The Clearing - Honest Conversations For Men In Midlife.

In this honest episode, Matt returns to the mic 16 days after undergoing complex surgery — and shares what recovery has actually looked, felt and smelled like from the inside.

This isn't a polished post-op update. It's a real-time account of what happens when a capable, ac...

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, ...

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 in...

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 s...

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 ...

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 m...

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, gr...