Founder. Speaker. Beacon. Shining a light on shame. Setting shadows free.
Adam MacLean is the founder of PostShame.org and #PostShame, online tools designed to help people examine their past for things they worry might leak on the internet, and then proactively share those stories themselves. By doing so, they transform these stories into narratives of strength and leadership, offering support to others struggling with similar challenges.
He is also the host of the podcast Find Your Light with Adam MacLean, where he navigates difficult conversations around shame, leadership, and self-acceptance. In these discussions, Adam integrates his expertise in holding space for others, helping listeners work through challenges related to the body, mind, and spirit—particularly within the realms of sacred intimacy.
As a Sacred Intimate, Adam has studied with Court Vox and Marc Peridis, deepening his commitment to helping others through healing and intimate self-discovery.
Adam is currently the co-chair of the Abzyme Research Foundation, which is developing an e-vaccine to #endHIV.
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Adam studied dance at Bard College before spending ten years performing off-Broadway. Alongside his work in the arts, Adam has extensive experience as a personal assistant, lifestyle consultant, and chief of staff for ultra-high-net-worth families, navigating environments ranging from hotels to family offices. This unique background has fueled his deep interest in the intersection, dichotomy, and complications surrounding extreme wealth and philanthropy.
He has completed trainings with 21/64 in family legacy planning, is a former board member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, was co-host of Safe Space at NeueHouse with journalist Danielle James, and has spoken at Harvard’s Institute of Politics about #PostShame.
Outside of his professional work, Adam is affectionately known as the 'emergency contact' and 'guncle' to thirteen children, a testament to his deep commitment to chosen family.
Adam’s drag persona, Fantasia Thunderkitty, makes appearances on his birthday, during Pride, and at PTA fundraisers in NYC schools.
He currently lives in Brooklyn with his boyfriend Colin, his shadow, a black cat named Papageno, and an angel, the tallest rescue chihuahua, Lady.
“Guilt is something you feel about an action. Shame is something you feel about your whole self.”
– Adam MacLean
GlassView Talks with Jim Porcarelli
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEUEHOUSESafeSpace: Tough Conversations in Good Humor
Speaking
“The internet is the sharpest double-edged sword humanity has ever created. “
– Adam MacLean
Feminasty hosted by Adam MacLean with Erin Gibson @ NeueHouse
Writing
PostShame 2.0: Living #PostShame and being lucky enough to be “called in”
In my effort to reveal double standards in our culture was I simply showing off what I was able to get away with?
April, 2021
PostShame 1.0: Deweaponizing My Nudes
I am #PostShame as a person who has appeared in photos naked, aware that some of them are online, and there are many more that I’ve sent in private communications to consenting adults.
November 22, 2017
What do you do when you find naked photos of yourself on the internet?
This is what it looked like back in 2017.
NewNowNext, December 8, 2017
Closet Baker: On Learning to Bake––Against My Will
Jarry Mag, November 2016
Step Dad Uncle Coach
A candid, provocative essay that uses porn search terms as a lens to explore how sexual fantasies reflect childhood experiences, shame, and unmet needs.
Jarry Mag Live Reading, February 12, 2017
“I’ve seen photos of both Chelsea Handler and Vladimir Putin shirtless on a horse - why exactly are her’s the nipples that get censored?”
– Adam MacLean
Send Nudes: Privacy & Politics hosted by Adam MacLean with Lux Alptraum & Zach Stafford @ Soho House, NYC
“And then all it took was one drunken night when I didn’t use a condom before I got my own Truvada prescription.” – Adam MacLean
Truvada and the Truth: Is HIV Prevention Propelling the STI Epidemic? by Benjamin Ryan
