Podcasts from F3 Nation

By F3 NationSports Health & Fitness Education Self-Improvement

Podcasts from F3 Nation episodes

October 12 HIM 233 Horshack - Diverse Life Experiences and a Path Towards Leadership
In this episode, Horshack shares his unique journey from a swimmer and Teach for America teacher to a CIA consultant, highlighting lessons on adaptability, career evolution, and personal growth. In this episode, Chris Ritter shares insights on organizational strategy, leadership, and the power of faith, drawing from his extensive experience in government and community service. Discover how to foster divergent viewpoints, craft compelling missions, and lead with purpose.

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1 hr 9 min
October 08 Ep 78 | Loneliness Isn't the Problem: Men Have No Mission. | The Whetstone
Ep 78 | Loneliness Isn't the Problem: Men Have No Mission. | The Whetstone
📌 THE MISSION (SUMMARY)
Every few weeks another headline announces the crisis: men are lonely, isolation is the new smoking, and the cure is to go make friends. Dark Helmet calls it what it is: hacking at the branches while the root stays untouched.
The Plague brings it home. For five years he has led a September run for suicide prevention, and every year he asks whether F3 should raise money for another organization. Every year he lands on the same answer. What men need is a brother who will put an arm around them and say, "Me too."
The reframe is simple and uncomfortable. Loneliness is a byproduct of the fact that men have no mission. A man dedicated to a real mission quickly learns he can't finish it alone, and the community he needs forms around it. Through a food bank lawn that grew from one guy and a mower into a board seat, and through the Mountain (campers on the plateau, kings guarding the peak, and the few who go back down), Dark Helmet shows what real leadership looks like.
Your role will end. Your job was never built to carry your purpose. The climb you survived becomes the curriculum you carry back down to the next man.
✅ HIGHLIGHTS
✅ Why loneliness is a symptom, not the disease
✅ Why men want to be needed more than wanted
✅ The levels of community leadership, from mowing the lawn to training leaders
✅ Why men disappear when the title ends
✅ Manager vs. leader: what your schedule reveals
✅ The Mountain: why the true leader goes back down for another man
💥 Power Quotes
"Loneliness is a byproduct of the fact that men have no mission."
— Dark Helmet
"You're hacking away at the branches of the problem, but you're not striking at the root of the problem."
— Dark Helmet
"A guy doesn't want to be wanted as much as he wants to be needed."
— Dark Helmet
"I think they just need a brother to put an arm around them and say, Me too, or I love you anyway."
— The Plague
"I believe we are an organization of infiltration."
— Dark Helmet
"Walk into every room like God sent you."
— Dark Helmet
"Now go down and get one."
— Dark Helmet
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
02:25 The Run: Why F3 Is the Solution
05:11 The Loneliness Article
07:02 From Skills to "So What"
07:57 The Arc of a New Man
10:59 Wanted vs. Needed
11:53 The Levels of Community Leadership
17:33 An Organization of Infiltration
19:47 "This Time, Don't Die"
21:58 Branches vs. Root
23:52 Building Leaders on Purpose
26:48 Deploying a Veteran as an Asset
27:54 Mission Builds Friendship
29:34 Why Men Fall Off When the Role Ends
30:36 Walk In Like You Were Sent
32:05 Purpose Is Not a Role
34:52 Your Job Can't Be Your Purpose
36:00 The Mountain
38:00 The Plateau
39:31 The Peak and the Ego Kings
42:15 Go Down and Get One
43:31 Holding the Middle
44:30 Your Climb Becomes Your Curriculum
47:38 Manager vs. Leader
48:40 Teaching Through the Close
📚 Mentioned in this Episode
Mudgear
Freed to Lead
Minivan Centurion
Marcus Aurelius
"How to Make and Keep Friends as a Grown-Up, According to Science"
🔗 Connect with The Whetstone
F3 Nation: https://f3nation.com
Twitter/X: @dreddcnc | @Darkhelmetf3 | @F3ThePlague
#TheWhetstone #F3Nation #Leadership #MaleLoneliness #MensMentalHealth #Purpose #Mission #Brotherhood #Mentorship #Fellowship #ServantLeadership #MensMinistry #Legacy #Community

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1 hr 15 min
October 06 Hunt For Wellness Podcast 198: 10% Body Fat or Bust
BONES and Forge discuss some of the strategies they are using in their quest to lower body fat.

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42 min
October 05 HIM 232 Grappler - Developing an Athletic Minded Man
Jim Harshaw Jr., a former college wrestler and high-performance coach, shares insights on resilience, failure, and building high-performing teams. This episode explores how mindset, infrastructure, and faith can transform challenges into growth opportunities.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/success-for-the-athletic-minded-man/id990838400

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1 hr 8 min
October 01 Ep 77 | The Approval Trap: The Doing Is Its Own Reward | The Whetstone
📌 THE MISSION (SUMMARY)
Most men don't think of themselves as approval-seekers. They think of themselves as discerning. They size up the guy who didn't say hello, the colleague who pushed back, the stranger who got in their way. And then they quietly wonder whether anything they do actually matters. The Plague names what's underneath both: "When I boil it down, it stems from this desire to actually get their approval."
Dredd returns to finish the conversation Episode 76 started without him, and he opens with a confession. For six months he assumed a fellow regular at his local bagel shop didn't care for him. One Saturday hello later, the man turned out to be shy and barely knew what F3 was. Judgment, Dredd concludes, is "a series of assumptions based on maybe a fact or two," and it's the opposite of service. You can't serve a man you've already ranked beneath you.
The tool is one question: what if I don't? What if I don't impute the motive or demand the apology? Dredd tests it the morning a custodian pushed him out of a courthouse restroom minutes before a complex motion. You have no dominion over what another man says or does. You only have dominion over your response.
Then the trap turns inward. The Plague asks how he can know his service is making an impact, and Dredd answers with a question: "Tell me why you want to measure it." Six hours preparing a witness nobody will ever know he prepared. The airport bartender you'll never see again. Seek to be admirable, not merely admired. Stop waiting for the rating. The doing is its own reward.
✅ HIGHLIGHTS
✅ The approval trap underneath judgment and scorekeeping
✅ "The doing of it is its own reward"
✅ The regular he misjudged for six months
✅ Why you can't judge a man and serve him at the same time
✅ "Tell me why you want to measure it."
✅ Admired vs. admirable: the airport bartender test
💥 Power Quotes
"I'm going to do it because the doing of it is its own reward. I'm not seeking accolades. I'm not seeking a promotion. I'm not seeking a merit badge." — Dredd
"When I boil it down, it kind of for me at least stems from this desire to actually get their approval." — The Plague
"That's kind of what judgment is. It's like a series of assumptions based on maybe a fact or two that lead you to a conclusion." — Dredd
"Where does every other man fit in, compared to me? That's the heart of judgment. But instead, how do I serve these other guys?" — Dredd
"I have no dominion over or control over what you say, what you do. I only have dominion over my response." — Dredd
"Tell me why you want to measure it." — Dredd
"We all seek admiration. But what we really should focus on equally is to be admirable." — Dredd
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open & Overcome by Events 02:16 The Man at the Bagel Shop 07:10 A Series of Assumptions 08:33 You Can't Judge and Serve 11:08 Nobody Asked Him 12:38 The Shield & Forgetting Yourself 16:02 Push-Ups in Public 17:09 The Approval Trap 18:23 What If I Don't? 19:55 The Courthouse Restroom 24:12 Judgment Is Self-Defeating 26:53 Can We Reverse It? 33:02 Tell Me Why You Want to Measure It 35:37 Admired vs. Admirable 37:34 Did You Plant the Flag? 39:36 The Doing Is Its Own Reward 45:19 More Fathering 47:44 Ground Your Ruck
📚 Mentioned in this Episode
The Whetstone, Episode 76 Mudgear GoRuck Adam Smith Turning the other cheek
🔗 Connect with The Whetstone
F3 Nation: https://f3nation.com Twitter/X: @dreddcnc | @Darkhelmetf3 | @F3ThePlague
#TheWhetstone #F3Nation #Leadership #MensLeadership #Approval #Judgment #Service #Humility #Integrity #Character #Purpose #Fatherhood #Mentorship #Faith #LeadershipDevelopment

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55 min
September 29 Hunt For Wellness Podcast 197: Shieldlocking the Queen with Shredder and Flea
BONES and Forge are joined by Shredder and Flea who are leading the charge for the men in Great Brittan who want accountability for their Queen. Learn what they are doing to improve their health and the PAX in their regions.

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1 hr 11 min
September 28 HIM 231 - Three Brothers and the Brotherhood of F3
In this episode, three brothers from California share their journey into F3, their experiences at the Kentucky Convergence, and insights on leadership, fitness, and community building. Discover how they got involved, their favorite workouts, and messages for men everywhere.

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59 min
September 27 In Cadence S01E31 - BammBamm & Screw (F3 UK - The Foxhole)
This episode follows the story of a young F3 AO in the UK as BammBamm and Screw talk about how Lightwater's location, or "The Foxhole", got planted, why it matters, and what it is doing for the men who show up. Along the way, the conversation touches on F3 Nation’s mission and how the credo of free, peer-led outdoor workouts, fellowship, and leadership is showing up in real life. At the heart of the episode is a clear overlap with F3’s core principles of plant, grow, and serve. The physical workouts are the hook, but the deeper value is the fellowship, accountability, and chance for men to lead in their community.
Timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to In Cadence
02:17 - Cheese or chocolate warm-up and getting to know the guests
10:18 - BammBamm’s path into F3 through Piano Man and the landing
12:25 - Screw’s origin story and how Facebook helped open the door
14:28 - First beatdowns, being late, and the surprise of the gloom
20:09 - Why Lightwater was the right place to plant an AO
23:42 - Scouting the site and the improvements at Lightwater Country Park
26:20 - Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday sessions at the Foxhole
28:11 - The Thursday run group and Couch to 5K momentum
32:09 - Who is showing up and why local men are joining
44:31 - Serving at the Lightwater fate and building community ties
48:52 - Planning the first 30:30 session for the Foxhole
50:24 - Why mental health and the third F are a big driver
56:24 - Why showing up matters, even when only two men are there
62:48 - Million pound questions: potatoes and favorite chocolate bars
68:40 - What it means to be free to lead
72:03 - T-claps, welcome homes, and Iron Pax updates
83:41 - Final thoughts from BammBamm and Screw
85:58 - Flea’s outro and the cake run challenge

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1 hr 13 min
September 24 Ep 76 | The Man in the Arena Doesn't Judge From the Stands | The Whetstone
📌 THE MISSION (SUMMARY)
The Plague opens with a confession: judging other men — a colleague who disagreed with him, a friend who left F3 for a different men's program, a version of himself that isn't Dredd — might be the exact thing standing between him and his own mission. It isn't a hypothetical. He's been testing it on himself for a week.
Dark Helmet takes it apart from every angle. Years spent trying to become Dredd — same mission, same skills — were years spent setting himself up to lose; a man can't become someone else. A joke about AI making PowerPoint obsolete gets stopped cold: the praise was never for the tool, it was for the gift underneath it — taking big, strange concepts and boiling them down into something people can act on.
Then the framework, live on-mic, built out of a workout that went sideways: a site Q publicly overrides another Q mid-run, and the question underneath the awkwardness is the whole episode in miniature — is a leader trying to lead men to advantage and the mission, or to his own way? Management, Dark Helmet argues, isn't the absence of leadership. It's leadership pointed at control instead of the mission.
It closes on Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena," read in full — a shirt Dark Helmet didn't plan to wear on the one day it would matter, read to his daughter that morning, then to the show. The critic never sets foot in the dust. The man who strives is the only one whose place is earned. Stop judging from the stands. Get in the arena.
✅ HIGHLIGHTS
✅ The full "Man in the Arena" reading, live on air
✅ Judgment as the thing quietly blocking your own mission
✅ Why trying to become Dredd was setting himself up to lose
✅ The Episode 75 callback: PowerPoint isn't the skill, the gift underneath it is
✅ Leadership vs. management: advantage and mission, or just your way ✅ Let it be a dumpster fire — when to intervene, when to let men fail
💥 Power Quotes
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly."
"Comparing yourself against somebody else really means you're not focused on your mission. At best, it's a distraction."
"You're effectively setting yourself up to lose. You can't actually become that other person."
"Are you getting praised because you're good at PowerPoint? Or because you're really good at taking big, strange concepts and boiling them down into something people can act on?"
"Am I trying to lead men to advantage and accomplish the mission? Or am I trying to lead men to my way?"
"As soon as I start pointing and going, you did it wrong — I think you're moving from leadership to management."
"The highest form of influence is to be a model, not a critic. A light, and not a judge."
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold Open: The Sock Market & Nantan Update
05:46 Does Judgment Block Your Mission?
07:23 Comparison Is the Thief of Joy
09:49 Trying to Become Dredd
12:32 The Emotional Lamborghini
14:43 The Chameleon & the Parade
20:53 Model, Not Critic
23:48 You Can't Compete With F3
28:50 Back to Unrationed
31:21 Who Gets the Credit
32:51 The PowerPoint Problem
35:22 If You Lost the Gift Tomorrow
38:45 Universal Purpose, Then Covey
40:12 The Workout That Went Sideways
42:58 Leadership vs. Management
44:55 Let It Be a Dumpster Fire
48:38 Fail Public, Correct Private
52:55 He Remembered for Four Years
55:51 The Emotional Bank Account
58:54 Talk to Your Whetstone
1:01:46 The Man in the Arena
📚 Mentioned in this Episode
Mudgear F3 Nation Core Principles & Mission Stephen Covey (stewardship) Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic" Art of Manliness Unrationed
🔗 Connect with The Whetstone
F3 Nation: https://f3nation.com Twitter/X: @dreddcnc | @Darkhelmetf3 | @F3ThePlague
#TheWhetstone #F3Nation #Leadership #MensLeadership #ManInTheArena #Judgment #Comparison #Stewardship #Mentorship #Fatherhood #QSource #AccelerateYourLife #LeadershipDevelopment

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1 hr 4 min
September 22 Hunt for Wellness Podcast #196: Changing Things Up
BONES and Forge discuss some of the changes they are making to their wellness strategies including Saunas, Intermittent fasting, Carbohydrates, and lifting.

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47 min