Pain is part of life. Breakups, divorce, job loss, grief, frustration - every man faces suffering at some point. The difference between men who grow stronger and men who grow bitter isn't whether they suffer, but how they carry it.

In this episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler explains what it really means to "suffer like a man." Not suppressing emotions. Not performing toughness. But learning how to metabolize pain into strength, discipline, clarity, and usefulness.

Ryan shares five powerful principles that will help you stop wasting your suffering and start using it as fuel for growth, leadership, and resilience - in your work, your family, and your life.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Suffer Like a Man (Intro)
00:50 - Suffering Isn't the Problem
01:45 - Why Men Numb Pain
03:11 - When Suffering Makes You Bitter
04:56 - Stop Resisting Pain
06:10 - Name the Pain
06:58 - Contain It, Don't Leak It
07:23 - Explode or Implode
08:45 - Move Pain Through the Body
10:58 - Don't Waste Your Suffering
11:35 - Extract the Meaning
13:12 - Let Suffering Make You Useful
15:18 - Suffering Builds Strong Men
16:42 - Suffering Is Part of the System
18:05 - Final Charge to Men

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 Michler and Kipp Sorensen tackle some of the most pressing questions facing modern men. From the pros and cons of testosterone replacement therapy to rites of passage for men who were never initiated, the conversation dives deep into masculinity, leadership, and responsibility.

They explore how men can give advice with confidence, navigate today's confusing cultural signals around manhood, and prepare their sons for a challenging financial future. This episode is a powerful reminder that being a man
is not a title - it's a daily commitment to action.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Opening & Current Events
04:55 - Testosterone & TRT
12:35 - Rites of Passage Into Manhood
22:45 - Giving Advice With Authority
33:20 - Masculinity, Adolescence & Maturity
42:30 - Preparing Sons for the Future
50:30 - Wrap-Up & Iron Council

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

Today's conversation is a homecoming—back to the body, back to character, and back to what it means to be a man. My guest, Mark Walsh, challenges the modern habit of living entirely in our heads—cut off from sensation, boundaries, and responsibility. We talk embodiment not as fitness or aesthetics, but using physical training to develop character, emotional regulation, and presence. From Stoicism and shadow work to doing hard things on purpose, this episode is about reclaiming awareness, expanding range, and building the discipline required to choose better behavior.

We also confront the cult of modernity: hyper-individualism, happiness culture, pleasure-seeking that produces pain, and the loss of religion, community, and moral formation. Mark makes the case that happiness is secondary to meaning and commitment and that true freedom is forged through discipline, not the absence of limits.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 - Opening & Introduction
02:31 - What Embodiment Really Means
05:44 - Objectification & Modern Culture
08:13 - The Four Disconnections
11:49 - How to Come Home to the Body
15:08 - Training Beyond Comfort Zones
18:15 - Freedom, Range, and Choice
22:27 - Culture, Tribe, and Identity
27:13 - Modernity as a Death Cult
31:00 - Structure, Religion, and Meaning
34:24 - Happiness vs Purpose
36:57 - Rock Bottom of Modern Society
41:44 - Family, Institutions, and Masculinity
46:10 - Get Offline and Live Fully
49:30 - Emotions, Stoicism, and Control
52:00 - War Zone Story & Masculine Instinct
55:14 - Practices for Becoming Human
56:46 - Where to Find Mark Walsh

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 today's episode of Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler challenges one of modern self-help culture's most sacred ideas: vulnerability. While honesty, humility, and emotional awareness are essential to growth, Ryan makes the case that vulnerability - when practiced without discernment, responsibility, or purpose - often becomes performative, destabilizing, and counterproductive, especially for men in leadership roles.

This episode is not an argument against emotion. It's an argument for self-mastery, containment, and earned honesty.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Why Vulnerability Became a Sacred Cow
02:45 - Emotional Awareness vs Emotional Exposure
04:55 - Vulnerability Without Discernment = Emotional Exhibitionism
07:40 - Oversharing Shifts the Emotional Burden
09:50 - Why Emotional Dumping Kills Trust & Attraction
12:55 - Leadership Requires Stability, Not Collapse
14:40 - Transparency vs Discernment
16:30 - Honesty Is Not a Lack of Self-Mastery
17:40 - Regulation vs Repression
19:20 - Lessons from Stoic Men & Great Leaders
21:10 - Earned Vulnerability Explained
23:00 - Secure Containers, Not "Safe Spaces"
25:05 - Responsibility Over Emotional Relief
27:00 - What Men Actually Need More Of
28:20 - Vulnerability Is Not the Goal—Integrity Is
30:20 - Final Thoughts & 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 weekly Ask Me Anything episode, Ryan and Kipp open with reflections on consistency, discipline, and what long-term success actually requires. They then tackle listener questions on deeply held beliefs, fatherhood, masculinity, and how perspectives change with age and experience.

The conversation moves into practical advice on building strong male circles, writing and publishing a book, and preparing for marriage with clarity and intention. As always, the episode blends personal insight, hard-earned lessons, and actionable guidance for men committed to growth.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Welcome and Consistency
09:08 - Question on Strong Beliefs and Doubt
17:00 - Fatherhood, Leadership, and Manhood Expectations
29:09 - Finding High-Caliber Men and Brotherhood
36:32 - Writing and Publishing a Book
44:27 - Preparing for Marriage
50:24 - Iron Council Update and Closing

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

Some of the most misunderstood and emotionally charged topics for men are: attraction, compatibility, and what actually creates lasting connection with a woman. My guest, Laurin Ponce, helps us break down the difference between compatibility, connection, and chemistry - and why confusing those three is where most relationships go off the rails. We talk about what women truly find attractive in a grounded man, what it really means when a woman asks for space, why it feels like there are more rules for men, and how respect is built long before it's ever given. From attachment styles and masculine frame to why women's touch is medicine and how peace and respect create a relationship where both people feel safe and free, this conversation cracks open the unspoken dynamics most men are trying to navigate alone.

We also explore the practical side: non-negotiables, testing for compatibility, shared values, money, day-to-day living, and why partners are often mirrors and triggers for our own unresolved work. Laurin and I get into anxious versus avoidant dynamics, masculinity and femininity in modern relationships, emotional expression in men, vulnerability, physical attraction, and how connection is built - and rebuilt - over time

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
00:00 - Understanding Men and Women
01:07 - Is There a Line in "Figuring Each Other Out"?
03:22 - Masculine and Feminine Polarity
05:08 - The Bowl and the Water Analogy
06:46 - Why Respect Starts With Self-Respect
08:21 - Non-Negotiables in Relationships
10:05 - Compatibility vs. Chemistry
13:18 - Core Values and Relationship Dealbreakers
14:58 - You Can't Out-Love Incompatibility
17:16 - Chemistry vs. Trauma Bonds
18:46 - What Real Chemistry Feels Like
19:29 - Peace and Respect in Relationships
22:47 - Creating Emotional Safety
26:52 - Masculine and Feminine Imbalance Today
30:30 - Polarity Always Finds Its Way
33:41 - Letting Go of Armor and Control
35:16 - Becoming the Partner You Want to Attract
39:13 - Consistency and Trust
40:10 - Physical Attraction and Discipline
43:02 - Connection Is Built Over Time
46:37 - Scarcity Mindset in Dating
48:02 - Where Men Should Start in Long-Term Relationships
50:32 - Rekindling Attraction and Intentionality
57:12 - "Cracking the Code" of Your Partner
01:00:29 - Never Get Comfortable in Love
01:05:05 - Serving Each Other Without Shame
01:06:23 - Where to Find Laurin's Work

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

As we head into 2026, Ryan Michler breaks down 10 destructive money mindsets that quietly sabotage men's ability to build real wealth.

Drawing from his experience as a former financial advisor, Ryan explains why income is not the same as wealth, how debt has been falsely normalized, and why outsourcing responsibility for your finances is a losing strategy. He challenges the belief that "more money will fix everything" and dismantles the idea that your situation is somehow different from everyone else's.

This episode is a hard-hitting call to take ownership of your financial decisions, develop discipline, and shift your focus from chasing money to creating real value in the world.

Key Topics Covered

• Why procrastination destroys wealth faster than bad investments
• The difference between earning money and building wealth
• How debt has been normalized - and why it's costing you freedom
• Why outsourcing your finances weakens your sovereignty
• The danger of entitlement-based spending ("I deserve this")
• Why more money magnifies problems instead of fixing them
• Investing vs. gambling - and why doing nothing is the riskiest move
• Why you must understand money instead of delegating it
• The myth of being "special" or financially different
• Why money isn't the problem - behavior and priorities are

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