Gay Men Going Deeper

Having a healthy sense of self-worth means balancing both external and internal validation. External validation is when you derive your self-worth from sources outside of yourself while Internal validation is when your self-worth comes from within.  Unfortunately, many people rely on the external at the expense of the internal, thereby creating a situation where you are hustling to prove yourself to others and are over-sensitive to their criticism.   In this special two-part series, we’re welcoming back to the show, Reno Johnston, to discuss how we can develop a more secure sense of self-worth using both external and internal validation.  In part 1, we’ll be focusing on the external by discussing things like: Why do we crave external validation? In what ways do gay men typically seek it? What are the benefits? When does does become an issue? Watch this episode on YouTube Your Hosts Michael DiIorio Matt Landsiedel Reno Johnston Resources Gay Men Going Deeper Coaching Collection Building Better Relationships course Healing Your Shame course Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Connect With Us Join the Facebook community and monthly Group Zoom call You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok Support the Show

In this episode, Matt Landsiedel and Travis Holp talk about imposter syndrome and how they have navigated periods in their lives when they felt like imposters. They also unpack the concepts of self-doubt, inadequacy, perfectionism, and fear of failure, which often underlie imposter syndrome.  The questions we explored in this episode are: Can you share a time when you experienced imposter syndrome? In what ways do you experience self doubt? How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? What have you learned that's helped you deal with imposter syndrome? Connect with Travis: Website: www.travisholp.com Instagram: @traviswarriorunicorn Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram GayMenGoingDeeper.com Support the Show

Whether you are aware of it or not, Purity Culture has influenced social norms around sex and relationships for centuries by attempting to repress sexual expression and label it as 'sinful.'  Even though society has evolved, so too as Purity Culture. It continues to have a harmful impact on the queer community by influencing policy and feeding into stigmatizing attitudes. In this episode, Michael DiIorio invites Jon Carl Lewis of Sex and the Queer Christian to have a discussion about Purity Culture 2.0. They’ll be discussing topics such as: What’s the difference between purity culture 1.0 and 2.0? Its impact on the gay community Monogamy and non-monogamy HIV/AIDS and PrEP Sexual consumerism and pornography How can Christianity evolve? Tips on how you can reconcile your sexuality with your spirituality  Join in for this revealing conversation about discovering your unique sexual values.  Today's Guest: Jon Carl Lewis Sex and the Queer Christian 7 Steps Toward Sexual Peace of Mind Twitter / Instagram Watch this episode on YouTube Resources Gay Men Going Deeper Coaching Collection Building Better Relationships course Healing Your Shame course Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Connect With Us Join the Facebook community and monthly Group Zoom call You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok Support the Show

Do you want sex or do you want intimacy? Or both? Sometimes our attempts to connect with guys gets thwarted by the confusion between these desires. This can lead to frustration and over time, loneliness.  In part 2 of this 2-part episode, Michael and Matt are going deeper into the topic of intimacy by talking about... How to develop more intimate connections Why gay men avoid intimacy How to overcome the fear of intimacy If you want to increase your capacity for greater intimacy in your relationships, this episode is for you.  Michael's Sexual Empowerment 101 Group Workshops Watch this episode on YouTube Resources Gay Men Going Deeper Coaching Collection Building Better Relationships course Healing Your Shame course Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Connect With Us Join the Facebook community and monthly Group Zoom call You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok Support the Show

Do you want sex or do you want intimacy? Or both? Sometimes our attempts to connect with guys gets thwarted by the confusion between these desires. This can lead to frustration and over time, loneliness.  In part 1 of this 2-part episode, Michael and Matt are going deeper into sex, intimacy, and sexual intimacy including…  How are sex and intimacy different? Different ways to practice intimacy What is (and isn't) sex positivity? Join us for this informative episode full of helpful tidbits that you can use to increase intimacy in your relationships. Michael's Sexual Empowerment 101 Group Workshops Watch this episode on YouTube Resources Gay Men Going Deeper Coaching Collection Building Better Relationships course Healing Your Shame course Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Connect With Us Join the Facebook community and monthly Group Zoom call You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok Support the Show

In this episode, Matt Landsiedel interviews Ed Cohen about the science of healing. Ed shares a holistic perspective on healing and how we can begin to reclaim our authority over our health from systems that can easily fail us if we become too passive. We explore how the mind and body are intrinsically connected when it comes to health and healing, and that it is important to search for deeper meaning when our body is expressing illness in any form. If you are someone who suffers from chronic illness, this episode will definitely shine a fresh perspective on healing for you.   The concepts we explored in this episode are: What does it mean to heal Curing vs. healing  How our culture places so much emphasis on external healing and asks us to give away our authority to professionals  The ways in which modern medicine is failing us Psychosomatics: how the mental and emotional impact the physical body  The importance of finding meaning in your illness  Connect with Ed: Website: www.healingcounsel.com Instagram: @healingcounsel Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram GayMenGoingDeeper.com Patreon

On today's extra-special episode, we're saying goodbye (for now) to our incredible friend and co-creator, Calan Breckon.  This marks his last episode as a co-host of the podcast and he is sharing the reasons behind his decision while we reflect on the first 127 episodes of the podcast. Join us for this sentimental episode where we mark the end of one chapter of the Gay Men Going Deeper podcast, and the beginning of the next... Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram Patreon -- Matt Landsiedel's Website Michael DiIorio's Website Calan Breckon's Website

How would you describe your relationship with your body? Are you BFFs or are you more like frenemies?  We each have a unique relationship with our bodies which directly influences how we treat it.  In this episode, we’re going deeper into that relationship by answering questions such as: How would you describe your relationship with your body?  How has that relationship changed over the years? How can you improve your relationship to body? Join us for this episode if you want to feel better about your body and create a more loving, respectful relationship with it. Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram Patreon -- Matt Landsiedel's Website Michael DiIorio's Website Calan Breckon's Website

Mainstream and social media influence the norms of what is an attractive or acceptable body within our community.  Buying into this narrow definition is easy, but it can be detrimental to your self-image and self-esteem.   Body representation is the practice of celebrating a diverse range of body types and unlearning the conditioning that only some bodies are worth showing.   In this juicy episode, we’re answering questions such as: What has been your experience around body representation and body image in the media? How did that translate into your experience in the gay community? Do you actively work at changing your relationship with media/social media and how it affects you? What (if any) are the things you try to do to be part of the change around body representation? Join us for this spirited discussion about body positivity, self-image, and what you can do to support more diverse body representation in the media. Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram Patreon -- Matt Landsiedel's Website Michael DiIorio's Website Calan Breckon's Website

There’s no doubt that Grindr has cemented itself as part of the gay culture. For an entire generation, an app has shaped what it means to be gay - for better or worse. In this episode, Michael invites special guest, Pepper, to make a case for engaging on Grindr with more respect, kindness, and humanity.   They are talking candidly about such things as: What to write in your bio  Kinder communication  Ghosting Respectful rejection Setting expectations  Hook ups Dealing with unsolicited pics  Stating preferences politely Knowing when to take a break  Today’s Guest: Pepper Instagram The Gay Good Today’s Host: Michael DiIorio Instagram Sexual Empowerment 101 Workshops Wellismo Coaching Take the 5 Love Languages Quiz Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take our "Healing Your Shame" course Coaching Collection Instagram Patreon -- Matt Landsiedel's Website Michael DiIorio's Website Calan Breckon's Website