The Collective

Men are often told to “be strong.”But what happens when strength becomes an identity a man feels compelled to protect?The Strong Man Trap begins when proving our strength becomes more important than using it well.Strength can mean physical power, endurance, composure, independence, authority, influence, or control. Each can help us protect, provide, lead, and carry responsibility. Each can also become a way to conceal distress, resist correction, control others, or refuse necessary help.Joining Chance and Shaun are three men whose lives have required strength to take very different forms.Brian Churchill is an LAPD Captain and Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve whose career has moved from patrol, gang enforcement, and counterterrorism into leadership development, institutional accountability, governance, and international policy.Dean Goble is a retired Green Beret who spent 20 years in Army Special Forces and now serves the veteran and first-responder community as Director of Philanthropy at Black Rifle Coffee Company.Together, they examine what separates composure from concealment, when endurance outlasts its purpose, and how self-reliance can prevent a man from accepting the help or correction he needs.They also explore how strength should operate when it comes with authority, expertise, or status—and what happens to a man’s identity when age, injury, transition, or circumstance changes what he can carry.Perhaps strength becomes a matter of character when a man asks not only what he can do, but what his capacities make him responsible for.The question is not simply whether you are strong.What does your strength serve?

Where does real change actually begin?Is it created by institutions, policies, and leadership from above? Or does it begin with ordinary people who are close enough to a problem that they decide they can no longer wait for someone else to solve it?In this episode of The Collective, Chance Burles and Shaun Taylor are joined by Mark Grdovic, Jay Cheney, and James Geering for a conversation about grassroots leadership, responsibility, and why meaningful change is almost always built from the ground up.Together, they explore why lived experience often produces the best solutions, how communities create momentum long before organizations recognize it, and what it means to stop waiting for permission and start taking ownership.Whether you're leading a team, serving your community, or simply trying to leave things better than you found them, this conversation is a reminder that lasting change rarely starts with authority—it starts with someone willing to take responsibility.Join the conversation live and let us know:Where do you believe real change begins?#TheCollectivePodcast #Leadership #Community #Veterans #FirstResponders #PersonalGrowth #Responsibility

The best coaches never stop being students.Experience is valuable. Expertise is earned. But neither guarantees continued growth.Andrew Siepka joins us for a conversation about the hidden danger of becoming too certain. Whether it's training, leadership, business, or life, the moment we believe we've figured everything out may be the moment we stop improving.We'll explore why great performers remain curious, how identity can become attached to our knowledge, and what it really means to stay coachable throughout life.Because the goal isn't to know everything.It's to never stop learning.Join us live and be part of the conversation.Live. Lead. Relate Better.

Awareness matters.But awareness alone doesn't change anything.This week on The Collective, Chance and Shaun are joined by Zak, founder of MenTell, and Sachin Latti, CBSA veteran, mental health advocate, and ultra-endurance athlete, for an honest conversation about Men's Mental Health Month, community leadership, and what meaningful change actually looks like.Together, they examine the difference between raising awareness and creating action, why constructive criticism is essential for progress, and how collaboration often accomplishes more than competition.If we're serious about improving men's mental health, the conversation can't end with recognition.It has to lead somewhere.In this episode:Is awareness enough?Action vs. intentionBuilding stronger men's communitiesCollaboration over competitionConstructive criticism and leadershipTurning conversations into measurable changeReal change isn't measured by how many people care.It's measured by what people do because they cared.Listen now and join the conversation.

Growth is celebrated.Maintenance is often ignored.We're taught to push harder, move faster, and keep climbing. But what happens when the next step forward isn't another advance?What happens when the right move is to consolidate, recover, refine, and protect what you've already built?This week, Chance and Shaun sit down with Greg Lapin and Sam Laird for a conversation about ambition, sustainability, and the discipline required to recognize the difference.Whether you're building a career, raising a family, pursuing mastery, or simply trying to make your next move count, this conversation challenges the assumption that progress always means moving forward.Sometimes the strongest move is holding the ground you've already earned.Because winning today means very little if it costs you tomorrow.#TheCollective #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #Performance #Mindset #SelfDevelopment #Growth #Discipline #Longevity

Nearly 600 episodes ago, The Collective started with a simple idea:Bring together interesting people, have meaningful conversations, and see what we could learn.Since then, we've had the privilege of speaking with operators, athletes, coaches, psychologists, authors, entrepreneurs, and countless others who have challenged the way we think about life, performance, and growth.Today's episode is a chance to reflect.Shaun and I discuss the state of The Collective, the community we're building, the future of the podcast, merchandise, and what's next.Most importantly, we're asking for your feedback.What conversations have impacted you most?What would you like to see more of?How can we make this community more valuable?The Collective has always been a shared project. This conversation is about making sure we're headed in the right direction.We're listening.

Psychedelics are often seen as a gateway to insight, healing, and transformation—but the reality is more complicated.In this episode, we break down what these experiences actually offer, where people get misled, and why the real work begins after the experience ends.We explore:The difference between genuine insight and convincing illusionWhy powerful experiences don’t always lead to real changeThe trap of chasing deeper and more intense “breakthroughs”What it means to actually integrate what you’ve seenThis isn’t about promoting or condemning psychedelics. It’s about looking at them clearly—and understanding the responsibility that comes with them.

Travel is more than movement. It’s exposure to uncertainty, culture, risk, discomfort, growth, and perspective.In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Christian Lane, former CBSA officer turned advocate and podcaster, and Boris Milinkovich, former Canadian military and security, safety, and preparedness expert, to discuss what it truly means to move through the world.From borders and human behavior to situational awareness, preparedness, adaptability, and the psychology of travel, this conversation explores how movement changes us — and what experienced operators notice that most people miss.Topics include:Situational awareness while traveling Reading environments and human behavior Preparedness and contingency planning Borders, security, and risk assessment Why discomfort creates growth Travel as a tool for perspective and self-development The balance between awareness and fear What movement teaches us about ourselves The Collective is a weekly podcast centered around becoming better every day through conversation, curiosity, and shared experience.#podcast #travel #preparedness #situationalawareness #mindset #personaldevelopment #security #selfimprovement

Most of what we think we know comes from controlled environments—practice, planning, conversation. But there’s a difference between understanding something and stepping into it.Field time closes that gap.This week, Dallas Alexander and Seb Lavoie join us to talk about the lessons that only come from being out there—where things get tested, mistakes carry weight, and you start to see what actually holds up when conditions aren’t ideal.Different paths, same reality: learning through doing. Adjusting in real time. Building something that works when it matters.We get into what the field reveals, how to create those conditions in your own life, and how to know if what you’re building will hold up when things don’t go to plan.

Every decision we make begins with a line.Sometimes it’s tentative, sketched lightly in pencil.Other times it’s decisive, carved with a sword.On this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Randy Turner and Seb Lavoie to explore the act of drawing the line — when to be flexible, when to commit, and how those choices shape our path forward.We dive into:Recognizing when a line should be tentative and adjustableHow decisiveness creates momentum in lifeThe tension between staying open and standing firmThe psychological and practical impact of the lines we drawLife is full of choices. Every line you draw, and every decision you make, shapes the life you build.Which side of the line are you on — pencil or sword?