What does it mean to truly nourish someone—body and soul? Chef Ava Malazian joins us to explore cooking as a sacred practice, where structure creates safety and play brings the meal to life. We talk about scanning the room with love (not fear), setting intentions for others and for ourselves, and how mastery lets the right-brain “dance” in the kitchen.From reiki-through-hands to grocery-store scavenger hunts, Ava shows how food becomes “the perfume of the elixir” that keeps working long after the plates are cleared. We also get practical: build strength to support your craft, choose the feeling you want now, and bring reciprocity to every act of service. Come hungry—leave resourced.Chapter Markers00:00 – Welcome & Why Nourishment Matters in Men’s Work Eric frames the episode for queer men’s embodiment, introducing Chef Ava and the idea of nourishment as devotion within retreat containers and embodiment practices.01:02 – Meet Chef Ava: Intuitive Cooking & Sacred Kitchen Ava shares her process as a retreat chef—setting intention, scanning the field with love, and turning the kitchen into a somatic, sacred space for healing and community.05:30 – Container Work: Masculine Structure, No-Leak Energy Tim and Ava define “leaky energy,” how to hold a clear container, and why grounded masculine structure enables safety, presence, and deeper embodiment work.10:40 – Reciprocity & Flow: The Right-Brain Dance of Cooking From “the perfume of the elixir” to color-rich plates, Ava describes intuitive cooking as art you can eat—an embodied practice that continues to nourish after the meal.18:30 – From Resistance to Wonder: Yin/Yang in Daily Practice How masculine/feminine energy (yin/yang) translates beyond gender; shifting from resistance to curiosity to access presence, creativity, and somatic regulation.24:30 – Divine Feminine & the Fertile Dark Ava explores goddess energy (Annapurna), the creative “dark” as fertile ground, and how honoring the feminine essence elevates nourishment and men’s embodiment work.29:20 – Motherhood, Oxytocin & Many-Body Nourishment Food as medicine across the physical, emotional, and subtle bodies; the science–spirit bridge (oxytocin) and how love-infused meals build trust in retreat containers.34:30 – Practical Tools: Intention, Reiki Hands, Chant & Media Hygiene Actionable practices—heart tapping, reiki-through-hands, mantra/chant, and mindful consumption—to bring sacred attention to everyday cooking and self-care.38:50 – Strength for Your Craft: “Huggers,” Training & Consistency Embodied strength as capacity (not aesthetics): why training, posture, and consistency build self-trust men can feel—on the mat, in the gym, and in the kitchen.46:30 – Blessing & Close: Scan with Love, Serve with Heart Gratitude for community (Embodied Masculine retreats), Chef Ava’s closing blessing, and an invitation to keep practicing presence, reciprocity, and nourishment.

This is part one of our three-part Q&A series, where we answer the questions you’ve been sending since we launched The Circle.We start with the big one: what is embodiment, and why does it matter in men’s work?Tim unpacks embodiment as the practice of listening to the body’s wisdom—our inner dashboard of sensations, emotions, and signals. Eric connects the dots to mindfulness and asks how embodiment helps us meet life with more choice and clarity. Together, we explore how ignoring our body’s signals leads to collapse, reactivity, or numbing, while embodiment practices—like yoga, breathwork, and challenging postures—help us build skillful responses instead.Short, sharp, and from lived experience—this is your entry point into understanding embodiment and why it’s foundational for men’s work.Chapter Markers0:00 – Welcome & Series Intro Eric frames the Q&A series and introduces the first question: what is embodiment and why does it matter in men’s work?1:45 – Defining Embodiment Tim explains embodiment as the practice of listening to the body’s wisdom and signals.4:10 – Embodiment vs. Mindfulness Eric asks how embodiment compares to mindfulness and meditation; Tim uses the “car dashboard” analogy.7:00 – Signs of Disembodiment Exploring what happens when we ignore feelings—overeating, drinking, depression, collapse, or reactivity.10:15 – Starting an Embodiment Practice Practical entry points: yoga, posture work, curiosity about sensations. Eric closes with recap and invitation to myembodiment.com.

Queer therapist Tom Bruett joins us to explore what it means to move from connection that’s just physical to intimacy that’s truly embodied. We unpack how early messages around fear, secrecy, and performance shape desire, and what becomes possible when we bring awareness back into the body. Together we get practical: the “thumb out” signal for pausing when you’re overwhelmed, Dan Siegel’s hand model of the brain, the window of tolerance, and simple brain-stem tools like breath and sensation to come back online. We talk consent using Betty Martin’s Wheel, sensate focus as a no-pressure practice, and why owning your own pleasure can reduce shame and resentment. Eric shares on sober intimacy and using kink/BDSM as a bridge to presence; Tim translates models into day-to-day micro-practices you can try over dishes, on a walk, or in moments of closeness. We also name app fatigue, hypersexualized spaces, and how to de-emphasize the finish line without losing the fun.Chapter Markers00:00 – Welcome & Introductions: Eric sets the stage, introduces Tom Bruett and his work at the Queer Relationship Institute.03:20 – Queer Men, Bodies, and Hypermasculinity: How early messages about masculinity and secrecy shape our relationship with embodiment.08:45 – Differentiation & Authentic Expression: Tom explains how attachment, differentiation, and experimentation help queer men reconnect with themselves.14:30 – Adolescence Delayed: Emotional, Sexual, Spiritual: Exploring the unique timing of queer men’s adolescence and what that means for intimacy.18:55 – Physical vs. Embodied Connection: Tim and Tom define embodied intimacy, contrasting it with purely physical encounters.23:15 – Sober Intimacy & BDSM as a Bridge: Eric shares his transition into sobriety and how kink created space for embodied connection.28:40 – Desire Differences & Myths in Gay Culture: Unpacking desire discrepancy, app fatigue, and the hypersexualized pressures queer men face.34:20 – First Steps into Embodiment: Practical entry points: body scans, breathwork, yoga, dance, and sensate focus exercises.40:05 – The Nervous System & Dan Siegel’s Hand Model: Understanding hyperarousal, hypoarousal, and tools to return to regulation.45:00 – Consent, Communication & the “Thumb Out” Signal: Introducing Betty Martin’s Wheel of Consent, shorthand for pausing, and reframing performance pressure.49:20 – De-Emphasizing the Finish Line: How to shift focus away from orgasm as the marker of success and expand intimacy through experimentation.52:00 – Closing Reflections: Tom, Tim, and Eric share final takeaways on vulnerability, practice, and ongoing exploration.53:08 – Closing Ritual: Tim leads the gratitude and release, “container open but not broken.”

Why is it that sometimes, even when care is offered freely, it doesn’t land? In this episode of The Circle, Eric and Tim unpack the messy, beautiful complexity of giving and receiving care.From family dynamics and love languages to roommates, ex-husbands, and Provincetown coffee shop connections, they explore why care often misses the mark—and what we can do to better recognize and receive it. They share personal stories of frustration, vulnerability, and breakthrough, reminding us that effort, transparency, and trust go a long way.This is an invitation to practice revealing what you need, honoring how others show care, and making sure the people you love actually feel it. Because if tomorrow never comes, will they know how much you cared?Chapter Markers00:00 – Welcome & Introduction: Why care is such a tender and complicated subject02:45 – When Care Doesn’t Land: Eric’s family Christmas story06:30 – Care Requires Vulnerability: Tim on courage and the glamorization of “not caring”11:00 – “It’s Just a Yoga Class”: When dismissal misses the mark15:25 – Different Languages of Care: Roommates, partners, and communication gaps21:10 – Effort vs. Perfection: Why trying matters more than getting it right26:05 – Love Letters to Friends: Tim’s reflections on Gordon and the power of reassurance32:40 – Accepting Care as It’s Given: Shifting perspective with empathy and trust37:00 – Closing Reflections & Sow: Care as ongoing practice and communicationLearn more, ask questions and practice along with us at www.myembodiment.com

In this episode of The Circle, we explore asexuality and the many ways intimacy can thrive outside of sexual expression. Eric and Tim are joined by Hannah O’Rourke—a yoga teacher and early childhood educator—who shares her experience identifying as asexual and how it reshaped her understanding of romance, validation, and connection. Together, they unpack the difference between romantic and sexual orientation, what it means to be demisexual, and how embodiment practices can help people attune to their true desires. This conversation challenges cultural assumptions about sex and identity, and offers a liberating lens for queer folks navigating their own intimate lives.Chapter Markers/Time Stamps00:00 What If Sex Isn’t the Center of Intimacy? 00:24 What Is Asexuality? A Conversation with Hannah O’Rourke 01:06 Discovering Asexual Identity: Hannah’s Story 02:28 Romantic vs. Sexual Attraction Explained 05:23 How Asexual People Navigate Relationships 15:03 The Asexuality Spectrum: Demisexual, Graysexual & More 28:10 Redefining Intimacy: Love and Connection Beyond Sex 29:38 The Opposite of Sex? Rethinking Intimacy Through Film 32:17 Being Asexual in Queer Spaces 35:43 Self-Love Without Sexual Validation 41:02 Debunking Asexual Myths and Misconceptions 50:58 Healing the Inner Child Through Self-Understanding 55:49 Final Reflections on Identity and Intimacy