ManTalks Podcast

What makes villians like Thanos and Killmonger so compelling? Is there a trend in how our culture looks at heroes? What's the modern idea of a hero even look like? I connected with Cinema Therapy over Zoom, and we nerd out on the intersection of psychology, film, and culture. We cover masculinity in movies and its history, what Marvel is doing right, Heath Ledger’s Joker versus Joaquin Phoenix’s, and why superheroes are so important right now. This was a fun, compelling interview. Alan and Jonathan are brilliant, funny, and genuinely wholesome people. There’s also a recipe for a mean chocolate smoothie if you listen in close. Cinema Therapy is hosted by licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright. They discuss how movies can be used to improve your life, and how to watch movies with your brain turned on. Also, there are jokes.   Connect with Cinema Therapy: -Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CinemaTherapySolutions -Instagram: @therapy_cinema -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therapycinema Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven pieces of honest, practical, and actionable advice for what to do after being cheated on, because—contrary to popular belief—the aftermath isn't always clear-cut. Being cheated on can be devastating, freeing, confronting, an incredible learning experience, and everything in between. Whatever it is, it always needs processing, and it always needs healing. If you've ever been cheated on, have a listen. Or if you know someone who's trying to recover, maybe send this their way. And as always, feel free to send me a DM on insta @mantalks, or leave a rating and review so this reaches further. Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this ep, the brilliant LMFT Shadeen Francis and I explore sexual communication and intimacy: How to get better at it, like how to bridge sexual incompatibility, how to step into what it is we're actually craving, love in the time of COVID, the difference between fantasy and fetish, and of course, how to discuss all of this with your partner.  Shadeen Francis is a licensed psychotherapist, a media personality, graduate professor, and author whose expertise spans the domains of sex therapy, emotional intelligence, and social justice. She has been featured on platforms like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and the New York Times to share her unique perspective, and her insights have been printed by Cosmopolitan, MindBodyGreen, Refinery29, Playboy, Nylon magazine, and Tinder Swipelife, among others.Known for her signature brand of warmth and humor, Shadeen is sought internationally to speak on topics like imposter syndrome, sexual self-esteem, the art of negotiation, and the healing power of orgasms. Combining her love of learning with her background in Neuroscience and radio hosting, she transforms difficult subjects into actionable and engaging conversations. From couples to corporations, her collaborative style leads people to the heart of the issue in order to transform challenges into opportunities for growth. Connect with Shadeen -Website: https://shadeenfrancis.com/ -Instagram @shadeenfrancis -Twitter: @shadeenfrancis Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover the intriguing world of coping mechanisms and their impact on mental health. Explore the crucial differences between defense and coping mechanisms. Learn how to distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive strategies. The importance of setting boundaries around these behaviors is emphasized for personal growth. Transform harmful responses into healthier practices for a better overall well-being. Tune in for insights that could change the way you handle stress and relationships!

This is timely a episode; whether it’s physical, mental, or spiritual resiliency, part of building ourselves up in the face of the uncertainty and chaos around us is going to involve “embracing the suck”. In this episode, Brent and I dug into his life as a Navy SEAL, his new bestselling book, what embracing the suck really means, and the important role empathy plays in cultivating perseverance.  Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an award-winning entrepreneur, bestselling author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from resilience, mental toughness, leadership, and building high-performance teams, to culture, and organizational transformation. Brent is the Founder and CEO of Taking Point Leadership, a progressive leadership and organizational development consulting firm with a focus on business transformation and building high-performance cultures. Brent was named a Top 10 CEO by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2013. Brent holds degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English and History from Oxford University in England and a graduate business degree from the University of San Diego. He is the bestselling author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail-Safe Principles for Leading Through Change, which was a #1 New Release on Amazon in Organizational Change and Business Structural Adjustment. Brent’s latest book, Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life was #1 on Amazon in the self-help, self-esteem, and military leadership categories. Connect with Brent:-Website; http://www.brentgleesonspeaker.com/-Latest Book; “Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to An Extraordinary Life”-Previous Book; ”TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail Safe Principles For Leading Through Change”-Business; https://takingpointleadership.com/-Instagram; @brent_gleeson-Twitter; https://twitter.com/brentgleeson Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discipline is presented as a daily practice to deepen self-worth and self-respect. It's not a punishment but a path to empowerment and fulfillment. Approach discipline with compassion and self-love for self-leadership.

In this ep, I sit down with acclaimed, New York-based artist Makoto Fujimura. Makoto is a fascinating man: someone who's perfectly balanced the "border stalking" (his words) nature of artists with a deep and abiding faith. We talk about how to mends trauma and end cultural divides, the nature of God, and the role of artists as healers and integrators.  Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”. Robert Kushner, in the mid 90’s, spoke of Fujimura’s art this way: “The idea of forging a new kind of art, about hope, healing, redemption, refuge, while maintaining visual sophistication and intellectual integrity is a growing movement, one which finds Makoto Fujimura’s work at the vanguard.” Fujimura’s art is collected and featured widely in galleries and museums around the world, including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library, the Tikotin Museum in Israel, Dillon Gallery and Waterfall Mansion in New York,  Sato Museum in Tokyo, The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts Museum, Bentley Gallery in Arizona, Gallery Exit and Oxford House at Taikoo Place in Hong Kong, Vienna’s Belvedere Museum, and Shusaku Endo Museum in Nagasaki. He is one of the first artists to paint live on stage at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall as part of an ongoing collaboration with composer and percussionist, Susie Ibarra. Fujimura is also an arts advocate, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. His books have won numerous awards, including the Aldersgate Prize for “Silence and Beauty”. Fujimura's highly anticipated book Art+Faith: A Theology of Making (Yale Press, with foreword by N.T. Wright, 2021) has been described by poet Christian Wiman as "a real tonic for our atomized time". Connect with Makoto: Website: https://makotofujimura.com/TwitterInstagramYoutube Latest book: Art + Faith: A Theology of MakingKintusgi Academy Instagram PageKintsugi Academy Shop Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a simple question, but with a pretty uncomfortable answer for some of us. In this mini-ep, I look at what we actually need to do—to admit—as individuals and as a society to experience true freedom. Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s difficult for me to describe how much I value Francis Weller and his work, and I wanted him on because of his expertise on grief, something that is—inevitably—a part of every human life. We dig into Western culture's obsession with "the Hero", where we truly find redemption and healing, and the inherent emptiness of individualism. Heavy stuff, and incredibly powerful. This is also a part of a new series I’ve titled Living Through an Age of Crisis. Episodes in this series are dedicated to helping listeners navigate the confusion and chaos of our times. I’ll be bringing on experts in psychology, spirituality, history, propaganda, and culture to offer their insights on what the real situation is and how we can move through it. Francis Weller, MFT, is a psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist. He is a master of synthesizing diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures, and poetic traditions. Author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief; The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation, (with Rashani Réa) and In the Absence of the Ordinary: Essays in a Time of Uncertainty, he has introduced the healing work of ritual to thousands of people. He founded and directs WisdomBridge, an organization that offers educational programs that seek to integrate the wisdom from indigenous cultures with the insights and knowledge gathered from western poetic, psychological, and spiritual traditions.  As a gifted therapist and teacher, Francis has been described as a jazz artist, improvising and moving fluidly in and out of deep emotional territories with groups and individuals, bringing imagination and attention to places often held with judgment and shame. Francis received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and two Master’s Degrees from John F. Kennedy University in Clinical Psychology and Transpersonal Psychology. His writings have appeared in anthologies and journals exploring the confluence between psyche, nature, and culture. His work was featured in The Sun magazine (October 2015) the Utne Reader (Fall 2016) and the Kosmos Journal. (Winter 20201) He is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at conferences, bringing insight, poetry and a breath of humor to his talks. Francis is currently on staff at Commonweal Cancer Help Program, co-leading their week-long retreats with Michael Lerner. He has taught at Sonoma State University, the Sophia Center in Oakland, and has been the featured teacher at the Minnesota Men's Conference. He is currently completing his third book, A Trail on the Ground: The Geography of Soul. He has created three CD sets, two focusing on healing shame and one on “Restoring the Soul of the World.” His latest offerings are a 10-session audio series on "Living a Soulful Life and Why It Matters." and ​"The Alchemy of Initiation: Soul Work and the Art of Ripening."   Connect with Francis:   Website: https://www.francisweller.net/ Books: https://www.francisweller.net/books.html Programs: https://www.francisweller.net/programs--workshops.html   Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a great DM on Instagram and a heavy convo with Mike Campbell on his podcast, Everyday Legends, I wanted to riff on this idea a little more deeply. Tens of millions of men have put their masculinity into a dangerously codependent relationship with certain external institutions and narratives. Many of them do this without even questioning what they lose: the means for self-validation, self-leadership, and—this is a big one—mental and spiritual freedom. Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the self-leadership they’re looking for. Are you looking to find purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today. Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Editing & Mixing by: Aaron The TechSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices