Great job with bringing these topics to the front lines!

Great insight into the male mind! Funny, intellectually stimulating and culturally insightful. Sad to see it end!

Thank you for bringing my faith back that men can be vulnerable and self-examining !!

This podcast is one of my top five. I learn so much about men, things I never knew. I’m grateful for how deep the conversations go!

I love this podcast. Aymann is wonderfully imperfect in his exploration of such a complicated subject that he is living through and examining with an open mind. I like that he brings us true bias and socialization into the mix and actively works to unlearn and learn. I find it most powerful when other men model what it looks like in real time to be better men and challenge dominant ideas of masculinity and manhood. Also - big plus for bringing his culture and lives experience as a Muslim man into the conversation. A breath of fresh air.

I very happily stumbled across this podcast. I’m a middle-aged, Christian white woman, so may not exactly be the target audience of Man Up. The title of Wednesday’s episode, “Why Can’t My Wife And I Pray Together?” was enough for me to stop and listen. The host, his wife, and guest are all questioning, traveling this journey together. It’s hard to question a faith you love, not because you doubt it, but because you do love it. And you want to share the sermon/prayers/religious experience with your loved ones together....in the same room....at the same time. All are lovely thoughtful speakers.

So glad this podcast exists

Aymann covers such interesting and refreshing topics. His openness to change and new ideas makes me feel more optimistic about men (no offense to men). I love that he recognizes things that he is uncomfortable with (i.e. letting women pay for dates, getting a vasectomy, etc) and confronts those feelings of discomfort. He also has various guests on the show who add unique perspectives and knowledge. Try out a quick episode and I bet you’ll enjoy it. Thanks for making these awesome podcasts Aymann!

I recommended the "how to cry" episode to a professor friend of mine to share with her students. I'm enjoying the newer episodes where he talks to guests about changes they want to make in their lives.

I hope you’re so proud of what you’re doing through this podcast! I’m a 23 year old Hispanic cisgender female and I listen to every episode! I did my undergrad in psychology and many of these topics are right on point with the conversations that need to be had in society right now. I really enjoyed your episode on yoga. Your guest brings really great insight into the ripple effect of generational impact of stigma. I loved his sharing of the black American perspective, especially. Keep doing what you’re doing!

The podcast has good intentions, but isn’t really saying much that hasn’t been said countless times already. And season two’s subject matter is a bit iffy so far

I really love this guy's show, he has great content that is interesting for me.

As a queer, Latinx woman, I really appreciate this refreshing, authentic examination of the ideas surrounding what it means to, “be a man.” I’ve shared episodes with my former partner, as well as male and female friends. Such a humble show that sincerely aims to understand: no holier-than-thou preaching, no shaming, just honest dialogue and discussion. Great work!

I think what you’re talking about is extremely important. I am an older white woman. Born and raised Jewish, in my family racism was not even an option. Wrong. Period. Unfortunately, I see “driving while Black” rampant in my small New York City. I see and feel the beating down and constant worry hurting all my dark male friends. And I see and believe that most Caucasian’s think it’s not real. It’s simply not happening. You are educating, and I think that’s the only way to make progress. Kudos! I know I’m not your target audience. I’m a Jewish 65-year-old woman. I’ve been listening for a while now. Great content and delivery. I feel like you’re keeping abreast about issues mostly younger people deal with today. The time episode was, I’m sure, helpful for everyone including me. Keep up the good work. And remember that rushing about only creates anxiety and guilt. All the best...

Man Up is a truly excellent podcast. Even on the rare episode the falters, its imperfection is honest. The second season is, if possible, even better than the first so far! Thank you for sparking many awesome conversations with friends and family!

Super quality content. Ayman works super hard to be vulnerable and honest and authentic, and it shows up in how deep (yet really fun!!) these conversations are. I cohost a podcast on masculinity (called “Really, Bro?”- sorry for the shameless plug lol) and I really admire the depth that Ayman gets to. It’s not easy. Thanks!!

I love tuning in. Ayman challenges what is normal and I appreciate his honesty and self reflection.

He is charming and funny with a quick wit and wry sense of humor. But don’t be fooled — he’s also very smart and observant. Even topics that might sound familiar or simple get illuminated with new valence and meanings. Also succinct-even byte-sized episodes are rich and nutritious!!! Everything here tastes great!!!

Aymann, just wanted to let you know this has become one of my favorite podcasts that I look forward to! I used to work in academia doing gender and masculinities related work, including coordinating a program for college-aged men to explore the impact of masculinity on the self and others. The conversations you have on Man Up completely capture the types of thought exercises we hoped to stimulate! I love how you balance your own experiences with interviewing peers and experts and it’s very real— not “p.c.” or stuffy, or heady... its very approachable and the topics are so relevant. Love how you include women’s perspectives (but keep men at the focus), queer men, men of different races, etc. keep up the great work!

It could be argued that there is no more toxic force in our culture than the expectations that have been put on men regarding emotions, entitlement, treatment of women, lack of introspection, etc. I love that there has begun to be a shift in culture around that recently. This podcast does an admirable job of approaching topics with openness and honesty. My one gripe? This generation of radio/podcast hosts can’t get through a conversational sentence without at least one “like“, and sometimes its overuse borders on farce. But get past that and this is an awesome podcast.

Let’s face it, guys are really bad about talking about what it means to be a guy. “Man up” has that conversation, in a way that doesn’t put you off. It’s really nice to hear people talking openly and honestly about things that guys just don’t talk about, whether it’s domestic abuse or male birth control. Get ready to listen to some thought provoking ideas.

Aymann Ismail has been destined to glow up since his days at The Daily Targum at Rutgers. It was clear back then that he was thoughtful, hard-working, and meant to create great things. Every one of his projects thus far has set the bar high, and Man Up is no exception.

Fantastic, honest, and much needed conversations. My favorite episode so far is the one featuring Noor Tagouri. Thanks for a great podcast, I hope to be able to share this with my partner and other men in my life.

Love this podcast. The host and the guests are insightful and their honest and intelligent discussions have lead me to examine my beliefs and privileges and how I can do my part to not cause further harm to others. Thanks for making this!

This was a great episode. I see a lot of guys who think cleanliness, personal grooming and clothing style just as you presented it. They just aren’t aware and sometimes aren’t willing to hear that one can be so much more of who they want to be if they apply some self awareness, discipline, and maybe a little style. Taking care of one’s self in these ways can be so fulfilling in many ways. Positivity, self worth and confidence to name a few. Your podcast is interesting and insightful and always enjoyable. Thanks for discussing things men deal with in an approachable way.

I appreciate Aymann’s acknowledgment of his imperfect ways of responding to situations. He seems to be trying to unpack his biases and how the narrow definition of masculinity has affected him. That is very brave especially in our often attacking social media climate. I thought he was brutally honest about how he reacted to the right wing troll in that it did make him want to defend himself when he was triggered. I think many people edit out the imperfect ways we react and pretend we always rise above. What I feel from his podcast is that he is trying to understand himself, our culture, and to learn and grow. Sometimes the show seems to trail off at the end unfinished, but perhaps that is true to life and the conversation can keep going within ourselves.

While an interesting listen, this podcast is of little value. To start with the views expressed are highly colored by the author’s demographic - a young (?Millennial?) gay, inner city, Muslim. While this is an interesting window to look through it hardly describes me or the majority of other men in the US. I was expecting a discussion of what being a man meant in the past, what it means now, and the relative merits and detriments to this change. However, this podcast is more of a windsock to what is fashionable today. Personally I would have liked to hear about the concept of manhood in the “Great Generation” in the 1940’s, and how cultural forces such as the “Women’s Movement” and “Me Too” have sculpted it into a different form, and whether this has been positive or negative. On the positive side, I appreciated some of the authors guests, like a boxer discussing if you had to fight to be a man, and a transgender person of color talking about how the police treat him differently now he is a man. While not exactly a waste of time, the appeal of this is mainly emotional rather than learning anything of substance.

Hey nobody is perfect but I would have done the same in internet trolling moment of being attack but it’s nice to see a man try to grow in a positive manner keep doing what you do Young Drizzle

I listened to a few episodes on my Slate+ subscription and could barely get through an entire one without being super annoyed. Aymann is extremely condescending and holds so many toxically masculine views, without the awareness of what an ignorant, egotistical and homophobic place he’s coming from. He seems to think he’s always correct and basically sounds like he’s trying desperately hard to fit into traditionally masculine ideals. I love that slate tries to put out great podcasts with a diverse slew of perspectives— but this guy deserves no woke credentials. I am constantly offended by his attempt to present himself as a white heteronormative male in the form of a Middle Eastern Muslim man. Strongly advocate that slate cancels this garbage heap of a podcast.

These conversations are uniquely honest. Men being vulnerable and real with each other. This is something I have not witnessed much in my lifetime. As a mental health professional and a human being who cares about male human beings, I will recommend this again and again.

As a woman we talk and think all the time about oppressive gender stereotypes, but often fail to acknowledge the same forces that are in place for men. I love this honest, nuanced conversation about what it means to “be a man” in today’s America— and love even more that it’s from the perspective of a 2nd generation Muslim host. Great stuff.

One of my friends and I often discuss what it means to be a “real man”, he’s a dark-skinned Latino man and I’m a white woman. I was looking for a podcast to address issues of modern manhood in a surprising, nuanced, humorous and authentic way...I found it.

I started listening with the first episode but have since lost interest. The first episode was extremely relatable to me, and so was the next one. The last several episodes however have been aimed at a specific target audience and has not been very relatable. I think this show is using its platform to advocate for the rights of minority groups and to discourage typical masculine behavior. This is a noble goal, but misses the mark of being relatable to the general audience. If you fall into one of these groups or are a passionate supporter of one, this show is for you. If you are a man who is looking for a podcast that will relate to your struggles and offer solutions or ideas, move along.

The host is a really interesting guy with a cool world view. His web series Who's Afraid Of Aymann Ismail? is also super interesting - check it out to see how Muslims are treated on a daily basis! It's quite eye-opening. His experiences growing up as a Muslim man make this show all the more fascinating! Highly recommend!

I found this episode on the Slate website and have only listened to the dishes episode. I have to say, this show needs a woman editor or more women involved in the production process. You can't claim to investigate masculinity without also examining the ways masculinity affects women. I am really shocked by how much time in this episode was focused on men's guilt and how much time WASN'T focused on the women who WERE DOING THE DISHES. The only person who talked about doing the dishes was a man.......when you've already said that the women are consistently doing the dishes more in the office. Why did you choose to leave out the voices of women doing the dishes? Also I wanted to pull my hair out when Mike Pesca talked about "moving chairs"–you are missing that in the workplace, doing ACTUAL WORK is the men's work. Women are historically resigned to the domestic labor EVEN IN THE WORKPLACE. You need to do some research on domestic labor and the split work done by men and women. The research is out there, and this is a lazy excuse of an episode on gender dispartities in the workplace. I am very disappointed.

I’ve been impatiently waiting for a conversation by men, for everybody - this is it. I applaud Aymann for his honesty and genuine intent to learn. It allows for a safe space for us to explore masculinity, with nuance and complexity, and begin to deconstruct it’s toxicity. Much needed, you have my support and appreciation. Blessings on blessings 🤲🏼 -Mira

I like the podcast a lot I’d love to listen to it with my daughter as well so that we could talk about things like how previous generations used to beat the crap out of each other but now we try not to do that unfortunately can get a little vulgar at times Or simply make reference to sex which they don’t know exist yet

I’ve been listening to nothing but true crime podcasts and I needed a break. I came across Man up and I’m sure glad I did. Great radio voice with mellow beats in the background make the podcast that much better.

I really enjoy this show! I would like for it to be a little longer though. So far the topics have been great! Keep it up!

Great material, honest questions, thoughtful reflection. It’s helpful being exposed to Kelly’s reality, reflecting on how different our own may or may not have been. Hater reviewers here may have had the luxury of not ever needing to fight to survive. I certainly had that. And I don’t agree that violence is necessary to know or enter manhood but I’d allow that for some there may not be much choice. Gotta say I get a kick out of seeing how polarized some of these reviews are. Those against the Kelly show certainly have a sound that seems privileged. Let our host ask these questions. Our boys, our men, many without involved fathers, need to hear these various and differing perspectives. Let them be adults & form their own conclusions.

I love hearing this perspective on masculinity from someone holding the identities of being an American Muslim, POC growing up in a city like Newark, and working on so many hip projects in media that can surely put to question and challenge so much we believe to be true about what masculinity means to us in 2019. Funny, refreshing, thoughtful

I was looking for new podcasts to listen to and I’m so excited to start following this one! This is a continual conversation we need to be having.

Dope melodies with an interesting prospective. I can’t wait to hear next weeks episode!

And I know nothing about the host, but some guy that likes to yell owns a boxing gym and thinks fighting is unavoidable.

I believe these conversations are very necessary. It provides an opportunity to have dialogue around what we think we know and how someone else's reality can differ from our own. I related to some of the conversation and both Aymann and Kelly's experiences. If you don't agree with the podcast, I hope it can provoke you to share your views constructively. ~ Teabout~

Why would anyone want advice on how to be a man from a random man-child who has had a handful of years as an 'adult'?

It’s rare to hear honest conversations that revel in the complexities of life. Episode 1 is a refreshing take on “toxic masculinity” that does not condone or condemn. Aymann and Eric Kelly help us see the reality of being a man and help us begin to move toward being better men.

This host is brilliant and charismatic. Man Up is a searching, conscientious, fun show about how to be a good man in the 21st century, and it fills a need in our culture. Aymann hosts smart, curious, and nonjudgmental conversations about manhood, how to pursue it well, and what it means for people of all genders. Can't wait for more.

I just love the idea behind this show. By interviewing people of different perspectives and experiences, Aymann is jumbling together all these different views of what it’s really like to be a “man,” all while giving his own opinions and experiences on the matters. Ultimately, he is allowing his listeners to connect with or open up to other people’s views, forming an idea themselves of what being a man really means.

Fresh and Original, can’t wait to hear more