In Episode 8 of Grown Man Game, Rod and Big Mike get into current events, Black culture, parenting, aging, health, and what commitment really looks like in a relationship.

They open with the Kane Velasquez case and the emotional weight behind it, then move into Kevin Gates, trauma, code switching, and how Black men often have to adjust depending on the room they are in. Later in the episode, the conversation shifts to health, getting older, colonoscopies, Black culture, and a real discussion about attraction and boundaries in marriage.

This one is honest, funny, and full of the kind of conversation men need more of.

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back / current events
00:22 Kane Velasquez and why Rod says “free Kane”
03:01 Kevin Gates, trauma, and protecting children
08:54 Code switching and moving between worlds
11:57 Job interviews, names, and being taken seriously
15:31 White privilege, stress, and never having to switch
17:02 Parenting, language, and generational differences
27:14 Congratulations Brother
27:27 Rod on turning 43 and feeling good
29:50 Big Mike on health and getting a colonoscopy
35:55 Black culture, double dutch, and what gets left behind
40:20 Group chat: how married men handle attraction
56:26 Closing thoughts and the grown man game takeaway

Follow the show on Instagram: @grownmangamepod
Follow Rod: @4fitfatherhood
Follow Big Mike: @maybe_nice_mike

Share this episode with a man who needs this conversation.

The Grown Man Game Podcast talks about the quiet collapse of brotherhood and what it’s doing to men. We all have “friends” in the group chat, people we follow, coworkers we dap up… but most men don’t have real brothers who can check blind spots, hold you to your word, and push you to lead at home and in life.

We get into the lone wolf mindset, surface-level connection on social media, mentorship, accountability, and why asking for help doesn’t make you weak. It makes you smart.

If this hits, share it with a brother who needs it.

Follow + Contact
IG: @thegrownmangamepod
Email: [email protected]

0:00 Intro: “We get better together”
2:01 Brotherhood collapsing + group chat isn’t real connection
4:14 No one checks your blind spots (accountability + integrity)
6:42 Mentorship makes you a better husband and man
9:56 Loneliness, spirals, and why men “take themselves out the game”
11:16 Red pill talk + “step your game up”
12:51 Men need men + “iron sharpens iron”
18:59 “Infantilization” of men and responsibility
22:53 Trauma response, single-parent homes, and cycles
30:01 Gym spot story: “You need a spot because you’re strong”
33:38 Batman, Robin, Alfred, and support systems
37:21 Phoenix idea: brotherhood dies, comes back stronger
41:17 Call your people. Don’t text. Build the habit
42:01 Suited brotherhood walk + rebuilding the culture
43:18 Where to find the show

Grown Man Game Episode 6 is a real convo on what happiness looks like for men, why peace feels like the real goal, and how we’ve been conditioned to avoid certain emotions. We also get into travel sports parenting fees, learning emotional discipline in front of your kids, and why men need to stop playing games with their health.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro, travel sports parenting reality check
• 1:22 The “pay to play” tournament money machine
• 7:01 Your kids watch your emotions for cues
• 9:11 Rod’s new merch idea: “Rooted” and “Grow Down”
• 13:09 Big Mike’s cyst surgery, blood pressure, and finally going in
• 17:20 White coat syndrome and why the doctor spikes your numbers
• 22:47 Main topic: What is happiness for a man?
• 24:13 Peace vs happiness and why men stop asking what they want
• 30:16 Why rich people can still suffer
• 33:36 Receiving compliments and letting yourself feel joy
• 41:37 How men hide fear with jokes
• 46:38 Men “compensate” emotionally (fear/sadness turns into anger)
• 49:02 Final thoughts and where to find the show

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast app.
Follow the show on IG: Grown Man Game Podcast
Email: [email protected]

Episode 5 of the Grown Man Game Podcast is a real talk on being a partner and a provider. Rod and Big Mike break down what it looks like to support your woman’s goals, communicate like an adult, handle conflict without trying to “win,” and why you’ve got to celebrate the small wins. They also get into men’s health, doctor visits, and how stress shows up in your body.

Tap in and share this with a brother who’s trying to lead better.

Timestamps

• 0:00 Intro, catching up, weekend recap
• 3:16 Rod’s foot issue, doctor visit, possible gout
• 6:19 Big Mike on tribe, family support, community
• 11:04 Topic starts: how to be a better partner
• 13:34 Supporting her goals and learning to listen
• 16:47 Emotional intelligence and “solutions vs ears”
• 19:38 Talk “war” during peace, fight language
• 22:13 “Do you want to be right or happily married?”
• 26:35 Provider vs partner, what providing really means
• 33:37 Small things that hurt your woman’s feelings (shoes)
• 35:33 Shaq clip, carrying everyone, men cracking under load
• 45:28 Celebrate your wins, even the expected ones
• 54:41 Congratulations segment, health check and wins
• 56:54 Go see the doctor, stop waiting until it’s late
• 58:03 Congrats to Rod on building the gym and growth
• 1:07:26 Final takeaways
• 1:08:36 Where to find the show, subscribe and share

Links

• IG: @grownmangamepodcast
• YouTube: Grown Man Game Pod
• Email: [email protected]

Masculinity feels harder to define than ever.

In Episode 4 of Grown Man Game, Rod and Big Mike talk through what modern masculinity actually looks like in 2025. They get into leadership without chest beating, money pressure without panic, dating expectations, insecurity disguised as toughness, and why real strength usually shows up quietly.

This isn’t a debate episode. It’s two men thinking out loud about responsibility, courage, self-sufficiency, and how men can lead without losing themselves in the noise.

If you’ve ever felt caught between old-school expectations and modern realities, this one will hit.

In Episode 3 of the Grown Man Game podcast, Rod and Mike talk about why so many male friendships stay surface-level, and how that bleeds into marriage and relationships. They get into validation, desire, and the quiet question a lot of men carry: “Am I enough?” The conversation moves through infidelity, the difference between being “nice” and being assertive, and how men lose their relationship by stopping the pursuit. They close with a real take on masculinity: strength and nurturing can live in the same man, and insecurity often hides behind loud “alpha” talk.

Rod and Big Mike get real about why so many men feel isolated, why it’s hard to be vulnerable, and what happens when you keep stacking stress without talking to anyone. They talk about the decline in close male friendships and how that shows up in marriage, fatherhood, and mental health. Rod shares what it looked like to hit a breaking point, break down, and finally admit he needed therapy again. Mike shares how grief surfaced in unexpected ways, and how holding emotions in can spill over into how you show up with your kids.

They also talk about the tension men feel when they want to protect their wives’ image while still needing someone to talk to. The episode closes with a “grown man game” message: share what you know, help the next generation start further ahead, and teach them the process, not just the outcome.

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• Most men have very few real friends they can call when life hits.
• You can love your wife and still need a safe place to talk things out.
• Stress stacks up quietly until it spills over.
• Crying can be a release, not a weakness.
• “I’ll just power through it” works until it doesn’t.
• Kids don’t automatically value what you used to dream of having.
• Progress creates different problems for your kids than the ones you had.
• Teach your kids how you built the life they live in.

• 00:39 Welcome back + why this show is “fly on the wall” talk
• 01:07 Men losing friendships and getting isolated
• 04:29 Needing a brother to talk to when marriage gets hard
• 08:53 “Congratulations, brother” + going back to therapy
• 21:25 Rod’s emotional breaking point at practice
• 29:50 “Life is averages” and how Mike thinks about highs/lows
• 51:54 Unprocessed grief showing up years later
• 1:06:06 Losing patience with your kid when you’re holding grief
• 1:15:26 Forever 21 story: are we giving kids too much?
• 1:31:50 Closing “Grown Man Game” message: teach the process

In this raw, unfiltered premiere episode of Grown Man Game, hosts Rod and Mike introduce themselves by sharing their contrasting childhood experiences - from family compounds to crack houses, suburban racism to urban survival. Their authentic conversation reveals how these formative experiences shaped their approach to fatherhood today.

The hosts explore how their different upbringings in the Bay Area and Southern California during the crack epidemic and racial tensions of the 80s and 90s gave them unique perspectives on parenting. They discuss why today's kids don't play outside like they did, how they navigate school choices for their children, and the delicate balance between protecting kids and building resilience.

This episode establishes the foundation for future discussions on manhood, fatherhood, and giving listeners some genuine "grown man game" - wisdom earned through real-life experiences that can only come from men who've lived through both challenges and triumphs.