The ManKind Podcast

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Men's sexuality is under siege from every direction — algorithmic porn, AI girlfriends engineered to extract money by never actually satisfying you, and a culture that hasn't given men a single useful framework for talking about any of it. Taylor Johnson has spent seven years in the field helping men overcome sexual dysfunction, anxiety, and disconnection. What he's seeing in 2026 is unlike anything from even two years ago.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why short-form video and constant digital stimulation are measurably destroying men's capacity to be present during sex
• How AI girlfriend apps are deliberately designed to hook men in a cycle of wanting without ever delivering — and what that does to a teenage brain
• Why women still deeply want connection and great sex with men, even in the current cultural climate
• The exact approach to opening a conversation with your partner about sex, safety, and the headlines that are affecting both of you
• How to recognize when you've hit your capacity in a hard conversation and what to do instead of going off the rails
• Why sexual leadership has nothing to do with dominance and everything to do with attunement, safety, and showing up prepared

If you've been avoiding this conversation — with yourself or your partner — this is the episode that ends that.

Resources Mentioned:

• Taylor Johnson — Sex Coach for Men — https://www.taylorjohnson.life (search: Taylor Johnson sex educator)
• ManKind Project — https://mankindproject.org
• CoGenerate (intergenerational collaboration) — https://cogenerate.org
• Taylor's Sexual Leadership Retreat for Men (July 2026) — contact via Taylor's website
• Taylor's Sexual Menu Worksheet — available through Taylor's programs

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What if most conflicts about respect aren't actually about respect?

In this fascinating conversation, Boysen sits down with historian, researcher, TEDx speaker, and author Dr. Julie Pham to explore one of the most misunderstood words in our culture: respect.

Most of us assume we know what respect means. We ask for it. We expect it. We feel hurt when we don't receive it. But Dr. Pham's research suggests something surprising: while people generally agree on how respect feels, they often disagree dramatically on what respectful behavior actually looks like. 

Drawing from her bestselling book, The 7 Forms of Respect, Julie introduces a practical framework for understanding why misunderstandings happen at work, at home, in friendships, and in communities. She explains how our experiences, culture, family systems, and generational influences shape our expectations—and why curiosity may be the missing ingredient in so many difficult conversations. 

Together, Boysen and Julie explore:

•  The seven forms of respect and how they show up in everyday life 
•  Why respect is dynamic, subjective, and often contradictory 
•  The "Rubber Band Rule" and understanding our personal breaking points 
•  How hierarchy, power, and context influence our expectations 
•  What men can learn about respect, communication, and curiosity 
•  Why organizations struggle when they never define what respect means 
•  The relationship between respect, belonging, and mattering 
•  How curiosity creates connection across differences 

This conversation offers a fresh lens on relationships, leadership, and community—and a practical way to navigate conflict with greater understanding.

If you've ever said, "I just want to be respected," this episode may completely change what that means.

Find Julie Pham - https://curiositybased.com

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Most men wait for hardship to teach them resilience. Dane Sanders watched his best friend Tim Kruger — an Ironman triathlete — die of stomach cancer at 50. Tim's parting insight: "I'm really glad I practiced voluntary discomfort before involuntary discomfort chose me." That single line became the foundation of everything Dane has built since. This is a conversation about mortality, meaning, and why choosing the hard thing is actually the smartest move any man can make.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why the world's default setting is hardship — not comfort — and what changes when you stop treating difficulty as an anomaly
• How Tim Kruger's death reshaped Dane's entire understanding of what it means to live fully, not just survive well
• The difference between fitting in and belonging — and why one builds agency while the other quietly hollows you out
• What happens inside the Men and Women of Discomfort 90-day program and why people crash out over creamer in their coffee
• How "microdosing discomfort" prepares you for the storms you can't predict, control, or negotiate out of
• Why Anthony DeMello's warning about sleepwalking through life is the most important thing men aren't taking seriously

If you've been waiting for a reason to stop playing it safe, this is the episode.

Resources Mentioned:

• Men and Women of Discomfort (MWOD) — https://mwod.io
• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch — https://www.amazon.com/Last-Lecture-Randy-Pausch/dp/1401323251
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom — https://www.amazon.com/Tuesdays-Morrie-Mitch-Albom/dp/076790592X
• Anthony de Mello, "Awareness" — https://www.amazon.com/Awareness-Opportunities-Inner-Anthony-Mello/dp/0385249373
• Ben Sasse — 60 Minutes interview (terminal brain cancer) — search "Ben Sasse 60 Minutes 2024"
• CrossFit — https://www.crossfit.com
• Annie (93-year-old CrossFit member, Auburn CrossFit) — featured in CrossFit HQ documentary

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

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Young men are drowning, and the algorithm is doing it on purpose. Within 17 seconds on YouTube, three-quarters of a young man's suggested content steers him straight into the manosphere. Meanwhile, the men who've actually done the inner work are sitting on the sidelines. Jordan Bowman isn't waiting for a viral moment to fix it. He's been in the field for over a decade building something that actually works.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why mentorship is your civic duty — and why it matters more than voting or paying taxes
• The simple first step any man can take today to connect with a young person already in his life
• How to show up as a mentor without giving unsolicited advice or projecting your own experience onto him
• Why "presence over perfection" is the only qualification you actually need to get started
• The Frodo-to-Gandalf arc: how to transition from hero of your own story to guide for the next generation
• What Jordan's father did when he was 14 that changed the entire trajectory of his life — and how you can recreate it for the boys in yours

If this conversation fires something up in you, don't sit on it. Find the most accessible way into mentorship and go give your gifts.

Resources Mentioned:

• Journeyman Triangle — https://journeymantriangle.org
• CoGenerate (intergenerational collaboration resources) — https://cogenerate.org
• American Institute for Boys and Men, Richard Reeves — https://aibm.org
• Boys to Men Mentoring Network — https://boystomen.org
• Movember Foundation — https://movember.com
• Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice — https://equimundo.org
• Michael Mead, mythologist and author — https://mosaicvoices.org
• ManKind Project — https://mankindproject.org
• Next Gen Men — https://nextgenmen.ca

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
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How do veterans grapple with the emotional weight of Memorial Day? Join us for a deeply moving Memorial Day episode of the Mankind Podcast, where we revisit a conversation from our Masks Off Monday series. Featuring a heartfelt panel discussion with five veterans, including Dean Ray, a former Marine Corps helicopter crew chief, who shares a poignant piece he wrote. This episode dives into their personal stories of loss, survival, and the importance of keeping the memories of their fallen comrades alive.

From the harrowing experiences of deployment to the unyielding bonds forged in the battlefield, our veterans offer an unfiltered glimpse into their lives. Hear the raw emotions tied to events such as funerals, helicopter crashes, and the impact of IEDs. Learn how communal respect and acts of kindness play crucial roles in honoring their sacrifices and providing solace to those left behind. This episode also explores how staying connected with loved ones evolves over time and the heavy burden of survivor's guilt.

This episode is a profound tribute to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to carry the scars of their service. Discover how civilians can support veterans, honor their sacrifices, and embody the admirable traits of those we've lost. Whether you're a veteran, a family member, or someone eager to understand and support those who have served, this conversation offers invaluable insights and a heartfelt tribute to our heroes.

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
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What kind of people does a healthy democracy require?

In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Boysen sits down with author, purpose guide, and ManKind Project brother Brandon Peele to explore the deeper questions underneath our current cultural moment: belonging, responsibility, freedom, purpose, and what it means to grow into mature adulthood in a fractured world. 

Brandon returns to the podcast to discuss his new book, Bison Medicine: The Cure for a Troubled Nation, where he offers a provocative but hopeful vision for healing division—not through outrage or ideology, but through purpose, community, rites of passage, and what he calls a return to “good mind.” 

Together, Boysen and Brandon unpack:

•  Why America may be suffering from a crisis of initiation 
•  The difference between freedom and mature responsibility 
•  What “all men are created equal” might actually ask of us today 
•  The role of rites of passage, men’s work, and authentic community in healing isolation 
•  The powerful metaphor of eagles and bison—and what each teaches us about power, belonging, and collective life 
•  Indigenous wisdom, democracy, and the forgotten roots of interdependence 
•  How to stay hopeful in a time of outrage and uncertainty 
•  Brandon’s upcoming national pilgrimage across America, visiting historical sites and communities that embody our nation’s struggles, painful history, and hard-earned victories as a people 

Along the way, Brandon shares why he believes healing begins in local communities, in honest conversations, and in the courageous work of becoming fully human.

This episode is ultimately an invitation: What would it mean to become the kind of man who leaves things better than he found them?

Key Questions from This Episode:

• How free are you, really?
• How happy are you, really?
• What kind of community is helping shape the man you are becoming?

This summer - June and July of 2026 - there is a powerful opportunity to be part of Brandon's Pilgrimage across the US. 

Learn more: https://www.nationalpilgrimage.us/

Learn more about Bison Medicine: https://www.bisonmedicine.com/

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
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What are men really longing for?

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, Boysen sits down with filmmaker, mythosomatic guide, and founder of The Mythic Masculine, Ian MacKenzie, to explore the deeper story underneath modern masculinity.

Together, they unpack the roots of mythopoetic men’s work, the cultural loss of village, the rise of the manosphere, and why so many men are searching for belonging, purpose, and deeper initiation.

Ian shares his own journey into men’s work through Iron John, the ManKind Project, and years spent studying myth, ritual, animism, and cultural regeneration with influential teachers like Stephen Jenkinson, Martin Shaw, and Michael Meade.

This episode explores:

• Why masculinity may be better understood as a strategy rather than a certainty
• The difference between mythopoetic men’s work and the manosphere
• What happens when men grow up without village, mentorship, and rites of passage
• Why grief, ritual, and brotherhood matter for modern men
• The role of myth in helping men reclaim meaning and purpose
• Emerging conversations around masculinity, identity, and cultural evolution
• Why healthy masculinity may depend on learning how to belong again

This conversation is thoughtful, challenging, and deeply hopeful.

Whether you’re new to men’s work or have been walking this path for years, Ian offers a compelling vision for how men might reconnect with themselves, each other, and the world.

Learn about the Cascadia Men's Conference: 

August 6 - 9 | Squamish Valley, Canada https://www.cascadiamensconference.com/

Learn about the Deep Masculine Journey

Enrollment closes midnight Monday, May 18.
The Journey Starts: Tuesday, May 19, 2026

MKP men get 10% off the Guided or Self-Directed Paths. 

Next steps:

• Explore The Deep Masculine Journey
• Book your intake call

Some of the Authors & People we mentioned today: 

• Bayo Akomolafe - https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/
• Stephen Jenkinson - https://orphanwisdom.com/about-stephen-jenkinson/
• Sophie Strand - https://sophiestrand.com/
• Riane Eisler - https://rianeeisler.com/

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
#Sponsorship #Ad

Support the show

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What does it actually take to build a strong, lasting relationship?

In this episode, Boysen sits down with Rich and Laurie Riedman—veterans of the ManKind Project and leaders in couples work for over three decades. Together, they explore the deeper mechanics of relationship growth, conflict, and connection.

At the heart of their work is a powerful idea: a relationship is not just two people—it’s a third entity that must be nurtured, strengthened, and protected.

Rich and Laurie break down:

•  Why many relationships hit a turning point around the 7-year mark 
•  How unconscious patterns from childhood show up in partnership 
•  The concept of the relationship as a “container” for growth 
•  Why conflict isn’t the problem—but how we approach it is 
•  The shift from “me vs. you” to “us vs. the issue” 
•  Practical tools for communication, emotional safety, and repair 

They also share simple daily practices that can transform connection—like eye gazing, intentional touch, gratitude rituals, and recognizing emotional bids for attention.

Whether you’re in a thriving relationship, feeling disconnected, or navigating real challenges, this conversation offers grounded insight and practical tools to deepen intimacy and understanding.

This isn’t about fixing your partner.

It’s about showing up differently—together.

Find them: https://www.acouplesweekend.com/

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
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Most men spend years gathering the right information, waiting for the perfect moment, and convincing themselves the stakes are too high to act. Gregory Russell Benedikt ran a different experiment — 100 consecutive days of deliberately seeking rejection from strangers. What the data showed is almost impossible to believe: out of 100 attempts, only one interaction went genuinely negative. The rest? Laughter, connection, viral moments, and a relationship with the woman he'd spend the next three years with. This episode is a direct challenge to the logic-first framework most high-achieving men have been operating from their entire adult lives.

Gregory and Brandon break down why the no you're afraid of is almost never about you, why the real cost of inaction is staying exactly where you are, and how 'courageous connection' is the actual mechanism behind every bold outcome Gregory has experienced — from co-founding a nonprofit with a stranger he met online to walking across a crowded restaurant to introduce himself to a woman sitting with another man. They also dig into Ikigai, the Japanese framework for life purpose built on four intersections — what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for — and why community, not coaching or therapy alone, may be the most underrated accelerant available to men right now.

If you've been sitting on a gift, a business idea, a conversation you haven't started, or a life that doesn't quite fit — this episode is your signal to stop collecting information and start implementing your flawed plan. Subscribe to the ManKind Podcast so you never miss a conversation built for men ready to lead with something real.

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ABOUT GREGORY RUSSELL BENEDIKT
Gregory Russell Benedikt is a life and executive coach, TEDx speaker, and retreat facilitator whose talk on bold action has surpassed 600,000 views. He left a career in private equity to co-found a nonprofit and eventually build a coaching practice centered on helping high-achievers break out of logic-driven lives and into purpose-driven ones. He recently led his first retreat in Sedona, a vision he'd held for over six years.

CONNECT WITH GREGORY RUSSELL BENEDIKT
• Website
• TEDx Talk
• Gregory's Newsletter

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
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In this episode, Boysen sits down with Geoff Laughton and Mark Johnson of The Undaunted Man to explore a radically different approach to men’s work—one that rejects external definitions of masculinity and instead helps men develop a deep connection to their own inner guidance.

Drawing from decades of experience, Geoff and Mark share how their work supports men in becoming internally governed—grounded, self-aware, and capable of making aligned decisions without relying on societal scripts.

They discuss:

•  Why most definitions of masculinity fall short 
•  The danger of outsourcing your identity 
•  What “pro-human, pro-social masculinity” really means 
•  How men rediscover purpose, voice, and direction 
•  The role of discomfort and stillness in personal transformation 

The conversation also dives into their powerful Silent Summit experience—a multi-day wilderness immersion where men unplug from all distractions and learn to truly listen to themselves.

Whether you’re navigating relationships, questioning your path, or simply feeling like something’s missing, this episode offers a grounded and deeply human invitation back to yourself.

Find the Undaunted Man - https://theundauntedman.com/

Hearing the call? We're here. https://mkpusa.org

BetterHelp: Get 10% Off Your First Month Of Therapy
The ManKind Podcast has partnered with Betterhelp to make it easier for listeners to access licensed mental health therapists who can aid them in their mental health journey. Brandon and Boysen stand by this service as they use BetterHelp for their therapy needs.
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