Hearts Wide Open - The Men's Mental Health Podcast Hearts Wide Open Podcast

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, if you ever asked yourself: Why am I not good enough for her? or why doesn’t she want me?



Why do we obsess about these questions? Why is this person able to make me question my entire being even though she may not even know me well enough to judge me.

Oftentimes this makes us feel left out and alone, without a good reason as to why. "I'm just not good enough for her." Does it actually matter, if we knew why we got rejected? What would it change, if the outcome (the rejection) is this the same? So do we need to find out why we got rejected

Does it make sense to want an answer so I can improve myself for the next person? Would it maybe help me save the relationship with this person? In dating: When is it helpful to know the reasons for rejection and when is it not?



As Soroosh and Dennis complete this freestyle painting, they share from their own personal experiences and impressions with this topic and end up also touching upon the relation with the topics of perfectionism and blaming ourselves. They're having a vibrant discussion on the pro's and con's of perfectionism and living a life with a perfectionist mindset while blaming ourselves for our numerous shortcomings in the eyes of everyone else.



Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!

Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message

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 why it’s all worth it for him.

Does being a parent slow his (career) growth? How does he deal with backlash and what others think about the path he chose? How do you both provide for a child and build an emotional connection as a father? How did Lukas go from idolizing Charlie Harper to becoming quite the opposite?

On top of this Dennis and Lukas share that they both suffer from patchy hair loss aka alopecia areata and what that has to do with stress.

We talk about all this on the episode and more: Like dealing with our own childhood and parents from both their perspective and our own. You do not want to miss out on this episode full of nuggets of wisdom about being a parent.

Follow Lukas here:

⁠⁠⁠@vollblutvater

vollblutvater.de

Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!

Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message

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 different people can experience different types of pressures and to share how we deal with these or how we're still learning to.

Like Soroosh's pressure to always wanting to become better, do more, work harder, be more successful or Dennis who shares about his fear of success and feeling guilty for taking a break from being productive.



Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!



Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message

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 psychological.

In his time off and when he's not taking breathtaking photos of animals with his camera, he has a steady running routine to support his physical and mental health. He is also a serial marathon runner and raises awareness and funds to help save the endangered painted dogs.

Follow Daley here:

⁠⁠@daleyvandesande.photography⁠⁠

⁠⁠@daley_running⁠⁠

Donate ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ to help save the painted dog



Finished this episode and not done yet? Listen to an episode where Soroosh talks about his longest run ever: ⁠⁠#11 Running And Mental Health - How I Experienced My Longest Run Ever Physically And Mentally⁠⁠

Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!



Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5-star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message

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 type of things we want to open up about, talk about and share with the world on this podcast. The uncomfortable topics. This happens to men too and we should talk about it and once we did, there is a high chance that we'll feel lighter, relieved and more connected as we open up the door for others to share with us too.

You're not alone. Share your story with us too, if you feel the calling like we did 3



Stay in the topic and check out another episode? Listen to #19 The Impact Of P*rn On Men & Evolving To Who I Really Am - We Had Coffee With An Award-Winning Barista



Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list, by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!



Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5 star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message

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 that implies. We look at both the positive as well as the darker aspects of this never-ending process.

Halfway through the epsiode Jaideep serves us some specialty coffee from Wide Awake Coffee in Brussels and explains his love for the craft of making coffee as well as similarities he sees with evolving himself.

We also touch on the topic of performance anxiety with friends, family, in social situations or at work and what it feels like when you're playing a role that's not truly you. When and why do we do this? Does playing a role gain us anything? What do we have to lose?

Not enough? Wondering why this has become our longest episode thus far? Well hold my drink:

We also discuss a topic that's barely talked about in men's health and that's p*rn! Make sure to stay until the end to get the most out of it. What is Jaideep's story with this topic? How does it impact men and how can you stop?

Lastly we engage in a bit of a unstructured rant on what it means to be "cool" vs. secure.

You can't miss this one!



Stay in the topic and check out another episode? Listen to #12 Authentic Self-Expression: Why Does It Matter? How Can We Express Ourselves Authentically? where we talk more about being authentic and self-expression.



Want to join our online men's circle? You can put yourself on the waiting list, by getting in touch with us (see below). We're launching soon!



Check out Jaideep & Wide Awake Coffee Brussels:

@jaideology

wideawake.coffee

The Spice Within Podcast

Have a question, a guest in mind who should be on our podcast or a topic that you think we should cover related to men's mental health?
Send us a voice message on Spotify, DM us via our Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hearts_wide_open_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or simply mail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠contact@heartswideopenpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you're enjoying the podcast, your 5 star review really helps us amplify the voice for men's health and motivates us to lead by example in showing that men can open up space where it's okay to be vulnerable and authentic.


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartswideopenpodcast/message