The Art of Manliness

Why are some people more successful than others? It's a tough question to answer because it relies on a number of factors, many which are out of our control -- like genetics and plain old luck. But there are a few factors that we have a say in -- one of those being the ability to persevere even in the face of setbacks. Otherwise known as grit.My guest today, Professor Angela Duckworth, has spent her career researching this trait, and in today's show we discuss her new book, Grit, and the ways we can increase this trait in our ives.

Retired Navy SEAL Eric Davis shares insights on parenting, discussing personal responsibility, mental toughness, and leadership. Topics include Navy SEAL ship boarding missions, redefining masculinity, navigating modern parenting influences, leadership qualities, and the importance of leading by example as a father.

Fishing has been used as a backdrop in both film and literature for finding the meaning of life and coming-of-age stories (A Rive Runs Through It comes to mind). But these fishing-as-life metaphors often become trite, losing some of their significance.My guest today wanted to write a book about fishing that's not about fishing. He wanted to suss out philosophical and life ideas without making the fishing metaphor trite. And I think he did a darn good job.His name is Mark Kingwell, and in his book Catch and Release, he explores his newfound love of fishing. Within that, he also explores the themes of masculinity, boredom, procrastination, and more.

Are you an endurance athlete unhappy with your stalled performance? Are you constantly battling aches and pains? Are you running 30 or 40 miles a week, but still can’t get rid of your spare tire around your mid-section?If so, this episode is for you.Today on the show I have Mark Sisson on to talk about his latest book Primal Endurance. We discuss the well-entrenched endurance training myths that many athletes follow that result in sub-par performance and the counter-intuitive programming and dieting protocols you need to follow to break through your performance wall.

We live in a time of uncertainty and complexity. Things are always changing; whether it's business, politics, or life in general, you're having to constantly adapt and make decisions, even when you don't have all the information. This complexity is at its peak during combat, and us civilians are in for a treat today because my guest has gleaned lessons on dealing uncertain situations from his own time in the military.Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL officer who served and led in the Battle of Ramadi. During his time in Iraq, he developed and taught other men how to lead in times of extreme complexity, which led to his book, Extreme Ownership. Today on the show we talk about decision making, self-discipline, and much more.

You've probably heard of the great battles fought in Europe and the Pacific during WWII, but did you know that part of WWII was fought just miles off the coast of the United States? And that the men taking part in these battles were civilians?Well, my guest today has published a book about this oft forgotten of WWII history. His name is William Geroux and his book is The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats.Today on the show, William and I discuss the U.S. Merchant Marine and their important role during WWII and why they were targets for German U-boats off the coast of the United States. We also discuss why Mathews County Virginia produced so many merchant mariners during WWII and the family from Mathews County that produced 15 men who took part in the merchant marine war.

There are tons of books about how to be happier, how to improve yourself, how to be less angry, etc. These books often tout things you should add to your life to get to where you want. But sometimes the best way to achieve a goal is to actually subtract something from your life, and to stop doing the things that are making you miserable.That's the approach today's guest took in his latest book, How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use. His name is Randy Paterson, and he's a psychologist. Today on the show, we discuss the things he's seen with his patients -- common lifestyle choices and thinking patterns -- that make them miserable, and what you can do to eliminate those things from your life.

You've probably all seen the Dos Equis 'Most Interesting Man in the World' commercials. He goes on great adventures, has tremendous stories to tell, is friends with the rich and famous, etc.The Dos Equis man is a fictional character. But here's the thing: there was a man from 19th century who would put the Most Interesting Man in the World to shame. And you've probably never heard of him. Frederick Russell Burnham was a world-famous scout, took part in multiple wars all around the world, prospected for gold and oil and jewels in the world's roughest environments, and befriended Teddy Roosevelt amongst many other famous men of the era.There's a new book about his life called The Splendid Savage, written by Steve Kemper. Today on the show we discuss Frederick Russell Burnham, including what drove him to take part in all these adventures and what men today can learn from his life.

If you're an endurance athlete, you probably experience the wall - that moment in the race when you're pushing yourself really hard and your body just tells you, "Enough. You can't go on." The same can be said for strength trainers too - you're lifting a weight that's been easy before, but now feels too heavy to complete. So you wonder if it's maybe your body telling you you've had enough, and it's time for a rest.But what if that's all in your mind? What if your body can go further and push itself harder? My guest today has written a book that focuses on recent research regarding mind over muscle - how we can push ourselves beyond what we think we're capable of by using a few neurological principles. His name is Matt Fitzgerald, and his book is called How Bad Do You Want It?

If you're a dad, or plan on being one someday, you probably have some advice or principles that you'd like to pass on to your children so that they can grow up to be well-adjusted adults. My guest today has not only passed along his wisdom, but compiled it into a couple books. His name is Walker Lamond, and I first had him on the show back in 2009 to discuss his popular book, Rules for My Unborn Son, which lays out style advice, etiquette tips, and all kinds of other principles that he wanted to pass along to his son. On today's show, we talk about how that journey is going with Walker's 8-year-old son.We also talk about his new book, Rules for My Newborn Daughter. We talk about fatherhood, and how it's different for a daughter vs a son, as well as a ton of other dadhood and parenthood topics.