The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem – and suicide rates around the world are skyrocketing. In the U.S., for example, the annual suicide rate has increased 24% between 1999 and 2014. So, what can we do? In this episode, Stephen reflects on suicide in our culture, as well as the recent loss of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade.

On May 12, there were elections in Iraq, and the main winner was the Shiite party. Since then, the government in Baghdad has announced anyone caught not fasting during Ramadan can be turned over to the judiciary. This is tragic for many reasons, including that many Americans and other nationalities fought and died for democracy in Iraq. We are losing our influence in Iraq, along with the benefits of our sacrifice and the trillions that we’ve spent there. And we’re hearing nothing out of Washington.

Politicians aren’t usually known for their courage. Yet recently, the Trump administration has done some things that – whether you like them are not – are essentially extensions of prior commitments previously unfulfilled. While certainly not right on all issues, the Trump administration deserves credit for some recent decisions. Learn more in this episode.

The majority of African Americans tend to be left-leaning, Democratic voters. But Stephen’s recently noticed a trend – a shift toward right-leaning politics that's led by young freethinkers like Candace Owens, an African American woman who is breaking from the standard left-leaning consensus in the African American community.

"Candace Owens speaking at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland." by “Gage Skidmore“ Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC-BY2.0). Accessed 23 May 2018. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Candace_Owens_(38655654300).jpg

No, the world’s not coming to an end. But economic turmoil is always a real possibility. Fortunately, it’s something we can prepare for and protect ourselves from. In this episode, Stephen shares practical tips to help get your family on firm footing. Learn about “The Grandmother Strategy,” the connection between generosity and prosperity, and a behavior Stephen calls the “key to wealth."

There’s been a trend of recent decades toward trying to personally destroy the people that we cannot defeat politically. In this episode, Stephen discusses why this trend is toxic to democracy. He also shares a story about the first time he saw it happen in 1987, as well as how the politics of personal destruction affected one of his friends.

In 2015, Stephen recorded a podcast about why men engage in extramarital affairs. It was widely discussed and helped a great many men and marriages. Because of the huge impact this episode has had, we're re-airing it this week. Men, even if you can't imagine yourself becoming involved in an affair, you need to listen to this episode. Women, this episode may shed some light on the flawed male psychology behind extramarital affairs.

This episode originally aired on August 26, 2015.

History is not led by by the majority, but by the dedicated minority. And that minority is often led by one man of character - one man who inspires the people while embodying their hopes and values. In this episode, Stephen honors one such man, United States Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis, “The Warrior Monk.”

We see the horrific use of chemical weapons in places like Syria and sometimes think, “It’s happening there, and it’s terrible, but it’s not happening here.” Without trying to incite irrational fear, Stephen suggests that such attacks could happen on U.S. soil. In this episode, he provides clear information about chemical warfare, as well as three concrete steps the average person can take in response to the proliferation of these weapons.

In this episode, Stephen talks about one good thing that’s happening in our political culture. It’s a corrective to trends of recent generations and something to be excited about. In the midst of the seeming ineptitude of Congress and all the weirdness and confusion coming out of Washington, D.C., states are beginning to consider their direction on their own. Stephen discusses why this is such a needed trend.