The Art of Manliness

Robert Coram, author of "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War," delves into the life of military strategist John Boyd. They discuss how Boyd revolutionized aerial combat with his OODA loop theory and his impact on legendary fighter jets like the F-15 and F-16. Coram reveals Boyd's unconventional genius, his personal struggles, and his dedication to integrity over rank. Listeners gain insights on ambition, legacy, and the true essence of masculinity from Boyd's life lessons.

What does it mean to kill for your country? How do you learn how to do it? What does it feel like in the moment? Once the killing starts, how do you control it? And what happens when you kill the wrong person, or don’t kill someone you wish you had, or look back, years later, at the people you killed?In this jarring and thought provoking book, journalist Phil Zabriskie interviews combat veterans the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and asks them what it's like to kill and what it has done to them and their families after they returned home.It's an interesting discussion about something that hardly anyone talks about.

You've probably heard about mud and obstacle races like Tough Mudder or Spartan Race, but did you know there are small local and regional obstacle races going on all over the country? In today's podcast I talk to David and Stephen Mainprize, founders and owners of Conquer the Gauntlet, a regional obstacle race that takes place in Oklahoma. I did the race last year and as someone who's done a few of the big mud run, Conquer the Gauntlet is by far my favorite. I talk to the Mainprizes why they started a local mud run, what's involved with organizing an obstacle race, and what's the best way to train for these types of races.

West Point's graduating class of 1915 produced some of America's greatest military leaders including Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. Author and historian Michael Haskew calls it "the class the stars fell on". In today's podcast I talk to Michael about his book West Point 1915 and the men who made up this class and what made them so special.

I talk to the CEO of Sorinex, Bert Sorin about his family's strength training equipment company and they're mission to help people become physically cultured. We discuss why a man should be strong, the strength benchmarks every man should master and why grip strength should play an important role in your strength training.

Our brains have a built-in negativity bias. While this bias served us well in our caveman days, in our soft and cooshy world it causes us to confuse daily stress with actual dangers leaving us feeling angry, agitated, and even depressed.But our guest today says we can overcome our brain's natural bias with a practice that just takes a few seconds each day. His name is Dr. Rick Hanson and he's the author of the book, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.We discuss why our brain's negativity bias isn't made for the 21st century and what we can do to hardwire our brain for happiness and resilience.

Brian Koppelman, a music executive, screenwriter, and podcast host, shares his unique career journey filled with twists and turns. He emphasizes the importance of following curiosity over rigid career paths, providing personal anecdotes of seizing new opportunities. The conversation delves into handling rejection in creative fields, the balance between ambition and personal responsibilities, and nurturing creativity in parenting. Koppelman also reflects on masculinity and growth through storytelling, offering valuable insights on embracing a nonlinear life.

On December 20, 1943 a badly damaged American bomber was flying over German airspace. Piloting the plane was a 21 year old on his first mission. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. Suddenly a German fighter flew in and lined up right behind the bomber. Flying that fighter was on the German air forces top aces. With just a pull of the trigger the German fighter could have sent the American bomber crashing to the ground. But he didn't do that. Instead he did something absolutely incredible. In today's podcast we talk about what happened in the sky in Germany over 70 years ago between two enemies and how it would lead to friendship. Our guest to day is Adam Makos. He's the author of the book A Higher Call which re-counts this event.

I talk to the founder and CEO of Onnit Aubrey Marcus about what it means to strive for "total human optimization." We discuss cognitive boosters like nootropics, why we should look to the past for fitness inspiration, and what he's learned about masculinity working with the top MMA fighters in the world. Plus much more.

When many people hear the word "networking" images of hotel conference rooms filled with strangers pressing flesh and handing out business cards while giving one minute elevator pitches come to mind. It's like a white collar purgatory. But according to my podcast guest, networking doesn't have to be like that. In fact, it can actually be pleasant and even fun. In today's show I talk to attorney, networking expert, and AoM contributor John Cororan about how to network like a pro.