The Art of Manliness

The Mystery of Courage

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Courage is one of our most prized and celebrated virtues. But once you really start exploring it, the nature of courage is surprisingly hard to pin do...

The Mental Skills for Becoming an Everyday Genius

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We tend to think of genius as something you’re born with — a rare trait possessed by the Einsteins and Teslas of the world. But what if many of th...

The Hidden Power of Heat — How a Good Sweat Heals Your Body and Mind

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cold exposure has gotten a lot of attention the past few years, with people dunking themselves in ice baths for the sake of their health and well-bein...

The Invisible Limits Holding You Back (And How to Change Them)

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When we fail to make desired progress in life, most of us put the blame on physical and environmental limits. But my guest says that what's really hol...

The Power of a Purpose-Driven Life

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to building a happy and meaningful life, most of us rely on a grab bag of strategies — habits and goals around work, relationships, an...

Born to Carry — How to Build Strength, Stamina, and Sanity Through Rucking

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you're looking for a way to improve your fitness, boost your mental health, and reconnect with a deeply human activity — all without going to the...

How to Have the Conversations You’ve Been Avoiding

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The awkward silence at work when everyone knows a project is going off the rails.The simmering resentment in a marriage over an issue neither spouse w...

Ecclesiastes on Enjoying Our Weirdly Unsatisfying Lives

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the books in the Bible, Ecclesiastes is arguably the most philosophical. Dark, experiential, existential, and unsparingly honest about the huma...

How to Help Disengaged Young Men Reclaim Drive and Direction

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, the primary concern people had about boys was that they were wild, impulsive, and out of control — getting into fights, pushing limits...

The Click Effect — Inside the Science and Magic of Social Chemistry

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all had that feeling — you meet someone new, and the conversation just flows. You’re in sync. You click. But what’s really happening whe...

How Football Took Over America — and Could Collapse

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

American football is so big — so braided into our weekends, our language, and our culture — that it can be hard to see it clearly as a whole.In hi...

Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We usually think of money as something very practical, concrete, and secular; we earn it, save it, spend it, and crunch the numbers behind it. But mon...

Strong, Conditioned, and Ready for Anything — How to Become a Hybrid Athlete

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, fitness culture has tended to break people into two categories: you’re either a strength guy or an endurance guy. You lift heavy or run...

How to Use Probability Hacking to Achieve Your Goals

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us chase goals — starting a business, running a marathon, getting a promotion — without ever asking: What are the actual odds this will wo...

Escape the Happiness Trap

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happiness is the subject of thousands of articles, podcasts, and scientific studies. Yet all this focus on happiness doesn’t seem to be making peopl...

The Idea Machine — How Books Changed the World (and Still Matter)

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Books are everywhere. They're so common, they're easy to take for granted. But my guest argues that they’re worth fully appreciating — because the...

Why You Don’t Follow Through on Your Health Goals — and How to Fix It

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us know what we should do to be healthier: eat better, move more, sleep well. The real challenge? Actually following through.On today’s show...

Masculinity as Confident Competence

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot of debate these days about what it means to be a man. But maybe the answer is simpler than we think, and a lot of masculinity just com...

A Butler’s Guide to Managing Your Household

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is a rebroadcast. It’s a tough job to manage a household. Things need to be regularly fixed, maintained, and cleaned. How do you stay on ...

How the World Wars Shaped J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When people think of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, they often picture tweedy Oxford professors and beloved fantasy authors. But their writing wasn't ...

Family Culture and the Sibling Effect — What Really Shapes Who You Become

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we think about what shaped our life trajectory, we often focus on the way our parents raised us. But what about our siblings? What role do they p...

Hercules at the Crossroads — Choosing the Hard Path That Leads to a Good Life

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a story from ancient Greek philosophy, Hercules faces a choice between two paths: one promising pleasure and ease; the other, hardship and struggle...

Make Friends With Death to Live a Better Life

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a culture that does everything it can to keep death at a distance. We hide it behind hospital curtains, euphemize it in conversation, and h...

Chasing the White Whale — Into the Depths of Moby-Dick

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you went to high school in America, you probably read Moby-Dick — or, more likely, you skimmed the CliffsNotes and wondered why this dense, whale...

The 6 Practices of the Ultimate Morning Routine

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There's been a lot of talk about morning routines in the last few years. But the idea is hardly new; famous men from Thomas Aquinas to Benjamin Frankl...

The Classical Code of Manhood

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be a man? It’s a timeless question that's been answered in different ways across the ages. For the ancient Romans, the word for...

Why You Need the Good Stress of Socializing

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard of hormesis — the idea that intentionally embracing small stressors activates the body’s repair and defense systems, building r...

Build Muscle Without the B.S. — A Straightforward Guide to Size and Strength

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a weight room or you’ve been lifting for years without seeing significant results, figuring out how to get bi...

The Preparation — An Adventure-Driven, Skill-Building Alternative to College for Young Men

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For generations, the path to adulthood was straightforward: go to college, get a job, build a life. But many young men are beginning to question the c...

Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Modern medicine has given us incredible tools to peer inside the body and spot disease earlier than ever before. But with that power comes a problem: ...

Good Anger — Harnessing a Misunderstood Emotion

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most people think of anger as a problem — something to avoid or repress. It’s irrational, immature, and best left behind.But what if anger isn’t...

The Code They Killed For — Honor, Manhood, and the American Gunfighter

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you picture a gunfighter, you probably think of a Hollywood cowboy — spurs jangling, six-shooter on his hip, squaring off at high noon in a dus...

Aristotle’s Art of Self-Persuasion — How to Use Ancient Rhetoric to Change Your Life

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ancient art of rhetoric has shaped political policies, influenced social movements, structured legal arguments, and molded cultural narratives thr...

How to Make a Big Decision (Faster!)

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Making big decisions can feel paralyzing. Whether it's choosing a new job, moving to a different city, or deciding if you should break up with someone...

Rooted Living in a Shallow Age — A Shepherd’s Guide to the Good Life

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a world that often feels dominated by technology and constant change, it’s easy to forget that some people are still living by the rhythms of anc...

From Plane Crashes to Terrorist Attacks — Who Survives, and Why

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You're on an airplane that crash lands. Smoke fills the cabin, and you've got only seconds to react. How would you respond? Would you immediately take...

The 6 Levels of Wealth and How to Reach Them

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You've heard the advice that to build wealth, you need to earn more, spend less, and invest consistently. But what if there was a clearer way to under...

The Microbiome Master Key — How 100 Trillion Bacteria Influence Your Weight, Mood, and All-Around Health

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of the microbiome, you probably think of your gut. But bacteria live all over your body. And they’re incredibly numerous; you play ho...

Tame the Dopamine Drive — How to Stop Chasing and Start Living

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All the neurochemicals in the brain have to do with life in the present. Except for one: dopamine. Dopamine is the one neurochemical that looks to...

Books, Routines, and Habits: The Founders’ Guide to Self-Improvement

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is a rebroadcast.A lot of self-improvement advice and content feels empty. And there’s a reason for that. It often offers routines and ha...

Ancient Buddhist Principles for Modern Life’s Dilemmas

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, and anxious — when you’re striving and achieving but still finding yourself persistently dissatisfied w...

How to Turn Vices Into Career-Advancing Virtues

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 What if the traits you’ve been taught to suppress your entire career are actually the very qualities that separate those who get what they want fr...

Men Don't Run in the Rain — And 7 Other Essential Lessons for Being a Man

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Rick Burgess was growing up, his father, Bill Burgess, was also his football coach. But Bill was a mentor on and off the field not only for his ...

The Making of a Supreme Commander — How Eisenhower Became the Leader Who Delivered Victory on D-Day

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

That Dwight D. Eisenhower became Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, orchestrating the largest amphibious invasion in history on June 6,...

How to Have the Manners and Charm of a Proper English Gentleman

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The British just seem like a classier bunch. Part of it is that winning accent. But it's also because English culture has long been steeped in the tra...

Become a Master of Uncertainty

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Uncertainty is a constant of human existence. How will market conditions affect your new business venture? What will be the results of the medical tes...

Building Tribe — How to Create and Sustain Communities of Men

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Community is one of life's most valuable but increasingly scarce resources. While we hear about a supposed epidemic of male loneliness, many men still...

20 Secrets of Adulthood

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out the pitfalls and best practices of adulthood can be tricky. It's helpful to have some pearls of wisdom to guide you along the way.My gues...

Auto-Exploitation, Positive Violence, and the Palliative Society: A Modern Philosopher’s Ideas for Making Sense of the Present Age

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Feelings of burnout and boredom have become prevalent in modern life. To understand the roots of and solutions to these issues, we can turn to both an...

The Power of NEAT — Move a Little to Lose a Lot

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a goal to lose weight? If so, you're probably thinking about how you need to exercise more. And that can certainly help. But what about th...

Co-Intelligence — Using AI to Think Better, Create More, and Live Smarter

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The era of artificially intelligent large language models is upon us and isn't going away. Rather, AI tools like ChatGPT are only going to get better ...

From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves — The Hidden History of Modern Identity

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you scroll through social media feeds today, you’ll find countless posts about “living your truth” and “being authentic.” These ideas f...

Beyond Resilience — How to Become Shatterproof

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Resilience is often touted as the end all, be all of coping with life's challenges and setbacks. But my guest knows from her studies, executive coachi...

The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet. From the highest peaks to far-flung islands to even the deepest dimensions of an...

Are You Not Entertained? The Myths and Truths About Roman Gladiators

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you think about ancient gladiators, you likely have a certain vision that comes to mind: slaves forced to fight to the death for the entertainmen...

No, There Isn’t a Loneliness Epidemic (And That May Be an Even Bigger Problem)

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Face-to-face socializing in America has declined by more than 20% nationwide. Among some groups, like young adults and unmarried men, the drop is clos...

Enter the Matrix — The Science of Slowing Down Time

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People commonly think of time as a fixed, linear, objective structure. But our own experiences belie this belief. We’ve all been in situations where...

The Science of Porn: Myths, Facts, and Overlooked Issues

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pornography is more prevalent and accessible than ever before, yet its effects on relationships, mental health, and human development aren't popularly...

The Power of the Notebook — The History and Practice of Thinking on Paper

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The idea for the Art of Manliness came to me 17 years ago as I was standing in the magazine section of a Borders bookstore. As inspiration struck, I t...

The 80/80 Marriage — A New Model for a Happier, Stronger Relationship

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of people go into marriage with a 50/50 mindset. Everything in the relationship — from tangible things like childcare and chores to intangible...

Sleep Like a Caveman

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For several decades, people's reported sleep quality has declined. This, despite the fact that specially optimized sheets, mattresses, and sleep trac...

Familiarity Breeds Contempt (And Other Underappreciated Consequences of Digital Communication)

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There has been a lot of cultural discussion of the way digital technologies and social media contribute to things like political polarization and adol...

How to Use Leverage Points to Get Unstuck in Work and Life

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When people get stuck in their job or personal life, the common response is to either work harder or shrug and accept that "that's just the way things...

Stop Saying Um (And Fix the Other Vocal Tics That Are Sabotaging Your Speaking)

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think about a time you've had to speak in front of others — maybe during a work presentation, a wedding toast, or even on a first date. Did you stru...

Man's Search for Meaning, With Viktor Frankl's Grandson

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I first read Man's Search for Meaning by the neurologist, psychologist, and philosopher Viktor Frankl in high school, and I have re-read it several ti...

How to Hack the Habit Loop to Build a Better Life

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Think about your habits, the things you do automatically without much thought — from brushing your teeth in the morning to scrolling social media be...

Philosophical Tools for Living the Good Life

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is a rebroadcast.Most everyone wants to live a good, meaningful life, though we don’t always know what that means and how to do it. Plent...

The 6 Principles for Writing Messages People Won't Swipe Away

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Think of all the texts, emails, and social media posts you're inundated with each day. Sometimes you read them, and sometimes you swipe them away, tel...

The Swiss Army Knife of Fitness — How to Get Lean, Strong, and Flexible With Kettlebells Alone

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if there was one piece of fitness equipment that was affordable, didn’t take up much space, could get you both strong and flexible, and was fun...

The Roman Caesars' Guide to Ruling

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Roman caesars were the rulers of the Roman Empire, beginning in 27 BC with Julius Caesar’s heir Augustus, from whom subsequent caesars took thei...

The Winter Mindset: How Norwegians Love the Winter (And You Can Too)

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When people think about winter, they often focus on the negatives: the cold, the dark, and the seasonal depression the season can bring. But my guest ...

Undoing Urgency — How to Stop Drowning in Tasks and Start Living With Purpose

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Feeling overwhelmed by an endless to-do list? Like you're constantly putting out fires but never getting ahead? You're not alone. Many people today fe...

What Sports Betting Is Really Doing to Players, Games, and Fans

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sports gambling has exploded in America. You can't watch a game today without being bombarded by ads from betting companies, often co-branded with the...

Achieve Peak Performance by Learning to Shift the Gears of Your Mind

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Industrial Revolution changed the nature of work, so that many people labored in factories, continuously performing the same task, at the same pac...

Flying, Hosting, Regifting, and More — All Your Holiday Etiquette Questions Answered

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In an age where a lot of formalized decorum has vanished, the holidays are still a time with rules, traditions, and unspoken expectations. It's also...

Rich Mind vs. Poor Mind — A Psychologist’s Guide to Building Wealth

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people think becoming wealthy is all about having the right job, inheritance, or just lucky breaks. And those things can certainly give you a leg...

Tribal Runners, Weekend Warriors, and Our Changing Relationship to Endurance Sports

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Endurance activities, like distance running, have existed since ancient times. But humans' relationship to those pursuits has changed, according to ti...

What's Behind the Rise of Parent-Child Estrangement?

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

These days, you hear more and more about parents and adult children being estranged from each other. Some individuals have even decided to go "no cont...

The Art and Spirituality of Bread

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Think about a hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven.There's a lot going on with that loaf.On one level, it's a literal food that's been created thro...

An Undercover Cop’s Tips on How to Influence Others and Navigate Life

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not uncommon for former law enforcement officers and intelligence agents to write self-help books where they share how the lessons they learned...

When to Eat — The Optimal Schedule for Metabolic Health

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to weight management and all-around good metabolic health, we most often think about what to eat. But my guest would say that it's also ...

A Bible for Heroes — The Influential Book Read By History's Eminent Men

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 18th century America, this book was second in popularity only to the Bible.It was a favorite of many thinkers and leaders throughout history, inclu...

Are You a Thrill Seeker or a Chill Seeker?

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode starts off a little differently than others — with a short quiz, something called the Brief Sensation-Seeking Scale, which will tell yo...

Ouch! That Stings! Why Rejection Hurts So Much (And How to Deal With It)

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love,” Charlie Brown once said. Indeed, being spurned by one's crush, or, for ...

How to Avoid Death by Comfort

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is a rebroadcast.Nietzsche's maxim, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," isn't just a sound philosophical principle. It's also a cer...

Lee Child the Writer, Jack Reacher the Character, and the Enduring Appeal of Lone Wolves

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In creating the Jack Reacher character, Lee Child launched a series of books that now boast 100 million copies in print and have been turned into movi...

Money CAN Buy Happiness (If You Use It In These Ways)

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Money can't buy happiness. It sounds good as a bumper sticker platitude.But the truth is, money can buy happiness. At least sometimes. In certain circ...

The Problems With the Cult of Leadership

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are leaders born or made? Judging by the 50 billion dollar leadership development industry, the answer is definitely the latter. From schools to workp...

Treat Your To-Do List Like a River, and Other Mindset Shifts for Making Better Use of Your Time

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When people think about living more fully and making better use of their time, they typically think of finding some new organizational system they can...

The 5 Marks of a Man

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We often think of the difference between a boy and a man as a matter of age. But Brian Tome says that there can be 15-year-old men and 45-year-old boy...

The Imagination Muscle — Where Good Ideas Come From (And How to Have More of Them)

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Imagination is the ability to form mental images and concepts that don't exist or haven’t happened yet, think outside of current realities, and form...

5,000 Years of Sweat: Lost Workout Wisdom From the History of Physical Culture

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In an age that doesn't think too much about history, you might be forgiven for thinking that a culture of exercise only emerged in the 20th century. B...

What's Going on With Your Social Anxiety?

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have trouble feeling comfortable when socializing? Maybe sometimes you do fine, but other times you feel nervous, shy, and awkward. Or maybe so...

The Life and Legacy of Louis L'Amour

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With over 300 million books sold, Louis L'Amour is one of the bestselling authors of all time. All 120 of his books remain in print. But the greatest ...

The Safe, Effective Supplement That Can Improve Your Body and Brain

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if there was a supplement that could build muscle, maintain bone health, fortify the brain against cognitive decline due to age and stress, and a...

Is Self-Control Overrated?

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Self-control, the ability to resolve a conflict between two competing desires, is frequently touted as the golden key to success. But many of the most...

You Were Born to Run

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, some researchers have argued that the notable human capacity for endurance evolved from the hunting practices of our ancestors, which pro...

Becoming a Tech Intentional Family

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a family, a lot of the dynamics around devices and screens are reactive in nature. Kids bug for their own smartphones, parents worry they'll be lef...

10 Philosophy-Inspired Challenges for Becoming a Better and Happier Man

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Although they may call it different things and approach its attainment in different ways, many of the world’s religions and philosophies have a simi...

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This is a rebroadcast.Over the last year, my 12-year-old son has been doing one challenge every week as a rite of passage and chance to earn a...