In Episode 6 of The Clearing Podcast, Matt and Karl start with the realities of half-term chaos (and the small wins of kids becoming a little more independent)… before moving into something many of us recognise:

"The fear of what’s coming next."

When we look to the future, there’s the exciting stuff — trips, learning new skills, time away. But there’s also the heavier stuff: health concerns, paperwork, money stress, relationships, responsibility… and the mind’s tendency to jump straight to worst-case scenarios.

This episode explores:

• Why we catastrophise (and how quickly it escalates)

• How uncertainty fuels panic — especially with medical symptoms and online doom-scrolling

• What it looks like to “make the frog smaller” by breaking big problems into manageable steps

• How to start with the easiest first step (one sentence, one phone call, one action)

• A real-time look at somatic awareness: holding stress in the body while also noticing lightness and ease

• Why you don’t have to face the dragons alone — and how asking for support can be a strength, not a failure

From health anxiety and surgery fears, to HMRC triggers and life admin loops, Matt and Karl explore practical ways to widen the lens, down-regulate the nervous system, and move forward without being swallowed by the story your mind is writing.

If you’ve got something looming — a decision, a diagnosis, a conversation, a deadline — this one is for you.

We would love to hear from you, with your practices, and/or any questions you might have around self care.

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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In Episode 5 of The Clearing Podcast, Matt and Karl pick up on a thread from last week’s real-time check-in and follow it deeper: self-care.

We explore a version that shows up in small choices, tiny rituals, and honest trade-offs — especially when life is busy, relationships are demanding, and your bandwidth is shrinking.

What you can expect in this episode:

• Why self-care is best understood as an investment (rather than an indulgence.)

• The difference between solo self-care and social self-care.

• The “battery charge” metaphor — and what burnout looks like when output exceeds input.

• How guilt and productivity culture can sabotage rest.

• Why self-care must resonate with YOU (even if that involves skateboards.)

• A simple weekly exercise: the 120-hour audit + checking your screen time.

• And two daily prompts to help build a self care practice.

This episode is an invitation to stay curious, stay practical, and make self-care doable — without turning it into another task you might feel overwhelmed by.

We would love to hear from you, with your practices, and/or any questions you might have around self care.

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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In Episode 4, Matt and Karl do a real-time Clearing check-in.

After Episode 3’s conversation about check-ins (moving from “Yeah, I'm alright mate” to the deep dive), this episode explores a real life example of a check in — a candid, insight into what they’re bringing into the space before “Clearing business” begins.

Karl shares a week of solo parenting while his wife is away on a yoga retreat, including the messy, hilarious, and serious realities of school dynamics, boundaries, and those unexpected “grown-up” questions kids can throw at you. The conversation turns toward what it means to meet your child with curiosity, consequence, and connection — instead of pure punishment.

Matt checks in on a week of work pressure, the value (and vulnerability) of feeling like you’re adding value, and the importance of building pressure valves that aren’t alcohol. Dry January becomes dry February, and the conversation opens up into habit change, replacement behaviours, and how clarity can sometimes demand change.

They also talk about play — why we lose it as we "grow up", why we need it, and how reclaiming it (yes, even via skateboarding at 56) can be a serious act of self-care.

Finally, they look forward: longer days, writing, travel, family moments, upcoming Clearing gatherings, and building “Clearing Codes” — small fibres of clarity you can carry into daily life.

....

These podcasts are an invitation to reflect, not a set of answers.

We would love to know if the content resonates with you - How did you feel about this deeper dive into "checking in?" Do you have anyone you could do this with? Would you like to be involved in some of the check ins we do?

Let us know.

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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In this episode of The Clearing, Matt and Karl explore the simple question that often isn’t simple at all: “How are you?”

Drawing on Karl’s work with men living with chronic pain and their own experiences in men’s gatherings, they unpack how rarely men truly check in — with themselves, with partners, with friends, and with their wider community. So often the exchange stops at “I’m fine”, and the conversation moves on.

This episode looks at what happens when we go a little further.

Matt and Karl talk about:

• Why many men struggle to communicate what’s really going on

• The difference between a surface check-in and a meaningful one

• When it is (and isn’t) the right time to go deeper

• How structured check-ins work in gatherings and circles

• The role of listening, space, and simple curiosity

• Checking in with partners, colleagues, and ourselves

They share practical examples from The Clearing, including the P.I.E.S. framework (psychological/physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual), and reflect on how speaking things out loud — even briefly — can bring clarity, relief, and connection.

The conversation also touches on the quiet ways men signal that something isn’t right, the tendency to protect others by staying silent, and how small, honest moments of inquiry can open the door to something more real.

This is Part 1 of a two-part exploration. In the next episode, Matt and Karl turn the lens inward and check in with themselves.

An invitation to pause. To ask a better question. And to listen for the answer beneath “I’m fine.”

These podcasts are an invitation to reflect, not a set of answers.

We would love to know if this resonates with you - what is your response when someone asks "How are you?" Do you "check in" with your mates? And how might you do this to dive a little deeper?

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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Episode 2 – Kindness: capacity, boundaries, and the voices in our heads

In this episode of The Clearing, Matt and Karl sit down to talk about kindness — a lived, limited, and deeply human capacity. Where there is opportunity, and perhaps where we all need some guidance and compassion.

The conversation begins with kindness towards others: small, instinctive acts, moments of noticing, and the question of whether society is becoming more closed, guarded, or fatigued. From there, it moves into something harder to name — the cost of kindness, the need for boundaries, and what happens when we give everything away and have nothing left for the people closest to us.

A central thread in this episode is self-kindness. Matt and Karl explore:

• How we talk to ourselves when things go wrong

• The first and the second voice, drawing on the 2 arrows approach

• Why many men can be brutally unkind to themselves

• Capacity, burnout, and emotional fatigue

• Boundaries at work, at home, and internally

• Parenting, partnership, and showing up with what’s left in the tank

They reflect on real examples — family life, work, falling off a skateboard — and unpack how small practices, honest conversations, and intentional pauses can slowly rewire how we treat ourselves and others.

This isn’t about a boundless ability to be nice. It’s about learning when to stop, when to centre yourself, and how to cultivate enough kindness — inwardly and outwardly — to live with more clarity, joy, and presence.

These podcasts are an invitation to reflect, not a set of answers.

We would love to hear how you navigate kindness in your life - what examples can you share with us and the audience?

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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In this opening episode, Matt and Karl introduce The Clearing — what it is, why it exists, and who it’s for.

They share their own backgrounds, lived experience, and the journeys that brought them here: working with men through pain, transition, identity, fatherhood, partnership, grief, and the question many men quietly ask in midlife — “Is this it?”

This conversation sets out the heart of The Clearing:

• A space for honest, grounded conversations between men
• Coaching, mentoring, gatherings, walks, workshops, and retreats
• Not about “fixing broken men”, but supporting inquiry, growth, and clarity
• A blend of seriousness, humour, banter, and real-life language
• A place where men can show up as they are — without performance

Matt and Karl talk about why men gathering side-by-side matters, how clarity is the red thread running through everything they do, and why accessibility, honesty, and authenticity sit at the centre of the work.

They also explain the practicalities — why The Clearing is a business, how some events are funded, the role of bursary places, and why supporting CALM, the men’s mental health charities matters deeply to them.

This episode is an invitation. To step into conversation. To walk, talk, listen, and reflect. To find moments of clarity in a world that often feels noisy and unclear.

Welcome to The Clearing.

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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