Gay Mens Guide To Working the Room Without Working Too Hard – with Rob Giardinelli
In this episode I’m joined by keynote speaker and workshop leader Rob Giardinelli to unpack the real reason so many of us as gay men fumble in rooms (not back rooms) full of people, and how to flip that script without turning into someone you’re not.
Whether it’s a networking mixer, a conference, or that awkward social gay happy hour—you’ll walk away with real tools to show up with more confidence and connection (without needing to become a social butterfly or the loudest queen in the room).
We dive into:
Why finding the “activation points” (think photo booths and icebreakers) is a connection superpower
How to exit awkward convos like a pro (ahem… “just gonna refresh my drink”)
The magic of being interested, not just interesting
Tips for introverts and extroverts to feel seen and included
How presence, intention, and a little bit of courage go a long way
If you're ready to stop performing and start actually connecting—this one's for you.
About Rob
Rob Giardinelli is an introvert who helps client-facing professionals go from nervous to confident at in-person events to grow their sales and develop deeper relationships.
Over the past 15 years, Rob has attended more than 2,000 events—many hosted by the world’s top entertainers—while serving as COO of several luxury lifestyle publications. Before that, he spent 16 years in the tech world leading national and global sales and brand strategy efforts.
Rob now delivers keynotes and workshops to equip introverts and extroverts the tools to walk into any business, social, or networking event with confidence and a sense of purpose.
Connect With Rob
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Hey Guys, Check This Out!
Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why.
Join the 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk, monthly chats. They happen the third Monday of each month at 5:00 pm Pacific - Learn More!
Also, join our Facebook Community - 40 Plus: Gay Men, Gay Talk Community
Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies
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Poetry, Prostate Cancer, and Preserving Queer Legacy – A Conversation with Mickie Kennedy
In this deeply moving episode, Rick sits down with poet and cancer survivor Mickie Kennedy to explore how poetry became a tool for healing after prostate and colon cancer.
Together, they unpack the power of storytelling, the challenges of queer survival during the AIDS crisis, and the urgency of preserving LGBTQ+ histories. From laughter about fiducials to tearful reflections on family and legacy, this episode invites you to witness resilience, creativity, and the choice to keep living out loud.
In this episode you'll
Learn how to heal through creative expression
Discover ways you can give yourself permission to feel, create, and heal
Understand why Queer stories matter and how they can support your own challenging journeys
About Mickie
Mickie Kennedy is a gay writer who resides in Baltimore County, Maryland.
His work has appeared in POETRY, The Threepenny Review, The Southern Review, The Sun and elsewhere.
His chapbook Glandscapes, published by Button Poetry, can be ordered at Glandscapes.com.
Connect With Mickie
Website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
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A Story of Queer Family, Reinvention & Radical Love – Brian and Brandon Gorman
What do you get when a 63-year-old gay man becomes the adoptive father of a homeless 21-year-old gay teen?
You get a story that redefines family, masculinity, and what it means to show the hell up for someone.
In this episode, I sit down with Brian Gorman—maverick coach, neuroscience nerd, and proud single dad—to talk about the unexpected journey that changed both his and Brandon’s lives. From a high school photography project to full-on parenthood, Brian shares the raw, deeply human story of stepping in when no one else would.
We also dive into:
• Why chosen family isn't just a buzzword—it’s survival.• How queer men can heal the past and rewrite their story at any age.• How neuroscience can actually change the way we handle life, love, and everything in between.
This one’s for the misfits, the late bloomers, the dads we never had—and the men we still have time to become.
About Brian and Brandon Gorman
Brian Gorman is a gay senior (75) and the single father of Brandon.
Brandon first came into Brian's life shortly before he turned 16. They shared a love of photography, and Brandon reached out to Brian to interview him for a school photography project. When Brandon revealed that he was abused at home and assaulted at school, Brian offered to stay in touch.
Over the next two years, their bod tightened as Brian helped Brandon prepare for his SATs, complete his college and scholarship applications, and do campus visits. Brandon was living with his birth mother at the time, and she wanted no part of her gay son's life. When she threw Brandon out three months before his high school graduation, Brian took him in.
Brian adopted Brandon when he was 21; Brian was 63. Today, Brian and Brandon share a home in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Connect With Brian
Website
LinkedIn
Hey Guys, Check This Out!
Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you’re going to do, but never do? Then it’s time to get real and figure out why.
Join the 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk, monthly chats. They happen the third Monday of each month at 5:00 pm Pacific - Learn More!
Also, join our Facebook Community - 40 Plus: Gay Men, Gay Talk Community
Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies
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Why Gay Men Struggle with “No”: Rejection, Control & the Path Back to Embodiment – JoJo Bear
Why is hearing “no” so hard for gay men? Why does rejection cut so deep—and why do we sometimes choose control over connection?
In this powerful and revealing episode, somatic guide and sacred intimate JoJo Bear joins us to explore how gay men navigate fear of rejection, touch deprivation, aging, and the need for control in a world that taught us we had to earn love to survive.
JoJo works primarily with gay men over 40, helping them shift from mental noise into embodied presence—and his insights...
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Party of 3: Love, Lust, and Throuple Realness with Christopher Rice – C. Travis Rice
Author Christopher Rice (aka C. Travis Rice) talks about his newest steamy romance Party of 3—and the real-life complexities behind the fantasy. From open relationships to throuples, they dive deep into poly dynamics, personal authenticity, post-sex separation cues, and why queer relationships don’t need to fit straight molds.
Whether you’re monogamous, open, curious, or somewhere in-between, this episode is your permission slip to rethink how love should look—and start defining it for yourself.
In this episode you'll
Learn what might happen when your throuple goes outside the bounds
Be pushed to embrace others and their choices to live life on their terms
Understand how relationships can get sticky but how to be in the moment and grow
About C. Travis Rice
CHRISTOPHER RICE is A New York Times bestselling author who writes under the pen name C. Travis Rice and delivers the fourth book in his Sapphire Cove series titled: SAPPHIRE DAWN. He is the recipient of the Lambda Literary Award. He is the Amazon Charts and New York Times bestselling author of: A Density of Souls; Bone Music, Blood Echo, and Blood Victory in the Burning Girl series; and Bram Stoker Award finalists The Heavens Rise and The Vines.
An executive producer for television, he also penned 2 novels with his mother, Anne Rice: Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra and Ramses The Damned: The Reign of Osiris.
Together with his best friend and producing partner, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, Christopher runs the production company Dinner Partners. Among other projects, they produce the podcast and video network TDPS, which can be found at www.TheDinnerPartyShow.com.
He lives in West Hollywood, California, and writes tales of romance between men under the pseudonym C. Travis Rice.
Connect With C. Travis Rice
Website
Instagram
X-Twitter
Welcome to the only podcast exploring the messiness, awesomeness, of masculinity of being a gay man over 40. Each episode is about sparking idea, addressing challenges, and diving deep into what it looks like to be a vulnerable gay guy. We talk about the stuff us gay guys have a hard time talking about, man-to-man: masculinity, sex, careers, our bodies, parenting, sexuality, failures, success, and aging, relationships, coming out - nothing is off limits.
40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk is the revamped version of 40 Plus: Real Men. Real Talk podcast and is a short format podcast that's easy to digest. We take deep dives - one topic at a time - digging up the truth of what it’s like to be a gay man, instead of some contrived expectation of masculinity. We’re reclaiming manhood and our masculinity by facing our fears, making bold moves, and living life without apologies. Join us, but you've got to drop your BS, forget posturing, and be ready to explore the comical dysfunctions of our lives as gay men 40+ years of age!