The Art of Manliness

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.

Today I talk with Andy Forch and Richard Greiner, the co-founders of the men's online store Huckberry. If you're a business owner or have thought about starting your own business, this podcast is for you. I ask Andy and Rich to share how they bootstrapped a business they started into their apartment and turned it into one of the largest men's e-commerce stores on the web. As a business that's in the business of curating men's lifestyle products, Andy and Rich have seen first-hand what separates a successful men's product from an unsuccessful one and what you can do to standout from the crowded "artisanal" men's products.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman has spent his career researching, writing, and speaking about an unpleasant topic: killing. Specifically, what happens to a person physically and psychologically whenever they have to take the life another human to protect themselves or someone else. Grossman's work has provided invaluable insights on how to better train and prepare our warriors for the stress that comes with life and death situations. I talk to Lt. Col. Grossman about the often unspoken act of killing, the mind and body in combat, and what people can do to prepare themselves mentally and physically for violent situations.

I talk to Cal Newport, author of the book So Good They Can't Ignore Ignore You. In his book Cal makes that case that "following your passion" is terrible career advice and can actually cause people needless anxiety and problems in their lives because they're constantly jumping from one career to the next. Instead of "following your passion", he argues that you should instead focus on developing mastery in a skill that will allow you to build up career capital, which in turns opens up more opportunities for control of you work, which in turn allows you to cultivate a job that you're passionate about. Fulfilling work comes from cultivating your passion, not following it. This is a must listen to podcast for our college-aged listeners as well as for folks who've felt a twinge of anxiety about whether they're in the right job.

I talk to Juliana Schroeder, PhD candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business about our mind's evolved ability to read the minds of others. This mind reading ability of ours is what makes a lot of social interaction possible. Her research with Nichols Epley has uncovered some fascinating insights on how status makes us dehumanize others, how making small talk makes us happier, and how men and women are different and the same when it comes to reading the minds of others.

We continue our conversation with Mark Rippetoe author of Starting Strength. In this episode, I ask Mark questions about strength training submitted by Art of Manliness podcast listeners.

This week I talk to strength training expert and author Mark Rippetoe about barbell training. We discuss why a man should be strong, the benefits of barbell training over machines, old-time strongmen, the importance of form in barbell training, the main lifts every man should be doing and much, much more. In next week's episode I field questions to Mark that AoM readers had for him.

I talk to professor of classical history Carlin Barton about her book Roman Honor: The Fire in the Bones. Honor has played a huge role manliness across time and cultures. Professor Barton and I discuss what honor meant to the Romans, how it governed their lives, and what it meant to Roman masculinity. Professor Barton explains the how the Romans distinguished males from men and how a male gained status as a "man" and the role male extendibility had in that process. Later on in our conversation, we talk about the decline of honor in Ancient Rome and the rise of philosophies like Stoicism during the civil wars and the rise of the Roman Empire. It's a fascinating discussion.

I talk to to author Mark Greenblatt about his book Valor: Unsung Heroes from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Homefront. We discuss why the American public know so little about heroes from the most recent wars, stories about the brave men he features in this book, and lessons we can take from them on being better men.