The Redefining Manhood Podcast

Who’s the first person you call when something big happens? Cornell and Nichelle open up about their own circles, the fear of being a burden, and why men so often keep their friendships on the surface. They also talk about how to show up for a friend who’s struggling and how to find your people if you haven’t yet. It starts with one question: how are you really, really?

Content note: this episode discusses sexual assault.

This wasn't the episode they planned. After news broke about a reported 2024 gang rape case at Cornell University, Dr. Cornell and Nichelle sat down to talk about what lets this kind of behavior happen and why it keeps going unchecked.

They get into how institutions hold some groups accountable and not others, how boys are taught that being a man means winning and taking. Nichelle shares her own experiences with sexual encounters and what she felt from the inside, including freezing, giggling, and people pleasing. Dr. Cornell talks about men assaulted by other men and why "why didn't you fight back?" misses the point.

The episode closes with what men can actually do: look in the mirror first, get curious instead of defensive, and be picky about who's in your circle.

Got a question or a thought? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram at @redefiningmanhoodpodcasts.

This week Nichelle and Cornell tackle their first listener letter, from a married man who realizes he deflects and jokes his way out of vulnerability every time his wife tries to create space for him. They unpack what the actual first step looks like when you're ready to stop doing that, and why it doesn't have to be some big dramatic announcement.

Then they go back to the beginning. Literally. From gender reveal parties to which straw color a toddler is "allowed" to pick, Nichelle and Cornell trace how boys are conditioned out of vulnerability and into anger almost from birth, and how that shapes the men they grow into (and the relationships they struggle to show up in as adults). It's an honest, sometimes uncomfortable look at who taught us to hide, and what it actually takes to start unlearning it.

Got a question or topic you want covered? Email us at [email protected].

Dr. Cornell and Nichelle kick things off with the story of how Redefining Manhood came to be. Cornell shares the year that led him out of corporate HR and into coaching, and the personal work of figuring out what it means to be a man on his own terms. Nichelle talks about 21 years behind the chair as a hairstylist and the moment a client came back after one haircut to tell her their conversation changed how he walked through the world.

They get into why they chose to co-host this together, a gay Black man and a bisexual woman, instead of the usual two guys format most masculinity podcasts default to, and why that lens matters. They also unpack the name of the show itself, what they mean by manhood versus masculinity, and what you can expect going forward: real conversations, listener letters, occasional guests, and zero pretending they have it all figured out.

This one's short and sets the tone. Come say hi.

Two people who see masculinity from totally different angles, Dr. Cornell and Nichelle, come together for honest conversations about identity, emotional growth, and living outside the script. This isn't alpha-bro culture and it isn't therapy speak. It's for the man who looks like he has it all figured out but feels disconnected on the inside, and it's a space to define strength, success, and manhood on your own terms. New episodes drop biweekly, follow now so you don't miss the first one.