Aspire – The I Have The Right To Podcast
Aspire - The I Have The Right To Podcast
Podcast Description
Join the I Have the Right to team and thought leaders as we Aspire to eradicate sexual assault. Inspired by Co-Founder Chessy Prout’s courageous voice and memoir, I Have The Right To- A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice and Hope, co-authored by investigative journalist Jenn Abelson, our mission is to create an ecosystem of respect, education, and support for all students! Aspire is meant to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for growth -- by offering a forum for dialogue - about issues affecting our culture and the way we live, interact, love, learn and grow. Real Men, Real Conversations: Aspire touches on both sides of the coin; Co-Founder of I Have the Right To and father of Chessy Prout, Alex Prout, and High School Student Leaders and Co-Hosts, Hugh Eastman and Gabriel Viscogliosi, share their voices with discussions about what it means to be a man- does it mean being aggressive, stoic, and not taking no for an answer? Or giving your buddy a hug and telling him you love him? Alex, Gabriel, and Hugh share how, across generations, common masculinity tropes impact us all, and how we can inspire the future to act with "aspirational masculinity". They interview guests to get their perspectives, while discussing how rigid gender norms can create harmful barriers for all. All this, and more, in “Real Men, Real Conversations”. Survivor Advocacy: In the “Survivor Advocacy” segment, Co-Founder and mother of Chessy Prout, Susan Prout, and Executive Director of I Have the Right To, Katie M. Shipp, highlight the power of survivor voices in driving meaningful change. These episodes —deeply inspired by Chessy’s unwavering courage to speak out despite attempts to silence her— amplify powerful survivor stories, engage with experts, and explore the path forward in the fight for justice and safety. Listeners will gain insight into where we’ve been, where we need to go, and how we can collectively create lasting impact. Together, we’ll explore diverse perspectives to drive meaningful, lasting advocacy and build a safer, more just future for all. We amplify survivors’ voices and address the root causes of sexual violence by creating open dialogue around its causes. Each episode features a variety of guests discussing survivor experiences, the aftermath of sexual assault, healthy masculinity, and the future we envision - free from sexual assault. Let’s explore, learn, and aspire together.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast centers on themes of sexual assault advocacy, healthy masculinity, and survivor empowerment. Episode highlights include discussions on aspirational masculinity, societal pressures around failure, the emotional journeys of survivors, and the impact of rigid gender norms. Specific episodes cover topics like the redefinition of masculinity following trauma and the significance of open dialogue among young men.
Join the I Have the Right to team and thought leaders as we Aspire to eradicate sexual assault. Inspired by Co-Founder Chessy Prout’s courageous voice and memoir, I Have The Right To- A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice and Hope, co-authored by investigative journalist Jenn Abelson, our mission is to create an ecosystem of respect, education, and support for all students!
Aspire is meant to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for growth — by offering a forum for dialogue – about issues affecting our culture and the way we live, interact, love, learn and grow.
Real Men, Real Conversations: Aspire touches on both sides of the coin; Co-Founder of I Have the Right To and father of Chessy Prout, Alex Prout, and High School Student Leaders and Co-Hosts, Hugh Eastman and Gabriel Viscogliosi, share their voices with discussions about what it means to be a man- does it mean being aggressive, stoic, and not taking no for an answer? Or giving your buddy a hug and telling him you love him? Alex, Gabriel, and Hugh share how, across generations, common masculinity tropes impact us all, and how we can inspire the future to act with “aspirational masculinity”. They interview guests to get their perspectives, while discussing how rigid gender norms can create harmful barriers for all. All this, and more, in “Real Men, Real Conversations”.
Survivor Advocacy: In the “Survivor Advocacy” segment, Co-Founder and mother of Chessy Prout, Susan Prout, and Executive Director of I Have the Right To, Katie M. Shipp, highlight the power of survivor voices in driving meaningful change. These episodes —deeply inspired by Chessy’s unwavering courage to speak out despite attempts to silence her— amplify powerful survivor stories, engage with experts, and explore the path forward in the fight for justice and safety. Listeners will gain insight into where we’ve been, where we need to go, and how we can collectively create lasting impact. Together, we’ll explore diverse perspectives to drive meaningful, lasting advocacy and build a safer, more just future for all.
We amplify survivors’ voices and address the root causes of sexual violence by creating open dialogue around its causes. Each episode features a variety of guests discussing survivor experiences, the aftermath of sexual assault, healthy masculinity, and the future we envision – free from sexual assault.
Let’s explore, learn, and aspire together.
In this week's episode of Aspire – Real Men, Real Conversations, host Alex Prout is joined by three student co-hosts, Vishudh, Shreyas, and Kaiden, for a conversation with Peter Fisher. Peter is a research fellow at the Movember Institute of Men’s Health. He explains how his work looks at the social norms, identity pressures, and “man box” expectations that shape boys’ and men's behavior, especially around emotional expression and connection.
The conversation focuses on how harmful masculinity norms are formed early, reinforced by peers, schools, family systems, sports culture, and social media, and why young men often feel pressure to act tough even when it's against their own interest. Peter introduces Movember’s research on the “perception gap” and “pluralistic ignorance,” explaining how many boys and men overestimate how much others expect them to stay silent, self-reliant, or emotionally restrained.
A major theme throughout the episode is prevention through early intervention. Peter discusses Movember’s youth programs like Game Changers, which uses near-peer mentors, sports, and emotional literacy tools to help boys build healthier habits and stronger support systems. The co-hosts share their own experiences with friendship, competition, school pressure, and family relationships, grounding the conversation in real-life examples of how young men can learn to speak up, check in on others, and resist harmful norms.
They close with a hopeful message on correcting misperceptions, creating trusted spaces, and how making emotional expression feel normal can lower the barrier for boys and men to seek help and connect more honestly with others. Peter’s “I have the right to” statement, “I have the right to feel,” captures the heart of the episode’s message about emotional freedom and healthier masculinity.
For more information on Movember, please visit https://movember.com/
To join I Have The Right To's mission to create a world free of sexual violence, visit https://ihavetherightto.org/take-action/
Aspire is produced by BenHudakProductions.com
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.