The Fellowman Podcast

The subject of testosterone and male fertility has come up on a couple of previous episodes and it’s been on my mind to take a deeper look at the subject so I was pleased when Chas Gessner, former NFL player and now founder of Vitality RX popped up in my LinkedIn feed, so I reach out and got him on the pod.

After his NFL days were over Chas was faced with the challenge of getting his hormones and testosterone back to normal levels, and like many entrepreneurs what he tested out on himself led him to create a company called Vitality RX that offers a safer alternative to TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy which is the most common form of injectable testosterone supplementation that we refer to many time in this podcast).

Chas talks me through his approach to working with men who’s T might be on the lower side, we talk through what the important things are to measure, why it’s important to not look at total T, and how you can safely address lower than normal T without resorting to the often shady marketing of many TRT providers.

I think this is a must listen to for any men in their 30’s, 40’s or older who might think they have a problem with lower than normal T and might need to do something about it, or for that matter if you’re just looking to maximize both your T and your fertility through healthy lifestyle choices.

Therapy still remains out of reach for many men, and even when men do eventually go to therapy they are more likely to not stick with it long enough to see results. Only about 30% of men with a mental health condition seek professional help, compared to approximately 50% of women (American Psychological Association).

Stigma clearly plays a big role here, going to therapy is seen by many as not a manly thing to do. But there are other factors that impact this such as the serious under / mis diagnosis of male mental health issues with an estimated 30-40% of men with depression going undiagnosed, together with many men’s mental health issues frequently concealed as anger, substance use, violence, workaholism etc.

When men do eventually get into therapy they are more likely to drop out as they feel the therapy is not working, or the therapy style is not right for them.

Given these hefty barriers to both getting into therapy and sticking with it, it makes finding the right therapist even more important. So here’s FELLOWMAN’s take on how to find yourself the right therapist to set you up for success.

A few weeks ago I posted on LinkedIn that I wanted to get someone on the pod to talk AI in mental health. At the time I made the post I definitely had my AI sceptic hat on, whenever I hear about AI in mental health its normally in the context of chat bots or similar replacing real life therapist / patient interactions, and I think this is a trend that’s really concerning, hence why I wanted to explore it on the pod in more detail.

Matteo on LinkedIn.

Hana Website.

This episode is another one that combines 2 things I love to talk about; mental health and sports. I’m joined by Brad Kennington, an Austin based licensed marriage and family therapist who specialises in working 2 patient groups; men with eating disorders, and athletes of both genders.

If you listened to episode 25 with Kevin Sprouse from EF Pro Cycling, we touched on some of the mental health issues that impact athletes and male body image, so it’s definitely a topic I was keen to dig into in more detail and Brad is exactly the right man for the job.

We talk about the scale of eating disorders in men, what are some of the causes and warning signs a Fellowman might have disordered eating. We dig into his work specifically with athletes, how he uses his work in family systems to work with an athlete’s extended support system of family and coaches.

We round things out with a discussion on how to stay balanced as an athlete and focus on the fun and play that brings many of us to sports in the first place before things got serious with competition, tracking, data, and metrics of all sorts that can contribute to making the stressful job of being a competitive athlete more stressful than it needs to be.

Links to material referenced in the podcast:

https://www.austinfitmagazine.com/May-2024/the-naked-truth-about-body-image/

https://www.austinfitmagazine.com/September-2024/food-fitness-sport/

Nick is a Harvard trained psychiatrist who’s developed a unique approach to managing ADHD without the use of some of the most common stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin.

We chat about the explosion in prescribing stimulant medications during the pandemic and the rise of companies like Cerebral. The pros and cons of using stimulants to treat ADHD, the importance of developing executive functioning skills and not just relying on a medication.

Again, we touch on the subject of temporary use of medication while working in therapy vs staying on meds long term, and why ADHD tends to fall into the latter with many patients taking a stimulant medication long term without working on any of the non-medication interventions that Nick describes.

Lastly we talk in detail about Nick’s clinical approach in working with patients with ADHD and the Bio, Psycho, Social interventions that he uses which can include; therapy, coaching, non stimulant medications, supplements, diet, exercise, sleep and more.

**

Couple of points to note, in the intro I refer to Nick treating ADHD without the use of medication, this is not quite accurate.. As you’ll hear he treats without controlled substances like stimulants or benzodiazepines, but he does use other medications like antidepressants.

Nick also mis-quoted a book by Nick Norwitz’s. The approach is called Medi-keto, not Ketotarian. https://a.co/d/j2ofBAQ

Uncontrolled Substances: how tele-health company Cerebral set out to shake up the mental health industry and ended up under federal investigation.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5eKfXdhLOjl7mrfbq0jF7e 

In this episode I chat to a former colleague of mine at Slipstream Sports, the management company behind the professional cycling team that’s been known over the years as Garmin, Cannondale and most recently EF Pro Cycling.

Dr Kevin Sprouse is a rare breed of both medical MD and exercise physiologist and has worked closely with riders like David Millar, David Zabriske, Christian Vandevelde through to the current crop of EF riders like Lachlan Morton, Ben Healy, Rigoberto Uran and Richard Carapaz.

Kevin also runs a private practice working with high performance athletes across a variety of sports and high level amateurs and weekend warriors who want the same level of medical care and performance support that the pro's get.

We dig into how professional cycling has changed in the ten or so years he’s been in the sport and the mental impact of so many variables in cycling being measurable these days, and related to this how pro cyclists and teams approach dealing with athlete mental health.

From a physical health standpoint Kevin walks me through the types of things guys in their 40's should be getting checked out on a regular basis and we finish up tackling the tricky subject of testosterone, when to know you have a problem and what to do about it.

Dr Kevin Sprouse Instagram

Listen on iTunes here.

It's been a few months since i've published any new episodes so it's time to get the Fellowman wagon rolling again. This episode is a short update from me on what's been happening the last 9 or so months and a preview of some of the episodes that will be coming in the next few weeks.

I've also just launch a new website at Fellowman.net where you can sign up to my first cohort of men's groups. If you've never tried a men's group before check it out and see what it can do for you. Head over to Fellowman.net for all the details.

**Warning - This episode talks in some detail about topics including fertility treatment, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies so please consider this if you are triggered by any of these.**

If you’ve listened to any previous episodes of the pod, you’ll know that breaking the stigma around men’s mental health and getting more men talking about this stuff is something that I believe is incredibly important. While, in general I think we’re doing a better job talking about men’s mental health there are still some topics related to men’s health & wellness in general that are not talked about.

One of these is the whole area of having kids, and specifically what happens when this does not happen naturally. Topics such as infertility (in both men and women) IVF, adoption and surrogacy are impacting more and more couples these days, but if my own experience is anything to go by, most men find themselves navigating these challenges with little in the way of support from other men who have been through it before.

I’ve been conscious of wanting to talk about this for a while on the podcast, but it's taken a while to find the right time and person to explore this with. Well, I’m really pleased that the time is now right, both as my wife and I have reached the happy conclusion of our own fertility journey, and I found the right co-host to explore this in more detail along with his own story. I’m joined by Anthony Palmer, who while not related shares a passion for men’s mental health & wellness through his Wake, Dad, Drink Repeat podcast, so we decided to team up for this episode that will go out on both feeds.

So, have a listen as we dig into both of our experiences with IVF, adoption & surrogacy and most importantly share this episode with a Fellowman who may be going through something similar and needs support.

Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Listen on iTunes here.

In this episode of the Fellowman Podcast I’m joined by leadership coach turned former athlete mentor Jeff Murray. 

Like me you’re probably wondering what a former athlete mentor does, which is exactly why I wanted to get Jeff on the pod to dig into this in more detail…

What’s most fascinating about this chat with Jeff is not just his own unique story of how he got into working with former athletes, but how he works with former athletes helping them navigate specific challenges once their sporting career is over.

For any of us who have struggled to cope when something we identify with as strongly as sports, a job, or a relationship suddenly ends, then this episode is well worth a listen to understand how to navigate challenging life transitions.

Links to resources mentioned during this episode:

Jeff on LinkedIn 

https://athletesafterlife.com/ 

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/athletes-afterlife-with-jeff-murray/id1653783548 

Book - The Mindful Athlete 

Book - Untethered Soul

https://www.instagram.com/samsons_strength/?hl=en

If you’ve listened to any of my previous podcasts you’ll know I love exploring the intersection of sports, mental health and performance. So when I come across experts in this space I’m always keen to get them on the podcast for a chat.

My guest on this episode is a fellow USA based Brit, Lee Povey, a former elite track cycling coach turned leadership coach who works with startup founders and CEO’s to help them maximise their potential.

What’s most interesting about this chat with Lee is how he transitioned from working with elite athletes on the cycling track to the world of business coaching and how his experience developing the mental aspects of performance in athletes helps develop a winning mindset in entrepreneurs.

Lee is also a fellow devotee and believer in men’s work so we also dig into his experience with men’s groups, healthy masculinity and much more.

Stay tuned for a Part 2 with Lee where we take one of my own questions / challenges I brought up in this episode and explore it in more detail in a live coaching session. So, if you are keen to explore exactly what Lee does and how he works with clients keep a look out for this.