Reaching Out with Michael Constable

On this week’s episode we chat with Justin Landsman! I’ve been looking forward to talking to him on the podcast for a while – not only because of his coming out story, but also because he’s a super talented film photographer! We actually spend the first chunk of the show talking about photography where we discuss our creative processes, the differences between our shooting styles (he shoots film w...

What a special episode we have this week, featuring an old friend of mine from college, Emily Sklar (she/her)! Okay, Emily and I go all the way back to freshman year of college when we met in the greek system at Michigan State.  I was her sorority’s bus boy all throughout college and we both think this is the first time we’ve caught up “in person” since. In most of the stories we’ve had on the sho...

This week we have the absolute pleasure to hear from Michael Lee (he/him)! Michael grew up in a military family, which meant that he was bopping around the literal globe every few years.  He describes what that meant for him in terms of his coming out journey -- including certain advantageous cultural norms that may have helped confirm he was not destined to be with a woman. One of the most fascin...

On this week's episode we chat with David Lopez! David shares what it was like for him growing up as LatinX in rural Texas as a devout member of the Catholic church – and we’re talking some significant involvement at a very young age. He tells us about the internal conflict that was brewing inside of him as a high schooler where he basically felt like he had to choose between being true to hi...

We've got such a special episode for you this week as it features our first returning guest, Blake Mitchell!   In Episode 2, we were told all about what were essentially Blake's two coming outs: first coming out as gay as a teenager, and then coming out as a drag queen years later as an adult -- both to mixed reviews.  Blake also touched on the concept of non-static identity and how we a...

In this week’s episode we chat with a new friend of mine and first fellow Michigander on the podcast, Ames Ghani! Ames and I met a few months ago when we were both traveling through Mexico City and shortly after meeting, we found ourselves deep in a conversation about our coming out stories (classic me). Ames tells us what it was like growing up as an Arab-American in a predominantly Arab-American...

We're back with Part 2 of Andrew Coconato's coming out journey! As a refresher, you can think about Part 1 as Andrew's journey to finally coming out to himself (which finally happened after a close encounter with a wild bear while on a hike with his brother and friend), while Part 2 is his journey to finally "tapping into his colors" as he finally says bye to Florida and m...

In this very special two-part episode we sit down with professional vibe maker, Andrew "Coco" Coconato! Andrew is the visionary behind the impossibly catchy and stellar vibes-inducing dance experience that is Bob's Dance Shop (go check them out on TitTok or IG... I'll wait!).  In part one of his story, we focus mainly on Andrew's journey to coming out to himself.  He touch...

Grab your handbells, folks, because on this week's episode we dive into the topic of shame *bell sound* with none other than the shame sommelier himself, A.J. Bond! I am so excited to have A.J. on the podcast because his podcast, Discomfortable, was a huge help for me while coming out (linked my favorite gay-themed episodes below!). Having him on Reaching Out was such a fun full circle moment...

In this week’s episode, I chat with one of my very first gay friends, Ryan Killian Krause! Ryan walks us through his quote-unquote “phenomenally messy, not made for a Hulu series” coming out journey.  He talks about how he wrestled with the feeling of needing a boyfriend while coming out in order to validate his new queer identity and then about the freedom queer people have to redefine relationsh...

In this week's episode, we chat with Jessica Bedussi! Jessica shares her coming-out story with us on today's episode, and in doing so, she covers so many interesting themes and topics: How labels or boxes like "gay" or "lesbian" or "bisexual" were able to open up her mind to what was possible at first, but then started to make coming out even more complicate...

And just like that, we're back, girlinas! On today's episode, we have the HILARIOUS Ross Matth -- I mean -- Nick Lehmann! I'm so thrilled to have Nick share his story with us in the most Nick way possible: with the perfect blend of humor and heart. <3 Nick tells us what it was like coming out early on in high school, why seeing an older boy (honestly, work) made him uncomfortable...

Oh my gosh, what a special guest we have this week with my year-long travel buddy and fellow gayby, Iris Crowe-Lerma! Iris and I met in 2017 when we were on the same year-long remote working travel program, Remote Year .  We bopped around the world for an entire year with a group of 50 other people, but neither of us were out the whole damn time! Iris and I  pour one out for the missed internation...

In this week's episode, we chat with someone who was a very big part of my coming out process when I moved to SF -- my friend and former coworker, Jimmy Long! In this episode, we cover the topic of being out in the workplace.  Unbeknownst to him until we recorded this podcast, Jimmy was absolutely crucial for my coming out journey as he was the one who helped me navigate being out at work bac...

Rainbow flag (n): a sign you should have known you were queer before you actually came out (to yourself or others), often times painfully obvious and frequently hilarious I get some really funny responses from people when I tell them I came out at 28 years old. Usually they want to know how I didn’t know or why it took so long, to which I say… uhhh yeah, same lolz. While I now know and believe the...

What do you get when you put two self-described inarticulate clowns together to chat for an hour? You get this week's episode featuring everyone's favourite internet complainer, Matt Bellassai, and moi! Matt tells us all about his coming out story -- including a dramatic reading of the very messages he sent his friend when he came out for the first time, how he used being a nerdy kid as...

In this week's episode, we chat with one of my first and best gay friends I made after I moved to San Francisco, Dominic Granato! Dom and I  chat about so many good topics -- like our shared failures in dating girls in college, how the vulnerability of coming out to friends and family can foster an even deeper connection with them, and how Dom was able to find safe spaces to come out while pl...

In this week's episode, I chat with one of my favorite people of all time: my friend and former go-to yoga / SoulCycle instructor, Gustavo Padron!  Gustavo is one of the most positive and motivational people I know, so it is a dream to have him on the show to share his coming out story with us. Gustavo talks about how he decided to NOT come out when he went to college and instead just live au...

Welcome to a very special episode of Reaching Out with Michael Constable!  What's special about it, you ask? Well, it was the very first recorded episode!  It was recorded before the podcast was even named (referred to generically as "the podcast" in the ep). We start out of the gates with an incredible guest -- Blake Mitchell.  Blake is a friend of mine from San Francisco and was o...

Is the title of this episode a quote from our fabulous guest about a pivotal fog-clearing coming out moment or is it my opinion about said fabulous guest after meeting her? Yes. On this week's episode, our guest, Rachel Samples, starts off by telling us about her wild past week that saw her go viral for one of her hysterical and nostalgia inducing TikTok series.  She then explains how getting...

In the premiere episode of Reaching Out with Michael Constable, Michael takes you on an epic journey -- his coming out journey, specifically. Michael walks you through his upbringing in the midwest suburbs when his goal was to fit in, his lifelong struggle with trying to date girls,  and how a year-long trip around the world was able to help him flip the switch -- literally and figuratively -- in...

Oh, hello there!  Thank you from the bottom of my silly little heart for stopping by Reaching Out with Michael Constable. Reaching Out is a podcast with the mission of making coming out easier through story sharing.  Each week I will be inviting guests from around the LGBTQ+ community on the show to share their coming out experiences in hopes that their stories are exactly what someone who is curr...