#112 - Why Men Can't Feel Happy (Even When Life Is Good) with Stefanos Koutsoumpis PhD

I sit down with Stefanos Koutsoumpis, a men's coach based in Athens, Greece, who holds a PhD in physics and a hard-won understanding of what it actually means to feel happy. Not perform happiness — actually experience it. He walks me through how chronic overthinking was actually a symptom of emotional suppression, how he discovered mindfulness through Sam Harris and eventually trained with the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, and how he came to build a coaching practice specifically for men — a demographic he describes as often more willing to open up to a stranger at a bar than to the people closest to them. We go deep on men and community, why the "lone wolf" approach quietly destroys people, how hope has two components (belief and a path), and why experiential learning — getting in the fight, not studying it — is the only real way forward. Learn more about Stefanos on his website : https://www.mindfullife.coach/ 5 Simple Ways to Feel Happier & More Fulfilled Today - Without Changing Your Job Chapters: [00:00] Giving Yourself Permission to Be Human [04:00] From Physics PhD to Men's Coach [08:00] Living Like a Ghost — The "Never Enough" Trap [12:30] How Mindfulness Actually Changed Things [19:00] You Can't Force Someone to Change [23:00] Why Men Open Up to Strangers, Not Friends [28:30] Tools: Experiential Learning Over Head Knowledge [33:30] Breaking Big Problems Into Small Steps [37:30] Learning to Feel the Good Stuff Too [42:00] Practices That Actually Work Free 1-month of the Meditation App - Waking Up https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC58BD912 Please Subscribe to my YouTube - YouTube Subscription Link Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.