Pro public speaker Jelmer and Soroosh sat down to talk about his rocky path of becoming a public speaker! Jelmer was interested in speaking as a kid then started doubting himself due to what other people believed, but eventually ended up going for it anyway years later. In between, Jelmer went through a corporate career that almost made him burn out, overcoming self-doubt, experiencing therapy for the first time. All of this unpacked in this episode! On top of that Jelmer shares his best...

Dennis sat down with Stijn Herpers from the Man-up club to talk about Stijns story, what shaped him, how he is dealing with moving out of his parents and more. Stijn truly showed up for this one and opened up about sabotaging himself and his relationships, why he started the Man-up club and therapy at the age of 17. This conversation is truly wholesome, Dennis and Stijn are talking about serious things with a smile on their faces and even go into the question "how to sit on a date?". Join...

Dennis interviewed Juriaan, a Dutch man who is travelling around the globe by bicycle! You've heard right! By B-I-C-Y-C-L-E. You probably know that Dutch people love to get from a to b by bicycle, but what makes a person want to do that around the entire planet? This is exactly what we've asked Juriaan in this episode. He talks about his motivation behind doing this challenge, how it supports his own mental health and how he wants to make a difference for others too, by raising awareness...

We explore the hidden ways negativity can manifest in our lives and how we can recognize when someone’s negative attitude is a reflection of their own struggles or just a part of who they are. Feeling Tense? It Might Be the People Around You. Have you ever noticed tension in your body that seems to linger for days, weeks, or even months? Sometimes, stress and negativity from the people around us can creep into our lives unnoticed, leaving us feeling drained and overwhelmed. It could be the...

We interviewed our yoga teacher about her philosophy, the PSOAS muscle and how it stores emotions that want to be released and how we can learn this. Priscilla talks to us about the light and shadow, the yin and yang, why she loves working with men and what a healthy man is to her. We discover why it’s so important to restore the balance and create a safe space for all genders to support connection with self and others. We also dive into men and women healing by themselves vs. healing...

Life moves in cycles and this episode is testament to that. Dennis has been through a transformational experience at the start of the month, which realigned him to his purpose and values, brought him back on track in terms of the direction he was taking in life and left him with clarity of what his north star is. Dennis takes you on a journey throughout this experience: What happened to him at the start, how he was all of the sudden able to deal with topics he'd felt stuck with and how this...

In this episode, we talk about attachment theory. Attachment theory talks about how we attach in romantic relationships with a partner and how it relates to the love and care we receive as a baby or child. Our guest is Rita Bliven. Rita has a lot of experience in the field of attachment theory and opens up about her own personal story on attachment which starts with a child kidnapping. She also coaches Dennis and Soroosh on their past love relationships and how attachment styles played a...

In this episode, Soroosh gives the definition of self-sabotage from a technical point of view. How sometimes we set high goals for ourselves and set ourselves up for failure. Are you also inspired by the success story of other people and plan to wake up at 4 am, and then fail? Do you criticise &set high expectations for yourself? We talk about how you too, can plan properly. Furthermore, we dive deep into the patterns and mindset traps that hold us back, exploring practical strategies...

Lenny shares about his decision to quit Instagram and delete the app on this episode of the Hearts Wide Open Podcast. He deleted Instagram over 2 years ago and talks about the process and impact it has on him today. We also discuss other social media platforms like Twitter / X and how they have changed. We all choose what type of content we consume and in the end it is important to be conscious about where we spend our time. In this episode Lenny even offers to take us through a short...

Ever wondered why it seems so hard to have an authentic conversation #realtalk with one of your friends, a family member or maybe even a stranger you've just met? Then this episode is for you! In this episode we not only discuss why it can seem so hard to finally see and really talk each other through the thick surface of small talk, people pleasing, playing a role and so on, but ALSO how we can foster more of these spaces and what we can do to be more authentic in our environment and with...

Hearts Wide Open is celebrating its first anniversary! 1 year podcasting about men's health and men's mental health related topics. In this episode hosts Soroosh and Dennis are getting interviewed by former guest Tamara and look back at their highlights, lowlights, learnings and take aways from 1 year of hosting a men's health podcast. The two not only share about the past year, but take a deeper look at some of their learnings and what being a healthy man means to them. They go on giving...

In this episode, Sooroosh and Alican delve into the reality that everyone faces low moments in life, times when the weight of challenges can feel overwhelming. It's crucial to recognize that these experiences are part of the human condition and do not reflect personal failure or weakness. Seeking help is a courageous step, not a sign of inadequacy. Whether it’s talking to a friend, consulting a therapist, or finding solace in a support group, asking for assistance is a proactive way to...

In this powerful episode, Soroosh and Alican dive into the complex and often painful reality of toxic relationships with parents during the teenage years and even adulthood. As a teenager, dealing with toxic parental dynamics can be particularly challenging. The pressure to meet unrealistic expectations, constant criticism, and a lack of emotional support can lead to severe consequences such as depression, anxiety, and difficulties in establishing personal boundaries. We explore how these...

In this episode we tried something new! If you're able to, definitely check out the video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube, because we're PAINTING as we have this conversation about a variety of thought-provoking topics that we as young men are faced with. It helps us a lot, if you take a moment to let us know what you think about this new format. This week Soroosh asked himself why he obsesses about the reasons why someone rejected him after a date. We're sure you can relate,...

On this episode Soroosh and Dennis sat down with Lukas aka @vollblutvater who is an advocate for the equal parenting model and sharing his experience as an involved father on his social channels. Lukas explains what equal parenting or shared care means for him and his wife and why they chose this model. He shares about building a father son connection with his newborn and how equal care looks in practice also talks about the struggles that come with juggling both work and being a parent and...

Soroosh had a talk with a friend recently and thought he'd bring the topic to the podcast to dive deep and discuss our thoughts on the pressure to perform. What is pressure to perform? What types of pressures are there that we can experience and where do they come from? How do these pressures affect us today and how do we still attach to them? We discuss all these questions and more around the topic of pressure on this episode and share real examples from our own lifes to illustrate how...

We talked to Daley who went from being unhappy as a strategy consultant to working at the zoo. He talks about the dark side of being a strategy consultant, how he discovered his passion for animals and how working at the zoo feels more aligned to his purpose, which ultimately makes him much happier. Daley opens up about how being a "nice guy" worked against him and how he strives to become an "integrated male", embracing all his different components of self: Emotional, physical and...

Have you ever consciously or subconsciously talked about a past event using third person language? This can mean different things like creating distance to our past self because it doesn't serve us anymore or we evolved from this person. Take a moment and think about it. Why am I using third person language here? We also talk about s*xual abuse on men and that if it happens to a man, it can challenge us in our manhood. "I don't wanna be the guy that this happened to" These are exactly the...

We invited Jaideep to the pod and the conversation that unfolded left us speechless 🤯 Jaideep is an award-winning barista at Wide Awake Coffee in Brussels by day, but he is so much more than that and you can witness this in his thoughts about a wide range of topics related to men's health. He's been working on evolving and becoming his best self a lot over the past decade and it shows. Join us on this episode as we dive deep into topics of evolving oneself or reinventing yourself and what...

Grab a pen and paper and join us on this episode, where we dive into the power of journaling. We begin the episode with some general chit chat between men, exchanging ideas and thought and our reflections on how the journey has been for Hearts Wide Open: From starting our first podcast 6 months ago, to regularly releasing better and better episodes for a growing audience of men who want to embrace themselves and live more authentically. Halfway into it, we invite you to join us on the...

On this episode we talk with Leon who's currently in training to become a neo-emotional release facilitator. Dennis and Leon met on a retreat last summer where they instantly connected as "tent buddies" in the camp. Leon's energy and capacity to hold space for people and their emotions is inspiring. Together we were able to go deep into our own emotions and experience what emotional release can feel like. Yes you heard right, we did this live on this episode! This episode felt almost like a...

Ever felt like you need to take a step back? There's too many things going on in your life and you know it can't go on like this? That's what Soroosh started to feel, before he took a break from a few things in his life, to get back focus and peace of mind. Now he's recharged and ready to go at it again. In this episode Soroosh takes us through the journey from realizing his overwhelm, considering different options to the path he eventually took. It's inspiring how Soroosh has grown to deal...

Have you ever asked yourself whether we may all carry some sort of trauma with us? How do I know whether I have trauma? What is trauma and where does it come from? We'll dive into this and more with Tamara who is a Corporate Health Manager and Traumatherapist in training. Soroosh and Dennis met Tamara this past summer whilst on their trip to Portugal, check out the full episode about their trip here: #10 What Surfer Mentality Can Teach Us On Being In The Moment - Going On A Conscious...

This episode is perfect for you, if you're with family for the holidays and experiencing some sort of struggle or anxiety about it. In this epsiode Dennis interviews one of his oldest and best friends Jakob. Jakob is also a world traveler, journalist, political scientist, activist and so much more. Tune into this one as the two friends are having a conversation from the heart. They talk about Jakob's research, psychology myths and share valuable insights, experiences and more from their...