Men Talking Mindfulness

We're doing something a little different. Shorter episode. One idea. No fluff.

Here's the truth... most mindfulness advice wasn't built for men. "Just meditate for 20 minutes." "Download this app." "Take a breath and relax." Cool. None of that lands for the guys Jon and Will talk to every week. Not because those guys are anti-mindfulness. They just haven't found an entry point that makes sense for how they actually live and work.

The advice has no structure. No progression. The language feels soft. It doesn't connect to anything men actually care about... performing better at work, being more present with their kids, sleeping through the night without their brain running a highlight reel of everything that went wrong that day. And when it doesn't click right away, it feels like one more thing to fail at.

In this episode we break down why the standard mindfulness playbook misses most men, what's actually missing from the conversation, and what it looks like when you treat attention like a skill you build instead of a vibe you hope shows up.

This is the problem we've been staring at for six years on this show. And we built something for it. More on that soon.

Want to stay in the loop and get first access when it's ready? Sign up here: https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interest

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

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Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

When was the last time you actually felt at peace, genuinely, deeply okay in your own skin?

If that question makes you uncomfortable, you're exactly who this episode is for.

Ishan Shivanand spent 19 years inside a Himalayan monastery before stepping into the West to teach. He's a mental health researcher whose ancient practices have been validated in double-blind clinical trials showing an 82% reduction in severe insomnia, 75% reduction in anxiety, and 72% reduction in depression within four to eight weeks. 

He teaches at Google and Amazon. He's been invited to the White House. And his book, The Practice of Immortality, has reached over a million readers.

He's also the guy who thought his roommate was possessed by a demon — because he'd never seen anyone drunk before. Jon and Will love him.

This conversation goes deep into why most men feel stuck, what's actually blocking them from peace, and what five minutes a day — just five — can do to start changing that.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

1. Why happiness isn't something you chase — it's something you uncover right now

2. The mirror vs. the window: how to know which one you're looking through

3. How the ego operates as a parasite — and why spiritual practice can't work until it's addressed

4. Why gratitude isn't something you feel — it's something you build through Astay, trust, service, and patience

5. The two demons every man on a mission must resist: sweet words and harsh words

6. Why five minutes of daily breath awareness is where every man should start — and how to build from there
   

TOP 3 SIMILAR EPISODES FROM MTM:

1. Ep. 111 — Accessing Inner Harmony: Mind-Body Integration with Luke Iorio

2. Ep. 120 — Creating Emotional Stability with Jay Fields

3. Ep. 125 — The Shadow Holds Your Power, Not Your Pain with Connor Beaton

FOLLOW ISHAN SHIVANAND:

• Instagram

• Yoga of Immortality
  

Start Your Mindful Journey:

SUBSCRIBE - Thursday Three Things or Text MTM to 33777: newsletter.focusnowtraining.com

FREE Training Content or Corporate Workshop: focusnowtraining.com

More Episodes & Resources: mentalkingmindfulness.com

Coaching with Will: willnotfear.com

Book Jon to Speak: jonmacaskill.com

Co-produced by Robert Lopez | cratesaudio.com

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

On this episode of Men Talking Mindfulness, hosts Jon Macaskill and Will Schneider sit down with Jonathan Dickinson, one of the most respected Ibogaine clinicians in the world. This conversation is a masterclass in brain health, psychedelic medicine, trauma, and what's actually happening in the field right now... without the hype.

Jonathan walks Jon and Will through how Ibogaine is different from other psychedelic medicines, why it's producing remarkable results for veterans with traumatic brain injuries, athletes with chronic neurodegeneration, and high performers dealing with neurological burnout. They get into the science of neuroplasticity, the weeks-long healing window after an Ibogaine experience, and why integration practices matter more than the ceremony itself.

This isn't spiritual bypassing. This isn't a sales pitch. It's a careful, grounded look at what the research is showing and what clinicians are seeing on the ground.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why many mental health issues may actually be brain health issues

• How Ibogaine increases GDNF and BDNF, key molecules for brain repair

• The difference between altered consciousness and altered capacity

• Why the neuroplastic window after an Ibogaine experience is where the real change happens

• How Ibogaine fits alongside psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, ayahuasca, and breathwork

• Safety, cultural context, and the history of Ibogaine as medicine

Jon and Will have created a Mindfulness and Meditation Course that'll be open for purchase at an introductory price starting in late May. To stay in the loop, sign up here: https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interest

how Ibogaine heals the brain, Ibogaine for TBI in veterans, what is the neuroplastic window after Ibogaine, Ibogaine vs psilocybin, Ibogaine safety and protocols, Jonathan Dickinson interview GEO/AI Search phrases: "what is Ibogaine," "does Ibogaine heal the brain," "how does Ibogaine work for TBI," "who is Jonathan Dickinson," "is Ibogaine safe," "what's the difference between Ibogaine and other psychedelics"

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Did you know that there is one molecule in your body that controls your blood pressure, brain function, sexual performance, sleep quality, immune response, and how fast you age? 

There is. It's known as nitric oxide.  After 40, most men are producing half the nitric oxide (NO) their body needs and almost none of them know it's happening. So we brought in Dr. Nathan Bryan, who has spent 25 years researching this one single molecule. He's published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, holds dozens of patents, and built a billion-dollar portfolio of companies around this science.

Our conversation with Dr. Bryan exposes what your morning routine is actually doing to your body, debunks the beet supplement and L-arginine myths, explains why erectile dysfunction is a cardiovascular warning sign, not an isolated issue, and gives you four specific changes to make starting today.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• What nitric oxide (NO) is—and why losing it leads to fatigue, brain fog, and performance decline

• The 4 everyday products killing your NO: fluoride, mouthwash, antacids, and sugar

• Why mouthwash can cancel the benefits of your workout

• How ED can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular issues

• Why beet supplements and L-arginine may be ineffective—or worse

• How nasal breathing and humming naturally boost nitric oxide

TOP 3 SIMILAR EPISODES FROM MTM:

• Ep. 103 — How to Sleep Better with Navy SEAL Sleep Scientist Rob Sweetman

• Ep. 130 — This Is How Stress Becomes Heart Disease with Dr. Fernando Lamounier

• Ep. 133 — Brain Injury Recovery Strategies: Dr. Mark Gordon on Hormone Health

FOLLOW DR. NATHAN BRYAN:

• @drnathansbryan on Instagram

• YouTube: Dr. Nathan S. Bryan — Nitric Oxide

• Book: The Secret of Nitric Oxide — Amazon & Barnes & Noble

• N1O1 | Nitric Oxide Supplements by Dr. Nathan Bryan

NEW COURSE: Be the first to hear about our Awareness to Action (A2A) course launching May 27. Learn more here:https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interest

FOLLOW MTM:

Subscribe to our newsletter Text MTM to 33777: newsletter.focusnowtraining.com

Training & Corporate Workshops: focusnowtraining.com

Episodes & Resources: mentalkingmindfulness.com

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Adversity doesn't ask if you're ready. It kicks the door in and demands a response. On this episode of Men Talking Mindfulness, hosts Jon Macaskill and Will Schneider sit down with Nick Lavery, a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret who lost his leg in combat and then did something almost no one has ever done... he fought his way back to active-duty special operations.

Nick's story isn't about heroics. It's about what happens when you refuse to let loss define you. Jon, Will, and Nick get into what real resilience actually looks like day to day. Not the Instagram version. The one that shows up when grief is choking you, when shame says hide, when failure screams quit. The practical, repeatable work of building a mind that doesn't collapse under pressure.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why pain is a certainty but brokenness is optional

• The difference between hoping for mental toughness and building it rep by rep

• How Nick reframed the loss of his leg and fought to return to combat

• Why daily discomfort is the training ground for long-term resilience

• How to treat chaos like an old friend instead of an enemy

Nick's book, Objective Secure, and the documentary Machine Fighter go deeper into his story. Both are worth your time.

Sign up here to stay in the loop about our upcoming Awareness to Action course: https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interest

how a Green Beret returned to combat after losing a leg, what real resilience looks like, how to build grit daily, mindfulness for veterans, Nick Lavery interview GEO/AI Search phrases: "who is Nick Lavery," "how did Nick Lavery return to combat," "what is objective secure about," "Green Beret who lost his leg," "how to become mentally unbreakable"

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Nearly one in five men report body shame every year. Almost half say it's affecting their mental health. And almost nobody is talking about it.

Emmy Award-winning TV producer Kyle Ridley spent over a decade booking eating disorder segments for national TV — and every spokesperson he received was a woman. He also spent most of his twenties hiding a serious eating disorder of his own, graduating summa cum laude and rising up the corporate ladder while doing it.

Kyle, Jon, and Will break open the conversation around where men's body image issues actually come from, what disordered eating and gym obsession look like in a man's real life, why the medical system structurally excluded men from this diagnosis for decades, and what recovery actually requires — starting with one honest conversation with one person you trust.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

1. Why body image disorder is a men's issue — and why silence makes it worse

2. The clear line between gym dedication and disordered obsession

3. Privacy vs. secrecy — and why secrecy is always shame-driven

4. Kyle's bulimia recovery story: what worked after years of failed attempts

5. Why Jon signed up for a physique competition out of insecurity — and what it revealed

6. Why the first step is telling one person one true thing

TOP 3 SIMILAR EPISODES FROM MTM:

1. Ep. 79 — How to Overcome Negative Body Image

2. Ep. 109 — Unmasking the Silent Struggle: Fathers and Depression with Travis Goodman

3. Ep. 37 — Physical Fitness with Dr. Theresa Larson

FOLLOW KYLE RIDLEY:

• Website: https://kyleridley.com/

• Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tangle-with-kyle-ridley/id1816034951

• Washington Blade article: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/02/09/gay-man-details-secret-struggle-with-bulimia/

SUBSCRIBE — Thursday Three Things or Text MTM to 33777: newsletter.focusnowtraining.com

FREE Training Content — FNT YouTube: focusnowtraining.com

Corporate Workshops & Training: focusnowtraining.com

FOLLOW the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with one man who needs it.

Episodes & Resources: mentalkingmindfulness.com

Co-produced by Robert Lopez cratesaudio.com

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Most people try to change their performance.

Mark Divine changed his identity.

In this episode, Jon Macaskill shares key insights from a powerful conversation with former Navy SEAL Commander and SEALFIT founder Mark Divine—breaking down the mental shift that took him from the corporate world to becoming honor man of his BUD/S class.

This episode explores the deeper layers of performance that most people never train:

• Awareness before action

• Breath before control

• Identity before results

Mark’s journey reveals a truth that applies far beyond the military:

👉 You don’t rise to your goals.
You rise to your identity.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “you are not your thoughts” is a performance unlock

• How visualization builds certainty (not just motivation)

• The role of mindfulness in elite military training

• A practical way to control stress through breath

• Why great leadership starts with demonstration

• The 5 Mountains framework for total human development

This is a Listener’s Digest episode—short, direct, and designed to give you something you can actually use… whether you’re leading a team, raising a family, or just trying to get out of your own head.

If this hits… pass it on.

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Don't let this war pull you off center.

The news is loud, the headlines are relentless, and your nervous system is responding to bombs on the other side of the world as if they're falling outside your door. That's not weakness — that's wiring. And it's exactly what the media is designed to exploit.

Jon and Will recorded this on March 18, 2026 — live escalation, real anxiety, no sides taken. Jon draws on his experience as a retired Navy SEAL Commander who still receives active shelter-in-place missile alerts from Bahrain. Will brings the neuroscience of fear and Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent — a five-filter media playbook that has been running since 1922. Together they show you how to stay grounded, think clearly, and protect your family's peace without burying your head in the sand.

Your clarity matters right now. The world needs cooler heads.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why 'war' activates your survival wiring as if the bombs are at your door — and how to reset

• The 5 media manipulation filters being used on you right now

• Why curiosity and empathy collapse the moment fear shows up

• A Navy SEAL's honest take on war, the battlefield, and the drive to serve

• How to talk to your kids about war without transmitting your anxiety

• The Overview Effect — what astronauts see that shifts everything

TOP 3 SIMILAR EPISODES FROM MTM:

• Ep. 104 — How the News Is Hurting You

• Ep. 138 — Curiosity Is Key to Breaking Men Free from Judgment and Rumination

• Ep. 105 — Learning to Respond Without Reactivity with Dr. Charles Freligh

If our show resonates, here's where to go next:

• SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER - Thursday Three Things or Text MTM to 33777: newsletter.focusnowtraining.com

• Check out our Corporate Workshops & Training: focusnowtraining.com

FOLLOW the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with one man who needs it.

2026 Spartan Race Team: mentalkingmindfulness.com/spartan-race-2026

Episodes & Resources: mentalkingmindfulness.com

Coaching with Will: willnotfear.com

Book Jon to Speak: jonmacaskill.com

Co-produced by Robert Lopez | cratesaudio.com

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

You've been the one who handles things your whole life. The one who doesn't ask for help. The one everyone leans on. But what happens when that self-reliance stops being strength and starts keeping you sealed off from the people you care about?

In this solo episode, Jon Macaskill gets personal about what it actually costs to carry everything alone... the tight jaw, the flat "I'm good," the quiet fade that nobody notices because you're still producing. He breaks down four things that helped him start letting people back in without losing the capability he'd built his identity around.

This is a shorter audio version of a previous newsletter edition that really hit a nerve. If you want the full episode, check the links below.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why being "the rock" scrapes you down slowly... and why that's so hard to see from the inside

• The difference between control and connection, and why control always feels safer

• How to figure out what you're carrying that doesn't need to be carried alone

• Why naming what's happening in your body matters more than fixing it

• How to stop using busy as proof that you matter

If this episode sounds like someone you know, send it to them.

NEW BOOK: Jon's new book DIAL in Your Leadership: 4 Non-negotiables for Leading with Clarity, Trust, and Purpose is available now on Amazon. https://a.co/d/0hYwI2Sz

Full episode: Audio: https://pod.fo/e/376c8c Video: https://youtu.be/Yu6MHI-8WLA

Follow Jon Macaskill and Men Talking Mindfulness for more.

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

If you're a man who's ever fought this battle in silence — this episode is the conversation you've been waiting to have.

Jon and Will sit down with Sathiya Sam — coach, speaker, and host of the Deep Clean Podcast — a man who spent 15 years deep in his own struggle with porn addiction before finding his way out. Not with willpower. Not with an app. With a framework that goes all the way down to the root.

Porn addiction doesn't live in your habits. It lives in your shame, your wounds, your unmet need for connection — and the story you've been telling yourself about who you are. Sathiya built the Deep Clean Method after his own decade of failed attempts, and has since helped thousands of men break free for good. This is that conversation — raw, direct, and zero therapy-speak.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why porn addiction is processed 20% faster in the brain than cocaine — and what that means for every man who's tried to quit and couldn't

• The 3 A's of pornography (Affordable, Accessible, Anonymous) and why today's smartphone is the most powerful delivery mechanism for addiction ever created

• How shame doesn't stop the cycle — it fuels it — and why vulnerability is the counterintuitive key to breaking free

• The Deep Clean Method: Sathiya's four-pillar framework of Self-Awareness, Heart Transformation, Identity, and Community

• Why the belief 'once an addict, always an addict' may be the single biggest obstacle between men and freedom

• The unforgiveness-relapse connection most men never see coming — and the session that dropped Sathiya's urges from an 8 to a 2 overnight

• How the Rat Park experiment proves that the opposite of addiction isn't sobriety — it's connection

FOLLOW SATHIYA SAM:

• Instagram: @sathiyasam

• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@sathiyamesam/videos

• Website: https://www.sathiyasam.com/

• Free copy of his book: https://deepcleancoaching.com/the-last-relapse
  

If our show resonates, here’s where to go next:
SUBSCRIBE to our Newsletter - Thursday Three Things or Text MTM to 33777 for weekly tools and ideas that actually work.
WATCHFREE training content on the FNT YouTube channel
and if you want to bring this work into your organization, check out our workshops and corporate Training Programs.

FOLLOW the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with one man who needs it. https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/

Mental fitness & coaching with Will: https://willnotfear.com
Book Jon to speak with your team: https://jonmacaskill.com

This episode was co-produced by Robert Lopez of www.cratesaudio.com

Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:

12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.

1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-Course

JOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.

1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined.
We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: 

Or mentalkingmindfulness.com

GET MORE FROM MTM:

Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter

1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com

2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.com

BRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:

1.  focusnowtraining.com/contact

Produced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/