Modern Manhood: The Podcast

Alex Putici is an entrepreneur out in Calgary who I wanted to meet because he started a program called 100 men who give a damn, a foundation in which 100 guys gave money to a different charity each year. But he’s also a guy that tries to live and breath vulnerability, if you don’t believe me check out his website putici.com which cites how many times he got fired, how many times he’s gotten audited by the CRA, and if he has ADHD (yes he does). But through my conversation with Alex, we tease out one of his vulnerable spots, the role of the provider as a man, along with some of his excellent expertise as a businessman. You can check out all the projects Alex has going on at putici.com or see him in person in Calgary at WorkNicer.

On the last episode of 2017, I invite an old friend of mine who wanted to share his story and progression of his understanding of feelings and emotions. And also to share the wisdom that he has gained through his journey as a business owner and a stand up comic. Either through the sexism that was created by the old boys clubs that he was a part of, or through the ethical problems he faced navigating such an environment. This episode is sponsored by ECF’s Well Endowed Podcast Modern Manhood is proud to be a part of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB.

The discourse online it’s becoming kind of heated. It feels like you’re either with an opinion or against that opinion. No middle ground. Well if you look hard enough, you can find some people who are generally nuanced and generally want to see the right in the world, and not interested in debating, but engaging in topics. One of those people I found is Kevin Peterson aka The1Janitor. He’s a Youtuber with a substantial following, and one of his mantras is “Be Honest, be assertive, be kind, be open-minded. But Kevin still engages in modern topics in a fun and informative way. On this episode we talk about #MeToo and what it takes for men to be assertive and pay attention online. You can find Kevin or his Youtube name The1Janitor on twitter (https://twitter.com/the1janitor) and on YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/the1janitor/) where you can find all of his videos.

It’s easy to say that the concept of martial arts and masculinity run in very close circles. I’m very curious about things like the rise of the UFC, or the portrayal of a violent form of conduct like martial arts in movies have an effect of how men view their masculinity. Jaredd Wilson is a black belt Aikedo specialist who runs a podcast called Martial Thoughts out of Nashville Tennessee. He took on the challenge of trying to guide through my ignorance around martial arts and think about how he views his own masculinity through martial arts. You can find Jarredd Wilson on Twitter at martialthoughts and his webpage which includes all his martial art reviews and his podcast at thinkingmartial.blogspot.com

In the second part of my conversation with Jeff Perera we speak about the aspects of shame. And how shame colors the barriers of men to truly engage in the conversation of anti-violence and masculine liberation. To be able to confront those actions of our past, and to flex what Jeff calls “those empathy muscles.” In this conversation, we also get a chance to bond over one of our favorite bands: The Beastie Boys and I also get a chance to reflect on International Men's Day.   You can find Jeff Perera on Twitter and Instagram at Jeffperera. And you can check out his work through Higher Unlearning. Clip in the episode is  from the movie "The Punk Singer" about Kathleen Hanna This episode is sponsored by ECF's Well Endowed Podcast Modern Manhood is proud to be a part of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB.

I reached out to Jeff Perera, activist and public speaker out in Toronto that has been working for anti-violence projects out there for at least 10 years now. We talked about reconciliation for men, and we also connected on how we came to do the work we do, along with stories about his father, safe spaces, and the tragedy of December 6th. I had such an awesome convo with Jeff, actually felt lighter afterwards to be honest, that I’m splitting this up into two! Stay tuned for part 2 next episode You can find Jeff Perera on Twitter and Instagram at Jeffperera. In this episode we also talked a lot about Next Gen Men, an organization that are doing some big and awesome things down in Calgary and in Toronto. You can find them at nextgenmen.ca This episode is sponsored by ATB Financial Modern Manhood is proud to be a part of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB.

When the media, schools, and society at large speak the issues of body image and how it affects your self-esteem, we usually hear about from a female lens. We don’t think of this as a male issue, but I can tell you honestly that the majority of men face body issue problems. And I think men of all sexual orientation have a specific relationship with their penis. UK artist and photographer, Laura Dobsworth started a project to help women deal with body issues called Bare Reality in which she invited 100 women to bare their breasts for a photo book, and then have them share their stories around body image. She then asked, why can’t I do this for men? So she created Manhood: A Bare Reality in which she asked 100 men to bare their penises. This was all in an effort to normalize the way we look at penises, and especially for men to show us a real version of what a penis looks like. We had an awesome chat about the process and the privilage of asking 100 men about their penis. You can order Manhood: The Bare Realit

Do we have a problem when politicians such as Justin Trudeau and Theresa May call themselves feminist? Especially if they back policies which in their root cause are anti-feminist? And the other big one, does feminism truly lead to a liberation of traditional masculinity? Or does it just critique? And if it just critiques, where does that lead the men who want to find their own masculinity? Ally Fogg, writer for The Guardian and many other publications, has been asking these questions for years. And not only that has worked to push the UK government for a more gender inclusive language when they talk about issues like violence.  We spoke in the summer a little after the many terrorist attacks in the UK, which we get a chance to speak about, and we also talk about the dangers of labels, especially on politicians.  I would encourage you to check out Ally’s fight with the UK government in the role of mislabelling male victims of abuse over at his blog. I would also encourage you to check out one of his latest p

All of those times I changed my career path, they really gnawed at my question of identity. What was I supposed to be? What am I supposed to give out to the world? And it also answered the question that the path for a career, even for yourself was never in a straight line. We’re lucky if that happens. Andrew Paul faced the same questions of identity. But Andrew is quick to say that his story is not singular, and it is actually helped along with the many fantastic powerful women in his life. We also ask what kind of man am I if I’m not doing my passion?  Who shapes our passions? And who questions them? You can find more about the Well-Endowed Podcast and the Edmonton Community Foundation here. The podcast I Don't Get It is back too! Desmond Cole is our Man of The Hour, and you can find out the store of Beverley Braham here.

Kristain Basaraba grew up on punk rock, and his idols were punk rock singers. But he didn’t play or he didn’t sing, but he still wanted to do something punk rock. Being a dad he saw didn’t look punk rock, so Kristain has injected a bit of it to the Dad movement. He paired up with a local designer (Nigel Hood)and created a skull and hearts logo to make Rad Dads, a chapter of a group down in the states of positive, active fathers wanting to create a network of empowered dads in the community. Why did he want to do it though? What brought him to a place of saying I want to build something cool for my son and for other little kids? And why dads? Well his story has heartbreak and lessons learned, and his story should be heard. Check out Rad Dad Edmonton on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram On this episode we talk about Robert Webb of Mitchell and Webb fame, and his fight against traditional gender normative, especially as a man. You can find more awesome podcasts at AlbertaPodcastNetwork.com, support for Modern

How we as men here in Canada, especially in Alberta, view hockey players is right at the top of the masculinity hierarchy. This has been ingrained to us since we’re kids. And I can say even as adults we admire these players to what they can be, and look to them to be examples of leaders, to show us perseverance, resiliency, and humbleness. So hockey players have a distinct role to play in how Canadian men act and behave, so the question then becomes, are these men doing a good job?To try to answer these questions, I invited Carl To try to answer these questions, I invited Carl Landra who runs The 4th Line Podcast and also part of the Alberta Podcast Network. And we take some time to talk about issues like LGBTQ representation in the NHL, Domestic Violence with players, and questions like does the NHL care about players being idols to kids.

Today we’re going to continue our exploration of things “nerdy.”  by talking about video games. And to help us, I invited Carolyn Petit who is the managing editor for Feminist Frequency. Now you might have heard of Feminist Frequency because of it’s executive director Anita Sarkeesan who was a prominent player in Gamergate. But besides this whole mess, I was more interested in how an almost male dominated platform as video games has effects in masculinity. How we see ourselves in this monster of a medium, in which many boys partake in, and how we can work to show a more wholesome narrative. Carolyn not only has experience in critique of these platforms, she’s also worked at GameSpot.com and is herself a transgendered woman. And we get a chance to talk about all of this.  You can find Carolyn and Feminist Frequency here: Carolyn Petit https://twitter.com/carolynmichelle Feminist Frequency: https://feministfrequency.com/ Modern Manhood is proud to be part of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB The mu

Wonder Women came out in May, and along with it came a wake of good feelings, well wishes, and empowerment among women superhero lovers. Now of course, with anything involving geeky fandoms and women, the trolls came out. First it was whining about the all female screening of Wonder Woman in Texas, and then the just souring of the movie as some sort of “propaganda tool.” Not only that we see it not just with women characters, but also any characters that don’t fit the white male archetype. I’m thinking of Squirrel Girl, Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, and Black Panther. Why do men, specifically white men, get so riled up with the diversity this industry needs? Well I brought in a lived experience expert, Brandon Schatz, co-owner of Varient Edition comics here in Edmonton. He’s got expert knowledge as to why males behave this way, and it has a lot to do with the history of the matter, he’s also indirectly lived the sexism when opening his store with his wife Danica. Besides that we’re also going to talk about his o

When you work in any type of professional field, you usually end up meeting the same cast of characters. Working in what some people call the “men sector,” the people that are committed to issues like ending violence against women, creating healthy masculinities, and working with male victims is pretty small. Especially locally. One of the perks of doing this podcast, and living in a world where people are connected via social media, is that you get a chance to connect with people all around the world. Ashley Thomson is one of those people. Ashley started up the website Homer, dedicated to creating conversations around masculinity.  Through this interview we’re going to talk about why he started Homer, his feelings of connections with other male friends, his time though depression and what helped him get out of it, and the things two people wondering about the same thing from other parts of the world have in common. Homer: http://homeronline.com/ Homer's Half Hour Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/homer-half-ho

Have you ever looked at your body, looked in the mirror, and just hated it? So much so that you would go out of your way to not do things like go swimming, take off your shirt, and maybe even have sex with the lights off always. The concept of body image which in the past was something that for the most part gets attributed to women, now we can say that it affects both men and women. The policing of bodies though does happen in a higher frequency for women than it does for males, and I believe that’s one of the many reasons why we do focus a lot in respect to body image with women. But men definitely suffer through it, I know I have. Nate Proctor also has, and he took to YouTube to do what he thought was an almost impossible task, take off his shirt for everyone to see. Nate did this because he knows the value of self-love, self-awareness, and how we can be more vulnerable with each other. He shares this message through his very popular Instagram account, his Youtube channel, and his articles he has written f

On today’s show, we go a little more personal, and speak directly about Elliott and Michael’s background as first-generation Canadians and how their family households made them unique participants in the line for political commentators.  How their dads set them up to be more sensitive and vulnerable males, and how they enjoy each other as male friends. Not only that we speak to the masculinity and politics of Justin Trudeau, and the way some conservatives have pegged liberal masculinity. Particularly around the word “cuck” That and a lot more in my second part of talking to Elliott Tanti and Michael Vecchio from The Highlevel Showdown You can find Michael and Elliott on Twitter @highlevelshowdown and I will put their personal accounts in the shownotes which you can find at modernmanhood.org. Also check out the Patreon page at patreon.com/modernmanpod. You can find MMP in iTunes, Stitcher, or anywhere you find awesome podcasts. If you want to be a guest of the show, send me a line @modernmanpod on Twitter and

I started listening to The Highlevel Showdown, a local politics show with two guys, Elliott Tanti and Michael Vecchio, from opposite sides of the political view talk about what the heck is going on in the world of politics. Now, lucky for me they also were curious about questions of manhood, and questions in how masculinity works in politics as much as I did. Even more lucky for me, they were curious about their own masculinity, and how their lives intertwined as immigrants, first generation Canadians (like they are), and most importantly as long time friends. Now because I had a lot to ask of them and the conversation was flowing I decided to split this into two parts. The first part you’ll hear right now is Elliott, Michael, and myself talking about what was going on with the intersection of politics and masculinity which involves, yep, Donald Trump. But we also talk local politics and specifically the struggles that women have to get into politics, be heard, and the harassment they face. Check all episodes

For today’s episode, I wanted to speak directly about men’s mental health and how men have problems getting the help they need either through the system that creates barriers or the society that sees them in a different light. This ties hand in hand with Men’s mental Health Awareness Day on June 13. So for this, I wanted to speak to a front line worker here in Edmonton that deals directly with people with mental health disorders and problems. Jessica Craig has been helping kids and adults with mental health problems for years now, and is now an intake worker for a prominent place in Alberta. Lucky for me, she’s got a keen particular interest in men’s mental health, and also is a good friend of mine. I was lucky to share a bowl of pho with her, and sat down on her couch with her dog Zoe to speak about the issues that she sees in the front line. Some of the links I have mentioned: Alberta Men's Network Metro Community Choice Award Men's Mental Health Awareness Day G Radio Night Vision Music  

Allen Featherstone has gone through his own journey of understanding how to be a proper man and human being. And it took him a long struggle with addictions, with hard drugs, then alcohol to understand what he has to do. In this interview, you can see that he is still on this journey, one that he is willing to share with anyone who will listen. You can hear that he is working to better himself, and some days he wins and some days he loses. You can tell he wants to be more at peace with himself, with his wife, and with his daughter. In this episode, I also talk about Ryan Getzlaf and his fine over an inappropriate comment. You can check out Allen’s podcast The Featherstone by searching it on iTunes or on Stitcher . You can also find him on Instagram @theFeatherstonehimself an on twitter @thefeatherpod If you want to support the Modern Manhood Podcast, check out the patreon page at patreon.com/modernmanpod

In early May, Modern Manhood Podcast celebrated one year of life. In the last 12 months we have had an awesome collection of interviews and guests, each providing a unique spin on what they call manhood. In the first of many different clip shows, I'm going to be providing some feedback on my favorite parts of these interviews, as well as try to parse them in a way which is relevant to the study of masculinity.  Today we talk about fatherhood, with guests like Micheal Hingston, Ryan Valley, and Darren Cheverie. And what that means to yourself as a man, and to your sons and daughters. I hope you enjoy and you can catch all these episodes in full at the modernmanhoodpodcast.com