The Imperfect Pod

Yes, you can have conversations about manhood and masculinity with a feminist. Why wouldn't you be able to? Realistically, a lot of the beliefs they share are the same, they might just come from a different motivation.

On this episode, I talk about all things feminism and manhood with Regina G. Hanson an author and activist. More specifically, we talk about a lot of the intersectionality of manliness and feminism, are we overcorrecting by encouraging women to go into STEM programs, and how the gender stereotypes/women of the home have evolved to what they are today.

You can visit Regina's website https://www.personalempowermentpublishing.com/ (Personal Empowerment Publishing) where you can find her book "Racism: The Real Reason I Left The South".

I hope you enjoy this episode! As always, feel free to email me at [email protected] or connect on IG @https://www.instagram.com/theimperfectpod/ (theimperfectpod)

Toxic masculinity comes in many forms: there is co-dependency, abuse (in any form), assault, violence and more. In this episode with Cameron, we deconstruct the generational traumas that have been created by toxic masculinity - both in this personal life and society at large - and how to have conversations about it.

Cameron does some great work in Human Performance Theory and consults and coaches clients in the realm of Toxic Masculinity. He speaks to and teaches businesses, teams and individuals on the powerful rewards that happen when we understand and change our approach to masculinity in our culture, community and personal life. You can find some of the work he has done at Arrow and Slocan Lakes Community Services on https://aslcs.com/for-men2 (their website).

Entering the workforce is hard. As we mention on the episode, when you start your career, that is the start of being at the bottom of the totem pole for quite a while. In high school and in university, you only have to put in 3 years before you're a senior. In the workforce, it takes 10-15 years before you have enough experience that is deemed worthwhile.

How do you develop that patience? How do you interact with your colleagues? Can you still be funny? What level of professionalism do you need to be successful? And what kind of culture do you look for when you're looking to start your career? These are some of the questions that we discuss on this episode as well as more.

You might be thinking, how is this a masculinity and manhood thing? Well, as someone who has been working for over a year now, I've had many conversations with my female colleagues about their experiences in the office versus their male friends and colleagues. This isn't too in depth of a conversation about that, but it is a start. It sprinkles some concepts about how we can think about our behaviour in the office as well as how we act. I hope to go deeper on this conversation in the future, but for now, I hope you enjoy!

This is part two of my two part conversation with my dad. When I first started having these conversations about masculinity and manhood, I knew that I was most nervous to have this conversation with my dad. Why? I think that's the very question I've been on a journey to discover.

Why is it so hard for young men to have serious conversations with their fathers? Isn't that the whole point? But throughout most of our lives, we find it easier to have these types of discussions with complete strangers. There's something easier about it. But as we all come to learn - growth comes in the uncomfortable.

This is the one year anniversary of the show. 45 episodes in and I finally worked up the courage to ask my dad to be on the show. We talk about 4 different stages of his life.

What he was like at my age

His relationship with his dad, my grandpa

His approach to fatherhood

And our relationship as father and son

My goal with this episode is to be able to encourage other sons and fathers to continue to build and develop their relationships and have these harder conversations. I've seen an impact on our relationship already (we recorded this 3 weeks before releasing) and I can't wait to continue to nurture that relationship.

I hope you enjoy.

This is part one of my two part conversation with my dad. When I first started having these conversations about masculinity and manhood, I knew that I was most nervous to have this conversation with my dad. Why? I think that's the very question I've been on a journey to discover.

Why is it so hard for young men to have serious conversations with their fathers? Isn't that the whole point? But throughout most of our lives, we find it easier to have these types of discussions with complete strangers. There's something easier about it. But as we all come to learn - growth comes in the uncomfortable.

This is the one year anniversary of the show. 45 episodes in and I finally worked up the courage to ask my dad to be on the show. We talk about 4 different stages of his life.

What he was like at my age

His relationship with his dad, my grandpa

His approach to fatherhood

And our relationship as father and son

My goal with this episode is to be able to encourage other sons and fathers to continue to build and develop their relationships and have these harder conversations. I've seen an impact on our relationship already (we recorded this 3 weeks before releasing) and I can't wait to continue to nurture that relationship.

I hope you enjoy.

How does experience living in many different countries affect your opinion on masculinity? Can you recover from emotionally and physically abusive relationship with your parents? How helpful is therapy in overcoming your own toxic and unhealthy behaviours? Why can broken relationships be the catalyst for health in your life? What is the relationship between masculinity and alcohol? And lastly, how can you create a healthy relationship with porn?

These are all questions that Michael, AKA @https://www.instagram.com/fighttoxicmasculinity/ (fighttoxicmasculinity), and I discuss on this week's episode! It is an amazing conversation about so many battles that men face. If you would like to learn more about Michael, follow hos Instagram account above. It truly is a safe space for conversations about anything mentioned above, in the podcast and more!

Also, if you didn't stick around until the end, that's okay. But next week is my one-year anniversary of podcasting!! I know, I can't believe it myself. For that episode, I have recorded my episode with my dad! It's going to be a two part series - one on September 30th, one on October 2nd. This has taken me a long time to have the courage to ask, but we recorded it back on my birthday at my favourite place in the world. It's going to be a special one so make sure to subscribe and follow!

As a follow-up episode to number 33 with Jordan Paris where I discuss dating from a young man's perspective, this episode is the same sort of questions from a young woman's perspective. Wendy Zhang is the host of https://open.spotify.com/show/70qHRJyuMIrC511ZWq6Bzl?si=DcInl5uCRma3MMn5Mkr_kg (My Terrible Twenties), a podcast all about navigating that crazy decade of our lives where we are confused and looking for who we want to be. She also, conveniently, went to high school with me!

On this episode we discuss some of the same topics that I discussed on the episode with Jordan like first date etiquette and being friends with an ex. We also talk about ways that girls like to be flirted with, hate to be flirted with, why dating apps can be such a struggle, daddy issues and why vulnerable and honest men are attractive. I hope you enjoy the episode!

You can connect with Wendy on Instagram @myterribletwenties! You can also connect with me on Instagram @theimperfectpod where you can reach out to me about ANYTHING! And if you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, follow or review or shoot me a note.

Dating is hard enough as it is... but have you ever wondered why dating as an entrepreneur is so hard? Balancing your love life and a business is one of the most challenging things in the world - just ask a lot of entrepreneurs. You have to balance your ambition and focus and the growth of your company with putting in the effort to get to know someone on a deep level and compromise. That's why I was so excited for this conversation with Jake Kelfer!

Jake is a lifestyle entrepreneur, life elevator, and coach to ambitious entrepreneurs and freedom seekers helping people create incredibly impactful and profitable businesses. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network, a high-energy motivational speaker, and the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and many other major media outlets.

As you can tell, he is a very busy young man. On this episode, we talk about why being vulnerable is important, why being upfront and aware of what you want is non-negotiable, especially as an entrepreneur, what it's like to pursue your vision, and knowing what you look for in a woman so that you don't waste time. I hope you enjoy it and stick around until the end for how you can get his book!

You can connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer! You can also connect with me on Instagram @theimperfectpod where you can reach out to me about ANYTHING! And if you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, follow or review!

On this episode, I speak with Ty Newberry, Executive Director of the Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena. We discuss the work they do in one of the most dangerous cities in the country. We also discuss how important mentorship and discipline is to young boys in the community and the negative stereotypes that persist around fatherhood in African-American communities. We also discuss why they focus so much on young girls and how their programs create positive results such as lower chance of teenage pregnancy, eating disorders and more.

The work they're doing is amazing and I'd love it if you could take the time to listen to their story and, in honour of my birthday this weekend, join me in donating to the cause! Here is the link to do so: https://www.fdia.org/donate/ (https://www.fdia.org/donate/)

Also, here are some more videos about the work they do as they've produced olympians like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f837AWXQoI (Maame Biney) and have been featured on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ9ThzoYNJk (NBC).

More about the organization: Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena is based in Washington, DC, and located in the middle of one of the most challenged and underserved neighborhoods in the city. My guest, Ty Newberry, and his staff work hard to get kids off the street and put them on the ice.

This not-for-profit organization makes a positive impact on more than 3,000 inner-city kids each year through its Kids On Ice® programs. No child is turned away for inability to pay, all programming is subsidized, and many kids participate at no cost.

Through ice skating, hockey, speed skating and figure skating, kids learn valuable lessons about perseverance, hard work, and resilience. On-ice lessons are supplemented with off-ice enrichment opportunities such as a Study Buddies program, a community garden, mentoring, financial literacy, racism and diversity workshops, and international travel experiences.

Hey everyone! I am back with my Follow Up Friday series (or #FUF as I like to call it). I missed reflecting on the weeks episodes in this way so I wanted to revive the series and try and bring it back for good! This week, I will be reflecting on Mike Cameron's SOAR method we discussed on this week's episode and how it can help you embrace empathy and emotional intelligence. If you're interested, feel free to listen to the full episode that was released just this past Wednesday as well if you want to hear everything we discussed. Let's GO!!!!!