Art of Manliness Podcast #125: The Great Gatsby With Maureen Corrigan Art of Manliness 2018-10-26 | Originally published July 2015I know it’s cliche, but my all-time favorite novel is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. To me it offers prescient warnings on the perils of a consumer society and perfectly captures the American drive to strive for the unattainable, even if it results in tragedy. NPR’s literary critic, Maureen Corrigan, is also a huge Gatsby fan. A far bigger one than I am, in fact! She’s read the book 67 times and has even sat through a seven-hour reading/performance of its text. In her latest book, So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, Maureen takes us on a cultural/historical tour of a true classic. She wanted to uncover what it is about a novel written about Jazz Age New York that resonates with Americans nearly a century later. In today’s podcast, we discuss what she found in her search. If you’re a fan of the Gatsby, this is a must-listen.Show HighlightsWhy The Great Gatsby was a critical and commercial flop when it was first published and how it became the Great American NovelWhy Gatsby still resonates with readers 90 years after it was publishedHow Gatsby was a predecessor of the hard-boiled detective novelThe novels that have been published in the past 20 years that are as timeless as GatsbyWhat you can do to make Gatsby a more engaging read the next time you dig into itAnd much more!Show notesFollow us!http://facebook.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://google.com/+artofmanliness
Podcast #741: The Exercise Prescription for Depression and Anxiety | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | If you went to the doctor about treating your depression or anxiety, you might expect to be written a prescription for Zoloft or Xanax. But if you went in to see Dr. Jasper Smits, he might write you a different kind of prescription, one that instructed you to take a jog around the block.Dr. Smits is a professor and clinical psychologist, as well as the co-author of Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being. Today on the show we talk about why he likes using exercise as an option for patients who struggle with mood disorders, anxiety, and even general stress and anger, but don’t want to do talk therapy or take a medication. We discuss how exercise has been found to be as effective for depression and anxiety as medication (and of course has a much better side effect profile), why it works, and whether a particular type of exercise is better for particular disorders. We then spend the rest of the conversation digging into the catch-22 that surrounds depression and exercise: if exercise is good for depression, but when you’re depressed you don’t feel like exercising, how do you find the motivation to get going with it? We discuss strategies for starting and sticking with exercise that can help not only those who struggle with mood disorders and anxiety, but anyone who is looking to make physical activity a habit.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #740: Life’s 10 Biggest Decisions | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | How many of your life’s ten biggest decisions have you already made?My guest today, behavioral scientist Dr. Adrian Camilleri, would often ask this question to friends and family, and found that it generated a lot of interesting conversation. It also generated a lot of his own thoughts, which made him want to dive more deeply into it and empirically study it and other related questions as well.The result was the Biggest Life Decisions Project, which we’ll be talking about on the show today. Adrian first explains the criteria that define a big life decision, the most common ones people make, and which of these decisions people rank as being the most important. We then talk about the numbers and types of big life decisions people typically make in each decade of their lives, and how these decisions tend to be front-loaded in your twenties, but you’ll still have a surprising number to make in your later years, too. Adrian shares which decisions people tend to look back on positively and are correlated with higher life satisfaction, and which tend to lead to poor outcomes and regret. We also get into the way people can both underestimate and overestimate the importance of some decisions, before ending with what Adrian has learned by working on this project about how to make good life decisions.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #739: Rewild Your Life | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | If you have one, take a look at your pet cat or dog. These animals descended from wildcats and wolves, but today live pretty sedate lives, walking around your house and yard, waiting for you to deliver some kibbles to their bowl.My guest today says that modern humans are, in a similar way, domesticated versions of our former, wilder ancestors, and that living a flourishing life requires reconnecting with the primal energy within that now lies dormant. His name is Micah Mortali and he’s the founder of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership and the author of Rewilding: Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature. Micah first shares how he came to combine his passion for yoga and mindfulness with a love of the outdoors and bushcraft skills to create his unique philosophy of rewilding. We then dig into what rewilding means, and why it’s vital to body, mind, and spirit to throw off the malaise of modern domestication and restore your sensory connection to nature. From there we turn to the practices that can help you do that, from walking barefoot in the woods to staring into a campfire to meditate. We also talk about how practicing hands-on ancestral skills like making fire with a bow drill, building a wilderness shelter, and tracking animals can heighten your confidence and awareness. We end our conversation with small things that everyone, even if you live in the suburbs or city, can start doing today to begin rewilding your life.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #738: The Character Traits That Drive Optimal Performance | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Why do some people who look can’t-miss high-achievers on paper end up floundering in life, while those who can seem like underdogs end up flourishing?When my guest noticed this phenomenon while being involved in the selection process of veteran SEALs for a specialized command, it led him to the discovery that beneath more obvious skills are hidden drivers of performance, which he calls attributes. His name is Rich Diviney, and he’s a retired Navy SEAL commander and the author of The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance. Today on the show, Rich discusses the difference between skills and attributes and how the latter can’t be taught, but can be developed. We then talk about the difference between peak and optimal performance, before turning to the attributes which drive the latter. We get into a discussion of the components of grit, the difference between discipline and self-discipline, why you should become something of a humble narcissist, and much more. We end our conversation with how to figure out the attributes you are and aren’t strong in, and which you need for getting where you want to go.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #737: College — What It Was, Is, and Should Be | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Modern students are apt to see going to college as the way to earn a credential that will help them get a good job. But as Andrew Delbanco, Professor of American Studies at Columbia University, argues in his book College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, higher education was developed for a different purpose — one it should fight to maintain. Today on the show, Andrew shares how he decided to write his book to understand more about the history, nature, and value of an institution which has come under increasing pressure in the modern age. Andrew describes how America’s earliest colleges were founded as places where students could learn from both their teachers and from each other, and thereby develop the capacity to grow in character, serve others, live a good life, and even face death. Andrew explains why colleges have largely abandoned this mission, and makes the case for why a broad, not-entirely-specialized, liberal arts education remains relevant in an age in which the ability to grapple with life’s big questions is as crucial as ever. We also talk about the difference between colleges and universities (no, they’re not synonyms), why a prospective student might choose the former over the latter, and what other things those contemplating where to go to school should consider when making their decision.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #736: Could Sleeping in Separate Beds Improve Your Relationship? | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | When it comes to advice around getting better sleep, nearly all of it is directed at the individual sleeper who feels they’ve got room to improve: Here’s what you might be doing wrong; here’s how to straighten out your sleep hygiene. Yet for the millions of people who are sleeping with someone else in their bed, this advice leaves out a huge elephant in the room — the other person sharing your sheets. As my guest today argues, a shared bed means shared sleep issues that need to be tackled with shared solutions. Her name is Dr. Wendy Troxel, she’s a clinical psychologist, a sleep specialist, and the author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep. We begin our conversation by discussing how sleep not only affects people’s relationships, but people’s relationships affect their sleep, and how this bidirectional dynamic can become either a vicious or virtuous cycle, depending on the quality of sleep that a couple gets. We then talk about the various issues couples deal with in sharing a bed, from snoring to a mismatch in temperature preferences. We also get into the complications that come with bringing kids into the picture, and Wendy gives her take on the issue of family co-sleeping. From there we turn to solutions for shared sleep problems, and dig into the idea of sleeping in separate beds. Wendy unpacks the way the taboo around separate sleeping has waxed and waned throughout history, why it works for some couples, and the options for implementing it, from sleeping in separate bedrooms to a more moderate approach called the “Scandinavian Method.” Wendy also gives advice to couples who want to continue to share the same bed, but struggle with the fact that one person is a morning bird and the other is a night owl.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #735: The Conquering Father Who Made an Empire-Building Son | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | If asked to think about the greatest generals of the ancient world, one name is likely to come to mind first: Alexander the Great — the incomparable military commander who amassed the world’s largest empire by the time he was but thirty years old. A name that probably won’t come to mind, however, is that of Philip the II, Alexander’s father.But my guest today argues that if Philip hadn’t done all that he did, Alexander wouldn’t have been able to do all that he did. His name is Adrian Goldsworthy, and he’s a classical historian and the author of numerous books on antiquity, including Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. Adrian first surveys the state of the Macedonians before Philip assumed the throne, sharing how they differed from other Greeks, who actually weren’t sure Macedonians even counted as fellow Greeks, and how Macedon was burdened with political instability, a deficient army, and a palace full of deadly intrigue. Adrian then explains how Philip, despite having little political or military experience, was able to take control and turn his army and kingdom around, including the innovations in weaponry and tactics that allowed him to achieve domination in Greece. We then talk about the relationship between Philip and his son Alexander, and how Alexander inherited many things from his father that set him up for his own success, including the plan to invade the Persian Empire. We end our conversation exploring the question of whether Philip, if he had lived longer, could have achieved what Alexander did.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #734: How Moral Grandstanding Is Ruining Our Public Discourse | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | It’s hard not to notice how heated and divided our public discourse has gotten, especially online. People insult and vilify each other, take unnuanced positions, and seem to be competing as to who can seem the most committed to a cause or the most outraged about an issue. You may have called some of this behavior “virtue signaling,” but my guest today says that it’s better described as “moral grandstanding,” and he’s studied the phenomenon not in terms of eye-roll-inducing anecdotes, but through the lens of both philosophy and empirical research. His name is Brandon Warmke, and he’s a professor of philosophy and the co-author of the book Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk. Brandon begins by defining moral grandstanding as the act of engaging in moral talk for self-promotion and status, and explains why he thinks moral grandstanding is a better term for this behavior than virtue signaling. We get into the difference between prestige and dominance status and how moral grandstanding can be used to obtain both types. We then discuss why it’s tricky to know if you or someone else is engaging in moral grandstanding, before turning to whether there’s a personality type or a side of the political spectrum that’s more likely to grandstand. Brandon then delves into why moral grandstanding isn’t just an annoyance on social media, but comes with real costs to society. We end our conversation with what we can do about moral grandstanding.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #732: Tips From a Top TED Talker on How to Be Heard | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Julian Treasure knows a thing or two about how to speak well. He’s given five TED talks which have been watched over 125 million times, including one on, well, how to speak well, which resides in the top ten TED talks of all time.But as a former audio branding strategist, Julian got his start in the world of hearing, and as the title of his book — How to Be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening — implies, he believes that if you really want to be a good communicator, you’ve got to learn how to be a good listener. So that’s where we begin our conversation today. Julian shares why becoming a skilled listener is so important, and the practices you can use to do so. We then segue into the vocal part of communication, and Julian shares the four foundations for powerful speaking that apply whether you’re talking in a casual conversation or on the TED stage. He discusses what separates the best TED talks from the just so-so, the breathing practice and posture cue that will improve the effectiveness of your vocal toolbox, and how to make your voice more resonant. We also discuss the physical gestures to generally avoid when speaking, including “the placater,” and a highly effective tip for refining your body language.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #731: A Futurist’s Guide to Building the Life You Want | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | When people hear that Brian David Johnson is a futurist, they typically want him to offer up some predictions for what the world will look like 10, 20, 50 years from now. But Brian will explain to them that being a futurist is less about predicting the future than envisioning possibilities for it, choosing the one you want to build, and figuring out how to get there from the present.Brian works through this process of futurecasting for Fortune 500 companies and the military, and in his book, The Future You, he shows individuals how they can apply it to their personal lives. He shares what that looks like with us today on the show, beginning with the importance of envisioning the future not as something set that you’re helplessly hurtling towards, but as something you can actively change and shape. We then talk about how to do your own futurecasting by figuring out what you want the life of the future you to look like, and identifying the tools and people that can get you there. Brian then explains how to get going towards your desired future and why that future is local. We end our conversation with what all this has to do with a quote from General Dwight D. Eisenhower: “Plans are useless, but planning is everything.”Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #730: The Hell-Raising Leader of WWII’s Filthy Thirteen | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | If you have any interest in World War II, then you’ve surely seen one of the most arresting photographs to come out of that conflict. In it, members of the 101st Airborne Division can be seen sporting mohawks and applying war paint to each other’s faces right before they’re set to parachute into Normandy. The idea for that pre-battle ritual came from Jake McNiece, part Choctaw Indian and the section sergeant of the Army’s notorious “Filthy Thirteen” demolition unit, who had already proved himself a highly unorthodox leader long before the countdown to D-Day.Today on the show, Richard Killblane shares the story of Jake McNiece and the Filthy Thirteen with us. Richard is the author of two books about the unit — The Filthy Thirteen and War Paint — and is himself a veteran of the Army’s Special Forces who served at every level in the military from private soldier to company commander, and ended his career as the Command Historian for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. Richard describes how you could already see the kind of hell-raising-but-effective leader McNiece would become during his youth in Oklahoma, and why McNiece chose to become a paratrooper. Richard then talks about all the trouble McNiece got into during boot camp, how he ended up leading a section of fellow renegades, and why his superior officers kept him around despite his pattern of engaging in deliberate disobedience. Richard then explains what was going on with the Filthy Thirteen’s pre-Normandy Invasion mohawks and war paint, and what McNiece and his men did on D-Day and during the rest of the war. Richard explains why it was that McNiece got promoted, despite never changing his rebellious ways, and we end our conversation with his surprising transformation after the war.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #729: How to Fight Internet-Induced Numbness | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | The ironic thing about our digital devices, is that they promise constant stimulation . . . and yet we find they end up making us feel numb. Numb in terms of struggling to be present. Numb in feeling overloaded with information and choices. Numb in feeling like we often view even our own experiences from a third-party perspective.My guest today, Dr. Charles Chaffin, has written a book called Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back, which explores the various ways internet-induced numbness manifests itself, from FOMO to choice overload on dating apps. On the show today we focus in particular on how the news media and social media can negatively alter the way we experience life and what to do about it. We first discuss how recovering our sense of engagement with life begins with thinking about the fact that our attention is a finite resource, and being intentional about how we direct that resource. We then discuss how to deal with what Charles calls the “attention panhandlers” who vie for our engagement online. Charles talks about the phenomenon of compassion fatigue, where there are so many worthy causes you could take up, that you end up doing nothing at all. We then discuss how Instagram can change the way you experience life in an age where we can all feel like content creators. We end our conversation with how to wrest back control of your attention, and use it towards action rather than distraction.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #728: Improve Your Productivity With the Power of Deadlines | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Everyone has experienced the way deadlines can act as a double-edged sword: on the one hand, they force us to get stuff done; but on the other, they often push us to wait until the last minute to get to work, so that we do that work in a poorly executed, slapdash rush. Scientists call that latter dynamic “the deadline effect,” and my guest today has taken a field-tested dive into how to manage it, so that you can get the advantages of deadlines, without suffering from their downsides.His name is Chrisopther Cox, and he’s the author of The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like It’s the Last Minute—Before the Last Minute. We begin our conversation with how Chris’s experience as a magazine editor got him interested in deadlines and what studies have shown as to both their benefits and their pitfalls. Chris then unpacks ways to harness the former towards greater productivity in both your personal and professional life, including creating interim checkpoints, knowing how to set reasonable due dates, planning left to right rather than right to left, and using what he calls “soft opens with teeth.” Along the way, Chris explains these principles using a bunch of real world case studies, from the system a chef uses to open multiple Michelin 3-star restaurants to how the Telluride ski resort gets ready to open for the season. We end our conversation with what you can start doing today to take advantage of the power of deadlines in your own life.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #727: A Life Review Can Help You Understand Your Past, Present, & Future | AoM Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Who and where do you want to be in the future? It’s a question we typically answer by looking ahead. But, my guest would say, you can actually best find the answer by looking back.His name is William Damon, and he’s a Stanford psychologist who studies adult development and purpose, and the author of A Round of Golf With My Father: The New Psychology of Exploring Your Past to Make Peace With Your Present. On the show today, Bill explains why you should consider doing something called a “life review,” a process you can initiate at any age in order to get greater clarity on what is now probably a blur of memories around how you ended up who and where you are today. Bill explains the steps of doing a life review, and how doing one can do two things for you: 1) help you think more positively and gratefully about your life story — even its regrets — and understand why you made certain choices and developed as you did, and 2) help you refine your life’s purpose, recognize that you can change and grow no matter where you are in the life cycle, and chart a course for further development in the future. Bill does this through the lens of the fascinating story around how he came to do his own life review, in order to better get to know himself, by getting to know his father, who he was told growing up was killed in World War II, but, Bill would discover, in fact survived the war and led a more complex life than Bill could have imagined.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #726: What’s Causing the Male Friendship Recession? | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | According to a recent survey, the percentage of men with at least six close friends has fallen by half since 1990, and men today are 5X more likely to say they don’t even have a single close friend than they were thirty years ago.What are the reasons for this seeming friendship recession among men? Today I talk to the man who conducted that survey to try to find out. His name is Daniel Cox and he’s the director of the Survey Center on American Life. Today on the show Daniel takes us on a tour of the state of friendship among modern men, beginning with the fact that men today have fewer friends and feel less emotionally connected to the ones they do have. We explore the irony that while people have long said that traditional norms of masculinity are what’s holding men back from having fulfilling relationships, it’s younger men, who are more progressive on those norms, who are struggling the most to make friends. Daniel talks about the fact that the male friendship recession isn’t pandemic related, but rather seems to be linked to the weakening of ties to community institutions like church, the changing nature of work, and the fact that Americans are spending more and more time with their families. From there we go down a bunch of interesting avenues, including the fact that husbands rely more on their wives for emotional support than vice versa, why Daniel finds it concerning that young men today are more likely to first talk about their problems with their parents rather than their friends than was true 30 years ago, and the irony that single men are struggling the most to make friends even though they need them the most.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #725: The Curse of the Self | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | What a gift the human self is. It enables you to sense and reflect upon your own existence; examine the past and plan for the future; check certain impulses in order to reach for other aims; and conceptualize how others see you, allowing you to better connect with them.But, my guest says, the blessing of the self also comes with a curse, one we need to get a handle on if we’re to live flourishing lives. His name is Mark Leary, and he’s a professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience and the author of The Curse of the Self: Self-Awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life. Today on the show, Mark unpacks exactly what the self is and its vital benefits, before delving into the downsides that also come with having a self. Mark then shares how people can make the most of the advantages of the self, while mitigating its disadvantages, including the practice he most recommends for quieting the kinds of self-related thoughts and ego-driven behaviors that can make us miserable.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #724: The Strange Science of Sweat | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-07 | Start jogging around the block, or simply sitting outside on a hot summer day, and you begin to feel moisture develop all over your body. Maybe a drop of sweat will roll down your face. Your clothes get sticky. You start feeling in greater intensity a process that’s actually going on all the time: sweating.You may never have thought too much about your sweat, or perhaps been a little embarrassed by it when your sweat became noticeable in a socially delicate situation. But my guest today says that human sweat is in fact incredibly fascinating, and something you should embrace with real appreciation and enthusiasm. Her name is Sarah Everts and she’s a science journalist and the author of The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration. Sarah and I begin our conversation with what sweat is, the two kinds your body produces, and how human sweating is unique and what Sarah calls our species’ superpower. We then get into the surprising quickness with which the things we drink start coming out of our pores, why we sweat when we’re anxious or nervous, whether how much you personally sweat comes down to genetics or environment, and why the fitter you are, the more you sweat. Sarah unpacks whether there are differences between how men and women sweat and smell, whether our dislike for body odor is innate or culturally conditioned, why some people are smellier than others, and the role that smell and pheromones play in attraction. Sarah also explains whether antiperspirants are bad for you and if you should switch to natural deodorant. We end our conversation with why it feels so good to make ourselves intentionally sweat through things like sauna-ing, and whether hitting the sauna can detox your body.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #723: Men Without Chests | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | “We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”While this quote from C.S. Lewis is often cited, few completely understand what Lewis meant by it, nor understand the book from which it was taken, The Abolition of Man, which, unlike Lewis’s more popular works of fiction and Christian apologetics, is a broad philosophical treatise aimed at everyone, and perhaps the most admired and yet least accessible of Lewis’s writings.My guest today has written a guide, called After Humanity, that is designed to make The Abolition of Man more understandable to the average reader. His name is Dr. Michael Ward and he’s a Catholic priest, Senior Research Fellow at Oxford, and Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. Michael kicks off our conversation by offering a big picture overview of what The Abolition of Man was about, which centers on Lewis’s argument against subjectivism, and for the idea that there exists objective moral values, the denial of which brings destructive consequences. We unpack the case Lewis makes for the existence of a natural order which underlies all religions and cultures, and why he called this universal, objective reality the “Tao.” We then get into what Lewis meant by the idea of making “men without chests,” the function of a man’s chest, and why chests aren’t being developed. We end our conversation with why moral debates can seem so shrill and fruitless in a world without agreement upon objective values, and if anything can be done to build the chests of modern men.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #722: Think More Strategically | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | A lot of organizations and individuals will set some aim for themselves, and then, when they reach the point where they should be seeing progress, but don’t, seem surprised that things haven’t worked out the way they hoped. They shouldn’t be surprised, my guest would say, if they never had a strategy in place for reaching their goals.His name is Stanley K. Ridgley, he’s a former military intelligence officer, a professor of business, and the lecturer of The Great Courses course, Strategic Thinking Skills. Today on the show, Stanley explains why strategy, whether implemented in business, the military, or your personal life, is so important when it comes to dealing with uncertainty, making decisions, winning competitions, and getting to where you want to go. He first explains why following “best practices” is not the same thing as following a strategy, and how real strategy is a cycle of mission-setting, analysis, and execution that never ends. He unpacks what strategic intent is, and why it’s so important to be clear on yours. We then discuss two main approaches to strategy — cost leadership and differentiation, and why you need to adopt the latter in your own life, and stop treating yourself like a commodity. We also get into why indirect attacks on competitors can be more effective than frontal assaults, where people go wrong when it comes to the execution of their strategy, and the role that intuition plays for the master strategist. We end our conversation with what you can start doing today for five minutes in the morning to get closer to your goals. Along the way, Stanley gives examples from both war and business on how the art of strategy works in the field.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #721: The Psychology of Effective Weight Loss | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | When most people think about losing weight, they think about the details of a diet plan — what food to eat, how much of it to eat, and when to eat it. What they don’t spend enough time working on, are the mental and emotional habits that can sabotage their efforts, regardless of the diet plan they adopt.That’s why my guest today, despite being a biochemist, has made mindset the foundation of his approach to losing weight. His name is Dr. Trevor Kashey and he’s the founder of Trevor Kashey Nutrition (TKN). We begin our conversation with a thumbnail of Trevor’s unique background, which includes earning his first university degree in biochemistry at the age of 17, setting national records in powerlifting, and coaching an Olympic fight team, as well as how he went from coaching elite athletes to helping average folks lose weight. We then talk about why Trevor focuses on bridging the gap between knowledge and action, and the erroneous assumptions people make that keep them from following through on their intentions. From there we turn to the phases TKN takes its clients through, which begins with getting what Trevor calls “food clarity.” We discuss how simply tracking what you eat can get you to naturally change your diet because of something called “the Hawthorne effect,” and can almost be all you need to do to start losing weight. We then get into how to deal with your hunger when you’re cutting calories, and why it’s crucial to be decisive about it. We also discuss how you can eventually eat more once you work on eating less, how to manage the expectation of consistent weight loss, and why you really need to weigh yourself every week.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #720: The Secrets to Making the Perfect Burger | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | When Chris Kronner took his first head chef position at an upscale restaurant, he inherited a menu which featured a popular burger. At first he resented having to hold onto it. But then he began to wonder, and be captured by, how he might experiment with and elevate this sandwich standby. Thus began a decade-long obsession with creating the perfect, mouth-wateringly tasty burger. In his new book, A Burger to Believe In: Recipes and Fundamentals, Chris shares how he turned what he learned in his quixotic quest into the Bay Area’s famous Kronnerburger, as well as accessible tips that can be used by the average backyard chef to level up their burger game. Chris shares some of those tips today on the show, beginning with the best kind of beef chuck to use in your burgers and why the method you use to cook your burgers should vary depending on their fat content. We then get into why Chris likes to use dry aged beef in his burgers, and how you can make your own in the kind of mini fridge you’d keep in a dorm room. From there we delve into the optimal size and shape of the patty, Chris’ surprising pick for buns, the ideal proportionality of toppings, and Chris’ take on the desirability of putting ketchup on your burger. We also get into our mutually conflicted feelings about pairing one’s burger with French fries, and, if you need to get your burger fix on the run, what fast food chain Chris thinks has the best burgers. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #719: The Surprising Pessimism of America’s Founding Fathers | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | When Americans think about their country’s Founding Fathers, they tend to think of them as cool and competent figures, who were supremely confident in the superiority and longevity of the republican government they had created.But my guest says that nearly all the founders experienced great internal and external conflict in conjunction with the new government, and came to be greatly pessimistic about the future of the democratic experiment they had helped birth. His name is Dennis C. Rasmussen and he’s a professor of political theory and the author of Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders. Today on the show, Dennis unpacks how four of the founders — George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson — ultimately came to worry that the American republic wouldn’t last past their own generation, based on concerns that ranged from the rise of partisanship to a lack of virtue amongst the American citizenry. Dennis also discusses why it was that one founder, James Madison, remained optimistic about the future of the country. We end our conversation with why the disillusionment of the founders actually carries a message of hope for us.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #718: How to Use Digital Body Language to Build Trust and Connection | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | Three-quarters of our face-to-face communication with other people is given through nonverbal cues — the way we smile, hold our arms, raise or lower our voice, and so on. This body language is what helps us make a good impression, build rapport, and collaborate and create with others. It’s no wonder then, that in an age where so much of our communication has moved to the digital realm, which is largely devoid of this body language, misunderstandings and miscommunications are so common.My guest would say that the key to improving our digital communication is to translate the body language of the physical world into our texts, emails, and calls. Her name is Erica Dhawan, and she’s a leadership consultant and speaker, as well as the author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection No Matter the Distance. Today on the show, Erica explains the way things like how long it takes you to respond to a text, what punctuation you use in your messages, and how you sign off your emails can all affect the impression you make in your personal and professional relationships. We discuss the significance of exclamation points in our digital communication, using the example of how putting one after the word “sure” can convey a different meaning than using an ellipsis or nothing at all. Erica then gives her take on if and when to use emojis. From there we turn to how to avoid putting passive aggression into your messages, and how to deal with receiving messages that feel laden with such. We then unpack the best way to sign off on your emails. Erica explains how to choose the right communication channel — text, email, or video/phone — for your communication and the expectations as to how quickly you should respond to messages that are received on each respective medium. We end our conversation with what to do when someone’s digital communication style leaves you frustrated or confused. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #717: The Fraught, Relatable Relationship Between Winston Churchill and His Son | AoM Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | Winston Churchill once said of his only son: “I love Randolph, but I don’t like him.” It’s a sentiment many a parent with a tumultuous relationship with one of their children can relate to, and well describes both how Winston felt about Randolph, and how Randolph felt about his father.My guest today details Winston and Randolph’s incredibly close and yet terribly complex and combustible relationship in his book, Churchill & Son. His name is Josh Ireland, and we begin our discussion with how Winston’s own harsh and neglectful father influenced his decision to be a much more involved and ultimately indulgent family man, and the way he spoiled a son who was already inclined towards appalling behavior. Josh describes the manner in which Winston and Randolph both bonded and fought, and the effect the trouble Randolph caused had on the relationship between Winston and his wife. We then get into how World War II, and the way Winston may have encouraged Randolph’s wife to cheat on him with an American diplomat, affected Randolph’s relationship with his father for the worse. Josh explains the outsized expectations Winston had for Randolph, the points at which father and son respectively realized they’d never be fulfilled, and the lesson to be taken from their story about the cost of parents imposing their own dreams on their children. We end our conversation by discussing why it is that the children of great leaders rarely turn out well themselves, for, as Randolph himself observed, “Nothing grows in the shadow of a great oak tree.”Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #716: How to Make Your Life More Effortless | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | When we’re failing to do the things that are most important in our lives, the typical diagnosis of the problem is to believe we’re simply not working hard enough, and the typical solution to the problem is to put in more effort, apply more discipline, and grind it out.My guest would say that we’re thinking about both the root and the remedy of the issue in the wrong way. His name is Greg McKeown, and he’s the author of the bestseller Essentialism, as well as his latest book, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most. Today on the show, Greg shares how he came to realize that life isn’t just about focusing on the essentials, but making those essential things the easy things. We discuss why it is that we commonly make things harder than they need to be, and how while the right thing can be hard, just because something is hard, doesn’t make it the right thing. We then discuss the role that emotions like gratitude play in making things feel more effortless, why you need to have a clear vision of what being done looks like (including having a Done for the Day list), how to overcome the difficulty of getting started with things through microbursts of action, and how to keep going with them using a sustainable pace marked by upper and lower bounds. We end our conversation with how seeking an effortless state applies to one’s spiritual life. Along the way, Greg shares stories from history and his own life as to what it means to get to your goals using a more effortless path.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #715: What’s the Most Sustainable Diet?| The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | If you’re someone who wants to lose weight, you’ve probably spent some time thinking about and experimenting with different diets. Browse the literal shelves of a bookstore or the metaphorical ones of the internet, and you can find thousands of options to choose from, each with their ardent fans and supposedly decisive rationales. But which diet really works best, and, most importantly, given that 95% of people who lose weight on one gain it back, is a plan that an average human can stick with for the long haul?My guest today is in a distinctly well-informed position to comment on this question, having personally test-driven over a dozen diets in three years. His name is Barry Estabrook, and he’s an investigative journalist and the author of Just Eat: One Reporter’s Quest for a Weight-Loss Regimen That Works. We begin our conversation with what set Barry on his quest to find the best, most sustainable diet. We then get into the fact that the ideas behind modern diets aren’t new, and the sometimes weird history of their predecessors. From there we turn to Barry’s experiments with contemporary diets, including what happened when he tried eating both low-carb and low-fat, joining Weight Watchers, and figuring out what he could learn from the eating habits of the Greeks and French. We end our conversation with what Barry ultimately changed about his own diet to successfully drop the pounds, and what he discovered as to what really works best for sustainable weight loss.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #714: Why Do We Want What We Want? | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | Why do we want the things we want? While we’ll offer up plenty of reasons to explain our choices, my guest today says the real reason we want what we want is this: other people in our lives want those same things.His name is Luke Burgis and he’s studied philosophy, theology, and classical literature, works as a business entrepreneur, investor, and educator, and is the author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. Luke and I discuss how our desires are strongly mimetic, that is, imitative, and how there are two groups of people that act as models of desire for us: celebrities and public figures who are distant from us, and friends, family, and colleagues who are close to us. Luke explains why it’s actually that latter group where we experience the most rivalry and conflict, because the more similar we are, the more we end up competing for the same things, the more envy we experience, and the more we want to differentiate ourselves from the crowd, even though the areas in which to do so can be increasingly small. In fact, someone can be a model of desire, not only in influencing us to imitate them, but in motivating us to act in the opposite way. Luke shares how mimetic desire can be both a negative and destructive or a positive and productive force, and offers advice on how to harness it for the latter purpose by humbly recognizing the way other people are influencing our wants, and using that knowledge to opt out of games we don’t want to play, utilize the healthy aspects of competition without allowing it to get us off track, and intentionally choose worthy, even transcendent, models of desire to emulate.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #713: How to Predict the Weather (No Apps Required) | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #712: The Men and Mission of WWII’s Unsinkable U.S.S. Plunkett | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-03-06 | Seventy-six years years after the end of World War II, that singular event continues to capture our interest and fascination. There’s a reason for that; the war combined two greatly compelling things — the epic, historic sweep of large-scale battles and the personal stories of the individual young men who fought in them with determined resolve and humble heroism.My guest has written a book that deftly combines both of these elements into a thoroughly memorable tale. His name is James Sullivan and he’s the author of Unsinkable: Five Men and the Indomitable Run of the U.S.S. Plunkett. Today on the show, Jim shares the story of the Plunkett — the only Navy ship to participate in every Allied invasion in the European theatre — as well as the stories of a group of men who served on this destroyer. We begin with the personal connection Jim has to the Plunkett, and how he got interested in learning more about the ship. Jim then explains the role the Navy’s destroyers played during WWII, before getting into the backstories of some of the men who served aboard the Plunkett. From there we delve into the escorting and landing operations the Plunkett was involved in leading up to its arrival along the Italian coast at Anzio, where a dozen German bombers bore down on the ship in one of the most savage attacks of the war, and how the ship yet lived to fight another day. We end our conversation with what happened to the men Jim profiled, how the war affected their lives, and how their lives affected Jim.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #711: How to Plan the Ultimate Road Trip| The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-21 | After more than a year of being cooped up due to pandemic restrictions, lots of people are itching to hit the open road and get the heck out of dodge. If that’s you, my guests have some great tips for planning and executing an awesome road trip. Their names are Jeremy and Stephanie Puglisi and they’re the proprietors of the RV Atlas blog and podcast, the authors of several books on camping and road tripping, and veteran road trippers themselves, having, together with their three boys, spent over a thousand nights at hundreds of campgrounds from coast to coast. We start off our conversation with how the Puglisis began road tripping with a pop-up camper, and the benefits of driving places rather than flying. We then get into how to dip your toes into RVing without a big commitment, and whether there’s an ideal age to start taking RV trips with your kids. From there we get into best practices for planning and executing a road trip, whether you’re going by RV or car, including the biggest mistakes people make, the art of road trip snacks, and when it’s better to fly versus drive. We also talk about how to keep kids entertained on the road, including how to handle the issue of screen time. We end our conversation with the benefits of staying at campsites rather than hotels, why you might want to look into private KOA campgrounds, and why planning a great road trip always starts with picking a great destination.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #710: The Spartans at Thermopylae | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-21 | So wrote the Greek historian Herodotus, our main source as to what happened at the Battle of Thermopylae, clearly impressed by the bravery the Spartans showed in making a stand against multitudes of invading Persian warriors. Even down to the present time, this legendary battle continues to capture our imagination, and my guest today will go beyond pop culture depictions of it, to describe what really led up to Thermopylae, how the epic clash that happened in a narrow coastal pass in Greece unfolded, and why it matters. His name is Paul Cartledge, and he’s an ancient historian, professor of Greek culture, and the author of several books on Sparta, including Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World. At the start of the show, Paul describes Sparta’s martial training system which allowed it to become a dominant power in Greece, the Spartans relationship with other city-states, and how they ended up partnering with their sometimes enemy, Athens, in repelling a second Persian invasion. We discuss who made up the famous 300 Spartan warriors who would defend the Grecian pass to the death, how they armed and prepared for combat, and what happened over three days of battle. We end our conversation with the importance of the Spartans’ courageous stand at Thermopylae not only in the outcome of the Greco-Persian Wars, but the course of world history. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #709: The Art of Conversation — A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-21 | How do you form a meaningful connection with another person? Well, it starts with simply opening your mouth. From there, my guest says, you want to progress through a conversation, or perhaps a series of conversations, in a particular sequence of stages that will form an effective on-ramp towards a stronger relationship.Her name is Judy Apps, she’s a speaking and voice coach and the author of several books on communication, including The Art of Conversation. Today Judy and I discuss that art, beginning with why it’s so important to learn. We then get into the different levels a conversation should progress through in order to build intimacy and smoothly segue into discussing the things that matter most. Judy explains how to bring the kind of energy to a conversation that creates connection, and two exercises you can use to overcome the self-consciousness that can thwart that energy. Along the way, we discuss how conversation is both a game that you can have fun practicing, and a dance that can flow into some of life’s most magical moments.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #708: Overcome the Comfort Crisis| The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-20 | Our world has never been more convenient and comfortable. With just a few taps of our fingers, we can order food to our door, access endless entertainment options, and keep our climate at a steady 72 degrees. We don’t have to put in much effort, much less face any risk or challenge, in order to sustain our daily lives. In some ways, this quantum leap in humanity’s comfort level is a great boon. But in other ways, it’s absolutely killing our minds, bodies, and spirit.My guest says it’s time to reclaim the currently-hard-to-come-by but truly essential benefits of discomfort. His name is Michael Easter, and he’s a writer, editor, and professor, and the author of The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Michael first shares how his experience with getting sober helped him discover the life-changing potential of doing hard things, before digging into what fleeing from discomfort is doing to our mental and physical health. We then discuss the Japanese idea of misogis, which involves taking on an epic outdoor challenge, and why Michael decided to do a misogi in which he participated in a month-long caribou hunt in the backcountry of Alaska. Michael shares what he learned from the various challenges he encountered during his misogi — including intense hunger, boredom, solitude, and physical exertion — as well as what research can teach all of us about why we need to incorporate these same kinds of discomforts into our everyday lives.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #701: Why Are We Restless? | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-20 | Most everyone has experienced restlessness from time to time. A feeling of wanting more, but being unsure of how to find it; of struggling with distraction, but being unsure of what to focus on; of striking out in various directions, but not feeling any more fulfilled.While we tend to think of restlessness as a very modern phenomenon, a French diplomat and philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, observed the very same problems in America two centuries ago. And the roots of our restlessness go back even further still.My guests today will trace some of these genealogical branches for us. Their names are Benjamin and Jenna Storey, they’re a married couple, professors of political philosophy, and the authors of the book Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment.We begin our conversation with how the Storeys’ inquiry into restlessness began from observing existential meltdowns in their students and a constant but unfulfilling busyness in their friends. The Storeys then explain how Tocqueville observed a similar phenomenon at the start of the 19th century, before digging into two of the philosophers Tocqueville’s observations were shaped by: Michel de Montaigne and Blaise Pascal. They first unpack Montaigne’s ideal of living a life of cool, nonchalant, existential indifference, which sought contentment in the here and now, and then discuss Pascal’s critique of that philosophy, in which he argued that seeking diversion and distraction for its own sake only makes us miserable, and that humans must engage in an anguished search for something beyond ourselves. We then explore what happened in the West when Montaigne’s approach to life was adopted by the masses, and how it’s led to feelings of existential failure, an impossible search for constant happiness, envy, loneliness, and acrimonious political debates. At the end of our conversation, the Storeys argue that while restlessness can never be entirely extinguished, it can be tamed, and suggest a few ways on how.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #665: How Childhood Shapes Adulthood | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Ask an adult, especially if they’re struggling in life, what caused them to end up the way they did, and they might cite certain factors from their childhood, like having a mother that was too cold.The problem here, of course, is that memories change over time, and narratives about the past develop to fit one’s current situation.My guests today work on the kind of research that corrects this problem to figure out how aspects of childhood truly affect adulthood, by studying humans from the time they’re babies through middle age and beyond. Their names are Jay Belsky and Terrie Moffitt, and they’re professors of human development, and two of the four contributors to The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life. To begin our conversation, Jay and Terrie discuss the longitudinal studies they and their colleagues have used to track people over decades of their lives, and how aggressiveness and shyness in childhood end up impacting adulthood. We then discuss the limitations of the famous marshmallow experiment, and what these more expansive longitudinal studies have shown about the importance of self-control in achieving a successful adulthood. We unpack whether the negative outcomes associated with being bullied in childhood are inevitable, who’s most likely to become a bully, and who’s most likely to be bullied (which as it turns out, isn’t a matter of being fat or wearing glasses). We discuss how children who act out in childhood, but avoid making certain mistakes in adolescence, can still turn out okay, and why you probably shouldn’t worry about children who were good kids, but get into a little trouble in their teen years. We also dig into the impact that childcare has on kids, and the role that genes play in development. We end our conversation with some allowance-related ideas for cultivating greater self-control in your kids. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #672: How to Do the Impossible This Year | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | There are goals in life that seem very attainable. And then there are those which seem practically impossible — rising out of poverty and/or a traumatic childhood, becoming a bestselling writer, deadlifting 500 pounds. With impossible goals the odds seem long, and it isn’t clear how to get from point A to point B.My guest today has spent decades figuring out the roadmap for making that journey. His name is Steven Kotler, he’s a peak performance expert, the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, and the author of numerous books, including his latest: The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. Today on the show, Steven talks about how he defines an impossible goal and then unpacks the formula for making the impossible, possible. That formula begins with harnessing the five big intrinsic motivators that will give you focus for free and which you need to activate in a certain sequence, and then moves through the six levels of grit which should be trained in a particular order as well. We discuss the importance of creativity and continual learning, and how to assess the ROI of your reading. Steven also explains how flow amplifies the process of achieving peak performance, and why you need to rediscover the primary flow activity from your childhood. At the end of our conversation, Steven shares some things you can begin doing today to start tackling your impossible goals.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #673: The Complex Coolness of Steve McQueen | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Performances by the actor Steve McQueen in classic films like The Great Escape and Bullitt earned him the nickname “The King of Cool.” But behind the scenes, McQueen‘s character was complex in nature: he could be both difficult and demanding and kind and generous; someone who could act aloof, but care about things deeply.My guest has traced both sides of the coin of McQueen‘s coolness for decades. His name is Marshall Terrill, and he’s the author of multiple biographies on McQueen, including his latest, Steve McQueen: In His Own Words. Today on the show Marshall and I discuss McQueen‘s enduring influence on popular culture in terms of everything from style to motorcycles, the code he lived both on and off screen, and whether after years of studying McQueen‘s life Marshall has figured out what it was that made him so cool. We then talk about McQueen‘s deprived childhood, which left him ever craving affirmation, and his youthful stints in a reform school and the Marines. We get into how he found his way into acting and then to superstardom, despite the fact he could be difficult to work with. Marshall explains McQueen‘s relationships with women, and the role race car driving played in his life. We also discuss why McQueen had a hermit phase, and how, in a lesser-known aspect of his life, he had a literal come to Jesus moment in which he became a born-again Christian. We end our conversation with McQueen‘s untimely, tabloid-exploited death at age 50.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
#671: Begin the New Year by Reflecting on These 3 Life-Changing Questions | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | As one year ends and another begins, it’s natural to reflect on both the past and the future — who we were, who we are, and who we want to become.My guest today offers three questions that can help make that self-reflection truly fruitful, insightful, and possibly even life-changing. His name is Gregg Krech, he’s executive director of the ToDo Institute, which promotes principles of psychology based on Eastern traditions, and the author of Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection. Gregg and I begin our conversation with what Naikan is, and how this structured method of self-reflection can hold up a mirror to your life, helping you gain greater self-awareness, and see reality, and the way people perceive you, more clearly. Gregg then walks us through Naikan’s three rich, incisive questions and how to use them to help you discover how you really show up and operate in the world. We end our conversation with how to incorporate these reflections into your daily routine, and even make it a special ritual with which to ring in the new year.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #670: The Hidden Tragedy of Male Loneliness | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Many men prioritize the pursuit of status, power, and autonomy, which can have its advantages in moving them towards financial security and up society’s ladder. But as my guest lays out in his book, Lonely at the Top: The High Cost of Men’s Success, a focus on work over relationships can also come with significant, even tragic costs.His name is Thomas Joiner and he’s a clinical psychologist, a professor of psychology, and an investigator with the Military Suicide Research Consortium. Thomas and I begin our conversation with his work around suicide, why men commit suicide at a rate 4X higher than women, and how loneliness is a primary factor in what drives men to take their own lives. From there we talk about the problem of male loneliness in general and how it can begin in a man’s thirties and get worse as he advances through middle age. We unpack the difference between subjective and objective loneliness and how you can feel alone in a crowd, as well as be something Thomas calls “alone but oblivious.” We discuss how everyone is “spoiled” by relationships in their youth, and why men struggle more than women to learn to take the initiative in this regard later in life. We end our discussion with why therapy isn’t the right solution for many men who struggle with depression and loneliness, and how equally effective solutions can be found in simply making more of an effort to balance a focus on work and family with socializing and reaching out to others, and particularly, Thomas argues, in reconnecting with your friends from high school and college.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #669: A Change IS a Rest | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | One of my favorite sayings is that “a change is as good as a rest.” It captures an idea I’ve found true in my own life, that doing something different, even if it takes effort, is just as rejuvenating, and in fact more so, than doing nothing.Well, my guest today would tweak this maxim slightly to say that a change IS a rest. His name is Alex Soojung Kim-Pang, and he’s a writer, consultant, and academic, as well as the author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. We begin our conversation with why many people feel overworked in the modern age, how quality rest is an antidote, and how Alex defines rest as something that can be active rather than passive, and even thought of as a skill. We discuss why rest is valuable even with seemingly unstrenuous knowledge work, and how apparently unproductive mind-wandering can in fact make you more productive and creative. Alex shares how many hours of focused cognitive work you’re really capable of putting in each day and how successful people tend to set up their daily routine, including why it’s effective to stop work each day in the middle of a task. We also discuss why you want to layer periods of rest and work in your schedule, how hobbies offer a sense of autonomy that’s crucial in making rest refreshing, and how exercise plays a key role in recovery from work, even amongst brainy intellectuals. Along the way, Alex shares insights from the lives of eminent men like Eisenhower, Hemingway, and Viktor Frankl on how to get better rest, become better at your craft, and lengthen the longevity of your career. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #668: Outdoor Competence With an Expert Backcountry Hunter | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | You may know Steven Rinella as an expert hunter and the host of the MeatEater television show and podcast. He’s also an author, and his latest book is The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival. Today on the show, we’ll talk about the subjects behind both of these projects, beginning with how Steve found his way into hunting and conservation advocacy, how he explains and makes the case for hunting to those unfamiliar with it, and the benefits that hunting has brought into his life. We then discuss how the barrier for beginners to get into hunting is perceived as being higher than it really is, and the more accessible way Steve recommends getting started.From there we turn to the kind of know-how you should possess for undertaking any kind of outdoor pursuit, whether that’s hunting or camping or hiking. Steve shares why he recommends creating an outdoors kit that you can grab for any expedition, and what to pack in it. He then offers suggestions on outdoor clothing and sleeping pads, as well as the pros and cons of carrying one’s water in a Camelbak-style bladder versus a Nalgene bottle, and why he favors the latter. We also get into Steve’s recommendation for a better alternative to GPS and the importance of regular practice for first aid, and all wilderness skills. We end our conversation with Steve’s approach to getting his kids into the outdoors.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #667: Bringing More Soul (and Poetry) Into Your Work | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | When you think of areas of life that speak to the soul, and elicit poetry, you likely think of things like romantic relationships and natural landscapes. You probably don’t think of office work and cubicles.But my guest today says that the soul is involved in every kind of work, and poetry is an essential vehicle for examining what your work is doing to your soul, and for learning to bring more soul into what you do. His name is David Whyte and he’s a poet, a philosopher, and the author of multiple books of both poetry and prose, as well as a corporate consultant who uses poetry to help companies with their organizational leadership. We begin our conversation with David’s background in marine zoology and how his experience being a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands influenced his ideas on the conversational nature of reality. We discuss how the amount of time you spend at your job is greatly shaping who you are, the way we lose youthful idealism for our work, and the importance of inviting the right kind of danger into your life. David then unpacks what the ancient tale of Beowulf can teach men about having hard conversations both personally and professionally, and bridging one’s outer and inner lives. We talk as well about the importance of men having good friendships outside the office. Along the way, David reads a few short, stirring poems that speak to these themes.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #666: The Power of Brevity in a Noisy World | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Going all the way back to the laconic Spartans, the ability to be succinct in one’s communications has been to others a sign of strength and a well-appreciated gesture. But it’s a skill that’s never been more important than it is today, when people are bombarded with information and don’t have the bandwidth to digest long and convoluted messages.My guest today is an expert in helping people get to the point, the founder of the BRIEF Lab, and the author of Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less. His name is Joseph McCormack, and we begin our conversation with how his work grew out of his development of a communications curriculum for the military’s special operators. We then discuss how being brief is not just about conciseness but first about achieving clarity, and the high costs of not shaping our communications with these qualities — especially in a world where attention is a scarce resource. Joe explains why it’s actually harder to exercise verbal discipline than it is to use lots of words, and four techniques to make your messaging clear and concise. We then discuss how to apply these techniques to shortening meetings, condensing emails, and distilling how you describe your role when people ask what you do. We end our conversation with how to create more meaningful interactions during fluid conversations by actually preparing for these encounters, rather than simply trying to wing it. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #664: The Masters of the Art of War | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Looked at from the heat of combat, war can seem disorganized and chaotic. But overarching the conflict is typically some kind of thoughtful, well-ordered, even scientific strategy that is influencing when, where, how, and why dueling forces have met.My guest today will introduce us to a few of the military philosophers and tacticians who made the most significant contributions to the art of strategy over the last couple millenia. His name is Andrew Wilson, and he’s a professor at the Naval War College, as well as the lecturer of the Great Courses course, Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers. We begin our conversation with a brief overview of what martial strategy is, why civilians should study it, and how the contrast between generals Eisenhower and Patton delineate the difference between strategy and operations. We then survey several of history’s most influential war strategists, and the contexts in which their theories and doctrines were born. This tour includes a discussion of how Sun Tzu used The Art of War to argue that a new type of war in a new type of society required a new type of general who could process conflicts like a supercomputer, and a dive into how Carl von Clausewitz emphasized the importance of understanding how complexity, irrational passions, and creative genius underlay contemporary warfare. We end our conversation with how military strategy has or hasn’t changed in the 21st century.Disclaimer: The views offered in this podcast are Andrew’s own and do not reflect the official policy or positions of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #663: How to Achieve Physical Autonomy | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Most men want to wake up in the morning knowing their body is ready to handle whatever opportunities and challenges come their way that day, from a real emergency to simply roughhousing with their kids. They want to be able to move without pain and explore the world with confidence. My guest today would say that what this desire is pointing to is the achievement of physical autonomy. His name is Ryan Hurst and he’s the head coach at GMB Fitness, which uses bodyweight exercises and skill-based practices to help people get stronger, move better, and never have to doubt themselves physically. Our conversation begins with Ryan’s unique background; we discuss how he did gymnastics growing up and then moved to Japan, where he still resides, to learn martial arts, including aikido, kendo, judo, and jiu-jitsu, and how these experiences influenced his fitness journey and philosophy. Ryan then shares how he defines physical autonomy and the three elements that are required to achieve it. From there we discuss the four animal-inspired movements that create the foundation for balanced athleticism, the basic physical skills people should aim to master, and how to train those skills in ways that don’t require an onerous amount of time.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #662: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | When you think about serendipity, you likely think of strokes of good luck that happen entirely by chance. But my guest today says that we can play a role in harnessing more lightning strikes of fortune, and create the conditions to both experience a greater number of meaningful accidents, and make accidents more meaningful. His name is Christian Busch and he’s a professor of economics and entrepreneurship and the author of The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck. We begin our conversation with what serendipity is, and how it’s different than simple chance, and is instead a kind of smart luck, which requires acting on the unexpected and connecting the dots of seemingly random events. We then discuss the three types of serendipity, the obstacles to experiencing this force, and how the amount of serendipity you experience depends on how you frame the world. Christian explains how to develop a serendipity-seeking mindset, including how to intentionally seed triggers for it. We end our conversation with how organizations and not just individuals can take steps to strategically leverage the power of serendipity. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #661: Get Better Sleep by Stressing About It Less | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Over the past decade, there’s been an emerging focus on the importance of sleep. Thousands of books and articles have been put out which drive home just how central sleep is in our mental and physical health. This emphasis on sleep has had the positive effect of motivating people to better prioritize it. But, there’s been a downside to all this sleep talk as well: people are getting more stressed out if they’re not getting the kind of sleep they think they’re supposed to.My guest today says that ironically, stressing about sleep may be exactly what’s hurting your sleep. His name is Dr. Chris Winter, and he’s a neurologist, a sleep specialist, and the author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It. Chris and I begin our conversation with why we get sleepy, and how people sometimes confuse fatigue with sleepiness. We then get into the real dangers of sleep deprivation, but how you probably shouldn’t worry about them if you have common problems with falling and staying asleep. We then talk about how many hours of sleep you actually need, how you may be stressing yourself out trying to get more than is necessary, and why it’s best to compare your varying hunger for sleep to your varying hunger for food. Chris unpacks what insomnia is, and how it’s not just an inability to sleep, but your response to that inability, and the extent to which insomnia is rooted in fear. From there we turn to the disparity that often exists between the perception and the reality of how much sleep you’re getting, and the fact that there’s a good chance you’re actually getting more sleep than you think. We then discuss creating a plan for what to do when you can’t sleep, which may involve spending less time in bed, or in fact relishing the time you spend lying in it awake. We end our conversation with when you should and shouldn’t nap, and when you should see a sleep doctor about your sleep problems. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #660: How Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Heal the Soul | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | When you think about ancient Greek tragedies, you probably think about people in togas spouting stilted, archaic language — stories written by stuffy playwrights to be watched by snooty audiences.My guest today argues that this common conception of Greek tragedies misses the power of plays that were in fact created by warriors for warriors, and which represent a technology of healing that’s just as relevant today as it was two millennia ago. His name is Bryan Doerries and he’s the author of the book The Theater of War, as well as the artistic director of an organization of the same name that performs dramatic readings of ancient tragedies for the military and other communities. Bryan and I begin our conversation with what tragedies are, what this civic, religious, and artistic form of storytelling was supposed to do, how it was created by war veterans for war veterans, and how a civilian classicist ended up putting on these plays for current and former members of our modern military. We discuss how the ancient Greek tragedies depicted the depth and spectrum of human suffering, the intersection of fate and personal responsibility, characters who belatedly discover their mistakes, and the fleeting chance of changing behavior in the light of such realizations. Bryan also explains how the tragedies may have been a form of training for young people on how to grapple with the moral ambiguities that mark adulthood. And throughout the show, we dig into how tragedies, by showing people they’re not alone, getting them to confront uncomfortable realities together, and bridging divides, can serve as a transformative technology for collective healing, not only for military veterans, but anyone who’s dealt with trauma, loss, and the general confusions and hardships of the human experience. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast#659:Do You Want to Be Rich or Wealthy?(And Why the Difference Matters)| The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | When we think about finance, we typically think about numbers and math. My guest today, however, argues that doing well with money is less about what you can put on a spreadsheet and more about what goes on in your mind, and that if you want to master personal finance, you’ve got to understand how things like your own history, unique view of the world, and fear and pride influence how you think. His name is Morgan Housel, and he’s an investor, a financial journalist, and the author of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. Morgan kicks off our conversation by explaining how doing well with money is less about what you know and more about how you behave, and illustrates this point by comparing the true stories of a janitor who saved millions and a prominent Wall Streeter who went bankrupt. He then explains how the seemingly crazy decisions people make around money actually make a kind of sense. From there we get into why you need to know the financial game you’re playing and not play someone else’s. We then turn to why it’s hard to be satisfied with your position in life when your expectations keep rising and why not continually moving your goalposts is the most important skill in personal finance. We discuss how getting off the never-ending treadmill of wanting more requires seeing money not just as a way to buy stuff but to gain greater autonomy, keeping the “man in the car paradox” in mind, and understanding the distinction between being rich and being wealthy. We then talk about the underappreciated, mind-boggling power of compound interest, using the example of Warren Buffet, who made 99% of his wealth after the age of 50. We then discuss why you should view volatility in the stock market as a fee rather than a fine, why pessimistic financial opinions are strangely more appealing than optimistic ones, and why it’s best to split the difference and approach your money like a realistic optimist. We end our conversation with the two prongs of Morgan’s iron law for building wealth.Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
Podcast #658: In Praise of Maintenance in a World Obsessed With Innovation | The Art of Manliness Art of Manliness 2024-02-06 | Humans like starting new things much more than taking care of older things. This is true on both an institutional and individual level: it’s more exciting to build a new road than to maintain it; more exciting to lose weight than to keep it off. There’s plenty of short-term pleasure and intrinsic motivation when it comes to pursuing something novel, but the effort to keep up unsexy maintenance on what we’ve already got takes real intent. My guest today says we’ve lost that intent and need to revive it. His name is Lee Vinsel and he’s a professor of science, technology, and society, the co-founder of The Maintainers, a research network dedicated to the study of maintenance, repair, upkeep, and ordinary work, and the co-author of The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession With the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most. Lee and I begin our conversation with how our cultural focus on innovation has come at the expense of attention paid to maintenance and repair, and yet how talking more about innovation hasn’t really led to greater progress. We then get into the way the necessity of maintenance, repair, and caretaking has been neglected in business and government, creating a situation where we keep on building new things without investing in the upkeep of our current infrastructure. From there we turn to the way our all too common neglect of maintenance applies not only to big institutions, but also our personal lives, as in the areas of home ownership and health. We discuss how there’s less incentive these days to repair things in our disposable society where everything is cheap, and stuff is harder to fix, even when we want to. We end our conversation with how we can revive a maintenance mindset in our culture and individual lives. Follow us!Apple Podcasts: artofmanliness.com/wp-content/themes/aom/assets/img/listen-apple.pngSpotify: open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ?si=mKlaP2TmR367IZywuFIcYAStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/art-of-manliness/artofmanlinessOvercast: https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manlinesshttp://instagram.com/artofmanlinesshttp://twitter.com/artofmanliness
