In this episode of Clunky Beginnings, Rachel Joy Barehl has a conversation with her dear friend Cole and her fiancé, Derek, about their love story that began on Bumble. They explore the nuances of online dating, dating in LA, the importance of a solid profiles, and the dynamics of their first date, which took an unexpected delightful turn during trivia night.

Cole and Derek share insights on navigating serious topics early in a relationship, the significance of community support, and the challenges of merging lives while maintaining individuality, the necessity of being honest about desires and expectations, and the importance of understanding mental health within relationships.

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In this episode of Clunky Beginnings, Rachel Joy Barehl interviews her first VIP matchmaking client, Dan, who shares his journey of dating after divorce. The conversation explores Dan's experiences with dating apps, how he discovered Rachel's matchmaking services and all that unfolded when their worlds collide. They discuss the quality of dates, significance of community, and other moments of joy and connection along the journey. Hear Dan's outside-the-box second-date idea.

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If you're a dater, you're invited to introduce yourself, add yourself to my digital rolodex 👆🏼🗂️

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Bear Hebert is a writer, researcher, coach, artist and activist. They have been thinking about and working against patriarchy arguably for their whole life but certainly for the past fifteen years. Bear is a white, queer, working-class, genderqueer human with a background in activism and cultural organizing.

Bear is teaching a course called Undoing Patriarchy because through their relationships with the men they’ve worked with, dated and been friends with, they’ve seen the ways that internalized, unconscious patriarchal conditioning holds men back from intimacy, vulnerability, and connection. Patriarchy gives men privilege, but it can strip them of their humanity as well. Bear is invested in helping men to unlearn these unconscious patterns because they believe this work is essential for the liberation of all people.

The next cohort starts next week

Jan 21-February 24 (Tuesdays 8-10 EST on zoom)

UNDOING PATRIARCHY: AN ONLINE COURSE FOR MEN+

For so many men, traditional masculinity doesn’t fit. There are spoken and unspoken rules that dictate how men are supposed to dress, walk, stand, talk, screw, look and feel that may not be in alignment with who you really are.

Because of this, traditionally male spaces can feel tremendously alienating. The locker room, the basketball court, or the corner bar: can you truly be yourself there?

But then what? If you don’t fit into patriarchy’s boxes of who a man can be, where do you go when there’s seemingly no other socially sanctioned way to be?

What are the options? Pretend to be a bro and suffer from living out of alignment with who you truly are or step outside of prescribed social norms and risk the consequences.

Compulsory masculinity is a trap, and the stakes for pretending otherwise are higher than ever.

This is the medium-length version of how Gab & Evan met, the twists and turns as they took a plunge for love, got locked down in Andorra during the pandemic & moved two separate corners of the earth and then came back together in Belgium, then ultimately Ohio. Check out instagram for pictures and a timeline that go along with the episode.

the inside space. founder, gabby goldach, believes that true healing happens when we have the ability to feel at home within our own bodies, minds, and hearts. this holds true for the newest and oldest members on this earth alike. dr. gab is both passionate and humbled to be able to walk with people as they find their way back to physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness by way of chiropractic. evan is the first european-trained chiropractor to hold licensure in the state of ohio. a native of france, he holds a breadth of international experience, in the world of chiropractic and beyond. the potency of his intuition coupled with a harmonious blend of masculine and feminine forces create potential for profound healing, both on and off the chiropractic table.