The Better Man Podcast

Today's guest, Jeff Weiss, wasn't always an "athlete." In fact, after starting a family, he went two decades without exercising in any meaningful or consistent way.

But when his father passed away as he neared age 50, he knew that he had to make a change and start taking his healthspan seriously.

And so, he joined a running class and signed up for a 10k race - his first ever race - at the ripe age of 48. He quickly fell in love with running (partly because his body was fresher because he...

Every human on the planet gets called to a different adventure at some point (usually around mid-life) that opens up the doors to a more fulfilling life.

But the problem is, we're not great at hearing this call-to-adventure. It shows up in different ways for everyone. And modern life puts so many distractions at our fingertips that it's hard to create the necessary space to listen to (and obey) your inner voice.

But you know what?

You don't have to put your entire life on hold to...

Nothing is a better one-two punch for burning fat, building muscle, and building a pain-free and injury-free lifestyle if you're over 40 than by combining strength training with yoga.

But not just any kind of strength training.

And not just any kind of yoga.

That's why I partnered with Funk Roberts, a strength and conditioning coach for men over 40, to create a brand-new way to train your body:

Man Flow Muscle!

Nobody understands all the nuances that go into programming a strength...

Coach Patrick, trained therapist and our mental and emotional health coach at Man Flow Yoga, and I recently hosted a Be The Better You Retreat.

Each one of these retreats hones in on a different theme based on the guys who attend. This most recent event was about finding yourself, or as Coach Patrick puts it:

Remembering yourself!

As we grow up, we put on different masks (or act as different characters) because somewhere along the way, usually by age 7, our subconscious mind discovered that this was...

Do you ever feel like you're just wandering through life without a purpose … or like you're in the midst of a mid-life crisis?

These experiences start hitting you between your mid 30s to late 40s - and they bring up a bunch of difficult emotions.

But here's the good news:

I invited Connor Beaton of ManTalks back onto the show to share a few tricks to reframe your mid-life crisis (and turn it into a positive transformation). He reveals why fueling yourself with Dark Motivation (from internal sh...

Bobby B. (Man Flow Yoga Member and today's guest) went his first 40 years without exercising.

He wasn't an athlete.

He didn't come from a particularly healthy or active family.

And to tell the truth, he frankly had other areas of his life that deserved more of his attention than working out.

But then he turned 40, saw the black balloons and ominous tidings in Spencer's, and then went to have some blood work.

While his health wasn't in critical condition, his doctor noticed a...

If you were born in the 80s, then you might be at a higher risk for gut dysfunction than the average person.

Today's guest, Ben Brown (founder of Body Systems Coaching and Head Nutrition & Fitness Coach of 20+ years) learned this the hard way:

He was plagued by gut issues throughout his teens, but never realized the significance of gut issues until much later. As he went about undoing the damage he had accidentally done to his gut health, he started realizing that his energy came back online, his immunity strengthened, and...

If you're an achiever or find that you're endlessly striving for, well, something greater, then you know the path isn't full of clarity.

It certainly wasn't for today's guest, Caleb Campbell. Caleb is a West Point graduate, former Army officer, and former NFL linebacker. But he was always followed by a sense of not being enough.

At first, he turned his sense of not being enough into fuel. This actually worked pretty well: He achieved his dream of making the NFL, becoming the second ever draft pick from West Point, and...

The topic of AI is unavoidable. The cat is already out of the bag with this piece of technology. 

The questions then become: 

Can it make you a better man? 

Can you use it to get more of your own time back? 

Is using AI ethical? 

And so, I invited Ted Phaeton, productivity coach and host of the Modern Man Podcast, back onto the show to discuss AI with me. 

Here's what Ted and I discuss: 

The perso...

After an accidental mushroom experience, I experienced a panic attack and realized I've been living with low-grade anxiety for far longer than I realized. 

And so, over the past couple of years, I've been on a winding and tumultuous emotional journey. It hasn't always been a linear path of growth either. I'd make some progress, then tumble down. I'd think I'd beaten it, but then it came back. 

But the process taught me a lot about myself, about my subconscious beliefs, and what to do when my emotions are overwhelming - both...

Today's guest, Coach Allan Misner and host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, almost drove himself to the ER when he was 39 after playing a half of a round of beach volleyball.

His story may even resemble yours:

He prioritized his career over his fitness, over his health, over his family, and over his relationships for years without even noticing.

That half round of volleyball was his wake-up call… but he was still battling a shoddy mindset which threw a wrench in his tires every time he tried to be...

Here is a downright frightening statistic:

Within five years, men over the age of 50 with untreated erectile dysfunction will suffer a severe health problem like a heart attack or stroke.

ED is the big, glaring red flag that you need to do something about your health. But due to embarrassment, avoiding uncomfortable conversations, and the ease of getting short-term solutions like Viagra, most men never bring it up to their doctors. And so, they never get to the root of the problem, and thus, have a higher risk of premature death. <...

"Foot health is the new sleep" … [And] it may be that big toe strength is probably the greatest proxy for longevity, well beyond VO2 max and grip strength over the age of 65." - Mark Sisson

The most neglected, overlooked, and downright ignored aspect of your overall health and longevity isn't your VO2 max, your grip strength, or even your sleep.

It's your foot strength and health!

The reality is that your feet have evolved over thousands of years to be your interface with the ground and the un...

There's a male loneliness epidemic ripping through society. I've felt it. You've felt it. I'm willing to bet the vast majority of listeners have felt it too. 

But hearing about it or feeling it yourself is a totally different thing than doing something about it. 

And so, since I've been feeling the loneliness that comes when all of your time is consumed by work and family, I decided to try a few different ways to connect with other men on a deeper level. 

In today's show, you'll hear w...

Michael's worked with over 1,500 men over the last 7 years helping them to conquer every type of sexual dysfunction they're going through.

One such way sexual dysfunction manifests is with an inability to last longer than 60 seconds during sex. Or premature ejaculation for short.

The problem Michael's stumbled upon, both through his own struggles and with coaching 1,500+ men through it, is that kegels are not enough. Sometimes they can actually make you finish quicker. But the reality is, if kegels solved this problem reliably for men, no man would suffer from finishing...

I ended up in the ER last week after my wife and mom had to threaten me with an ambulance because they thought I was having a stroke. 

(I didn't have a stroke, but I am dealing with, and on medication for, a case of stress-induced Bell's Palsy.) 

This surprise visit to the ER was a wake-up call for me on several fronts: 

Not only did I need to be threatened with an ambulance to go to the ER (I didn't think I was tough or anything… I just t...

Today's guest, Jason Gabrieli (COO and co-founder of HFM), was mostly active growing up. But then, like what happens with most men, life got into the way:

He was building a business, raising a family, and let his health and wellness slip by the wayside. One day, he "came to" when he got stuck on the ground, writhing in back pain and hip tightness, unable to get up from playing with his 4- and 2-year-old kids.

He knew he needed to make a change, but wasn't sure what. He also noticed...

Today's guest, Joe L., was blindsided about two years ago when he went to donate his blood and was denied. Joe has O- blood, which means every other blood type can accept his. As such, he's always been a big proponent of donating his blood.

But he was denied a few years back because his blood pressure was sky high.

Joe never would've suspected that his blood pressure was high at the time. His doctor then prescribed him blood pressure medication. But Joe didn't want to live the rest of his...

There is nothing more deeply humiliating or shameful, to men, than suffering from any kind of sexual dysfunction.

You feel like less of a man. You lose your natural sense of masculinity. And it allows your shame to consume your mind and trick you into thinking you'll be laughed at if you bring it up to other men.

But something magical happens when you can talk about it openly:

It loosens the pressure vault and lets the tension in your nervous system relax. Why? Because your sexual...

If you're a dad, especially if you have younger kids, then you know how quickly your home can go from clean and organized to a chaotic disaster.

Whether you realize it or not, this physical clutter takes a toll on you - emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (even if you have a high tolerance for clutter, which is something I was not born with).

With Father's Day around the corner, and as a dad of two young kids myself, I invited the PERFECT guest for today's Father's Day themed show:

<...

I've always been suspicious of this idea that becoming more selfish is the path to happiness. It feels like a lie. Especially when you're a father. 

But you know what?

After hosting a handful of in-person events this year, I've noticed a silent crisis amongst men: We don't know how to get our needs met. We carry around invisible rucksacks that weigh us down, dim the color and depth of our world, and snatch peace, fulfillment, and joy from our grasp.

My suspicion about doing things that bene...

What if you could achieve all of your health goals without using any willpower, discipline, or external motivation?

It might sound too good to be true, but there's a surprisingly simple way to do this: Falling in love with your future.

Something magical happens when you fall in love with your future: You start to appreciate the mistakes you made (or will make) on your health journey instead of beating yourself up over them.

Today's guest, Scott, experienced this first-hand:

After retiring and...

Our world has become too shackled into "black and white" thinking.

When something is considered "good," the negative trade-offs are ignored and neglected. When something is considered "bad," the good is disregarded and the baby gets tossed out with the bath water.

But the reality is that there's a lot more gray areas than we think. This is particularly true with charged topics like the differences between male and female, between masculinity and femininity.

The truth rarely exists on the extremes. Both sides of an argument have...

There are a lot of ways that fathers get in their own way of being a great parent. Sometimes it wears the mask of "self-improvement." Sometimes it gamifies your presence. And sometimes, it's a desire to overcorrect your parents' mistakes.

In many ways, it's much harder to be a father today than ever before too.

Gender roles are more fluid than they were in previous generations (but there's still value in distinguishing gender roles). Fathers are forced to feel through their feelings when it comes more naturally to think through them...

Despite what your mind visualizes when you're thinking about your fitness and health journey, reality is never as picture perfect.

You'll have various setbacks that threaten your confidence. You might struggle with mental health issues that ruin your consistency. And you might even go years without progressing towards a healthier, happier, and leaner version of yourself.

And you know what?

This happens to everyone, including former fitness professionals like today's guest, Man Flow Yoga Member Alan.

Alan started his career in the fitness...

If you're not training your mind, then someone else is training it for you.

Without your awareness, knowledge, or consent. And you only notice how deeply entrenched your conditioning when shit hits the fan.

Mark Divine (retired Navy SEAL Commander, best-selling author, and CEO of SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind) returns to the Better Man podcast for a beautiful example of showing courageous vulnerability in today's show.

Because despite writing five books on mental and emotional health…

Despite being a retired Navy SEAL Commander and successfully fo...

Today's guest, Emmy-winning meteorologist turned podcast host and productivity coach, Ted Phaeton, knew something was missing in his life.

He had a great career.

He got the recognition he craved.

But he didn't have true autonomy and freedom and it was eating at him.

Ted realized he became too attached to his identity as a meteorologist. Meteorology wasn't his only skill. He's also honed and mastered a productivity system that led to winning an Emmy in meteorology without missing his kid's games.

Today's guest, Jim (a Man Flow Yoga Member since 2018), had his life turned completely upside down shortly after he retired. He had a near-fatal heart crisis, technically died, and came back to life.

Here's how it happened:

Before retirement, he worked an ultra stressful job as a director of global health and safety and crisis management during both Covid and the Russia-Ukraine war. When he was offered early retirement, he took it without blinking.

A few months later, he pushed himself too hard doing yard work and...

Human beings are designed for the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

That single sentence is what inspired today's guest, Dr. Douglas Graham, to experiment with his diet for decades, which led to his creation of the counterintuitive 80-10-10 Diet. He's sustained this dieting approach for 40 years even though it defies the most common advice from "health experts."

And it's also why Dr. Graham doesn't cook his food.

This is an eye-opening episode that will challenge your beliefs about health, diet, and longevity. It certainly challenged my...

Today's guest, Boys Will Be Men author and therapist, Vince Benevento has spent decades of his life helping men battle their own demons and heal their internal environments.

Vince was originally attracted to men's mental health after facing his own share of demons in his 20s. But he never imagined how much he'd need to lean on his decades of experience when his life was uprooted in the face of an unspeakable trauma…

One day, out of absolutely nowhere, one of his sons developed an unexpected rash that suddenly turned into li...

Everyone lives in a world of their own creation through their conditioning, their thought patterns, and their behaviors. The problem is, this route leads to pain because it severs the connection with your true identity.

When you're disconnected from your true identity, and you forget to remember who you are, you'll wake up one day and realize you're living a complete lie. Instead of creating a life that makes you happy and fulfilled, you trade your future for someone else's opinion of you.

Today's guest, retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine...

There are certain athletic principles that can significantly increase your longevity and your quality of life. And no, you didn't have to grow up playing sports or thinking of yourself like an athlete to adopt these principles.

In fact, adopting an athletic mindset is one of the most important things you can do if you're over 40 years old because it protects you from injuries, increases your strength (which is one of the best predictors of lifespan), and reframes your entire approach to fitness.

That's why I invited Greg Herceg, The Volleyball...

What if you wake up one day and despite living up to society's definition of success, you feel empty inside?

That's what happened to today's guest Brian Dubow, host of Hit of Happiness and happiness coach.

By all accounts, Brian reached a level of success that most people envy. But he slowly realized that his drive to work hard was a defense mechanism protecting himself from asking the harder questions - like why he wasn't happy. And why he didn't actually care about a job that made his peers envy him. <...

Coming out is never easy. Despite the societal progress we've made culturally, there is a large swath of men who would, quite literally, rather be hit by a truck than come out.

This pressure, if you feel it, only compounds with age. Especially if you're also married to a woman and have kids, like today's guest David was.

David didn't come out until his late 50s - after a successful career in the U.S. Air Force as Brigadier General, after being married to a beautiful woman, and after having kids.<...

If you're frustrated and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of weight loss information that exists on social media, then today's "Core 4" Weight Loss Starter Kit is the antidote.

It's the simplest weight loss strategy that actually works. And it's something the world desperately needs because more than 90% of people who lose weight gain it all back within a few years!

Not because they're lazy or broken or lack the necessary willpower.

But because they don't have a simple and reliable plan like the "Core 4" strategy.

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If you want to make managing your diabetes easier or if you are curious about how diabetes alters your life, today's guest, Ben Tzeel (founder of Your Diabetes Insider) is one of the leading experts in diabetes.

When Ben was 7 years old, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and it altered the course of his life. Back then, people didn't believe that diabetics could participate in sports or even be active without extreme risk.

As Ben lived with this condition for his entire life, he defied many of the expectations that...

Despite being consistent with his fitness for most of his adult life, Dan has an Achilles heel you might be able to relate to too:

Ice cream (and other carb-heavy foods). 

After being tagged in a picture on Facebook, Dan had to learn the timeless lesson the hard way: You can't out exercise a bad diet. 

Instead of beating himself up for it, he saw it as a challenge, made a few tweaks to his diet (like intermittent fasting and being more mindful of carbs), and lost 37 pound...

Sometimes, your health crashes and the reason is so murky, figuring out what caused it sends you down a deep rabbit hole.

That's what today's guest, Caroline Alan, experienced herself.

Despite never drinking or smoking and living a living a relatively healthy lifestyle, Caroline's spent too much time in a very intense, high-tech career that wrecked her health:

She was burned out, had flatlined adrenals, had an autoimmune condition, had bad inflammation in her gut and mouth (which led to bone loss in her teeth and periodontal...

Today's guest, Lee, has struggled with social anxiety and panic attacks for his entire life. But he's not letting that stop him.

In fact, when he attended the Man Flow Yoga Wellness Weekend in DC last September, he had a full-blown panic attack at the beginning of the event. But Lee not only powered through it, but he courageously shared what he was going through with the other men at the Wellness Weekend too.

Perhaps this next part bears no connection, but it's possible:

Despite being a...

Today's episode features a legend in the mobility space, one of the "founding fathers' of mobility training himself, Dr. Kelly Starrett.

Besides being a renowned mobility expert, Kelly's also the founder of The Ready State.

In this episode, Dr. Starrett shares practical strategies for adapting workouts, prioritizing mobility, nutrition, sleep, and recovery, and building a resilient, adventure-ready body.

We also cover the evolution of fitness, the pitfalls of outdated routines, and the importance of foundational habits over trendy hacks, offering actionable advice for lifelong health and functional...