The Art of Manliness

I talk to famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins about his new book "Money: Master the Game." Tony and I talk about what he learned after interviewing the world's most successful investors and how average Joes can apply it in their own life. We discuss the myths that are preventing people from saving enough from retirement, why you should avoid actively managed mutual funds, why NOT losing money is one of the most important investment strategies, and how to create a portfolio that can withstand the sometimes violent ebbs and flows of the stock market.

I talk with Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha about his military career, what Vietnam was like, the intense love he has for his fellow soldiers, and what it's like to receive the citation for the Medal of Honor. A fascinating discussion with a fascinating man.

Dr. Tim Wilson, author of Redirect, discusses the power of story editing for lasting personal growth. They explore CSID and its ineffectiveness, positive narratives, overcontrolling parenting, and implementing story editing to change perception.

I talk to boyhood psychology expert, Dr. Michael Gurian about his book, The Wonder of Boys. We discuss how biological differences between boys and girls affect the neurology and consequently the psychology of boys as well as how schools and therapists have overlooked these differences to the detriment of boys. Gurian provides insights into what boys need in order to grow into strong, mentally and emotionally healthy men, and what parents can do to provide that environment to boys. If you're a dad, this is a definite must-listen. Lots of great actionable information here to help your son to become a good, strong man.

Why are men (generally) more violent then women? Why are men (generally) drawn to competition? Is the idea that masculinity means having courage and strength just a complete cultural construct or is their a biological underpinning to it? Well, our guest today makes the case that we can look to our closest animal relatives, the great apes, to find answers to these questions. His name is Dr. Richard Wrangham and he is a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University. He's the co-author of the book, Demonic Males: Apes and Origins of Human Violence. In today's podcast, Dr. Wrangham and I look at what we can learn about human masculinity from chimpanzees and other apes. We discuss the biological underpinnings of masculinity as well as patriarchy and what insights we can gleam from that. It's a super fascinating show.

The Marine Combat Hunter Program was developed during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to give soldiers tools on how to detect threats before they happen. The goal is to make Marines as situationally aware as possible so they can not just survive, but also win lethal encounters. In Left of Bang, Patrick Van Horne presents the skills and mindsets that are taught in the Marine Combat Hunter program for a civilian audience. We talk about situational awareness and how these skills can be used beyond the battlefield.

Maneesh Sethi is the creator of Pavlok. It's a wearable device that connects to your smartphone and helps you make and break habits. One of the things Pavlok does is shock you if you do something you're not supposed to be doing, like visiting a time wasting site like Facebook, or when you don't do what you should be doing, like going to the gym. I talk to Maneesh about habits and the power of punishment in getting us to do what we should be doing. We also discuss the ways men and women differ in forming habits. Lots of great, practical info in this podcast. If you're looking for more info about Pavlok visit aom.is/pavlok.

In this episode I talk to writer J. C. Herz about her book, Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about CrossFit. I'll admit that before I read Learning to Breathe Fire, I had just a vague idea of how CrossFit worked, and was honestly pretty skeptical of it. My only interaction with the program has been giving the CrossFitters (or "fire breathers" as they sometimes call themselves) at my gym the stink eye for taking all the barbells from the squat racks so they could do their hang cleans. So it was interesting to read a book that goes into the history, philosophy, and even anthropology of CrossFit, and why it has become so popular so quickly. While the book didn't turn me into a full-on convert, it did really broaden my perspective of the program, and I even tried my first CrossFit workout after reading it.

I talk to Bruce Feiler, author of the book The Secrets of Happy Families. We discuss what recent research says on how you can create a positive culture in your family. If you're a dad or plan on becoming a dad, this podcast is for you. Bruce show agile development, mission statements, and GoRuck challenges can help you have a happy family.This podcast is brought to you in part by OriginalStich.com. Visit OriginalStitch.com to check out an entirely new way to buy a shirt for the modern man and and get $20 OFF with code 'ARTOFMAN

I talk to Tim Larkin, self-defense instructor and creator of Target Focus Training. We discuss why people need to get comfortable with violence if they want to survive a life-threatening encounter, the difference between anti-social bluff and asocial violence, and how studying the worst people in society can help us become better defenders of ourselves. And much, much more.