WILKINSON

Becoming Wilkinson

Society EN ↓ 194 episodes

When I started this podcast, I thought it would be the story of my journey from married man with three sons, involved in ministry in the NW, to my current life as a gay man in Palm Springs, CA. I'd weave in interesting interviews with amazing people whom I've met along the way. But as the podcast has evolved, I realized that interacting and hearing other people's stories has changed me. The Universe always sends me just the right person at just the right time to guide me along my own journey of "Becoming". Join me as I have conversations with these fascinating people and share this journey wit...

Author

WILKINSON

Episodes

Rob Ollander-Krane: met his husband 43 years ago, they were among the first gay couples to adopt a child , he's a singer/songwriter and he started a gay country western dance group in Palm Springs. 21.12.2022 33:02

Send us Fan Mail Rob Ollander-Krane Rob grew up in New Jersey where he met his husband Jason 43 years ago at 19 years old! It was there that he also started his career in retail and Human Resources…a career that led to Harvard Business Case creating a case study that focused on the innovative work he did in Performance Management. The two left New Jersey for the greener pastures of California and...

Ram Charan has spent the greater part of 30 years in India where he gained a deep appreciation & understanding of spiritual awareness practices & intuitive wisdom, which finds expression in his practice of integrative bodywork & transformational coaching. 18.12.2022 35:25

Send us Fan Mail Ram Charan has been passionate about exploring consciousness through meditation and healing work for decades. A native of New York, he has spent the greater part of 30 years in India where he gained a deep appreciation and understanding of spiritual awareness practices and intuitive wisdom, which finds expression in his practice of integrative bodywork and transformational coachi...

Russell Poe: Life lessons from a middle school teacher. 11.12.2022 30:23

Send us Fan Mail RUSSELL POE When he was a young man, Russ Poe had a professor who told him not to follow his passion of becoming a teacher. Years later, with a lot of life experiences under his belt and with three children of his own, circumstances in his life changed and he was able to once again come back to his passion. He returned to school, obtained the necessary teaching credentials and...

Ricky Reidling discusses his life as a filmmaker, writer, actor and creator of the Cable series BOYSTOWN, the feature film HEELS and T.V. pilot SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL. 04.12.2022 30:20

Send us Fan Mail RICKY REIDLING Ricky was born in the small southern town of Winder, Georgia on May 15th. Doing local theater productions since he was a kid he got his first real break when he was 15 when he was asked to audition for "Annie Get Your Gun" playing 'lil Jake, Annie's brother. He won the audience's over with great reviews to follow. Ricky continued acting in v...

Tom Grissinger discusses his grief process after the death of his partner, fathering kids for four lesbian couples, his game show experiences, crazy dates and getting into storytelling. 30.11.2022 33:15

Send us Fan Mail I met Tom Grissinger online more than 20 years ago. We had initially considered dating but that didn't work out. We remained friends over these many years. In this episode, he discusses the rather unique grieving process he used in dealing with the unexpected death of his partner Kelly Turner. We bounce around on many topics, including why he chose to father four children...

Alex Stratikis was diagnosed with autism at age 6. Today he writes about his travels abroad, encouraging others with autism to travel. And he coaches those involved in the travel industry on how to best serve autistic individuals. 27.11.2022 26:52

Send us Fan Mail Who is Alex Stratikis? Here's his story in his own words: "Hi, I’m Alex Stratikis , founder of Autism Adventures Abroad. I’m a 20-something travel blogger/writer (I’m also a Japanese to English translator too!) and I just happen to have an Autism diagnosis too. I was inspired to start my blog and establish this website to encourage other young autistic people who are...

Xiaobing chats about his experience as an Artist in Residence at the Tom of Finland Foundation in LA. 24.11.2022 23:12

Send us Fan Mail XIAOBING is from China. He spent four months as an artist in residence at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles. After that experience, he's been traveling around the US. I caught up with him as a guest at my Airbnb in Palm Springs (Palm Springs Interlude). He chats with me about his art, his family and gay life in China. Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022 Opening and cl...

Vinnie Rotalo is a survivor. He watched his mother die when he was 14, struggled with drugs, became paralyzed, came back to 100% and did some gay porn. Today he's a successful trainer and spin instructor. 20.11.2022 26:10

Send us Fan Mail Vinnie Rotalo is an amazing man. He hasn't had an easy life. When he was only 14, he tried to save his mother's life via instructions in CPR given by a 911 dispatcher. After her death, he had to go live with his father whom he didn't really know. He became a trainer and was settling into a successful career with modeling potential when he became paralyzed. It to...

Rev. Dr. Jerry Troyer’s husband, also Jerry, died in 2018, after a 33 year relationship. Experiencing conflicting feelings of grief, loss and “toxic positivity,” he created a workshop titled “The Search for Inner Peace: Being at Home in the Muddy Water. 16.11.2022 33:02

Send us Fan Mail A native of San Diego County, Rev. Dr. Jerry Troyer has been a New Thought/Religious Science minister since 2007. Jerry is a founding board member and currently Director of Relationship Development for Urban Street Angels, an organization in San Diego that works to end youth homelessness by providing housing, life skills training and employment referrals to homeless transition age...

As a young man, Dan Rossi's mother was horrified when she found some gay magazines in his room and told him she was going to get him professional help. His astute response changed her mind. 13.11.2022 33:31

Send us Fan Mail Dan Rossi Dan discusses his coming out process, life on the east coast and other topics, including his vast experience heading up several large non-profits. Prior to his current job as Executive Director of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Dan was with the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, where he led the very successful Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh over 12 years. Dan is...

John Adam Di Pietro had an interesting law career in the northeast. He dove headfirst into uncharted territory around 1990 by representing an orthopedic surgeon who was immediately fired by a Catholic hospital after he tested positive for HIV. 09.11.2022 29:13

Send us Fan Mail John Adam Di Pietro John earned his J.D. degree from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to being a civil litigator for most of his career, he also brought in excess of four decades of experience in real estate, title, zoning, land use, litigation, business and municipal law to The Danek Law Firm. He has served as solicitor for many municipalities and zoning and planning b...

How do you approach life when a famous, larger than life, Oscar winning woman is your mother? LUKE YANKEE figured it out and has come into his own as a successful Producer, Director, Actor, Author, Playwright, filmmaker and so much more. 06.11.2022 36:04

Send us Fan Mail Luke Yankee Has written, directed, produced, taught, lectured and acted throughout the country and abroad. He has run two regional theatres, serving as Producing Artistic Director of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera and the Struthers Library theatre. Luke’s published plays include THE LAST LIFEBOAT and A PLACE AT FOREST LAWN , both published by Dramatists Play Service. His othe...

Merle Yost is an LMFT who thinks that most of us have missed the boat as far as our beliefs on self-love and forgiveness. He discusses these topics in his new book "Facing the Truth of Your Life". 02.11.2022 28:37

Send us Fan Mail "Facing The Truth Of Your Life" by Merle Yost The bad news: Your parents lied to you about who you are and what life is about. The good news: Most parents didn’t do it intentionally. They told you what they learned from their parents. ARE YOU READY TO: Look at the world differently? Challenge the beliefs that you were force-fed as a child? Live life on your terms, being...

Helene Verin discusses her adventures in NYC as a designer, friend of (and model for) Andy Warhol, her experiences at Studio 54 and so much more! 30.10.2022 29:37

Send us Fan Mail Helene Verin has a B.S. in Art from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and has a certificate in arts appraisal from NYU. Verin has worked for many galleries, museums as well as individual artists; including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Documenta (where she worked with Joseph Beuys), was the Edinburgh Arts Administrator, and worked for Dennis Oppenheim as his reg...

Jeff Witthuhn has always been an independent soul. Who else wears a Tommy Hilfiger shirt when hanging with his Goth group of friends? And his independent creativity led him to create the fabulous Peepa's in downtown Palm Springs. 26.10.2022 28:42

Send us Fan Mail Jeff Witthuhn Peepa's owner & designer, Jeff Witthuhn, has been a Palm Springs resident since 2016. He began his retail career in 1998 when he worked at The Gap. From there he spent twelve years at Express and then moved into a buyers position at The Bon-Ton before moving to Palm Springs and opening up Peepa’s. Peepa’s is named after Jeff’s Great Grandpa, Bud Storch. Bud...

Jared Rohrer discusses how the shame that developed in his growing up as a Mormon kept him imprisoned for decades. But he overcame that shame and he shares his ideas and views on gay sex (which may surprise many in the gay community). 23.10.2022 30:47

Send us Fan Mail Jared Rohrer is an advocate for healthy touch and sexual exploration. It is his passion to dispel shame by bringing dark things into the light and empowering people to want what they want in a way that benefits everyone’s highest good. To contact him email: jaredrdc@gmail.com Photo: Copyright Wilkinson/2022 Opening and closing music courtesy the very talented Zakhar Valaha via Pix...

Brock Bennett shares his story of escaping the prison of the version of fundamentalist Christianity that he grew up with, and is now undoing that damage and living his best creative life as a gay man. 19.10.2022 26:26

Send us Fan Mail Brock Bennett shares his story of growing up in a fundamentalist family with a preacher as his father. In this "no holds barred" interview, Brock discusses the damage done by a parent who was unable to face the true realities of life and how each person is created and who they are. He was told, and believed, that his "same sex attraction" was his thorn in the...

Prince Fleet Easton talks about how he became a "Prince". And we discuss his Star on the Walk of Fame on the sidewalk in Palm Springs and the events in his life that brought him to the point of being honored with it. 16.10.2022 36:09

Send us Fan Mail Prince Fleet Easton: Was born in Akron, Ohio where he made his singing debut at the age of 5. Soon after he began his show business career by appearing in many Broadway musical productions at the Equity Goodyear Musical Theater. He has an extensive background in dance, acting and singing. He studied at American Ballet Theater, Ballet Arts and took master classes at the world-renow...

Kevin Hanson has stories. He's a diabetic. He's survived cancer. He's gay and his family is ultra-religious. And one day he decided it was a good idea to go for a swim in the middle of Hurricane Katrina! 12.10.2022 29:20

Send us Fan Mail Kevin Hansen takes us along as he describes his upbringing in an ultra-religious family, his dealing with diabetes and his surviving lung cancer. And one day (while he was a little high), he decided to leave the moderate safety of a house that had begun to flood, in order to go for a fun swim in the floodwaters smack dab in the middle of Hurricane Katrina! He's moved around a...

Jonathan Goldman discusses his improv classes and workshops and he talks about the type of person who attends, and what they get out of it. 09.10.2022 21:32

Send us Fan Mail Jonathan Goldman Jonathan has been involved in teaching improv classes and workshops in Palm Springs for a number of years. After attending public schools in Brooklyn, NY, Jonathan then trained to be an optometrist in Boston. Upon realizing that there should be more to a career than forever saying, "Which is clearer? One or Two?", he became the first O.D. to get an M.B...

Dwayne A. Ratleff wrote "Dancing to the Lyrics"- his first-hand account as an African American gay youth growing up in the 1960's. He discusses what he saw during the riots of the late '60's after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. 05.10.2022 32:07

Send us Fan Mail Dwayne A. Ratleff Dancing to the Lyrics is a timeless and timely coming-of-age tale. Through the eyes of the young protagonist, Grant Cole, we are offered a first-hand account of an African American gay youth who perseveres in spite of personal and family obstacles as well as the larger challenges of his era. As Grant struggles to comprehend his own nature, his world, and the adul...

Jason Mannino has had a lifelong love affair with the performing arts as a performer, singer and actor. He's also a career coach, CMT and a certified conscious breath worker. And now he has the lead role in "Unbound"- a kink opera! 02.10.2022 27:15

Send us Fan Mail Jason Mannino Jason has decades of experience in multiple various careers that overlap including careers as an Executive Search Consultant, Executive Coach, Singer, Actor. In Executive Search Jason has partnered with a variety of mission-driven clients both in house and with some of the world’s top executive recruiting agencies including Korn Ferry and Koya Partners (a division...

Scott Vitale was told by his doctor that if he didn't start losing some of his 312 pounds, he was going to die. Afraid of that scenario, he began his bariatric journey down to 165 pounds. 30.09.2022 22:51

Send us Fan Mail Scott Vitale is a gay man who weighed 312 pounds when he went in for his annual check up. His doctor told him that if something didn't change in his lifestyle, he would die fairly soon. He was referred to a doctor who did bariatric surgery. Scott credits a lot of his success to the nutritionist who helped him learn to eat differently. Under her guidance, he lost 45 pounds...

The misadventures of Ted Fox's young gay life in Tennessee: The diving team, begging Jesus to change him, relatives in denial, becoming a trampoline champ, working as a dancer and actor, a failed weed heist and other misadventures. 28.09.2022 32:32

Send us Fan Mail TED FOX The misadventures of Ted Fox's young gay life in Tennessee: early childhood adventures, a very flamboyant piano teacher, the diving team, begging Jesus to change him, travel, relatives in denial, becoming a trampoline champ, working as a dancer and actor, getting busted for weed, and other adventures! And of course all those adventures have given him great memories an...

"The doctors were able to put the bones back together, but they didn't put my life back together..."Peter Bedard: Author of Convergence Healing. 25.09.2022 38:17

Send us Fan Mail Peter Bedard, M.A., C.Ht Author of "Convergence Healing- Healing pain with energetic love". "The doctors were able to put the bones back together, but they didn't put my life back together..." " Millions of people suffer from some form of chronic pain (whether it be physical, emotional, or existential), and this discomfort silently drains too many...