American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said that true success is “… to appreciate the beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better…” Clearly, that guy never had two kids and a mortgage. In this…
What Men Would Tell You…About Success
Keeping it 100
Is “keeping it 100” a thing people still say these days? Many eons ago, back in 2015, it meant “to be you, be honest, be true to yourself and the people you love, be unapologetic but respectful at the same…
Santa Gets Real
We all have a story about what it means to be a man. What we aim to do on The Man Rules podcast is to help each other figure out how we can be the authors of our stories. We…
Waking Up: A Deep Dive with Chris Cole
In The Man Rules Deep Dive episodes, Dan talks to one man about his particular experiences coming to terms with some facet of his identity as a man. This month, our Deep Dive guest is Chris Cole, author, life coach,…
The Good Man vs. The Real Man
If you were asked what it means to be a good man, what would you say? What if you were asked what it means to be a real man? The contradictions between the answers to those two questions drive much…
RecomMENded Reading – April
If you want to change old patterns of thought and behavior—like choosing more consciously how The Man Rules fit into your life—you’re going to need to broaden your perspective and gain some personal insight. There’s no better way to do…
Turn Your Fears Into Actions – Episode 59
Jess Pettitt is, among other things, a diversity educator. Did you just roll your eyes at that? Did you shudder at the memory of a terrible corporate diversity training you we forced to attend in the past? Did you recall…
Three TED Talks That Are Changing The Meaning of “Man Up”
Are we finally seeing a shift in our culture for men? These three amazing TED talks for men make me think that the answer is a resounding “yes.” We still have a long way to go, but as long as…
When Your Dream Is Not Your Dream – Episode 53
As men, we often define ourselves by degrees of career success. It’s not enough to produce good work–you have to produce the best work. It’s not enough to provide a modest, but comfortable living for yourself and/or your family–you have to provide…
Tune Out to Tune In – Episode 52
Visit the children’s clothing aisles in your favorite department store, and you’ll quickly see how deeply obsessed we are with gender dichotomies. You can be either masculine or feminine, dolls or trucks, pink or blue. You can either be tough…
Practical & Tactical Tips: Don’t F&#k It Up! (Episode 36)
“Fathers be good to your daughters; daughters will love like you do.” John Mayer‘s song “Daughters” — while only slightly less cheesy than “Your Body Is A Wonderland” — hits upon a very real pressure that fathers of daughters around the…
Episode 36: Don’t F&#k It Up! Dan & The Deep Dive Guys Share Advice For Dads With Daughters
Girls who grow up with fathers who are angry, dismissive, and/or emotionally absent will grow up to be women who take a lot of shit from men. (Generally speaking, of course.) This well-evidenced assumption can be a source of tremendous…
Practical & Tactical Tips: Uncomfortably Numb – Rick Belden On Grief & Loss (Episode 35)
“The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb.” So many men could relate to that Pink Floyd lyric. Leading what Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation,” so many of us stuff down our negative feelings day…
Episode 35: Uncomfortably Numb — Poet Rick Belden On Grief & Loss
When you were a young boy, you were probably very comfortable expressing grief over your losses. When the wheel fell off your favorite choo-choo train, you cried. When you lost your beloved binkie, you cried. If you had a pet…
Episode 22: The Deep Dive Guys Start Making Cents! Dan Griffin, Tim Walsh, and Michael Dinneen Talk Money
Folks, do you like a good bargain? Then you’re going to LOVE the deal we’re offering to you, and only you, our best listeners, on this episode of The Man Rules podcast! If you listen now, you’ll get to hear…
Episode 22: The Generational Gender Shift — Jack Myers On Gen Z & Masculinity
Times are changing. Especially in terms of our society’s attitudes about traditional gender roles. For some, times can’t change fast enough. They are eager for a time when we’ll finally be free from the personal and professional limitations that result…
The Man Rules Podcast – A Recap
For several weeks now, we’ve been bringing you fresh episodes of The Man Rules, a podcast about supporting men through their successes and struggles. What do you think so far? Here’s a quick recap of the core issues we’ve been exploring….
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants – Episode 6
John Lee has been at the forefront of the movement to help men with their health, psychological and spiritual well-being and recovery for decades. He has written 23 books on men’s issues, recovery, anger, grief, relationship, creativity, and spirituality. He…
Promise #7: We will lose interest in selfish things
Are men naturally self-centered? Sure. Are women? Yes, though they may express it differently. What does it even mean to be self-centered? Mostly, it seems to mean that we are human.
Staying in Healthy Relationships
A running joke in our training’s is that the issue for men is not whether or not we can get into relationships. Men have no problem getting into a relationship! The real challenge is staying in relationships. And given everything…
Manly Feelings
One of the great Man Rules™ is: Don’t feel. Of course, it is actually men aren’t allowed to feel anything other than anger. It is not manly to express the “softer” feelings. We learn it very early and often brutally and that…
Do You Know the Story of Your Life is the Greatest Story Ever Told
We all have our stories. Every man has his story of how he has become the man he is today. Yet, we do not always put a lot of time into knowing our story – or sharing it with others. …