The Coming Out Lounge With Coming Out Coach Rick C

What do you do when you find yourself struggling to assimilate into the way the world is? Fight it? Run from it? In Adam's case, he took his background as in sexual health education and counseling to support his devotion to help individuals heal and accept their highest potential in all areas of life including sex and sexuality. Adam uses his skills to model intimacy and mentor sexual expression,  in a nonjudgmental and nurturing environment to help individuals explore neglected issues or to simply learn new tricks to enhance their sexuality Supporting everything from men who had never been naked with another man, assisting psychologists in harmonizing mind with body, and demonstrating to couples how to more pleasurably bottom, top, and beyond, Adam takes his work very seriously to help individuals stop feeling threatened by sex and to make discussions and actions around sex a non-issue. Today we explore his world as sex coach, mentor, and sex worker and how his own life has been beautifully enhanced in the service to others.

You could go through life, holding breath, waiting for that just right moment to come out of the closet, or you could take a deep breath and step into your freedom starting today! That's exactly why I've brought Freedom Fighter and recovering entrepreneur Perry Gladstone to the Coming Out Lounge Today. Fresh in his new role as proud Papa (to a new puppy), Perry's taken the leap of faith and cut himself loose in his own brand of freedom, doing the things that make him feel free in himself and his life. You're in for a unique ride as we take a deep breath (Perry's a world record holder at holding his breath), dive into the gap between freedom and security, and find ourselves coming up with ways to enrich our journey out of the closet, instead of feeling like a fish out of water!

Now that you’re coming out of the closet, do you find yourself always dating the wrong person? Finding it difficult to let go of the Mr. or Ms. Wrong? Maybe it’s time to start dating from the heart and listening to the obstacles that are right in front of you leaving you clues about what you keep doing wrong in your dating life. Today on the Coming Out Lounge podcast, we're joined by Lorna Poole who is an Expert Relationship Coach, Professional Speaker, Founder and CEO of Badboy Breakthrough. Yes we're going to get right to the heart and talk about those repeating patterns of always finding yourself with the bad boy or girl and making yourself miserable. Her expertise is shared with men and women across the globe, so I thought, why not invite her to share her expertise with LGBT individuals across the globe so you can break the habits attract the right guy or gal into your lives. Lorna has been featured on YourTango, Eharmony USA, Today FM, and Newstalk, Ireland.

Are you ready to experience deep connection and lasting love in your relationship? Tired of fighting and arguing? Are you sick of not knowing how to have a relationship that works? Are you fed up with feeling insecure in your relationship? Do you want proven methods that have helped thousands of couples find happiness together? Luis Congdon is a Relationship Coach, specializing and helping couples and singles find lasting love. Through his work with Dr.'s Jon and Julie Gottman he's helped couples end their struggles and have a relationships where they feel safe, secure, and can talk about anything. During our time together, you’ll learn how to support each other, listen to one-another, enjoy date nights, have fun, parent as a team, appreciate each other, have more sex, laugh more, and be the kind of couple you want to be, as you desire.

It's been said, "We've all got crosses to bear!" Job loss, relationship breakups, dead car batteries, losing a loved one - each in it's own right - a cross to bear as part of life. Then on the other had, we all have masks we hide behind.  Masks that keep people from seeing our vulnerabilities, our truths, our pain. In essence we're all more similar than we are different. Yet, when we peruse the landscape of the LGBT community and their struggle to be accepted in society, you can't help but see the parallels, the connected dots, that align with women being made to feel inferior. Not pretty enough Not skinny enough Not smart enough Not, not, not! All those NOT'S lead to a whole lot of time lost in our lives and accumulating loads of unhappiness. But it doesn't have to be that way, regardless of your gender, sexuality, or societal standing. Today I'm joined by Lisa Kaplin is a psychologist and life coach at Smart Women Inspired Lives. Her goal in life is to help women get happy, get motivated, and get moving in ways they hadn’t thought possible. The two of us put our heads together to chat about the parallels of LGBT life and the struggles that women face in society. In other words, this gay man and this heterosexual woman are both putting on our heels and calling out our inner diva's to go kick some booty about life, love, and false beliefs that we're not good enough. Lisa is a professional speaker on topics such as stress management, parenting, healthy communication, wellness, and women’s leadership. She is also a blogger and has been featured on Yahoo, Thought Catalog, MSN, Lifetime Moms, Your Tango, and Psychology Today. She is a married mother of three and a joyful dog owner.

What happens when you arrive into this world, fully human, nothing that from the outside looks unusual, yet, on the inside there's still "some assembly required?" You start going through life, knowing that something just isn't quite right but you live as if everything is o.k. Military life, working in the aerospace industry, does nothing to mask the truth of what you're feeling inside. Then, one day you meet a special person. A person who on your first date you tell your most deepest, darkest secret too. A secret that practically puts you in the grave and out of this human experience. Then one day, this beautiful woman comes to your rescue, saves you from removing yourself from the world, and before you know it (so to speak) you finally arrive into this world as the person you've always meant to be...a woman...not a man. During this episode of the Coming Out Lounge, my fellow PFLAG Speaker, all around beautiful light in this world, and friend Michelle Evans shares her journey to the moon and back to find herself. You might even discover why rocket ships mean so much to this beautiful from the inside out woman.

Guilt, shame, and your truth. Gnawing, eating away at you until you finally test the waters to see what happens. What you end up discovering is, "You kissed a man and you liked it!" But how do you face your wife and tell her you're a not the man she thinks you are because you're attracted to men? Do you continue to live a secret life of lying, deceit, guilt, and shame? More importantly do you allow your double life you alive, potentially destroying your wife and children? Suddenly the obvious becomes the choice. You choose the lesser of two evils and fess up about your emotions, desires, and truth...even if it does lead to your wife calling you a "butt pirate!" Less than a year into his journey as a man exploring his sexual orientation, Cody Shirley has come out to all of his family and friends to say, "I'm a guy and I like having sexual experiences with guys, but I also love the emotional connection I have with my wife." So how does this work? Is he gay, bisexual, or just exploring his sexual desires? You'll have to tune in to find out the real story and the real life of a man living in a Mixed Orientation Marriage! What we discover in this week's episode of the Coming Out Lounge is that sexuality and sexual orientation have more than 50 shades of grey and they're aren't always a simple as gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. During our chat Cody shares his truth, his journey, and his deep intimate desire to be authentically who he is for himself, his wife, their children and society. It might just surprise you that what you hear may make you wonder..."Who am I, and what closet do I need to come out of?"

No matter where you turn in the debate about homosexuality, you're sure to find some one quoting bible scriptures. It seems to be the easiest, yet most misunderstood defense against those who believe that we were born this way and those who stand firm in their vows that homosexuality is an abomination against God and his word. So let's just spice things up a bit shall we? Now add to the mix an out, ordained, gay Catholic priest by the name of Mark Brewer and what do you get? A whole lot of truth and perspectives on being gay, Catholic and authentically who you are. No longer a practicing priest, Mark shares his journey out of the closet, and out of the priesthood to help us better understand how to lovingly stand firm in our values, beliefs, and religion, even on the other side of the closet doors! Mark is currently finishing his requirements to become a certified life coach. His passion lies in working with men and women who are looking to move their lives forward.  He wants to inspire and motivate people to move forward in the directions of their dreams and passions.  He wants to see people move from dreams and desires to fulfillment, from fear and façade to freedom and authenticity.  Mark wants to help the LGBT communities move through their life transitions with great purpose, integrity and passion.

Mid-state California, born, bred and raised. Life was as it should be. Church, family, nothing out of place, or so it seemed. Until that day. The day the queezy, woozy, feelings of "I'm different and I'm conflicted" took over. Today's Truth-tini episode is all about finding yourself in yourself, and outside of your faith. And also about finding yourself not longer welcome in your home. The home you were raised. Philip Bondi, a personal trainer, transformation coach, and open-hearted, soulful gay man, shares his journey to freedom and peace with himself and his beliefs on today's Truth-tini epsidoe for your life!

It’s one thing to come out of the closet. It’s a whole other journey when you’re Dad comes out to you and then tells you shortly there after, “I’m HIV+!” Welcome to Suzanne Phare’s life! A life that turned her formative and teen years into an expedition of SHOCK, AWE, & HEALING! Truth is, parent child relationships are never easy. Yet, with time, in a “normal” relationship, as if there is a norm, we find the pathway to make our relationships work as best they can, or thrive. During today’s podcast, Suzanne shares the journey she took with her gay Dad and within herself to begin to make peace with the news, “Frankly my child I’m gay and HIV+.” This warm and heart wrenching episode is tissue worthy so grab your box of tissues and get ready to dive into the soul-centered world of living your truth as a child of a gay parent!

You're man's fooling around on the side. You don't like it and you sure don't like it when you find out he's doing it, not with another woman, but with a MAN. Now what are you going to do? Before you go all brash and dramazilla on him, let's think about the real question. Is he gay, straight, or bi? The answer is not as cut and dried as you might think . Male sexuality can express itself in many different ways and doesn't mean let's head off to divorce court. If anything, let's take a deep breathe and decide what's really going on with your man. Here to help us unravel some of these questions is Joe, Kort, PhD., MSW, MA, a certified Imago Relationship therapist and board certified clinical sexologist. Today's conversation come's straight...no pun intended...from the pages of Joe's latest book, "Is my husband gay, straight, or bi? A guide for women concerned about their men." The answers you get today, just might surprise you and make you realize that you're man may be worth keeping around after all.

First you come out, then you hook up a few times, date someone or several someone's regularly for awhile (hopefully), break up a few times, find Mr. or Mrs. Right, and then if you happen to have the urge, and live in a sane state where Gay Marriage is legal, you get married. That's quite a trail to follow and it completely wore me out just thinking about it! That's why when you get to the really big stuff like planning your Big Fat Gay Wedding, you call in the right support. TA - DA...enter Tonia Adleta, wedding and event planner extraordinaire, and genealogy nerd! She's ready to dive in with you and make your same-sex hitchin' ceremony everything you've always dreamed it to be. From small, intimate, "Let's just keep it between us and a few friends," to an over the top, gay extravaganza, Tonia's got you covered and she's here dolling out some good advice for coming out of the closet to say, "I do!" She lives by one truth, "It's all about doing what you want on your big day for you to be happy!" She's even willing to diffuse situations that are out of everyone's control! Consider her your rock solid, when everything seems to be on shaky ground.

A cabin, a river, and a baptism by fire. I never knew when I first met Jan Black that she'd not only help me create a rich, new brand to take my business to new heights, but that she'd also bring me to myself in a whole new way. It started out as a working retreat - branding, marketing, writing, visioning, speaking, designing - and then, I started fighting, clamming up, and then blissfully surrendered. Surrendered to the process that Jan was creating. A process that was almost as challenging as coming out. In fact, what I was doing was coming out. Coming out to say, this is my party, I going to take my people to the pulpit, help them through the wake, and bring them back to the party. That's exactly what Jan did for me because I'm one of her little darlings. Join me as I take you into the second episode of the Coming Out Lounge's Truth-tinis, bonus episodes, designed to inspire and drive you further towards your truth of who you are. Jan Black joins me to share how she picked me up and took me in to be one of her Darlings of What Can Be, helping me begin to build what excites me. She's the nurturing mistress guiding those of us who are curious, who entertain unconventional solutions, inspiring us to go after them. As you'll discover she delivers the know-how, to showcase and spark your brilliance,  so you can be what can be on the other side of the closet doors so that you can be the person you're meant to be in your life's calling.

Oh my beautiful baby girl! No more loving words are ever uttered than when a mother see's and holds her newborn baby gurl. Just ask Kristie Handzlik, she'll tell you with a gleam and a tear in her eye...for more than one reason. In Kristie's work, born this way brought on a whole new meaning when her daughter first declared she was gay! Being a pretty progressive Mom with an open mind, Kristie swallowed that pill as best as any parent could - not out of shame, simply out of a typical fear, "I hope my child will be safe." But what happens when the gay turns to, "I'm not really comfortable in my body!" There's no weight loss, make up, or new clothes that are going to make the difference. Well maybe the new clothes part will, especially once you find out that your beautiful baby girl would be much more comfortable in just about every garment designed...JUST FOR MEN! In today's episode, we continue the dialogue started by Kristie's transgender son as we explore the life of Motherhood and parenting when your daughter finally is free to manifest herself as himself, on the other side of the transgender closet doors! About Kristie Kristie Handzlik has been married for 24 years and is the proud mom of two boys. She is the President of PFLAG Temecula, co-founder of the Transformation Project and the owner of Kristie’s Scoping Services in Murrieta, CA. She has done several articles for the Press Enterprise regarding the LGBT community and is currently writing a book about her journey with her transgender child. She is a public speaker and an advocate. Her goals are to educate an ill-informed public about the LGBT community to eliminate any misconceptions and fears among society.

Born this way! Those three words are so much more than a Lady GaGa song. They're the truth that each and everyone of us in the LGBT community say to ourselves, in our heads, day after day, until one day we just decide to come clean and let someone know, "I'm gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and I was simply just born this way. Such is the case of this very brave young man, Jaden Handzlik, who was one physically the little girl born to Kristie and Todd. A girl just like most other girls except for one thing, she didn't identify, feel, or even relate to being a girl. The external shell was just a false facade hiding the truth of who he was, until a day in 2009 when everything came to a head and her world finally began to become his world. Today's show is part one of the beautiful, challenging, loving and heart-wrenching story shared by this mother and son duo - Kristie and Jaden - as they invite us into the truth of their life...a transgender man's young life. Grab your tissues, open your minds and get ready for a truly inspiring 30 minutes of coming to truth with your beautiful self...the self that was hidden and simply needed to come out into being! Subscribe or mark your calendars for next week's episode where Jaden's Mom Kristie joins me to continue the dialogue and share her side of the coming out journey into being a transgender.

Ash didn’t set out to become a viral sensation with her TEDx talk “Coming Out of Your Closet” or her Boulder Ignite speech, “I am SO GAY”. She was just a person with a lot on her mind and a story to share. Nonetheless, her willingness to strike a conversation about tough topics inspired more than 8 million YouTube views across the country. Today, she considers herself an accidental advocate, motivating others to embrace the kind of social behaviors that trigger societal shifts. Her message is simple, “we aren’t that different”. Her approach is frank, “mean what you say”. Her goal is humble; help others recognize the power of empathy, respect and conversation. Today we'll explore the closets of life, why "hard = hard," and what we can all do to embrace each other in this human experience we call life!

Let's Get Out of Our Heads and Into Our Minds About Coming Out! And while we're at it let's talk about STARDOM! We all have our thoughts...the question is, how much do we pay attention to them? During the chaos, excitement, and fears of coming out, we can get up in our heads and think that things are never going to be normal again. Yet, with a little mindfulness and mind shift, everything can look and sound better. Meet Ana Melikian, host of the Mindset Zone podcast. On the surface, her podcast may seem very business, entrepreneurial oriented. Now let's dig below and what you'll discover is a wealth of information and ideas that can and will help you in your coming out journey. Today we take that walk on the other side of life to see how similar and yet different the walk to be an entrepreneur is to coming out of the closet to be an LGBT individual. You're going to be amazed by the walks we all take to coming out of our life's closets...even if some of us are heterosexuals and others of us are LGBT! Plus we're going to explore how we all stand just 20 feet away from STARDOM...in our own way.

Coming Out! Scary, exciting, and it can be traumatic...but it doesn't have to! Admit it! The thought of coming out can be one of the scariest things you'll ever do in your life. Doesn't  matter if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The fact that you're going to make a statement to your public - family, friends, acquaintances - about your sexuality, requires a lot of courage, creativity, confidence and commitment. It may also require some alternative methods of support. Today I welcome Nick Venegoni, a psychotherapist from San Francisco who uses numerous modalities to assist people through various forms of trauma. Depending on your past, present, and the future you desire, working with a wide variety of professionals may be just what your coming out doctor ordered. With mine and Nick's help we're going to unravel some of the forms of trauma that may be holding you back from stepping powerfully into your most fabulous LGBT self!

Lights, Camera, Action... You're ready for your close-up, and to come out! What do acting, an NYU Graduate Acting Program professor, and an on-camera performance have to do with coming out? Well, you'll just have to see what we've scripted for the Coming Out Lounge this week. You won't be disappointed in this show...pun intended! Don't get me wrong, Coming Out is not an act. It's the most authentic performance, or one of the most authentic performances you'll ever do. From walking on pins and needles, trembling in your skin, to a quaver in your voice, actin, and preparing to share your beautiful self with family, friends, acquaintances - coming out of the closet. It can be as nerve racking as being on stage or in front of the camera for the world to see and critique. Enter stage right, my friend Dan Cordle. He's one cool cucumber under pressure - on stage, in front of and behind the camera. That's exactly why I invited him to share his insights of keeping it cool under the spotlight...the same way you'll need to keep it cool under the spotlight of Coming Out. We're going to share with you 9 Steps To Getting Comfortable In The Discomfort Of Coming Out. Yep, we're going to tap Dan's brilliance as a stage and screen veteran to help you access your inner Meryl Streep to give an Oscar winning performance as you come out, that is no performance. It's simply you being you...the you, you've always been.

It's time to come out and play. Play with the inner child that we've left behind. You know the one that may very possibly be left in the closet that we thought we've stepped out of in our quest to be our fully, accepting, sexual self. There are stories we carry which are in need of healing. Stories we have carried since we were little. Wounded stories about who we are and how the world sees us. We’ve carried these deeply, unconsciously, and remained loyal to them. These stories get in our way every time we take a step forward along our path of healing. There is often significant shame connected to moving forward and having our needs met. Shame mixed in with allowing ourselves to be seen. Especially to be seen our sexual orientation as gay's, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. This energy is flaring up because your wounded inner child is asking for healing. Intuitive healer, writer, and artist, Robin Hallett, joins us today on The Coming Out Lounge to help us invite our inner child out to be healed. Robin specializes in helping people to rock their lives like they really mean it. She focuses on identifying people's purpose and mission in life, finding what lights them up and then helping them to overcome obstacles preventing them from getting there. Operating straight from the heart with kindness and compassion, shes got the magical touch to change people’s lives in a very short time by honoring and coming to peace with their child within...including the realm of sexuality