Chapter One: Why Another Podcast? I escaped hopelessness. And because I DID escape, I feel compelled to share my story (and the story of many others) with those who today may be trapped in such an environment and system. There is hope!Chapter Two: Beginning the Next Chapter: My Move to Palm Springs and What Happened When I Arrived: 127 degrees outside and then discovering I had no A/C on arrival was one thing. But then my Seattle doc called the next day and I went into a tot...
When I was living my life as a married "straight" man, I remember going out to a restaurant on Capital Hill in Seattle with my then wife. "The Hill" was the gay area. I remember sitting there - we typically would be arguing about something- and I'd look over to the gay men at the nearby tables- chatting comfortably with each other. I had no concept of what it would be like to accept one's self as gay. The idea that two men could fall in love and become partners, or get...
Jeff Coe spent his early years in Texas and Oklahoma. At one point he finally came out as gay and lived as a young gay man for many years. Then he moved to the NW, had a religious experience, rejected his authentic self as a gay man, and went back into the closet where he slammed the door shut. Over the next couple of decades, he continued life in the church as an "Ex-gay, straight man" and even moved to Southern California where he worked at a national ex-gay ministry where they ...
Jerry Lynch was priest in the Catholic Church for nearly three decades. He loved what he was doing, serving people - but there came a time when he realized that he could no longer live an inauthentic life. He had to live a congruent life as a gay man. He talks about this process and the joys and struggles of his journey. Listen to his heart as his story unfolds.Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay...
Patrick Prohaska is an author and life coach specializing in personal empowerment, consciousness expansion, and sexual healing. Patrick has a Bachelor’s degree in history of science and a Master’s degree in the religions of ancient India, and has studied several healing systems, including Ayurveda, Reiki, Theta Healing, aromatherapy, and more. He’s the author of Brain Cells: Escape Your Mental Prisons and Dream Yourself Awake: The Power of Lucid Living. His newest book Good Sex: Spiritual Pri...
Jase Nagaia is the mastermind behind "Endeavor with Jase" which is an exercise class held at Demuth Park in Palm Springs. Jase is also one of the most positive people I know- always saying a good word about everyone and seeing the best in them. He talks with me about the struggles he's had with the lack of diversity in the desert, and how he sees things changing. It's definitely worth a listen!Find Jase here:https://endeavorpalmsprings.comhttps://m.facebook.com/endeavorpalms...
In his "former life", Mark was married to woman, had three kids and was a minister in a church. The conflict he found himself in, leading this life when he was a gay man, eventually led to a nervous breakdown. His healing led him away from the church and he became a trainer. He shares what happened when he attended a trainers conversion in San Jose, where he met a very special man. His life became to rapidly change from the fallout of that meeting.As a facilitator and coach ...
David Wichman is an author, speaker, sexual healer, and entrepreneur who is respected and well-known all over the world to those who seek to live free of stigma, shame, and fear around sex, love, and intimacy.Raised in Fremont, California, David survived a childhood marked by severe neglect and abuse, which led him into years of homelessness, alcoholism, and drug addiction. After decades of struggle and rehabilitation failures, he finally obtained freedom from his addiction in 2005. He remain...
I met John Woodruff at a pool party some time ago. I was immediately drawn to his friendly personality and Southern accent. And his body was pretty amazing as well! I gave him a business card and we eventually did a couple very fun photo shoots. He's definitely fitness model material! Some time after that, I read one of his social media posts where, in 2015, he described his weighing 245 pounds and he couldn't stand for more than ten minutes at a time due to degenerative dis...
Chapter One: The Law of Attraction. I've learned that "Where focus goes- energy flows"! What we choose to throw out into the Universe is what comes back to us. I share some of the rather profound experiences I've had in this area. So many of my friends are amazed at what I seem to create or attract into my life. I've learned that "Where focus goes- energy flows"! What we choose to put out into the Universe is what comes back to us. That means if we expect good, i...
Bob Blackford discusses how he felt after donating blood, only to have the clinic subsequently call him in to discuss some "irregularities" that the testing had revealed.... then informing him that he was HIV positive. This was when he was in the ministry, was married with kids and it was prior to meds being developed. He basically heard a death sentence. He had to not only tell his wife that he was HIV positive, but also that he had had some gay sexual experiences.&nb...
"I had another experience when I was meditating that affirmed my life was transforming again. I dreamed I was standing on a river bank. There were people in canoes peacefully rowing in a river. I came to understand that the river was peaceful flow. The people in the canoes waved and smiled to come in. I looked up and down the river bank. There were countless people standing on the banks. Some walked into the river and a canoe appeared for their transport. Some shook with fear on the side. Tho...
Bryce Bailey, MA, ATR. Registered Art Therapist from Seattle, WA currently living in Palm Springs, CA. He launched his own creativity/ design consulting practice “EmpowerART Studio” and offers Per Diem Art Therapy at a local physical rehabilitation hospital. He leads art therapy groups and facilitates creativity workshops in community. Bryce is passionate about utilizing the creative process to facilitate personal growth, transformation, healing and connection through artmaking. He has w...
Carl is 74 and Michael is 40. They've been together now for twenty years. We discuss how that's worked out in this May-December romance, partnership and marriage.Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him at BecomingWilkinson@gmail.com
Just in time to wrap up Mental Health Awareness Month!Robert Aerts is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He owns and operates his own practice called Aerts Family Counseling in Apple Valley, CA. Robert is a husband, father and grandfather. Robert graduated from Cal Baptist University with his Masters in Counseling Psychology and has worked for public service for over 30 years. He has worked with the Aging and Adult population as well as school aged...
How would you feel in this scenario? You're a twenty year old, and you receive a phone call at work from the local hospital, coldly telling you that you are HIV positive and that you need to "Get your papers" in order because you only have 6-12 months to live? That was FORTY years ago. Listen to Michael Sartori's amazing story...Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To contact Wilkinson- email him ...
LARRY DEAN HARRISLarry Dean Harris is a storyteller, playwright, producer and founder of Strong Words. He’s performed stories in LA, Chicago, his hometown Toledo, New York City and Palm Springs. As a playwright, he’s earned New York Outer Critics Circle Award, Ovation Award, GLAAD and LA Weekly Theatre Award nominations. Larry sits on the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America and teaches storytelling and performance with fellow Strong Words producer Marlene Nichols.For more information o...
While living in Seattle, I became a couchsurfing super host. Over a few years, I hosted over 650 (primarily International) travelers in my home. Lifelong friendships were formed with many of these folks, and not a few have subsequently visited me here at my place in Palm Springs. Ideene Dehdashti and her former boyfriend James are two such people. She and I chatted on one of her recent visits. This is one of my most light-hearted episodes, and we had fun recording it.P...
She's Iranian and she's opinionated. After I interviewed Ideene for the last podcast episode, she insisted on switching mics and put me in the hot seat so she could interview me. Here's the result.Here's the link to Wilkinson's Vacation room rentals for males at his "Palm Springs Interlude": https://www.airbnb.com/users/251586484/listingsPhoto credit: Selfie of us by Ideene DehdashtiOpening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pixabay.To conta...
Barry Schoenfeld is the creator of the California Community of Men.Barry Schoenfeld founded and runs Clear Vision Partners, an independent marketing consultancy, based in Palm Springs. Before moving to Palm Springs in 2014, he held several executive roles in advertising agencies in New York and Los Angeles.In 2012, he founded The California Community of Men ("CalComMen"), a global mens' community of over 10,000 men-who-love-men, who goal is to provide drug, alcohol, smoke and electronic...