The Uncommon Bloke Pocdast

Yeah... I've made another one!!

Good morning!

So, it is possible that you saw my announcement on the weekend!!

However, it is also possible that some of you don’t use social media on the weekends (which would be very mindful of you). Also, I released a reel as part of the announcement but it did not get a lot of traction; who knows why (I can’t figure out Instagram’s algorithm). And so, there is a high likelihood that you, my loyal subscribers, did not see the latest news of how I am choosing to spend my free time…

And what announcement have I spent the last paragraph writing about and not mentioning? Well, I’ve made another podcast, of course!! (I will assume that the title of this blog and the tagline were a dead giveaway and that you had already figured this all out anyway.)

The Uncommon Bloke Podcast is my latest venture, but this time, I am discussing all things “manhood” and what it means to be a man. But I am not alone in this, as I have learned - in my work with Aileen Barratt - that having a co-host allows for a richer end product, which I am a big fan of. And so, I am joined by Calum Stronach (who some of you may already know and is the host of his own podcast, #NotAllMen???) As well as being someone I respect for their calm and collected demeanour, Calum is a therapist and someone I have had many conversations with about men and masculinity. So much so that when deciding whether to dedicate a show to discussing manhood, Calum was a natural choice to approach to see if he wanted to join me in putting this whole thing together. And now here we are, close to the launch.

But what makes The Uncommon Bloke Podcast different from every other “white bro” podcast? Well, I like to think that Calum and I are the complete antithesis of your typical “bros.” Our intention is not to defend masculinity with ardent fervour but rather to think critically about manhood and explore both the helpful and the unhelpful (and downright harmful) aspects of what it means to be a man these days. We’re also interested in offering conversations that explore the well-being of men and offer some therapeutic insights and reflections from our professional and personal experiences of therapy. Calum and I began recording in February of this year and have put together a short(ish) first season of (hopefully) thought-provoking and reflective conversations to see how the show is received.

You might also be wondering who our target audience is. Ideally, it would be men, but we think these conversations will interest people across the gender spectrum.

Having said that, we have planned the podcast and the conversations to speak “directly” to men, as it were, but in a way that is accessible and (again, hopefully) relatable. In our first episode, for example, we discuss why some men dislike celebrating their birthdays (me included). However, we cover a broad range of topics.

The first episode is due on the 25th of June (one week from today). In addition to weekly releases, once a month, Calum and I will also do live podcast recordings on Instagram Live (I will still be anonymous - sorry, folks). And we invite you to come along and ask any questions or send some to us beforehand. At the moment, our first Live recording is scheduled for the 15th of July. So, please don’t leave us hanging and come say hi.

And that’s it for now. I am sure there is more to say, but it is a Tuesday, and I bet you have more exciting things to do. But, could you do Calum and me a favour and please go follow/subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you listen to. Also, if you could tell any of your friends (holding in mind the key demographic), that would be awesome. And with that, there is nothing left to do other than to wait for the 25th of June.

Let us know what you think when the first episode comes out.

All the best,

Nice-ish (and I am sure Calum would wish you all the best, too).