The GMC Podcast: Gay Man's Coaching & Personal Development

Keegan Hirst, Gay Men's Coach & Former Rugby Player
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Authentic gay conversations on personal development, life coaching, and mental health. Join Keegan Hirst, founder of Gay Man's Coaching and former professional rugby player, for weekly real talk about gay lifestyle, coming out, relationships, business, and authentic living. Deep, honest conversations that help gay men build confidence, find community, and create vibrant, unapologetic lives.

  1. 6d ago

    Believe Before It's Real: The Three Lessons That Built GMC

    This week's episode is personal. Keegan paid tribute to John, a rugby league coach who shaped not just his career but who he became as a person. John passed away recently, and rather than let those lessons die with him, Keegan's sharing three principles that have fundamentally changed how he coaches, how he built GMC, and how you can approach your own transformation. The three lessons are simple. Delusional belief in where you're going. Boring, disciplined execution on the basics. And the understanding that there's always another game - so fear of failure doesn't have to paralyse you. Keegan walks through real stories from his rugby days that show exactly how these work in practice, and connects them back to what he's seeing with GMC members right now. The common thread: champion people aren't built from doing extraordinary things ordinarily well. They're built from doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. What's covered: Belief before evidence: why you need to feel delusional about your destinationThe power of showing up when nobody believes yet (including yourself)Playing the percentages: why the sexy plays lose to boring consistencyThere's always another game: how to stop fearing failureThe story of Sheffield beating Wigan, and why John stayed calmWhat "head in the fridge, heart in the oven" actually meansHow these lessons directly shaped GMC and who Keegan is todayFind and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    12 min

  2. Jun 22

    When Life Gets Messy - Success Coach Peadar Hughes on Staying Consistent

    Peadar Hughes is one of our success coaches, and he's exceptional at something most people struggle with: staying consistent when life gets messy. Here's the thing: most people know what to do. Train, eat well, get steps in. The problem isn't knowledge. It's staying consistent when work gets mad, when perfectionism creeps in, when one bad day becomes a reason to give up entirely. Peadar specialises in helping clients navigate that gap. In this episode, he and Keegan dig into the patterns he's seeing with over 40 clients - the ones that keep people stuck, the ones that set them free, and the surprisingly small habits that create big ripples of change. What's covered: Why people won't celebrate their winsPerfection paralysis: the "100 club" trapHow 80% consistency over time beats 100% for a sprintIdentity shifts and becoming the person who gets it doneNice coaching vs. letting people off the hookSmall habits with massive impact (journaling, the 30-minute delay)Why your coach needs to live what they teachBuilding confidence through follow-throughThree rules to live by for the next seven daysFind and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    28 min

  3. Jun 15

    Stop Waiting to Be Healed

    A lot of gay coaching is built around healing shame. Keegan isn't here to say that's wrong. Shame is real. The stuff that gets wired into us growing up as gay men in a straight world, learning to hide, learning we're different, that's not invented. It matters. It needs acknowledging and working through. But there's a version of gay personal development that becomes a waiting room. You sit in it processing your childhood, doing the inner work, and you wait until you're fixed enough to actually live your life. This episode is about why that waiting room is a comfortable trap. The argument Keegan makes is a simple one: you don't heal your way into a good life. You build your way into one. Confidence isn't buried in your past waiting to be dug up. You earn it by doing hard things, building a body you're proud of, doing work that means something, being in relationships that actually challenge you. As you build those things, the old shame quietly loses its grip. Inner work has a place. But it earns that place when you pair it with specific action. Otherwise it's just rumination with a fancy word. What's covered: The difference between processing shame and hiding behind itWhy healing becomes an identity with no finish line for a lot of gay menConfidence as something you build, not something you unearthWhy you can't think your way out of a doing problemHow to out-build shame rather than just sit with itWhat this looks like inside GMCAlso in this episode: a look ahead to the Unapologetic Man Live event in London this Saturday (20th June), the Cornwall retreat, and the Montreal MAD deposit deadline at the end of June. Wnat to join us at one of our upcoming events? Email Keegan on keegan@gmanscoaching.com Find and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    11 min

  4. Jun 8

    Why Success Felt Empty - Greg's Journey from Hidden to Unapologetic

    Greg is a senior tech leader who spent 30 years climbing the ladder. Good salary, senior position, stability - all the external markers of success. At 50, approaching what he thought would be his peak, he had one major problem: he didn't actually like his life. He joined GMC thinking he needed to sort his body out - get fit before it was too late. What he discovered was that the physical stuff was never the real problem. It was a symptom. The real issue ran deeper: limiting beliefs about who he was, what he deserved, and what was possible for him. A lifetime of staying small, masking, and convincing himself that this was just how things had to be. In this episode, Greg and Keegan dig into how one journey (fitness) unlocked another (career purpose and identity), why community is often what high-achieving men are actually missing, and what happens when you stop asking "what's expected of me?" and start asking "what do I actually want?" What's covered: Why success can feel hollow if it's built on shame and maskingHow limiting beliefs keep smart, accomplished people trapped for decadesThe connection between physical transformation and identity workWhat it takes to pivot your career after 30 yearsLegacy thinking and why giving back changes everythingBuilding confidence from 1/10 to 7/10 in 18 monthsFind and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    27 min

  5. May 25

    Matt Print: Two Breakups, a Zumba Class, and Why Gay Men Need Gay Friends

    Matt Print has been coaching for 15 years. He came into fitness sideways, through a breakup and a Zumba class at the back of a studio, then a second breakup that got him lifting properly. He lost four stone and kept it off without obsessive tracking or rigid rules, which shaped everything about how he coaches now.  In this episode Matt and Keegan get into what actually draws gay men to coaching, what keeps them stuck, and why the fear of letting your coach down is one of the most destructive patterns in a coaching relationship. Matt is honest about his own journey, including the part where he used to wear "you don't look gay" as a badge of honour and now sees it for exactly what it was. What's covered: Why community, specifically gay community, matters more than most gay men will admitThe perfectionism trap: why clients go quiet exactly when they should be leaning inEngineering your environment so consistency isn't a willpower battleWhat's different about coaching gay men, and why having straight coaches in the mix matters tooThe old belief that no longer fits the evidence, and what to do when you notice the gapFind and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    28 min

  6. May 11

    From the Beige Buffet to Marathon Finisher: Dan McFarland's 6-Year Rebuild

    When Dan first contacted Keegan in 2020, he was a senior leader at a school eating Greggs 27 days out of 31, drinking way too much, and wondering if he wanted to be here at all. Six years later he's 10 stone lighter, runs marathons, has rebuilt his career around his life rather than the other way round, and has just completed prep for a photo shoot weeks before he turns 40! In this episode Dan and Keegan walk through the process of the rebuild. Not just the highlight reel. The bit where Dan had to learn that 30 seconds of running was a starting point, that 'plan your week' was a foreign concept, and that the small stuff (water, sleep, getting up on the first alarm) was what changed everything. They also talk about what hasn't gone away: the self-talk, the stress, the days that aren't full of rainbows. What's covered: Why 'I can do hard things' is the belief everything else gets built onThe low-hanging fruit Dan started with, and why crash plans never stickWork pressure, boundaries, and the slow move from people-pleasing to saying noThe voice that still tells Dan he's not enough, and what he does with it nowWhy success leaves clues, and how to use that when motivation isn't thereFind and connect with Keegan and the GMC Community:  Instagram GMC Instagram Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Click here to subscribe to Keegan's weekly newsletter For more behind the scenes content about Keegan and GMC, watch him on YouTube

    33 min

  7. Apr 21

    Why I Refuse to Believe You're Stuck

    Keegan's recording this one from the car, driving back from LA, fresh off a GMC weekend that included photoshoots, high rope climbs at UCLA, and conversations he's thinking about on the way home. The big one: why so many people feel like nothing they do actually matters. Not just in life generally, but in their own life. Their own body. Their own future. And how that feeling doesn't come from nowhere. It's fed to us constantly, by algorithms, by the news, by the general atmosphere of the world right now. Ross came into GMC hating mirrors. Hated having his photo taken. Felt completely stuck in a job that was grinding him down. This weekend he did a photoshoot in California. Keegan uses his story to make a point he feels strongly about: GMC didn't do that. Ross did. That distinction matters more than it sounds. He also gets into what coaching actually is and what it isn't. Why being nice and being supportive are not the same thing. Why there's no programme on earth that works for everyone the same way. And why he will argue until he's blue in the face that nobody is too far gone to change. You can out more about Gay Man's Coaching and find Keegan here:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keeganhirst GMC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaymanscoaching Email: keegan@gmanscoaching.com  Website: gaymanscoaching.com Subscribe to newsletter: https://gaymanscoaching.com/subscribe/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thekeeganhirst

    17 min

  8. Apr 13

    From Stuck to Record Months ft. Lee Brooks

    This week Keegan sits down with GMC client Lee Brooks, a 44-year-old finance director from the Southeast of England, who joined GMC at the lowest entry point and completely turned his life around. In under a year, Lee has lost 15kg, gone self-employed, is hitting his best billing months on record, and has done the internal work to match the external changes. He came in dealing with a divorce, a new health diagnosis, and a deep belief that he simply wasn't good enough. He leaves this conversation as someone who barely recognises the man he used to be. They get into what it actually takes to make changes that stick, why implementation beats motivation every time, how working with GMC psychotherapist Jon Bell changed things for Lee in ways he didn't expect, and the three bits of advice he'd give to himself this time last year. If you've ever done the boom and bust thing, tried to go all in and ended up back at square one, this one's for you. Stay safe, look after yourselves, and don't eat and drink at the expense of how you want to look and feel. If today's episode resonated with you, here's how to find out if GMC is the right fit. Gay Man's Coaching is a premium coaching programme built specifically for gay men who want to transform their lives, not just their bodies. Our members lose weight, build muscle and get in the best shape of their lives. But the changes that mean the most go beyond the physical. Careers shift. Confidence grows. Relationships improve. The way they talk to themselves changes. It's a complete overhaul, done properly, with the right support around you. You get two dedicated coaches, a private community of like-minded men, weekly workshops, access to the GMC psychotherapist team and Keegan himself in your corner throughout. If you want to know more, the best first step is a conversation. No pressure, no hard sell. Just a good chat about where you're at and whether GMC can help. Email Keegan directly at keegan@gmanscoaching.com or reach out on Instagram. You can find Keegan on Instagram as @keeganhirst and GMC at @gaymanscoaching, or tap the link below to open a chat straight away. Chat with us here!

    28 min
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About

Authentic gay conversations on personal development, life coaching, and mental health. Join Keegan Hirst, founder of Gay Man's Coaching and former professional rugby player, for weekly real talk about gay lifestyle, coming out, relationships, business, and authentic living. Deep, honest conversations that help gay men build confidence, find community, and create vibrant, unapologetic lives.

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