gay men coaching

Nesting: Creating Platonic Spaces for Healing and Authentic Connection in the Gay Community

Nesting: Creating Platonic Spaces for Healing and Authentic Connection in the Gay Community

What we want you to gain from this episode is the importance of non-sexualized, safe, and brave spaces for gay men to heal and grow together. By the end of this episode, you will be able to identify what a nest is, how you could benefit from one, and where to find or create one if you are interested in nesting. The concepts and questions we explore in this episode are: Today’s Guest: Nigel Pedlingham Today’s Host: Matt Landsiedel Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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How to Open Your Heart to Receive Love

How to Open Your Heart to Receive Love

We all say we want love… but are we actually open to receiving it? In this episode, we’re going deeper into what it really means to open your heart. From the subtle subconscious programming that keeps love at arm’s length to the sneaky ways we self-sabotage, we’re unpacking the hidden barriers that make intimacy feel unsafe (even when we crave it most). You’ll learn: If you find yourself pushing love away, deflecting compliments, or find yourself stuck in patterns that keep intimacy just out of reach—this one’s for you. Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Falling in Love With the Fantasy

Falling in Love With The Fantasy

Some of us don’t fall in love with people, we fall in love with an idea of them. The story, the potential, the fantasy of the perfect boyfriend who finally makes everything click. But that idealized version of love often keeps us chasing what looks right instead of what feels real. In this episode, Michael DiIorio and therapist, Michael Pezzullo, explore how fantasy, perfectionism, and external validation shape the way we love- and why chasing the ideal often keeps us from the real thing. We’ll unpack: If you’ve ever been in love with potential or the picture-perfect relationship, this conversation will help you come back to reality…where real connection actually happens. Today’s Guest: Michael Pezzullo Today’s Host: Michael DiIorio Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Joy Killers: How and Why We Sabotage Joy

Joy Killers: How and Why We Sabotage Joy

Why does joy feel so hard to hold onto? In this episode of Gay Men Going Deeper, we’re revealing the joy killers: those sneaky ways we sabotage happiness even when life is going well. We explore: By the end, you’ll see how internalized shame, fear, and control kill our joy- and how practicing gratitude, presence, and vulnerability can help us reclaim it. Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Following Your Joy: A Special Solo Episode with Reno

Following Your Joy: A Special Solo Episode with Reno

What would your day, your week, your next year, or even your life look like if you spent it following your joy? What if joy became your North Star? Your guiding light? Your compass? What is in the way of you experiencing more joy in your life?  What if you could find joy in how you dress, what you eat, how you exercise, where you live, what you do for work, who you spend time with, and how you navigate your day to day life?  These, and more, are the questions we’ll cover in this intuitive and inspired conversation around following your joy. True to form, you will be joining Reno on location at Sunset Beach, in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, where he followed his joy down to the beach where he fell in love with Vancouver, so that he could not just talk about following your joy, but embody it. Note: You may occasionally hear some fun background noise, which actually becomes part of the conversation, so you’ll want to keep listening. Today’s Host: Reno Johnston Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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How to Find More Joy in Your Life

How to Find More Joy in Your Life

Joy isn’t just fireworks and big milestones; it’s in the ordinary, everyday moments we often overlook. Yet for many of us, joy feels slippery and hard to find.  In this episode of Gay Men Going Deeper, we’re diving into what joy really feels like, how it shifts as we evolve and age, and why it’s less about chasing highs and more about cultivating presence. We’ll explore: If you’re ready to move beyond quick fixes and start building a life that feels nourishing, playful, and deeply fulfilling, this conversation is for you. Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Perfectionism, Pressure, and the Gay Overachiever

Perfectionism, Pressure, and the Gay Overachiever 

You know the type — ambitious, perfectionistic, and always striving to do more and be more… yet secretly fuelled by pressure, anxiety, and fear.   In this episode, Michael is joined by special guest Scott Stirrett as they share their own stories of hustling for achievement and how they’ve learned to stay ambitious without destroying themselves in the process. Together, they unpack how perfectionism, internalized shame, and the need for external validation can be ways we attempt to outrun our insecurities — and pivot toward ambition that’s healthy, sustainable, and soul-driven.  Topics covered in this episode: By the end of this episode, you’ll be inspired to pursue success in a way that keeps you driven and impactful — without burning yourself out — and to start measuring your worth from the inside out. Today’s Guest: Scott Stirrett Today’s Host: Michael DiIorio Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Radical Acceptance: Grief’s Final Lesson

Radical Acceptance: Grief’s Final Lesson

In this final installment of our 4-part series on grief, we explore the powerful practice of Radical Acceptance—what it means, why it’s so difficult, and how it becomes the turning point in your healing journey. Whether you’re grieving the person you used to be, mourning a friendship that faded, or facing the slow heartbreak of watching your parents age, grief often leaves us wrestling with reality. Radical acceptance is what allows us to stop fighting what is, and start living again with peace, presence, and purpose. Topics we explore in this episode include: This episode offers a hopeful, grounded perspective for anyone still sitting with loss, longing, or unanswered questions. Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Aging Parents and Pre-Grief

Aging Parents and Pre-Grief

As our parents get older, many of us are faced with a new kind of grief- the quiet, ongoing loss that comes not from death, but from watching the people who once raised us begin to slow down and need us in ways they never did before. In this deeply personal episode, we open up about the emotional complexity of witnessing our parents age. From role reversals and unresolved wounds, to meaningful moments and surprising lessons, we reflect on how our relationships with our parents evolve, and how it stirs up questions of our own mortality.   We explore: This is an episode for anyone navigating that in-between space—where love, loss, and legacy all live at once. Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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Grieving Relationships

Grieving Relationships

Not all grief is about death. Sometimes, the hardest losses are the people (or pets) who are still alive—but no longer in our lives. In this episode, we’re talking about the heartbreak of losing relationships: romantic breakups, friendship fallouts, and the deep sadness that comes with saying goodbye to a beloved pet. We explore how grief shows up emotionally, mentally, and even physically—and the unique challenges of letting go of someone who once meant everything to you. Together, we share personal experiences of: This conversation shines a light on the many ways we experience loss and how to move through the grief with compassion, courage, and clarity. Related Episodes: Today’s Hosts: Support the Show – viewer and listener support helps us to continue making episodes – CONNECT WITH US – – LEARN WITH US –

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