In this episode, Blake and Jamie share a simple but powerful framework for engaging your emotions: Pause, Pray, Process, Express. Building on last week’s conversation about suicide prevention and the dangers of bottling up emotions, they offer a practical, grace-filled tool to help you slow down, connect with what you’re really feeling, and bring those needs into safe relationships. Through honest stories about marriage, parenting, and friendship, they show how emotional awareness isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress.Learn more about Three Percent:🌐 https://www.threepercentco.com📸 Instagram – @threepercentcoDownload the free Pause, Pray, Process, Express guide on our website.Takeaways

• Most men bottle up, blow up, or numb out instead of engaging emotions.
• Neural pathways (the “slip and slides”) can be retrained with new practices.
• Pause: Slow your nervous system and notice what you’re feeling in your body.
• Pray: Invite God into your emotions without bypassing them.
• Process: Journal, talk it out, or seek safe co-regulation.
• Express: Share your inner world in ways that build connection and, when needed, set boundaries.
• Progress, not perfection, is the goal.

Chapters(00:00) Why Engaging Emotions Matters(03:00) Bottling, Blowing Up, and Numbing Out(06:00) Stories from Parenting and Marriage(10:00) Why We Need to Create New Neural Pathways(14:00) Step 1: Pause – Slowing Your Nervous System(20:00) Step 2: Pray – Inviting God Without Bypassing(24:00) Step 3: Process – Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation(32:00) Step 4: Express – Sharing Your Inner World Safely(37:00) Movement, Boundaries, and Nonlinear Growth(40:00) Small Steps: Progress Over Perfection(43:00) How to Download the Free GuideKeywordsThree Percent, emotions, emotional health, men’s mental health, suicide prevention, emotional awareness, pause pray process, nervous system regulation, prayer, journaling, co-regulation, vulnerability, marriage, parenting, friendship, boundaries, holistic masculinity, therapy tools, emotional literacy, emotional connection, resilience, spiritual formation, healing practices

If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not alone.

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, Blake and Jamie open a tender and courageous conversation about suicide, loneliness, and hope. Blake shares the story of his own suicide attempt as a 17-year-old—the pain, shame, and family struggles that led him there, and the long journey of healing that followed. Together, they discuss the epidemic of loneliness among men, the need for emotional language and safe connection, and the importance of creating spaces where honesty can be met with care instead of shame. This episode is a raw invitation to remember that every life has value and that healing begins with being known.

Learn more about Three Percent:

🌐 www.threepercentco.com

📸 Instagram – @threepercentco

Takeaways

• Suicide prevention starts long before a crisis—it begins with connection, empathy, and emotional language.

• Men die by suicide 3.5 times more often than women, often linked to isolation and loneliness.

• Behind anger, addiction, or performance often lies pain and fear that need to be named.

• Sharing your “3%” with safe people creates connection that can hold chaos.

• Compassion for your younger self is a vital part of healing.

• You are worth the effort it takes to reach out for help.
  

Chapters

(00:00) Why This Episode Matters – Suicide Prevention Month

(03:00) Blake’s Story: A 17-Year-Old Carrying Too Much

(08:00) Shame, Family Pressure, and Coping Through Numbing

(12:00) The Night of the Attempt

(18:00) What Loneliness Does to the Soul

(23:00) Hiding, Shame, and the Story Everyone Believed

(28:00) Why Suicide Prevention Starts at Birth

(32:00) The Epidemic of Loneliness in Men

(36:00) Connection Doesn’t Erase Pain—but Holds It

(40:00) A Letter to My 17-Year-Old Self

(46:00) Practical Next Steps & Resources for Listeners

Keywords

Three Percent, suicide prevention, suicide awareness month, Blake Roberts, depression, shame, loneliness, healing, mental health, men’s mental health, holistic masculinity, trauma, addiction, recovery, vulnerability, faith and mental health, emotional literacy, crisis resources, therapy, compassion, identity, being known, resilience, self-compassion, healing journey

In this special 6-month anniversary episode, Blake and Jamie reflect on the journey so far with Three Percent—the stories, conversations, and friendships that have shaped this space. From the very first interviews to the deep themes of masculinity, emotions, vulnerability, and faith, they revisit what they’ve learned along the way and what has surprised them most. They also share their hopes for the next season of the podcast and the growing Three Percent community. This is a moment to pause, look back with gratitude, and look forward with expectation.

Learn more about Three Percent: 🌐 www.threepercentco.com 📸 Instagram – @threepercentco

Giveaway

Send us your story for a chance to have a 30-45 minute coaching session with Blake and Jamie.

How to enter: Send 2-3 sentences on something you are working through to [email protected]

Takeaways

• How to enter: Send 2-3 sentences on something you are working through to [email protected] 

• Six months of conversations have affirmed the hunger for honest, vulnerable dialogue about masculinity and faith.

• Guests have given language for emotions and experiences many men didn’t know how to name.

• Friendship and safe community are central to the healing journey.

• Healing is not a quick fix—it’s a long, relational process.

• Vulnerability always invites deeper connection.

• Gratitude and hope mark the past and the future of Three Percent.

Chapters

00:00 Celebrating Six Months of Three Percent

02:30 How the Podcast Began

06:00 Favorite Moments from the First Six Months

11:00 What We’ve Learned from Our Guests

15:00 Why Friendship Is Central to Healing

20:00 Surprises Along the Way

24:00 The Tension of Vulnerability and Masculinity

29:00 Looking Ahead: Hopes for the Next Six Months

34:00 Gratitude for the Community

38:00 Closing Thoughts

Keywords

Three Percent, podcast anniversary, masculinity, emotions, faith, vulnerability, friendship, healing, reflection, community, growth, gratitude, holistic masculinity, men’s mental health, personal growth, emotional health, spiritual formation, podcast journey, storytelling, healing through connection

In this soulful and deeply human conversation, author, speaker, and coach Justin McRoberts joins us to explore the sacred tension between calling and rest, ambition and surrender. With humor, honesty, and theological insight, Justin shares the spiritual and emotional journey behind his book In the Low. We discuss fatherhood, friendship, control, and what it means to hold both grief and joy with open hands. If you’ve ever wrestled with doing enough or being enough, this episode is an invitation back to groundedness, belovedness, and the long road of faithful presence.

Check out more of Justin McRoberts:

🌐 Website – www.justinmcroberts.com

📸 Instagram – @justinmcroberts

📚 Book – In The Low

Learn more about Three Percent: 🌐 www.threepercentco.com

Takeaways

• Your “calling” doesn’t have to be heavy—it can be playful and sacred.

• Ambition without rest leads to burnout and bitterness.

• Slowing down often feels like failure in a productivity-obsessed world.

• God’s invitation is not just to work for Him, but to be with Him.

• Real rest means learning to release control.

• Friendships that hold both celebration and grief are vital to resilience.

• There is no sacred calling without sacred rest.
  

Chapters

00:00 Welcome & Meet Justin McRoberts

03:30 What Is In The Low All About?

06:00 Ambition, Surrender, and the Space Between

10:20 Calling as a Form of Relationship

13:40 Relearning the Pace of Love and Grace

16:00 Burnout, Shame, and Being "Too Much"

19:30 Parenting, Grief, and the Myth of Control

24:00 What He Learned From Deep Friendships

28:00 Masculinity and the Pressure to Perform

31:00 God’s Invitation to Rest and Trust

35:00 Questions That Help You Stay Human

39:00 Where to Find Justin Online

Keywords

Justin McRoberts, Three Percent, Sacred Strides, calling, rest, surrender, ambition, masculinity, Christian leadership, burnout, spiritual formation, work-life balance, grief, friendship, control, parenting, vulnerability, emotional health, faith and productivity, theological reflection, presence, fatherhood, resilience, healing, belovedness, performance pressure, letting go

In this soul-shaking episode, we sit down with therapist, trauma practitioner, and spiritual leader Rachel Clinton Chen to explore the sacred, painful, and courageous work of healing. Rachel guides us into the realities of trauma, powerlessness, spiritual abuse, and what it takes to become whole. We talk about the cost of integrity, the betrayal of our bodies, and the profound invitation to let lament and grief become doorways to hope. With honesty, wisdom, and fierce gentleness, Rachel names what so many are afraid to say aloud—and calls us to be people of truth and love in the face of harm.

Takeaways

• Trauma is not just what happens to you—it’s what you carry when you’re alone in it.

• Integrity has a cost, especially in spiritually abusive systems.

• Grief is not the end of the story—it’s the beginning of embodied hope.

• Healing often begins with naming what is true, even when it’s disruptive.

• Your body keeps the score, but it can also be the site of redemption.

• We need language, witness, and safety to metabolize harm.

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Rachel Clinton Chen

(04:00) Powerlessness and the Language of Trauma

(07:30) What Spiritual Abuse Steals from the Soul

(12:00) The Cost of Integrity in Religious Systems

(15:30) The Body Knows What the Mind Tries to Hide

(19:00) Naming the Truth and Being Witnessed

(22:30) What Is Lament and Why Does It Matter?

(26:00) Becoming People Who Can Grieve and Hold Hope

(29:00) From Dissociation to Embodiment

(34:00) Holding Complexity in a Black-and-White World

(38:00) Rachel’s Own Healing and Leadership Journey

(41:00) Why She Still Believes in the Church

(46:00) A Word for the Tender and Tired Listener

(49:00) Where to Find Rachel and Her Work

Keywords

Rachel Clinton Chen, Three Percent, trauma healing, spiritual abuse, integrity, grief, lament, The Allender Center, Dan Allender, embodiment, Christian trauma, spiritual formation, emotional health, mental health, religious harm, narrative healing, counseling, black-and-white thinking, abuse recovery, faith and pain, hope, integrity, safety, truth-telling, nervous system, therapeutic practices, power and vulnerability, shame and resilience, holistic masculinity, tenderness, church healing

Summary

In this deeply personal episode, Jamie and Blake step away from interviews to reflect on one of the most important and tender questions they ask as therapists and friends: What’s the point in changing? Recorded during a 3% planning retreat, they share the raw stories of their own healing journeys—from addiction, numbness, and rage to freedom, connection, and hope. Whether you’re seeking freedom from a behavior or freedom for deeper relationships, this episode offers both encouragement and honesty for anyone in process.

Mentioned Resources

• Chip Dodd’s Feelings Chart: https://www.chipdodd.com/free-resources-download

• Jay Stringer’s book Unwanted: https://jay-stringer.com/book/

• The Voice of the Heart by Chip Dodd: https://www.chipdodd.com/books

Takeaways

• There’s often no clear “start” to change—just the next honest step.

• External motivations (like a spouse or relationship) can be valid entry points.

• Deep transformation comes when we realize we need to change for ourselves.

• We are not our behaviors—shame grows when we enmesh identity with struggle.

• Empathy often has to be relearned—and it starts with how we talk to ourselves.

• Change is not linear, and recovery is a lifelong journey.

• You're worth the work it takes to be known, healed, and free.
  

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome from the Cabin

(02:32) What Motivates Change?

(04:50) Motivational Interviewing & Counseling Insights

(06:44) Blake’s Story: Hitting a Wall

(10:10) Changing for a Relationship

(13:00) You Are Not the Problem

(16:20) Freedom From vs. Freedom For

(18:00) Jamie’s Story: Numbness and Rage

(22:10) The Role of Porn in Emotional Numbing

(24:55) Shifting Motivation Over Time

(26:20) Healing as Ongoing Work

(29:00) The Little Boy Inside Who Still Wants to Hide

(32:30) Parenting Yourself with Compassion

(35:10) Why Progress Feels Like a Circle

(37:00) Change for You, Not Just Them

(39:00) You’re Worth It

Keywords therapy, change, healing, recovery, shame, emotional health, addiction, porn recovery, motivation, empathy, rage, fatherhood, masculinity, self-awareness, spiritual formation, honesty, holistic masculinity, personal growth, identity, trauma, freedom, Jay Stringer, Chip Dodd, Voice of the Heart, emotional literacy

In this episode, we welcome therapist, writer, and podcast host Blake Blankenbecler into a powerful conversation about emotional language, body awareness, and the harm of emotional outsourcing. Blake unpacks why many men struggle to name their inner world and what it takes to reclaim curiosity, tenderness, and truth. Together, we talk about the nervous system, faith deconstruction, co-regulation, and why presence is the most healing thing we offer one another. This episode will meet you where you are and gently invite you further in.

Takeaways

• “If I can’t be with it, I can’t heal it.” Naming precedes healing.

• Outsourcing your emotions to others is common—but it can become harmful.

• Co-regulation is foundational to emotional safety in relationships.

• Curiosity helps us approach our pain instead of controlling it.

• The nervous system needs safety to tell the truth.

• You can’t think your way into healing—your body has to believe it too.

• Presence is the most healing gift we can offer in a hurting world.

• Emotionally safe men are formed, not found.

Check out more of Blake Blankenbecler:

🌐 Website – ⁠blakeblankenbecler.com ⁠

📸 Instagram –⁠ @blakeblankenbecler⁠

The Friendship Deck: ⁠thefriendshipdeck.com⁠

Learn more about Three Percent: 🌐⁠ www.threepercentco.com

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Blake Blankenbecler – Therapist

(03:00) Language for the Inner Life

(06:00) What is Emotional Outsourcing?

(10:00) The Power of Co-Regulation

(14:00) Why Men Struggle to Name Emotions

(18:00) Body-Based Healing and the Nervous System

(22:00) From Christian Duty to Emotional Honesty

(26:00) How Curiosity Changes the Healing Process

(30:00) Practicing Emotional Responsibility

(33:00) The Lie of Being Too Much

(36:00) Faith, Attachment, and Embodied Safety

(41:00) Relationships as the Place of Repair

(45:00) Where to Find Blake Online

Keywords

Blake Blankenbecler, Three Percent, emotional health, holistic masculinity, co-regulation, emotional outsourcing, nervous system healing, trauma recovery, therapy, men’s emotions, inner work, Christian deconstruction, embodiment, faith and healing, presence, emotional literacy, emotional responsibility, relationships, healing through connection, curiosity, somatic healing, mental health, attachment, tenderness, emotional safety

In this episode, hosts Blake and Jamie dive into the emotional lives of men—what we feel, what we’ve been taught to suppress, and what it might look like to live more honestly. They explore how fear, shame, and sadness often hide beneath anger, and why many men are disconnected from their bodies, relationships, and even themselves. From childhood messages to faith, parenting, and emotional repair, this conversation is vulnerable, practical, and full of grace. Whether you’re just beginning to name your emotions or walking others through healing, this episode offers language, insight, and permission to feel.

Takeaways

• Anger is often the visible emotion masking fear, shame, or sadness.

• Most men are taught to intellectualize or avoid emotions entirely.

• Emotional fluency begins with naming what’s actually happening inside.

• We often fear our emotions will make us weak—but vulnerability leads to strength.

• The body holds emotional wisdom many of us were never taught to trust.

• Emotional repair is possible in relationships when we lead with honesty.

• Faith, theology, and masculinity all shape how we relate to our emotions.

• Safety and curiosity are the prerequisites for emotional healing.
  

Resources

Chip Dodd Emotions Chart: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62e2d6c397d6ff1fd356ed8f/t/632cbee0b6a9703239cd018f/1725475063690/8+Feelings.pdf 

Learn more about Three Percent:

🌐⁠ www.threepercentco.com⁠

📸 Instagram –⁠ @threepercentco

Chapters

(00:00) Welcome to the Emotions Episode

(03:00) Why Talk About Emotions?

(06:00) Men and the Fear of Feeling

(09:00) What We Learned Growing Up About Emotions

(12:00) Anger, Sadness, Shame—What’s Really Underneath?

(16:00) Why Men Disconnect From the Body

(20:00) Faith and Emotional Formation

(25:00) Emotional Literacy in Parenting

(28:00) When You Feel Unsafe in Relationship

(32:00) The Power of Curiosity and Naming Emotions

(36:00) Repair, Vulnerability, and Starting Again

(40:00) Final Thoughts on Living Fully Alive

Keywords

Three Percent, masculinity, emotions, emotional health, anger, fear, shame, sadness, vulnerability, holistic masculinity, emotional literacy, fatherhood, parenting, emotional intelligence, Christian men, faith and emotions, childhood wounds, trauma, inner work, embodiment, safety, repair, naming emotions, identity, integrity, spiritual formation, relationship dynamics

In this honest and redemptive episode, we talk with Young Woong Yi—pastor, church planter, and spiritual formation leader—about anger, masculinity, and becoming a safe man. Young shares how growing up in an immigrant household shaped his relationship with emotions, and how repressed sadness and generational patterns of power led to a breaking point in his marriage. He opens up about the life-saving intervention of his church, the deep healing that followed, and what it means to cultivate emotional safety in leadership, relationships, and spiritual formation. This episode is a masterclass in transformation, humility, and the long road to becoming whole.

Takeaways

• “An emotionally volatile man is not a safe man.”
• Repressed anger often masks deeper emotions like sadness, fear, or shame.
• Emotional safety is a core component of holistic masculinity.
• The church can be a place of healing when leaders respond with grace.
• We often say to our spouse what we never got to say to our parents.
• Healing begins with language, awareness, and the courage to ask for help.
• Anger’s gift is advocacy—but only when processed with honesty and care.
• Spiritual formation must address emotional and mental health, not just theology.

Check out more of Young Yi:

📸 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brotheryoung/

Substack: https://substack.com/@brotheryoung

🌐 Church Plant – https://www.instagram.com/kindredchurchmi/

Learn more about Three Percent: 🌐 https://threepercentco.com/

Chapters

(00:00) Meet Young Yi – Pastor, Photographer, Church Planter

(02:00) Blake’s Story: Anger Repression and Performance

(04:30) A Relationship with Anger?

(07:00) Emotional Abuse, Immigrant Parenting, and Powering Up

(10:00) Learning How to Win Through Anger

(13:00) From Veterinary School to Ministry

(16:00) Marriage as a Mirror: Anger Exposed

(18:00) “You’re Bullying Me”: The Catalyst for Change

(20:00) Church Leadership Responds with Grace

(23:00) Six Months of Paid Leave and Intense Therapy

(26:00) What Changed Young’s View of Masculinity

(29:00) Anger Isn’t Always Justified Action

(32:00) The Anger Iceberg & Sadness Beneath the Surface

(35:00) Generational Messaging: “Men Don’t Cry”

(38:00) Learning to Say: “That Made Me Really Sad”

(41:00) Advocating for the Child Within

(45:00) How Anger Impacts Spiritual Formation

(49:00) Church Culture, Jesus, and Emotional Health

(52:00) Final Encouragement to Men: Ask for Help

(54:00) Where to Find Young & Kindred Church

Keywords

Young Yi, Three Percent, holistic masculinity, anger, emotional safety, immigrant family, Korean American, spiritual formation, church hurt, inner child, marriage counseling, masculinity and emotions, mental health in ministry, vulnerability, leadership, discipleship, shame, sadness, advocacy, safe men, healing, therapy, pastoral care, emotional intelligence, Kindred Church, genogram, Pete Scazzero, Voice of the Heart, Rich Villodas, Chip Dodd, Christian men, identity formation, marriage restoration

In this episode, we sit down with writer, editor, and host of The Writer’s Circle podcast, Will Parker Anderson. Will opens up about the intersection of storytelling and vulnerability, holistic masculinity modeled by Jesus, and why real writing—and real life—requires full presence. From discussing confession and shame to the importance of being known in community, this conversation offers wisdom for anyone seeking healing, depth, and the courage to be honest. Will’s pastoral insight and personal honesty will challenge and comfort you.

Takeaways

• The best writing is the overflow of honest living.

• Holistic masculinity is modeled by Jesus—servanthood over dominance.

• We can’t be fully known by God if we hide from people.

• Vulnerability isn’t an event—it’s a habit of letting light in.

• Confession is painful but leads to soul-level relief and formation.

• Mentorship and trusted community are vital for healing.

(00:00) Meet Will Parker Anderson

(02:00) Writing as Overflow of Living

(04:30) Holistic Masculinity as Servanthood

(09:00) Vulnerability in Storytelling and Relationships

(14:00) Why Men Struggle to Tell the Truth

(18:00) You Can’t Be Known By God Without Being Known By Others

(22:00) Healing from Hurt Happens in Relationship

(26:00) The Poison and the Cure Grow Side-by-Side

(30:00) Will’s Story of Confession and Grace

(36:00) The Risk of Vulnerability

(41:00) What Gets Affirmed Gets Repeated

(45:00) Neurobiology of Being Seen and Known

(50:00) Mentorship and Gentle Discipleship

(54:00) Where to Find Will and Writer’s Circle

Keywords

Will Parker Anderson, Three Percent, writing and vulnerability, storytelling, holistic masculinity, servanthood, confession, shame, grace, recovery, writer’s circle, Penguin Random House, Substack, emotional intelligence, community, mentorship, being known, faith and healing, honesty, Jesus, fatherhood, integrity, spiritual formation, trauma recovery, mental health, deconstruction, masculinity and faith, relational healing, writing process