The ClearOut

Dara Clear
  • 5.0 (1)
  • 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. Sep 25

    Burned Again? Lean Closer with Nietzsche

    In this episode, and not for the first time, Dara is reckoning with old wounds. Life has a great knack for shocking you out of your complacency, but what do you do when you are reminded of stuff you thought you had long since put to bed? Some things just refuse to stay down, and maybe the harder you push the more likely they are to push back. Dara argues that we can never outrun ourselves, no matter how fast we go or where we run to. We never stop encountering ourselves. Nietzsche's paradigm of eternal recurrence has a similar idea at its core. It can seem bleak at first pass, but on closer inspection it reveals something enormously affirming that anticipates positive psychology and even echoes Buddhist principles of radical acceptance. Everything must be embraced because nothing else is ever going to happen - until you come round again. And again. And again. What are you going to embrace - love or cynicism? 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.

  2. Sep 17

    Navigating Inner and Outer States

    In this episode, Dara is decompressing after a week of shifting boxes and furniture. A new home and a new phase await. What is living going to be like under a different roof, between different walls, looking out at different views? And how do you recalibrate after such literal and energetic upheaval? There's a good chance the answer lies in being grounded, centred, and the attempt at some approximation of calm. What Dara sees when he looks out the window definitely doesn't hurt. As far as he's concerned, nature has no agenda that imposes on him - unlike some humans he has recently had to deal with! Reflecting on his youngest brother's current status, Dara tries to reconcile conflicting feelings around a loved one's addiction cycle and their apparent inability to pull out of the life that keeps them captive. Finally, thoughts run to noticing when things are a bit off or unusual. From a quirky film to unexpected beach sightings, to wildlife in peril, it's all a break from the norm. 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.

  3. Sep 9

    Moving Day! - Home is Where the Heart Is

    In this episode, Dara is recording for the last time at Hashtag Hilltop - he and his family are about to move for the umpteenth time in recent years. He finds himself reflecting on homes of the past and the countless and never reliable memories from all of them. It strikes him how important the idea of a shared space is. Isn't the ability to share space a profoundly important matter for all humanity? Isn't that ability integral to humility? And isn't it fundamentally antithetical to capitalism? Once he's completed his reflections, Dara turns to poets to see what they have had to say about home. Yeats, Carlos Williams, Angelou, Larkin and more - they all tap into something very lovely and recognisable. And guess what - none of them are talking about mortgage rates! 'Home' poems from poets.org: https://poets.org/poems?field_poem_themes_target_id=1106 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.

  4. Sep 3

    Gloria! Tribute to a Feminist Icon

    In this episode, in honour of the late Gloria Steinem, Dara attempts to mansplain feminism - so women, I hope you are listening! No, rather than that foolhardy exercise, he reads in their entirety two blazing feminist articles from the 1970s. Miami by Nora Ephron documents the dynamics within the National Women's Political Caucus at the 1972 Democratic National Convention and prominently features the animus between Steinem and Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique (arguably the core text that ignited second wave feminism). The other is If Men Could Menstruate, Steinem's own satirical piece printed in 1978 which propositioned the very different perspective on menstruation if it were to be located in the male body. Both articles are somewhat timestamped by both tone and cultural references, but in terms of capturing an attitude and a collective energy, they are unimpeachable! Dara prefaces the readings by recollecting his own grasp of the women's struggle as a child and how it seemed to him almost a self-evident position. Nora Ephron's 'Miami' - https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/lets-go-full-crocodile-ladies/essay/ Gloria Steinem's 'If Men Could Menstruate' - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23293691.2019.1619050 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.

  5. Aug 30

    Dolly, Dolls, and Puppets - The Ageless Beauty of Female Icons

    In this episode, Dara is joining the dots between some recent topical news stories. He talks about a female icon of American entertainment - blonde, beautiful, independent, diminutive and unknowable; who else could it be other than Miss Piggy! And what does that embodiment of female power have in common with the late Dolly Parton? Quite a lot actually, but of particular interest is the nature of their apparent agelessness and consistency. Are women allowed to age? What does society give them permission to do as the physical and aesthetic aspects of youth and prime adulthood make way for the gravitational effects of time? And what are the poor men to do who want them to stay perfect forever? Well, they can always turn to sex dolls and contribute to a burgeoning industry that gives free license to its consumers to do anything they want to their female substitute. A weary Dara tries to make sense of the intersection between tech, free market capitalism, radicalised masculinity, and the catering to male sexual desires that seems to create even darker corners for the gender war to express itself. Also, the power of masks, farewell to Tim Curry, and the excellence of Andrew Scott. Oh, and an unexpected review of the podcast! Elevate Society review of The ClearOut: https://elevatesociety.com/the-clearout-podcast-review/ 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.

  6. Aug 19

    Musical Youth - The Albums That Took Me From Eight to Eighteen!

    In this episode, Dara is going full listicle and revisiting the albums that made up the soundtrack of his youth, from Michael Jackson's Thriller in 1982 to movie-inspired choices of the late 80s that carried him to university. Reflecting on how much the way we consume music has changed, Dara recalls vividly the experience of being immersed in entire albums at a time, almost like reading a book. Albums made sense in their entirety, not just as vehicles from which to launch chart toppers. And having the right equipment to get the best out of what was being listened to was imperative! There are experiences you can only ever have one time in your life, and hearing great artists for the first time is one of them. Dara tries to capture what that sounded like for him, from listening to peculiar albums recommended to him by an uncle, to really listening to Dylan, to being blown away by Bowie, and to making sure a special Beatles album stayed in the family home, music was always there, carrying the moment, conducting the pulse of living memory. 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.

  7. Aug 12

    Glen Hansard and the Unquantifiable Wonder of Mojo

    In this episode, Dara takes the time to pay respects to the recently departed Glen Hansard, whose untimely death shocked and rocked so many, both here in Ireland and further afield. Hansard's band The Frames really were part of the soundscape of 90s Ireland as it emerged out of the dark years of the 80s into a newly discovered energy and confidence that ushered in what felt like limitless frontiers. Although Dara didn't have a big relationship with The Frames, they were close enough in age and through mutual connections that they felt very familiar at all times. There was also a period when Dara was occasionally mistaken for Hansard because of a superficial similarity in appearance, a happenstance that one time led to free food being delivered by a starstruck waitress! Dara tries to articulate what Hansard meant to so many and he reckons it had something to do with the special alchemy that can occur between a live performer and their audience. Do the frontmen of bands have a particular monopoly on this very particular energy? Is it in their gift, or is it bestowed on them by adoring fans? And where does that energy go when the performer is no longer with us? Mojo is a quality that is not reserved for singers, actors, and other public figures. Dara argues that it is a quality of something magical that on some level exists in all of us. He recognises it in his father, who is much diminished by dementia and about to turn 84. How do you quantify that! 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.

  8. Aug 5

    Christopher Nolan's Odysseus - Just Another Superhero?

    In this episode, Dara is going full Greek as he embraces the epic telling and retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, now Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Notably, the film is being promoted not with a tagline, but with a declaration of the mode of its making - shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras! But is that the film's only selling point? Surely not. In an epic, spoiler-filled episode, Dara tries to reconcile the film version with the more faithful Homeric renderings of the adventures of Odysseus, with due reference to critiques not just of Nolan's version of the ancient tale, but also of his entire body of work. Eventually other tellings of the story are also considered, including Uberto Pasolini's 2024 film, The Return. Finally, Dara tries to sum up what the lasting significance is of a story as old as The Odyssey. He digs out something he wrote 13 years ago in his attempt to nail it. 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.

See All (268)

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
    268
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dara Clear
  • Show Website
    The ClearOut