If You're New to The Manifest, Start Here
What You can Find on the Manifest & How to Manage Your Subscription
About The Manifest
Think of this as a ship. I’m like Odysseus, trying to get back to my own version of Ithaca. Subscribers sail with me, ticketed passengers whose names are documented on the vessel’s manifest. Together, we’re making our way to a better place.
I’m writing a book to present a new paradigm for manhood – one that supports women as much as it empowers men, and that compels men to reclaim their hearts in a culture that demands that they abandon themselves emotionally from the time they are little boys.
I joined Substack in late 2022 because I wanted a place to publish short essays derived from that manuscript, which I’ve been working on for several years.
About Tom
I am an internationally certified alcohol and drug counselor (ICADC), with a small business where I provide private coaching and consultation services for people affected by addiction and related issues. I began my career in this industry in 1998, with what is now the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. I offer recovery coaching for individuals, family coaching for people with loved ones who suffer from substance use disorders, and transitional coaching for people amid significant life changes.
Alcoholism has plagued my family for generations. At age 23, I wandered into that same Hazelden facility in West Palm Beach, Florida where I trained as a counselor a few years later. From the beginning, I committed to the continuous pursuit of personal growth and eventually resolved that my life purpose would be to help other people have better lives.
As a man in long term sobriety, I became a husband, a father, a divorcee, a single dad, and, 10 years later, a much better husband than before. These experiences, and all they entail, have informed my writing and my work as an addiction professional.
You can read more about me here.
Subscriber Benefits
Readers can access nearly everything I publish at no charge. Free subscribers can redeem an offer to unlock one paywalled post. I also offer a seven-day free trial for those interested in a paid subscription. More often than not, when I promote a piece that is behind the paywall, on Notes, or in another post, I unlock it first.
Paid Subscribers Gain Access to the Following
Occasional written posts only available, or available first, to paid subscribers; this includes short selections from the aforementioned manuscript
The Vault, a collection of over 250 posts described in detail below, which includes audio from over 150 uncut podcast interviews
Over 60 episodes of The Path to Authenticity only available to paid subscribers
Archived posts that automatically go behind the paywall six months after publication
More to come
If there is a piece I’ve written that you would like to read, and, for whatever reason, you cannot access it, please reach out to me in the chat.
I began publishing in earnest with The Manifest in early 2023. By then, I had been producing a weekly podcast called The Path to Authenticity for nearly five years (more on this later). I decided to take a break from podcasting and focus on writing, which I have been doing for as long as I can remember, and more specifically, writing that manuscript.
Over time, The Manifest has become my creative home. This is where I publish essays on personal growth, emotional intelligence, men’s issues, the relationship with self, modern dating, and anything that doesn’t fit better in a different place.
I’ll explain what I publish where below.
This is where I publish reflections on life in long term sobriety. I also relate personal experiences in the interest of helping other people find the sober path and stay on it. Hopefully, what I write in this section can offer insight to people who love someone in the throes of a substance use disorder and help them better understand the affliction. Occasionally, I publish a piece to help people navigate the often-choppy waters of addiction treatment.
A few years ago, I began entertaining the idea of creating a podcast, not only about addiction or recovery from it, but about what it’s like to live in long term sobriety. I am now beginning production of that show, also called The Sober Path.
Stay tuned.
I usually publish The Memo at least once a month.
Each installment begins with a compelling quote. I share some related commentary, often regarding something going on in the world or in my life.
I create and share Spotify playlist to accompany each post. Here is one of those playlists, from December 2024.
In the interest of emotional literacy, I post a new definition in what I call the Glossary of Feelings. Paid subscribers can access the entire Glossary of Feelings, with definitions from each edition of The Memo.
I offer a writing prompt that might help you connect to your heart. It is usually related to the quote, the commentary, or both. Paid subscribers can access the journaling prompts from every edition of The Memo (32 and counting).
The Path to Authenticity is a podcast for people looking for more from life. It starts from the premise that our true power comes from our individuality. I interview various types of writers and artists as well as therapists, coaches, teachers, entrepreneurs, and professionals of all kinds. My guests possess one common trait. They’re people who know who they are. We talk about what makes them who they are, how they became who they are, and how we might become truer expressions of who we are.
As of March 2025, I have published 228 episodes. More than 60 of those episodes ares only available to paid subscribers. I plan to produce new episodes in video in 2025.
This episode with the world-renowned philosopher and author Sri Preethaji is one of my favorites.
The Vault consists of over 250 audio posts exclusively available to paid subscribers.
This includes…
over 150 unedited interviews for The Path to Authenticity, previously available to paid subscribers on Patreon
unedited interviews for, and unreleased episodes of, 20 Questions, previously available to paid subscribers on Patreon
unedited recordings from production of all eight episode of Men Who Talk as well as recordings from the Clubhouse app for other, unproduced episodes of Men Who Talk
readings of my published work
readings of the work of writers like James Baldwin and Mike Royko
written work previously published on Medium
nearly 50 short audio dispatches previously available to paid subscribers on Patreon
unreleased podcast episodes available only to founders level subscribers
20 Questions includes podcast episodes and written posts. More of each to come soon.
Originally, guests of The Path to Authenticity, answered these questions in simple, written form. I pose the same set of questions to each guest. It’s my take on the Proust Questionnaire.
In the podcast, I speak to men and women from around the world and from various walks of life. There are 14 free episodes available now. I plan to produce new episodes in video in 2025.
Paid subscribers can listen to unproduced episodes of 20 Questions in The Vault.
A number of written posts created from the responses to the questionnaire are available now, some behind the paywall and some not. More are scheduled for publication in 2025.
The Men Who Talk podcast is an eight-part series of conversations on men and intimacy.
It’s hosted by me, Tom Gentry, ICADC, and features Ed Tilton, MPA, CAC II. It was recorded live on Clubhouse in the fall of 2022, and is brought to you by Begin Again Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
It’s available here, on Substack, and, like all of my podcasts, available on all major podcast platforms.
Paid subscribers can listen to the complete recordings for season one, as well as other Men Who Talk conversations that took place on the Clubhouse app, in The Vault.
The Just a Thought podcast consists of brief passages from my writing published in The Manifest.
Each of the 10 episodes is three to five minutes long. Several more, unpublished episodes are available to paid subscribers in The Vault.
Thanks for reading. Let me know in the comments if you have questions. Or just say hello.
