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Minding Men Talk Show with Brian Pollack
MLTV Main Line Network
A show that gets to the conversations, values and morals that men don’t talk about. Taboo! Minding Men sheds light on men, mental health, anxiety, and how all of this affects the guys in our lives.
Changing Male Culture
“Our young men, our boys, and even our older males are having to live up to standards nowadays that are creating a real question of self.”
Brian is interviewed by Jennifer Kreatsouls, PhD about how males cope in a world that feels anxious and disconnected. Brian’s need to learn and find understanding has spurred Minding Men and he shares his confusion, passion and thoughts in this initial interview.
Episode 1 – Masculinity, in Context
“For a long time boys and men hear ‘suck it up,’ ‘walk it off,’ and ‘take it like a man.’ As adults we gotta find ways to take care of ourselves…”
Dan Saland, PhD joins Minding Men for our first inaugural show to discuss [toxic] masculinity and how it can cause hardships for guys. He also highlights the positives that these ideas can also provide, depending on the situation. As we begin to explore what it is to be a man in today’s society, we are honored and humbled that Dr. Saland joined us.
Episode 2 – Gender Identity
“Having questions about your gender identity… is not a disease. It’s just questioning your gender. However, the stress of coming out, the conflict in the family, bullying in the school, etc., they can require the need for clinical support.”
Heidi Dalzell, PsyD and Kayti Protos, LCSW join Minding Men to discuss gender identity and how we can reach across misunderstanding towards compassionate connection. As part of Bucks Support Services, both Dr. Dalzell and Kayti share invaluable information that helps us find a simple understanding within a topic that feels so confusing and complex.
Episode 3 – Male Access to Treatment
Douglas Bunnell, PhD, CEDS, FAED discusses his 30 years of work in the treatment of mental health disorders. He discusses how more and more men in treatment are “primed to actually talk about mental health.” He references something called the the guy code and talks about how it inhibits the ability to find change.
Episode 4 – Eating Disorders in Boys
“A lot of times stigma gets in the way when there’s a concern… and we can sometimes think it’s just a phase.”
Dr. Anna Tanner, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, CEDS, Vice President of Medical Services at Veritas Collaborative is fierce advocate of recovery. Dr. Tanner shares that males struggle from a younger age than we may realize. Topics covered:
- Warning Signs in Boys
- What keeps us thinking about EDs and Boys
- Concept of Energy Buckets
- Stunted Growth and what you can do.
Episode 5 – Masculinity from the South
“…am I comfortable in my own skin doing this?”
Metropolitan Opera Singer, Kevin Gardner, was brought up in the South. He visits the show to discuss a society that forced masculinity to be pushed to its limits, questioned, and defended. Topics covered:
- Family Perspective on being Black in America.
- Early Experiences of Racism
- How being an outlier instituted growth.
- Stoicism in a positive light
Episode 6 – Mens’ Hesitation in the Medical Chair
“It is masculine and cool as hell to connect with people.”
- A human based treatment approach always wins!
- How doctors can break through
- Panic & control in the medical office.
- The glue that holds it all together.
Episode 7 – The Man Box is a Thing
“Our assumptions about what it means to be a man are not serving us well.”
- Rules in being a man
- Hinderances because of the man box
- Does age have influence?
- Masculinity vs. being a man.
Episode 8 – Brian Cuban
“I was bullied severely in HS because I was fat.”
Brian Cuban joins MindingMen.com for a fascinating conversation about growing up with struggles around mental health in the 60s, facing cultural masculinity and how it created so much internal shame and pain.”
He shares personal stories and key insights to understanding how our bodies are not to be shamed. Topics include:
- Negative Self Image (internalizing others problems)
- Using his body as a ‘suitcase for shame.
- How it continues as an adult, even today.
- How he finds worth and connection now.
Episode 9 – Charlynn Small, PhD
“We are resilient and will be okay!”
Once in a while it’s important we stop and pay attention to the expert in the room. Dr. Charlynn Small is that expert. When she speaks she captivates the soul. She talks about Mental Health in the Black Community, Black Lives Matter, Protests and the psychological toll it is taking on Black Men in our lives.
Topics include:
- Acculturative Stress – What is it?
- Mental health emergency training to assist Black lives in crisis is essential and why!
- How intergenerational trauma is complex and devastates a community
Episode 10 – How to Approach Parenting and Coaching in Sports
“Children are not small adults… they have their own unique cognitive developmental level, we need to honor this!”
4 Gold Medals, 2 Silver, Dr. Colleen Hacker is a Coach of Team Usa, Advisor to USA Hockey, and advises more professional leagues than one can imagine. We discuss a culture dominated by sports; the satisfaction of achievement, the training to prepare for dominance, the control. But when do we go too far and how can we prevent it?
Topics include:
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Why Youth Sports Matter and what makes it unique
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Investing in the right coach for your child including signs a coach may or may not be a good match.
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What to say on the ride home
Episode 11 – Males, HAES and Recovery
“Men are indoctrinated into this idea that the only good body is a chiseled, muscular body. We are definitely affected by diet culture!
Aaron Flores is a registered dietitian based out of Los Angeles, California. He is one of the few professional males in the country focusing on the intersection of male body image, food and the societal pressures that plague the men in our lives. In his work, Aaron helps individuals learn how to make peace with food and develop body-positive behaviors, He helps men leave behind the world of diets and body shame and discover integrity, connection and a world that is free of pressure to live within the manbox.
Topics include:
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What is Health at Every Size and how does it apply to men?
- How he responds to people who judge him for his size.
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How male prejudicial treatment causes us to struggle with body and food
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Why you need to join an all male body image support group, now!
Episode 12 – Body Image Has No Boundary
Body image and self esteem start in the mind, not in the mirror. They can change the way you understand your value and worth. Healthy body image and self esteem are a big part of well being.