Welcome back to the show!

Today, on episode 3 of Have I Told You Lately, Ian and Doug share stories about one of the most common surgeries that adult males experience in the modern world; the vasectomy. While the surgery is fairly routine, no 2 vasectomy experiences are exactly the same and while this situation is common for men, none of us are coached on what to expect when walking through the experience. Most men don't say this but getting a vasectomy is scary because there are so many unknowns. Is it going to hurt? How much and for how long? We've all been kicked in the junk and it hurts... a lot... is it going to be like that? Lots of thoughts run through your head in the time leading up to the surgery and you feel a lot of different emotions, but can you talk about all of those emotions with your guy friends?

Thankfully, Ian and Doug wrote lots of jokes for today's vasectomy stories. Hopefully it helps take the sting out of your own experience. If you enjoyed today's episode, feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think. Thanks!

List of topics covered in today's episode:

Old House Electrical system - Doug putting us on to free electrician game

Doug’s Dad came to visit and it was tough

Electrical & Exorcist company for old homes

Conflict in Gaza

Ian’s parents and the reality that some parents are stuck in their ways and may never change.

Question parents experience based on your own lived experiences

Men Isolate and what happens if men decide to change their values, they are usually exile from their friend group.

Vasectomy Stories from Ian & Doug

Mourning that new parenting part of life and gratitude of being a parent

Time and the labor and love it takes to raise kids, and vasectomy as a right of passage for men.

I’m a man and not a boy and I know the difference

Mental health needs as father and knowing yourself and your capacity. Always child and adult rearing and being open to change at every age.

Which side of the border?

Final Thoughts and what was your vasectomy experience like?

#vasectomy
#menhealth
#fatherhood
#ritesofpassage
#malerightsofpassage
#surgery
#mentalhealth
#vulnerability
#malevulnerability
#vulnerable

In today's episode, Ian and Doug discuss the idea of fighting within the context of society. Is it necessary? Why do we do it and what impact does it have on us as people? We get into George Forman and Muhammad Ali's "Rumble In The Jungle" and joke about how Forman went from World Heavyweight Champ to designing and selling electric grills in the later stages of his life/career. Doug shares a story about standing up to his childhood bully which just so happened to be his big sister. We discuss how most entertainment targeting boys is focused on resolving issues through fighting and how this shapes our reality.

We move into discussing how we, as men, have to find a place for that same "fighting" energy as we age. How do we alchemically transmute that same rage and energy into something mature and productive for ourselves, our families and friends and, ultimately, society at-large. We discuss how words can be utilized to disarm would-be adversaries and the power of words in general in deescalating a potentially violent situation. This leads us to discuss the power of meditation and the potential of distancing yourself from the heavy flow of emotion that leads to conflict in the first place.

We discuss how to instill the fighting spirit in our children without them needing to experience abandonment and neglect. This was most evident in how the youth of the world had to fight their way, physically, mentally and emotionally through a worldwide pandemic. This leads us finally to discuss how this need to fight or be competitive has led men, in particular to isolate in their later years. We discuss how one of the major killers of men in our country is suicide and what can be done to heal this epidemic in men.

We end this episode with another addition of Ian's favorite quiz game "Which Side of the Border" in which Ian reads an outrageous news story and asks Doug to identify whether the story takes place in Canada or the US. Doug then quizzes Ian with a game he called "Black Guy / White Guy" in which Doug describes 2 different friends from his childhood and asks Ian to identify which person is a black dude and which is a white dude.

Thanks for listening! Enjoy the episode. Please leave us a comment on any of the topics we covered today. Also remember to like the episode and subscribe to our channel to help us out in the YouTube algorithm.

#fighting
#fightclub
#positiverolemodel
#rumbleinthejungle
#georgeforeman
#muhammadali
#bullies
#standingupforyourself
#selfdefense
#taekwondo
#familymatters
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentality
#mentalhealthmatters

In this, their 1st episode, Doug and Ian discuss their origin story and how they met at a comedy club in Baltimore. They also get into their collective obsession with comedy, balancing comedy and parenthood, fatherhood and family, differentiating between being a comedian and being a creative person, and playing a game called "Which side of the border?"

This is the first episode of our new friendship podcast called "Have I Told You Lately." We hope you enjoy this and our upcoming podcast episodes. We'll be covering lots of topics from "sauna etiquette" and "vasectomies" to "typical male behavior" in our upcoming episodes, so tune in and make our conversations a part of your weekly routine. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and listen to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Feel free to comment where possible and let us know what you think of the show.
Thanks so much!

Ian & Doug

The "Have I Told You Lately Podcast" is a friendship podcast that transcends national and racial boundaries. With this in mind, August 1st is an ideal day for the podcast's launch.

It commemorates Emancipation Day, the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 went into effect across the British Empire. Many Canadians and Americans are only aware of Canada’s part in the Underground Railroad, however, unaware that Black and Indigenous people were once enslaved in Canada.

Emancipation day signifies how the freedom of a people establishes the framework of liberty for all of us, regardless of our identities. As you listen, we hope that you clearly see our commitment to others' freedom and ability to thrive as husbands, fathers, human beings, and, in the context of Emancipation Day, members of our cultural and civic communities.

Get ready to listen to our first podcast episode! As you tune in, take a moment to honor and celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1st because, without this day off, Ian would probably be too busy working to even make this podcast.

#haveitoldyoulately
#haveitoldyoulatelypodcast
#hitylpodcast
#friendship
#friendshipgoals
#accountability
#accountabilitypartners
#comedy
#artist
#worklifebalance
#fatherhood
#dad
#dadlife
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealthawareness
#mentality
#positiverelationships
#findingthebalance
#parenting
#parenthood
#originstories
#howwemet
#obsession
#drivenbypurpose
#healthymindset
#strongfriends