The Art of Manliness

Tom Ruby served 26 years in the U.S Air Force and held positions as Squadron Intelligence Officer and Chief of Doctrine for Air Force Intelligence. Mr. Ruby served on a General Petraeus' Joint Strategic Assesment Team during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Today, Mr. Ruby spends his civilian life consulting companies on how to better think critically and strategically. Today on the show, Tom and I discuss how the Average Joe can improve his critical thinking and be better strategists. Lots of great takeaways from this show.

Alastair Humphreys is a real-life adventurer. He's biked around the world and has even been named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. But Alastair wanted to show people that you didn't need to travel halfway across the world or spend a lot of money or time to find adventure. So for a year, he did what he called "Microadventures" in his native England. They're small things he could do in an evening after work or on a weekend. He cataloged all of his adventures in a book called "Microadventures" and today on the podcast Alastair and I discuss how the average Joe can find more adventure in his life by going on microadventures.

Until fairly recently, most of the scientific research about parental influence on children usually left out dads. But recent studies have shown that fathers have an important role in the development of children-- from conception into adulthood. Award-winning science writer Paul Raeburn highlights all this new research in his book "Do Fathers Matter?" In today's podcast, Paul and I discuss what we can learn about fatherhood from a hunter-gatherer tribe in South America, how dads can help make their kids more social and verbose, and why every dad should roughhouse with their kids. If you're a dad or plan on being one someday, this is a must listen.

In this episode I talk with the legendary wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable. He won the 1972 gold medal in Munich without giving up a single point, and won 15 championships as a coach at the University of Iowa between 1976 and 1997. His new book is called "A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable."

Peter Korn, furniture builder and woodworking instructor, discusses the ethos of craftsmanship and its connection to living a good life. They explore the journey into furniture making, the definitions of craftsmanship, and the role of craft in providing tangible and satisfying outcomes. They also touch on the larger moral context of human existence and the growth of woodworking schools.

If you've read the site for awhile, than you're likely familiar with Matt Moore-- AoM's resident chef. Matt recently published a book with Southern Living magazine entitled The Southern Gentleman's Kitchen. Today on the podcast I talk to Matt about cooking, chivalry, boar hunting, entreprenuership, and how to cook the perfect steak.

We often take for granted society's current sleep schedule. If you're like most people, you sleep about 8 hours a day in one chunk between the hours 10 PM and 8AM or there abouts. But our guest today reminds us that sleep always wasn't like that. In fact, it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that that idea of sleep became the norm. In his book The Slumbering Masses, Dr. Michael J. Wolf-Meyer takes a look at the anthropology of sleep and explores how modern conceptions of sleep drives an entire sleep industry as well as stimulant industry-- coffee and energy drinks. A fascinating discussion.

World record setting powerlifter Chris Duffin embodies what Teddy Roosevelt called the "strenuous life." Not only has he trained hard to lift superhuman amounts of weight, but he's strived to be the best man he can be in his family and professional life. His story of grit and drive to overcome obstacles and become a success is truly an inspiration. Chris and I discuss strength training and why men should be physically strong, but we also discuss how he has managed his time to balance family, work, and competitive powerlifting.

Today we refer to depression as a mental illness that needs to be cured as quickly as possible. But our guest today makes the nuanced case that human beings may have evolved to be depressed and that at one time in our prehistoric past it served an adaptive purpose. The problem is that our brain isn't made for this hectic and stressful modern world that we live in. Dr. Jonathan Rottenberg is psychologist specializing in moods and today we discuss the research from his book The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic. Dr. Rottenberg's nuanced view of depression brings some much-needed balance and humanity to the discussion about depression.

How do we make decisions in complex environments? Can we trust our gut? How do we gain insights? In today's podcast I talk to Gary Klein to answer these questions. Dr. Klein pioneered the field of naturalistic decision-making and is an expert on the science of insights. If you've enjoyed our content on the OODA Loop or situational awareness, you're really going to enjoy this episode.