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PODCAST

The ClearOut

Welcome to the turbulence!Join Dara Clear, a domesticated Irishman who is trying to work out the best ways to cope with what life throws at him.Husband, father, actor, writer, teacher, karate instructor and sea swimmer, Dara wants to take the wuss out of wellness.Mixing storytelling, philosophy, humour, psychology, and emotional honesty as a recipe for increased wellness, positivity, and resilience.Become a Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

health & fitness mental health

All Episodes

52:07

Is It Okay to be Vulnerable? Yes, it is!

The ClearOut ·

2024/03/21

In this episode, Dara wants to know what vulnerability looks like. He talks about his own sense of feeling vulnerable at this time in his life and tries to contextualise that feeling in terms of age, time spent, and time left. He also reflects on fear, threat identification, and the conviction that one can be 'got'.Having started watching the provocative 2019 series Euphoria, Dara recognises that spending time in the company of beautiful people doesn't do much for his sense of vitality and

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1:14:15

That's Not My Life! or, The Elusive Human Study

The ClearOut ·

2024/03/14

In this episode, Dara is looking at life stories. Prompted by a project of his own that he is working on, he acknowledges the difficulties he finds himself facing before discussing several different lives that he has just consumed in artistic form.Before he gets into that, he spares a happy thought for the Oscar success of Cillian Murphy, rewarded for his turn as Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's eponymous film, and recalls seeing the actor in a stunning stage production over 25 years ago

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1:10:18

Understanding Brotherhood, or Why 'Bro' is not a...

The ClearOut ·

2024/03/07

In this episode, Dara is scratching his head over the idea of brotherhood. One of four sons, he feels he has a reasonably reliable perspective on his own experience of brotherhood, one he admits was not, nor continues to be, straightforward.In the online space at least, 'bro culture' seems to be thriving, and certainly in the world of podcasting there is a prolific number of shows hosted by male friends and featuring largely male guests. Many of these shows are extremely popular and successful in a

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51:02

Was That Absolutely Necessary? or, Keeping Calm in an...

The ClearOut ·

2024/02/29

In this episode, Dara is rolling over some recent themes. He is convinced that cultivated internal calmness is a key part of responding healthily to the chaos of the world. When he talks about the importance of a 'proportional response' to whatever afflicts us, he acknowledges the connection of that idea to the philosophy of traditional martial arts practice. The implication of control is central to that idea and it is why Dara doesn't have a lot of love for UFC competition, where that restraint is

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1:11:47

Take Me To Church, or The Honesty of a Good Punch

The ClearOut ·

2024/02/22

In this episode Dara tries to understand the connection between the advancement of AI-generated images and his desire for the simplicity and austerity of certain places and practices. There is something about the ornate and ostentatious perfection of AI images that reminds him of the roots of the Protestant movement as a response to the grotesque greed and riches of the Catholic Church.Thinking of the aesthetics of traditional Protestantism puts Dara in mind of the stripped-back design of karate

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1:06:15

Identifying The 'Write' Voice - The Joy of Creative...

The ClearOut ·

2024/02/15

In this episode, Dara reflects on a few days spent at a writers' retreat and his attempts to slip into a writing flow. Among other things, he talks about identifying his preferred voice, the subject matter he finds himself drawn to, and trusting that his own process would reveal to him what he should be trying to write. He describes as luxurious the gifts of headspace and optimal conditions for creativity.While away, Dara rewatched for the first time in many years 1968's royal melodrama, The Lion In

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1:03:36

One Movie, One Concert, One Show - The Ineffable...

The ClearOut ·

2024/02/08

This episode does exactly what it says on the tin. Dara settles in to discuss a film he just watched, a concert he just attended, and a theatre production he recently saw. The film was Paul Thomas Anderson's underappreciated 2002 dark comedy, Punch-Drunk Love, which was notable at the time for giving Adam Sandler a leading dramatic role. Upon rewatching, Dara realised how much like a musical it was, and also a layered love letter to other movies and genres. Having a male protagonist who can barely

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1:04:29

Innocence, Sex, and Sophistication: Who Do We Connect...

The ClearOut ·

2024/02/01

In this episode, Dara responds to a music podcast he found surprisingly moving by exploring the idea of connection. Why do certain things or people connect with us more powerfully than others? What is it that speaks to us about a particular individual, or their work? And what is it about music and musicians and movies and actors that can so enrapture us?Dara argues that it is all about relationships and a lot depends on when you meet and what's going on for you at that time. He turns his focus to

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1:08:11

The Absolute 'Ick' Episode - Going Granular on My War...

The ClearOut ·

2024/01/25

WARNING: The content of this episode may be confronting and/or triggering as it contains detailed references to suicidal ideation. The subject is treated respectfully and carefully, but unambiguously.In this very personal and occasionally difficult episode, Dara decides he can't not examine his near four-decade-old impulse to destroy himself. A follow-on from last week's episode in which he spoke more generally and euphemistically about a recent onset of anxiety-fuelled depression, this time he

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50:05

Existential Framing: Pathways, Destinations, and...

The ClearOut ·

2024/01/18

In this episode, Dara tries to remind himself of the existential power of understanding life as an unending path that leads to endless unknown destinations. In relation to a recent rough mental health episode, he is also happy to be reminded that the path of life will continue past the present moment, no matter how challenging it might be.Dara discusses destinations, end points, and arrivals in the context of conventional capitalist-materialist thinking. He wonders if we're not better off accepting

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1:07:15

Turning 50 - If I'm Calm, It's the Jedi's Fault!

The ClearOut ·

2024/01/11

Dara has just turned 50, and in this episode he lets his mind hover over the moment in an attempted stocktake. Even as he argues for gratitude, he acknowledges how challenging the world is right now. This leads him to consider whether enough weight is attached to softer impulses and emotions. In these times of fracture and isolation and estrangement, should we attach greater significance and worthiness to love and positivity and connection?Reflecting on his life to date, Dara talks about the

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1:22:10

2023: The Year in Screentime - Fantastic Plastic and...

The ClearOut ·

2024/01/04

Dara reviews his year in watching on screens big and small over the last twelve months. Some of the obvious big 2023 releases are covered, including Oppenheimer, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon and Anatomy of a Fall, but also mentioned are older movies that were watched during the year at home - Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr.Ripley, for example, or Paul Schrader's Hardcore.Dara also looks back at TV and documentaries he took in, as well as the considerable number of children's films he

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58:34

Maestro! Bradley Cooper's Bravura Take on Bernstein

The ClearOut ·

2023/12/28

Following the previous episode's last-minute production, Dara does another late night recording, this time in the wind and rain, with at least two interruptions from a sleeping dog. He's determined to maintain his line, and that means he refuses to put out another delayed episode.This week it's all about Maestro, Bradley Cooper's biopic of the American conductor and composer, Leonard Bernstein. Dara enjoyed the film so much he watched it back to back. He tries to explain why he found it so

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55:19

The 2023 Christmas Special!

The ClearOut ·

2023/12/24

In this hard-fought-for episode, Dara soldiers on alone to deliver this year's Christmas special.Coming in at the eleventh hour, Dara presents a brand new story that he completed only a day before recording. An old woman lies stricken on the floor of her hallway. Who will come to her aid, and will she welcome their assistance? A meeting of minds old and young that reveals an unexpected commonality, it is a nice alternative tale to more conventional fare. And also funny, although that depends on what

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1:11:04

Sappy, Silly, and Sombre: Three Tales for Festive...

The ClearOut ·

2023/12/14

In this episode, Dara jumps in feet first to Christmas tales of yore. Reading from a compendium of Yuletide tales, he selects two contrasting entries that brought some balance to proceedings. The first is A Christmas Inspiration, a sweet and somewhat sentimental tale by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables) of a group of young women coming to the aid of a lonely cohabitant of their boarding house. The second moves as far and fast as it can in the opposite direction, depicting the bloodless revenge

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1:07:30

The Value of Human Life, or A Strange Form of Diplomacy

The ClearOut ·

2023/12/07

In this episode, Dara has further thoughts on the ongoing Middle East conflict after listening to the concerns of a good friend who has a certain amount of skin in the game. He wonders if a peaceful end will ever be possible when key combatants on both sides are so determined to eradicate each other. It raises the existential question of what value one human life has over any other.The deaths occurred in the last week of a great Irish songwriter and iconic performer, as well as a German-born US

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59:25

The Dublin Riots: The Denial of Dignity and the Rage...

The ClearOut ·

2023/11/30

In this episode, Dara tries to get his head around the riots that took place in Dublin recently after a violent knife attack on young children outside their school in the middle of the day. The subsequent outpouring of shock and anger escalated into a night of destruction, rioting and looting in the city centre, fuelled by anti-immigrant rhetoric.Dara wonders about the bad actors involved in inciting the riot, the larger connection to the rise of populism and ultra-nationalism that seems to be

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1:05:53

Don't Come Out Until You're Sorry, or To Whom Do You...

The ClearOut ·

2023/11/23

In this episode Dara admits he didn't realise it was International Men's Day, and a tweet suggesting what men should be reflecting on for the big day triggered something defensive in him.Before examining that reaction, Dara talks about a recent night in with his cousin and their respective daughters that didn't go quite as he anticipated, but was arguably the better for it.In the context of sexual politics and the male perspective, Dara revisits and very much enjoys the 1971 Mike Nichols film Carnal

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1:11:10

Zionist Intransigence, Pop Star Isolation, and the...

The ClearOut ·

2023/11/16

In this episode, Dara reflects on some Jewish insights into the Israel-Palestine conflict which he found both helpful and inspiring. He posits that in the act of dehumanising Palestinians, Israel ends up dehumanising itself, which is its own kind of tragedy.Dara considers the interpretations of the phrase 'our shared humanity'. He argues that it could be taken as good or bad, but explains how it informs his own essentially positive outlook. He connects it to the idea of where we allow our energy to

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1:14:46

Don't Turn Off the Lights! or, Have You Made Room for...

The ClearOut ·

2023/11/09

In this episode Dara reveals that he is unaccustomed to the comfort of pajamas. This fact is relevant to a very recent late-night incident that he shares. That same incident concluded with an inherent contradiction relating to the presence of both love and rejection.In acknowledging that tension, Dara begins to talk about romance as a form of idealism. He argues that the conscious demonstration of love, regardless of the recipient, is an act of romance that is tethered to an idealised concept of

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228 results

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