Episodi

  • Beyond Leather | Utah Leather Pride, LGBTQ Identity, Spirituality & Belonging (Special Mindfully Gay Episode)

    Beyond Leather | Utah Leather Pride, LGBTQ Identity, Spirituality & Belonging (Special Mindfully Gay Episode)
    Nov 6 2026
    Send us Fan MailBeyond Leather | Utah Leather Pride, LGBTQ Identity, Spirituality & BelongingAir Date: Friday, November 6, 2026What does it really mean to live authentically? How do we find a community where we can express ourselves without fear of judgment? And can exploring our sexuality also help us discover something deeper about who we are?In this special episode of the Mindfully Gay Podcast, airing Friday, November 6, 2026, hosts John Cottrell and Jerry Buie continue their coverage of Utah Leather Pride in Salt Lake City, exploring the powerful personal stories behind the leather, kink, and BDSM communities.Following our first Leather Pride special featuring Honey Davenport, “Beyond Leather” introduces more voices from the celebration. Through John’s candid conversations with Bernie, Jess, Sean, and Terrence, we discover that leather culture is about much more than sexual expression, fetish, or the clothing people wear. It’s also about identity, self-acceptance, spirituality, trust, personal transformation, and the universal desire to belong.Bernie takes us on a journey through more than four decades of leather culture, sharing how discovering the leather community in the early 1980s helped him embrace an identity that didn’t fit traditional expectations of masculinity. His story explores the history of gay leather culture, mentorship, leather traditions, and the fascinating intersection of sexuality and spirituality. From his early experiences in Salt Lake City to his exploration of Buddhism, mysticism, and energetic connection, Bernie reminds us that our sexual and spiritual identities can be meaningful parts of the same human experience.Jess shares a different kind of journey: one of personal reinvention and the search for belonging. After 16 years away from Utah and a period of significant life challenges, Jess returns hoping to find a fresh start. Attending Utah Leather Pride becomes an opportunity to experience a welcoming LGBTQ+ community and perhaps discover a new sense of home. Jess’s story raises an important question: What happens when we finally find a space where we don’t have to perform, pretend, or hide who we are?Sean and Terrence bring the conversation into the world of sexual exploration, vulnerability, and trust. They describe how participating in the leather and kink communities has helped them discover new dimensions of their identities, explore different expressions of sexuality, and build confidence through supportive relationships. Their experiences challenge the idea that we must have everything figured out before we can begin exploring who we are.Together, these conversations reveal some of the most meaningful aspects of LGBTQ+ community life: the importance of safe and welcoming spaces, the courage to embrace our authentic selves, and the value of connecting with people who respect our individuality.We also explore the significance of queer history and intergenerational wisdom, the relationship between sexuality and spirituality, the emotional importance of trust, and how communities can help us move beyond shame, isolation, and the fear of rejection.Whether you’re part of the leather community, curious about kink and BDSM culture, exploring your own sexual identity, or simply looking for a greater sense of connection and belonging, these stories offer something worth considering.At its heart, “Beyond Leather” is a conversation about what it means to be human.We spend so much of our lives trying to understand who we are, where we fit in, and whether others will accept us. Sometimes that understanding comes through reflection. Sometimes through relationships. And sometimes through discovering a community that recognizes something in us we haven’t yet fully recognized in ourselves.Perhaps we don’t have to know exactly who we are before we find our people. Sometimes finding our people helps us discover who we are.Join John and Jerry for this second Utah Leather Pride special as we celebrate the diversity, resilience, spirituality, and authenticity of the LGBTQ+ community.The Mindfully Gay Podcast is dedicated to uniting gay men in ritual, reflection, and renewal.Listen and download the audio episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Watch the video podcast on YouTube: Mindfully Gay Podcast.Visit our website: https://MindfullyGay.comJoin the conversation and share your experiences with us: Instagram: @Mindfully_Gay TikTok: @MindfullyGayWe’d love to hear from you. Where have you found your sense of belonging? What communities have helped you become more comfortable being yourself? And what does living authentically mean to you?Subscribe, follow, and share this episode with someone who believes in the power of acceptance, connection, and community.@mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    22 min
  • Mindfully Gay Special Episode (Teaser: “Beyond Leather”)

    Mindfully Gay Special Episode (Teaser: “Beyond Leather”)
    Nov 4 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Beyond Leather | Utah Leather Pride, LGBTQ Identity, Spirituality & Belonging

    What does it really mean to live authentically? How do we find a community where we can express ourselves without fear of judgment? And can exploring our sexuality also help us discover something deeper about who we are?

    In this special episode of the Mindfully Gay Podcast, airing Friday, November 6, 2026, hosts John Cottrell and Jerry Buie continue their coverage of Utah Leather Pride in Salt Lake City, exploring the powerful personal stories behind the leather, kink, and BDSM communities.

    Following our first Leather Pride special featuring Honey Davenport, “Beyond Leather” introduces more voices from the celebration. Through John’s candid conversations with Bernie, Jess, Sean, and Terrence, we discover that leather culture is about much more than sexual expression, fetish, or the clothing people wear. It’s also about identity, self-acceptance, spirituality, trust, personal transformation, and the universal desire to belong.

    @mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 min
  • The Gay Renaissance: Aging, Desire, and the Rise of Queer Elders (Epi 73)

    The Gay Renaissance: Aging, Desire, and the Rise of Queer Elders (Epi 73)
    Oct 30 2026
    Send us Fan MailThe Gay Renaissance: Aging, Desire, and the Rise of Queer EldersAired October 30, 2026What happens when you’re no longer the young gay guy?For decades, gay culture has wrestled with an intense focus on youth, beauty, sexuality, fitness, and desirability. But something interesting is happening: gay men are living longer, staying visible, remaining sexually and socially active, and redefining what it means to be 50, 60, 70, and beyond.In this episode of The Mindfully Gay Podcast, John Cottrell and Jerry Buie explore what they call a “Gay Renaissance”—the growing visibility, confidence, influence, and importance of older gay men and queer elders.John and Jerry reflect on coming of age as gay men during the 1980s and 1990s, when HIV/AIDS devastated the LGBTQ+ community and an entire generation of potential mentors and elders was lost. For many gay men of their generation, simply surviving, coming out, finding community, protecting themselves from HIV, and navigating discrimination took enormous emotional energy.Now, decades later, John and Jerry find themselves becoming the older gay men they once looked toward—or wished they had known.And surprisingly, they’re discovering that getting older doesn’t necessarily mean becoming less desirable, less sexual, less adventurous, or less relevant. In fact, aging may offer something youth could never provide: perspective, confidence, self-acceptance, wisdom, freedom, and a much clearer understanding of who you are.The conversation takes on gay culture’s complicated relationship with aging and asks why youth continues to hold so much power in LGBTQ+ spaces. From shirtless Instagram influencers and impossible body standards to dating apps, pornography, the “daddy” archetype, masculinity, sexual roles, and ageism within the gay community, John and Jerry examine the ways gay men can unknowingly measure their worth through other people’s attention.But who gets to decide what an older gay man is supposed to look like, how he should dress, how sexual he should be, what kind of body he should have—or even whether a “daddy” is supposed to be a top or a bottom?Maybe one of the privileges of getting older is finally saying: I get to write my own story.John reflects on growing from a skinny, insecure young Black gay man who struggled to see himself as desirable into a man who feels increasingly comfortable with his body, sexuality, accomplishments, and identity. Jerry shares how health, fitness, relationships, mentorship, and his own personal growth have changed his understanding of aging as he approaches his 60s.They also remember a gay world that younger LGBTQ+ people may have difficulty imagining: fear surrounding HIV/AIDS, harassment for being visibly gay, the absence of marriage equality, and spending thousands of dollars creating legal protections that heterosexual married couples received automatically.Those experiences lead John and Jerry to one of the most important questions of the episode:What responsibility do queer elders have to the generations coming behind them?Jerry recalls his involvement with SAGE in Utah and the powerful response to “Ask the Elders,” a program designed to bring younger LGBTQ+ people into conversation with older members of the community. Younger queer people showed up because they wanted something their generation desperately needed: stories, mentorship, wisdom, history, and examples of what a long queer life could actually look like.That need still exists.John and Jerry invite older LGBTQ+ listeners to consider what they have survived and what they now have to teach. What did HIV/AIDS teach you? What did coming out teach you? What did discrimination, relationships, heartbreak, activism, sex, friendship, chosen family, marriage equality, spirituality, and simply staying alive teach you?Your story may be exactly what someone younger needs to hear.The episode also challenges the assumption that getting older means slowing down, becoming invisible, or fading into the background. Inspired by active older gay men they have encountered in communities such as Wilton Manors and Palm Springs—and by Jerry’s 93-year-old mentor Charles, who describes challenging the myths of aging as his “final act of rebellion”—John and Jerry imagine an entirely different model of queer aging.What if aging itself became an act of rebellion?What if gay men once again became cultural trendsetters by showing the world that getting older can mean becoming stronger, wiser, more sensual, more connected, more spiritually grounded, and more fully alive?The conversation ultimately moves beyond bodies, sex, and physical fitness to something even bigger: wholeness.John and Jerry imagine personal wellness as a wheel made up of physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health. Gay culture has become remarkably good at celebrating the physical—but what happens when we begin giving equal attention to connection, ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 8 min
  • Beyond the Leather: Interview with Honey Davenport (Special Mindfully Gay Episode)

    Beyond the Leather: Interview with Honey Davenport (Special Mindfully Gay Episode)
    Oct 23 2026
    Send us Fan MailBeyond the Leather: Honey Davenport on Belonging, Identity & CommunityWhat does it really mean to belong? Can simply showing up as your authentic self inspire someone else to do the same? And what can the leather, kink, and fetish communities teach us about acceptance, inclusion, and finding our people?In this special episode of the Mindfully Gay Podcast, host John Cottrell sits down with Honey Davenport, International Mr. Leather 2026, for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation recorded at Salt Lake City Leather Pride on October 18, 2026.As the reigning International Mr. Leather, Honey represents one of the most recognized titles in LGBTQ+ leather culture. But beyond the sash, the competition, and the traditions of the leather community lies a much more meaningful mission: creating spaces where people feel safe, welcomed, respected, and free to be themselves.Honey shares a personal journey into leather culture, including the mentorship of leather father Will Weaver and the supportive relationships formed through the Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert. These experiences helped shape an understanding of community leadership, personal identity, and the importance of creating a sense of belonging for others.Throughout the interview, John and Honey explore the history and evolving identity of the LGBTQ+ leather community, challenging common misconceptions about masculinity, kink, fetish culture, and who truly belongs in these spaces.Honey offers a particularly powerful perspective on diversity within leather culture. Rather than viewing the growing representation of different identities and expressions as a departure from tradition, Honey sees this diversity as the very outcome of the freedom and acceptance that earlier generations fought to establish.The conversation takes a meaningful turn when John admits that, although he has always been curious about leather culture, he sometimes feels like an outsider. Honey responds with a simple but profound message: when community is done right, everyone belongs.But how do we find that sense of belonging when we’re hesitant to step into unfamiliar spaces?For LGBTQ+ individuals, especially gay men seeking meaningful friendships and connection beyond dating apps and social media, this question feels particularly relevant. Honey offers a surprisingly practical answer: start with service.Volunteer. Show up early. Offer to help. Contribute something, no matter how small. By participating in the life of a community, we begin to build the relationships and connections we may have been searching for all along.In this interview, John and Honey discuss:The meaning and responsibility of becoming International Mr. Leather 2026LGBTQ+ visibility, representation, and the power of authentic self-expressionThe history, traditions, and evolving diversity of leather, kink, and fetish cultureBreaking stereotypes about masculinity and identity within the gay communityHow mentorship and chosen family create safety and belongingWhy inclusion and acceptance are essential to healthy LGBTQ+ communitiesOvercoming social anxiety and the fear of entering unfamiliar community spacesHow volunteering and acts of service can lead to meaningful friendshipsThe importance of unity, respectful dialogue, and community leadershipAt its heart, this conversation is about much more than leather. It’s about the universal human desire to be seen, valued, and connected.Whether you’re part of the leather community, curious about LGBTQ+ culture, exploring your identity, or simply searching for deeper connections with others, Honey’s message offers an invitation to reconsider what belonging really means.You don’t have to fit a particular mold to find your community. Sometimes, you just have to show up.Join John Cottrell and Honey Davenport for a conversation about authenticity, visibility, LGBTQ+ pride, and the power of creating spaces where everyone has an opportunity to belong.The Mindfully Gay Podcast is hosted by John Cottrell and Jerry Buie, bringing gay men together through honest conversations about identity, relationships, mindfulness, spirituality, personal growth, and LGBTQ+ community.Listen and Connect:Download and listen to the full audio episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Watch the video interview on YouTube at Mindfully Gay Podcast.Follow us on Instagram: @Mindfully_GayFollow Honey @honeydavenportofficialJoin the conversation on TikTok: @MindfullyGayVisit MindfullyGay.com to learn about our upcoming free social events and opportunities to connect with other gay men.If this conversation resonates with you, share it with a friend, leave a comment, and rate or review the Mindfully Gay Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps more LGBTQ+ listeners discover meaningful conversations about identity, connection, and community.Mindfully Gay Podcast — Uniting Gay Men in Ritual, Reflection, and Renewal.@mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    11 min
  • Mindfully Gay Special Episode (Teaser: “Beyond the Leather: Interview with Honey Davenport”)

    Mindfully Gay Special Episode (Teaser: “Beyond the Leather: Interview with Honey Davenport”)
    Oct 21 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Beyond the Leather: Honey Davenport on Belonging, Identity & Community

    What does it really mean to belong? Can simply showing up as your authentic self inspire someone else to do the same? And what can the leather, kink, and fetish communities teach us about acceptance, inclusion, and finding our people?

    In this special episode of the Mindfully Gay Podcast, host John Cottrell sits down with Honey Davenport, International Mr. Leather 2026, for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation recorded at Salt Lake City Leather Pride on October 18, 2026.

    As the reigning International Mr. Leather, Honey represents one of the most recognized titles in LGBTQ+ leather culture. But beyond the sash, the competition, and the traditions of the leather community lies a much more meaningful mission: creating spaces where people feel safe, welcomed, respected, and free to be themselves.

    @mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 min
  • The Gift Inside the Struggle (Epi 72)

    The Gift Inside the Struggle (Epi 72)
    Oct 16 2026
    Send us Fan MailThe Gift Inside the Struggle: Queer Resilience and Becoming Who You’re Meant to BeAired October 16, 2026 on The Mindfully Gay PodcastWhat if some of the experiences you wish had never happened actually revealed something powerful about who you are?In this thought-provoking episode of The Mindfully Gay Podcast, John and Jerry explore queer resilience, personal transformation, spirituality, LGBTQ+ history, and the surprising gifts that can emerge from adversity.Inspired by Andra Day’s song “Amen,” the conversation begins with a simple but challenging idea: Can we look back at the difficult chapters of our lives—the rejection, disappointment, fear, discrimination, heartbreak, failure, and uncertainty—and recognize not only what they took from us, but also what they helped us discover?For LGBTQ+ people, that question carries particular meaning.John and Jerry reflect on how being queer often requires us to examine who we are, question the expectations placed upon us, develop our own values, create chosen families, find community, and sometimes build lives that look very different from the ones we were told we were supposed to have.Those experiences can be painful. But they can also cultivate extraordinary creativity, empathy, courage, adaptability, authenticity, and strength.What if those qualities are some of the sacred gifts of being queer?Jerry shares personal stories of professional loss, betrayal, unexpected opportunities, shamanic teachings, and moments when circumstances that initially looked like disasters eventually opened entirely new paths. John connects these experiences to tantric philosophy, spiritual practice, ritual, music, and the idea that transformation often begins when something interrupts the life we thought we had figured out.Together, they ask an important question:Are the difficult experiences in our lives tombstones—or can they become stepping stones?The conversation expands into LGBTQ+ history and the remarkable resilience of the queer community.John and Jerry remember a time when same-sex marriage felt almost impossible. Many gay men of their generation wondered whether marriage equality would ever happen within their lifetimes. Yet LGBTQ+ activists, couples, community leaders, and everyday queer people continued coming out, telling their stories, challenging discriminatory laws, organizing, creating community, and demanding something more than the “crumbs” society was willing to offer.Eventually, something once considered impossible became reality.That history matters.At a time when many LGBTQ+ people are once again worried about equality, political change, discrimination, and the future of queer rights, John and Jerry argue that remembering where we came from can remind us of what we are capable of.We have been here before.Queer people know how to organize.We know how to create community.We know how to reinvent ourselves.We know how to survive.And perhaps most importantly, we know how to imagine possibilities that other people cannot yet see.John and Jerry also explore the sacred nature of coming out. Instead of viewing LGBTQ+ identity only through the lens of difficulty or discrimination, what happens when we ask:What has being queer given me?Has it made you more compassionate?More creative?More independent?More empathetic?More willing to question tradition?More capable of creating your own definition of family, love, spirituality, success, or happiness?Jerry shares how he sometimes asks clients struggling with coming out to stop focusing exclusively on everything they fear losing and consider something they may never have been asked before: What are the gifts of your sexual orientation?For many people, simply considering that question creates an entirely different way of understanding themselves.The episode also explores the importance of intergenerational LGBTQ+ history. John and Jerry discuss why younger queer people may not fully realize how recently many LGBTQ+ freedoms were won—and why older generations have valuable stories, wisdom, and institutional knowledge worth preserving.Remembering our queer history is not about remaining stuck in the past.It is about remembering our power.Jerry’s upcoming spiritual journey into remote Mongolia becomes another metaphor for transformation. Traveling far outside the familiar, participants are challenged physically, emotionally, culturally, and spiritually. But the most important question may come after the journey:Now that you know what you are capable of, how will you live differently when you return home?John shares a similar experience from one of his tantra classes, where a student intentionally began doing things that frightened him—not recklessly, but because he recognized that fear sometimes marks the edge of personal growth.You don’t have to travel across Mongolia to experience transformation.Sometimes transformation begins by having the conversation you have been avoiding.Setting ...
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 4 min
  • Mindfully Gay Podcast (Epi #72 Teaser: “The Gift Inside the Struggle”)

    Mindfully Gay Podcast (Epi #72 Teaser: “The Gift Inside the Struggle”)
    Oct 14 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    The Gift Inside the Struggle: Queer Resilience and Becoming Who You’re Meant to Be

    Airs October 16, 2026 on The Mindfully Gay Podcast

    What if some of the experiences you wish had never happened actually revealed something powerful about who you are?

    In this thought-provoking episode of The Mindfully Gay Podcast, John and Jerry explore queer resilience, personal transformation, spirituality, LGBTQ+ history, and the surprising gifts that can emerge from adversity.

    Inspired by Andra Day’s song “Amen,” the conversation begins with a simple but challenging idea: Can we look back at the difficult chapters of our lives—the rejection, disappointment, fear, discrimination, heartbreak, failure, and uncertainty—and recognize not only what they took from us, but also what they helped us discover?

    For LGBTQ+ people, that question carries particular meaning.

    @mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 min
  • The Gift of Queerness: What Would the World Be Without Us? (Epi 71)

    The Gift of Queerness: What Would the World Be Without Us? (Epi 71)
    Oct 2 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    The Gift of Queerness: What Would the World Be Without Us?

    Aired October 2

    What if the question isn’t whether queer people belong—but whether the world could truly thrive without us?

    In this thought-provoking episode of The Mindfully Gay Podcast, hosts John Cottrell and Jerry Buie explore one of their most meaningful conversations yet: What unique gifts does the LGBTQ+ community bring to humanity? Rather than focusing on discrimination or simply advocating for acceptance, they shift the conversation toward something far more powerful—our contribution.

    Inspired by a moving essay Jerry wrote more than twenty years ago during a period of intense anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, this episode imagines a world where queer people simply disappeared for one week. What would happen if the music stopped, the art vanished, the fashion disappeared, the healing professions were diminished, and countless leaders, innovators, caregivers, teachers, activists, and visionaries were suddenly gone? What would society lose?

    Together, John and Jerry reflect on the remarkable influence LGBTQ+ people have had on art, literature, music, theater, psychology, medicine, civil rights, spirituality, fashion, politics, and culture. More importantly, they ask what deeper qualities queer people contribute that often go unnoticed: authenticity, resilience, creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, compassion, and the courage to imagine a different way of living.

    The conversation explores how coming out requires extraordinary introspection and self-awareness, often leading queer people to develop unique perspectives on identity, relationships, masculinity, femininity, spirituality, and human connection. John and Jerry discuss how these experiences become gifts not only for LGBTQ+ people, but for everyone seeking greater freedom, authenticity, and belonging.

    Listeners will also hear Jerry share personal stories from his years as an openly gay therapist in Utah, including moments of discrimination, political activism, and the inspiration behind his powerful essay “Imagine.” The discussion also explores Indigenous perspectives on Two-Spirit traditions, Harry Hay’s ideas about the evolutionary purpose of queer people, the role of creativity as survival, and why queer voices continue to challenge systems that discourage curiosity and critical thinking.

    This episode is ultimately an invitation to stop asking, “Why are we here?” and begin asking, “What are we here to contribute?”

    Whether you’re gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or a supportive ally, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on identity, purpose, spirituality, resilience, and the extraordinary gifts LGBTQ+ people bring to the world every single day.

    Join John and Jerry as they celebrate queer history, queer wisdom, and the powerful truth that our existence has always mattered.

    Download the audio episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and watch the full video episode on the Mindfully Gay Podcast YouTube channel.

    Follow us on Instagram @Mindfully_Gay, join the conversation on TikTok @MindfullyGay, and visit MindfullyGay.com to learn about upcoming free social gatherings, community events, and ways to connect with other listeners.

    If this episode speaks to you, please subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who could use this conversation. Your support helps more people discover the Mindfully Gay Podcast.

    https://pridecounseling.tv/jerrymessage/

    @mindfully_gay (Instagram)
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    1 ora e 12 min