Mantalks Podcast: Purpose | Legacy | Relationships | Self Mastery | Business

We dug into several things in this session, but at the core were the aftereffects of a family member’s struggle with alcoholism. This and other addictions like it impact countless families, and the effects ripple outward into our own lives in many different ways. For those of you listening, if anything resonates and you want some help or insight, please don’t hesitate to DM me and check out a doctor who specializes in addiction. There are people out there who want to help.   In the USA: Search the American Board of Addiction Medicine In Canada: Connect with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so, please le

This week’s mini-ep is just me thinking out loud on what desire really means. It seems like our culture has built a massive framework around desire, or more accurately, built it to imply your lack of something, and therefore need to “get it”. But the big secret is the final source of contentment--the satisfaction we’ve been outsourcing for years--is only found within. To be clear, I’m not denying external hardships--particularly for people who have been oppressed by that same framework that always leaves us wanting more. What I’m saying is: whether it’s a million dollars, retweets, likes, sex partners, or [insert desire here], it’s not going to “solve” desire. Only self-compassion, silence, and awareness can do that. I hope this resonates with you. If it does, let me know on Instagram @mantalks, or better yet, leave me a rating or review! Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and joi

How do we understand each other, especially when we disagree? This week, I sat down with one of the leaders in nonviolent communication, or NVC, Oren Jay Sofer. If you're unsure of what nonviolent communication actually is, you'll have a solid grasp after this! For Oren, language runs deep. It’s intimately connected to universal, fundamental human drives, social structures, and even our physicality. We chat about the basic framework of mindful and nonviolent communication, our current “attack based” online culture, and some of Oren’s personal journey and defining moments. Oren was an incredible guest. The word that came up for me was “sincere”. He’s incredibly well-read, intelligent, honest, and his desire to create a world where everyone is respected and in harmony rings clear in everything we spoke about that. Oren Jay Sofer teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, and Nonviolent Communication nationally. A member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, he holds a degree in Comparative Religion from Columbia

This week’s mini-episode is a personal one, and about one of the most ancient and powerful rituals we as humans can practice: memento mori--being mindful of the inevitability of death. I dive into how memento mori works as a contemplative practice, its history, and why it’s more than just some personal development tool. Modern culture works hard to avoid even the idea of death, to the point where we water down some our most compelling stories and ideas. Tons of time is spent on practically forcing light and joy and life. But death helps inform us of how we are living--right here, right now.  As always, let me know your take. Leave a rating or review and help us reach more people like you. Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at M

This was a powerful interview, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to listen to Reggie’s peace-oriented mindset and his perspective on a highly divisive period in American history. We dove into understanding the origins of modern activism and activist groups, Black Lives Matter, why discussions fall apart, and how we might repair them. Listen in for an honest, real conversation, and if it resonates, please share! Help us reach more people like you. Reggie Hubbard has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing, digital and community organizing, government relations, international education to Presidential campaigning. He currently serves as a senior political strategist for MoveOn, managing their relationships, impact, and communications with Capitol Hill and among the broader progressive movement. Reggie is also a 500 hour certified yoga teacher and authored a thesis entitled, "Yoga and Spiritual Activism: Serving Humanity from a Sense of Devo

Part 2 of You Ask, I Answer is here! Some great questions came in and as always, it’s a pleasure to answer them. This week’s mini-ep covers setting and understanding boundaries with a partner, the “code of conflict”, how to know if it’s “the One”, and enhancing/perfecting long-distance relationships. If this episode resonates with you, let me know! Leave a rating or review, or send me your questions on Instagram @mantalks.  Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. It helps our podcast get into the ears of new listeners, which expands the ManTalks Community  See omnystudio.com/listener for privac

I often tell clients, “say yes to the man you want to be”, and Lee Chambers is someone who decided to shout it! From running a seven-figure business to losing his ability to walk, he’s seen a lot. I was amazed by his struggles, but moreso by his deliberate, intentional reframing of them. Lee’s story is an incredibly powerful example of how mindset and action work together to define who you are and who you want to be. We cover a lot. Lee’s origin story, the big-picture ideas of environmental psychology, how to optimize your home office, and more. But the big takeaway in this episode is building a life that regenerates you and your environment.   Let me know your take on Insta @mantalks, or better yet, leave a rating or review. Help us help others! Connect with Lee Website: www.essentialise.co.uk, www.leechambers.org Instagram: @essentialisecoach Twitter: @essentialise LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-chambers-278a6518a/ Book (Upcoming): How to Conquer Anything  Are you looking to find your purpose,

I genuinely enjoy getting questions from listeners, so this Q&A will be a two-parter! This week, I touch on three big questions: why some people crave the extreme, how to move on from a relationship full of love but doesn’t meet your needs, and when to walk away from a partner who is ambivalent about the relationship. If you know someone who can relate to these questions, share this with them! We’re all in this together. If you have any questions of your own, hit me up on Instagram (@mantalks). And as always, if any of this resonates, leave us a rating or review. It’ll help us reach more people (and answer more questions!) Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy t

I like to occasionally feature a shadow-work session with someone I’ve never worked with before, and this one got powerful fast. My guest came to me wanting to work on the intersection of his sexuality and his religion; he feels fulfilled by being a leader in his community, but he also feels a clash between the pressure to “be religious” and be a sexual being at the same time. This expanded into a deep dive on the feeling of isolation and not belonging. This is a unique opportunity for you to listen to some real-time shadow work, where I guide a man through and into their shadow so they can get at what’s keeping them stuck or sabotaged. Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did y

By the time you listen to this, my incredible wife Vienna and I will be on the road, heading into a new chapter of our lives. It seemed like the perfect time to talk about “moving” through crisis (see what I did there?). Because, like so many of our friends, clients, and listeners, the last several months threw a lot of plans into disarray. So we sat down together to discuss clinging to expectations, navigating “forced change”, and the lessons we’ve learned from transition points in our own lives. As we mentioned in the show, we’d like to do a part 2 to this mini-episode where we both take on your questions! Leave a rating or review, and hit us up on Instagram (@mantalks or @mindfulmft) with your questions about transition, change, and moving through crisis. Connect with Vienna Insta: @mindfulmft Twitter: @mindfulmft Website: http://www.newyorkcouplescounseling.com/about/vienna-pharaon/ Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition, or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from

You’re going to want a comfy chair for this one. This week, my guest is Daoist Monk Yun Rou. Yun Rou is a brilliant interpreter of ancient ideas for a modern ear--if you’ve read his book The Mad Monk Manifesto you’ll know what I’m talking about. We got heavy into social media and how it affects us, why you might know more about Daoism than you think, and how Daoist philosophy can offer us a different, more holistic view of everything; from our own minds to the workings of the universe. If you consider yourself a seeker, this is the episode to listen to. Called the new Alan Watts for his teachings and the Zen Gabriel Garcia Marquez for his writings, Daoist Monk Yun Rou (formerly Arthur Rosenfeld) received his academic education at Yale, Cornell, and the University of California and was ordained a monk in an official ceremony at the Chun Yang Daoist Temple in Guangzhou, China. His work has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Parade, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, WebMD, Fox Business News, and numerous other web

This is a really important topic for me; it’s one of the reasons I started ManTalks. In this episode, I check out why men seem to only turn things around after everything’s on fire.  I dive a bit into the shadow aspects of modern masculine culture, and how they amplify the problem (hint: shame is a big player).  Every man’s journey is different, but there’s one thing we all need--and I mean need--to do: challenge the narrative that suppression equals strength. Listen in to hear why, and as always, let me know your take; leave a rating or review. Also, share this with someone you think would benefit! Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so please leave

What does resiliency mean? How do you build the ability to bounce back after an event that shakes you to your core? How does it change you? To help answer these I spoke with adventurer, author, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and keynote speaker John Beede, and we dove straight into the hard stuff. It was a real pleasure to chat with John about what drew him to mountains, his struggles and victories, his new book, and the pressure men are often under to either tough it out, nice it out, or numb it out. John Beede has climbed to the top of the tallest mountain on every continent, including Mount Everest. During the 9 year adventure, he somehow survived avalanches, pulmonary edema, tribal warfare, and a whole lot of Clif bars. He’s a worldwide adventurer who has traveled to 65 countries, written 3 books, and given live presentations to nearly 1 million live teen and middle school audience members. His new book is called The Warrior Challenge: 8 Quests for Boys to Grow Up with Kindness, Courage, and Grit.   Connect

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve no doubt seen a spike in mental health issues over the last year. Most reasons are pretty obvious, of course, but there are other aspects you might not have considered. So I wanted to think out loud about what these are, how they work, and what we can do to mitigate the symptoms. In some ways, a mental health crisis is already here, and if we don’t talk about it--if we don’t unplug from our echo chambers and truly connect with other people--the situation is only going to get worse. Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. It helps our podcast get into the ea

For our 300th episode, I wanted to cover something so common we take it for granted, and so critical we can’t live without it: breathing. Most of the time, it’s something we do unconsciously, but how we breathe and what we’re taking in are critical. We don’t really give it a lot of thought, but James Nestor is dedicated to changing that. When he and I sat down to talk about the nature of breath, the amount of info and insight he had blew. me. away. We cover the bleeding edge of science on breathing. From the subtle (but chronic) effects of Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome, Jame’s personal experience of how we evolved for nasal breathing (not mouth breathing), to some easy ways you can optimize your own breathing technique. As always, share your takeaways with me! Leave a rating or review!  James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Scientific American, Outside, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and more. His latest book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was released May 26, 2020 by Riv

This week I wanted to cover something a ton of people are experiencing right now: transition fatigue. Each of us has a natural limit on how much change we can take at once. When we hit that limit, issues can start cropping up that’ll impact you and your relationships in a pretty big way.  In my opinion, transition fatigue isn’t talked about enough, so I wanted to cover it here and in my weekly newsletter. Listen in for exactly what transition fatigue is, how it might be affecting you, and steps you can take to recover from it.  Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. It helps our podcast get into

Sex is (obviously) a big deal for a lot of us, and it has a huge impact on a relationship. So as someone who works hard at providing people tools and perspectives on lasting, genuine wellbeing, it’s SO important to me that we get the best ideas, the real science, and the most beneficial tactics to use in regards to sex. To that end, I brought on Michaela Boehm in June, Dr. Lori Brotto two weeks before, and this week, Dr. Kristen Mark. We had a deep dive into what people in relationships can do to elevate their communication, sexual satisfaction, and tackle “desire discrepancy”. I encourage you to listen in with your partner. There’s a lot of good stuff in here. Let me know your take! Leave a rating and review or connect with on Insta @mantalks. Kristen Mark, PhD, MPH is a sex and relationships researcher, educator, and therapist. She has spent the past 8 years at the University of Kentucky as a faculty member in health promotion and Director of the Sexual Health Promotion Lab. She is currently transitioning t

I recently did an AMA on Instagram, and I was blown away by the response! I deeply appreciate your engagement, and so for this week’s mini-episode, I wanted to answer as many as I could with as much value as possible.  There were hundreds of questions, so I clearly won’t be able to cover all of them in under twenty minutes, but keep your eyes peeled. I and my team wrote them all down, and we’ll be going more in-depth on some in the future! Thank you for listening, and if you like what you hear, leave a rating, review, or hit me up on Instagram @mantalks. Are you looking to find your purpose, navigate transition or fix your relationships, all with a powerful group of men from around the world? Check out The Alliance and join me today.  Check out our Facebook Page or the Men's community.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts  | Spotify For more episodes visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter    Did you enjoy the podcast? If so please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. It

Piracy. Gunrunning. Human trafficking. The harvest of endangered animals. Vigilantes pursuing justice. All happening in a world most of us know nothing about: the open ocean. This week, I sat down with Ian Urbina for an episode unique in the ManTalks canon. It’s my belief that cultivating or embodying the healthy masculine (or feminine) has to involve both inner and outer work, and a big part of outer work is being aware of what’s happening in--or happening to--the world. Ian’s expertise, passion, and concern for this darker corner of human life was readily apparent to me. It was an honor to talk to him. Ian Urbina, a former investigative reporter for the New York Times, is the director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, a non-profit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on reporting about environmental and human rights crimes at sea. Listen in to hear about what it was like to chase one of INTERPOL’s most wanted ships, how “labor brokers” kidnap men (and boys) to work on ships, and how sh

Men, brace for some real talk. I’m asked this question a lot, and it can seem like a straightforward problem to tackle. At first. Any time it involves another person, it’s a big decision, and you owe it to both yourself and the person you’re with to really dig deep and ask the hard questions.Listen in to hear what I ask back and what you need to ask yourself. As always, let me know what you think! Leave a rating or review, or share and tag @mantalks on Insta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices