A man can walk into a men’s group and think he has joined.

But according to longtime ARKA captain Brady Kirk, that is only the first joining.

The second joining happens later, when something hidden gets seen. When a man is exposed in front of other men. When the old instinct to defend, leave, attack, or disappear rises up. That is the moment the real work begins.

In this episode of Arka Talks, Ben Goresky sits down with Brady Kirk, one of ARKA’s longtime leaders and original members, for a conversation about brotherhood, trust, leadership, archetypes, faith, fatherhood, and the deeper work of becoming more fully yourself.

Brady shares what first brought him into men’s work, how the early Samurai Brotherhood circles shaped him, and why real brotherhood is not just friendship. It is a place where men tell the truth, give clean feedback, challenge each other, and learn to stay when their armor starts to crack.

The conversation moves through the lone wolf pattern, asking for help, receiving feedback from other men, the King/Warrior/Magician/Lover archetypes, Christian faith, leadership without control, parenting, and the long process of taking off the armor a man once needed to survive.

This is a conversation for men who want more than surface-level connection. It is for men who are ready to be seen, challenged, and called forward by other men walking the same path.

If this speaks to you, listen to the full episode and share it with a man who is ready for the second joining.

Real men. Real stories. The path of the conscious warrior.

Join an ARKA group:

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Connect with Brady Kirk / Brotherhood Foundry:

There are wounds a man can carry for decades without knowing how deeply they are shaping his life.

In this episode of Arka Talks, Ben Goresky sits down with longtime ARKA leader Joel Crneck for an honest conversation about childhood, father wounds, suicidal ideation, brotherhood, forgiveness, leadership, and becoming a father.

Joel speaks openly about growing up with intense energy, conflict with masculine authority, and the belief that men did not care about him. He shares how that story followed him into adulthood: into burnout, depression, suicidal darkness, and the ways he tested men to see whether they would stay.

Joel takes us into his darkness, but he also takes us into his healing story. A story of how brotherhood can not only save a man’s life, but help him heal the wound that brought him to his absolute edge.

This conversation moves through some heavy territory, but it keeps returning to the same question:

"What does a man do with the wound once he can finally see it?"

This is a conversation for men who have carried their pain alone, men who have wondered whether they belong, and men who have contemplated or attempted suicide. 

If this episode speaks to you, share it with a man who needs to hear it.

Real men. Real stories. The path of the conscious warrior.

Learn more about ARKA Brotherhood:

Follow ARKA Brotherhood on Instagram:

Work with Joel as your transformation coach: Integrityworksconsulting.ca

This episode includes open discussion of suicidal ideation.

If you are in immediate danger or feel like you may harm yourself, call emergency services now.

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United States:

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You do not have to carry it alone. Reach out now.

Geoff MacKenzie is a yoga teacher, men’s work leader, father, and longtime member of the ARKA Brotherhood.

In this episode of Arka Talks, host Matt Cooke sits down with Geoff for a grounded conversation about yoga, freedom, adventure, fatherhood, brotherhood, and the moment a man’s life begins to shift from self-direction into deeper responsibility.

Geoff shares the early experiences that shaped him: discovering yoga on a forest floor in France, chasing snowboarding in Chamonix, surfing in Bali, studying Ashtanga yoga in India, and building a life around discipline, movement, and freedom.

But the deeper arc of this conversation is about what happens when freedom becomes responsibility.

Geoff speaks honestly about becoming a father, working long days, missing time with his daughter, supporting his partner, facing old childhood wounds, and learning how quickly a man can be pulled back into old patterns when life becomes intense.

Matt and Geoff also explore men’s work, the lone wolf path, money and power, relationship triggers, mother wounds, the importance of breath, and why a disciplined man still needs other men to help him see what he cannot see alone.

This is a conversation for men who value freedom, but know that freedom is not the end of the path.

Sometimes freedom is the preparation for responsibility.

Matt and Geoff explore:

Learn more about Geoff MacKenzie - https://firstlightyoga.ca/

The ARKA Brotherhood is a global community of men committed to growth, truth, accountability, and conscious leadership.

Through weekly men’s groups, leadership training, and real brotherhood, ARKA helps men become more honest, grounded, courageous, and trustworthy in their lives.

Learn more - arkabrotherhood.com

Bobby Hakkarainen is a therapeutic counsellor, men’s work leader, father, and longtime member and leader in the ARKA Brotherhood.

In this episode of Arka Talks, host Matt Cooke sits down with Bobby for a raw and grounded conversation about anger, shame, fatherhood, brotherhood, and the long road from self-destruction to self-respect.

Bobby shares his early years working in construction, getting kicked out of school, entering the trades young, and eventually finding himself in the film industry, where he began to see that he was capable of more than the identity he had inherited.

But the deeper turning point came later when - after divorce, substance use, anger, and repeating old patterns - Bobby found men’s work. In the circle, he began to face the parts of himself he had been running from: rage, shame, fear, and resentment.

This conversation goes into the real work of masculine growth. Alchemising our difficult emotions and experiences into valuable lessons and wisdom.

Bobby speaks about anger as fire: Something powerful. Something necessary. Something that can destroy when it is unconscious, but can also become fuel when a man learns to own it.

Matt and Bobby also explore father wounds, forgiveness, shadow work, the King’s Chair process, how men challenge each other without shame, and why brotherhood can help a stay standing - and avoid full collapse - when life stressors hit hard.

This is a conversation for men who know they have fire, who know they have anger, but are ready to stop being ruled by it.

Matt and Bobby explore:

Bobby’s website - bobbyhakkarainen.com/

The ARKA Brotherhood is a global community of men committed to growth, truth, accountability, and conscious leadership.

Through weekly men’s groups, leadership training, and real brotherhood, ARKA helps men become more honest, grounded, courageous, and trustworthy in their lives.

Learn more:

Ben Goresky sits down with longtime friend and brotherhood leader Steve Parr for a conversation about struggle, mentorship, leadership, and what real brotherhood looks like between men.

Steve shares the early years of his life: a childhood marked by boundary-testing, a lack of strong containment, painful lessons around discipline and repair, and a long search for structure, belonging, and masculine guidance. He opens up about depression, anxiety, self-destruction, risky self-initiation in his twenties, and the absence of older men who could help him make sense of his path.

Ben and Steve also explore what made Arka different from other men’s work, why strong male leadership matters, how brotherhood helped shape Steve into a leader, and what it means for men to stay in relationship through power struggles, change, and repair. 

The back half of the episode becomes a living example of male friendship: challenge, love, reciprocity, trust, and the kind of brotherhood most men rarely get to see.

This is a conversation for men looking for mentorship, stronger male relationships, deeper brotherhood, and a clearer path into mature masculinity.

In this episode:

Links from this episode:

In this episode of Arka Talks, Arka Co-Director Matt Cooke sits down with Lee Hettig - longtime brotherhood member, and senior leader/trainer - for a grounded conversation about how men get stuck, and what actually helps them move again.

Lee shares the turning points that shaped his path through men’s work: opening up about alcohol, money, anxiety, isolation, and the lone wolf mentality that keeps many men trapped behind competence, performance, and secrecy. He speaks candidly about mental health, functional freeze, hyper-independence, masculinity, and the role brotherhood has played in helping him tell the truth, stay connected, and take action when life got dark.

Matt and Lee also explore what it means to be a man in today’s world, how men can build earned confidence instead of performative masculinity, and why self-knowledge, shadow work, and reality-checking are essential parts of growth and leadership.

This is a conversation for men who feel stuck, isolated, or split inside themselves - and for anyone who wants a more honest look at men’s work, brotherhood, and the path of real change.

In this episode:

Join an Arka Brotherhood group: https://arkabrotherhood.com/join/

Matt Cooke sits down with longtime Arka leader and relationship teacher Nick Solaczek to talk about the path many men take into brotherhood. For Nick, it started in a difficult period of life: no money, no clear direction, and a sense that something needed to change.

An invitation into a men’s group became a turning point.

The conversation explores what men’s work actually gives men: confidence, groundedness, honest feedback, and the ability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other men without competition or posturing.

Matt and Nick also dig into the deeper challenges men face in relationships - the tendency to withdraw, the “lone wolf” mindset many men carry, and how learning to take responsibility for our inner world changes how we show up with partners, friends, and the world.

This is a conversation about masculinity, brotherhood, and the long road of becoming a man who knows himself.

If you’ve ever wondered what men’s groups are really about, this episode opens the door.

About Nick Solaczek

Trained in evidence-based couples therapy approaches, Nick focuses on helping couples experience real change, not just talk about it. His work centers on building emotional safety, honesty, clarity, and lasting intimacy so couples can stop merely surviving their relationship and start truly thriving together.

Links:

Highly Successful Couples

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Arka Brotherhood

Arka is an international brotherhood dedicated to helping men develop leadership, integrity, and self-mastery through weekly circles and training.

Real men. Real stories. The path of the conscious warrior.

Phil T. Mistlberger is a transpersonal therapist who founded The Arka Brotherhood. He is the author of 7 books, founder and facilitator of Conscious Relationship Trainings, and an avid painter. 

In this episode, Ben Goresky sits down with Phil, covering Phil’s early life, the roots of his transformational path through martial arts and inner work, and the turning points that lead him to begin his journey with men’s work. Phil breaks down men’s competitive and egotistical instincts, and how to combat those with intentional brotherhood and inner work.

They also break down key Arka elements like the 14 Point Code, the “Samurai Stare”, and the meaning of  “I’ve got your back”.

Phil T. Mistlberger is the founder of Arka Brotherhood and a longtime teacher in men’s work, conscious relationship training, and transformational practice. He is the author of multiple books on psychology, spirituality, and human development, and has spent decades studying and teaching across wisdom traditions, inner work modalities, and embodied training.

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Ben Goresky - Arka Brotherhood co-director - shares about the road from addiction and loneliness to co-leading a global brotherhood. It’s a raw conversation about men’s mental health, leadership, and the art of living a life full of chosen responsibilities.

In this episode

Key takeaways

Links from this episode

Follow Ben @Evolvingman on Instagram

Apply to join an Arka Brotherhood group

He walked into men's work not knowing what he was signing up for, and left with a deeper sense of purpose and a mission to serve. In this episode, we explore brotherhood, leadership, and what changes in a man's life when he takes responsibility for those around him. Today’s guest is Matt Cooke, co-director of The Arka Brotherhood.

In this episode

Key takeaways

Real Men. Real Stories. The Path of the Conscious Warrior.