Stories & podcast · on
topic 569087
Stories from the men who facilitate and attend these circles, on topic 569087.
51 stories
The Blessing You Wont Let Yourself Receive
I’d like to invite you into a moment in my life that repeats itself over and over again. I believe it is a moment that many other men have experienced, in fact if I had to guess, I’d say it is a moment that at some…
On Gentlemen & Caballeros
When my mother graduated from Stanford University in 1969, her graduating class was governed by a female student quota of 40%, established by co-founder Jane Stanford in 1899 after her husband’s death out of fear that…
On Gentlemen and Caballeros
When my mother graduated from Stanford University in 1969, her graduating class was governed by a female student quota of 40%, established by co-founder Jane Stanford in 1899 after her husband’s death out of fear that…
Selfish Curiosity
One of MenLiving’s invitations is “Live Curiously” and I’ve always thought of myself as a curious guy. It was my superpower. If I got curious about something, I’d go learn it. It drove my success at work, fueled my…
Men Talking About Music
Hey Music Guys, Happy Almost Spring Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of 2026 I’m looking forward to our meeting Tuesday evening to hear what everyone has been listening to, concerts you’ve either been to or have…
My Wife Asked Me to Watch Heated Rivalry
My wife doesn’t often make these types of requests. She’s kind of amazing in that way, she gives me plenty of space to be me, so when she sat me down and asked me to watch a show called Heated Rivalry , I said yes. Not…
Choose Love (again)
As a football fan, the last month has been a full-on delight. College and pro playoffs overlapping, great games, nonstop action. It doesn’t get much better. This past weekend I was glued to the NFL Divisional Round. I…
Choose Love.
“I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.” That’s what Donald Trump said at Charlie Kirk’s memorial last Sunday. The crowd cheered. Cheering hate. Let that sink in. I’m not surprised he said it. But I am…
More Than One Pair of Shoulders
For the most part, my wife Christiana and I do a pretty good job of sharing the responsibilities of life. Of course there are times in general, and areas in specific, when one of us feels like we’re carrying more of the…
The Opportunity Cost of Fear
Many of you know that I’m spending the year traveling with my fiancée, who I met only half a year ago. Some people said, “wow, that’s fast!” Comparatively, that’s probably true. Others have said “wow that’s too fast!”…
Going With The Flow
This is definitely not about getting validation, or being validated. Please understand that. Today I did something completely out of character for me. I pulled into the shopping centre and I saw this homeless woman…
What a Man Needs to Know About Menopause to Save His Love and Sex Life
Menopause is a profound transformation in a woman’s life, affecting not only her body, but her emotions, energy, and entire sense of self. I know this affects you too. For men in long-term relationships, it’s…
Why the Best Love and Sex of Your Life is Possible After 40
Aging can be challenging — physically, emotionally, and relationally. The concept of a midlife crisis points to the fact that, at this time of life, we often start to look differently at ourselves, our relationships and…
Loving Everyone
Let’s talk about the L-word. Love. How do you feel when you use the L-word? Excited? Emotional? Afraid? Uncomfortable? Maybe all of the above. The question reminds me of those TV shows and movies where characters are…
What about the men?
For decades, my mornings have started with a review of the day’s papers: the New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and Chicago Tribune . Sadly, I’ve often awakened to reports of mass killings and acts of war.…
You Know What Your Problem Is … Own It
Day 2 of our hiking and biking trip was shaping up to be a challenge. Our goal? Conquering a 2,000-foot mountain. The catch? We had two ways up: an unforgiving biking route packed with switchbacks and thigh-burning…
Five Losing Strategies in Relationships
Ever found yourself in a relationship where your needs aren’t being met? Of course you have, it’s part of being in relationships! How you handle them is what makes all the difference. I often say to my clients, (and…
Man Vs Bear
It’s been a thought experiment for a couple of weeks now: a TikTok question that asks , “Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?” With the majority of women answering, “bear.” When my wife told me…
The Psychology of Love
Jim is passionate about life and he explores his individual hero’s journey with curiosity and zeal. Jim is a father, husband, yogi, mystic, storyteller, author, coach, teacher and student who sees himself as a spiritual…
Do You Ask for Support?
This week, the featured post is authored by Todd Adams, MenLiving Executive Director & Co-founder I’ve been immersed in men’s work for over 15 years, and a decade ago, I co-founded MenLiving, eventually taking on the…
Decoding Life: What Meaning Are You Giving This Situation??
The author of this piece is MenLiving friend and Positive Masculinity Coach, Lark Ericson , RN, LF, In a world overflowing with information we find ourselves just trying to keep our heads above water perpetually caught…
What’s on the Menu?
There’s a great scene in the movie My Cousin Vinny where Vinny, played by Joe Pesci, goes to a small-town restaurant with his wife and sits down to look at the menu. After looking for a moment, he asks his wife, played…
A Cone of Silence
Like many “men’s groups,” at the beginning of most MenLiving Full House meetings, the host will ask the men present to raise their hands and make a pledge of confidentiality. In essence, we all agree to uphold the idea…
Listen Better
“You are not hearing me.” In 30 years of marriage, I had heard her frustration more than I want to remember. I believe myself to be a good listener. Patient. Empathetic. Curious. I received feedback from others that I…
Dating skills to practice on your friends
Kimberley Healey specializes in helping smart, thoughtful people create a deeply satisfying love life. Her work is intuitive, pragmatic and joyous. Each month, Kimberley hosts a Full House exploring dating and…
Sexual Creative Energy
I am a big fan of Conscious Leadership Group (CLG). CLG is run by Jim Dethmer (you can listen to Jim on our podcast here ) and Diana Chapman. MenLiving’s 5 Suggestions are influenced by the work of CLG. One of our…
Loving
I just completed Matthew Quick ’s new novel, We Are The Light (WATL), in preparation for our interview with him for our podcast, If You’ve Come This Far. You might know Matthew as the author of The Silver Linings…
Good, Good, Good?
I subscribe to the good good good newspaper. According to their website, Good Good Good is the media company that helps you feel more hopeful and do more good. I am all in on feeling more hopeful and having more good,…
Holly…A Love Story
Community Member, Martin McLeish, shares a story of struggle, love and living in the moment. November 1987 “Fuck it”, I said. I had had enough. I was the explosives guy at the Silver lake Mine in the Kalgoorlie area.…
Self-Acceptance, Self-Love, Integrating All Parts of Myself
Author: Dan Silberberg Carl Jung and Joseph Conrad are inextricably bound in “The Hero’s Journey”. For me, the “false self”, the mask I use to be lovable, to be acceptable to others, and to project myself into the world…
Men Who Love Men
A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Barry Schoenfeld from the California Community of Men. As I subsequently learned when I connected with Barry, he was doing “competitive research” when he came upon…
The Games Men Play
I love to play games – basketball, pickleball, golf, you name it. But when it comes to friendship with men, games become more challenging to play. Typically, games have rules to follow that make the game fun, but with…
Finding the Courage to Love Yourself and Your Identity, Fully: Dr. Stacee Reicherzer Speaks with MenLiving
Dr. Stacee Reicherzer knows exactly who she is and what makes her sparkle. But it wasn’t an easy road to get to self-discovery. Growing up queer and transgender in South Texas, she faced plenty of bullying and traumatic…
Hold My Hand
In 2106, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams published The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. It was a book based on Archbishop Tutu’s visit to the Dalai Lama’s home in…
How to Relax Relationship Tension, and Get Your Life Back on Track Fast
Guest Author: Steve Srotir Does your relationship feel like a stretched rubber band that’s about to snap? Leaving you stressed, confused, and wondering… How did you get here? What do you do next? Me too… Been there…
Gazing
I was zooming the other day and noticing, at a particular angle, an emerging turkey neck. This development fits nicely with no hair (except in my ears and nose!), muscle deterioration and crepey (more like creepy) skin.…
Man has intuition (An original poem by John Natoli)
Man has intuition too, We carry it boiling in our belly A hot coal that won’t extinguish It bubbles over in rage or suspicion Its vapor clouds our vision Sizzling whispered lies of ineptitude, inadequacy Sometimes, when…
Sweatpants
Dan Shea is a a dear friend of mine. I love him. Today, I am going to tell you a nice story about a good man doing a good thing. Maybe we all could do one good thing today, too. My wife and I were at Cindy and Dan’s for…
Not Voted Off This Island
A neighbor and I used to get together to drink wine and discuss philosophy. (Now and then, we talked about roofing companies and battery-powered lawnmowers, too.) Brad’s an economics professor who spends much of life in…
Part III: Finding Love & Acceptance-Living with Bipolar Disorder
I chose to share my story through this blog series for many reasons. Since 2017, nearly every person that’s come into my life on a meaningful level knows about my experiences with mental illness. Whether it’s a new…
Part II: Finding Love & Acceptance-Living with Bipolar Disorder
Waking up in the behavioral health unit of a hospital was a surreal, humbling experience. There’s often a tendency to think you’re above those who are struggling harder than you are — it was hard to accept that I could…
Finding Love & Acceptance: Living with Bipolar Disorder
Hi, I’m Patrick. I’m about to do what I feel that I do best. I’m going to tell the story of my life and experiences living with a mood disorder. It’s an abbreviated version of the rollercoaster ride of the last 5 years…
11 Mistakes
I’m 19 years into my marriage and I don’t pretend to be an expert. However, I know my foundation is solid and will endure the test of time. Mostly because when I screw up, I do my best to learn and grow. Marriage is not…
It’s Not How, It’s Where
Every day I ask men, “How are you doing?” Usually I get a response like, “fine” or “good”, but that’s not really what I’m looking for. A better way to phrase the question is, “How are you feeling?” When guys start…
I Love Awkward!
Every Saturday, for years, I have read Peggy Noonan’s Declarations column in the Wall Street Journal. Last Saturday, Peggy was writing as always about politics, the country and not too surprisingly COVID and the…
The GOAT and The Kiss
I grew up outside of Boston, but I have now been in the Midwest for almost 20 years longer than I was in New England. And despite my move, I have maintained my allegiance to Boston’s sports franchises. A loyalty that…
Honest Human Relationships
About 3 or 4 years ago, I attended my first MenLiving meeting. Today, I am MenLiving’s Board President and a very involved day to day volunteer. But, honestly, I’m still not particularly comfortable with the concepts of…
Dog Paddling
Last week, I was hanging by the pool with my wife and 26 year old daughter when my daughter suggested we have a doggy paddle “competition.” I was reading a book at the time so wasn’t particularly interested. They…
Disprove Your Story…by golly
One of the great things for me about exercise, especially the kind that is somewhat monotonous, or rather, “trance-like” (as is the case with running) is how it allows my mind to move in ways it otherwise wouldn’t. Both…
Don’t Give Your Wife A Break
Yesterday a friend of mine was looking for support regarding an argument he recently had with his wife. The story he shared was similar to experiences I’ve had with my wife. “I worked in the backyard and cleaned out the…
11 Mistakes Your Marriage Needs You to Stop Making
I’m 11 years into my marriage and I don’t pretend to be an expert. However, I know my foundation is solid and will endure the test of time. Mostly because when I screw up, I do my best to learn and grow. Marriage is not…
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