Own The Path - Reclaiming Your Life Through Self-Leadership

Remember that underwater feeling? When everything looks fine on paper, but inside, you're just coasting through life? That's exactly where we begin this raw exploration of what happens when men surrender the steering wheel of their own lives.

Most guys don't lose control in one catastrophic moment. It's those small, seemingly innocent compromises that accumulate over time – taking the safe job, staying in the "good enough" relationship, abandoning what truly lights you up because it feels impractical. Then one day, you look around and barely recognize the road you're on. Sound familiar?

The signs are unmistakable: restlessness that won't quit, disconnection from yourself and others, constant busyness without fulfillment. You're achieving everything society tells you to want while feeling increasingly empty inside. But here's the truth – you weren't designed merely to survive; you were built to lead. This episode guides you through reconnecting with the strongest version of yourself and taking concrete steps to reclaim your direction.

I share my own wake-up call and the exact process I used to stop outsourcing my direction to others. We dive into practical exercises that transform this conversation from just another podcast into a genuine turning point. Because the difference between men who drift endlessly and those who live with purpose isn't talent or luck – it's the courage to see clearly and choose deliberately.

Ready to take the wheel back? Download the free Man's Guide to Self-Leadership at evolvedmenproject.com and discover what's possible when you stop reacting to life and start creating it. Leave a five-star review, follow the show, and share with another man who needs this message – that's how we grow, one intentional choice at a time.

***

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📝 12-Week Journaling Prompts for Self-Mastery: https://evolvedmenproject.com/journaling-guide

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you ready to break free from hesitation,
self-doubt and isolation?
Do you want to lead withconfidence, build powerful
connections and live boldly?
I'm Cory Baum and I'm here toshare the most impactful
strategies and mindsets thatI've learned through coaching,
leadership and real-worldexperience.
Together, we'll forgeunshakable confidence, master
social dynamics and create alife rooted in purpose,

(00:22):
brotherhood and bold action.
Inside, you'll get the toolsand insights to become the
strongest, most connectedversion of yourself.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the Evolve Menpodcast.
I'm your host, corey Baum.
This is where we talk about thereal work of becoming the man

(00:44):
that you were made to be.
I want to take you back to amorning a few years ago.
I remember waking up, sittingon the edge of the bed and
feeling like I was underwaterNot literally right, but that
heavy, muted, directionless kindof feeling.

(01:04):
My life looked fine on thesurface and I was checking all
the boxes.
I had a job, I was handling myresponsibilities.
From the outside, I was doingwhat a man is supposed to do,
but inside I wasn't drivingright.
I was coasting.
I was reacting to what theworld put in front of me.

(01:26):
I wasn't creating it.
And that morning I asked myselfwhen was it when along the way?
When did I take my hands offthe wheel?
And maybe, as you're listeningto this, you're feeling that too
, that sense that life ishappening to me but that you're
not really steering.
So today's conversation isabout just that.

(01:51):
It's about what happens when wewake up to the fact that we've
been drifting and what it lookslike to take the wheel back.
Here's the thing about losingthe wheel.
It doesn't happen in onedramatic moment.
It's not like in a movie whereyou see a guy make some huge

(02:12):
mistake and everything crashesdown.
No, it's this subtle smalldecision, like these small
compromises that build up overtime.
It starts when you stop askingyourself what do I really want?
Maybe you take a job becauseit's safe.
Maybe you stay in arelationship because it's good

(02:35):
enough.
Maybe you stop pursuing thethings that light you up because
they feel impractical orselfish or silly, and then,
before you know it, years go byand suddenly you look back and
you don't even recognize theroad that you're on anymore.
And I've seen this time andtime again with the men that

(02:56):
I've coached.
I've seen it in myself and I'mguessing.
If you're here, part of you iswondering am I really in the
driver's seat, or am I justalong for the ride?
So what does it feel like whenyou've let go of the wheel?
It shows up as restlessness,not caring, disconnection, like

(03:21):
a pressure without reallypurpose, like a pressure without
really purpose, busy but notfulfilled.
You might even feel like you'redoing everything right.
Right, but nothing feels right.
Does that sound familiar to you?
And let me be real here.
This isn't about shaming you,right, because we all drift.
Every man I've ever met hasdrifted at some point.

(03:44):
The difference is some wake upto it and some don't.
That's what today is aboutAwareness, because you can't
change what you don't see.
I want you to take a breathwith me right now.

(04:04):
Yeah, right now.
Because for the time that ittakes to pause, for just this
second.
And I want you to ask yourselfwithout judgment where in my
life am I on autopilot?
Where have I been letting lifehappen to me instead of leading

(04:27):
it?
And this isn't about makingyourself wrong, it's about
getting honest.
If we were sitting together ina room right now, just you and
me, I'd ask you to close youreyes and imagine the strongest
version of yourself.
What does that man look like?

(04:48):
How does he carry himself andhis relationship at work with
his kids, if he has them withother men.
What does he stand for?
What does he not tolerateanymore?
And to picture it, feel it, lethim fully show up and be
recognized.

(05:08):
And then here's the move.
Get that out of your head,write it down, speak it out loud
to yourself.
Hell, leave yourself a voicenote if you have to right.
The key is to bring that visioninto the open, to remind
yourself that you have a say inthis, that you have the wheel,

(05:30):
that you are the captain of yourown ship.
Let's pause here for just asecond, because I want to talk
about why we give up the wheelin the first place.
It's usually not because we'relazy or we're weak or that we
don't care.
It's because we're trying tosurvive and we're trying to

(05:51):
belong.
We're trying to meetexpectations.
And when you're constantlyfocused on surviving, you don't
have the luxury of asking wheredo I want to go?
You're busy trying to just keepup.
But here's the truth, guys.
You're not here to survive,you're here to lead.

(06:16):
I'll tell you, I had a wake-upcall in my own life not too long
ago, and it wasn't one singlemoment or one single thing right
.
It was a series of moments,times when I realized that I was
saying yes to things that Ididn't want.
Times when I noticed that I wasshrinking myself just to keep

(06:39):
the peace or to fit in right.
And I had to face it, I wasoutsourcing my direction,
letting other people, otherpriorities, other expectations
steer my life.
That's when I started askingthe harder questions.
That's when I took the wheelback.

(07:03):
At some point you have to decidefor yourself.
Am I going to keep driftinglike this endlessly, forever, or
am I going to start leadingmyself?
And leading doesn't mean thatyou have it all figured out
right.
It means that you're willing tochoose, to course correct, to

(07:28):
own.
Where it is that you've beenand where it is that you see
yourself wanting to go, that'sthe moment that everything
shifts.
So here's what I want you to dotoday, simple but powerful.
To do today, simple butpowerful Find 15 minutes quiet,

(07:48):
no distractions, just you.
And I want you to ask yourselfwhat does the strongest version
of me look like?
Where have I been letting go ofthe wheel?
What's one small choice that Ican make today that aligns with

(08:11):
that stronger version of me?
And then do it.
Just one small thing.
It could be as simple as sayingno to something that doesn't
feel right, or reaching out tosomeone that you've been meaning
to reconnect with, or finallystarting that thing that you've
been putting off.

(08:31):
You've got the wheel.
Now what road do you want to beon?
All right, guys, that's whatI've got for this episode today.
If today's conversation hit homefor you, if it stirred
something in you, then don'tjust nod and move on.
Head over toTheEvolvedManProjectcom, where

(08:56):
you'll find a man's guide toself-leadership there there.
It's a free, powerful guidethat I created to take what it
is that we've been talking abouttoday and actually start
putting it into action and tolive it.
It's packed with reflectionprompts and daily practices and

(09:22):
the kind of clarity that helpsstop drifting and to start
leading right.
And if you're ready to godeeper, you can book a free
discovery call right there onthe site.
No pressure, no pitch, just you, me and the truth about what's
possible when you step into thedriver's seat of your life.

(09:44):
And hey, if this spoke to you,leave a five-star review, follow
the show and share it withsomeone who might need to hear
it.
That's how this message spreadsone man at a time We'll be

(10:14):
right back you.