What if the reason intimacy carries so much weight for men is that it’s the only place we’ve been given permission to be fully human?

Dr. Celeste Holbrook is a sexologist with a PhD in health education and thirteen years of practice working with couples. Her book, Missionary Position: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Sex After Purity Culture, helps people rebuild their relationship with their own bodies after being taught to fear them. In this episode, she joins Jon and Will for one of the most direct conversations we’ve had about why men struggle to talk about intimacy, what purity culture actually did to boys, why rejection lands as a rejection of self, and what changes when men have more than one place to experience their own emotions.

IN THIS EPISODE:
1. How purity culture shaped men differently than women — and what it taught boys about their own bodies
2. Why intimacy becomes the only sanctioned outlet for male emotion — and the cost of that
3. The desire gap: why every couple has one, and how to negotiate it without resentment
4. Why a no can land as a rejection of self, and the work required on both sides
5. Focus on what you want to feel, not what you want to do — the reframe that changes everything

More about Dr. Celeste Holbrook:
1. Website: https://www.drcelesteholbrook.com
2. Book: Missionary Position: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Sex after Purity Culture - available on Amazon and her website. Don't forget to check out her book club!

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1. www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1. Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE:

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1. Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2. FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1. focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Trying harder to focus is making it worse. And there’s a reason for that.

There is a very intimate relationship between your body and your mind. It's actually the health and harmony of your body that determines the state of your mind. Once you know this, you change the game on what focusing is and then how to actually get back to focusing on what matters.

So we brought in Janel Penaflor to help us understand these intricacies. Janel has spent thirty years investigating why trained, capable people stop seeing the thing right in front of them — inside oil and gas plants, nuclear facilities, aviation systems, and chemical operations. What she found changed how she understands focus entirely.

In this episode, Janel joins Jon and Will to break down The real science behind focus, the lies have been told about focus and practices you can use every day to remain focused.

IN THIS EPISODE, you will learn:
1. The focus lie: why trying harder to focus makes it worse
2. The prefrontal cortex as a battery — how it drains and what depletes it fastest
3. The polyvagal ladder: where most people are living and how to come back down
4. Why your body controls your brain more than your brain controls your body
5. The default mode network and why stillness is where the deepest work actually happens

More about Janel Penaflor:
1. Website: https://www.safetysenseinc.com
2. Books: Search “Janel Penaflor” on Amazon for her full catalog
3. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janel-penaflor-09654119/

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1. www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1. Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE:

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1. Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2. FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1. focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Everyone is talking about peptides. Dr. Mark Gordon has been developing and proving the science behind them for 25 years.

This man is the authority on peptides!
As a physician, researcher, and the Medical Director of the Warrior Angel Foundation for over a decade, Dr. Gordon has treated thousands of veterans, first responders, and athletes with neuroinflammation-driven conditions: TBI, PTSD, depression, cognitive decline. He’s appeared six times on the Joe Rogan Experience and advises the Clinical Peptide Society on neuropeptides. His new book, Peptides for Health, is the clearest map yet for understanding what peptides actually do and how to use them safely. In this episode, Dr. Gordon joins Will for a wide-ranging conversation on peptide basics, the brain after trauma, why men are literally rusting from the inside, and the one thing that kills the effectiveness of everything.

IN THIS EPISODE You’ll Learn:

-What a peptide actually is — and why they’re not the cure-all some people claim

-How to use peptides safely and effectively

-How neuroinflammation after TBI creates a cascade that drives PTSD, depression, and anxiety

-Growth hormone secretagogues: why stimulating your own production is better than replacing it

-How to know if peptides are right for you — and why quality is non-negotiable

More about Dr. Mark Gordon:

-Educational website: https://www.tbihelpnow.org

-Store (10% first-time discount): https://www.millenniumhealthstore.com

60% of proceeds from store go into veteran and first responder treatment funding
Instagram: @drmarkgordon

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1. www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1. Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE:

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1. Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2. FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1. focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/