In episode 288 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in, for the fourth time, with Gar Lock.
Gar Lock is an Irish farmer and one of the biggest characters we’ve had on the podcast.
In our chats over the last two years, we have discussed a whole range of interesting subjects, as well as his fascinating life journey.
In our first check-in, in JCIP #196 we discussed his chequered family history, serving prison time, his journey to redemption and helping ex-prisoners turn his life around like he did.
In JCIP #225, we discussed the influence that fitness guru David Goggins has had on Gar’s life, the loneliness epidemic in men and how and where men can find meaning if the traditional route of a family is out of reach.
Finally, in JCIP #263, we had a frank and nuanced conversation about the concept of men crying, the importance of regulating and managing your emotions as a man and when is the right time to cry as a man and the wrong time to cry? We also discussed Gar’s approach to his own sons when they have cried in front of him.
In this episode we discuss the rise of a concept of ‘mankeeping’, which was coined by academics Angelica Puzio Ferrara and Dylan P. Vergara, and published by Stamford University in their study from October 2024 called ‘Theorizing mankeeping: The male friendship recession and women’s associated labor as a structural component of gender inequality’.
We also discuss the current life juncture he finds himself in, with five children and some of them flying the proverbial nest and the rest getting to that stage soon too.
We finish by discussing his programme for ex-prisoners, where it is now and where he potentially sees it going in the future.
As always, #itsokaytovent
You can listen to all of Gar’s previous episodes below:
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