The Will Spencer Podcast

Celebrated British author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is the author of one of the best-known and most beloved poems in the world, “If.” Kipling writes in plain language, about situations and scenarios that we can recognize, even if they aren't familiar to us from our everyday experience. He explains how being a Man is a result of decisive action, not simply being, while laying out a sort of “North Star” for excellence to guide us in how we conduct our lives. I couldn’t think of a better work to re-start my Poetry for Men series, after a long hiatus. . LINKS Read Rudyard Kipling's "If" on PoetryFoundation (link) Will Spencer reads “If” on Vimeo (link) Pearl Jam – "Alive" (link) Rudyard Kipling on Wikipedia (link) . ---- THE 21 CONVENTION: www.the21convention.org Use discount code RENOFMEN for 25% off any ticket: 21 Summit main page, for access to all 3 conferences (link) 21Convention, all about men and masculinity (link) 21Patriarch's, for husbands and fathers (link) 22Convention, "Make women great again!" (link) ---- THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Jeff Liboiron is a martial artist, voice over performer, fiction and non-fiction author, and most recently, poet. It was his poetry that brought him to my attention. His writing is vivid, brutal, and real. It revels in graphic violence, blades and flowing blood, dark skies, screams, and steel. And the celebration of a crumbling empire's final, fatal collapse... and the dangerous world its corpse will leave behind. In our conversation we discussed: How being born without half a leg influences his approach to fighting and martial arts The notion of a behavioral delivery system for how to communicate that you're a dangerous person before you have to demonstrate it The limitations of most martial arts trainings in term of real-world applicability The story of his books, including a description of his novel Onwards, a post-apocalyptic story of grief and revenge Indeed, as I hope you’ll see, Jeff is very much a warrior poet. LINKS Follow Jeff on Instagram - @muchmoremayhem The first poem of his I read - [011] "Pragmatic Men" Visit Jeff's website - MuchMoreMayhem.com "Onwards" The Novel, by Jeff Liboiron "War" by Jack London (short story) "Sanction The Book" by Roman McClay Richard Dimitri - A study of violence Lee Morrison - Urban Combatives (YouTube) Geoff Thompson on London Real "Heart of Darkness" - by Joseph Conrad "King of Dogs" - by Andrew Edwards

MT White is the author of the essential new fiction book CONTENT. It's a thrilling story that many of you may be able to relate to, about a young man living overseas who finds his way into an online community where all is not what it seems. It's an examination about what happens when you take appealing, but bad ideas to the extreme, how we all get lost in our screens, kick around more dangerous ideas than we're willing to own up to, and what the consequences of that might be in our connected age. In our conversation we discussed: The origins of CONTENT, where the main character Jason came from, and how the story took shape His personal journey as a writer, and how interests in previous eras of his life fused together into his newest work The difference between art and entertainment, enchantment and spectacle, as demonstrated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe And the essential, and often forgotten role the arts have to play in bringing us together, along with other questions of philosophy It seems in many ways that men these days compete to see how many books they can read, sometimes up to 50 a year. I've read my fair share, that's for sure. But CONTENT? That one will stay with me. Once you listen to MT White, I think you'll understand why. LINKS Purchase CONTENT on Amazon Follow MT White on Twitter Follow Punch Riot on Twitter PunchRiot.com Tom Wolfe – “The Bonfire of the Vanities” Nikolai Chernyshevsky – “What Is To Be Done?” Eric Weber – “How To Pick Up Girls?” Underworld – “Born Slippy” SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

When I started this conversation series with my friend Jonathan West of the Being Husband Podcast, I went in without expectations. I just knew that much like men and women, black people and white people have lived together in America for a long time. But also like men and women, it seems like black people and white people don't know much about each other. Once Jonathan and I started talking as men, as friends, and as equals from our respective backgrounds, I wondered what I would learn from him, him from me, and us together? Just like every time I go into something without expectations, the results have been amazing. In this podcast we discussed: The success of YouTube star Kevin Samuels and how black women's attitude of "I don't need no man" is damaging the black community The spiritual war within the black community, and the ways that community is exploited and oppressed, possibly as part of a darker agenda How the social experiment of feminism doubly impacted the black family, just as they were coming up in the 1960's And finally, Malcolm X's philosophy of considered vs. treated equal, and how that plays into what Jonathan is going to teach his son about sovereignty and identity All of this is edgy territory, probably for both of us. But stepping bravely into the unknown is what adventurers have done throughout all of time. And since we live in an era where the surface of the Earth has been almost totally explored, I believe the next frontier of exploration is in the boundary spaces between cultures living together on our shrinking planet. I'm grateful to be adventuring with Jonathan, together. LINKS Follow Jonathan West on Instagram Listen to the Being Husband Podcast on Apple Podcasts Kevin Samuels on YouTube “PowerNomics” by Claude Anderson Boy in the dojo YouTube video “Good Times” scene “What Is A Man” by Walter Newell Darwin, “On the Origin of Species” full title “Sovereignty” by Ryan Michler SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Matt Beaudreau is an entrepreneur, public speaker, consultant, educator, podcast host, and founder of Acton Academy Placer and Apogee Training in Northern California. Acton Academy is a charter school based on Socratic dialogue that emphasizes real world results and outcomes over test scores.  And Apogee Training is an online mentorship program to help boys become good at being men, led by some of the finest examples of masculinity today, like Ryan Michler and Jack Donovan. In 2020 the joke became “hope is a four-letter word.” But hearing Matt talk about the results that kids achieve in his programs, it’s hard not to feel a twinge of that old familiar feeling. In our conversation we discussed: His background, and how a long journey through higher education and public school as both an administrator and educator led him to discover Acton and make it his mission The hidden past and likely future of education, so parents can be prepared for what's to come by knowing what was written decades ago Matt's origin story, family values, and relationship to his Christian faith, and how they all inspire and inform his life and work And finally, some truly mind-blowing stories about what students in his programs accomplish To that final point I need to emphasize: it's not easy to blow my mind, to rewire my paradigms about what's possible. In some ways as kids I think we all suffered under the tyranny of reduced expectations. We can't change that fact now. What happens when we crank up the expectations for our kids? What Matt has to say about that will blow your mind too. LINKS Follow Matt on Instagram and Twitter Acton Placer Apogee Training Essential 11 Podcast on iTunes and Spotify "Captain Fantastic" Trailer John Taylor Gatto "Simply Christian" by NT Wright SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

David Whitehead is a martial arts instructor, dojo owner, podcaster, researcher, TV personality, husband, father, and dedicated questioner of everything, including things that are dangerous to question. He's built his life and a universe of content around those questions and the often troubling answers he's found. But unlike most who question the nature of politics, government, organized religion, and global industry, he’s taken the essential step into action. In our conversation we discussed: His background in martial arts, and how being a warrior in the dojo inspires his warriorship everywhere else in life The vital differences between grappling and striking, the advantages of each, and which he prefers today The nature of the global criminal enterprises, what they want, and what they seem to believe about individuality and the human race The asymmetric warfare being waged against humanity, and how it shows up today in what he calls "The cult of the medics" And finally, how looking for a group to blame about the state of the world is a fruitless exercise, because ultimately the responsibility falls to us It's not David's questions or even the answers and that moved me to invite him on my podcast. It's what he does with them. He's made himself smarter, stronger, fitter, and more capable And in so doing showed that truth, the real truth, doesn't make us weaker. It makes us better. Once again in life, we can be victims, or warriors. LINKS Follow David on Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram Visit his homepage at dwtruthwarrior.com and unslaved.com Listen to David's podcast on Podbean and Apple Podcasts More links for David on linktr.ee/dwtruthwarrior Read an excerpt of “Listen Little Man” by Wilhelm Reich or buy on Amazon “Equilibrium” (2002) trailer “The Creature from Jekyll Island” by G. Edward Griffin Smedley Butler, "War is a Racket" SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It's includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

KJ Keightley is a husband, father, homesteader, farmer, firearms absolutist, outdoorsman, Gaia sandals ambassador, and a helluva guy. We met recently in a chatroom full of barbarians and fell into each other's orbit. Like all good friends we recognized something in each other. In him I saw true spirit, expertise, and an attitude towards life and masculinity that I could relate to, and respect. But living in lockdown life, it can be difficult sometimes to get to know the men that we've recently become closest to. We can't just have a beer or go fishing like we used to. We have to do the thing that men aren't always best at: talk. Only in doing that can we turn our acquaintances in to friends, friends into brothers, and brothers into the foundations of a new civilization. In our conversation on this podcast we discussed: His background and upbringing, and how he went from a near-dropout drug dealer to the family man he is today The killer story of his high school graduation, and what it says about his get-it-done attitude and rebel spirit His approach to personal sovereignty and preparedness, and how that translates across the full spectrum of his life to farming, solar power, and firearms Our mutual stance against mask world and encroaching bureaucratic and medical tyranny (come and take it) And finally, the story about how he died. Twice. And came back. And what it means to him to live with that knowledge every day. Fair warning, we were drinking whiskey during this episode. So it's probably best to think of it less like a podcast, and more like two men sitting on a back porch under the stars, having a chat. So get ready for three full-send hours I think you're gonna love. Because ladies and gentlemen, KJ says words. LINKS Follow KJ on Instagram @kjkeightley Gaia Sandals – Ambassador Page RedBubble Masks Mike Glover Shawn Ryan Slayde Raider Forward Observations GBRS Core Vision Training Achilles Tactics Bull Creek Strategic SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It's includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Bronson Lee Norton is a musician, podcaster, bowhunter, and bodybuilder, and in 2015 he heard a woman's cries for help coming from a nearby house he happened to be walking past, on a route he didn't usually take. Then, like a real capital-M man he went charging in through that door and changed three lives, including his own. But rather than allowing that event to define him, he used it to redefine himself, thereby turning one of the worst events into his life into a doorway through which some of the best things entered. In our conversation we discussed His epic story, the notoriety he earned, what he did with it, and what he didn't do. The importance of doing things that make you like yourself The uniqueness of this era of men, how we each get the chance to learn from the best fathers around the world, when our fathers only had their own, What's missing from modern music, and how many bands, including his, are exploring the boundaries between sound and worldbuilding And finally, our perspectives on Jack Donovan's aesthetic and philosophical universe, and the impact that it has on the Renaissance of Men All these topics I've listed are truly just scratching the surface in what might be my favorite conversation of all the ones I've had thus far. I think you'll hear it, as two men get to know each other, discovered their shared philosophy around self-creation, and thereby build a connection. LINKS Follow Bronson Lee Norton on Instagram and Twitter Bronson’s Bands: Seer Boreal Hymn Eyes Without A Face Listen to the Barbaric Wisdom Podcast: Spotify | Apple | YouTube Jack Donovan - @starttheworld Estas Tonne – Song of the Golden Dragon, Internal Flight Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It's includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Billy Red Horse, aka the Gentleman Mystic, is a writer, teacher, Zen master, and to me a shining guide to what it means to be a well-mannered man and classic Southern Gentleman. He writes, "Awakening is the goal. Refinement, manners and the experience of Beauty are the Path. Transcendence in this Lifetime IS possible." And as a valued elder in this growing Renaissance of men, his words carry special weight. In our conversation we discussed: How tribes of men are forming to respond to the reckoning building in our culture The story of his top protege, and how the student and master have been each other's best instructors Environmentalism vs. conservationism The transformative power of craftsmanship, and what your belongings and clothes say about you The difference between fiction, fantasy, and magic and how they can intersect in a space as small as a butterfly For all you men seriously considering what it means to be a man, long into a fulfilling life, listen up. Grandfather has some stories. LINKS Follow The Gentleman Mystic on Twitter Visit TheGentlemanMystic.com Soto Zen Alexander Cortes Jay Campbell Chuck Whitworth Liminal Order Fraternity of Excellence SPONSOR I've partnered with Derek Arellano of Volition Training to create a new fitness transformation program exclusively for Renaissance of Men Listeners: Volition Renaissance http://volitiontraining.com/renofmen It's a 12-week, all-encompassing program to create your physical rebirth, from two men passionate about masculine personal development, and physical prowess. It's includes not just technological support, customization, and weekly check-ins, but a direct line to former Top-10 US Bodybuilder Derek Arellano. Visit: https://volitiontraining.com/renofmen to learn more, and sign up today. THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Check out my website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, and also the world’s greatest dramatist. While he’s better known for his plays than his poetry, no survey of English literature would be complete without him. This week, I break my rules to read one of the most important passages in the entire English language: Hamlet’s Soliloquy, which has not only a great deal to teach us about being a man, but about being human as well. I also explore Shakespeare’s mysterious background, plus the uncertain origins of his most famous play, and the cultural, literary, and artistic impacts of both. This episode has been a monumental and transformative effort for me, fitting for my tenth episode of Poetry for Men. Thank you so much for continuing with me on this journey. LINKS Hamlet’s Soliloquy William Shakespeare on Wikipedia Homer’s “The Illiad” “The Epic of Gilgamesh” Filippo Brunelleschi Paulo Coehlo “The Alchemist” Harold Bloom “The Best Poems of the English Language” Harold Bloom on Charlie Rose Bardcode: The Sonnets THE RENAISSANCE OF MEN Visit us on the web at http://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.