The Best Year Ever Project: How Men Can Break Out of Comfort Zones | Dr. Ryan McKelley
Update: 2025-08-22
Description
Dr. Ryan McKelley is a licensed psychologist and professor of clinical counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. With expertise in men and masculinities, he's co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and served as past president of the Society for the Psychology of Men and Masculinities. His work has been featured in major outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, and NPR, and he's been teaching a transformative course on masculinity for 15 years.
Episode Highlights:
- The Best Year Ever Project - How Ryan and three friends created a year-long challenge based on Michael Easter's "The Comfort Crisis," focusing on physical, contemplative, family, and social pillars that pushed them outside their comfort zones
- The 96 Crayon Theory - Why men start with a full emotional range as children but are conditioned down to just 8 basic emotions by adulthood, and how to reclaim that lost emotional vocabulary through body awareness and metaphor
- Teaching Masculinity Studies - How even gender studies majors develop new compassion for men's experiences after learning about the restrictive pressures boys face from early childhood
- Side-by-Side vs Face-to-Face Connection - Why traditional therapy and communication methods often fail men, and how physical activities create safer spaces for emotional expression and genuine connection
Resources:
- Dr. McKelley's website: drmckelley.com
- "The Comfort Crisis" by Michael Easter
- University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse Psychology Department
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