We Take the Stairs Podcast – Let’s Break Bread

We are more connected than ever, yet we’ve never felt more alone. We’ve traded community for confirmation bias, creating a “table for one” that leaves no room for difference.

In this special “Side Quest” episode recorded in New York City, Rachel and Junior sit down with Trey and Haley—two new friends from different corners of the world—to discuss the breakdown of modern communication.

This organic conversation tackles:

• Why we shut down when we don’t “see ourselves” in the conversation

• The cultural shift from “Yes We Can” (The We) to the era of “All About Me”

• How algorithms and confirmation bias are fueling isolation

• The lingering impact of the pandemic on our ability to be vulnerable

• Why fear is the seed of hate, and shame is the root of separation

• The difference between fighting against an enemy and fighting for a community

If you feel exhausted by polarization or lonely despite being online, this episode offers a hopeful path toward real connection.

Timestamps / Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to NYC: A Special Side Quest
02:15 – Meet the Guests: Trey & Haley
05:40 – The Communication Breakdown: Why We Shut Down
09:00 – The Shift from “We” to “Me”
11:30 – Algorithms, Confirmation Bias, and the “Table for One”
16:15 – The COVID Effect: Why We Are Still Running Scared
24:00 – Fear is the Seed, Shame is the Root
28:00 – How to Have Conversations with People You Disagree With
38:30 – Fighting For Something vs. Fighting Against an Enemy
43:00 – The Crippling Effect of Shame on Community
51:00 – Gender Dynamics: Why Men and Women Aren’t Hearing Each Other
58:00 – The Pendulum Swing of Power and Oppression
64:00 – “We Takes”: Final Thoughts on Trust and Intention

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to expand your “frame” to invite others to the table

• Why discomfort is necessary for growth and connection

• How to identify when you are seeking confirmation rather than truth

• The importance of face-to-face conversation in the age of AI

• How to move past fear to rebuild trust in your community

Keywords for YouTube SEO

Communication skills, polarization in America, building community, social isolation, confirmation bias, deep conversation, mental health and social media, overcoming shame, We Take the Stairs, podcast NYC, meaningful connection, healing society.

What does it actually mean to be a present father in a world where communication is collapsing and technology is raising our kids?

In this powerful episode of We Take the Stairs: Let’s Break Bread, we speak with an anonymous guest whose life in security keeps him unseen — but whose approach to fatherhood is anything but absent.

From raising a daughter largely on his own, to enforcing boundaries, creating emotional safety, and pushing back against influencer culture, this conversation dives deep into what children truly need: structure, honesty, tools, and accountability.

This episode challenges cultural narratives around masculinity, parenting, and freedom — and offers a grounded perspective on how parents, especially fathers, can lead without controlling and love without enabling.

Timestamps / Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to Let’s Break Bread
02:00 – Why This Guest Remains Anonymous
04:00 – Single Fatherhood and Stepping Up
06:30 – Absence of Fathers in Modern Society
09:00 – Learning Leadership Without a Model
11:00 – Military Discipline and Parenting
14:00 – Giving Kids Tools to Succeed
16:00 – Nuclear Family vs. Reality
18:30 – Odds of Success Without Parental Structure
21:00 – Teen Boundaries and Tough Love
23:30 – Safety, Awareness, and Discipline
26:00 – Teaching Structure Through Scheduling
29:00 – Supporting vs. Enabling
31:30 – Communication and Emotional Trust
34:00 – Why Parents Can’t Be Best Friends
36:30 – Honesty, Boundaries, and Truth
39:00 – COVID Kids and Social Damage
41:30 – Phones, Technology, and Connection
44:00 – Influencer Culture and False Authority
46:30 – Masculinity and Accountability
49:00 – Listening as Leadership
52:00 – Control, God, and Identity
57:00 – Living Small to Win Big
01:02:00 – Closing Thoughts on Parenting and Society

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How fathers can lead with strength and empathy
Why discipline creates safety, not fear
The danger of influencer-driven identity
How technology impacts emotional development
Why accountability is essential for growth
How to communicate honestly with your children

Keywords

fatherhood podcast, single dad raising daughter, parenting discipline, masculinity and leadership, parenting in digital age, father absence crisis, communication breakdown, raising confident children, We Take the Stairs

In this episode of We Take the Stairs: Let’s Break Bread, we slow down and dig deeper into a question that surfaced powerfully in Season One: How do men truly view marriage, and why does it matter?

Joined by two respected mentors and longtime husbands, Tony Robinson and Dr. Gordon Johnson, this conversation explores marriage as covenant, not convenience. We unpack what makes relationships last, why marriage isn’t “simple,” and how faith, structure, mentorship, and humility shape healthy unions over decades.

Through personal testimony, biblical reflection, and honest dialogue, this episode confronts cultural confusion around marriage, masculinity, perfection, and self-centered living. We discuss why many relationships fail before they start, how unhealed trauma affects partnership, and why true commitment requires asking not what do I want, but what am I bringing to the table?

This is a conversation for men discerning marriage, women seeking balance, parents raising sons, and anyone longing for relationships built on faith, sacrifice, and mutual growth.

Episode Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Let’s Break Bread and the In-Between Season
03:30 – Why This Conversation on Marriage Matters
05:30 – Introducing Tony Robinson and Dr. Gordon Johnson
08:30 – Respect, Leadership, and Honoring One’s Wife
12:00 – No Marriage Is Perfect, But Commitment Is
15:00 – Growing Together vs. Growing Apart
18:30 – Marriage as Covenant, Not Convenience
22:00 – Choosing Marriage for the Right “Why”
26:00 – Trauma, Communication, and Emotional Maturity
30:00 – Faith, Structure, and Christ as the Center of the Home
34:30 – What Are You Bringing to the Table?
38:30 – The Breakdown of Marriage in Modern Culture
42:00 – Confusion, Information Overload, and Loss of Moral Center
46:00 – The Collective Good vs. Radical Individualism
49:30 – Sin, Accountability, and Picking Up the Trash
53:00 – Perfection, Repentance, and Changed Behavior
56:30 – Closing Reflections on Marriage, Faith, and Hope

Key Topics Discussed

• Marriage as a biblical covenant
• Faith-based leadership in the home
• Masculinity and emotional maturity
• Longevity in marriage
• Trauma, healing, and self-awareness
• Why relationships fail before they begin
• Christ-centered relationships
• Community, responsibility, and the collective good

SEO Keywords

Christian marriage, covenant marriage, biblical marriage roles, men and marriage, faith and relationships, marriage mentorship, masculinity and marriage, Christ-centered marriage, long-lasting marriage, marriage and faith, covenant relationships

In this episode of We Take the Stairs, we sit down for an honest and necessary conversation about fatherhood, masculinity, and the growing fatherless generation. Through biblical truth, personal stories, and lived experience, we explore how the absence of fathers — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — has shaped families, men, and culture.

This conversation dives into the biblical role of fathers, the difference between masculinity and toxic masculinity, and why men are increasingly feeling unneeded in the home. We also discuss how spiritual fathers and mentors can step in where biological fathers are absent, and how healing begins when we understand God as Father.

This episode is for men seeking clarity, parents raising sons, leaders discipling young men, and anyone wrestling with the question: What does healthy masculinity actually look like?

Episode Chapters

00:00 – Why We Started We Take the Stairs
02:00 – Introducing Let’s Break Bread
04:30 – The Fatherless Crisis in Today’s Society
07:50 – Biblical Roles of Fathers in the Home
11:30 – Why Masculinity Is Misunderstood
15:30 – A Mother’s Perspective on Father Absence
18:45 – When Fathers Are Emotionally Present but Spiritually Absent
22:40 – Strength, Discipline, and Love in Fatherhood
26:50 – How Father Wounds Shape Adult Men
31:00 – Masculinity vs. Toxic Masculinity
35:10 – Why Men Feel Unneeded in Modern Culture
38:30 – The Role of Mentors When Fathers Are Absent
42:00 – Love as Discipline, Not Permissiveness
45:20 – Healing Through God as Father
49:00 – What Each Guest Took From the Conversation
53:30 – Final Reflections and Closing Prayer

Key Topics Discussed

• The fatherhood crisis in modern society
• Biblical masculinity vs. cultural masculinity
• Father wounds and emotional development in men
• The importance of men in the home
• Christian fatherhood and leadership
• Spiritual fathers, mentors, and discipleship
• Healing identity through God as Father

SEO Keywords

fatherless generation, absent fathers, biblical masculinity, Christian fatherhood, masculinity and faith, men in the home, father wounds, spiritual fatherhood, discipleship for men, raising sons, biblical role of fathers

In this episode of We Take the Stairs, the hosts explore why so many men, especially young men, are returning to the church in growing numbers. The conversation begins with a simple but personal question. What has church meant to each of you? From peace and grounding to structure and community, each host shares reflections that set the tone for the episode.

The group discusses the impact of the pandemic, rising isolation, and the overload of confusing messages in media. They talk about why many men are craving clear moral direction, accountability, and spaces where they can be honest without performing. The conversation touches on past church hurt, shifting gender roles, and how modern church communities are becoming more Christ centered and less personality driven.

Throughout the episode, the hosts highlight leadership, fellowship, fatherhood, mentorship, and emotional honesty. There are personal testimonies about depression, addiction, surrender, and how faith has brought healing and clarity. They also reflect on Gen Z men searching for identity and meaning in a noisy world.

The episode closes with a shared reminder that church is not a building. Church is wherever two or three gather with the Word at the center.

Scripture references
Hebrews 10:24 to 25
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Hosts
Rachael, Liz, Junior, Z

Website
wetakethestairs.com

In this powerful episode of We Take the Stairs, the hosts explore why so many men, especially young men, are returning to the church in record numbers. The conversation begins with a personal question. What has church meant to each of you? From peace and grounding to structure and community, everyone shares a story that sets the tone for the rest of the episode.

The group talks about the impact of the pandemic, the rise of isolation, the flood of confusing messages in media, and how many men are craving clear moral direction and a place where they can breathe and be honest. They reflect on past church hurt, shifting gender roles, cultural changes, and how accountability has made modern church spaces more open, humble, and focused on Christ rather than personality or performance.

The episode highlights structure, leadership, fellowship, fatherhood, mentorship, emotional honesty, and the hunger men have for real truth in a world full of noise.
There are personal testimonies about depression, addiction, surrender, and how finding faith brought healing.
There are reflections on Gen Z men searching for identity and meaning.
And there is a shared understanding that church is not a building. Church is wherever two or three gather with the living Word at the center.

Scripture references
Hebrews 1024 to 25
One Thessalonians 511

Hosts
Rachael, Liz, Junior, Z

Website
wetakethestairs.com

In this episode of We Take the Stairs, the hosts dig into one of the most requested topics from young men and older men alike. Why is a man’s protective instinct so often labeled as controlling? And where is the line between genuine care and unhealthy control?

Rachael, Liz, Junior, and guest Meg start with the real question that sparked this discussion. When a woman dresses in a certain way and her boyfriend asks her not to, is he trying to protect her or trying to control her? The group explores intention, perception, insecurity, image, and how past experiences shape the way both men and women respond to these conversations.

The discussion goes deeper into identity, ego, cultural expectations, and biblical context. The hosts talk about modesty, accountability, communication, and how both men and women contribute to misunderstandings around lust, protection, and autonomy. They highlight why tone matters, why delivery matters, and why relationships fall apart when people cannot communicate without feeling attacked.

With honesty and transparency, the group unpacks how to have these conversations in a healthy way. Ask questions. Understand your own bias. Lead with grace instead of pride. Take responsibility for your own heart before trying to correct someone else. And be willing to accept when someone is not aligned with you rather than trying to control them.

This is a challenging but important conversation, reminding listeners that real leadership, real love, and real protection come from humility and communication, not control.

Hosts Rachael, Liz, Junior, Z
Guest Meg Worth
Website wetakethestairs.com

In this powerful episode of We Take the Stairs, the hosts open an honest and deeply personal conversation about body dysmorphia, beauty, and how society’s standards affect both men and women. Rachael, Liz, Junior, and Z talk about the rise of body image struggles among young men and boys, exploring how social media, culture, and expectations distort our view of ourselves.

They share personal stories of comparison, insecurity, and healing, reflecting on how faith and authenticity play a role in reclaiming self-worth. The group discusses the difference between healthy discipline and obsession, the impact of social media filters, and how unrealistic ideals can shape mental health.

This episode is a reminder that true beauty comes from authenticity and spiritual strength, not perfection. Through honest discussion and biblical reflection, the hosts challenge listeners to love themselves as God created them, to seek balance, and to choose vulnerability over vanity.

Scripture reference
Ephesians 2:10 — “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Hosts
Rachael, Liz, Junior, Z

Website
wetakethestairs.com