Lost boys and found connection: The initiation of modern men - Mark Walsh

This week’s show is with Mark Walsh. Mark has spent the last 20 years helping people get out of their heads and into their bodies—sometimes gracefully, sometimes not. He’s the author of The Body in Coaching and Training and Embodied Meditation, and hosts The Embodiment Podcast, which has over 3 million downloads. He also ran The Embodiment Conference, ambitiously featuring 1,000 teachers and half a million attendees, which happened to be the world’s largest Zoom event.

As the founder of Embodiment Unlimited, Mark has trained over 2,000 embodiment coaches across 40+ countries (some of which still let him back in). His latest project, Feral Philosophy, is a deeper, more unfiltered look at embodiment, free from the usual wellness clichés.

His work has taken him from an alcoholic to a psychology graduate; from war zones to boardrooms; from teaching yogis and coaches to working with police and military personnel. He also co-founded Sane Ukraine, now run by Ukrainian professionals to provide trauma and embodiment training for therapists, trainers, and coaches.

With a background in psychology, aikido (black belt), and various movement practices—including yoga, meditation, dance, bodywork, and improv comedy—Mark blends deep expertise with a refreshingly direct, down-to-earth style. He’s worked with companies like Google, Unilever, and Shell, though he’s much happier when he’s not wearing a suit.

He swears more than most coaches, dances worse than he thinks, and isn’t a fan of fluffy self-help talk—but he is passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves in a real, practical way.

In this potent and timely conversation, Lian journeys with Mark into the heart of the crisis facing young men today. Together, they explore the four profound disconnections at the root of modern suffering - body, social, ecological, and spiritual - and how restoring these essential connections can guide young men from isolation to purposeful living.

Reflecting on Mark’s own transformative journey from troubled youth to mentor, they discuss the critical role of strength and embodiment in building resilience, character, and spiritual depth. Mark shares how genuine community and meaningful rites of passage can fill the void left by our culture’s forgotten initiations, nurturing the very soul of young men.

Drawing from mythological truths, ancient principles, and real-life experiences, Lian and Mark highlight how reconnecting with nature and spirit can profoundly heal both individual lives and wider cultural decay. They illuminate practical pathways for guiding young men back to themselves, toward greater meaning, joy, and wholeness.

Ultimately this conversion shines a light on how we might help young men return to themselves, reclaim their inherent value beyond societal expectations in our fractured modern world.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Physical strength is not merely a s