The ClearOut

Dara Clear
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health

Welcome to the turbulence! Join Dara Clear, a domesticated Irishman who is trying to work out the best ways to cope with what life throws at him. Husband, father, actor, writer, teacher, karate instructor and sea swimmer, Dara wants to take the wuss out of wellness. Mixing storytelling, philosophy, humour, psychology, and emotional honesty as a recipe for increased wellness, positivity, and resilience. Become a Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4 days ago

    Keeping It Lit - The Flame of Idealism

    In this episode, Dara is trying to make sense of his relationship to repetition. What compels him to adhere so faithfully to his exercise routines? What is he trying to achieve? Or prove? And do those habits cross over to other areas of his life? He argues it is connected to his liking for order and rightness. He also acknowledges it has something to do with small 'c' conservatism and his own flavour of idealism. Idealism can be routinely dismissed by a sneering world as immature and unrealistic, but Dara makes the case for it being the most important thing we might have. He believes it is something sacred that can be at the very heart of our integrity. It can be the one thing that enables us to hold our centre and keep our heads when the whole world feels like it is going to blow. He concedes there may be something masochistic and self-punishing about continually subjecting oneself to further physical and psychological testing, but that happens to be the type of idealism he favours and he sees no reason to change it anytime soon. If it ain't broke... Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min

  2. 27 May

    Lowering the Bar and Keeping Sight of What Counts

    In this episode, Dara is considering the merits of low bars. How can you talk about heatwaves when it's only 18 degrees? Very easily actually, when you live in Ireland! How can you celebrate being the fourth worst team in the league? With the greatest of ease when your team has underachieved so badly for two straight years. But it's a fine line between understanding the usefulness of lowered expectations and giving in to total complacency and the complete absence of any standards at all. Dara tries to shoehorn the low bar measure into two romantic films he recently watched - The Remains of the Day (1993) and Crossing Delancey (1988). The former is a period drama of almost unbearable emotional repression and suppressed longing, the latter a de facto period piece by virtue of being set in 80s New York. Neither film is flawless - in one there is no climax, only loss and regret; in the other a consummation that is barely worth the wait - but they are well written and acted, and don't call unnecessary attention to themselves. What does call attention to itself is the soundtrack of Crossing Delancey, which consists of some appalling 80s compositions by The Roches, a vocal group from New Jersey whose members were three sisters that came up in the 70s folk scene. Could that be the same band that recorded the beautiful Hammond Song less than a decade earlier? And what did Paul Simon do to inspire that superior work? Oh, and happy 5th birthday to the pod! Toot-toot! Hot Press 2019 article on The Roches: https://www.hotpress.com/music/secret-story-roches-happened-critically-acclaimed-folk-group-22792416 Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 14min

  3. 20 May

    The Taste of Victory and a Life Worth Sharing

    In this episode, Dara is weighing up winning and losing. His football team is driving him to the brink of all-consuming rage, so much so that he sought out escapism in a TV show dedicated to gory bloodletting, heartrending betrayals, and gratuitous equal opportunity nudity. One climactic moment was so compelling that the vicarious exultation caused Dara to leap from his chair, fists thrust emphatically skywards in celebration. One standout performance is given special mention. A much-needed release? Or simply happy for a favourite character doing well? Deeper probing reveals thoughts on how extreme emotions can be very telling, especially when they are a break from the norm. Dara acknowledges a need for something to cheer, even though generally he finds life gives him plenty of reasons to be grateful. Nonetheless, he does ask if you think you have a life worth sharing. What would that look like? And what is the role of gratitude and perspective when it comes to evaluating what one has? Things accumulate, things bite, things corrode... Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min

  4. 13 May

    The Deceptive Exhaustion of Standby Mode

    In this episode, Dara is wondering why he feels so exhausted. Is it because he has switched from standby mode to being fully turned off? Do we struggle to fully relax because we so seldom do it? And does this connect to more than just the usual life concerns that trouble most of us? Is it possible it may be connected to the remorseless self-branding, self-commodification, and self-selling of the tech age? Dara advocates for resolution over optimisation. Strip it all back until there's nothing left but the elemental self. Return to one true thing and proceed from there. He knows there is a connection between that position and the idealism that drew him to acting and martial arts as a young man. In those two pursuits he was trying to find things he could not find elsewhere in his life. But that same idealism dulled his senses at times and led to missing things that were right in front of him. Also in this episode, a Robert Duvall connection, uncertain orientation, the wisdom of bendy trees, and the importance of sharing our burdens with others. Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 1min

  5. 6 May

    Nobody Asked For This! - the 250th Episode 'Celebration'

    In this episode, Dara is wondering how 250 episodes have come along so quickly. It hasn't been an effortless process by any means, but somehow the show (or 'the tell') has kept trundling along, quietly going about its business. And what business is that, exactly? Amongst other things, it has been an offer of quiet and reflective positivity in the wake of the Covid pandemic and an alternative to much of the shrieking discourse of an increasingly distressed world. It has also been the attempt to cultivate a genuinely authentic and honest voice via personal storytelling and unapologetic vulnerability. It has largely been monologues with occasional and welcome guests, but the conversation has been primarily between Dara and whoever has been listening. Finally, it has continued to try to be...'Wellness, with attitude'. For this special milestone episode, Dara decides to share an extended extract from a piece of writing that he started a couple of years ago. Part memoir, part autofiction, part identity excavation, 'Monkey-Boots' is something that will hopefully become a book at some point in the future, but for now, like Dara, it's a work in progress. If you have been, thanks for listening! Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 11min

  6. 30 Apr

    A Free Gift of Love - You're Welcome!

    In this episode Dara is reckoning with the elusive nature of grace. According to the major religions, and Judaism specifically, it is 'a free gift of love' from the Almighty. But if not given by God, from where else might it come? Is it something that we can bestow on ourselves? What conditions need to be in place for that to happen? Is it possible it might come from the award-winning TV show The Pitt? Part of the pathway to grace may involve the total leaving behind of the self. Difficult to achieve most of the time when it involves others, almost impossible when it involves oneself. But there's something about entering a flow state than seems to bring it more into reach. And speaking of flow, what is flowing in the deepest, defining part of ourselves? Time and space are part of the conversation too. If we allow ourselves to be slaves to the tyranny of time, it is unlikely we will access anything resembling inner calm or presence of mind. So much potential resides in the directions we point ourselves and the pathways we are interested in uncovering. Also, if we can't see ourselves, how can we find ourselves? Dandelion heads, karate kicks and Irish gangsters are also in the mix. Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 7min

  7. 22 Apr

    What is Your Happy Place?

    In this episode, Dara keeps it in low gear as he attempts to conserve energy and resist the temptation to force anything. Most of all, he is determined to be uninteresting and anything but entertaining. He knows his credo and he's sticking to it! A conversation with a friend has him thinking about happiness. Happy states and happy places. The dream of the perfect getaway seems to never lose its appeal, but Dara finds himself arguing for the internal oasis. The self-evident reality is that no matter where we go, we always bring ourselves with us, so shouldn't we be more concerned with creating the conditions in our daily lives that remove the desperate need for escape? What is this relationship we have with desire, appetite, and yearning? How do those sensations relate to lack and abundance? And are we more thrilled by the chase than the capture? And what comes first - a state of being or a state of mind? Dara wonders if far less sexy concepts like balance, alignment and regulation might be part of the solution. But what exactly do spunky young cowboys have to do with all of this? Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 1min

  8. 15 Apr

    The Wrestle for Selfhood - Maurice Hines, Carl Lewis, and Two White Boys in Scientological Love!

    In this episode, Dara is responding to three films he recently watched that all touched on themes of the expression of the individual, sovereign identity, iterations of 20th century masculinity, and the concept of success and failure implicit in those performances. Starting with two documentaries, one covering the life and career of Broadway performer and choreographer Maurice Hines, once of the dance duo The Hines Brothers with younger sibling Gregory, the other doing the same for Carl Lewis, the outstanding athlete of his generation who refused to conform to the behavioural expectations of 80s America, especially as a young, beautiful black man. Each of Hines and Lewis walked their own path with a single-minded focus and application, and each embodied distinctly unconventional modes of black masculinity for which the former found the perfect ecosystem, but for which the latter was relentlessly ridiculed. Paul Thomas Anderson's 2012 film The Master - informed substantially by the life of L. Ron Hubbard - is also discussed in relation to the struggle for selfhood of the American male, captured in two indelible performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman as men compulsively drawn to each other by a mutual and oppositional fascination. Brittle, sensual, flawed and explosive - they are more alike than they might realise. But ultimately, there is no consummation. Which makes their characters, fictional though they are, far less successful than the subjects of the aforementioned documentaries. Also covered: Sidney Poitier's electric moment, Francis Ford Coppola's failure to do what Ryan Coogler has done so well, a history of Black cinema, and an existential concept of happiness. The Slate article on L. Ron Hubbard and The Master: https://slate.com/culture/2012/09/the-master-and-scientology-just-how-much-of-lancaster-dodd-comes-from-l-ron-hubbard.html Website: https://theclearout.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theclearoutpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclearoutpodcast/ YouTube: The ClearOut Podcast Email: theclearoutlive@gmail.com   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theclearout Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 12min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to the turbulence! Join Dara Clear, a domesticated Irishman who is trying to work out the best ways to cope with what life throws at him. Husband, father, actor, writer, teacher, karate instructor and sea swimmer, Dara wants to take the wuss out of wellness. Mixing storytelling, philosophy, humour, psychology, and emotional honesty as a recipe for increased wellness, positivity, and resilience. Become a Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Dara Clear
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    254
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dara Clear
  • Show Website
    The ClearOut