Travis Van Winkle on Dating, Male Friendships, and the Power of Mentorship | The Man Enough Podcast

Ever think about the Roman Empire? Well, Travis Van Winkle does—sometimes. In this week's episode, our hosts sit down with the talented actor, Travis Van Winkle, who also happens to be one of Justin and Jamey's closest friends. They dive into a wide-ranging discussion covering dating, overcoming trauma, friendship insecurities, alcohol, the Roman Empire, and the art of embracing life's imperfect timing.

When he's not gracing the screen, Travis Van Winkle devotes much of his time to his role as a Big Brother in the Big Brother Big Sister mentorship program. He opens up about his transformative experience as a mentor to his "little brother," Lyrik, and the revelation that he's more ready than ever for fatherhood. Travis shares his refreshed perspective on dating and marriage, opting for authentic human connections over dating apps while also acknowledging that the gift of marriage may not be in his immediate future.

Later in the episode, Travis shares his “curriculum for life” made up of the different challenges, learning and lessons he’s learned along the way. And Justin and Jamey reflect on Travis as a close friend, sharing heartwarming moments from their friendship, including a particularly vulnerable incident that threatened to shake their friendship early on.

Timecodes: 
0015: Travis has seen Liz on Raya 
03:37 - Introducing Travis Van Winkle 
06:13 - Travis‘s outlook on dating
11:13 - Do dating apps give us paralysis of choice? 
14:21 - When was the last time Travis didn’t feel enough?
17:10 - How would Travis describe himself to a stranger?
19:09 - Becoming a Big Brother changed Travis’ life
24:11 - Travis’s “curriculum” based outlook on life
28:10 - Justin and Travis has a “friendship breakup”
31:54 - Travis’s struggle with alcohol and weed as a teen
34:13 - Travis felt like the black sheep of his friend group 
41:56 - Do you think about the Roman Empire? 
49:44 -  Travis is okay with not being married 
1:07:20 - What does it mean to be ‘Man Enough’


Quotes:

“All of us have some kind of callus over our hearts. And part of our journey to adulthood and to maturity is dissolving that callus.” - Travis Van Winkle

“I think being genuine is my superpower” - Travis Van Winkle

“I just want to apprentice people on how to love me and I Want to be apprenticed on how to love you “ - Travis Van Winkle

“I'm 40 and I'm single and I don't shame that…just because I'm not married doesn't mean I haven't experienced the same amount of depth and love that marriages have.” - Travis Van Winkle


HOSTS:Justin Baldoni Liz Plank, and Jamey Heath

JOIN THE MAN ENOUGH COMMUNITY:
Follow: https://manenough.com/podcast
Instagram:   / wearemanenough  
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/wearemanenough
Twitter:   / wearemanenough  
Facebook:   / wearemanenough  

Subscribe to the Man Enough newsletter for behind the scenes, updates, and sneak peeks of new episodes, as well as positive masculinity content: https://manenough.com/newsletter

Read the book: https://manenough.com/books

Justin Baldoni Instagram:   / justinbaldoni  
Justin Baldoni TikTok:   / justinbaldoni  
Justin Baldoni Facebook:   / justinbaldoni  
Justin Baldoni Twitter:   / justinbaldoni  
Text Justin: +1 (310) 845-6909

Liz Plank:   / feministabulous  
Liz Plank TikTok:   / lizplank  
Liz Plank Facebook:   / feministabulous  
Liz Plank Twitter:   / feministabulous  
Site: http://www.elizabethplank.com/

Jamey Heath Instagram:   / jamey_heath_  
Jamey Heath TikTok:   / jameyheath  
Jamey Heath Twitter:   / jamey_heath_  
Jamey Heath Facebook:   / jameyjaz  
Site: http://www.jameyheath.com/

PRODUCED BY:
Wayfarer Studios: https://www.wayfarerstudios.com
Wayfarer Studios YouTube:    / wayfarerentertainment  
P&G Studios
Executive Producers: Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Tarah Malhotra-Feinberg, Marc Pritchard, Anna Saalfeld, Chris Corcoran
Producer: Kayla Nicholson