Clark Moore Wants Podcast Listeners to Feel Good

Clark Moore, best known for his work in Love, Simon and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, recently launched a weekly podcast about identity and the ways we heal ourselves.

In each episode of Soul Balm, Moore connects with leaders, creators, founders, and artists who are making a difference, all with the intention of uncovering the breakthroughs on their spiritual journey to self-discovery. Moore essentially wants to know, what makes you feel good?

In a conversational and casual vibe, Moore and his guest will discuss the ways in which they have learned to take care of themselves emotionally, mentally, and physically, as well as some of the “balms” that bring them a moment of joy. This can be a book, TV show, podcast, person, pet, meditation practice—anything that results in happiness.

New episodes drop every Wednesday, and to date, Moore has booked Adam Rippon, Hunter McGrady, Brandon Flynn, Shaun Ross, Jenni Pulos, and many more.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Moore about Soul Balm, why he started the podcast, and his passion for mental health.Hi, Clark! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your podcast, Soul Balm. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes! It kind of started in an organic way. I’ve been having these in-depth conversations with my friends throughout my life, but especially in the last year or two, I realized we were all having a collective cultural conversation about anxiety and depression. Like, low grade trauma that was constantly going unreconciled in our lives. So, I realized part of that might have been connected to the political turmoil of the last couple years, and part of it could have been, in more recent months, the pandemic. When I thought back to my entire life, these kinds of questions of how to reconcile my identity with the world around me have always been at the forefront of my mind.

The way that I have answered those questions, or that specific question, has changed depending on the community I am in or my own personal relationship with myself. I wanted to, in a selfish way, get tips, tricks, and tools from other people who were going through similar changes in their lives. Going from anonymity to celebrity, a career pivot, becoming a parent or losing a parent. That is what Soul Balm is. It is a way to talk about healing and how we learn to love ourselves.

Helping people learn to love themselves and helping with self-discovery is why you wanted to start this podcast?
Absolutely. How and what are the ways that I can do that better? I also realized that it is not a destination. There is that cliché aphorism that it’s the journey, not the destination, but it is so true. It’s a cliché for a reason. I wanted to see how other people’s journeys with self-discovery were going.

What goes into making a podcast? Is it as challenging as it seems?
It is harder than I expected [laughs]. It’s funny because I had a podcast a couple years ago in 2013 or 2014 that was very lo-fi. It had a similar kind of vibe to this one, me and a friend on a couch with my iPhone. Then in the last couple of years, there has been such a huge boom in podcasts, and now there are so many really high quality productions, that just putting a show out there, you already know there are all these elements. They say that the audience is forgiving, but when you have these amazing counterparts or comps to point to projects that are so well done and well thought out, it is easy to fall into that trap of pressing record and not know what you are going to say.

I have heard a lot of those podcasts, and there is certainly a place for those too, but I did not expect how many ongoing logistics would be involved. So, thank God I have an amazing producer named Simone Spira who helps me with my booking and the calendar aspect of it. It’s an interview show. Just as you know, our schedule is dependent on the guest’s availability, and that sometimes changes. Sometimes we are there, and the guest isn’t. Like, that is also fine, we have that flexibility built in, but it is so much more than just the conversation itself. It has been a fun adventure.

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You have had some amazing LGBTQ talent and voices on as your guests, including Adam Rippon, Keiynan Lonsdale, Hunter McGrady, and Tommy Dorfman. What do you look forward to the most about interviewing these people?
Some of them I know and I am already friends with, so getting to have in-depth conversations is great. I am a Pisces, so I am the kind of person where when I sit down to coffee, we are going to get deep. The very first question is going to be like, how are you really doing? Like I said, I was sort of already having these conversations with some of those friends, but for others, it was the first time I have ever met them. Bowen Yang for example. He and I have been internet friends for the last two years, but the first time we had a full conversation with each other beyond just like a DM or text message was the recorded interview that you can hear on the podcast. It is so fun to be able to connect with these people who I have seen around or who I have looked to and admired  and really get an in-depth understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes.

Also, that was part of the mission statement with the podcast. We wanted to be able to interview a wide variety of guests, and as you see holistically in our future lineup and some of the episodes that are coming out, you will see that we have people of all different backgrounds, but it was very important to me that this space be one that highlights LGBTQ voices, queer voices, queer voices of color. If not here, then where? I think it also provides a safe space to have these conversations within the community, rather than having to explain elements of our identities to the interviewer in order to answer the question they are really asking.You discuss with your guests ways they have learned to take care of themselves emotionally, physically, and mentally. So, let me as you, how have you been taking care of yourself, especially during these times of COVID?
It has been tough, and I think that was a big part of why I wanted to speak to these people. It is different every day. Some days, I will meditate for 30 minutes to an hour, and I am trying to meditate every single day, that is always the goal, but most days, sometimes the only meditation I get is sort of like the breathing exercise I try to do to calm my mind so I can fall asleep at night. That still counts, it’s still meditation. I have also been diving into lots of old episodes of television shows. Old meaning, they are now in reruns. Netflix recently put all of Girlfriends on starting Tracee Ellis Ross. It is such an amazing show by Mara Brock Akil in the 2000s, and I binged that entire series, like all 135 episodes, in two weeks. Honestly, that was my self-care for those two weeks. So, sometimes it’s really high-level consciousness work like meditation or reading, and sometimes it’s binge watching a television show.

Have you always been passionate about mental health?
I think in a way, yes. I don’t think I took as much care of myself when I was in high school or when I was sort of coming up. I don’t think that was as much of a focus for us culturally. Lately though, I would say since Love, Simon came out, I started to feel the pressures of wanting to be successful in this industry and started to have a taste of what it feels like to have people respond positively to your work. Then, all the anxieties that come along with being an actor. Not having control over when the parts are going to come, or when they won’t come. Turning out a great performance in an audition and then not getting the part because you’re not tall enough, or they need someone else for like any number of reasons that have nothing to do with your talent. I think reconciling that sort of lack of control feeling completely out in the wilderness alone was something that I really wanted to work on. To be able to feel grounded, full, and centered within myself as opposed to needing to get validation or fulfillment from others to feel whole and happy.

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What is the number one thing you hope listeners take away from Soul Balm?
I hope it makes them feel good. There is sort of a dual meaning in the show. The soul balm is a segment that we have at the end when I ask the guests what their actual soul balm is of the day. What is making them feel good right in this moment, but then I also hope that the show itself is a balm for people and that just listening to it makes them feel calm, seen, happy, and a little bit less alone.

And what have you personally taken away from it so far?
I am constantly shocked by how much depth people have immediate access to. There are times when I go into a call and we booked the guest because there is something interesting in their career that I like or admire, or my producer has a personal connection with them. It’s like, this is going to be a really great interview, and there have been times when I have signed onto Zoom and been like, I have no idea what we are going to talk about for an hour. Then I will blink, and an hour has gone by. I’m like, oh no, I have to ask you about your soul balm! I am so surprised by the introspection that people are doing at this time, and their willingness to share that with me and the world.Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
This is the biggest one now. I have stuff in development, which I am really excited about, but this is sort of my baby and it is taking all my time and energy. I am excited for what’s to come, for sure, but nothing I can announce yet.

To say up-to-date, follow Moore on Instagram, or visit his official website. Soul Balm is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other available podcast streaming platforms.