In this powerful episode of Vulnerability Muscle, host Reggie D. Ford sits down with Jeff Siegel—a men’s health and wellness coach, writer, and mindfulness teacher at Harvard University—for a transformative conversation on redefining masculinity, healing from disordered eating, and reimagining success beyond hustle culture.

Jeff shares deeply personal stories from his upbringing, including his struggle with an eating disorder, the impact of absentee fatherhood, and the cultural pressures that push men away from vulnerability. From martial arts to Buddhist studies, neuroscience to spiritual embodiment, Jeff walks us through his multi-layered healing journey and offers listeners tools to return to their bodies, center their nervous systems, and reframe productivity with compassion.

Together, Reggie and Jeff explore questions that men—and all humans—need to sit with:

• What do you need that you didn’t get?
• Can success coexist with rest, presence, and peace?
• How do we shed societal expectations and allow ourselves to simply be?

This episode is an open invitation to redefine strength, create space for healing, and finally come home to ourselves.

• The duality of physical vs. emotional vulnerability
• How shame shapes male identity and behavior
• Jeff’s story of developing and recovering from an eating disorder
• The connection between trauma, control, and food
• Why asking for help is the ultimate act of strength
• The masks of masculinity and where they originate
• Naming internal "parts" to understand and integrate them (e.g. “Productive Pete”)
• Redefining hustle culture and success on your own terms
• Presence over perfection in fatherhood and life
• How Buddhist studies and mind-brain education inform Jeff’s healing philosophy
• Spiritual practices for grounded well-being in a materialistic world
• The limitations of corporate wellness if culture doesn’t change

If this episode resonates with you, share it with a man in your life who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Vulnerability Muscle for more soul-stretching conversations, and don’t forget to rate and review!

• Website https://jeffsiegelwellness.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @jeff.siegel.wellness