Menfolk Journeys

When your entire life seems to crumble in a succession of calamities, and the building that had been your identity is decimated, how do you rebuild?

What kinds of tools do you have to create a new identity? What do you want to bring with you that you've already had? What do you want to let go? 

Jonathon Aslay completely rebuilt his life in his 40's, and has had a profound journey of discovery, growth, and a new way to look ...

This is a conversation about an epic man's journey from poverty to salvation.  

From time immemorial, we have spoken about the Hero going into the Wilderness, about facing the ghosts that haunt us, about finding Grace in the moments of our darkest despair.

This is a story of such a hero. Rand Timmerman was born into a life where he felt "doomed to poverty," and found a path out by serving as a combatant in the Vietnam ...

Do you have moral or ethical pillars that hold up the house of your life? Have you been able to live in a way that upholds your values? And, do you know what your values actually are?

Mark's conversation explores how spending time on a farm creates an understanding and appreciation of the complexity of nature, and the simplicity of its lessons.

And, we talk about how those lessons can help us become stronger, more ethical, more ...

What makes a strong man?

His body? His mind? His convictions? His resilience? His fortitude?

Ken was born into a cradle of love and community, and lived a vigorous, athletic youth. Then, in a moment of college football, he suffered a damaging injury, irrevocably paralyzing him from the shoulders down.

Undaunted, he continued on...earning his degree, multiple Master's degrees, a JD, and went on to fight for, pursue, and enjoy a st...

What does it mean to be a successful man? 

Whose definition do you follow? Yours? Someone else's?

Justin has a beautiful and unique answer to what makes a man successful. He's arrived at this over the course of a life that started with an innate confidence that he could figure stuff out, and that he could make a life that was his own.

From starting out independently at 17 to raising 3 young girls while owning and building hi...

When do we hit our prime? Is it twenty-five? Fifty-five? Why not seventy-four?

Don Akchin hit a slump three years after he retired from his career, only to bounce back with more energy and positive force as a strong 74-year-old.

His book - The AfterWork: Finding Fulfilling Alternatives to Retirement - is not only a guide for new retirees, but also a life-line for him.

He has chosen to embrace the archetype of the kindly sage, instead ...

When your life literally depends on your ability to be aware, present, and perceptive, you'd better learn how to do that extremely well.

But what if that skill needs to be developed? Or, what if you have it - innately - and it can be cultivated to a master-level degree?

Pete Turner is an incredibly perceptive man. He's also a fan of The Muppet Show, which immediately puts him in great standing. He's someone who recogni...

Can men be strong and humble?

Can men be physically capable, even dangerous, yet be voluntarily in control?

Can men strive to excel while embracing failure and discomfort?

Can a man learn and grow from stress?

Bryce Eddy introduces me to the term Hormesis, which, biologically, is based on the idea that small amounts of positive stress can unlock adaptive response and growth that improves health and resilience.

Have men lost some of that...

Don't we all have our own, uniquely lived experience in living? Aren't our thoughts our own? Can't two people experience the same moment differently, based on who they are, and their own backgrounds and other, past experiences?

This is a frank, honest, real yik-yak between two guys, one of whom shares stories and lessons from his own Black experience. Which is a different experience than my own. And, which is differen...

The latin term Vagari is a verb meaning "to roam" or "to wander." And while it's a cliche to say that not all who wander are lost, Vagari is the root for the noun "Vagabond."

For most folks, that's a negative connotation. For Tommy, being a vagabond taught him a new way to live, a different way to apply the laws of human currency and interaction.

Do I give to get? Do I give to keep giving? If I...

How often are you present in your situation? When do you start really paying attention, and learning how to learn?

You don't have to have a lot of lived experience to begin good habits.

My guest William started thinking about building his habits of how to learn in his early teens, and by building that habit, he's been able to launch his young adulthood successfully...in an unforgiving and challenging metropolis.

His conversa...

Perhaps adversity is what makes us who we are. Perhaps we're better for having to overcome difficulties. Perhaps the small decisions and choices we make - every day - define who we become as a man.

This conversation is with a man who has decided that, despite any heartaches, illness, and the myriad of challenges we all face, he will wake up each day with a purposeful and hopeful countenance.

That doesn't mean it's easy...

In what is and will become an annual tradition, we hear from different men about the lessons they learned from their fathers.

Lessons of action, of words, of what was done, or what was not done.

What are lessons you've learned? What lessons are you passing on? If you have children, are you dropping pearls for them to learn from? If you don't have children, are you leaving a legacy or mentorship to other young men?

We all hav...

What is your appetite for risk?

Some men have a life where they seek out new adventures, explore strange new worlds, and boldly go into their futures. And for someone like Brian, it's been how he's lived his whole life.

And if you're like that, what do you show your children as a lifestyle to live? And if you have boys, what does it teach them about courage, risk-taking, and a perspective of the world?

This conversation...

Who is your tribe?

Do you have a large family, or a community that surrounds you, supports you, and perhaps binds you? Are you born into a community, or do you make one for yourself?

This conversation with Doug is about the magnetic draw of Community, and the beauty and challenge that comes with it. 

What if you think differently than your community? 

How do you frame your life individually when ...

"Just be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde

Sometimes we lack the courage to really listen to the person you are, or sometimes we might hear, but don't understand what we're telling ourselves.

Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to become the person we were always meant to be.

My friend Lucio has had a remarkable, successful life...and it unfolded for h...

When do you make the choice to not become your dad?

We all think about how we were raised, especially when we have our own children. And, we all think about what we want to do that worked in our past, and what not to do.

My friend Michael had to navigate his father’s moods, and tried to make sure that his sons wouldn’t have to experience that kind of growing-up. But we all fail sometimes; and some of us recognize failure and recover ...

How do you know when you have to change your life?

When you grow up in an all-encompassing and all-consuming world but then find that you need to live in another world to be your most authentic self, how do you find the strength to do that? Is it a survival instinct? 

My friend Zack grew up in an evangelical Christian home where he had to teach himself to read and live in a world-view that was very specific to his church.

And then he ...

Do we ever stop learning from our parents?

Even at 70, my friend Cass thinks about his dad, and what kinds of lessons he’s passed on. Maybe the folklore of our parents never leave us. Maybe there are ideas and value that persist and live through us the whole of our lives.

And what does that say about how we grow into our own manhood? It could be that our version can sometimes be a continuation of our father’s version. Or it could be ...