This episode welcomes the return of Mark Cusack, ICF Coach and founder of the support site “Not Defining”, to discuss his new book, Fluid: A Guide For People With Flexible Sexuality. (Finally, someone who can define one of the most commonly-used labels on this show!) We chatted about fluidity, what it means, how it’s shown up in our lives, and why it can be a helpful way to think about the sexuality spectrum – among other spectrums.

Don’t miss 17 minutes of bonus content with Mark on Patreon! We chatted about his teenage self, the cultural history of fluidity (fascinating topic), and more: https://www.patreon.com/robertbrookscohen

Buy Mark’s book, Fluid: https://uk.jkp.com/products/fluid

Mark’s website: https://www.notdefining.com/

NotDefining on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCct1pE5fNVUdIR1aw3wxPew

@NotDefining on IG: https://www.instagram.com/notdefining/

Rob’s Website: https://www.robertbrookscohen.com/

Free 25-minute intro call with Rob: https://calendly.com/robertbrookscohen/25-minute-free-intro-call

This week I chatted with Jon McCray Jones and Natalie Moe, organizers of “$luts Party”, a monthly sex-positive rave that centers bi and queer people in the Chicago nightlife scene, and hosts of the Fun with $ex Podcast. We talked about their experiences attending play parties all over the world, how “Two Bi Guys” helped Jon recognize and explore his bisexuality, why they decided to create bi-inclusive and fluid-focused rave and play parties, what those parties are really like, and how that scene promotes self-discovery for individuals as well as new ways of being in relationships.

For 20+ minutes of bonus content with Jon & Natalie (on masculinity, consent, the wildest things they've seen at play parties, and more) plus full video and early access to all episodes, subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robertbrookscohen

Sign up for group coaching with Rob: https://calendly.com/robertbrookscohen/group-coaching-community-building

Rob’s website: https://www.robertbrookscohen.com/

$luts Party on IG: https://www.instagram.com/slutspartychi

$luts Party Linktree (events, tickets, podcast, etc.): https://linktr.ee/slutspartychi

Fun with $ex Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fun-with-sex-podcast/id1742478612

Fun with $ex Podcast on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fwspodcast

My guest this week is Wayne Scott, a writer, psychotherapist, and teacher who recently published a new memoir, “The Maps They Gave Us”, which tells the story of a man and woman who fall in love again on their way to getting a divorce. We chatted about what it was liking knowing you were bisexual during the AIDS crisis, the unique circumstances under which he met and committed to his wife, the role bisexuality played in his marriage, why they came very, VERY close to divorce, why they decided to try opening up their marriage (and how they navigated that), and how this arrangement led to new forms of love, understanding, and partnership.

There are 10 minutes of bonus content with Wayne on Patreon, plus full video episodes: www.Patreon.com/RobertBrooksCohen

Sign up for group coaching: https://calendly.com/robertbrookscohen/group-coaching-community-building

Order Wayne’s book, “The Maps They Gave Us”: https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/the-maps-they-gave-us-one-marriage-reimagined/

Wayne’s website: https://www.waynescottwrites.com/

Get 45% off the Magic Mind bundle with with my link: https://magicmind.com/biguysJAN #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance

Welcome to Season 9 of Two Bi Guys! I’m trying some new things this season, including a super-sized episode all at once instead of split into two! This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Mike Joseph of the Detoxicity podcast for a crossover episode on mental health, queerness, and psychedelic therapies. You’ll hear Mike’s story about navigating his own queerness as he grew up in the 80s as well as his insightful thoughts on what men really need in our current climate. After that, we discussed Mike’s journey with ketamine as well as my recent plant medicine work. Enjoy!

Mike’s website: https://www.mike-joseph.com/

Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikejosephcoaching/

Detoxicity podcast: https://detoxpod.podbean.com/

The Detoxicity episode Rob was on in Dec 2023: https://detoxpod.podbean.com/e/detoxpod-153-robert-brooks-cohen-screenwriterauthor/

Radiolab episode about neuroplasticity: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?i=1000676210394

Rob’s website: https://www.robertbrookscohen.com/

Rob’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robertbrookscohen

Free 30-minute coaching session with Rob (extended through end of Feb 2025): https://calendly.com/robertbrookscohen/meeting-with-rob

Time to take a look back at 2024 before we move into the new year! My year was transformative, and I hope 2025 brings you even more peace, progress, and love. This isn't exactly a "best of", because all my guests are the best, but more of a year in review, six clips that are really resonating with me at the moment. Enjoy!

Until January 10, take advantage of discount pricing for one-on-one coaching! I specialize in helping bi, queer, non-monogamous or questioning people navigate challenges surrounding identity and relationships. Learn more and book a free 25-minute intro call at my website: www.robertbrookscohen.com/coaching

Stay tuned in 2025 for more episodes of Two Bi Guys (By One Bi Guy) as well as new courses and coaching offerings. Happy new year!

This week features part two of my chat with Aaron Hammersly, filmmaker and production executive at Disney, board member on the LA Bi+ Task Force, and outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, working especially for more inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera. In this episode, we continued discussing “Bi+ Narratives: A Guide to Authentic Representation in Storytelling”, the first comprehensive guide to portraying bi+ characters in film and television, which Aaron co-authored, diving into dozens of case studies of bi+ representation in the current film & TV landscape (like Schitt’s Creek, Heartstopper, Game of Thrones, Call Me By Your Name, Baby Reindeer, and many more), what they’re doing well, what’s backwards or harmful, what’s missing, and what we’d ideally like to see in the future. We also discussed the “manic pixie bi boy” trend, and finally we went through the guide’s test for creatives to determine if what they’re producing is authentic Bi+ representation.

Thanks for listening to season 8 of Two Bi Guys (By One Bi Guy)! We’ll be back in 2025!

Get Magic Mind at 50% off with this Black Friday offer, available only through my link until December 6th: https://magicmind.com/biguysbf

Follow Aaron on IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretsyrin/

The Bi+ Narratives Guide: https://www.rewritethebiline.com/bi-test

“Manic Pixie Bi Boys”: https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/the-manic-pixie-bi-boys

This week I sat down with my friend Aaron Hammersly, filmmaker and production executive at Disney, board member on the LA Bi+ Task Force, and outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, working especially for more inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera. Earlier this year, Aaron co-authored Re-Write the Bi-Line’s “Bi+ Narratives: A Guide to Authentic Representation in Storytelling”, the first comprehensive guide to portraying bi+ characters in film and television.

In this IN-PERSON (!!) interview, we talked about Aaron’s queer journey; “the social insidious nature of biphobia and bi erasure”; why it’s difficult to represent queerness within the major studio system and in our current climate; the costs and benefits of being out at work for writers, producers, and other creatives; why it’s unfair and unproductive when writers’ rooms fill a “diversity slot” instead of valuing diverse identities and experiences across the board; and how Aaron got involved with “Still Bisexual”, “Rewrite the Bi-Line”, and co-author Christina Fialho in order to write the Bi+ Narratives Guide.

We then dove into the recommendations in the guide (like “if the audience does not know if the character is bi+, we cannot change the narrative for bi+ people”, and “expand opportunities and empower new voices”), and we began to discuss case studies of bi+ representation in the current film & TV landscape. Stay tuned for more with Aaron in next week’s season finale when we continue going through the guide!

Magic Mind: You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code TWOBIGUYS20 at checkout. You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/TWOBIGUYS20

The Bi+ Narratives Guide: https://www.rewritethebiline.com/bi-test

Follow Aaron on IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretsyrin/

“Manic Pixie Bi Boys”: https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/the-manic-pixie-bi-boys

SURJ: https://surj.org/

DSA website: https://www.dsausa.org/

Follow Vera on IG: https://www.instagram.com/verawestenberg/

Follow Leroy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/leroyduivenvoorden/

Marketing Schmarketing: https://www.marketingschmarketing.nl/

“One Thing Does Not Exclude the Other” (Vera & Leroy’s podcast) on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/het-een-sluit-het-ander-niet-uit/id1615666895

Leroy’s photos from the Bi+ Netherlands Pride Boat: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg_cgA1o1Wh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Vera’s photos from the Bi+ Netherlands Pride Boat: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChACzpmICKF/?img_index=6