Wolf & Iron | Virtues, Skills, Manliness!

I remember reading, when I was just turning about 28 myself, that the average man's brain doesn't mature until age 27. I could feel it happening for myself at that time. Although I had been in the Navy, married with kids and had an actual career at that point, certain aspects of life were just starting to "click" for me. The next decade would be a time of incredible personal growth.

For most of my life I have unknowingly put "style" in the category of "Vanity". Many of the examples of style these days are from over-done, posh get ups in magazines and the like. However, being a photographer has really changed my thoughts on this and I've moved from thinking of style as vanity to considering it a responsibility that every many should take seriously.

Wow, 2 years! That was my first thought when realizing I had been taking Krav Maga for that long. It's a good amount of time. I should definitely be lethal by now, right? Probably, but the more you train the more you realize the different ways a fight can go sideways and how many situations you've never thought of. That being said, my confidence has never been better and my physical and mental stamina have significantly improved.

I really hope I'm not alone on this question. Sometimes events occur that seem to us to have been particularly arranged. If the event is in our favor, it must be God, right? If the event smotes some bad people (tornado, earthquake) it must be God, right? Of course it can't be that simple, so then how can we tell when it's God moving in a particular way in our lives?

Men are made to roam. Even when we "settle down" and have kids, we still yearn for new sights and to sample the various bacons of the world. I didn't travel much as a kid, so most of my experience on the road has been after my late 20s. I've learned a few things that aren't so much about the road as they are about life.

We're living through some crazy times! Trump just survived an assassination attempt and his reaction in that moment has emboldened a lot of existing supporters as well as change the minds of others. In this episode, I give some thoughts, man to man, on how this event has changed my thoughts on Donald Trump.

Quick episode today. As I move forward with Wolf & Iron becoming a non-profit, mission-driven organization, I could use some prayer in finding the right people to fill the various roles.

Over the years I've met a lot of burned out entrepreneurs. But, as it turns out, they really aren't entrepreneurs at all. They are self-employed hard workers that have taken on the responsibility of an entire business. Maybe this is you, or someone you know. There is a difference between the self-employed individual and the mindset of an entrepreneur.

For those of us who remember the early days of social media, there was a thought that we had. I'm here to say that we were correct about our early assumptions. Now that social media is ubiquitous and is part of every day life, very few people I talk to actually enjoy it. Correction, no one I talk to enjoys it.

Whether it's weight loss, gaining muscle and flexibility, or growing in your career, most success isn't as difficult as we make it out to be. While we continue to research and gain information about dreams, someone else is busy making them a reality.  

Russell Brand recently announced his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his savior! I'm excited for him and glad to see him profess Christ and not simply "God" in a generic sense. How should we handle folks like Brand and Jordan Peterson (who is still on a journey of sorts)?

While we use the terms boss, manager, and leader interchangeably, there is actually an important difference between them. Different personality types and skillsets are required to be a manager vs a leader and there are times when a business needs one over the other.

Increasing testosterone naturally should be the first step on your journey to more optimal levels of testosterone. In this episode I share some of the supplements and lifestyle changes that may help. Note: I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice.

Testosterone. Every man needs it and the average man is short on supply. How do we increase it and what about Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)? In this episode I share some of my journey with increasing my testosterone naturally and also why I decided to go on a TRT program. Note: I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. I'm just a man sharing his experience.

I've been fairly absent from the scene since the last podcast drop in July of 2023. In this episode, I catch you guys up to what's been going on in my world and some thoughts on the future of Wolf & Iron.

There are a lot of books on entrepreneurship, marriage, and raising kids. In fact, you're likely to gain some needed wisdom on any of these subjects just by being with and observing people who are in that season of life. However, when it comes to the second half of life, let's say 40 onward, it can feel pretty lonely.   My guest today is Chris Bruno and he's the author of Sage: A Man's Guide into His Second Passage. Chris brings focus into the oftentimes nebulous second stage of a man's life. In our conversation we talk about mid-life crises, reconnecting with our boyhood as we grow older, and avoiding the pitfalls so many men fall into as they begin to realize their youth is a thing of the past.

In this episode I share my experience of one year as a student of Krav Maga, the Israeli Self-Defense system taught all over the world to Special Forces, military, and individuals like myself. I'll go through why I chose Krav and how it's increased my situational awareness and confidence. Every man needs to be training to defend his life or the lives of those he could protect. This includes weapons training -- firearms in particular -- but also hand-to-hand, multiple attackers, car jackings, active shooters, and so on. Be ready, not just willing. Krav Maga can get you there.

There are two complimentary natures in manhood; the warrior and the poet. Today, the man who can simultaneously appreciate the finer arts and yet stand strong in adversity seems to be a rare breed. My guest on this episode, John Lovell, calls men to this noble undertaking and shares his guiding principles in his book The Warrior Poet Way. This is the book I wish i had when I was in my early 30s and starting my journey of manhood in earnest. The Warrior Poet Way keeps the reader engaged while also imparting much needed wisdom in a man-to-man, relatable. Listen to the episode, then get a copy of the book. You'll be a better man for it.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a presidential candidate worth listening to. He has the right ideas for America and is pushing for a dismantling of many agencies, including the FBI and CIA, and believes that America needs a common identity. I agree. We do. But, he is Hindu. While he has been open about being raised Hindu and still considers himself and his family Hindus, he was also raised with a good deal of knowledge and influence from Christianity. The questions I pose in this episode are these: If an American President is 99% of what you want -- Conservative, Independent, beholden to the people, etc. -- does it matter if he is a Christian or not? What are the implications for a non-Christian President? Does the American identity need to be explicitly Christian or can it be more of a set of ideals and principles apart from a specific religion? I give my answers at the end of the podcast, but these are great questions and ones we need to answer. Vivek isn't the first and he certainly won't be the last.

Eugen Sandow is a name most men ought to know. He also had a physique people believed could only be achieved in the imagination or sculpted in marble. He's known as the father of bodybuilding, but in this episode I don't want to focus on how jacked he was. Rather, I use his story to drive home a deeper point. One that we've been missing for most of our lives.