, and real—a story for every man who’s ever felt like his life was over, only to discover that’s where it actually began.

Todd Nielsen, Manalizing podcast, police trauma, PTSD recovery, alcoholism recovery, men’s mental health, faith and healing, suicide prevention, addiction recovery, purpose after pain.

Kolby Drew has lived on both sides of the mountain. Once a top salesman, he fell hard—sixteen trips through rehab, years on the street, and nights sleeping behind a hardware store. Then came the moment that changed everything.

In this Manalizing conversation, Kolby talks with Garth Haslem about losing everything, remembering who he really is, and rebuilding his life one honest choice at a time. He opens up about addiction, shame, faith, marriage, and what it means to truly love yourself after years of self-destruction.

This episode is raw, spiritual, and full of hard-won truth. If you’ve ever felt stuck “in the rock” and wondered if light could still reach you—listen to Kolby Drew. His story proves it can.

Kolby Drew, Manalizing podcast, addiction recovery, men’s mental health, faith and redemption, vulnerability, self-forgiveness, marriage rebuilding, personal growth.

As men, we think that we're unique in a lonely world. We put on a face, and talk things out with no-one. Here's what that looks like, and what happens next

Let's face it: Life is hard for everyone. It's hard for women, and it's hard for men. Here's the thing from my chair: if a woman has a problem, she has girlfriends. If a man has an issue, he often has no-one. This results in a man isolating himself. Sometimes this results in addictions, abuse, and other forms of "toxic masculinity". Sometimes it also results in suicide.

Men's issues cannot be ignored - at least not without consequences. This podcast is men talking about stuff that men don't talk about. We don't have to be isolated and alone. We don't have to "man up" and shut down. We can choose to be heard in a healthy way. We can do this for ourselves and everyone around us. We can choose to be grow our "own yourself" muscles and lead like we are meant to.

That's what manalizing is about.