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It was great to catch up with AJ Donaldson.  I spent a long weekend with AJ and his family in Bimini (Bahamas) in the beginning of October.  The annual EPIC Gala was held in paradise and I was asked to do the keynote speech and interview AJ on stage about the important work that he is doing with his organization.  I immediately connected with this unbelievable human being and I am honored to call him a friend.  In this episode, we talk about being raised by a single mom, AJ's experience as a "Renaissance Man" and the important role that mentoring played in his life.   

AJ Donaldson is a father, husband, son and a mentor! He was born and raised in Miami by a single mother. Growing up, he leaned on mentors to help navigate his life choices and education. At a young age, he realized he would one day be a mentor to kids in his community and beyond. Years later, AJ graduated from the University of Miami with a dual Bachelor of Art and Sciences in Electrical and Audio Engineering, while playing football for the university.

With an evident passion for serving students in underserved communities throughout South Florida, AJ started The Epic Foundation in 2014. He’s from that same underserved community and knows how life changing it can be to have the right after school support supplementing students’ in-classroom education and guidance to a viable career path. The EPIC Foundation has served more than 250 students to date and their reach grows daily.

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Sean Casey, a 12-year Major League first baseman, was a three-time National League All-Star during his Reds tenure, Casey batted .302 with 130 home runs and 735 RBI in his career. Casey played for the Indians (1997), Reds (1998-2005), Pirates (2006), Tigers (2006-07) and Red Sox (2008). Casey finished in the top 10 in National League batting average three times in his career and had six seasons in which he hit better than .300. After being traded to the Tigers in 2006, he went on to hit .529 with 2 home runs in the World Series. He is the only player in MLB history to open two new stadiums with the first hit, a single to open Miller Park in Milwaukee followed by a home run at PNC Park.

The University of Richmond graduate received the Ernie Lombardi Award in 2004 as the Reds' most valuable player, and in June 2012, Casey was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame.

Known as "The Mayor," Casey was one of baseball's most outgoing and likeable players. His personality helped propel him to become a regular at the MLB Network working as a commentator and studio analyst where he has been a part of an Emmy winning team on MLB Tonight.

He has received many honors for his service to the community throughout his playing career, including the coveted Hutch Award in 1999. Today, Casey is invested in supporting children and adults with special needs through his foundation the Miracle League of the South Hills. Located in his backyard of Upper St. Clair, PA, he spearheaded the initiative to raise over $2.5 million to build the Miracle League of the South Hills field and playground where children of all abilities can be a part of a team and play the great game of baseball. Currently, Sean and his team have raised another $1 million to help with facility improvements and build a concession stand called 

The Next Inning where he has started a job training program, teaching kids and adults with special needs important life and job skills. The program has hired the Miracle League athletes, some for their first ever paying job!

You will often find Sean Casey during the Miracle League of the South Hills season announcing games, pitching to the kids, or showing off his lefty swing. You can also find him doing his The mayor office show on all podcast platforms.

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“The Other Side” With Jim Hallinan

Jim Hallinan has been a high school teacher since 2001 in southern New Jersey.  During that time, he taught Health and Physical Education to 10th grade and 12th grade students and could not ignore the drastic decline in fitness levels and nutritional knowledge.  It has become a passion of his to educate these students on proper nutrition and exercise.  His teaching experience led him to create “Jimmy Nutrition” - a personality who works as a motivational nutrition and mindset coach. 

This episode was educational, and a ton of fun as we talked about the school system, climbing the rope in gym class, motivational coaching experiences, masculinity and femininity, peanut butter in the backseat and so much more.  

If this episode resonates with you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing it with anyone who you believe would benefit from the message.  

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In this episode we chop it up with Dr. Sean Pastuch (proper pronunciation unknown) about school, bullies, living the active life, our personal mission statements and Stuch-Fest (it’s a thing).  

company, Active Life, is bridging the gap between performance and rehabilitation. Dr. Sean believes that the larger the problem, the more valuable the solution. He believes that the biggest problem worth solving is the absence of healthcare, and the abundance of sick care in the United States and Internationally. That is why the mission of Active Life is to humanize the doctor, professionalize the coach, and empower the individual.

If this episode resonates with you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing it with anyone who you believe would benefit from the message.  

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It was an honor to speak with one of the most motivational human beings on this planet.  We talk to Nick about his amazing parents, his experience in school, his mindset, how he overcomes every obstacle imaginable and his definition of masculinity.  

Nick Santonastasso is a medical miracle. Not only is he one of four people alive with the rare genetic condition, Hanhart Syndrome, the inspirational keynote speaker is an internationally known bodybuilder and fitness model – despite missing both his legs and one arm since birth. The high-energy youth shares his amazing story, showing people that anyone can thrive if they have the determination and willpower to go after what they want. When Nick was born, the doctors handed his parents a long list of things that he would never be able to do.” Nick’s parents politely thanked them and threw the list out. They raised Nick the same way they had raised his three able-bodied older siblings and instilled in him never to let the world tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

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On this episode of Building Men, we interview Erin Alejandrino “the Fit Beard”.  We talk with this badass man about the importance of having a tribe of men to hold us accountable and push us to be our best, confidence vs. cockiness, modern day knights, emotional knots that exist within us, and pubes glued to the face.

Erin Alejandrino, Instructor and Co-founder of The Project, Squire Program, Vice President of TRULEAN Nutrition and mens online fitness coach for Battle Ready Fit. Erin has over two decades of martial arts and coaching experience and has personally helped hundreds of men and women unlock their potential and achieve better health and happiness. Find him online at @TheFitbeard and learn more about his FREE 5 Day course at battlereadyfit.com/challenge

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Hold on tight…this episode is a wild ride with one of the most inspirational men we have ever met, Stevie Baggs Jr.  We talk about masculinity, college and professional sports, creating a community, being your authentic self, etymology, and potato chips.  

The Actor, The Author, The Athlete, The Inspirational Speaker, The Brand Ambassador, The Philanthropist.

​​The Author Recognized as the only athlete to play for eleven professional teams in ten years, “Shakespeare” continues to inspire and make plays off the field. In his bestselling book, “Greater than the Game,”

The Athlete Many know Stevie Baggs Jr. for his athletic career as a three-time All-American linebacker, playing in both the NFL and CFL, for teams including the Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. During his college football career, Stevie Baggs Jr. earned his nickname, “Shakespeare”, by making plays on and off the field. He graduated in 2005 with a degree in International Business from Bethune Cookman University

The Inspirational Speaker Drawing from his experience in professional sports, Stevie Baggs Jr. has dedicated time in his career to empowering youth and adults as an impactful inspirational speaker.

​The Philanthropist As an advocate for change, Stevie Baggs Jr. works in communities to enhance the minds of youth to fuel the future through his CETA (Creating Empowerment Through Autonomy) foundation. The CETA Foundation, currently celebrating 16 years of service, envisions a world where all individuals have the health and wellness tools, resources, and support to maximize their quality of life.

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Please consider giving us a 5-star rating and leaving a review.  If this podcast resonates with you, please share it with anyone you think might benefit from the message.  

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This was a special episode for us.  Cal Callahan has been  a mentor and coach (from a far) for us as podcast hosts and thought leaders in this Building Men space we occupy.  Cal's podcast (The Great Unlearn) was a motivational destination as we changed everything and took the "Path of Not Here."   We talk about masculinity, tribes, relationships, showing up as the most authentic human being as possible and having the courage to rewrite our own story.  

Cal Callahan, a retired trader, hosts The Great Unlearn podcast and runs Unlearn Ventures — an investment fund and incubator for forward-thinking projects. He lives in Austin, TX with his wife, three kids, two dogs and pet pig named Petunia.

Through The Great Unlearn Podcast, Cal shares conversations with some of the world’s leading experts & performers to help men and women unlearn their way into a new way of being.

No human being is just ‘one thing’.  You’re not just a banker or an artist or an entrepreneur. Human beings are multivariate. There’s a lot of dimensionality to people—and in The Great Unlearn, we unpack that complexity, one layer at a time. Whether it’s spirituality, health, relationships, or fitness (even biohacking), we strip away and unlearn all the things we’ve “learned”—and build it back up to what’s true for us. 

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Please consider giving us a 5-star rating and leaving a review.  If this podcast resonates with you, please share it with anyone you think might benefit from the message.  

For more information about our Hero’s Journey Men's Retreat email us at: [email protected]

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Mark England is an educator, a world renowned motivational speaker and a word magician.  He helps people understand that they can create their future by changing the words they use when they talk to themselves.  Mark is an expert communicator and in this episode he talks about WORLD CLASS presentation skills.  We discuss what to do before, during and after presentations in a very practical way.  If you have to prepare for a presentation, a speech, a toast, a seminar,...this episode will give you everything you need to crush it.  You will want to have a notebook handy for this one.  

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Please consider giving us a 5-star rating and leaving a review.  If this podcast resonates with you, please share it with anyone you think might benefit from the message.  

For more information about our Hero’s Journey Men's Retreat email us at: [email protected]

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Podcast Episode 104 - "Masculine Authenticity and Violent Monkeys" With Kyle Creek aka "The Captain".

In this episode we get into the importance of showing up in an authentic way in our lives. Kyle Creek AKA “The Captain” shares his thoughts about masculinity, fatherhood, depression, snot rockets and savage beasts.  He is raw, unfiltered, honest, and funny as hell.  We talk about several of the practical life lessons in his recent book, "Speech Therapy" - including dealing with a breakup, losing your shit, quarantine, and things we should have learned about in school.  We truly appreciated this conversation.  Buy a copy of each one of his books for yourself and give one away as a stocking stuffer.   

Find all of The Captain's books, his newsletter, his Instagram page and his coffee mugs (funny shit) in the links below:

Speech Therapy
F*cking History
Feel Free to Quote Me (volumes 1, 2, 3)

Dear Captain Newsletter

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Amazon - The Books

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Please consider giving us a 5-star rating and leaving a review.  If this podcast resonates with you, please share it with anyone you think might benefit from the message.  

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