This week on the pod, what are men so afraid of? Turns out for some guys, it's women and personal growth. Yes, despite a not insignificant percentage of men feeling like they could take on a bear or an elephant bare handed (see past episodes), they hesitate when confronted with a woman or...gasp...a therapist. The guys discuss what the heck is going on with that?

Also up: complimenting dudes guns (or behavior), the European leg cross, old men's toenails *shudder*, giving back to the world, becoming beautiful old ladies, and as always, joys.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)

The Weekly Show - Media For Truth, Not Profit w/ Democracy Now!'s Amy ...

The Guardian - 'Men and women hate each other' | The Global Dating Crisis ...

YouTube - BIG GUY shocks Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler

This week the guys fight the Green Eyed Monster. Skip and Carlos talk about their youthful struggles with jealousy and reveal where they are now. Spoiler alert: out of control jealousy is all about insecurity. Fix your relationship, don't lock up your partner.

Also, Outside the Manosphere looks into the surprisingly pervasive practice of financial abuse and the corollary danger of Trad-wifing. Plus, the bird test, Carlos wants incumbents out, green flags, and joys.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)

The Guardian - The bird test: does your relationship pass with flying colours?

What is Financial Abuse? - The Hotline

This week: male posturing for man-on-man validation, a return to the Invisible Knapsack, the American Dream of fighting a mountain lion, and green flags.

The guys dig deep on the need for male validation for men and insecurity that compels us to act like children, showing off, withholding affection, and pushing boundaries to look cool. You know, the stuff you did in front of friends when you were 12.

Plus, Carlos wants to wrestle Skip, Trump gets psychedelic, green flags, and Outside the Manosphere's joys for the week.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)

Rolling Stone - How Ibogaine Became the Darling of the Psychedelic Right

Nature - Record number of researchers run for office in US mid-terms

Science AAAS - Trump fires every member of the U.S. National ...

PBS - Trump signs order to hasten review of psychedelics

Newsweek - A Surprising Number of Americans Think They Could Beat ...

YouGov - Rumble in the jungle: what animals would win in a fight?

UW Homepage - White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Variety - The Onion Says It Has Deal to Take Over Alex Jones' ...

This week: Fascist Faceplants, Male Competitiveness, The Myth of the Alpha Male, and What Women Do and Don't Want according to science.

The guys get deep into male competitiveness and their own toxic histories with dominating games, debates, and even conversations. What's the deal with interrupting women? And is the biggest flex at all not feeling the need to flex?

Plus, do women want a dominant guy, a submissive guy, or door number three? Find out this and get your weekly dose of joy on Outside the Manosphere.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)

Huffpost - JD Vance's Abysmal Crowd Size At Speaking Event Goes Viral

BBC - Carney says Canadians trust his plan after he wins majority

PBS - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ousted after 'painful' ...

Greater Good Science Center - The Myth of the Alpha Male - Greater Good Science Center

BBC - What politicians can learn from chimps

Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes

Wikipedia - Goodhart's law

The Guardian - Artemis II swings back around after completing record- ...

Yahoo - Get yourself a 'Luddite boyfriend,' the biggest green flag in ...

Outside the Manosphere welcomes Michael J. Wilson, Research Fellow at The Movember Institute of Men's Health, a specialist in Men's health and relationships.

Michael schools the guys in how men cope with break ups; how they don't, and simple advice for what to do when you see a man in trouble.: Look big . . . no wait, that's for bears.

Michael gives simple easy advice to help people out when they are in crisis or suicidal. Plus, he gives men the okay to pop open a tub of Ben & Jerry's and cuddle up on the couch after a break up. And as always, we share our joys for the week.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)

The Movember Institute of Men's Health - ⁠The Movember Institute of Men's Health

Michael Wilson's research (via Google scholar page) - Michael Wilson

LinkedIn - Michael Wilson - Movember

Email - [email protected]

This week the guys red flag misogynist jokes, Carlos confronts an uncomfortable truth about his Dirty Dancing crush, and men have "the time of their life" at alpha male training camps.

The guys also talk about big tech's big tobacco moment, loud cars, eating like a dog, Carlos thanks his grandma, and Skip gets some good news live during the podcast.

All that and a healthy dose of joy this week on Outside the Manosphere.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

NYT - Is Big Tech Facing a Big Tobacco Moment?

Yashar Ali - Why Women Aren't Crazy. Has gaslighting conditioned ...

Fresh Air (NPR) - Inside the training camps for “alpha males” : Fresh Air

NBC News - Alpha male boot camp aims to help men with self-esteem issues

Puzzle Weekend - CS50x Puzzle Day 2026

CNN - Not just the base: Democrats in recent elections are ...

"Boys don't cry."

"Man up. "

We've all heard it, emotional shaming, and it's a red flag. Season 2 begins with a look at men exhibiting emotions. The guys recount their experiences shutting down and being shut down while displaying emotions. They also search for the balance between being emotionally available and being...too much.

The guys also discuss their takeaways from the new Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere. Spoiler Alert, it's not great in there.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)⁠⁠⁠⁠

Prague Protest - Hundreds of thousands fill Prague's Letná Plain to protest ...

Inside the Manosphere (documentary) - Watch Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

Apple Man Song - ⁠lyrics by my 3-year-old daughter

While the boys prep for Outside the Manosphere's second season, enjoy a favorite episode in case you missed it.

In this thought-provoking episode, Skip and Carlos take you on a journey through their personal stories and cultural insights. They share travel stories from hitchhiking across the U.S. to exploring Prague, while also diving into deeper discussions on identity and privilege.

A significant chunk of their discussion is dedicated to Peggy McIntosh's seminal article on white privilege, "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," as they explore its relevance and implications in today's world.

With a blend of humor and introspection, they encourage listeners to reflect on their own experiences and the societal structures that influence them.

As the boys prep for Outside the Manosphere's second season, here's a favorite episode in case you missed it.

In this episode, Skip and Carlos dive into "menodivorce," a term describing the rising divorce rates among those over 50, potentially linked to menopause. The boys explore how hormonal changes during menopause can lead women to reassess their life choices and relationships, often resulting in significant personal and marital transformations. They emphasize the importance of communication and mutual understanding in navigating these changes.

They also discuss Skip's new venture into vegetarianism, and with horror and laughter, they reminisce about Skip’s experience as a high-rise window washer, and Carlos’ challenging time working in a call center.

Items Referenced:

36 Questions That Lead to Love: ⁠https://36questionsinlove.com⁠

Expert issues warning to couples as 'menodivorce' becomes increasingly common in relationships: ⁠https://www.unilad.com/news/sex-and-relationships/warning-menodivorce-common-trend-846252-20250828⁠

Welcome to the 'menodivorce'. Why women aren't sweating marriage in a sea of hot flashes: ⁠https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/08/14/divorce-women-perimenopause-menopause/85622804007/

Season One - a season of love, exploring masculinity, and self-discovery - ends with three (or four) little words. I love you . . . man. The guys of OTM graduate from the 36-questions-to-fall-in-love gauntlet and become full-fledged professors of love, or at least better friends.

The guys also talk about Alpine divorces; Skip takes jealous pot-shots at Carlos' AI romance, and they both reflect on nearly a year of conversations about masculinity.

Finally, OTM wraps it all up with a pretty bow for the final joy of season one.

Items Referenced:

Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Outside the Manosphere (@outsidethemanosphere)⁠⁠⁠⁠

Falling in Love - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠36 Questions - How to fall in love with anyone⁠⁠

New Scientist - AIs can't stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game ...

The Daily (NYT) - Anthropic vs. the Pentagon: Inside the Battle Over A.I. ...

Yahoo News - What is 'alpine divorce'? The viral TikTok term is bringing ...

Robert Barr - An Alpine Divorce Robert Barr

The Interview (NYT) - 'The Interview': Rebecca Solnit Says the Left's Next Hero Is ...

Thich Nhat Hanh - The Next Buddha May Be a Sangha