What does it really mean to lead with integrity when institutions fail and people disappoint? In this Ask Me Anything episode of Order of Man, Ryan Michler answers real questions from the community on leadership, anger and forgiveness, building passive income, physical fitness, accountability, and personal standards.

Ryan shares hard-earned insights on responsibility, discipline, and how to operate with clarity in uncertain times. This candid AMA delivers practical guidance and mindset shifts for men committed to growth, strength, and personal ownership.

00:00 Ask Me Anything Kickoff
02:42 Asking Better Questions as a Leader
13:36 The Quality Ryan Is Most Proud Of
19:27 Passive Income and Multiple Streams
28:21 Faith, Truth, and Broken Institutions
33:50 Society, Maturity, and Self-Control
41:32 Baseline Physical Aptitude Test Explained
44:16 Letting Go of Anger and Forgiveness
54:52 Dealing With People Who Drop the Ball

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

Leading others doesn't begin with a title—it begins with self-leadership. Too many men chase influence, authority, or recognition before they've learned how to lead themselves. That's where imposter syndrome creeps in—of course you're not as good yet; leadership isn't a destination, it's a discipline. It's not just tactical execution or getting things done—it's service, responsibility, and the relentless pursuit of getting better. Leadership at home, leadership with your kids, leadership over your own habits and standards.

In this episode, I talk with leadership expert, Kipp Sorensen. Today, we break down the three traps of self-leadership that quietly sabotage men: the Victim, the Persecutor, and the Rescuer, the dark side of influence, how to get your own wishes and desires met, how to be aware of "polite manipulation," and why honoring agency (yourself and others) is the key to leading well.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Why Self-Leadership Comes Before Leading Others
03:10 - Can Everyone Be a Leader? Mindset vs Skillset
06:15 - Why Ryan Rejects "Imposter Syndrome"
09:00 - Parenting, Projection, and Self-Awareness
12:55 - Jiu-Jitsu, Ego, and the Cost of Pretending
17:45 - Where Men Struggle Most With Self-Leadership
18:05 - The Victim Mindset Explained
22:10 - The Hidden Payoff of Victimhood
26:00 - Taking Ownership and Closing the Integrity Gap
30:30 - Why We Justify Our Worst Behaviors
37:00 - The Persecutor Trap in Leadership
44:15 - How to Have Hard Conversations Without Blame
46:35 - Why Performance Is Emotional, Not Technical
51:20 - The Rescuer Trap and "Nice Guy" Leadership
56:10 - Why Difficulty Is Required for Growth
01:00:40 - Stress as a Catalyst for Learning
01:03:40 - Alignment, Leadership, and Kipp's New Mission

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

In this Ask Me Anything episode, Ryan and Kipp dig into how men adapt when life throws setbacks their way. From injuries and burnout to financial risk and career pressure, they break down how to adjust without regret and keep moving forward. The conversation covers smart risk management, why momentum doesn't have to die after failure, and how boundaries protect your family, finances, and future. This AMA is a masterclass in resilience, decision-making, and staying productive through uncertainty.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 - Holiday catch-up
03:49 - BHAGs, quarterly planning, and long-term vision
11:09 - Iron Council changes and system efficiency
18:54 - Injury, momentum, and recalibration
28:42 - Entrepreneurial risk and acceptable loss
38:48 - Masculinity, culture, and cycles of chaos
43:20 - Work overload, boundaries, and family protection
56:42 - Seasonal depression and staying in the game
01:02:28 - Balancing growth across life quadrants

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

It seems anymore that people are operating increasingly out of extremes without any context, nuance, or understanding. I get it – outrage sells. And, to some degree, I've been guilty of it myself. But I've found myself as I get older – wanting to go find a piece of land and work on my canoe – rather than engage in what social media has diminished us too.

My guest today, Brady Pesola, would agree and, he's made a life out of studying ancient philosophy combined with practical, nuanced modern insight. Today, we talk about social independence, the "Golden Mean," what he calls "The Stop Light" theory, meta-cognition, and the concept of the Grayman and how it can help you operate as a man.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Welcome Back & Reconnecting
01:03 - The Breakdown of Modern Communication
04:52 - Hive Mind, Social Media & Framing Bias
06:53 - Marketing Yourself vs Manipulating Emotion
09:17 - Finding the Right Tribe
12:27 - Value, Reciprocity & Relationships
14:48 - Technical Interruption & Reset
16:46 - The Golden Mean vs Extreme Success
20:35 - Sacrifices, Success & Contentment
24:55 - Adversity, Resilience & Upbringing
27:11 - Red Light vs Green Light Theory
29:59 - Perspective on Inconvenience & Gratitude
33:18 - When Red Lights Save You
36:47 - Grace for Yourself & Others
38:24 - "I've Never Done This Before" Mindset
41:37 - Road Rage, Ego & Consequences
47:00 - Measuring Self-Awareness
48:20 - Metacognition & Emotional Control
52:49 - The Gray Man Concept
55:42 - Mental Discipline Over Appearance
58:02 - Ego, Posturing & Survival
01:00:13 - Where to Find Brady
01:03:33 - Outro & Recording Wrap

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

In this Friday Field Notes episode, Ryan Michler delivers a direct and uncompromising message: success never happens by accident. He challenges listeners to confront the ways they may be drifting through life, reacting to circumstances rather than intentionally leading themselves.

Ryan explores how comfort, avoidance, and distraction quietly compound into years of lost potential, and contrasts that with the strength and freedom created through discipline, structure, and brotherhood. This episode calls men to choose hardship on purpose, define their standards, and begin taking directional action immediately instead of waiting for motivation to arrive.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 Introduction to the Drift
02:29 Weakness as the Default Setting
04:56 The Deceitful Nature of Drift
07:19 Mistaking Activity for Productivity
09:43 Structure, Discipline, and Freedom
13:26 Chaos Versus Ownership
15:03 Drift Creates Weak Default Patterns
16:22 Blindness to the Cliff
18:15 Choosing Your Struggle
19:42 Direction Before Motivation
20:23 Standards and Daily Requirements
21:30 Brotherhood as an Antidote
24:34 Identifying Where You Are Drifting
26:58 Final Call to Action

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

In this Ask Me Anything episode, Ryan and Kipp kick things off with a lighthearted but revealing conversation before diving into listener questions on purpose, vision, balance, and meaning.

They explore why men struggle to articulate what they want, how early conditioning shapes silence, and what happens when men open up and feel shut down. The discussion also tackles work-life balance, daily meaning versus long-term purpose, and why purpose is built through action, not found through thinking alone.

00:00 Christmas Check-In and Opening Banter
01:12 Viral Knife Story and Public Reactions
09:42 AMA Begins: Getting the Most from the Iron Council
16:57 Vision vs Character Traits
19:34 Why Men Are Conditioned Not to Want
20:17 What Happens When Men Open Up
30:53 Work, Home, and Community Balance
39:20 Finding Meaning in the Mundane
47:29 Purpose Is Built Through Action
50:16 Christmas Reflections and Closing Remarks

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

You know about breath work. You know about cold exposure. It's a thing all the major "influencers" tell you to do. I had some skepticism myself and that's why I wanted to have this man, the original cold exposure and breath work guy on himself, Wim Hof!

He is a man who has redefined the limits of the human mind and body. Known globally as The Iceman, Wim Hof has shown millions of people how to take control of their physiology through breath, cold exposure, and mindset. From climbing mountains in nothing but shorts to teaching everyday men how to regulate stress, build resilience, and reconnect with their primal strength, Wim's work challenges everything we think we know about comfort, health, and human potential. Today, we're talking about cold, breath, discipline, and what it really means to return to our factory settings as men.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 Introduction and Creative Rituals
01:30 Daily Cold and Breathwork Ritual
03:02 Shutting Off the Thinking Brain
05:07 Stress, Cortisol, and Modern Life
07:24 Cold Exposure Myths and Shortcuts
10:05 Minimum Effective Dose of Cold
12:34 Enduring Extreme Cold
14:28 Cold Exposure and Better Sleep
17:09 Breathing, Detox, and Biochemistry
21:35 Carbon Dioxide vs Oxygen
23:45 Ancient Practices, Modern Brains
27:50 Purpose, Presence, and Feeling Alive
30:11 Fulfillment Beyond Words
36:50 Getting High on Your Own Supply
38:11 Faith, Soul, and Inner Purpose
43:26 Motivation, Discipline, and Cold
46:50 Intuition and Better Decisions
50:00 Dopamine, Depression, and Energy
51:02 Final Thoughts and Where to Learn More

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready