Most men don’t ask for help when they first start struggling.

We tell ourselves we’ve got it. We push through. We bury what we’re feeling, keep showing up, and convince ourselves that being strong means handling it alone.

Until we can’t.

In this deeply personal episode of The Grounded Man Project, Mike and Justin open up about their own experiences with suicide, addiction, emotional disconnection, rock bottom, and the moments that ultimately changed the direction of their lives.

Mike shares the night he came dangerously close to ending his life—and the unexpected message that interrupted that moment. Justin shares the loss of his mother to suicide, the years of pain and addiction that followed, and the decision to finally enter treatment and rebuild his life.

Together, they explore why so many men wait until crisis to ask for help, how the way we're taught to handle emotion can follow us into adulthood, and why brotherhood, vulnerability, accountability, and honest conversation matter.

Because being a grounded man doesn't mean having everything figured out.

Sometimes it starts with three words:

I need help.

And the moment you say them, everything can begin to change.

If you're struggling quietly, you don't have to carry it alone. Reach out to someone you trust, seek professional support, or connect with The Grounded Man Project.

If we help one, we've helped many.

What if some of the beliefs you've carried your entire life aren't actually true?

Men are taught a lot about what we're supposed to be: strong, successful, independent, in control, able to provide, and capable of handling whatever life throws at us. Over time, those expectations can become beliefs about who we have to be in order to have value.

And eventually, we stop questioning them.

In Episode 2 of The Grounded Man Project, Mike and Justin unpack eight lies men tell themselves—lies that can quietly shape our identity, relationships, decisions, and the way we see our own worth.

We talk about the pressure to handle everything alone, the belief that success will finally make us happy, the need for validation, the fear of vulnerability, and what happens when the identity we've built no longer holds up.

More importantly, we talk about what it looks like to challenge those beliefs and begin replacing them with something healthier.

This isn't about blaming masculinity or telling men they need to become someone else.

It's about asking a harder question:

How much of the man you've become was consciously chosen—and how much was built around beliefs you never stopped to question?

Because sometimes growth doesn't begin by adding something new.

Sometimes it begins by letting go of something that was never true.

🎙️ Episode 2: The 8 Lies Men Tell Themselves

The Grounded Man Project

What if the man you've spent years trying to become... was never really you?

For many men, life becomes a performance. We chase success, approval, respect, relationships, money, and achievement, believing that if we can just earn enough, accomplish enough, or become enough, we'll finally feel like we're enough.

But beneath the accomplishments, many of us are carrying anxiety, loneliness, shame, and a quiet fear that if people saw who we really are, we wouldn't measure up.

In this first episode of The Grounded Man Project, Mike and Justin share the stories behind the masks they wore for years—the expectations they lived under, the lies they believed, and the moments that forced them to ask a deeper question:

Who am I when everything I use to define myself is stripped away?

This isn't a conversation between two men who have life figured out. It's an invitation from two men who are committed to becoming grounded—rooted in character, purpose, and truth instead of performance and validation.

If you've ever felt like you're carrying the weight of the world alone, questioning your worth, or wondering if there's more to life than simply surviving, this conversation is for you.

This episode lays the foundation for everything to come as we begin unpacking the lies men believe, the hidden battles they fight, and what it truly means to become a grounded man.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why so many men feel like they're living behind a mask
• The pressure to perform instead of simply be
• How success can hide deep insecurity
• The lies that quietly shape a man's identity
• Why we created The Grounded Man Project
• What it really means to become grounded

Question of the Week:

Who are you trying to impress?

Take 15 minutes this week with no distractions and honestly answer that question. You might discover that the man you've been trying to become isn't the man you were created to be.

Welcome to The Grounded Man Project. This is where the masks come off.