Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Ian Grant (powerlifting coach, Team Ireland) and Conor O'Keeffe (founder, Alter Fuel) work through what it actually takes to be a good man, not just a good father: what you let your kids do, what you tell your partner, how you carry stress without dumping it on the people around you, and how you talk to yourself when nobody's listening.
Covered:
- The "walled garden" idea: letting kids test limits inside a boundary they never have to see
- The outcome test for what you tell your partner when something's wrong: relief for you, or connection for both of you
- Agency versus blame: whether being hooked on your phone makes you a victim, and where personal responsibility actually starts
- Teaching a skill once, a bike jump, a golf swing, and then getting out of the way
- Why "leave your runners by the bed" beats motivation every time
The self-talk shift that changes how you handle failure
Follow us on Spotify to get early access to these episodes: open.spotify.com/show/7sVeMIn0EUZu6Ng35JBSqh?si=91aa01818f344739
Dan: instagram.com/thedancampion/?hl=en
Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life:
https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts
00:00:01 Introductions
00:03:42 The Real Question: What Makes A Good Life
00:09:19 Standards, Mirrors and Raising Likeable Kids
00:19:26 The Walled Garden: Freedom Inside A Boundary You Don't See
00:23:30 Teaching A Skill Once, Then Stepping Back
00:51:23 Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
00:57:38 What Dan's Parents Got Right, and Overdid
01:01:12 Ian On His Absent Father and His Mother's Flip
01:08:11 Kids Mimic What You Do, Not What You Say
01:17:22 Masculinity In Service Of Something Bigger Than Yourself
01:30:30 Would You Tell Your Wife If You Had Cancer?
01:34:42 Victim Or Responsible: The Social Media Question
01:39:25 Drink Responsibly, Scroll Responsibly
01:46:31 Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media
02:06:47 The Privilege Of A Hard Start
02:09:07 What You Tell Your Partner, and What You Carry Alone
02:17:17 The Cease and Desist Letter and the Miscarriage
02:27:29 Leave Your Runners By The Bed
02:30:17 The Way You Talk To Yourself
02:36:18 Closing Reflection and Where To Find Them
Episode 129 of The Prymal Podcast
Ian Grant (powerlifting coach, Team Ireland) and Conor O'Keeffe (founder, Alter Fuel) work through what it actually takes to be a good man, not just a good father: what you let your kids do, what you tell your partner, how you carry stress without dumping it on the people around you, and how you talk to yourself when nobody's listening.
Covered:
- The "walled garden" idea: letting kids test limits inside a boundary they never have to see
- The outcome test for what you tell your partner when something's wrong: relief for you, or connection for both of you
- Agency versus blame: whether being hooked on your phone makes you a victim, and where personal responsibility actually starts
- Teaching a skill once, a bike jump, a golf swing, and then getting out of the way
- Why "leave your runners by the bed" beats motivation every time
The self-talk shift that changes how you handle failure
Follow us on Spotify to get early access to these episodes: open.spotify.com/show/7sVeMIn0EUZu6Ng35JBSqh?si=91aa01818f344739
Dan: instagram.com/thedancampion/?hl=en
Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life:
https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts
00:00:01 Introductions
00:03:42 The Real Question: What Makes A Good Life
00:09:19 Standards, Mirrors and Raising Likeable Kids
00:19:26 The Walled Garden: Freedom Inside A Boundary You Don't See
00:23:30 Teaching A Skill Once, Then Stepping Back
00:51:23 Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
00:57:38 What Dan's Parents Got Right, and Overdid
01:01:12 Ian On His Absent Father and His Mother's Flip
01:08:11 Kids Mimic What You Do, Not What You Say
01:17:22 Masculinity In Service Of Something Bigger Than Yourself
01:30:30 Would You Tell Your Wife If You Had Cancer?
01:34:42 Victim Or Responsible: The Social Media Question
01:39:25 Drink Responsibly, Scroll Responsibly
01:46:31 Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media
02:06:47 The Privilege Of A Hard Start
02:09:07 What You Tell Your Partner, and What You Carry Alone
02:17:17 The Cease and Desist Letter and the Miscarriage
02:27:29 Leave Your Runners By The Bed
02:30:17 The Way You Talk To Yourself
02:36:18 Closing Reflection and Where To Find Them
Episode 129 of The Prymal Podcast
