Episodes

Leadership In Chaotic Times | Principles of Harmonic Leadership "Lots of people are seeing the world in a negative way right now. So many people are waiting for someone else to come along and fix it." My returning guest today is James Greenshields. James is a husband of over 20 years and an honored father of two amazing women; he served 17 years as an Australian Army Officer and woke up in combat. With over 14 years post-military, James has Co-Founded and been the Lead Facilitator for Leadership...

"It's amazing to love people every day as a job." A random feature of Real Men Feel is Regular Guy Chats. That is when I converse with an average dude who has nothing to promote but a willingness to share. It's been a year and a half since my last Regular Guy Chat. Today, I'm talking to Jake Marko, a young man I met last month in a Self-Leadership class we both attended. We discuss Jake's experiences with purpose, spiritual growth, and overcoming challenges. Jake discusses his life before and si...

Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is ask for help. Men face a stigma about that, too. My guest today is Laverne Friesen. He is a former first responder who is passionate about raising awareness around the stigma of mental health after experiencing his own mental health crisis. Now, as a transformation coach, Laverne shares the wisdom he gained from his traumatic experiences to help others live fulfilling lives. Laverne shares his experience as a sexual abuse survivor in a fundamentalist fa...

Today, we are exploring the power of words, especially the words we use when talking to ourselves. I'm going to share some tips on moving from belittling language to empowering phrases that you can use in your self-dialogue and conversations with others. One of my favorite things about coaching clients is listening and noticing what words they repeat the most and then pointing out how often their own words are working against them. Our words express our subconscious beliefs. They also express ou...

I recommend watching this episode instead of only listening to it, as I share some of my downsizing journey and give a tour of my home. We are preparing to move to a house 2,000 square feet smaller than the one we've lived in for the past 21 years. Listen in to discover how my father's sharing of Buddism made me think life sucks then you die. Also, learn how the experience of donating, selling, and trashing our possessions has been so far. Do you own your stuff, or does your stuff own you? I wis...

Earlier today, I was part of a Let's Talk Fabulous panel discussing positive male role models. I enjoyed that conversation so much that I want to share more in a motor-mouth 10-minute brain dump. Topics Include What male role models did you see/have while growing up? What do you think are traits of a positive male role model? If the person who taught you what it means to be a man, through their words or actions, was a miserable bastard -- why would you continue to follow their example? Before I ...

I've often called myself a failure. But why? Why does something not turning out the way I wanted it to become my identity? It all comes down to the ego. Today, I explore definitions and perceptions of failure and ways to reframe it. Failure can be a valuable lesson. We can fail forward into something better with the right mindset. In my experience, when I'm depressed, my self-judgment is much harsher than usual, and I see a history of nothing but failures. That is not true. It is a very distorte...

Today, I share many of the subjects I've been journaling about in the last few days. Subjects including past patterns, current patterns that I haven't figured out yet, and challenges of all-or-nothing thinking. I open up about my self-judgment, spiritual experiences, psych meds, and reactions to being called a positive male role model. I also contemplate what I'm addicted to that keeps my hellish patterns going. Over my adult life, I've tried meditation, counseling, personal growth, energy work,...

WARNING: This episode discusses suicidal thoughts and attempts. If you are in a crisis, do not listen to this. Please call or text 988 to be connected to trained counselors who are part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. If you are outside of the US, please search for suicide prevention in your country. You matter! Please choose life. After a year-long gap, much of it spent in a deep depression and with lots of suicidal ideation, I'm back. The best way to prevent suicide is t...

Men and women deal with emotions differently, but we all have them. And any man who believes that stuffing and denying their feelings are the path to a happy and successful life - all I can say is that is NOT my experience, nor is it the experience of anyone I've ever met. One of the most painful things a man can experience is the betrayal by his spouse. Today is part 2 of Recovering From Betrayal, focusing on a man betrayed by his wife. My returning guest, Vanessa Cardenas, is your trusted advi...

If you notice today's episode looking and sounding different, I'm on the road and don't have my usual setup. Are you comfortable being alone? Can you enjoy your own company? Often men will feel uncomfortable emotions if they are alone and in silence. I am an only child, so I'm used to being alone, but I'd always have music or a TV playing in the background. I wasn't a fan of absolute silence because I wasn't a fan of some of my thoughts. Over the years and with lots of work and growth, I'm incre...

Since men are human, they can make mistakes. One aspect of life we make mistakes in is our relationships. Since so many studies show that a strong prediction of happiness and longevity is the quality of our relationships, betraying our partner is a significant issue. Google says that nearly half of individuals in monogamous relationships admit to having an affair. Close to 25% of marriages stay together after an instance of cheating. My guest today, Vanessa Cardenas, is your trusted advisor for ...

Last Sunday, a man reached out to the Real Men Feel page on Facebook and said - I would like to appear on your show and debate "cultural appropriation in MKP." That man, B Crittenden Freeman, is my guest today. Crittenden has been a member of the ManKind Project for 30 years holding multiple positions, Center Director, Elder, Leader In Training, and Recording Secretary for the MKP USA Board. He was responsible for the occurrence of the 1st NWTA Urban Adventure. Initially, I thought this subject ...

I love to give any man who is being of service a platform to share his message. I met today's guest, Dustin Bakker, in an online program and was immediately impressed by his willingness to be authentic and vulnerable and his desire to help other men. After losing his sense of happiness, Dustin began changing his life and slowly became aware of what his mind, body, and soul were trying to tell him. Dustin did the research, study, and inner work required to discover his happiness. He's gone on to ...

When life gets hard, a lot of men withdraw. They talk less. In the face of a health challenge for yourself or a loved one, you might be much more willing to discuss logistics and tasks than the emotional impact. My guest today is not most men. He believes in having hard conversations with people going through trauma. David Richman is an author, public speaker, and endurance athlete whose mission is to form more meaningful human connections through storytelling. With his most recent book, Cycle o...

Last weekend I was in Connecticut to staff the New Warrior Training Adventure weekend, a weekend-long rite of passage for men from the ManKind Project. This was the first NWTA in New England in three years, thanks to Covid. I was supposed to staff the weekend last October, but all the NWTAs across the US were halted due to charges of cultural appropriation. The charges of cultural appropriation were from a group of Native American elders called Spirit. I'm not going to rehash everything here. Vi...

We are early in Spring, a time of renewal, growth, and, ideally, flourishing. I know that in my life, I've often had to renew, prune my life, weed out the shit in my mind, and reinvent myself to be the best man I can be. My guest, Teddy Woolsey, took action when his life needed an overhaul and created a system that helped him, and now he uses that in service to others. He was 100K in debt, out of shape, depressed, and in a failing relationship to being debt-free, earning 3x as much, meeting his ...

Real Men Feel invites you to redefine masculinity in today's world. The only definition of masculinity that matters is yours. We remind men that they are human beings and have the right to experience and express all of their emotions. One of the most mentioned books among Real Men Feel's learned guests is When Boys Become Boys: Development, Relationships, and Masculinity , by Judy Chu. Based on a two-year study that followed boys from pre-kindergarten through first grade, When Boys Become Boys o...

One of the most emotional relationships many of us have is with food, which is often mirrored in a love/hate relationship with our bodies. The best thing I did for my physical health last year was a program called WildFit. In late 2021, I went into a prolonged depression and gained over 30 lbs. Last summer, finally feeling better and taking positive actions, my weight was the final obstacle. That's when I discovered my guest, Eric Edmeades. Eric is a serial entrepreneur with experience in wirele...

Some common complaints I hear from men are that they feel disposable, under attack, can't do anything right, and don't know what's expected of them. It may be time for a woman's perspective on what's going on between men & women. My guest today, Reverend Leslie Peters RN, is a Curator of Intuitive & Transformational Conversations and a Trauma-Informed and Spiritual Nurse Leader. She's worked with women for 30 years and told me, "guys can't win!" How women react to men is very dependent on their ...

This year, I've begun martial arts classes for the first time, and I've been having a blast sparring with guys half my age. My guest today has a bit more experience than that and a very eclectic background. He believes embracing intense and difficult emotions is the road to a fully lived and satisfying life. My guest, Nico Verresen, is a former professional Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts athlete with a master's in Psychology. He specializes in resilience, performance, quality of life, and happ...

According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with about 60-67% ending in divorce. As a child of divorce, I've only known them to be bitter and spiteful. My guest, Skye Michiels, is out to change that. Skye is a dad, award-winning real estate leader, motivational speaker, and host of The 6AMERS Podcast, which provides inspiration and motivation for developing a healthy mindset, se...

I recently came across a NY Times opinion piece titled Men Need Purpose More Than "Respect" by David French. I don't read enough opinion pieces to know if I've read anything by Mr. French before, but I agreed with the headline, so I dove in. The article was in response to a viral tweet written by another man I don't know, conservative podcaster Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog on Twitter) - Which stated: "All a man wants is to come home from a long day at work to a grateful wife and children who are g...

Before we get going, I want to warn everyone that we will discuss suicide attempts today. If you are in crisis right now - please get help. Text or call 988 in the US. Help is available 24 hours a day. For other countries, visit https://findahelpline.com/ for options near you. The goal of this episode is that our shared experiences as suicide attempt survivors offers hope and encouragement to others, to you. We also want to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide preven...