Real Feels - Modern Masculinity with Brad Gage

Brad Gage talks about working in the world of masculinity, mental health, and NAMI with Hannah Ho, the founder of Address Teen Stress. Address Teen Stress is a non-profit and podcast committed to creating a safe, welcoming space where young people can share their struggles, access vital resources, and build the resilience needed to navigate life's challenges.

The conversation hits on the meat and potatoes of Brad's work and inspiration. Topics include: men's mental health, the issues and stigmas with men's relationship to therapy, and Brad's work with NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Check out AddressTeenStress.wixsite.com for more info about Hannah's organization.

Check out NAMI.org for mental health resources

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Guest Interviewer - Hannah Ho

Dustin Milligan is a man very in touch with his masculinity, and if you caught him recently as one of the winners on RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race - you'd see he's clearly in touch with his femininity just as much. You might know Dustin from TV shows like Schitt's Creek or Hot Frosty, but the guy I know above all is one who genuinely looks at the impact his life is making...and a dude who is just filled to the brim with puns. You can see the proof on his hilarious instagram account. Dustin sat down with me several months ago, right after he had shot Drag Race, to talk about why he had to cut out cannabis after 15 years, how he sees our society's relationship to social media, and why listening is the best thing men can do right now in the wake of #MeToo. I'm so grateful he took some time to be with me, in THIS moment.

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Guest - Dustin Milligan

When I peek under the hood of a lot of content I see right now, it leads me to the wonder - do men actually just hate women? They seem to truly want to stop the progress of women's rights at every turn. But clearly, to me, it's not about biology, or MeToo, or the anti-men POV right now in the dating world. I think the actual reason is the toughest thing to face - that they hate that they're not allowed to be kind to each other or themselves because it would break the rules.

Written and produced by Brad Gage

Theme song written by Russell Henson

Logo by Nolan Fabricus

Charles Bukowski was one of the most famous and revered poets of the 20th century, but did his attitude and actions toward women negatively influence a generation of men? And is it possible to separate the art from the problematic artist? Host Brad Gage tries his best to do just that and fails mid-podcast to find that my moral threshold doesn't allow him to admire people who demean and abuse women (no matter how much he loves their poetry).

Hosted, Edited, and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

What makes a guy a "creep"? And how can you make sure women aren't calling you one? While creepiness is subjective, it is the number one description to stay away from in dating or your social life. Being called a creep is one of the worst things for your reputation. Brad Gage takes time to figure out what are the traits of a "creep", some actual examples of creepiness to give context, and some ideas on how to not become one.

Hosted, Edited, and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

Host Brad Gage talks to Marc Milberg - founder of Olley, an app for men to connect with new friends in their area based on personality, interests, & more. Basically what they've built is a friendship-finding app that functions similarly to dating apps, but it's all platonic. Studies show that in 2021, 15% of men reported having no close friends, compared to only 3% in 1990. This is a fivefold increase since 1990. Especially for anyone who just recently moved to a new city, finding male friends is not easy, so there is a clear need for something like this.

Here is Marc Milberg's explanation for why the world needs the Olley app, and how he and Brad may have just made ourselves friends IRL in the process of this podcast.

Download Olley: www.olleyapp.io

Hosted, Edited, and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

Brad talks to 2 time New York Times bestselling author Frederick Joseph about intersectional feminism, how people can be both oppressed and privileged at the same time, why he could beat Joe Rogan's ass. Plus, they dive into the historical idea of women seen as property.

Fred has written the sometimes-banned books "The Black Friend" and "Patriarchy Blues", as well as "Better Than We Found It" and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Courage to Dream".

On this episode, Brad got to do something few people have done - talk with one of their favorite authors about specific passages of one of their favorite books.

Fred's Substack: https://frederickjoseph.substack.com/

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

Brad talks to Michael Le (aka "Dr. Silk"), a men's coach, about how conversational artistry is pretty much the most important thing in talking to women. Michael talks about his emphasis on empathy, curiosity, and listening when it comes to engaging with women, or anybody successfully.

Brad's past episode about Pickup Artists and YouTube Dating Coaches caught Michael's attention, and the two talk about thoughtful, modern tactics in dating, as well as an explaination of the Andrew Tate phenomenon, MGTOW (men going their own way), and "black pill" mentalities.

Michael's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@realmrsilk

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

Brad talks to writer, entrepreneur, and guy who helps men get sober - Tom Matlack. Tom is one of the authors of the book The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood and you should definitely check out his writing by searching his name in Substack.

What starts as a conversation of masculinity perspectives from a millennial guy versus a Gen X dude, turns into a deep assessment of life as a recovering alcoholic and money-obsessed individual. I'm so grateful to Tom for being so vulnerable, and zeroing in on why the dream of success and money is never really the answer to our inner troubles.

Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/profile/7575118-tom-matlack

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson

On today's episode, Brad is talking to Dr. Caroline Heldman - a professor of Critical Theory and Social Justice at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She is also Executive Director of The Representation Project and has been featured in some of the most important documentaries on the subject of gender studies including Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In.

Caroline is a friend who has been instrumental in guiding Brad through his journey of exploration on the subjects of modern masculinity, rape culture, gender equity, and intersectional feminism. Basically, if Brad am ever confused about what to do or who to talk to about a certain subject, he's lucky to be able to reach out to Caroline. Today, we are chatting about the topics in her new book: The Sexy Lie - which is an update and deeper dive on her viral TED talk of the same name.

If you are interested in getting the book, there's a link in the description or you can go to https://www.sororitymansion.org/books

Hosted and Produced by Brad Gage

Logo by Nolan Fabricius

Theme Song by Russell Henson