Life Uncloseted With Rick Clemons

Darkness. Despair. Depression. Divorce. Sounds pretty gloomy and not anything that anyone would but on their bucket list. It was gloomy, ugly, and daunting, and the only way through was either to continue to live his life or to end it. But before ending it, he decided to do one thing that he’d said he…

If you aren’t having fun and thinking you aren’t creative, then you’re in good company. Most of us forget to have fun. Life gets in the way, demands take over, and before you know it work, eat, sleep; work, eat, sleep; work, eat, sleep. The hamster wheel is on high speed and we glaze over…

Imagine at 23 you land a gig at the White House. That may or not excite you depending on who’s sitting in the oval office, but, play along here for a moment. You got this gig at the White House, not because you had an Ivy League education, or because your family had money, or…

I know some of you are probably going to balk at this. Go ahead. Balk, balk, balk. But the truth is, most fears in life are short-lived and self-created. Think about it. When fears show up, most the time nothing happens the way we FEAR it will and then we’ve just wasted a whole bunch…

Darkness. The kind that causes you to retreat into yourself because you’ve been bullied so much you actually believe that you’re worthless. You’ve made the conscious and unconscious decision to hide and turn to a life of self-destruction and drug addiction, rather than face one more painful moment of living in this abuse. It’s a…

Let’s be clear. Transgender discrimination is discrimination, plain and simple. Lacking kindness, empathy, compassion is what Transgender discrimination represents. Those three human characteristics are all that is needed to treat people with dignity, respect, and understanding. Yet, with the newly supported Transgender Military Ban upheld by the supreme court, we’ve entered an era of lost…

We all desire to go our own way. Doesn’t matter if it is in love, work, or life in general. But there’s this little, big word that holds us back – PERMISSION. We come to the precipice of doing our thing, going our way, and then we retreat, waiting for someone, maybe ourselves, to approve…

If you haven’t been on social media or watching the news the past couple of days, there’s been a viral explosion. Not about Trump or Theresa may. It’s about razors. Or let’s say about one of the biggest consumer brands behind razors – Gillette – who just launched an ad that is garnering applause and…

Who are you? One of the biggest questions we can ask ourselves, but it is an especially big question for gay men who often find themselves caught up in the world of material goods, great bodies, and always looking to impress so that they can be accepted. But what would happen if you gave yourself…

I’m a disruptor. I’m also a believer in there is no “NORMAL.” But that’s me, and quite a few of my coaching clients, and other people that tend to hang out in my circle. We disrupt, we don’t see anything as normal, and we tend to us both those energies to continue to kick ass…

We all have our own insecurities about fitting in, in life and especially at work. It can be a frickin’ challenge when you don’t have the warm fuzzies that you can be part of the team and it gets in the way of how you contribute. Before you know it work sucks, your co-workers suck,…

Four days into the New Year. Some resolutions have already hit wall, some goals are lost in the past, and you might be struggling to even get focused. I know. I’ve been there. So here’s what I do. First, I follow my buddy Chris Brogan’s lead with his My Three Words approach to the New…

Food, shelter. Two basic needs that we all need to survive. Now imagine, fighting to be able to find a home and live in a place that makes you feel secure, only to discover that you can’t because of your sexuality or gender identity. Yes, this is true. People get denied housing and home loans…

We’ve all struggled with confidence and being who we are. Shame, guilt, comparisons all get in the way of our happiness. Then one day we discover we’ve been sucked into success as for of happiness, rather than letting our own unique freak guide us to living our passionate lives and purpose on this earth. There…

Toxic people don’t take a break at the holidays. In fact the own their toxicity and show up when you least expect it and need it. In fact, that’s part of the triggering and wake up call for us to own our IT, and to show up fully being ourselves. After another out of the…

Life keeps moving along. Her job brings you joy. She travels every chance she gets. She’s consistently doing the inner work to bring herself closer to her soul center. Looking at her from the outside you’d think this gal’s got it all together, and she pretty much does. Ah, but there’s more. Her burning desire…

Vulnerability. Everyone seems to be talking about it these days. Or maybe it’s just the circles I run in. The truth is, vulnerability is a gift. However, many people are scared to death of vulnerability, and for some, rightfully so. What I’ve learned, and what I’m sharing is that vulnerability can be many things, and…

One day you wake up and realize that self-care is not an option. It is a must. All the fun, fun, fun of drinking and partying has turned into another disastrous wake-up call on Monday morning where your child looks at you with disgust. Getting by is no longer acceptable. Drinking through it doesn’t ease…

Boy Erased, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Joel Edgerton, explores the story of the son of a Baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program after being forcibly outed to his parents. Based on the memori and true story of Garrard Conley, the film takes us on the…

It’s been awhile since we’ve done a “He said, she said” or a “Coach To Coach” segment. But when I was contact by Anne-Marie Zanzal, I knew it was time. Especially given our political climate where it appears that the far right, and maybe even the leaning right are coming after the LGBTQ community. Typically…