Real Feels - Modern Masculinity with Brad Gage

Steve Levy is a guy who doesn't completely feel like he's grown up yet, and he's okay with that. As an associate producer of the hit Adult Swim show "Rick and Morty", he's worked hard as hell to succeed in an environment where he can immerse himself in the world of the movies and TV his father showed him as a young boy. And sometimes that immersion has affected his dating like, as you'll hear. Today - we talk about what it was like growing up as a sensitive kid, the frat-like climate at his high school, and some life lessons he gleaned from his dad.

Actress, singer, and director Lola Blanc is currently breaking out of her persona. After spending much of her adult life focused on pop music stardom, she's now honing in on being more the version of herself that is...herself. And part of that is publicly sharing her perspectives on subjects like Mormonism, (which took up much of her childhood), sexism (which took up much of her music career), and allowing people space to make mistakes and grow (which is part of her mission now). Her coming on the show was actually prompted by an instagram post she shared about how conflicted she is playing into the algorithms of social media that are so entrenched in the male gaze.

Philip Wang feels like he's graduating into the next phase of his life, and it's easy to agree with him. Along with his team at Wong Fu Productions, Philip built a YouTube channel with a fanbase of over 3 million people. Also - within the past year, he realized his dreams of opening a restaurant (bopomofo cafe), AND proposing to his girlfriend Helen. It all seems perfect, but, of course, it took a TON of inner work to get here. As you'll see, Philip still feels impatient for what he can see is a future of opportunity - not just for him, but for the entire Asian American community. He's a very busy guy and a great friend and I'm so grateful he took a little time to be here with me right now.

Iain McDonald is a guy who Brad recently met and instantly wanted on the podcast. Not only is his energy calming and empathetic, but he also is very clearly hungry for knowledge and connection in a way that's contagious. He's an actor and photographer, but as you'll hear in the show, he is above all a curious guy, unafraid of questioning the reality we live in. I wade into the deep end with him about spirituality, metaphysics, technology, and the importance of asking "why".

Actor Andree Vermeulen is accomplishing a bunch of major life shifts in a very short time. Within the past 5 months she's gotten pregnant, engaged, and moved into a new house. That's...a lot. And she faces the challenges of her transitioning life through the practices of shifting her perspective to empowerment and connecting with who she really is on a daily basis. Today, she sat down with me to talk about how releasing her grip on the idea of "plans" helped get her role on the TV show "Angie Tribeca" (and even her baby). I'm so grateful she decided to be here with me right now in this moment.

Actor/writer/funny person Lee Newton is having a challenging moment. It's one of heartbreak as well as new beginnings. After almost two years working with her comedy group - the Valleyfolk - on a vibrant and funny YouTube channel (as well as the NBC comedy TV show "Bring the Funny") Lee was surprised to learn she had been terminated from the company she helped create. On this episode, Brad and Lee chat about empowerment, loss, resilience, comedy, and lessons she has learned being a woman in the entertainment industry. Thank you so much for listening.

Janine Oda is an actor, host, and friend, who in this moment is navigating her tendency to say "yes" to everything as well as publicly representing her faith in a community that's not always as accepting of it. She also has a loving boyfriend of 15 years, and you know what - she IS tired of people asking her if she's getting married. She almost didn't want to do my podcast because she was sick of talking about it. But, what resists persists, and we luckily got her on the show to get a little vulnerable. Thank you so much for listening.

On a slightly different episode of the podcast, animation writer and longtime friend Amalia Levari, tells a wonderfully non-spooky ghost story, AND takes the opportunity to ask a question that no one has posed to Brad yet. Why is he doing this show and why isn't it...funny? Together, the look at Brad's recent spiritual pivot, plus how she deals with wanting to fix everyone's problems, and why she's rooting for the survival of humanity. Thank you for listening.

Performer, artist, and one of the stars of Disney's upcoming live-action "Mulan", Chen Tang is here to speak his truth. Originally born in China, Chen talks about finding his many selves through the duel life of bouncing back and forth from China to America. Chen talks about spirit, truth, philosophy, and how easy Transcendental Meditation can really be when you just relax and let your brain do the work.

Jenny Lorenzo is a hard worker, totally hilarious, and thoroughly filled with anxiety. And she's not shy about it. Whether it's her Cuban upbringing in Miami, the drive to support the people around her, or the unending call to feed the content machines of the internet - Jenny is always on the grind. But is work all there is? And how does she handle the pressures of being an internet personality? Thank you for listening to this podcast. Genuinely.