Start The World

Now is the time for men to build local networks. Recently, I reached out to Killian, a powerlifter in my small town, to grab lunch and talk about doing a podcast. It turned out to be a great and inspiring conversation. Killian grew up around drugs, and spent years struggling with addiction. Eventually, as he puts it, he just "got tired of being tired," kicked meth and traveled India with his father. After his first child was born, he started getting serious about powerlifting, and eventually began competing. I found his story really compelling, and am glad I took the time to meet him. He's an example of a man who came from a rough background and turned his life around. There are decent men chasing excellence, with interesting stories, wherever you are. Find them.

Richard Grannon has been on the show before, but I invited him back to talk about growing older without a wife or children as a single man. Some men are on a family track, and that’s great, but there is inevitably going to be an increasingly large percentage of men who — for whatever reason, aren’t going to end up getting married or having children. Having kids creates some structure and responsibility in youth and (theoretically) a sense of meaning and a support system as a man ages. Without that piece of the puzzle, what does finding meaning and fulfillment in life look like as we get older. How do we avoid the common pitfalls that lead to self-destruction?

We talked about it a bit, but soon veered off into discussing current events and various conspiracy theories.

Richard Grannon is a Master NLP Practitioner and life coach. You can find out more about his work on YouTube  @RICHARD GRANNON  and at https://spartanlifecoach.com.

Michael Kurcina is "the dude" behind Spotterup.com, a comprehensive gear review and training site with a philosophical angle. He recently released a book of aphorisms and short essays about being a man and a warrior, titled "We Fight Monsters," so I invited him on the show to talk more about it. I found myself agreeing with many of the things he wrote in We Fight Monsters, and the title perfectly and simply encapsulates the eternal role of the mythic hero.

You can buy the book on Amazon here https://amzn.to/2B8w8Oc

and find out more about Spotterup at https://spotterup.com.

Kurcina's Instagram is https://www.instagram.com/spotterupdude/

People who demand the absolute "end" of things that have been around for all of recorded human history are not serious adults, and shouldn't be taken seriously.

A short essay on the riots.

The next few episodes of Start The World will be audio essays, commenting on the events of the last few months.

Paul Carter is a pro trainer who writes regularly for T-Nation, and he's always giving great advice on his Instagram @liftrunbang. Paul has coached me on diet in the past, and I think he's one of the most legit, no-nonsense authorities on lifting and body composition out there. We opened with some talk on recent changes in the fitness industry and some questions on training (specifically band training). Then we expanded to talk about life, relationships, living in your truth, and more. We always have a fun conversation, and this one went on for almost 2 hours.

He just released a new book on carb cycling, and I'm probably going to try it out because the dude knows what he is talking about. Buy the book here:

XLR8 - Carb Cycling for Fat Loss

http://www.lift-run-bang.com/p/super-soldier-protocol.html

For the podcast this week, I did a live Q & A on YouTube, so I'm re-releasing two of my most popular essays on training so they are easier for you to access.

Check out my YouTube channel for the video Q & As.

https://youtu.be/b98YJevNf_A

For the podcast this week, I did a live Q & A on YouTube, so I'm re-releasing two of my most popular essays on training so they are easier for you to access.

Check out my YouTube channel for the video Q & As.

https://youtu.be/b98YJevNf_A

Nick is a professional writer, meditation teacher and practitioner with decades of experience and a familiarity with many styles of meditation. We talked about some of his opinions on the practice of meditations and how it can change you. Nick sometimes refers to the practice of mediation as "building an arena" for confrontations with yourself. He led me through a short breath meditation that anyone can do (36:00). We also discussed my meditation practice and the idea of adding a mythic frame to meditation. At (49:00) we explored the concept of the void. Toward the end of the podcast (53:00), Nick asked me to elaborate on some of the ideas I am developing for my next book.

You can sign up for Nick's mailing list at nickmattos.com

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting this podcast and other projects on Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/starttheworld