The Ben Price Experience

80% of all suicides are male. Boys are falling behind girls at every academic level. 90% of girls in British schools report sexual harassment. These are not separate problems.

Ben Price — former British Army Intelligence Corps soldier, father of two sons, men's coach and initiator — makes the case that every crisis of young men in Britain today traces back to the same missing thing: initiation.

In this episode, Ben explains what initiation actually is and why every culture in human history has understood its necessity — until ours. He walks through the three-stage structure that has moved boys into manhood across every functioning civilisation: separation, ordeal and teaching, and the return with recognition. He explains what boys get from it that they cannot get from a phone, a school trip, or the manosphere. And he lays out, in precise terms, what a school can do about it within one academic year.

This is not theory. This is a former soldier who once interviewed a suicide bomber in Helmand Province, spent years working with men at the identity level, and woke up as a father of two boys with something urgent to offer.

Boys are not broken. They are unbuilt. This is about building them.

Most men were never shown the way. No rite of passage. No elder. No moment where someone looked them in the eye and said, you're ready.

Ben Price is a men's coach, former British Army Intelligence Corps officer, and founder of The Kingmaker Initiation Programme. He works with entrepreneurial men who are outwardly successful but know something is missing.

This podcast is that conversation. The one that changes things.

Each episode Ben goes deep with men who have done the work, therapists, coaches, warriors, and everyday heroes, on identity, leadership, fatherhood, masculinity, and what it actually takes to become the man you were built to be.

No performance. No motivational fluff. Just honest conversations for men who are ready to stop running and start becoming.

1. THE CROSSING - Men, Initiation and the Second Half of Life

Most successful men hit their 40s with everything they were told to want. And feel nothing. This conversation with Ori Latter, men's coach, former Israeli soldier and single dad, goes into why achievement without initiation leaves men hollow and what the crossing into the second half of life actually demands.

Key soundbites:

• 00:02 "A lot of men spend their entire lives never daring to know themselves"
• 19:30 "I was picking up male role models to follow. Only to find out this man would ultimately let me down"
• 43:00 "One of the gateway emotions to becoming a king is joy. A real elder can zoom out and just giggle at the whole thing"

2. LEVEL UP - What High Achieving Men Get Wrong About Growth

More revenue. Better systems. Optimised everything. Still something's missing. Ben and Ori break down why the next level for most successful men isn't found in the business, it's found inside themselves. And why that's the hardest climb they'll ever attempt.

Key soundbites:

• 05:30 "I thought I was masculine. Years later I realised I was just trying to prove something"
• 30:00 "In the last six years I've developed more than I could have ever asked for. You'd never learn this in any university course"
• 56:30 "It's very hard to have time for self pity when we are consciously doing something for someone else"

3. THE ELDER WITHIN - Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Man

We have plenty of older men. Almost no elders. Ori and Ben dig into what we lost when we dismantled the structures that used to guide men through life's hardest crossings, and what it's going to take to rebuild them.

Key soundbites:

• 22:20 "We no longer have genuine men who we can collectively agree are worthy of being male role models"
• 44:50 "Mentorship goes both ways. There's a lot we can learn from the people we mentor"
• 58:40 "Long before therapists were around, the village, the elders, everybody took care of each other. We didn't need them"

4. OPEN HEART, STRONG BACK - Leadership, Fatherhood and Becoming

For the man who's strong on the outside and quietly starving on the inside. Ori unpacks what it means to lead with an open heart and a strong back as a father, a coach and a man still very much in the process of becoming.

Key soundbites:

• 38:00 "The open heart is the willingness to be vulnerable. The strong back is the values, where I draw the line and say this is where I end and you begin"
• 41:50 "Every challenge my daughter puts me on is a door opening for me to step into the next level"
• 43:00 "A real elder can zoom out and just giggle at the whole mad thing"

5. THE UNINITIATED - Why Successful Men Are Still Lost

Success without initiation is just a well-decorated cage. Ben and Ori go deep on why so many high-achieving men, entrepreneurs, fathers, leaders, are still fundamentally lost, and what the path up actually looks like.

Key soundbites:

• 02:00 "Men follow someone else's map and at some point wake up and say, what am I doing this for? This is not me"
• 21:00 "We end up with substitute role models. Pop culture figures who we can't actually learn from"
• 53:20 "Men translate major life changes as, it will always be this bad. And when we don't have an emotional vocabulary to process that, things get dark fast"

Anthony Astbury left a near 20 year career in the City after the quiet question hit, is this it.

He built The Whole Man Academy after spotting a gap in the UK for men who want to improve their life without posturing.
We talk about the shift from personal development into mens work, why most men want solutions not labels, and how community changes outcomes fast.
Anthony breaks down what his dinners, focus days, and Adventurer Experience actually look like, plus why he built a low cost membership tier so men can start without overthinking.
We also get into identity after leaving a role, the shame loop men carry, and why you need the right group of men, not just any group.
Next step, take Anthony’s Whole Man Blueprint quiz, then choose your next move.

https://www.wholemanacademy.com/

Have you ever sat in a therapist's office and quietly thought this isn't working for me? Not because you're broken. Not because you're resistant. But because something just doesn't fit.

In this episode, Ben makes the case that that feeling is more legitimate than anyone has ever told you.

Drawing on striking research, the fact that 80% of men who died by suicide were actively in therapy and had been assessed as low or no risk Ben unpacks why the mental health system, despite its evolution, was never really designed with men in mind. From the historical pathologising of women to the silent damage of "man up" culture, he traces how we got here and why simply telling men to open up isn't the answer if we don't have the tools to receive them when they do.

He also explores what actually works challenge-based relationships, somatic work, male community, useful frameworks and why the absence of initiation and male elders in modern society has left so many men without a map for the inner journey.

This one is honest, direct, and long overdue.

If you've tried meditation and never quite got it — this episode is for you.

Ben sits down with Liz Court, a certified Transcendental Meditation teacher since 1970 who learned the technique directly from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself, the man who brought TM to the Western world. Liz shares what it was like to travel to India as a young woman in an era when crossing the Channel was considered adventurous, what it means to work for a real-life yogi, and why TM is fundamentally different from every other meditation technique out there.

They cover what consciousness actually is, the science behind group meditation reducing crime and conflict, and why — unlike so many paths to inner peace — TM asks you to believe absolutely nothing. Just get on the train.

Whether you're a seasoned meditator or someone who's always been curious, this conversation might be the nudge you've been waiting for.

Penny Power OBE joins Ben Price for a warm, honest conversation about what truly sustains business owners: community, contribution, and the feeling of being seen.

Penny shares her journey from a “reluctant businesswoman” to building a global entrepreneur community (E-cademy) before LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter existed — and what happened when it all collapsed. They talk about identity, ego, scarcity, and the real work of rebuilding after losing everything.

The conversation moves through parenting under pressure, why attention is love, and how hard seasons can create resilience and deeper gratitude. Penny also explores significance as a human need — how contribution and vulnerability build real connection — and why simply noticing people can change their day.

Finally, they touch on masculinity and modern culture: the shifting roles, the confusion many men feel, and why men need more support as society changes.

00:00 Welcome + “Who are you and why are you here?”
01:22 Serving business owners through community (BIP100)
03:44 Why BIP stands out: culture, calibre, care
05:28 Early life + becoming a “servant leader”
10:15 Motherhood, loneliness, and creating connection
11:45 The gift of scarcity and valuing the small things
13:58 Finding meaning in adversity
16:00 Detaching from material stress
18:12 Ego, identity, and being known vs being free
23:50 Home computing → the birth of E-cademy
27:42 Global growth and in-person community
28:41 Social media shift: conversation → broadcast
30:14 Collapse, debt pressure, “minus millionaires”
31:54 Rebuilding and endurance
32:40 Paying off £750k, then cancer
33:36 Parenting priorities: attention = love
38:20 “Parent first” as a non-negotiable
42:08 Significance, contribution, and vulnerability
47:25 Noticing people: dignity costs nothing
50:30 Masculinity, roles, and supporting men
56:12 Where to find Penny + BIP100
57:11 Closing reflections

A special edition of The Ben Price Experience: I’m reading my book Conversations with a Suicide Bomber a first-hand account from Afghanistan that became the mirror I didn’t know I needed.

This isn’t a war story. It’s a story about the war inside your own mind: friendly fire, the hostages you’re holding in your nervous system, and the moment you realise you’ve been living on a borrowed mission. If you’ve built success but lost peace, this is for you.

The book isn’t available yet. Join the waiting list via the link on this page to be first in line for release + updates. If you’re ready for initiation and want to work together, book a 15-minute call via the links.

https://go.coachbenprice.com/book_wait_list_cwasb

A rare, unfiltered conversation between two men standing on opposite ends of the arc of life.

In this episode, Ben Price sits down with Mac Macartney, founder of Embercombe and one of Britain’s true elders, to explore initiation, elderhood, power, integrity, and what it really means to live a life in service.

They speak about rites of passage, the loss of elders in modern culture, the danger of power on the spiritual path, deep connection to land, and why the greatest crisis of our time is not climate, politics, or economics, but the passivity of good people.

This is not a motivational talk.
It’s not comfort.
It’s a call to responsibility, courage, and clean leadership.

If you’re a man asking deeper questions about legacy, purpose, initiation, or how to live with integrity in a fractured world, this conversation will meet you where you are and challenge you to stand taller.

Ben sits down with dating and relationship coach, author, and podcast host Monica Wadwa, creator of Queen Treatment, to talk about what’s really happening in modern dating and why most people are stuck at the surface.

They unpack Monica’s Queen vs Princess framework (and the male mirror: King vs Prince), why “being chosen” keeps women dating from insecurity, and why men are more confused than ever about approaching women post-MeToo. They also go into masculine leadership in dating, the difference between assertiveness and control, and why “nice guy” energy gets rejected.

A big chunk of the conversation hits porn, dopamine, and “leaking sexual energy”, plus the controversial but practical truth: women want safety and devotion, and men need brotherhood so they can process emotion without dumping it all on their partner.

This is a grounded, polarity-based conversation about identity, standards, and responsibility in relationships.

00:01 Intro: who Monica is and why she’s here
00:53 “Queen Treatment”: Queen vs Princess, King vs Prince framework
04:25 Monica’s origin story: pattern repetition, responsibility, turning pain into purpose
07:42 Why her angle is deeper than “dating tips”: wounds, barriers to love, healing
09:11 Ben: most pressure is on men in dating. Monica: women must stay empowered too
11:26 Post-MeToo approaching: fear, stakes, respectful pursuit, and reality
14:46 “Good men aren’t bothering”: porn, apps, games, easy dopamine
16:47 Porn: what Monica believes are the real negative effects
20:21 The pursuit: why courtship motivates men and bonds relationships
21:17 “Too much too soon?” King energy vs needy prince energy
23:30 Assertiveness in dating: “I’ve got the restaurant”
24:12 What women truly want: safety and devotion (emotional, physical, sexual, financial)
28:14 Mixed messages: men resisting provider/protector, women resisting feminine
30:13 No initiation: why modern men don’t know what “being the man” looks like
34:30 Women out-earning men: “provider mindset” vs being the breadwinner
36:16 Vulnerability: should men process emotions with women or elsewhere too?
39:01 What women can do: holding space, patience, not punishing emotion
41:37 Monica’s mission: restoring healthy relationships and countering modern chaos
44:03 Cultural confusion: toilets, gender roles, and the cost of denying differences
45:48 Biggest challenge: media indoctrination and shallow relationship models
48:19 Where to find Monica + book plug + possible UK collab and camps