Order of Man

If you forget a man's name two seconds after he says it, your memory isn't the problem. You weren't listening. That's the case my guest today, two-time USA Memory Champion Ron White, makes, and he backs it up with a system any man can use: ask yourself one well-worded question before you shake a hand, pin the name to the most distinctive feature on the face, and review it before the forgetting curve wipes it out.

In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler dives deep into the high-profile Cornell controversy to break down the critical differences between legal culpability, moral responsibility, and mainstream media narratives. Addressing the ongoing cultural attack on men, Ryan challenges the popular claim that masculinity itself is inherently toxic. 

Instead, he explains the distinction between raw, amoral masculinity and matu...

Ryan Michler and Kipp Sorensen tackle five questions from the Order of Man community in this episode of Ask Me Anything. They discuss making a major career change after decades in public service, finding forgiveness after betrayal, setting boundaries while serving family and friends, navigating different faiths within a marriage, and protecting a teenage daughter without damaging the relationship.

Along the way, Ryan and Kipp explo...

Most men are chasing a dent in the world, followers, recognition, a bigger stage, while overlooking the one place they can make the biggest difference: the town they live in and the people right next to them. Today's conversation is about impact over income, why being known by ten thousand people in your own community beats being famous online, and why we're robbing our kids by shielding them from the consequences of t...

Most men live their lives actively ignoring the pain and suffering they have experienced, leading to destructive behavior, self-sabotage, and sedation. In this solo episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler breaks down the five core wounds every man must address to build healthy relationships with himself and his family. Ryan details the unblessed, betrayal, humiliation, abandonment, and failure wounds, explaining exactly how the...

Ryan Michler and Kipp Sorensen tackle another round of Ask Me Anything questions, covering career ambition, fatherhood, divorce, sobriety, friendship, faith, Stoicism, hunting injuries, masculinity, money and men's brotherhood. They discuss the hidden costs of achieving your goals, how to rebuild trust with your children, why friendships require intentional effort, and how to redefine your sense of worth beyond income. 

They a...

Most of us think courage is something you either have or you don't. But what if it's actually a decision you make over and over, the same way you'd train a muscle? Today's conversation is about what happens when you stop asking "what if I fail" and start asking, "let's find out." We get into why 90% of what we fear never happens, how to raise kids with grit in a culture built for convenience, and why the most dangerous...

Communication is one of the most powerful tools we have. It allows us to connect with people, share ideas, build relationships, rally people around a common cause, keep people safe, and create opportunities.

But communication can also become the thing that holds you back.

In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan breaks down five practical ways men can become more effective communicators - not by simply talking more, but by becom...

Ryan Michler and Alan Placer tackle ten questions from men dealing with family, identity, fatherhood, marriage, pain, career, and personal responsibility. They discuss how to set boundaries when financial gifts come with strings attached, what to do when a teenage son is drawn toward extreme online communities, and how to separate identity from a sport or physical ability. 

They also explore recognizing your parents as imperfe...

Most of what passes for leadership advice today is polish. You say the right things, avoid conflict, perform confidence until you believe it yourself. This episode is about the opposite. We're talking about what happens when you stop performing and start operating: how to build relationships that are actually real instead of transactional, how to handle conflict without flinching or blowing it up, and why the most effe...

In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler tackles the cultural double standard between misogyny and misandry. While modern discourse frequently condemns the hatred of women, systemic contempt toward men - misandry - is often ignored or dismissed as simple individual preference. 

Ryan breaks down the etymology of these terms and addresses critical disparities facing men today, including family court bias, false accusa...

Ryan Michler is joined by Alan Placer for this week's Ask Me Anything, tackling eight questions about fatherhood, masculinity, family, legacy, grief, mentorship, co-parenting, and business. They discuss when helping an adult child becomes enabling, what it means to be a real man, showing up for a parent with dementia, and navigating a child's relationship with a good stepfather.

They also explore letting go of an inherited business...

Most men will never come close to the kind of suffering Brent Oliver has lived through. And, that's exactly why this conversation matters. Today we're talking about the difference between a man who lets his circumstances define him and a man who decides, moment by moment, that he's still the one in control. You're going to hear what it actually looks like to rebuild a body and a mind from nothing, and why the story you...

Are you stepping in to fix everyone else's problems at the expense of your own mission, household, and peace of mind? In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler unpacks the Karpman Drama Triangle—a psychological pattern where men rotate between the roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer. 

Ryan reveals why rescuing often stems from ego rather than love, and how stripping people of natural consequences cripples ...

This week's Ask Me Anything explores the challenges men face when life tests their identity, discipline and relationships. Ryan and Kipp discuss balancing fitness with family, staying sober, managing anger, rebuilding identity after losing a career, navigating divorce and fatherhood, reconnecting with the outdoors, and defining a meaningful legacy.

Along the way, they emphasize personal responsibility, healthy boundaries, reflectio...

Pornography addiction isn't a willpower problem. It's a brain problem and, understanding the mechanics changes everything about how you fight it. Today, we go deep into the neuroscience: what edging actually does to your reward system, why desensitization and hypo-frontality reshape how your brain processes stress and pleasure, and why getting exactly what you want can leave you more depressed than before you started. ...

Whether caused by a minor slip-up or a major rupture like infidelity or financial betrayal, every man will eventually face the grueling challenge of restoring broken trust. In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler outlines 12 non-negotiable principles for rebuilding trust when it's been shattered.

Time alone won't fix your mistakes - only deliberate, sustained, and unselfish action will. Learn why explaining away your is...

This week's Ask Me Anything tackles real questions about fatherhood, marriage, friendship, faith, addiction, parenting, and personal responsibility. Ryan and Kipp discuss why becoming a first-time father can feel more frightening than exciting, how to reconnect with an emotionally absent father, and how to take surface-level friendships deeper.

They also explore balancing work and family, finding your way back to faith, essential b...

Your brain is either getting stronger or getting weaker. There is no neutral, gentlemen. Today Jim Kwik breaks down why comfort, convenience, and cognitive offloading to AI are quietly making men mentally soft, and what it actually takes to build what he calls "cognitive reserve" which is the difference between a man who stays sharp, independent, and capable as he ages and one who doesn't.

We get into why ...