The challenges fathers have in raising young boys today seems, well, more challenging than before.

From conflicting models of what manhood and masculinity should be, to readily-accessible pornography, to figuring out how to socialize with girls in a way that takes care and is also natural to their hormones...it's a messy hodgepodge of messages those boys are getting.

And Shaun Dauson is trying to figure it out.

And he talks about how he has to deal with his own s**t so he can be the model of manhood that inspires his son to be the best he can be.

Support the show

Why does it seem like such a simple thing to breathe...and for there to be an entire course of study on how to breathe?

Shalin began to understand the power of breathwork when he was 16 years old, and on the cusp of manhood.

It changed his entire transition into adulthood, centering his mind, calming his body, and preparing his whole self to become a larger, more centered man.

He was one of the calmest, warmest, easiest guests I've spoken to so far...and it has to do with how he's learned to breathe.

And, thankfully, he's teaching other people how to do it, too.

Support the show

Who is are the people that help you with your life?

Do you have a cohort, a group, a tribe, a brotherhood, that can show you who you want to be?

Do you have those people who are also inspired by you, so they can become a better version of themselves?

This is a wonderful conversation with a successful man who has been aided in his success by strong, rich, deep, lasting friendships. And those friendships - and his salient experience at an HBCU - changed the way he thought and felt about himself.

Support the show

Are there specific, precise, lodged-in-your-memory moments in your life that completely changed the direction of your thinking, your purpose, your entire way of living?

Do you have a time that totally shifted your perspective on what you considered to be your reality?

Michael Tierno had a revelatory moment in his adulthood that changed the way he thought of, well, EVERYTHING.

And then, he pursued a life that focused on how to live with a new place of being and seeing, and how to help others create an entirely new way of thinking of their world.

Support the show

What happens when you decide to dismantle your own life, because it wasn't working for you?

Do you have the courage to deconstruct...and then rebuild?

Can you look around your life and - if it's not what you want from it - begin again? Do you have the courage to do so?

So often, people fall into a track that doesn't suit their happiness...but they stay on it because it's safe, normative, and the known known.

This is a story and conversation with a man who did the opposite. He left his life, and rebuilt another one in its place. Challenging? Yes. Heartbreaking? Yes. Seemingly overwhelming? Yes. But is it worth it...well, you can decide.

Support the show

Why do so many men struggle with communication...especially in their intimate relationships?

Oftentimes, men find it more uncomfortable to share feelings and thoughts than just about anything else...but that skill is the key to having more open, honest, and authentic connections.

The ability to have those kinds of conversations and relationships isn't just something a few lucky men were born with. It can be learned. Trained. Improved.

McKenzie has developed a method and approach for helping men better understand their own emotions and to relate better with anyone about their feelings and ideas.

His approach to bring men together for honest improvement is working wonders, and it helps us define what true masculinity can be.

Learn more about him and his services at https://groupsformen.com/

Support the show

Addiction comes in many ways and forms...and the most pernicious of all are addictions that are Anonymous, Affordable, and Accessible.

Unfortunately, with today's technologies, pornography checks all of those addiction boxes. And for young men, it can be an absolute trap that causes real harm - not only for themselves, but for their relationships.

Jeremy experienced this addiction himself...but then he was able to master, control, and overcome. Through Buddhist meditation practices and mindfulness exercises, he found a path forward - not only of healing, but of teaching.

So now Jeremy helps other men overcome that addiction in a positive, nurturing, effective, safe way. He's changing lives and helping other men be better versions of themselves.

Learn more about Jeremy's program called Unhooked Academy at https://www.unhookedacademy.com/

Support the show

It's one thing to be a coach and help your athletes overcome challenges, injury, setbacks, and mental blocks.

It's another thing to be a coach and have to overcome your own adversity - even your own disability.

Scott was disabled in his early twenties...right when he was beginning a coaching career. He had to learn how to not just push past his challenge, but finally acknowledge his disability, and what it meant. And also, what it didn't mean.

And from there, move along with the path of life that was most authentic to him: being a coach.

Oh, and winning a few National Championships, too. :)

His book, Play From Your Heart, is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Play-Your-Heart-Scott-Martin/dp/B0GKPWK261

Support the show