As I say at the end of my coaching and therapy sessions, “we’ll have to stop here.”  Join me for this final episode as I wrap up the podcast.  Tune in to hear about my decision, what’s next and how I hope to stay in touch. You may even hear some inspiration on approaching endings and new beginnings in your own life. To stay in touch with me and be notified of future offerings from Gay Men’s Life Lab, please join my email list by visiting www.buckdodson.com.   Even though there won’t be new...

In this episode, I talk with sought-after coach, speaker, professor, and author, Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown about his new book, The Souls of Queer Folk.   Join me as I talk with Joel about: What it means for leaders to be “Queer-minded”  How growing up LGBTQ teaches us to be leaders in lifeQueer culture as a wisdom tradition with value for all people, especially organizational and business leadersThe 9 values that express the beauty of LGBTQ+ people Get your copy of Joel’s book, The Souls of...

In this episode, I talk with trauma and recovery coach, spiritual companion, and queer elder, Hunter Flournoy. We dive deep into what it means to heal as gay, bi and queer men & how compassionate community and spirituality are key to embrace ourselves and each other.  Join me as I talk with Hunter about: The importance of LGBTQ Heart Circles for gay men and queer people to see & feel seenHow and why Hunter helps men to accept and embrace ourselves by coming home to our bodies and...

In this episode, I talk with psychotherapists and founders of Calm Counseling, Dr. Vanessa Scaringi and Kate Garland, LCSW about the role of attachment styles and relationships in recovering from eating disorders, body dysmorphia and excessive exercise. Join me as I talk with Kate and Vanessa about: Why disordered eating, body image and exercise issues “work” to address chronic loneliness and disconnection How the search for sameness and conformity are risk factors for disordered eating and...

A “Gays On” episode featuring Burak Yilmaz on healing and self-discovery In this episode, I talk with Burak Yilmaz about his remarkable path to freedom as a gay man which he chronicles in his upcoming book, If My Mother Never Left.  Join me as I talk with Burak about: Being tortured for speaking out as a gay man in IslamLearning to survive alone on the streets of Turkey and New York CityOvercoming shame and recovering from depression How writing has helped him heal and live as his true...

We need our gay superpower now more than ever. Our communities, especially our members who are trans, gender non-binary and/or drag artists, are being subjected to assaults on our identities and human rights. Let’s double down on who we are and in this episode, why we’re here.  Tune in to this ‘Quick Buck’ solo episode as I dive into the powers of camp and drag. I explore: What are gay and queer superpowers?How camp and campiness speaks to queerness and helps us feel seenThe role of drag in...

Let’s talk about sex. Healthy, pleasurable and healing sex that is. In this episode, I talk with Certified Sex Therapist, coach and clinical social worker, Dr. Israel Martinez, about helping gay bring sex into the light in order to have more enjoyable, enthusiastic and shame-free sex.  Join me as I talk with Dr. Martinez about: The distinct challenges gay, bi and queer men face in having healthy sexWhat the 5 senses have to be with having pleasurable sexThe difference between ‘spontaneous...

Gregory Elsasser-Chavez on the high costs & high rewards of coming out Part of the ‘Gays On’ Series featuring the voices and stories of gay, bi and queer men. Welcome to a new season of Gay Men’s Life! In this episode, I talk with Gregory Elsasser-Chavez about his remarkable path to freedom as a gay man which he chronicles in his upcoming book, Terms of Estrangement.  Join me as I talk with Gregory about: The impact of realizing he could be a gay dad or a dead dadFinding the will to...

And we’re back! I’ve missed you all so I’m happy to bring this episode to close out 2022 and preview what’s to come when Season 3 launches next month. Clearly, I extended my “summer” sabbatical through Fall so I go into what I’ve been going through and how this impacted my return to the podcast. I invite you to tune in to hear some of my story and to reflect with me on what it’s like to come out as your most authentic self.  Some of the topics I cover are: Moving through seismic...

I’m sorry for the podcast silence last month, especially since it was Pride Month. Although Gay Men’s Life Lab celebrates LGBTQ+ pride every month.  In this episode, I share about my decision to take a few months off from the podcast so I can spend the summer soaking up some extra self, relationship and business care.  I hope you’ll tune in to join me for this relatively brief conversation about my decision. It involves filling my well, learning to set limits and listening to my inner...

In part two of my pro-dating, pro-relationship guide, I dive further into energizing your dating and relationship life. I cover the key topics my clients and I work on and offer practical ways you can beef up your relational dating skills.  Check out the episode to hear… How to approach pacing in dating so you can stay “sober” in the early stages of loveMy suggestion for approaching sex The communication styles and skills you need for dating and relationship successHow to work with unfinished...

In the first of this two-parter, I invite you into a conversation about becoming or rediscovering hope and eagerness about dating. Join me for this deep dive into how becoming “pro dating” and a pro at dating means could radically shift your perspective on dating and creating long term relationships.  Tune in to hear… What it means to be Pro-Relationship rather than Pro-SelfHow to approach dating like you would in a relationshipThe 5 characteristics of “Secure Functioning Dating”Developing a...

Join me for this engaging and important conversation about porn, sex, masturbation, and most importantly, pleasure. I’m talking with Don Shewey, a psychotherapist, pleasure activist and author of The Paradox of Porn: Notes on Gay Male Sexual Culture. Tune in to hear Don and I discuss: His journey to being a pleasure activist and Sacred IntimateThe integral yet complex role pornography plays in gay men’s self-discoveryHow porn both helps and hinders our views of our bodies, sexuality, and...

Join me for this enriching conversation with licensed psychotherapist, Brian Torres, on what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person and how embracing this part of your nature can help you create a more optimal lifestyle.   Some of the topics Brian and I discuss: The core traits of highly sensitive peopleWhat D.O.E.S. - Depth, Over-Arousal, Emotional Responsiveness, and Sensitivity to Subtleties – has to do with high sensitivityMisconceptions that high sensitivity isn’t backed by science, is...

You won’t want to miss this enlivening conversation about tapping into your erotic energy as a pathway to healing, aliveness and joy. Join me and my guest, Craig Cullinane from The New Body Electric School as we dive deep celebrating our erotic potential.  Some of the topics Craig and I discuss: The role of “conscious eroticism” in self and collective healingHis own journey from body shame to celebrationThe intersection of pleasure, desire, power, and unmet needsThe foundational tool that...

In this episode, I unpack codependence, developmental trauma and love addiction with Jodi White, a psychotherapist, sober recovering love addict and host of “Journals of a Love Addict.”  Jodi and talk about: The 5 core symptoms of codependenceHow dysfunctional families set the stage for being over or anti-dependentWhat love addiction is and how it’s different from codependencyDeveloping a Functional Adult Self to care for our “inner woundeds”How experiential learning bypasses the ‘thinking...

Gay Men's Life Lab is all about trying things out, and since we have a lot of new listeners in the last year, we’re experimenting with a new Relationship Replay Series which features some of our earliest episodes on all things relationships such as… How to handle conflictCommunicating your feelings Navigating relationship dynamicsHow to identify your needs and get them met  If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my own relationship journey and in those of my clients, it’s that we’re always...

Gay Men's Life Lab is all about trying things out, and since we have a lot of new listeners in the last year, we’re experimenting with a new Relationship Replay Series which features some of our earliest episodes on all things relationships such as… How to handle conflictCommunicating your feelings Navigating relationship dynamicsHow to identify your needs and get them met  If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my own relationship journey and in those of my clients, it’s that we’re always...

We’re going to mindset school. In this solo episode, I’m riffing on how our attitudes, perspectives and beliefs—our mindsets—make the difference between creating the life we want or staying stuck.   Tune in to hear… Buck’s update on his ‘Filling my Well’ commitmentHow being a ‘design thinker’ can help solve problems and achieve goalsThe core mindsets you need to move you toward personal and relationship growthHow to be curious, try stuff, shift your beliefs, and trust the process The secret...

This week, I dive into a misunderstood topic that we don’t talk about enough – Adult ADHD. Tune in as I talk with ADHD Coach and Founder of Queer ADHD, Sarah Dopp, about what it does and does not mean to live with ADHD. Even if you don’t have ADHD, I encourage you to check out this episode because someone in your life does and may be struggling alone.  Sarah and I talk about: Misconceptions about Adult ADHDHow coming out with ADHD mirrors coming out as LGBTQThe connection between fear of...

You won’t want to miss my bold conversation with David Pevsner, author of DAMN SHAME: A Memoir of Desire, Defiance and Show Tunes. Join us to hear about David’s journey as a 62-year-old actor, erotic provocateur and anti-ageist, anti-body shaming, pro-sexuality advocate. David and talk about: How becoming an escort changed his outlook on what he means to be a manThe missed opportunity that helped him see the cost of being a ‘body nazi’His big “f**k you” to anti-gay religious...

Happy new year, everyone! What were the personal growth and gay takeaways from 2021? What did you learn and how are you going to apply that in 2022?  In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain to share some of my own growth journey this last year and what I’m committing to next year. I’m guessing many of you might relate.  Tune as I talk about… Why 2021 was my yearlong “choppy growth phase”Grieving the loss of my False Self & ego personaMaking your big, bold commitment for next...

In this episode, I’m talking about coming out later in life and what coming out looks like over the life span of gay and queer men.  Tune as I talk about… Why coming out is about more than saying “I’m gay” How we’re always coming out and what it evolves through lifeIdentifying your “gay age” to decrease shame regardless of when you come outThe one thing we all need whether we’re coming out at 16 or 60 GMLL Phone Line Call 512.808.0849 to share your ideas, questions and topic...

In this special “Quick Buck” episode, I’m having a conversation with listeners about what’s next for the podcast including the Gay Men’s Life Lab Phone Line!  Tune as I talk about… My desire to build community and connect more deeply with listeners in 2022Finding ways to engage that aren’t through social media (which I suck at)My search for an “intern” to help grow our communityHow to expand our audience and how you can helpYou can start engaging by leaving a message on the new GMLL phone...