Ep. 349: Coming Out at 34 & Midlife Truths From a Yorkshire Shed with Paul of Paul’s Shed Talk
From a tiny shed in Yorkshire, surrounded by tools and sawdust, Paul has built a YouTube following of nearly 22,000 people by doing something simple: talking honestly about what it’s like to be a 49-year-old man who happens to be gay.
Zach first found Paul when his videos started popping up in his YouTube Shorts, and he’s been hooked ever since. In this episode, Paul shares how he spent years living a lie in a small rural town in Cumbria, going on dates with women to fit in, until a serious accident at 34 made him rethink everything. He opens up about coming out to his sister first, the overwhelmingly supportive response from his family, and the relief of finally being himself.
Paul and Zach also talk about:
- Why the shed became his “safe space” and the heart of his channel
- Growing up gay in a town of 2,000 people with no gay pubs or visible community
- Breaking the stereotype: a gay bloke who loves fast cars, engines, woodworking, and dogs
- Meeting his partner, and who’s actually better at DIY
- Whether he regrets not coming out in his twenties
- How his coming out paved the way for his nephew to come out too
- The viral, tongue-in-cheek “Sorry I’m Gay” video
- Trolls, and the community that shows up to defend him
- A viewer who emailed him ten times on his journey from closeted to out and clubbing with coworkers
- Loneliness, anxiety, stress, and the friendships men lose between 40 and 60
- How he views anti-LGBTQ+ news coming out of the US
- What he’d tell his 25-year-old self
His dream of inviting guests into the shed (if he can find a bigger one)
- Find Paul at: https://www.youtube.com/@PaulsShedTalk
- https://www.instagram.com/paulsshedtalk/
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579115649928
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ
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