Jonathan Conrad was having panic attacks at work. Twins on the way. Stress through the roof. Work was his idol and he knew it.

The only thing he knew to do was pray.

Not because he was holy. Not because he had it figured out. Because it was the one prayer he remembered from childhood — and it was all he had.

He started praying the rosary every day on the way to work. Out loud. Fingers on the steering wheel. Not even meditating on the mysteries. Just saying the words.

And he didn't pray for himself to change.

He prayed for everything around him to change.

But he was the one who changed.

That's the episode. Jonathan is the founder of Catholic Woodworker — the man behind the rosary that's in my hands every single morning. We talk about what it means to be intentional with your family the same way you're intentional with your business. About the excuse of blaming your kids, your wife, your circumstances. About brotherhood, isolation, and why the lone wolf path is killing men. About Saint Francis. About beauty. About what it means to go to Jesus through Mary.

And about what happens when a man stops trying to fix everything wrong with him — and starts discovering the gifts God already put there.

This one hit different.

Get your hands on Jonathan's work at Catholic Woodworker.

If this episode moves you — send $5 on Venmo @robbilljr. Top supporters get official producer credits on the show.

// Raise them in the way

and when they're grown

they will not stray

Four months into having my son Theo — I stood up from meditation and found myself on the floor.

Hypostatic blood pressure. Dangerously high. Heart rate through the roof. I hadn't been training. I told myself I didn't have time.

That was the moment I understood — this isn't about vanity. An unfit dad is a liability to his family. Full stop.

Here's the stat that stops me cold every time. Children of active fathers are 3.5x more likely to be physically active themselves. Active moms? 2x. An active dad has nearly double the influence of an active mom on whether his kids move their bodies.

Nobody told you that you were that important.

77% of men don't meet the bare minimum federal guidelines for physical activity. 150 minutes of moderate movement per week. A brisk walk. And most men aren't hitting it. Three out of four men you know are functionally useless if they have to do something physical.

The dadbod isn't relatable content. It's a message your kids are receiving right now — about what a man's relationship with his body looks like. About complacence. About resignation. And they will repeat it.

So here are the three things every dad needs to train. Not nice to haves. Non-negotiables.

Strength. Flexibility and prehabilitation. Conditioning.

We get into all of it — how to build each one without a gym membership, in the time you actually have, with your kids watching and learning alongside you. Plus the gear system for conditioning that I used to charge people thousands of dollars to measure in a lab. Turns out your breath tells you everything you need to know.

Don't waste your money.
HomeGrown Fitness // American-Made
Rediculously Reasonably Priced

And we get into what the research says about exercise as a treatment for depression and anxiety — comparable or superior to psychotherapy and pharmacology. You're not just getting fitter. You're getting freer.

Last week's programming is live inside The Grit Collective — my free brotherhood. Link here.

If this episode hits — send $5 on Venmo @robbilljr. Top supporters get official producer credits on the show.

Om landed in Israel on October 5th, 2023.

Two days later, the world changed.

He was there. His family was there. His friends were there. And the man who had spent years learning to regulate his nervous system — who had meditated in caves in Europe, lived in India, done the deep work — was about to find out if any of it was real.

It was.

But it took months to process. Months of shaking. Months of feeling unsafe in the deepest part of his being. And it was only because of the tools he'd spent years building that he came out the other side — regulated, grounded, and more committed to this work than ever.

This conversation goes deep.

We get into the patterns men run to avoid feeling — over-positivity, avoidance, the dreamer who's always chasing the next thing instead of being here. The difference between talking about the work and actually doing it in your body. Why you can read every book, hire every coach, and still not shift — because you cannot read your experience. You can only experience it.

And we get into what it actually means to be witnessed by a group of men. Not talked at. Not coached. Witnessed. And why that changes everything.

Om is one of the most grounded men I know. He's also my co-facilitator at The Rite — June 12-15 in Nevada City, California. Only 6 spots left. 66% off

Apply at his website 👇

If this conversation moves you — that's probably why.

And if you listened, tip me $5 on Venmo.

Find Om:

Instagram

ombenavraham.com

// Persist

Frank had the balls to ask the question most men are too afraid to voice.

Am I present enough? Am I focusing on the right things? Am I building a career at the expense of the years I'll never get back?

This episode is for Frank. And it's for you. Because if you're asking the question — you already know something's off.

The world is built to distract you. To show you everyone's highlight reel. To keep you in performance mode — chasing the title, the house, the car — while the years with your kids accelerate and you wonder where the time went.

My son is five. I blinked. There are three of them now.

You can't put life back in the box.

So we get into it. The performance trap. The provider paradox. The 2026 version of the absent dad — physically there, nowhere near present. What your kids actually need from you. And the one practice that makes all of it possible.

You don't have to choose between being successful at work OR being the father your kids need. You can have both.

But you do have to put in the work.

This one's worth your time.

Brennan Schlagbaum paid off $76,000 of non-mortgage debt in one year on a combined $92K income. Built financial freedom. Got his wife home. Moved across the country for his daughter's healthcare. And turned a spreadsheet into a national bestselling book.

But this episode isn't really about money.

It's about the emotional weight of providing. The story you inherited that money is scarce and hard and something to be afraid of. And the system that actually works when willpower runs out.

Most families have $2,000 sitting in their budget they don't know about. Not because they're irresponsible — because nobody ever showed them how to look. 88% of your financial decisions are running on autopilot right now. And 78% of men are living paycheck to paycheck not because they don't make enough — but because they never built a system.

Brennan built one. For his family first. Then for 3,000 others.

The three month look back. The 30 minute money date that actually brings you and your wife closer. The cashflow goal worksheet that turns vague dreams into hard dates and real numbers.

Your wife staying home doesn't have to be a fantasy. Financial freedom isn't reserved for people who make more than you.

It starts with a system. And it starts here.

Find Brennan: Instagram — @budgetdog

Email — [email protected]

Book — The Roadmap to Financial Freedom

Love Languages aren’t fixing your marriage.

They might be the reason it feels off.

Not because they’re wrong…
—but because they turn love into a checklist.

Acts of service. Words of affirmation. Physical touch.

Cool.

But if you’re just “doing the reps” without presence, without intention…

she feels it.

And that’s where most men get stuck.

You’re showing up.
You’re doing what you think you’re supposed to do.

But it still feels like roommates.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why Love Languages fall short
• How they quietly turn your relationship into a transaction
• The real question your wife is asking (it’s not about her “language”)
• Why stress kills connection faster than anything
• And what actually brings your marriage back to life

Because at the core of it—

Every Love Language is trying to say one thing:

“I choose you.”

And if she doesn’t feel that…

nothing else lands.

If you’re tired of the distance…
If you want the edge, the connection, the polarity back…

This is where it starts.

📩 DM me “READY” or hit the link to apply.

No more drifting.

You’re working. Providing. Showing up.

Trying to be a good husband. A good dad.

And still…

It feels like it’s not enough.

So you do what most men do.

You push harder.
Work more.
Try to fix it.

And somehow that just creates more distance.

Because underneath all of it is this belief:

👉 “I’m only worth what I can contribute.”

And when that’s running the show…

Everything gets twisted.

• Your wife’s emotions feel like pressure instead of connection
• Conflict turns into defense instead of understanding
• You start tying your identity to work… or her approval
• When she’s off, you’re off
• You try to fix the marriage without becoming a different man

You’re not broken.

But you might be building your life on something that will never hold.

There’s another way to live this.

But it starts with getting honest about where your worth actually comes from.

You think you’re just a tired dad.

Long day. Work. Kids. Life.

So you sit down for a minute… grab your phone… scroll…

…and somehow you feel worse.

More tired.
More irritated.
More disconnected from your wife and your kids.

Here’s the truth:

You’re not tired.

You’re addicted.

In this episode, I break down what’s actually happening in your brain—and why so many dads feel drained, distracted, and checked out even when they’re doing “everything right.”

We talk about:

• The dopamine loop that’s keeping you stuck
• Why cheap hits (scrolling, porn, junk food, caffeine) are killing your energy
• How overstimulation makes real life feel dull
• Why you feel exhausted… but still can’t put your phone down
• The exact steps to break the cycle and get your edge back

This isn’t about discipline.

It’s about awareness—and taking control.

Because this doesn’t just cost you energy.

It costs you your presence.
Your marriage.
Your kids.

____________

You’re Not Tired — You’re Addicted to Dopamine

You think you’re tired.

But you’re not.

You can still scroll.
Still drink another coffee.
Still stay up later than you should.

So what is it?

You’ve trained your brain to chase dopamine.

Quick hits. Easy wins. Constant stimulation.

And now real life doesn’t hit the same.

Playing with your kids feels like effort.
Connecting with your wife feels like effort.
Even getting started feels heavy.

That’s not low energy.

That’s addiction.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

• You’re stuck in a cycle of dopamine spikes and crashes
• Your brain is lowering sensitivity just to keep up
• Real life starts to feel dull and gray
• You need more stimulation just to feel normal
• What feels like “tired” is actually low drive

You’re not exhausted.

You’re overstimulated — and it’s costing you your presence.

Get the full mini-training here.

Most parents think they’re doing the right thing.

Good school. Good grades. Follow the path.

But step back and look at it honestly…

Are you raising a child?

Or feeding a system?

In this conversation with Matt Boudreaux, we break down what’s actually happening inside modern education—and why more families are walking away from it.

We talk about:

• Why the system rewards compliance, not thinking
• What “socialization” actually does to kids
• Why most kids lose curiosity, confidence, and drive
• The real role of parents in raising capable humans
• How homeschooling, community, and environment change everything
• The truth about phones, tech, and AI in your child’s development

This isn’t about public vs homeschool.

It’s about whether your kid becomes:
👉 independent
👉 capable
👉 grounded

Or just another product of the system.

If you’ve ever felt like something was off…

This will put words to it.

Most couples don’t fall apart because they don’t love each other. They fall apart because they’re overwhelmed.

Stress hijacks your nervous system.
You stop thinking clearly.
You stop connecting.
And without realizing it—you turn on each other.

This isn’t a communication problem.
It’s not love languages.
It’s not compatibility.

It’s regulation.

In this episode, I break down:

• Why stress turns you reactive and disconnected
• Why so many couples drift into the “roommate phase” after kids
• What the couples who stay deeply connected do differently
• How to regulate yourself so you stop snapping, shutting down, or withdrawing
• Simple ways to rebuild connection starting tonight

If your marriage feels distant, tense, or off…

This will show you what’s actually going wrong—and how to fix it.

The full mini-training