URBANDALE, Iowa — When you've got a platform, it's important to also listen.
For David Cotton in Urbandale, he's reached people around the world from his podcast mic, but he's learned as well. As he's come to learn, everyone's story is different, but he's finding the similarities are building a bridge.
Cotton has been the host of the podcast "Out Late with David" since August of 2023.
"It just resonated," he said. "Yeah… you're out late and you're with David. It was kind of fun."
In today's world, there's a sea of podcasts. Still, "Out Late with David" stands out from the crowd.
"This is something where I know there are men out there like me who are trying to figure out themselves," Cotton said. "They feel alone. They feel shame. They feel guilt."
As he describes his home setup to Local 5, Cotton also walked through his process with each guest.
"I have a blackout curtain," he explained. "If I just know enough and then let them tell the story."
He's helping share similar stories from around the world, talking with men from Mexico all the way to Australia.
These are stories Cotton can relate to as a now out and proud gay man in his mid-60's.
Getting to this point wasn't an easy journey. Originally from Newton, Cotton dedicated nearly half his life, about 30 years, to serving in the Air Force.
"I was a colonel at the time so this was the Saudi colonel rank and we wore that on our pockets," Cotton said as he told the story, each memory hanging on a wall in his house.
In chronological order, the tokens from his time in the military includes his accomplishments as a brigadier general and the personal letters from four different United States presidents.
"It tells my story to me. It's my story on a wall," Cotton said. "I look at this too like, the kids were born here. My children were born in Germany."
During that time, Cotton was married with kids and looked like a typical American family. But after retiring from the military and corporate jobs, Cotton took a life-changing step in 2019.
"I got to a point where I got so depressed trying to figure out what was going on in my head and realized the only way to relieve that depression was to look in a mirror," Cotton recalled. "I was on a business trip in a hotel room and just say 'David Cotton, you're a gay man' and just to feel that wash away but at the same time this fear pops up. What does that mean? What does that mean to this family I love? For this wife I have and adore? Where does that go? What happens to that?"
Those questions and fears are common among the men he's featured on the "Out Late with David" podcast. But, through honest and vulnerable conversations, bridges were built between Cotton and his guests.
"They realize they're not different. They're not alone. They're just who they are. We even had one guest say it saved his life," Cotton said.
Realizations and learning are still common for Cotton, even though he's asking the questions.
"I think I've figured it out, but after every guest, I'll have some 'Aha!' moment of some bit of their story peaked something in my mind, which better helps me understand myself," Cotton said
His hope is that as the "Out Late" stories spread, there's also generational acceptance even within the LGBTQ+ community.
"When I talk to younger people, it's like 'Coming out late? I never really had to come out. I'm just myself'. That's the way to be going forward, but there's a whole bunch of generations before them where that wasn't the case," Cotton said. "So, for us, it's a huge lift to accept who we are and go forward. Just provide them warmth of your presence."
In his home, different flags grace the walls inside and out. Cotton says the flags represent "the story of [his] life."
Every part of his life has helped Cotton become the person and life coach he is today and has brought him the internal peace he hopes to share.
"After a successful military and corporate career, this is my bliss. It just took me 40 years to figure out what my bliss is," Cotton said.
Now, as a life coach now, Cotton is excited for this chapter of his life.
If you want to listen to his "Out Late with David" podcast, click here.