186. Johnny Elsasser - The Art of Masculinity

Part 1 of 2 with THE LEGEND - Johnny Elsasser.  As a long time fan of Johnny's podcast - The Art of Masculinity, it was an honor to have the opportunity to interview him.  The story begins with not knowing. Johnny's parents divorced when he was about 14 and he didn’t really care to be around either. At one point Johnny found myself living in a tent in his aunt and uncle’s backyard. He came to the end of high school and realized he did nothing to set himself up for the future nor did he even know where to go. So, he ended up in the one place he never could of imagined…the U.S. Army recruiting office.  This was 2004, early in the Iraq war and Johnny was a tall, skinny kid, in great shape from soccer, but no military pedigree whatsoever. He chose to create a future in the U.S. Army and in a fortuitous way, ended up in the elite 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. Johnny found a purpose here and found something bigger than himself. As he excelled at being in special operations the time came when he left to work as a contractor protecting the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. Johnny did this for 5 years after the military and in this effort, his purpose and life remained similar as the paramilitary role held similarities to full time military. However, when he left to be part of normal society, the transition was extremely arduous.Johnny finally began to listen, to read, to understand that he hadn’t defined myself as a man in today’s world. He hadn’t taken inventory and created the man he wanted to be and therefore, he could never show up with the power and confidence he had in Battalion.Johnny  realized that if he was struggling with this, not only are his brothers but also many men in this world who were taught they couldn’t expose their vulnerability for fear of being looked at as less than. Johnny took that moment to decide that he needed to help men, he needed to show his background and say that men of all backgrounds have the ability to struggle and that we are not alone. By banding together, learning from one another, and embracing our individual authenticity is the way that we become our best version and we influence the next generation of a healthy and strong masculinity for years to come.Johnny's WebsiteJohnny's InstagramDesign The Man Within BookTHE FOUNDATION - Virtual Community for Young MenBuilding Men InstagramBuilding Men WebsiteBuilding Men YouTubeBuilding Men FacebookWork with Dennis as your 1 on 1 coach If our podcast resonates with you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing it with anyone who you believe would benefit from the message.Visit our sponsors - Finish The Race – Home of the official Building Men gear  THE FOUNDATION - Virtual Community for Young MenBuilding Men InstagramBuilding Men WebsiteBuilding Men YouTubeBuilding Men FacebookWork with Dennis as your 1 on 1 coach If our podcast resonates with you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing it with anyone who you believe would benefit from the message.Visit our sponsors - Finish The Race – Home of the official Building Men gear