Life Uncloseted With Rick Clemons

What little boy doesn't wish to grow up as an albino, Phillipino girl trapped in a male body? And what Phillipino woman, wants to transition into her truth only to battle white privilege, from her own trans community? The answer is no one, and no one. Yet, these factors are only the beginning of Meredith Talusan's story that has lead her to realize, being a fair-skinned woman isn't all it is cracked up to be. This candid and forthright conversation is a perfect mid-Pride month story to show each of us how we tend forget the trials and tribulations we all face for the things that make us, us, and that others tend to find the most reason to hate about us. Just in time for the launch of her Book "Fairest," Meredith, brings us insights and truths of about the closets she faces that many of us will never even consider due to our own inherent privilege. AboutMeredith Talusan is an award-winning author and journalist who is the founding executive editor of them.,Condé Nast's LGBTQ+ digital platform, where she is now

Whether it's the rainbow ceiling, the glass ceiling, or the race ceiling...diversity and inclusion is here to shatter those ceilings. No longer is it acceptable for any place of work, or on the planet, to not be inclusive and diverse...even in our own LGBTQ Community. Bearing his pride flag as an LGBTQ equality workplace advocate, John Volturo helps us kick off Pride month with a look inside why Diversity and Inclusion are still hot topics, and not just for the LGBTQ community. Truths, insights, and ideas for how to be comfortable in the discomfort of creating a diverse and inclusive work culture. Also, John is offering a 25% discount on all of his coaching services for anyone who listens to the podcast, simply email him at the email by CLICKING HERE to get the discount. About JohnJohn is an internationally recognized lecturer, NGLCC certified coach, and an advocate for LGBTQ equality in the workplace. For over 20 years, John Volturo has served in Executive Management, most recently with eight years

Imagine being cast in a major motion picture, and suddenly having to fight your truth, or at least hide it until you are ready. You fight it, don't want to confront it, and basically avoid it because you have to heal yourself before you can be yourself. Sound familiar. Brian Falduto of "Fancy Pants" fame from the movie School of Rock, had to start hiding and confronting his truth at age 11, in front of the world. Then he realized, his truth is his truth. Now this actor, singer, and life coach, guides others to freely step into their truth without shame. We're kicking off this pre-pride show with a fun and candid conversation about letting healing guide you to your truth to have PRIDE in yourself. Also make sure you stay on the lookout fro Brian's new music video - God Loves Me Too - being released during PRIDE season. About BrianAt the age of 11, Brian was cast alongside Jack Black by casting director Ilene Starger and Golden Globe-winning director Richard Linklater in the Scott Rudin / Paramount Pictures fil

Like a sneaking suspicion, or a bad Halloween nightmare, COVID19 hit the world and suddenly, we were all thrust into the closet. Isolation, fear, stress, uncertainty. If you've never hid in the closet, now you know what it is like. So what happens next? At some point we all hope to come out of this, but while you're in this closet are you exploring positivity or wallowing in negativity? Will you bring your new found discoveries out of the closet with you in a positive way, or will you rush out, back to old habits or possibly even worse, new addictions. Today we explore the possibilities that lie beyond the closet door of COVID19, because like it or not you might be experiencing your first coming out story and you don't even realize it and you are going to need these six steps to help you integrate back into your life.

A regular day, doing her regular life, left her realizing that hope was going to be the only thing that would get her through what she was about to experience. That same hope would lead her out of the closets of her life around obesity, her God given talents, and her belief in herself. Amy Downs, a college dropout turned CEO, shares her closet journey that has led her to living in a choosing  mindset that now serves her well as she step daily into her life choosing to live with intention and not regrets. About AmyAmy Downs began working as a teller in 1988 at Federal Employees Credit Union, now called Allegiance Credit Union. In 1995, the credit union was nearly destroyed when the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed and 18 of their 33 employees were killed. Amy was buried alive for over six hours and was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble. Amy now serves as President and CEO of the same credit union. Allegiance Credit Union is now four times the size and is consistently voted a

At the height of the gay marriage battle, she discovered her calling - being a gay wedding planner. Then suddenly a series of incidents found her explaining to the wedding industry what they needed to know to work with gay couples as they planned their big gay weddings. From that momentum, Bernadette Smith, Founder and President of The Equality Institute knew she was coming out of the closet to have an impact in the world helping change behaviors in the workplace towards LGBTQ other other marginalized populations. Today she shares insights, tips, and honest answers about why diversity and inclusion is everyone's responsibility. About BernadetteBernadette Smith is founder and president of Equality Institute, and award-winning author of three books. In 2004, Bernadette started 14 Stories, an award-winning wedding planning firm with an LGBTQ specialty. Her vision was to disrupt the heteronormative wedding industry with a vision of inclusion of all couples. Several years later, she took this passion and started t

A golf game, a dare, and a life changing event that brought Tyler Schrenck out of a closet of his life that he never saw coming. From got it all going on, living an easy life with not a lot of intention, to suddenly having to depend on a group of people for his basic life necessities, Tyler shares how his closets helped him understand what was really the important stuff in life. About TylerTyler Schrenk, based outside of Seattle, Washington, is the President of the TSF Foundation and the owner of Assistive Tech Consulting. Through both his business and non-profit organization, Tyler works to provide individuals with disabilities the technology they need to live a fuller, more independent life. Unlike many other assistive technology providers, Tyler Schrenk understands what the challenges people with disabilities face because he himself needs and uses the same technology he provides them. Connect With Tylerhttps://tylerschrenk.com/ (Website) https://www.facebook.com/tyler.schrenk.

No matter what the closet is that you are living in, in your life, there will always be some ridiculous level of guilt and shame associated with coming out of that closet. Guilt and shame of causing others pain. Guilt and shame of letting yourself or others down. Guilt and shame because you aren't playing by life's rules. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! You will know you have come through the closet doors when you dump your guilt and shame and are living your life uncloseted. Here's 5 Steps For Dumping Guilt and Shame.  

It's January 2020. HIV and AIDS have now been in our world since 1983. We've gone from pandemic panic to people living productive, healthy lives. Yet, there is still stigma, and lack of education, and no one giving a light-hearted look at life with HIV and AIDS. But why would we? That would be blasphemous. Or would it actually help the cause. Enter Merce - an award-winning HIV-positive musical comedy web series. Wait what? Yes, Merce is a HIV-positive, musical comedy web series that dives into some hot button topics impacting today’s HIV community as well, including PrEP, slut shaming, and gay marriage. Per shame, per shame that a musical comedy has the audacity to address these issues...or should we say "Bravo, bravo, bravo!" Creator and lead character, Charles Sanchez unclosets the black cloud that should no longer hang over the world of HIV and AIDS in this candid and fun interview that shows, even a once devastating disease can bring a ray of sunshine and laughter to the world. And I show how stupid I am

He went from being a youth pastor to a conversation with his Dad about his destiny, to now running a highly successful online business, all because he uncloseted himself to go live his destiny. Now he has a brand new book out, The Successful Speaker - 5 Steps For Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform - which is fully aligned with his mission and business to help speakers be successful. Grant Baldwin has done what a lot of people aspire to do, create a life built on freedom and flexibility. But it wasn't without challenges. Today he shares his insights for staying focused, building confidence, and overcoming paranoia. About GrantGrant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak he has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. As a keynote speaker, Grant has delivered nearly one thousand presentations to ov

Men, boys, man boys - whatever you want to call the male species, seem to get their love and love making advice from tight lipped men, or loose lipped boys in the locker room. Neither usually serve them well and make them better men when it comes to love and love making. So let the tides shift, and invite the mother energy in to do the job of teaching men about love and love making. Natasha Ria El-Scari is coming out of the closet to say, "Let Mama do the job!" Yup, she's grabbing her son, and other men by whatever appendage makes sense, sitting them down to teach them about the fine art of love and love making. Here to share her new book - Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to My Son - and to take us all to the church of love, sex, and love making, Natasha is not going to let what she feels needs to be taught on deaf ears. Buckle up folks, this one is full of straight-forward, no bullshit, closet busting truths. About NatashaNatasha Ria El-Scari is a poet, performer, writer, Cave Canem fellow, 2016 Ragda

She already knows how to stand out in crowd. She's a STEM gal - science, technology, engineering, and math wizard. She's a woman in a mostly male dominated world - Chief Meteorologist at CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama. And, now she's coming out of the closet to live a minimalist life with her husband and three young kids...wait for it...in an RV. Not out of necessity, but out of choice. Loving what it's done for her and her family, and discovering that we really don't need as much stuff as we think we do in life, Ashley is sharing her journey out of the closet of suburbia living, to permanent RV life...at least for now...and the joys and happiness it has brought to her life. About AshleyAshley Gann, Chief Meteorologist at CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama is a mom, wife, and advocate. With her background in Aerospace Engineering and Geosciences, Ashley engages women in the sciences. Professionally, Ashley is one of a very small group of women named Chief Meteorologist. She knows that our professional STEM communit

Unredacted. Raw truth, Nothing censored. No obscurity. It takes a lot of guts and a real sense of self to say, here's my story - unredacted. Yet, most of us feel the need to keep our truth from the world, or at least some of it. However, it can be very cathartic and freeing to say, this is my truth. Jim Koury, author of Unredacted, takes us on a journey of his raw uncensored truth as a gay man and human. Emotional, scary, and yet completely truthful, Jim shares how putting yourself out there with your truth isn't for the recognition, it's for the purest essence fo living your truth. About JimJim Koury has written his first literary work entitled, “Unredacted.” He is a seeker of personal truth, and desires to empower others to find their own personal truth, whatever it may be. He is also an activist who is not afraid to speak his mind, and ruffle some feathers, if necessary. His main objective is to get people to think and think for themselves. He espouses Aristotle’s mantra, “It is the mark of an educated min

Sometimes you gotta have faith, and then other times you realize that maybe not believing in God is more your truth. But what kind of crisis of faith causes you to stop believing and to live in the integrity of your own truth? Geoff Kullman shares his coming out of the closet to become an Atheist story and everything that entails from leaving his church to managing his relationships with his spouse and children, to the world at large. This fascinating chat shows how losing faith in anything can cause you to wake up and find your own "faith" truth to live by. About GeoffGeoff Kullman is a brand-awareness and direct-response copywriter for influencers, experts, and thought leaders. That’s basically a fancy way of saying he writes marketing materials for people you’ve heard of but he’s too polite to mention their names (probably because he’s from Canada). Geoff puts identity and integrity at the core of his writing… which is why you’re going to want to listen to his story! Connect With Geoffhttp://geoffkullman.c

It’s about to be 2020. Or it might already be 2020 by the time you listen to this podcast. Instead of resolutions, how about creating a F*CK IT List to live by this year. It’s simple, it’s genuine, it’s honest, and it can be real if you put your mind to it. It’s also damn freeing. Your F*CK IT LIST can be your best friend this year, and here’s how to do it and succeed.

It’s Christmas Eve, or right in the middle of Hanukkah, but regardless of where you are or the holiday you celebrate, how about giving yourself some really good, non-materialistic holiday gifts this holiday season. The kind of gifts that truly improve your life and bring you peace. No more feeling the blues about these holiday gifts, because these gifts will make you one holly jolly happy person.

What do you do when you’ve built two successful companies, received awards for those companies, then move to Southern California, and you just do feel fulfilled? You come out of the closet at age 50, to become a championship Porsche 911 race car driver – and you don’t look back. Martina Kwan, kicked open the closet doors, entering a very male dominated sport, to show that you are never to old nor that being a woman has any reason for you to hold yourself back from pursuing your passion and living life on your terms. About Martina Martina Kwan is a Race Car Driver, Driving Coach, Finance and Accounting Professional, Critical Thinker, and Award Winning Entrepreneur.  She has worked for some of the World’s best companies and successfully founded 2 award-winning companies. She won Emmy and Telly Awards for Production Management and Producing with So! Animation, the first company she founded, and numerous Furniture Design Awards with the second company she founded, Neoteric Luxury Outdoor Col

Life is a series of rules. Or is life meant to be about breaking the rules? In reality, it’s a combination of both that require us to play with the rules and see where that takes us. As a Status Quo Disruptor, I’m all about breaking the rules…for good. I found my co-conspirator in breaking rules with Tanis Frame, creative play Ninja, who breaks the rules in order to help people thrive. To often we get caught up in follow the rules, follow the rules, follow the rules, when maybe the better route is to test, break, and re-write the rules. That’s exactly what living a Life (UN)Closeted is all about – rewriting the rules, and that is what Tanis and I explore today – the play of rewriting life’s rules so that we can thrive. About Tanis Tanis Frame is a sought after speaker, long time facilitator, leadership coach and creative play ninja who spearheads the DECIDE TO THRIVE MOVEMENT, helping passionate people create the impact they are called to make in the world while thr

Now that was awkward. Or was it just your own self-imposed closet of feeling awkward? Too often that awkwardness is what keeps us in our closets. No one else will understand. I feel so weird talking about this. Other people will think I’m weird. All of these are just excuses for not realizing, we are all awkward in our own way, and way more alike than different. Vanessa Van Edwards, a recovering awkward person, tells it like it is with candid, value loaded conversation about coming out of our closets, especially the closet of being awkward. Calling upon her expertise as the lead investigator at Science of People and from her bestselling book Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, she goes raw and uncloseted with insights about how to come out of your own awkward closets, whatever those might be in your life. About Vanessa Vanessa is Lead Investigator at Science of People. She is the bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Her book has been translated into 15

Death is never pretty, easy, or something that we are trained to contend with in our lives. We know it is inevitable, but death by suicide is never anything that we can be fully prepared for, especially with it is a death by suicide by our child. It hurts, it brings up tons of questions, and it incites grief, anger, and blame. Yet at the core of the suicide equation is a mental health issue that needs to be addressed. Anne-Moss is a mother of a son who died by suicide, not commited suicide, and there’s a reason she prefers to use that terminology. In her journey of loss she has come out of the closet of blame, grief, and sorrow, and continues to come out of the closet on so many fronts about how you work with, process, and live through a suicide. Her book Diary of a Broken Mind, shares her journey, insights, and tips for moving through and past the loss of a loved one by suicide. Today she shares her story by coming out of the closet of a mother surviving her child’s death by suicide. https://an