Forge the Man

Roberto "Bobby" Girault is an award-winning Mexican filmmaker best known for his breakout 2009 film El Estudiante, which won six Silver Goddess Awards including Best Director and Best Picture.

In this episode of Forge The Man, Bobby talks with Paul about his winding path from law school to Vancouver Film School, the tension of choosing a "romantic" creative calling over the business path his family expected, and what he learned watching his father face both huge success and real failure without ever staying down.

The conversation moves into the craft and leadership side of directing — confidence, fatherhood-style leadership, and knowing when to draw a hard line of authority on set — before landing on Bobby's deeper "why": using film to remind audiences of their God-given dignity. Paul and Bobby also get honest about the boundaries of storytelling, how far is too far when depicting violence or intimacy on screen, and close with a genuinely funny behind-the-scenes story from the set of El Estudiante.

In this solo reflection, Paul Ybarra digs into a 2018 Vatican document, Giving the Best of Yourself, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which explores the role of sports in the Christian life — largely drawing on the "theology of the body" and personal example of Pope St. John Paul II, famously known as the "athlete pope." Paul makes the case that sports and physical fitness are genuine gifts from God, capable of building virtue, humility, and team-oriented character — but warns that, left unchecked, the same good desire for strength and health can quietly crowd out prayer, family, and the interior life. Drawing on a story about Magic Johnson learning the joy of assisting his teammates, a conversation with a young man preparing for the fire department, and John Paul II's own words to athletes, Paul lays out a simple but challenging question for every man who loves sports: are you training your body while letting your soul go dry?

Share this episode with a friend who might be chasing fitness (or any good thing) a little harder than his prayer life right now.

Subscribe to Forge The Man for more reflections on faith, virtue, and living with the right priorities as a Catholic man.

Joel Ojeda is the Chief Operating Officer for the West region of an infrastructure consulting company, where he's helped scale the organization from roughly 1,000 to 6,500 employees.

In this episode of Forge The Man, Joel — a USC engineering grad and Yale MBA — gets refreshingly practical about what it actually takes to lead well and grow a career: how he protects his focus from constant digital noise, what he looks for when hiring (and firing), how he handles team conflict, and why owning your mistakes builds more trust than trying to look perfect. The conversation also goes deeper into Joel's own struggle with overwork and perfectionism, his decision (with his wife) to become a single-income family, and how he's learned to turn a hard day's work into prayer instead of a search for recognition. It's a grounded, tactical episode for any young man trying to build a career without losing himself — or his family — in the process.

Carlo Boton is a Certified Financial Planner in Southern California whose team manages roughly $200 million in client wealth — and he's also a father of eight, married to his wife Joy for 21 years. In this episode of Forge The Man, Carlo shares the whirlwind story of proposing to Joy after just ten days of courtship, why he believes raising a large family is far less expensive than most young couples assume, and the daily rhythm that keeps a household of ten running.

He also gets candid about parenting through conflict — how he and Joy resolve sibling disputes "court of law" style, how Joy's tenderness balances his own more demanding style of love, and why he believes the real beneficiary of a hard parenting season isn't the child, but the parent being refined. It's a grounded, practical conversation about marriage, money, and fatherhood from a man living all three at full capacity.

Subscribe to Forge The Man for more real conversations on marriage, fatherhood, and building a life of purpose as a Catholic man. Share this episode with a friend who's on the fence about starting — or growing — a family.

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Most Catholic men have heard of two vocations: marriage or the priesthood. In this episode of Forge The Man, Paul talks with James Herrick — a civil engineer, poet, and mentor living in the Bay Area — about a third path many have never considered: the celibate vocation of a numerary in Opus Dei. James walks through his own discernment story from third grade all the way through his decisive commitment in 2010, including the mentors, retreats, and quiet nudges that shaped his path. The conversation moves into the practical side of discernment — building a real prayer life, finding a spiritual director, and learning to hear God's voice in the ordinary noise of daily life — and closes with a moving tribute to two close friends, both numeraries, who died saving a third man from drowning. It's a conversation about vocation, mentorship, legacy, and what it really means to give your life away.

James Herrick grew up in Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia, and attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 2016. He has worked as a civil engineer in New York, Los Angeles, and now the Bay Area, and is preparing to begin a master's program at Pepperdine University. James comes from a family with a long military and pilgrim history. Since high school, he's written poetry, deepened his prayer life, and mentored young men through Opus Dei programs and service trips around the world.

Subscribe to Forge The Man for more real conversations on vocation, discernment, and what it looks like for Catholic men to give their lives away — whether married, single, or still figuring it out. Share this episode with a friend who's in the thick of discernment right now.

What if most of what you want — the job, the truck, the girl, the tattoo — isn't really yours? In this episode of Forge The Man, Paul sits down with Trevor Merrill, scholar, novelist, and director of Imitatio, to unpack the work of French thinker René Girard — the man Peter Thiel has credited with shaping his approach to leadership. Trevor breaks down two of Girard's biggest ideas: mimetic desire (we imitate the desires of others more than we realize) and scapegoating (how groups — from ancient tribes to Twitter mobs — offload tension onto a single target). Along the way, Paul and Trevor get practical: how to avoid office politics, how to choose good models instead of flashy ones, why freshman year roommates become rivals, and how young men can build a life around something deeper than comparative advantage. It's a conversation for any man trying to figure out what he actually wants — and who he should be listening to.

Trevor Merrill manages Imitatio, a program devoted to advancing René Girard's mimetic theory, and has translated and edited several of Girard's books. He's a novelist (Minor Indignities, 2020; The Comforts of Exile, forthcoming September 2026), a co-producer of the documentary Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard, and has taught French language and literature at Caltech for over a decade. He is currently translating a forthcoming biography of Girard for Stanford University Press. Trevor and his wife Carolyn converted to Catholicism (2015 and 2017, respectively) and have four children.

Resources & Books Mentioned

• Deceit, Desire, and the Novel — René Girard
• Violence and the Sacred — René Girard
• Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World — René Girard
• Wanting — Luke Burgess
• Clever as Serpents — (mimetic theory applied to management/office politics)
• Finding True Happiness — Fr. Robert Spitzer
• Aristotle's Way — Edith Hall
• Documentary: Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard
• Trevor Merrill's novels: Minor Indignities (2020), The Comforts of Exile (forthcoming Sept. 2026)

What does over 40 years in law enforcement teach a man about leadership, faith, marriage, and vocation?

Former LAPD Commander Ignacio Verduzco shares lessons from over four decades of service as a Marine, police officer, and leader. to discuss serving as a Marine, leading police officers through some of Los Angeles' most difficult decades, and why integrity, patience, and mentorship matter more than ever.

From growing up in Los Angeles after immigrating from Mexico to serving 37 years with the LAPD (and continuing in the Honor Guard), Ignacio reflects on what young Catholic men need most today: integrity, patience, courage, mentorship, and a vocation of service.

This conversation isn't just for aspiring police officers—it's for every Catholic man seeking excellence in his work, family, and spiritual life.

Whether you're considering law enforcement or simply striving to become a better husband, father, leader, or professional, this conversation offers timeless wisdom forged through decades of difficult decisions.

What does it take to build a life of purpose? In this episode of Forge The Man, Paul Ybarra talks with Ray Tittmann about his path to becoming a lawyer, the transformative power of a liberal arts education, and why faith, mentorship, and great books remain essential for personal and professional growth. Ray shares why mentorship is essential for both personal and professional growth and explains how spending time with the world's greatest thinkers helps sharpen critical thinking, and how cultivating critical thinking through timeless wisdom can help you make better decisions, pursue meaningful success, and ultimately live a more fulfilled life.

00:00 Introduction to Ray and His Journey

02:16 Educational Background and Its Impact on Law

03:54 The Home Depot Case and Law 360 MVP Award

05:19 The Importance of Reading and Critical Thinking

08:18 Choosing the Right College and Education Philosophy

10:12 The Value of Mentorship

12:48 Approaching Mentors and Building Relationships

15:45 Following Opportunities Over Passions

20:18 The Role of Great Thinkers in Personal Development

22:24 Engaging with Difficult Texts and Mental Exercise

25:01 The Importance of Work and Pursuing Excellence

26:58 Action Items for Professional Preparation

What makes a father's influence last for generations?

In this episode, Will Boles shares how his father's example shaped his faith, family, and leadership. From prioritizing spiritual formation despite a demanding career to creating meaningful family traditions and modeling humility in marriage and parenting, Will unpacks the lessons that continue to guide his life today.

Whether you're a father, husband, leader, or simply someone thinking about the legacy you want to leave, this conversation offers practical wisdom on sacrifice, presence, and the transformative power of self-giving love.

In this special episode, we remember the inspiring lives of Val Creus, Matthew Schoenecker, and Matthew Anthony, three numerary members of Opus Dei who tragically passed away on June 18th 2025 after attempting to save one another in the waters of Rattlesnake Falls. Listen as we explore their exemplified virtue, courage, dedication to their faith, and generosity for others.

Through their lives, we learn how ordinary responsibilities can be transformed into acts of sanctity, service, and preparation for the heroic sacrifices God calls each of us to make.

00:00 Introduction to Forge the Man and Guest Introduction

02:06 The Lives and Vocation of Val Creus, Matt Anthony, and Matt Schoenecker

10:09 Annual Courses and Community Life in Opus Dei

10:41 The Tragic Accident at Rattlesnake Falls

19:01 Processing Grief and Finding Hope

24:38 Lessons from the Lives of Val Creus, Matt Anthony, and Matt Schoenecker

30:54 Advice for Young Men on Discerning Vocation

34:58 Closing Thoughts and Encouragement