Shows / Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
No fluff. No judgment. Just real talk. Licensed therapist Kier Gaines brings over a decade of insight to break down what it really means to be a man today the pressure, the innovation, the grief, the joy, the grind, and the opportunities to thrive. With honest stories, actionable tips, and unfiltered insights, this is the space to level up, heal, and grow. On your terms.
Edited and produced by Idea to Launch Productions
Episodes
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 31: Who Taught Us That? Men, Boys & Consent ft. Jamyle Cannon
Let's have a conversation that a lot of men would rather avoid. What does consent really mean? Why do so many men get defensive when women share their…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 30: Is the Internet Keeping You Angry?
This week on (L)earned The Hard Way, Kier Gaines is getting into the business of online outrage, rage bait, and the way social media can quietly shape how we…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 29: Are You Parenting Your Kids or Your Childhood? ft Dr. Becky Kennedy
What if the hardest part of parenting isn't raising your kids, but confronting the parts of yourself you haven't healed? Parenting doesn't come with a manual…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 28: Surviving to Thriving ft. Charlamagne Tha God
For Black men, being strong can sometimes mean becoming the person who carries everything. You’re expected to have the answers, keep it moving, provide…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 27: You’re Allowed to Outgrow Yourself
What happens when the person you’ve always been isn’t the person you can keep being? For a lot of men, identity can become deeply connected to what…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 26: The Hard Part Is Admitting It’s Not Working.
What do you do when you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do and it still isn’t working? Therapy. Medication. Meditation. Journaling…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 25: What If Success Isn’t the Finish Line? ft. Will Packer
What happens when you finally get the thing you’ve been working for and realize the hard part isn’t over? For a lot of men, success can feel like a…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 24: Are You Asking Your Partner to Be Your Peace?
Are you expecting your partner to be responsible for your peace? We hear “I just want someone who brings me peace” all the time. But what does that…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 23: Your Job Is Not Your Identity ft. Jason Rosario
What happens when the thing you’ve always used to measure your value starts disappearing? For a lot of men, work has never just been work. It’s how…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 22: Who Told You You’re Behind?
It’s hard to appreciate your own life when you’re constantly measuring it against somebody else’s. Their career is moving faster. They bought…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 21: I Love My Kids… But I Don’t Love Being a Parent
You can love your kids with everything in you and still not love being a parent all the time. The pickups. The drop-offs. The schedules. The sleepless nights…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 20: Why Men Are Afraid to Say “I Don’t Know” ft. Dr. Dakotah Tyler
What if the smartest thing you could say is, “I don’t know”? In this episode of Learned the Hard Way, Kier Gaines sits down with…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 19: You Can't Fix People You Love
Sometimes the people we love are carrying more than we can see. A new baby. A growing career. Depression. Anxiety. Burnout. The pressure of leadership. The…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 18: Money Won't Make You Feel Safe ft Tiffany Aliche (The Budgetnista)
Money isn't just something we earn, spend, or save. It's something we feel. For a lot of us especially men money quietly becomes the measure of our safety, our…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 17: Don't Trade Peace for Pleasure ft. KevOnStage
Everybody talks about cheating like it's a morality issue.This conversation asks a different question: What are you actually risking... and what are you really…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 16: The Performance Tax: The Price Black People Pay to Succeed (Ft. Savon & Antoinette from the Can’t Afford Therapy Podcast)
Some rooms don't just ask you to show up.They ask you to perform. To soften your voice. To shrink your personality. To make yourself "easier" to digest. To…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 15: You Can Be a Good Person... and Still Be a Bad Partner
Being a good person doesn't automatically make you a good partner. In this episode of (L)Earned The Hard Way, Kier Gaines unpacks one of the biggest…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 14: Imposter Syndrome Is Lying to You Ft. Jess Hilarious
How do you know the voice in your head is lying to you? In this episode, Kier Gaines sits down with comedian, media personality, Jess Hilarious, for an honest…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 13: Are You Leading... or Just Controlling?
Are leaders born... or do they become one decision at a time? In this solo episode of Learned The Hard Way, Kier Gaines challenges one of the most common…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 12: How Much Should You Care? Ft. Crissle West
What happens when being the person everyone depends on becomes the thing that's breaking you? In this episode, Kier Gaines sits down with media personality…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 11: The Truth About Feeling Unheard in Your Relationship
Why do so many relationship problems feel impossible to solve… even when both people care? In this special mailbag episode of Learned The Hard Way, Kier…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 10: Anger Isn't What You Think It Is
Everybody says anger is a secondary emotion. But… what if its not that simple! In this episode of Learned The Hard Way, Kier takes a deeper look at one…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 9: The Invisible Load Nobody Talks About ft. Noémie Gaines
How do two people build a healthy relationship… when both of them are carrying invisible weight the other can’t fully see? In this episode of…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 8: Are You Living… Or Just Performing Survival? ft Dustin Ross
How do you know when you’re becoming yourself… instead of just surviving? In this episode, Kier Gaines sits down with media personality, comedian…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 7: What Depression Looks Like When You’re The “Strong” One
How do you know you’re struggling… when your life still looks “fine” from the outside? In this episode, Kier Gaines opens up about…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 6: Built In Public: The Cost of Being Seen ft. Ryan Clark
What happens when the life you worked for finally arrives… and suddenly everybody is watching? In this episode, Kier Gaines sits down with Super Bowl…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 5: Why You Joke About Your Pain (And Why It’s Keeping You Stuck)
What are you protecting every time you make yourself the punchline? In this episode, Kier Gaines breaks down the psychology behind humor as armor and how…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 4: Are You Listening… or Just Waiting to Respond?
You want to have the answers. You want to be solid. You want to be the one people can rely on. But here’s the question most men don’t ask…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 3: Why Men Stay Loyal to Friends Who Don't Really Know Them
Why Men Stay Loyal to Friends Who Don't Really Know Them You'd go to war for your boys. You've known them for years, maybe decades. But here's the question…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 1: The Hidden Cost of Being the Man Everyone Needs You to Be
You’ve been doing it so long you don’t even notice anymore. Adjusting your tone, softening your edges, shrinking yourself just enough to fit the…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
EP 2: This is What Patriarchy Actually Does to Men (And Why Nobody's Taking About It) (Ft. Tripp Fontaine)
Everyone’s heard the phrase “toxic masculinity.” But the moment a man hears it, his walls go up and honestly? That reaction makes sense…
- Learned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
Introducing: (L)earned the Hard Way with Kier Gaines
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