Lenny shares about his decision to quit Instagram and delete the app on this episode of the Hearts Wide Open Podcast. He deleted Instagram over 2 years ago and talks about the process and impact it has on him today. We also discuss other social media platforms like Twitter / X and how they have changed. We all choose what type of content we consume and in the end it is important to be conscious about where we spend our time. In this episode Lenny even offers to take us through a short meditation that has helped him create focus and stress relief. Do this and quickly create focus for yourself. Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

Ever wondered why it seems so hard to have an authentic conversation #realtalk with one of your friends, a family member or maybe even a stranger you've just met? Then this episode is for you! In this episode we not only discuss why it can seem so hard to finally see and really talk each other through the thick surface of small talk, people pleasing, playing a role and so on, but ALSO how we can foster more of these spaces and what we can do to be more authentic in our environment and with the people we interact with. Not every talk needs to be deep talk or real talk, but it can be a powerful tool to discover and learn the ability to jump into these conversations, as we believe they help us establish real connections with one another. Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

Hearts Wide Open is celebrating its first anniversary! 1 year podcasting about men's health and men's mental health related topics. In this episode hosts Soroosh and Dennis are getting interviewed by former guest Tamara and look back at their highlights, lowlights, learnings and take aways from 1 year of hosting a men's health podcast. The two not only share about the past year, but take a deeper look at some of their learnings and what being a healthy man means to them. They go on giving some hints on where Hearts Wide Open will go in the next year and what we can look forward to! If you love Hearts Wide Open, you cannot miss this episode! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hearts_wide_open_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at mailto:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

Exploring setting boundaries with loved ones, overcoming darkness through support, the impact of therapy and self-worth, personal journey of finding happiness, and expressing gratitude for vulnerability on men's mental health

In this powerful episode, Soroosh and Alican dive into the complex and often painful reality of toxic relationships with parents during the teenage years and even adulthood. As a teenager, dealing with toxic parental dynamics can be particularly challenging. The pressure to meet unrealistic expectations, constant criticism, and a lack of emotional support can lead to severe consequences such as depression, anxiety, and difficulties in establishing personal boundaries. We explore how these toxic relationships can manifest and the impact they can have on mental health, academic performance, and social life. Our discussion includes personal stories from Alican and Soroosh who have navigated these turbulent waters, expert insights into recognizing toxic behaviors, and practical advice on coping mechanisms. We also highlight the crucial role of support systems – friends, therapists, and online communities – in providing the understanding and validation that might be lacking at home. In this first episode, listeners will hear the engaging story of Alican and how he felt as a teenager. Lacking self-worth, lacking boundaries in a house where he did not feel safe. Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast, or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

In this podcast, the hosts explore the complexities of rejection and self-blame in dating, questioning the need to know reasons for rejection. They discuss the impact of seeking external validation, embracing self-acceptance, and managing perfectionism. The conversation is intertwined with freestyle painting, reflecting on personal experiences and promoting self-awareness for improved well-being.

On this episode Soroosh and Dennis sat down with Lukas aka @vollblutvater who is an advocate for the equal parenting model and sharing his experience as an involved father on his social channels. Lukas explains what equal parenting or shared care means for him and his wife and why they chose this model. He shares about building a father son connection with his newborn and how equal care looks in practice also talks about the struggles that come with juggling both work and being a parent and why it’s all worth it for him. Does being a parent slow his (career) growth? How does he deal with backlash and what others think about the path he chose? How do you both provide for a child and build an emotional connection as a father? How did Lukas go from idolizing Charlie Harper to becoming quite the opposite? On top of this Dennis and Lukas share that they both suffer from patchy hair loss aka alopecia areata and what that has to do with stress. We talk about all this on the episode and more: Like dealing with our own childhood and parents from both their perspective and our own. You do not want to miss out on this episode full of nuggets of wisdom about being a parent. Follow Lukas here: ⁠⁠⁠@vollblutvater vollblutvater.de Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

Soroosh had a talk with a friend recently and thought he'd bring the topic to the podcast to dive deep and discuss our thoughts on the pressure to perform. What is pressure to perform? What types of pressures are there that we can experience and where do they come from? How do these pressures affect us today and how do we still attach to them? We discuss all these questions and more around the topic of pressure on this episode and share real examples from our own lifes to illustrate how different people can experience different types of pressures and to share how we deal with these or how we're still learning to. Like Soroosh's pressure to always wanting to become better, do more, work harder, be more successful or Dennis who shares about his fear of success and feeling guilty for taking a break from being productive. Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

We talked to Daley who went from being unhappy as a strategy consultant to working at the zoo. He talks about the dark side of being a strategy consultant, how he discovered his passion for animals and how working at the zoo feels more aligned to his purpose, which ultimately makes him much happier. Daley opens up about how being a "nice guy" worked against him and how he strives to become an "integrated male", embracing all his different components of self: Emotional, physical and psychological. In his time off and when he's not taking breathtaking photos of animals with his camera, he has a steady running routine to support his physical and mental health. He is also a serial marathon runner and raises awareness and funds to help save the endangered painted dogs. Follow Daley here: ⁠⁠@daleyvandesande.photography⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@daley_running⁠⁠ Donate ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ to help save the painted dog Finished this episode and not done yet? Listen to an episode where Soroosh talks about his longest run ever: ⁠⁠#11 Running And Mental Health - How I Experienced My Longest Run Ever Physically And Mentally⁠⁠ Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.

Have you ever consciously or subconsciously talked about a past event using third person language? This can mean different things like creating distance to our past self because it doesn't serve us anymore or we evolved from this person. Take a moment and think about it. Why am I using third person language here? We also talk about s*xual abuse on men and that if it happens to a man, it can challenge us in our manhood. "I don't wanna be the guy that this happened to" These are exactly the type of things we want to open up about, talk about and share with the world on this podcast. The uncomfortable topics. This happens to men too and we should talk about it and once we did, there is a high chance that we'll feel lighter, relieved and more connected as we open up the door for others to share with us too. You're not alone. Share your story with us too, if you feel the calling like we did <3 Stay in the topic and check out another episode? Listen to #19 The Impact Of P*rn On Men & Evolving To Who I Really Am - We Had Coffee With An Award-Winning Barista Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list, by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon! Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health? Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5 star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.