The Akkeri

Physical fitness is valued in Western culture, but it's often the aesthetic benefits - rather than the mental and overall health benefits - that most people seem to be after. While we know the positive impact that a physical fitness discipline can have, we often undervalue its role in reducing stress, creating mental clarity, and generally making us think and feel better. Getting to the gym or just going for a walk often becomes a “should do” instead of a “need to do”. But when we step up to the challenge of building a physical fitness discipline, we can realize that the benefits can be life-changing.

That’s the story for Joel Prior: a former paramedic turned personal trainer and health coach. When Joel moved with his wife and kids from Ontario to Newfoundland, it was his fitness discipline that kept him mentally strong despite the challenges of building a life in a new location.

In this episode of The Akkeri podcast, Joel shares what that experience was like along with examples of his fitness discipline as he trains for a marathon and works with clients to reach their health and fitness goals.

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You’ve screwed something up…do you laugh it off and move on or do you hear a little voice saying “way to go, dummy”.

We all have an inner dialogue, but the degree to which it is helpful or harmful depends on the level of your mental fitness.

In this episode, I talk with Cortez Hancock: a counselling psychotherapist who is focused on helping people understand the importance of a positive internal dialogue; one of many aspects of what he calls “mental fitness”.

We talk about what it’s like for men to discover the benefits of working with someone on their mental fitness and several practical tools you can implement now to improve your own mental state.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAkkeri

Priority Health Counselling

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Every father faces challenges because being a good father is no easy task, but what if one of those challenges is a drug-addicted child? That was the case for Stephen Randell who lost his son to drug addiction at just 26 years of age.

In this episode of The Akkeri Podcast, Steve shares the story of how his son Zack became addicted to drugs and gradually turned into someone that Steve didn’t even recognize. He also shares how the writing of his book - My Son Is An Addict - was a deeply challenging yet healing process, as it forced him to relive the loss and come to terms with his own sadness as well as his fears related to telling the story as a fairly new author and public speaker.

In Steve’s own words, “addiction doesn’t show up one day as a full-blown, out-of-control thing”; it chips away at those it inflicts. So this is a conversation for fathers, sons, and men who can recognize the importance of authenticity in relationships and the courage to be "real", so that we can ask for help before we get to the point of potentially facing addiction ourselves.

Website: https://stephenlrandell.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephennrandell

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenlrandell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-l-randell-a576812b2/

Website: TheAkkeri.com

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAkkeri

What was your relationship with your father like? Maybe it was somewhat strained, like mine, or maybe it was idyllic. The relationships boys have with their fathers have obvious impacts on the men they later become, but it also affects how they form relationships with other men and how they fill the role of father, if given the opportunity.

In this episode of The Akkeri Podcast, I chat with longtime friend, Matthew Denis. Matt and I both lost our fathers to cancer and we discussed what our relationships with them were like, the societal and cultural factors that likely shaped them, and the important role of grace and empathy in relationship.

Matt has always been someone that I can easily have a laugh with, but I can just as easily dive into whatever is going on in my life and find a listening, supportive ear (even though he hasn’t listened to the podcast yet and didn’t know how to spell Akkeri). I hope this conversation is encouraging, inspiring, and maybe even a little entertaining (appreciation for sarcasm required).

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Do you consider yourself courageous?

I think most men would say "yes", but what about when it comes to your emotions?

Dr. Ron Johnson is an author and psychologist focused on helping men understand how they feel, value how they feel, and communicate how they feel.

And that's the reason for his new book 'Balls: Men Finding Courage With Words, Women, Work, and Wine ("wine" is a stand-in for addiction, because why ruin a good bit of alliteration?).

In this episode of The Akkeri Podcast, Ron shares his thoughts on the anxiety common among men, the important role of sadness, and how the courage to be vulnerable with our emotions is crucial to personal growth and success.

His Practice: https://midlandspsychological.com/

His Blog: https://midlandspsychological.com/blog

His Books:

'I Want Tell You How I Feel: How to Know What You Feel, Express How You Feel, And How to Listen to Others'

'What's Your Temperament: Identifying and Enhancing Your Personality Strengths'

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What is The Akkeri and who's the bald guy?

Deep, life-altering questions, I'm sure.

This first, inaugural episode is a story of fatherlessness, the good and bad of religion, adultery, separation, and divorce, failed business ventures, and more. It's the biggest challenges from what has been the hardest decade of my life to date.

It's a 10,000 foot view, for sure, but it'll give you an idea about who I am, what The Akkeri is and why it exists, and why I work with men as a mental health coach.

The TLDR: we need a conversation about men and masculinity that is deeply spiritual, profoundly vulnerable, and, with any luck, personally and culturally transformative.

Lofty goals, I know, but why not?

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