Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 256 is out now - The 90-Day Practice That Turns Comfort-Addicted Men Into Men With Agency with Dane Sanders - buzzsprout.com/1564787/episo… Most men wait for hardship to teach them resilience. Dane Sanders watched his best friend Tim Kruger — an Ironman triathlete — die of stomach cancer at 50. Tim's parting insight: "I'm really glad I practiced voluntary discomfort before involuntary discomfort chose me." That single line became the foundation of everything Dane has built since. This is a conversation about mortality, meaning, and why choosing the hard thing is actually the smartest move any man can make. In this conversation, you'll learn: • Why the world's default setting is hardship — not comfort — and what changes when you stop treating difficulty as an anomaly • How Tim Kruger's death reshaped Dane's entire understanding of what it means to live fully, not just survive well • The difference between fitting in and belonging — and why one builds agency while the other quietly hollows you out • What happens inside the Men and Women of Discomfort 90-day program and why people crash out over creamer in their coffee • How "microdosing discomfort" prepares you for the storms you can't predict, control, or negotiate out of • Why Anthony DeMello's warning about sleepwalking through life is the most important thing men aren't taking seriously If you've been waiting for a reason to stop playing it safe, this is the episode.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 255 is out now - This Is Your Calling To Become A Mentor - Why The Next Generation of Boys & Men Need You with Jordan Bowman - buff.ly/0PBjxzI Young men are drowning, and the algorithm is doing it on purpose. Within 17 seconds on YouTube, three-quarters of a young man's suggested content steers him straight into the manosphere. Meanwhile, the men who've actually done the inner work are sitting on the sidelines. Jordan Bowman isn't waiting for a viral moment to fix it. He's been in the field for over a decade building something that actually works. In this conversation, you'll learn: • Why mentorship is your civic duty — and why it matters more than voting or paying taxes • The simple first step any man can take today to connect with a young person already in his life • How to show up as a mentor without giving unsolicited advice or projecting your own experience onto him • Why "presence over perfection" is the only qualification you actually need to get started • The Frodo-to-Gandalf arc: how to transition from hero of your own story to guide for the next generation • What Jordan's father did when he was 14 that changed the entire trajectory of his life — and how you can recreate it for the boys in yours If this conversation fires something up in you, don't sit on it. Find the most accessible way into mentorship and go give your gifts.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 253 is out now - Bison Medicine and the National Pilgrimage Back to Belonging with Brandon Peele - buff.ly/ORy4fm9 What kind of people does a healthy democracy require? In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Boysen sits down with author, purpose guide, and ManKind Project brother Brandon Peele to explore the deeper questions underneath our current cultural moment: belonging, responsibility, freedom, purpose, and what it means to grow into mature adulthood in a fractured world. Brandon returns to the podcast to discuss his new book, Bison Medicine: The Cure for a Troubled Nation, where he offers a provocative but hopeful vision for healing division—not through outrage or ideology, but through purpose, community, rites of passage, and what he calls a return to “good mind.”

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 252 is out now - What Happens When Men Don’t Have Village - the Deep Masculine with Ian MacKenzie - buff.ly/SJ1Bn0K What are men really longing for? In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, Boysen sits down with filmmaker, mythosomatic guide, and founder of The Mythic Masculine, Ian MacKenzie, to explore the deeper story underneath modern masculinity. Together, they unpack the roots of mythopoetic men’s work, the cultural loss of village, the rise of the manosphere, and why so many men are searching for belonging, purpose, and deeper initiation. Ian shares his own journey into men’s work through Iron John, the ManKind Project, and years spent studying myth, ritual, animism, and cultural regeneration with influential teachers like Stephen Jenkinson, Martin Shaw, and Michael Meade.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 252 is out now - What Happens When Men Don’t Have Village - the Deep Masculine with Ian MacKenzie - buff.ly/SJ1Bn0K What are men really longing for? In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, Boysen sits down with filmmaker, mythosomatic guide, and founder of The Mythic Masculine, Ian MacKenzie, to explore the deeper story underneath modern masculinity. Together, they unpack the roots of mythopoetic men’s work, the cultural loss of village, the rise of the manosphere, and why so many men are searching for belonging, purpose, and deeper initiation. Ian shares his own journey into men’s work through Iron John, the ManKind Project, and years spent studying myth, ritual, animism, and cultural regeneration with influential teachers like Stephen Jenkinson, Martin Shaw, and Michael Meade.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 2501is out now - Stop Fighting Each Other: Start Fighting for Your Relationship with Rich & Laurie Riedman - buzzsprout.com/1564787/episo… What does it actually take to build a strong, lasting relationship? In this episode, Boysen sits down with Rich and Laurie Riedman—veterans of the ManKind Project and leaders in couples work for over three decades. Together, they explore the deeper mechanics of relationship growth, conflict, and connection. At the heart of their work is a powerful idea: a relationship is not just two people—it’s a third entity that must be nurtured, strengthened, and protected. Rich and Laurie break down: Why many relationships hit a turning point around the 7-year mark How unconscious patterns from childhood show up in partnership The concept of the relationship as a “container” for growth Why conflict isn’t the problem—but how we approach it is The shift from “me vs. you” to “us vs. the issue” Practical tools for communication, emotional safety, and repair They also share simple daily practices that can transform connection—like eye gazing, intentional touch, gratitude rituals, and recognizing emotional bids for attention. Whether you’re in a thriving relationship, feeling disconnected, or navigating real challenges, this conversation offers grounded insight and practical tools to deepen intimacy and understanding. This isn’t about fixing your partner. It’s about showing up differently—together.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 250 is out now - Stop Using Logic to Design Your Life — It's Keeping You Stuck with Gregory Russell Benedikt - buzzsprout.com/1564787/episo… Most men spend years gathering the right information, waiting for the perfect moment, and convincing themselves the stakes are too high to act. Gregory Russell Benedikt ran a different experiment — 100 consecutive days of deliberately seeking rejection from strangers. What the data showed is almost impossible to believe: out of 100 attempts, only one interaction went genuinely negative. The rest? Laughter, connection, viral moments, and a relationship with the woman he'd spend the next three years with. This episode is a direct challenge to the logic-first framework most high-achieving men have been operating from their entire adult lives. Gregory and Brandon break down why the no you're afraid of is almost never about you, why the real cost of inaction is staying exactly where you are, and how 'courageous connection' is the actual mechanism behind every bold outcome Gregory has experienced — from co-founding a nonprofit with a stranger he met online to walking across a crowded restaurant to introduce himself to a woman sitting with another man. They also dig into Ikigai, the Japanese framework for life purpose built on four intersections — what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for — and why community, not coaching or therapy alone, may be the most underrated accelerant available to men right now. If you've been sitting on a gift, a business idea, a conversation you haven't started, or a life that doesn't quite fit — this episode is your signal to stop collecting information and start implementing your flawed plan. Subscribe to the ManKind Podcast so you never miss a conversation built for men ready to lead with something real.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 248 is out now - Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Problems with Charles Eigen - buff.ly/aTD1dil What if thinking isn’t always your greatest asset? In this episode, Boysen sits down with psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and author Charles Eigen to explore the surprising ways our thinking can become a barrier to clarity, connection, and peace. Drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Zen practice, and decades of therapeutic work, Chuck shares how most of us are conditioned to live in our heads—often at the cost of our emotional awareness and embodied experience. Together, they unpack: The difference between thinking and thoughts Why anxiety lives in the future—and how to come back to the present How “parts” of ourselves can hijack our reactions The role of awareness as the deeper ground of who we are Practical tools to shift from reactivity to presence How to bring mindfulness into conflict and communication This conversation offers a grounded, compassionate approach to personal growth—one that doesn’t try to eliminate thoughts, but instead helps us relate to them differently. Whether you’re new to this work or deep on the path, this episode invites you to step out of your head… and into a fuller experience of being alive.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 248 is out now - Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Problems with Charles Eigen - buzzsprout.com/1564787/episo… What if thinking isn’t always your greatest asset? In this episode, Boysen sits down with psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and author Charles Eigen to explore the surprising ways our thinking can become a barrier to clarity, connection, and peace. Drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Zen practice, and decades of therapeutic work, Chuck shares how most of us are conditioned to live in our heads—often at the cost of our emotional awareness and embodied experience. Together, they unpack: The difference between thinking and thoughts Why anxiety lives in the future—and how to come back to the present How “parts” of ourselves can hijack our reactions The role of awareness as the deeper ground of who we are Practical tools to shift from reactivity to presence How to bring mindfulness into conflict and communication This conversation offers a grounded, compassionate approach to personal growth—one that doesn’t try to eliminate thoughts, but instead helps us relate to them differently. Whether you’re new to this work or deep on the path, this episode invites you to step out of your head… and into a fuller experience of being alive.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 247 is out now - Building a New Frontier of Men’s Work; the BIG TENT SUMMIT - buzzsprout.com/1564787/episo… This episode brings together Chris Kyle, George Kansas, and Tim Wade—co-founders of the Big Tent Summit—for a grounded and expansive conversation about the evolving landscape of men’s work. Drawing on over a century of combined experience, they explore the shift from early mythopoetic men’s work to today’s diverse and rapidly expanding ecosystem of support for men. The conversation highlights a growing cultural openness: more men investing in personal development, therapy, and emotional growth—and more pathways than ever to do that work. At the heart of the episode is the Big Tent Summit itself—a gathering designed not to resolve differences, but to hold them. The group discusses the intentional inclusion of diverse voices, the friction that naturally arises when perspectives collide, and why that tension is actually a sign of progress. They also introduce the Big Tent Collective, an ongoing community fostering collaboration, resource sharing, and real-world impact between summits. This episode is an invitation into a larger conversation—one that challenges rigid definitions of masculinity and opens the door to something more inclusive, more integrated, and more human.

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Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 245 is out now - How To Become Tough Enough To Handle Life's Hardest Hits with Trey Tucker - buff.ly/dHbVgsU What if the version of strength most men were handed is quietly breaking them? In this deep and honest conversation, Brandon Clift interviews Trey Tucker, founder of Rugged Counseling and author of Tough Enough, a book written specifically for men in their twenties who feel stuck, drifting, or disconnected. Trey opens up about the sudden death of his father and how he navigated grief without shutting down emotionally. He shares the unconventional approach he used to process loss and how it shaped his model of therapy today. Trey argues that masculinity itself is not the problem. Misguided expression is. Instead of eliminating grit, dominance, or ambition, he calls men to integrate emotional awareness with decisive action.

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 244 is out now - The ManKind Podcast Turns FIVE! What 5 Years of Talking About Manhood Has Taught Us buff.ly/uuPLssl Five years. 250 episodes. Nearly 250,000 downloads. In this milestone episode, Brandon and Boysen reflect on what they’ve learned about masculinity, fatherhood, therapy, connection, and the evolving conversation around modern manhood. They talk about: Why connection is still the antidote Whether therapy is serving men effectively What changed in their own lives Where the podcast is headed next

Listen to the Mankind Project podcast for interviews from the leading edge of #MensWork. Episode 243 is out now - How Men’s Groups Can Transform Men & Reduce Violence - buff.ly/CqR4wX7 Can changing how men relate to one another reduce gender-based violence? In this powerful international conversation, Boysen sits down with South African researchers Nicola Lazenby and Thaakirah Dollie, who conducted an in-depth qualitative study exploring how men’s relationships with other men influence their understanding of masculinity and mental health. Set against the backdrop of South Africa’s gender-based violence crisis—where femicide rates are among the highest in the world—their research examines two distinct patterns of male bonding: 🔹 Hierarchical Homosociality This pattern reinforces rigid masculinity and is linked to diminished mental health and relational harm. 🔹 Horizontal Homosociality This model—found in structured men’s groups like those in the ManKind Project—was associated with increased well-being, deeper connection, and healthier expressions of masculinity.