The Art of Manliness

Have you ever thought your life was a little too routine and safe? Maybe you feel like you've never had a chance to test your mettle and see how you'd respond in a chaotic situation. Would you break or would you rise to the challenge? My guest today on the podcast had those same feelings, and decided to do something about it by becoming a paramedic in Atlanta. He was thrown into a world of violence, addiction, and mangled bodies. His name is Kevin Hazzard, and he's the author of 'A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back.'

Susan Wise Bauer, an advocate for classical education and author of 'The Well-Educated Mind,' discusses how to enhance your intellectual life with classical learning. She explains the core principles of classical education, including the trivium’s grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Bauer emphasizes the importance of engaging with classic texts to develop critical thinking skills. She shares strategies for parents to foster lifelong learning in their children, alongside personalizing education for busy adults. Dive into the joys of cultivating a rich intellectual foundation!

As a parent, one of my goals is to raise children who aren't spoiled. I want them to be grounded, generous, and savvy when it comes to money and consumption. I want them to make the most of their money, without it controlling them. My guest today, author and New York Times columnist Ron Lieber, has written a book full of research-backed tips on teaching your children important personal finance lessons.

If you lift weights, you're going to love this episode. (And even if you don't, you'll get something out of it!) A few months ago, I had powerlifter Chris Duffin on the show to discuss his inspiring story of overcoming childhood poverty to become one of the strongest men on earth. I've brought him back on to talk about his recently released Kabuki Movement System. Utilizing the brightest body mechanics minds on the planet, he's developed a training system that makes the most of one's body, as well as reduces injury risk.

Ol' Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board, the Voice. Frank Sinatra has been an icon of masculine coolness and swagger for decades. During his lifetime, he was able to create a myth and legend around himself that continues to exist today. But, like all legends, when you look closer at them, you discover that the reality is much more complex than the story. Today I talk with Sinatra biographer Frank Kaplan.

So, what is character? We always talk about wanting to develop good character, but what exactly does that mean? And once you figure out what it is, how do you go about developing it? Those are the questions my guest today, Chad Hennings, tries to answer in his book, Forces of Character.

You know the old song and dance.You set a goal for yourself- lose weight, pay off your debt, ask that woman out-- but something holds you back from taking action. Or if you do take action, you flame out in a week. So you do more research on your goal, hoping that you'll find the one piece of information that will guarantee success. But you fail again.What if instead of more thinking, achieving your goal requires more feeling?That's what my guest today on the podcast argues. His name is Ramit Sethi and he's the owner of the website I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Today on the show, Ramit and I discuss what we can learn from behavioral psychology to help us achieve our goals, whether it's losing weight or asking for a raise.We talk about why you should focus on big wins in life and Ramit gives us an exact script to follow when asking for a raise. Lots of actionable steps in this podcast. You'll want to take notes.

If you're like most people in America, you probably took PE during your school-age years. It was probably required, and also an easy "A." You spent 45 minutes playing some sport, and it was a blow off class. During the 1960s, though, La Sierra High in California developed an intense physical fitness program under the direction of Coach Stan LeProtti. He was inspired by the physical training of the Ancient Greeks, and wanted to develop strong young people who'd go on to be strong, useful citizens. My guests on the podcast today, Doug Orchard and Ron Jones, are making a documentary on this forgotten program. We discuss the history of that La Sierra program, its effects on those kids, the routines they were doing, and what this film can do for PE today.

In Charlie Mike, Time magazine columnist Joe Klein tells the dramatic stories of how two veteran organizations dedicated to service began and how these groups gave many struggling vets the sense of purpose and camaraderie that they ached for since returning home. Today on the podcast, I talk to Joe about Team Rubicon— a veteran organization that does natural disaster response around the world– and The Mission Continues— an organization founded by retired Navy SEAL Eric Greitens that funds volunteer work done by vets. Joe and I discuss the men behind these groups, the work they do, and how throwing themselves to the service to others helped many struggling combat vets overcome the demons of war.

Throughout human history there have been pockets of genius around the world. You had Athens with Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. During the Enlightenment, Edinburgh, Scotland produced a lot of great thinkers who influenced the modern world. And today, Silicon Valley seems to have a concentration of extremely smart and talented people. Why do these pockets of genius seem of occur? What was it about these places? My guest today wanted to find out. Eric Weiner is the author of The Geography of Genius, and on today's show we talk about his book.