EXPLORACAST

There are many old narratives on what it means to be a "real man". We all know the long lists of what real men do and don't do, express and can't express. feel and shouldn't feel. The question is whether this so-called "toxic masculinity" is ultimately healthy and good for the person who approaches life this way or the people with whom they are closelyassociated. 

I believe that the only way things don't ultimately get better in a difficult time like this is when people lose hope and disengage in working to make the world a better place. So, in today's podcast we discuss the powerful value of hope and the kind of hope that strengthens us and motivates positive change.

Who do you trust to tell you the truth outside of your closest friends and family? Are you operating on a basic assumption that people in power are as prone to telling lies as much as they are the truth? Maybe the path to power nowadays,unfortunately, includes a willingness to lie when it is more expedient than truth telling. 

It used to be that a lot of one's identity was wrapped up inwhat one did for a living. For many people that remains true and not so much along gender lines as it used to be. Is this a bad thing? Is it bad to achieve and feel pride in one's achievements? Can it go too far and what happens whenone retires or can no longer do that thing which supplied identity?  These are the questions that drive today's conversation. 

Where is home for you? Is it a place? Is it a group of people? Is it a state of mind? Maybe you're feeling a little "homeless" in some ways at this point in your journey. Today's episode takes on this very nuanced and emotionally fraught subject of the "longing for home". 

Has the world finally killed kindness or is it possible for it to again be on the rise? Is it possible to be kind and strong at the same time or does one necessarily preclude the other? We talk about kindness with the deep hope that it is not dead, and that it can yet be a healthy AND functional way to live.

In this episode, we take on what might be the elephant in the room. We are, admittedly, from that demographic that has held power in this country for a long, long time. We're white, we're male, and we're certainly NOT young! Does the worldwant/need more of the same old same old or could we perhaps offer up something a little different despite how we look and sound? You decide!

What do you do or what do you stop doing when it feels likethe world is burning? Regardless of ideologies and political positions, most would agree that things seem mighty rough "out there" right now. So many people are feeling overwhelmed at the very least and sometimes evendevastated. Listen to our discussion in response to a very timely question from one of our listeners.

We again use a Ted Lasso quote to get the conversation started. We wonder what optimism is including can one who has their "head in the sand" and denies reality truly be optimistic. Do optimists take more risks? Is this a wise mindset? All this and more in this next Exploracast!

Everyone knows the word mindfulness and pretty much what it means. Still, something counselors and therapists often see while working with people is that what is known and what is actually practiced is not always the same. Listen to our discussion of some of the nuances of mindfulness and then take the challenge to do a better job in 2025 of being more present in your life and relationships.

We are born being curious about everything! But it seems that over time, many people grow comfortable with what they already know and what makes them feel safe and in control. But is it not true that when we stop learning, we have stopped growing? In this episode of Exploracast, we consider the importance of and hinderances to being and remaining curious. 

We generally think of trauma and PTSD in relation to people like soldiers and survivors of other horrific events. This is certainly true, but it is also true that our world, society in general, politics, international war and unrest, climate change, or the pandemic and all that came out of that has been traumatizing to most, if not all of us. Dealing with it healthily requires a lot of honesty and courage.