The GLUE-OOM

🎙️ The Glue-OOM | You Can’t Fake Alive: The Real Work Behind Bernie’s Leadership Story

In this episode, we sit down with Bernie (Brett Ehlers), a man whose infamous Cancun wheelchair moment earned him the name “Bernie,” but whose real story is one of discipline, integrity, brotherhood, and quiet leadership.

Bernie shows us exactly why leadership cannot be faked it has to be lived, practiced, suffered for, and built through consistency. From early fears of running, to EH’ing half of Bennington, to launching the Bullpen, to strengthening his marriage and faith, this episode dives into the real work behind becoming a man others follow.

This is the kind of leadership story men across the country need to hear.

🔥 Highlights from This Episode

✅ The Cancun moment that sparked his nickname — but didn’t define him

✅ How Bernie went from “I can’t run” to thriving in F3

✅ The leadership shift that happens when you stop pretending and start practicing

✅ Why men follow Bernie: consistency, humility, and showing up for others

✅ How he helped ignite explosive growth in Bennington

✅ Launching the Bullpen and passing the flag with purpose

✅ Fitness + fellowship + faith: how the 3 Fs reshaped his life

✅ What Bernie learned from injury, discomfort, and stepping into leadership

✅ The impact on his marriage, family, and community involvement

✅ His new career leap and why leadership means betting on yourself

💬 Sound Bites (Shareable Moments)

• “I thought I was fit… until F3 showed me the truth.”
• “You can show up looking ready, but you can’t fake alive.”
• “Most of my breakthroughs came at 5:15 a.m., suffering next to other men.”
• “Launching a site taught me this: leaders don’t hold the flag — they pass it.”
• “F3 didn’t just build my fitness. It rebuilt my faith.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Why Bernie’s leadership story will hit home

03:20 – How Stripes invited him and the first Badger Point beatdown

05:50 – The Cancun wheelchair story (where “Bernie” was born)

08:00 – The fear of running and the moment things clicked

10:40 – Murphs, Smurfs, cardio wins, and breakthrough reps

12:30 – Injury, recovery, and leading while limited

17:00 – Coffee, connection, and the deeper fellowship

19:00 – EH’ing Bennington and watching it explode

22:30 – Relationships strengthened through intentional leadership

24:40 – Passion, community service, and building youth programs

29:00 – Marriage, parenting, and leading inside the home

33:00 – Faith awakening and praying out loud with confidence

36:00 – Launching The Bullpen and shaping its identity

46:50 – Multiplying leaders: why Bennington keeps growing

50:00 – Leadership in F3 and everyday life

56:00 – Rapid fire leadership questions

59:30 – Where Bernie needs prayer and encouragement

Description: In this episode of The Glue-OOM, we sit down with Cadbury — a pastor, runner, and leader who rediscovered his calling in the most unexpected place: the Gloom. Through humor, humility, and honest reflection, Cadbury shares how failure, faith, and fellowship reshaped his understanding of leadership.

From Easter mornings and ego battles to family life and finding rhythm, this is a story of resurrection — the rebirth of purpose, presence, and calling.

✅ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ Why true leadership begins with surrender, not control ✅ How Cadbury transformed failure into faith and calling ✅ What “resurrection leadership” means in real life and work ✅ How ego, humility, and vulnerability shape great leaders ✅ The balance between work, family, and spiritual health ✅ The role of brotherhood and mentorship in male growth ✅ How to lead others by developing, not dominating ✅ What it means to live your calling every day — not just on Sundays

💬 Sound Bites

“Only do what only you can do.” “F3 taught me how to love other men — and how to let myself be loved.” “Leadership is letting go long enough for someone else to rise.” “The resurrection isn’t just a story — it’s a daily practice of becoming who God called you to be.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & setup at The Nomad 03:45 – The move to Omaha and the search for connection 10:50 – The infamous Easter story that led to the name “Cadbury” 16:00 – Turning embarrassment into authenticity 21:00 – Lessons from injury, humility, and growth 24:00 – Building brotherhood and learning to love other men 30:00 – Leadership in ministry: “Only do what only you can do” 35:00 – Ego, boundaries, and learning to let go 42:00 – Family, faith, and balancing callings 49:00 – Bullseye’s baptism and living faith through action 56:00 – Cadbury’s faith journey: rebellion, surrender, and renewal 1:03:00 – Leadership through love and rotating influence 1:09:00 – Worship, work, and the sacredness of presence 1:14:00 – Parenting, ADHD, and prayers for patience 1:18:00 – Name-O-Rama wrap-up and reflections on purpose

Leading After the Crash: Mayday's Journey of Impact & Influence

Mayday’s story begins in the sky, flying an ultralight plane over Iowa farmland. A sudden seat cushion gets sucked into the propeller. The engine fails. The plane drops. He crashes into an alfalfa field and walks away alive.

That moment didn’t just shake his life, it shaped it.

This episode dives into what happens after the crash — how a man rebuilds his identity, strengthens his faith, leads his family, and finds brotherhood that carries him through the hard roads of life.

This is a story for any man who has ever failed, fallen, or faced a moment that forced him to decide who he will be next.

✅ What You’ll Learn

• How to lead your life after failure shakes you
• Why men need hard things to stay mentally strong
• The difference between isolation and brotherhood
• How to identify and go to war with your Jester
• The power of Shield Lock in seasons of stress
• How work, family, and faith form a legacy that lasts

🔥 Memorable Sound Bites

• “You don’t find who you are. You choose who you are.”
• “Leadership is learned in the crash, not the comfort.”
• “If you don’t add logs to the fire, the fire goes out.”
• “This life is a gift. I didn’t create it. God did.”

🕒 Timestamps

0:00 Welcome and Setup

3:28 Life Growing Up on the Farm

11:18 The Plane Crash Story

18:50 Finding F3 and the Early Struggle

24:40 The Queen, The Jester, and Fast Food Battles

31:12 Building a Family Farm and Work Ethic

40:05 The Power of Shield Lock Brotherhood

46:20 Returning to Faith and Leading Your Family

53:15 Failure, Purpose, and Choosing Who You Become

1:00:12 Final Reflections and How to Pray for Mayday

Behind the Lens of Leadership: How Polaroid Captures What Really Matters

In this episode of The Glue-OOM, we sit down with Joe “Polaroid” Willman, a creative mind and humble leader who has helped shape the F3 Omaha community from behind the scenes. From photographing Jays games to helping launch F3 websites and foundations, Polaroid shares how saying yes changed his life — transforming him from a quiet contributor to a leader who helps other men find their focus.

Polaroid’s story is one every man needs to hear — about consistency, grace, and learning to lead without needing the spotlight.

✅ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ Why “saying yes” can unlock growth in every area of life ✅ How quiet, dependable leaders drive lasting impact ✅ What F3 taught Polaroid about vulnerability and belonging ✅ The power of fellowship during seasons of doubt and transition ✅ How leading behind the camera mirrors servant leadership ✅ Lessons from marriage, mentorship, and learning to give grace

🔊 Powerful Sound Bites

🎙️ “Stop saying no. Allow what’s being served to you to disrupt your day and see what comes out of it.” 🎙️ “You don’t have to be in the spotlight to lead — sometimes you lead best by listening.” 🎙️ “Grace is powerful. You’re enough — and you’re where you’re supposed to be.” 🎙️ “I love hanging with the six. You learn more from the back of the pack than the front.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Cayman Islands, Creighton, and the birth of “Polaroid” 07:00 – Early F3 days and learning accountability 15:00 – Balancing health, work, and self-expectations 18:00 – From fitness to fellowship: finding vulnerability 23:00 – Marriage, mentorship, and learning grace 27:00 – Saying yes to leadership and finding his lane 33:00 – Growth through relationships and older mentors 39:00 – Faith, community, and Catholic roots 41:00 – Overcoming self-doubt and leading from behind 46:00 – Lessons from being a Site Q and servant leadership 53:00 – Final reflections: Dependability, patience, and the next chapter

Summary: Bryan “Patty Mayonnaise” Krajicek, a pulmonologist and father of five, spent years helping others breathe until he realized he’d lost his own breath in the chaos of work, burnout, and life. In this episode, he opens up about rediscovering faith, brotherhood, and balance through F3. From pandemic exhaustion to a 50K birthday run, Patty’s story is a powerful reminder that leadership starts with taking a breath and letting grace fill your lungs again.

✅Highlights:

✅ Why even leaders need oxygen the emotional and spiritual kind

✅ How a pulmonologist rediscovered purpose through faith and community

✅ The link between breathing, burnout, and grace under pressure

✅ Lessons on vulnerability, listening, and leading through failure

✅ How F3 brotherhood and morning workouts became therapy for the soul

✅ What “looking in your own backyard” really means for modern men

✅ The power of running, fatherhood, and forgiveness as acts of leadership

🧠 Sound Bites

“I save lives by day, but F3 helped save mine at dawn.”

“If something’s missing in your life, start by looking in your own backyard.”

“Leadership starts with listening and sometimes that means listening to your own breath.”

“Grace isn’t earned; it’s inhaled one breath at a time.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – The story behind the name “Patty Mayonnaise”

07:00 – Life as a pulmonologist during the pandemic and the burnout that followed

13:00 – Finding F3 and rediscovering his breath through brotherhood

20:00 – Running, rucking, and the healing power of movement

27:00 – Navigating divorce, blended family life, and forgiveness

33:00 – Faith through failure: lessons from Catholic to Lutheran to grace

41:00 – Leadership, humility, and the art of listening

47:00 – How a morning coffee turned into a leadership strategy

52:00 – “Look in your own backyard” — Patty’s VQ message

56:00 – Running with his son and reconnecting with his brother Skeeter

1:01:00 – Closing reflections: gratitude, grace, and giving oxygen to others

📘Description: What happens when a man who built his life on routine, work, and quiet strength steps into the chaos of transformation? Meet Steve “Vespa” Rease, a leader who found brotherhood, faith, and redemption through F3 Omaha. From divorce to rediscovering purpose, Vespa’s story is one every man needs to hear about finding courage, leading with humility, and learning that strength isn’t just physical, it’s spiritual.

✅ Highlights

✅ How Vespa overcame fear and routine to find community and purpose

✅ Why “Leave No Man Behind” changed his mindset about leadership

✅ Lessons from fatherhood, business ownership, and rebuilding after divorce

✅ How faith guided him through failure and toward redemption

✅ The importance of hard conversations, communication, and leading by example

✅ How vulnerability and brotherhood forge stronger men

🎧 Powerful Sound Bites

• “Nobody goes to the bar drunk — we all come to F3 because we need something.”
• “You can’t do it all yourself. That’s why we pick up the six.”
• “If you sense something’s wrong, don’t bury it — communicate it.”
• “Everybody’s fighting a battle. The question is: are you fighting alone?”
• “At 56, I feel stronger than ever — not because of muscle, but because of faith.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Vespa joins The Glue-OOM

02:30 – How Cataracts and Boji EH’d him into F3 Omaha

07:00 – The origin of the nickname “Vespa” (Harley vs Scooter story)

10:40 – Early nerves, humility, and learning “Leave No Man Behind”

14:00 – Turning 56 and feeling stronger than ever

18:00 – Advice for new guys: Modify as necessary

23:00 – Shield locks, friendship, and brotherhood

26:00 – Lessons from leading his kids through example

29:00 – Divorce, communication, and faith through hard times

37:00 – God’s providence and meeting Carol at church

45:00 – Leadership takeaways from running the Wolf Den site

52:00 – Succession planning and leading others into leadership

54:30 – Final reflections: Faith, adversity, and the power of vulnerability

🎥 Summaty In this episode, we sit down with Jackson 5, a HIM whose story hits all the right notes — faith, family, and finding his rhythm in leadership. From the moment he got his F3 name to the lessons learned through leading men, Jackson 5 shares what it means to live out the ABCs of Leadership — Authenticity, Brotherhood, and Consistency. Whether you’re new to F3 or leading in the gloom every morning, this episode will remind you why leadership isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence.

✅ Highlights

✅ How Jackson 5 got his F3 name (and the story behind it)

✅ The ABCs of leadership — Authenticity, Brotherhood, Consistency

✅ Lessons on balancing family, faith, and leadership

✅ Why humor and humility are critical in leading men

✅ The power of showing up and leading from the front

✅ How F3 helped him find rhythm, focus, and calling

🔊 Sound Bites

🎙️ “Leadership isn’t about being the loudest guy in the circle — it’s about being the most consistent one.”

🎙️ “My name was a joke at first, but it became a reminder that I’m called to lead my family first.”

🎙️ “F3 taught me that the best leaders don’t command respect — they earn it through service.”

🎙️ “You can’t find your rhythm until you learn to listen to the men around you.”

🎙️ “The gloom is where I found my voice — and realized God had been tuning me for this all along.”

🕒 Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & The Story Behind “Jackson 5”

07:30 – Finding Rhythm in the Chaos of Leadership

15:45 – Family, Faith, and Early Mornings in the Gloom

24:10 – Lessons Learned from Leading Men

33:50 – Balancing Humility and Confidence

46:00 – The ABCs of Leadership in Action

55:00 – Final Thoughts: Consistency Beats Perfection

📜 Summary In this episode of The Glue-OOM, we sit down with Boss Hog, a former corrections director turned servant leader, to unpack his transformation through fitness, fellowship, and faith. From his first confused morning at Mount Olympus to leading the Sanitarium site and rediscovering purpose through community, this story is a blueprint for every man trying to find his way out of isolation and into impact.

🧭 Episode Highlights

✅ The story behind the name “Boss Hog” and his first post at Mount Olympus

✅ How he went from skeptical outsider to leading a thriving F3 site

✅ Lessons learned from “picking up the six” and the art of servant leadership

✅ Balancing marriage, family, and the early-morning grind

✅ Why vulnerability is the gateway to brotherhood

✅ How introversion became his greatest leadership strength

✅ What firing an employee taught him about courage and calling

✅ The spiritual journey: rediscovering faith through fellowship, not religion

✅ Why on-site coffee might be the most underrated leadership tool in F3

🎧 Sound Bites

“You don’t realize what you’re missing until you find it — that’s what F3 was for me.”

“F3 made me a better husband, a better father, a better leader at work.”

“You can’t pick up the six if you’re still running from your own stuff.”

“Vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s the doorway to brotherhood.”

“Leadership is coffee, conversations, and showing up.”

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 – Intro and Sarpy County stories

2:40 – How Boss Hog got his name

5:30 – Early fitness struggles and breakthrough moments

14:00 – Losing 30 pounds and gaining purpose

18:30 – Discovering fellowship and fighting isolation

21:00 – Balancing F3 with marriage and family life

27:30 – Shield Lock and mentorship stories (Firewalker, Low Flow, Shrewt)

30:00 – Defining family values and raising good humans

34:00 – Faith journey: from church walls to morning prayers

45:00 – Leadership lessons from site-Qing at The Sanitarium

53:00 – Translating F3 lessons into work and life

58:00 – Final reflections: vulnerability, faith, and the power of brotherhood

📺 Summary

In this episode of The Glue-OOM, we sit down with Irish Car Bomb (ICB) — a police officer, father, and respected F3 Omaha leader. From surviving divorce to chasing down suspects at 50 years old, ICB shares how F3 fitness, fellowship, and faith transformed his life, his leadership, and his legacy. This is a story of grit, accountability, and why brotherhood matters when life gets heavy.

✅ Highlights

✅ ICB’s Origin Story — from tattoos to the nickname “Irish Car Bomb”

✅ Police Life & Fitness — chasing down suspects thanks to F3 stamina

✅ Overcoming Divorce — finding brotherhood in the gloom

✅ Fatherhood & Family — raising Irish twins and supporting his daughter through heart surgery

✅ Leadership Lessons — what it’s like to site-Q two AOs at once

✅ Faith in Action — why F3’s prayers and fellowship helped fight cynicism

🎙️ Sound Bites

“You don’t realize you’re the sad clown… until you step into the gloom.”

“At 50 years old, I was still able to catch a 20-year-old suspect — thanks to F3.”

“Half the guys bringing food for my daughter’s surgery, I didn’t even know by name yet.”

“Leadership isn’t about numbers, it’s about being present and building small groups.”

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 – Intro & ICB’s F3 nickname story

6:00 – From fitness ruts to F3 accountability

13:00 – Chasing suspects & thanking F3 for stamina

20:00 – Mental health battles in law enforcement

27:00 – Fellowship, Shield Locks & giving it away

32:00 – Divorce, fatherhood & Irish twins

49:00 – Daughter’s open-heart surgery & F3 stepping up

53:00 – Launching Boxcar & leading Oscar Mike

1:01:00 – Leadership lessons & final reflections

📖 Summary:

In this episode of The Glue-OOM, we sit down with Patrick “Amazin’” McNamara to unpack his journey from New York Mets fan to Omaha leader. From his first F3 beatdown to adopting the “Amazin’” nickname, Patrick shares how fitness, fellowship, and faith shaped his leadership, fatherhood, and outlook on life. This conversation is full of competitive grit, heartfelt reflection, and practical wisdom for any man striving to lead well.

✅ Highlights

✅ How “Amazin’” was EH’d into F3 and why his nickname has an apostrophe

✅ Lessons from leading the Disco site and engaging FNGs

✅ The balance of fitness, faith, and fatherhood as a lawyer and dad

✅ Why optimism, vulnerability, and brotherhood matter in leadership

✅ The power of community, prayer, and showing up even after setbacks

🔥 Sound Bites:

“Just because yesterday wasn’t the best, doesn’t mean tomorrow can’t be.”

“Sometimes you need a mentor, and sometimes you need to be one.”

“F3 makes you more motivated, more active, and more present for your family.”

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro at Old Town Elkhorn Nomad

02:00 – Amazin’s EH story and first beatdown experience

06:50 – Why the apostrophe matters in “Amazin’”

09:30 – From Orange Theory to F3: fitness and discipline

14:00 – Suit shopping, goals, and staying accountable

18:40 – Competition, Mamba mentality, and Iron Pax Challenge

23:20 – Friendships, shield lock, and community bonds

30:25 – Adoption story and fatherhood journey

42:00 – Faith, prayer, and COT moments

50:00 – Leadership, site Q lessons, and succession

57:30 – Optimism, legacy, and parting wisdom