Lion Counseling Podcast

🎙️ Andrew Huberman's Advice to Stop Doomscrolling: Is It Enough? | Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 101

Ever pick up your phone to check one thing, only to realize 30 minutes have disappeared? Andrew Huberman offers practical advice for breaking the cycle of mindless scrolling—but is deleting apps and turning your screen grayscale really enough?

In Episode 101 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, therapists Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman's advice for reducing compulsive phone use, social media addiction, and endless scrolling.

Huberman recommends simple strategies like deleting distracting apps, reinstalling them only when needed...

🎙️ Michael Clary Challenges John Piper & Tim Keller: Is the Church Too Passive? | Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 100

Has modern Christianity become too passive? Michael Clary, pastor and author of the provocative book Loser Theology, believes many evangelical churches have confused humility with weakness—and he's not afraid to challenge influential Christian leaders like John Piper and the late Timothy Keller.

In this milestone 100th episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland sits down with Michael Clary for a candid and sometimes confrontational discussion about masculinity, feminism, biblical leadership, Christian counseling, political ideology, and the future of the...

🎙️ Episode 98: Steve Harvey Says Married Couples Need 4 Bank Accounts — Do Therapists Agree?

Should married couples combine their finances or keep separate bank accounts? Steve Harvey says every married couple should have FOUR bank accounts—but is that really the best approach for a healthy marriage?

In Episode 98 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to Steve Harvey's financial advice for married couples, exploring what joint bank accounts, separate finances, and financial independence reveal about trust, communication, and commitment in marriage.

Steve Harvey recommends four accounts: one for household expenses, one for s...

Mark Manson’s 3 Rules for Life — Do Therapists Agree? Lion Counseling Podcast: Episode #97

Are Mark Manson’s 3 rules for life really enough to live a meaningful, fulfilling life? Bestselling author Mark Manson, known for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck*, argues that radical responsibility, emotional acceptance, and personal growth are the keys to living well. But do these principles hold up under the scrutiny of two professional therapists?

In Episode 97 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to Mark Manson’s three rules for life, exploring where psychology, personal responsi...

🎙️ The Hidden Cost of Success for Business Owners: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 92

You’ve built something meaningful. People depend on you. You’ve learned how to carry responsibility, make difficult decisions, and keep moving forward—even when the pressure is high.

But what happens when that pressure starts changing you?

In Episode 92 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist, speaks directly to business owners, entrepreneurs, and other high-achieving men who carry the weight of leadership every day.

From the outside, things may look strong...

🎙️ Can’t Stay Consistent? Lower the Bar: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 96

If you struggle to stay consistent with working out—or almost any difficult habit—the answer might not be more motivation or discipline.

It might be lowering the bar.

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a Reddit post arguing that when you’re struggling with consistency, you should lower your standards for the workout rather than giving up altogether.

For high-achieving men, that can be surprisingly difficult. When you’re used to pushing hard...

🎙️ Decisive… or Just Reactive? | Leadership Under Pressure #95
Jocko Willink and Echelon Front teach the importance of decisive action.

Leaders must move.
Men must take initiative.
Passivity destroys families, teams, businesses, and mission.
But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores a critical distinction many high-performing men miss:
Decisive action is not the same thing as emotional reactivity.

Mark breaks down:
✅ The difference between grounded leadership and reactive action
✅ Why movement is not always leadership
✅ How anxiety, anger, and fear often masquerade as decisiveness
✅ The hidden dang...

🎙️ Think You’re Boring? You’re Probably Doing This Wrong: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 94

Think you’re boring? You may be thinking about what makes someone interesting completely wrong.

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a Reddit post making a surprisingly powerful argument: people don’t care nearly as much about how interesting you are as they care about how you make them feel.

From social anxiety and awkward conversations to one-sided friendships and the lost art of listening, Mark and Zack break down what actually...

🎙️ When High Standards Become Fear | Leadership Under Pressure #93
Jocko Willink and Echelon Front teach the importance of standards, discipline, ownership, and execution. And they’re right.

Low standards destroy:
marriages
leadership
health
finances
teams
character

But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores the hidden danger many high-performing men never notice: Sometimes what looks like “high standards” is actually fear in disguise.

Mark breaks down:
✅ The difference between healthy standards and fear-based standards
✅ Why some men pursue excellence while secretly running from shame
✅...

🎙️ Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up | Leadership Under Pressure #91
One of the most overlooked leadership skills taught at Echelon Front Muster is listening.

Not listening to respond.
Not listening to correct.
Not listening to fix.
Listening to understand.

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-achieving men unintentionally train the people around them to stop being fully honest—and how anxiety, defensiveness, and problem-solving instincts quietly interfere with connection.
Mark breaks down: 

✅ Why many successful men listen for flaws instead of understanding
✅ How defensiv...

🎙️ Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship - Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #90

What does it actually take to make a marriage last?

In Episode 90 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, therapists Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to Casey and Candice Neistat's "10 Tips for a Successful Relationship" — and explore where their advice lines up with what we see in the therapy room…and where things get more complicated.

Casey and Candice talk candidly about marriage counseling, nearly getting divorced, maintaining independence, respecting each other's pet peeves, letting the little things go, and rem...

🎙️ When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team | Leadership Under Pressure #89
One of the Echelon Front principles that translates powerfully into marriage is: Cover and move.

In leadership, teams cannot function as isolated units fighting for their own success. They have to support each other, protect each other, and move together toward the mission.
That principle applies to marriage too.
But many high-performing men stop functioning like teammates at home.

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why successful men often shift from partnership into defensiveness during marriage conflict—and how unr...

🎙️ David Goggins Is Right… Until He Isn’t | Lion Counseling Podcast #88

David Goggins has built a career around one uncompromising message: stop making excuses, get off the couch, and become stronger by overcoming yourself.

And there’s a reason that message resonates.

But what happens when the person listening isn’t lazy?

What if he’s already working 50 hours a week, raising a family, serving others, trying to be a good husband and father—and still telling himself he’s weak because he can’t do more?

In Episode #88 o...

🎙️ When “Good” Becomes Emotional Avoidance | Leadership Under Pressure #87
One of Jocko Willink’s most famous responses to adversity is simple: “Good.”

Something goes wrong?... Good.
An obstacle appears?... Good.

Now you have an opportunity to adapt, grow, and become stronger.
It is a powerful mindset. But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores how many high-performing men unintentionally misuse that principle—not as resilience, but as emotional avoidance.

Mark breaks down:
✅ The difference between resilience and emotional suppression
✅ Why many disciplined men override pain instead of addressing it
✅...

🎙️Why Human Dignity Changes Everything | Dr. Kristin Collier | Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #84

What gives a human being value?

Is our worth based on intelligence, productivity, independence, health, or achievement? Or is human dignity rooted in something deeper—something that cannot be earned, measured, or taken away?

In Episode 84, Mark sits down with Dr. Kristin Collier, an internal medicine physician, professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, and leading Christian voice on medicine, spirituality, bioethics, and human dignity.

Together, they explore what happens when a culture begins assigning different levels of value t...

🎙️ When Leadership Becomes Control | Leadership Under Pressure #85
One of the strongest leadership principles taught by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin, and Echelon Front is decentralized command:

A leader cannot control everything.
The people closest to the problem need enough clarity, trust, and authority to make decisions.
It’s a powerful principle.

But what happens when a man believes in decentralized command at work… while struggling to live it at home?

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-performing men unintentionally become controlling in marriage, parenting, leadership, and busin...

Strong Men Still Fall Into Temptation (The Odyssey Explained): Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #84 

Most men think discipline is enough.
It isn’t.

In one of the most famous scenes from The Odyssey, Odysseus doesn't trust his own willpower. He knows temptation is coming, so he prepares before it arrives by having his crew tie him to the mast.

That ancient strategy has surprising implications for modern life.
In this episode, Mark Odland and Zack Carter discuss:

✅ Why temptation often begins with curiosity—not just desire
✅ The connection between the Siren...

🎙️ Why Overwhelm Hijacks Leadership | Leadership Under Pressure #83
One of the most practical leadership principles taught at Echelon Front Muster is:

Prioritize and execute.

When chaos hits, you step back, identify the highest priority, execute that first, and then move to the next.

Simple.
Effective.
Powerful.

But what happens when a man knows the principle… and still cannot access it under pressure?
In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-performing men become flooded, reactive, scattered, or shut down when overwhelm hits—and why the issue...

🎙️ Episode 82: Is It Ever Okay to Lie to Someone You Love?

Is it ever okay to lie if your intentions are good?

What if your spouse tells the same story over and over again? Do you gently tell them they've already shared it... or pretend it's the first time because you love seeing their excitement?

In this solo episode, Zack Carter explores a surprisingly difficult ethical and relational question inspired by a Reddit post. Along the way, he examines John Gottman's research on bids for connection, discusses Santa Claus, Disney characters, storytelling, and why h...

🎙️ You’re Solving The Wrong Problem | Leadership Under Pressure #81
One of the most practical ideas Mark Odland heard at Echelon Front Muster was this:

Clarity before depth.

Before you go deep into solving a problem, you first have to be clear about what problem you are actually solving.

It sounds obvious… but most high-performing men skip right past it.

They feel pressure.
They feel frustration.
They feel failure.
And they immediately move into action mode.

But when a man misdiagnoses the problem, his strength becomes his weakn...

🎙️ Episode 80: Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference (Most People Get This Wrong)

Many people say they're "burned out." But what if burnout isn't actually the whole story?
In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Zack Carter analyzes a real-world example to explain the important differences between burnout and depression. While the two often overlap, they aren't the same—and understanding the difference can help you find the right path forward.

In this episode we discuss:
     * The six major causes of burnout
     * How depression can look differen...

🎙️ Why You Keep Repeating the Same Mistake | Leadership Under Pressure #79
One of the most practical leadership tools emphasized at Echelon Front Muster is the debrief:

Review what happened.
Own your mistakes.
Identify lessons.
Improve the next iteration.

It’s a powerful framework.

But what happens when a man keeps identifying the same pattern… and still repeats it?
In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores the critical difference between analyzing a reaction… and actually resolving the deeper pattern driving it. 

Mark breaks down:
✅ Why debriefing...

The Trauma Reset | EMDR Intensives for High-Achieving Men

High achievers often know how to push through pain—but that doesn't mean the pain is gone.
Many of the men I work with are disciplined, successful leaders, business owners, executives, athletes, pastors, and professionals. They've built impressive lives, yet still struggle with burnout, emotional numbness, recurring relationship patterns, anxiety, or a persistent feeling that something beneath the surface has never fully healed.

The problem usually isn't a lack of discipline.

It's that certain experiences, stress, or trauma were never fully processed.

In...

🎙️ Why Leaders Misread Their Impact | Leadership Under Pressure #77
One of the hardest truths about leadership is this: You are not judged only by your intentions.
You are judged by your impact.

At Echelon Front Muster, there was a strong emphasis on how leaders are perceived and how their actions affect the people around them. But what happens when a man believes he’s showing up one way… while the people closest to him experience something completely different? 

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores the dangerous gap between intention and impact—and...

🎙️ Counselors Destroy Child Therapists 😂 - Episode 76

What happens when licensed therapists critique... child therapists?

In this episode, Zack surprises Mark with a series of hilarious videos featuring young children giving couples relationship advice. Some of their recommendations are surprisingly thoughtful. Others go completely off the rails.

As therapists, they break down each "therapy session," discussing what these young counselors instinctively get right, where they accidentally make classic rookie mistakes, and what they reveal about how good counseling actually works.

Along the way, they score each child therapist on listening skills, rapport, emotiona...

🎙️ Why Ownership Breaks Down Under Pressure | Leadership Under Pressure #75
One of the most valuable parts of the Echelon Front framework is that they don’t just teach ownership. They also talk about why people resist it.

Fear.
Ego.
Overwhelm.
Blame.
Avoidance.
Defensiveness.

Those are real barriers—and if you’ve led people for any length of time, you’ve seen them everywhere.
But what happens when those same barriers are operating inside YOU?

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-performing men deeply be...

🎙️ Does Shame Change People? | Therapists React to Caleb Hammer

Millions of people watch Caleb Hammer because he says what everyone else is thinking. He's blunt. He's confrontational. And for many viewers, it's incredibly satisfying to watch.

But does being harsh actually help people change?

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, therapists Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to several viral Caleb Hammer clips and explore the psychology behind shame, accountability, behavior change, and personal growth.

Along the way, they discuss:
✅ Why criticism often creates defensiveness
✅ The difference between g...

🎙️ Why Leaders React Instead of Think | Leadership Under Pressure #73
At Echelon Front Muster, Mark Odland was struck by the simplicity and power of the Leadership Loop: Detach. Assess. Decide. Act.

It’s a powerful framework for leadership under pressure.

But what happens when a man thinks he’s detached… while he’s actually emotionally activated?
In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark explores how fear, ego, resentment, shame, anxiety, and old conditioning can quietly distort judgment under stress—without a man even realizing it.

Mark breaks down:
✅ The Leadership Loop taught at Ec...

🎙️ Andrew Tate Says Depression Isn't Real. A Therapist Responds. | Lion Counseling Podcast #72

Andrew Tate says depression isn’t real.
He says what’s useful matters more than what’s true.
And he says men become weak when they spend too much time at home with their families.
But is he completely wrong?

In this episode, Mark and Zack react to Andrew Tate’s interview with a psychotherapist and break down the psychology beneath his worldview: mental toughness, trauma, denial, father wounds, success, attachment, masculinity, and the hidden cost of building your entire identity arou...

🎙️ Why Communication Breaks Down Under Pressure | Leadership Under Pressure #71
One of the most practical leadership ideas Mark Odland heard at Echelon Front Muster was the importance of communication clarity:

It’s not enough to say something.
A leader has to make sure the message was actually received.
But what happens when you think you’re communicating clearly… and the people around you experience something completely different? 

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark breaks down why communication failures are often not just about words—but about nervous systems, emotional pressure, tone, presence, and...

🎙️ Why Therapy Fails So Many Men | Lion Counseling Podcast #70

The therapeutic mindset has become one of the dominant forces in modern culture.
We're told to process our feelings.
We're told to heal our inner child.
We're told to prioritize self-care.

But according to some critics, the result isn't a healthier society—it's a more anxious, fragile, and divided one.

In this episode, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a viral conversation between Megyn Kelly and therapist Jonathan Alpert about the state of modern therapy. As therapists themselves, they explore where t...

🎙️ Detached… or Emotionally Gone? | Leadership Under Pressure #69
At Echelon Front Muster, one of the leadership principles that stood out to Mark Odland was detachment:

The ability to step back, create space, assess clearly, and make good decisions under pressure.
It’s a powerful skill.

But what happens when “detachment” turns into emotional shutdown?
In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in leadership and masculinity:
The difference between healthy detachment… and emotional disconnection.

Mark explores:
✅ Why many high-performing men mistake shutdown for disc...

🎙️ Episode 64 – Oleg Taktarov | UFC Pioneer, Hollywood, Masculinity, and the Cost of Strength

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland sits down with UFC 6 tournament champion, actor, and UFC pioneer Oleg Taktarov for a deep conversation about masculinity, mindset, identity, suffering, and the psychology of strength.

Far beyond a typical MMA interview, Mark interviews Oleg from his home in Russia. In this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on growing up in a secret Soviet city during the Cold War, the influence of his parents and teachers, the mentality of the early UFC era, Hollywood, fame, l...

🎙️ Why High-Performing Men Get Defensive | Leadership Under Pressure #67
One of the most powerful ideas taught by Jocko Willink and Echelon Front is Extreme Ownership.

Take responsibility.
Own your mistakes.
Stop blaming other people.
Lead yourself first.

And Mark Odland agrees with it.

But what happens when a man genuinely believes in ownership… yet still becomes defensive, avoidant, reactive, or emotionally shut down under pressure?

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark explores why high-performing men often hit a wall when trying to live out the principles they in...

🎙️ Episode 66 - The Two Toxic Family Patterns Destroying Relationships | Enmeshment vs Disengagement

Why do some families feel emotionally suffocating… while others feel emotionally cold and disconnected?

In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, licensed marriage and family therapist Mark Odland and counselor/coach Zack Carter break down three powerful family system dynamics that quietly shape marriages, parenting, attraction, boundaries, and emotional health:

Enmeshment
Disengagement
Interdependence

Using real counseling examples, attachment theory, trauma psychology, and even films like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, Mark and Zack explain why some people...

🎙️ Why Discipline Breaks Down Under Pressure | Leadership Under Pressure #65
Jocko Willink is right: discipline creates freedom. Structure matters. Standards matter. Doing what you say you’re going to do changes your life.

But what happens when discipline suddenly stops working under pressure?

In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland breaks down why high-performing men can dominate in one area of life—but still react, avoid, procrastinate, or shut down in another.
This usually isn’t a discipline problem.
It’s a conditioning problem.

Mark explores:
✅ Why discipline works… until it...

🎙️ Episode 65 – UFC Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman on Addiction, Redemption, Faith & Fighting Back

UFC Hall of Famer and MMA pioneer Mark Coleman joins the Lion Counseling Podcast for one of the most raw, emotional, and inspiring conversations we’ve ever had.

Known as the “Godfather of Ground and Pound,” Mark Coleman helped shape modern MMA and became the first-ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. But behind the championships, Olympic wrestling career, and legendary fights was a much deeper battle involving addiction, trauma, shame, broken relationships, recovery, and ultimately faith in God.

In this powerful Lion Leg...

🎙️ Discipline Works… Until It Doesn’t | Leadership Under Pressure #63

Most high-performing men already know what to do.

They’ve read the books.
Built the habits.
Practiced discipline.
Pushed themselves harder.
And for many men, that works.
But for some men…
something still breaks under pressure.

In this flagship episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores the critical distinction between true detachment and unresolved trauma responses—and why discipline alone sometimes stops working.

After attending Muster with Jocko Willink and Echelon Front, Mark reflects on one principle t...

🎙️ Episode 62 – Why High-Achieving Men Quietly Fall Apart (The “Drift” No One Talks About)
Most men don’t crash… they drift.

In this powerful conversation with Larry Hagner—founder of the Dad Edge movement and author of The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood—we break down the silent patterns that cause high-performing men to slowly lose their edge, their purpose, and their connection to what matters most.

From burnout and emotional disconnection…
to pornography, busyness, and quiet dissatisfaction…
this episode exposes what’s really going on beneath the surface.
If you’re a driven man who feels like s...

🎙️ Episode 61: From Anxiety to Alignment — How to Stop Grinding and Start Receiving (with Jerrid Sebesta)

What if your success is being fueled by anxiety… and it’s costing you peace?
In this powerful Lion Legacy Conversation, Mark Odland and Zack Carter sit down with speaker, author, and coach Jerrid Sebesta to unpack a radically different way of living—one that moves beyond grinding, pressure, and fear… into alignment, faith, and receiving.
Jerrid shares his deeply personal story—from growing up in chaos and becoming a high achiever driven by anxiety… to a complete internal shift that changed how he...