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 more closed, guarded, or fatigued. From there, it moves into something harder to name — the cost of kindness, the need for boundaries, and what happens when we give everything away and have nothing left for the people closest to us.

A central thread in this episode is self-kindness. Matt and Karl explore:

• How we talk to ourselves when things go wrong

• The first and the second voice, drawing on the 2 arrows approach

• Why many men can be brutally unkind to themselves

• Capacity, burnout, and emotional fatigue

• Boundaries at work, at home, and internally

• Parenting, partnership, and showing up with what’s left in the tank

They reflect on real examples — family life, work, falling off a skateboard — and unpack how small practices, honest conversations, and intentional pauses can slowly rewire how we treat ourselves and others.

This isn’t about a boundless ability to be nice. It’s about learning when to stop, when to centre yourself, and how to cultivate enough kindness — inwardly and outwardly — to live with more clarity, joy, and presence.

These podcasts are an invitation to reflect, not a set of answers.

We would love to hear how you navigate kindness in your life - what examples ca you share with us and the audience?

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

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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, grounded conversations between men
• Coaching, mentoring, gatherings, walks, workshops, and retreats
• Not about “fixing broken men”, but supporting inquiry, growth, and clarity
• A blend of seriousness, humour, banter, and real-life language
• A place where men can show up as they are — without performance

Matt and Karl talk about why men gathering side-by-side matters, how clarity is the red thread running through everything they do, and why accessibility, honesty, and authenticity sit at the centre of the work.

They also explain the practicalities — why The Clearing is a business, how some events are funded, the role of bursary places, and why supporting CALM, the men’s mental health charities matters deeply to them.

This episode is an invitation. To step into conversation. To walk, talk, listen, and reflect. To find moments of clarity in a world that often feels noisy and unclear.

Welcome to The Clearing.

Email us at matt@theclearing.life

Follows us here:

Instagram

Website