Ep 121: We Finally Let a Man In! | #gotherbackpodcast

Ladies... we let a man in the house.

For 120 episodes it's been us, our people, and a lot of opinions about men. This week we finally handed one the mic, and honestly? He came correct.

Garth Gerhart is a writer, a former Mad Magazine cartoonist, an Army vet, and the author of Montana Made: How Losing My Father, My Mind, and My Patience Made Me Sort Of a Better Man. (Our favorite part of that title is "sort of." His too.)

If you have a complicated dad, a diagnosis you're scared to say out loud, or a man in your life who thinks asking for help is weakness, send this one to them.

We got your back. All of you. Even the fellas, apparently.

Get the book: Available on Amazon, at Target, Barnes & Noble, and Simon & Schuster.

Follow Garth: Instagram @garthgerhart And listen: his aunt left a one star review. We're asking the Got HER Back family to go handle that.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Cold open: "All my friends are dead"

00:00:45 Gold era, anniversary bracelets, and our first man

00:02:00 Montana Made and why "sort of" is the best part

00:03:00 Estranged since 21 and a phone call asking for $500

00:04:00 When your kid is stuck between two parents

00:05:00 The 2020 snap: a bipolar diagnosis at 45

00:07:00 Mad Magazine, comics, and betting his career on the book

00:08:00 Bozeman, wood paneling, and 40 years of memory

00:09:00 Casino, bar, casino, bar: finding empathy for his father

00:10:00 Dino turns 70 and refuses to enjoy it

00:11:00 Meeting your dad where he is (and the Colorado Bulldog)

00:13:00 Four DWIs, wild stories, and doing the forgiving for yourself

00:14:00 Ashes on the mountain: the first time he ever held him

00:15:30 The clown urn and Megan's cremation panic

00:18:00 Sisters, Beth Dutton energy, and a book they didn't love

00:19:00 Same parents, completely different childhoods

00:20:00 Parenting at 25 versus parenting at 50

00:23:00 Patience, perimenopause, and changing temperaments

00:25:00 The rules: "I'm allowed one vice"

00:28:00 The "drugs are bad" rule that delayed his medication

00:29:00 Why mania feels like a superpower

00:30:00 Old Megan versus new Megan: boundaries and misdiagnosis

00:31:00 Hyperfixation, intrusive thoughts, and the life jacket fight

00:33:00 Emergency protocol and the flight home from Hawaii

00:35:00 The stop sign that saved his life

00:36:00 Men's mental health and the stigma nobody names

00:38:00 Shame, projection, and learning your own symptoms

00:40:00 Where to get Montana Made (and please fix that one star)

👀 Check Out Our Playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6sOJxIJ-U0XDJnLYkrR5N4nMeSwplBoT&si=SOqklgdZv7k7Z6X0

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/got-her-back/id1726769772

❤️ Follow us on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/gotherbackpodcast?igsh=OWx2ajlmbXFraDBv&utm_source=qr

🖤 Follow us on TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@gotherbackpodcast?_t=ZP-8tOjiUz0Ro7&_r=1

💙 Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/share/15hZm16v7B/?mibextid=wwXIfr

#MentalHealthMatters #EndTheStigma #BipolarDisorder #LateDiagnosis #TherapyWorks #SuicidePrevention #988Lifeline #EstrangedParents #DaddyIssues #GriefAndHealing #ForgivenessJourney #NewAuthor #BookTok #Bookstagram