Men Talking Mindfulness: Mental, Physical, and Emotional Fitness to Elevate Performance and Resilience for Leaders and Teams Under Pressure!

What if the things we say and do to support our bravest are actually the things putting them at risk?Dr. Shauna Springer is back. A Harvard-trained psychologist and Chief Psychologist at Stella Mental Health, she’s spent over a decade as a trusted “doc” to warfighters and first responders. Her new book, Fallout: 10 Common Beliefs That Kill Our Bravest and the Truths That Can Save Them, dismantles the well-intentioned myths quietly costing lives — from suicide awareness campaigns to the idea that resilience can simply be taught. In this episode, Shauna aka Doc joins Jon and Will to dig into why connection beats every tool and treatment, why grief and trauma need completely different approaches, and the innovative biological treatment changing how PTSD is healed.IN THIS EPISODE:1.  Why suicide awareness campaigns can increase risk instead of preventing it2.  The difference between grief, trauma, and moral injury — and why they need different treatment3.  Elasticity vs. resilience: a better framework for sustainable peak performance4.  Why suicide often feels selfless, not selfish, to a warrior — and how that changes prevention5.  The dual sympathetic reset (DSR/SGB): treating PTSD as a physiological injury firstMore about Dr. Shauna Springer:Check out her website to connect and learn more plus find her latest books.: https://www.thinlineadvisory.comEmail: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docshaunaspringer/Column: Mental Edge Mondays — https://www.crackyl.com/mental-edge-mondays-the-body-keeps-the-score-but/Stella Mental Health: dual sympathetic reset / stellate ganglion block treatment - https://stellamentalhealth.com/treatments/sgb-dual-sympathetic-reset- Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

The longest relationship you'll ever have is the one inside your own mind. Most men have never been formally introduced.Jimmy Wightman — former London DJ turned global meditation teacher — joins Jon and Will for an honest conversation about what a consistent medit3IN THIS EPISODE:How Jimmy's Meditation practice saved his relationship in real timeConcentration, sensory clarity, and equanimity are the three components that rewire behaviorEquanimity: the magical third option between reacting and suppressingHow people-pleasing is a nervous system pattern mindfulness exposes and rewiresWhat Jon, Will, and Jimmy still get triggered by — and what they do about itHow to choose a meditation style: interest, opportunity, necessityRELATED EPISODES:Ep. 120 — Creating Emotional Stability with Jay FieldsEp. 111 — Accessing Inner Harmony: Mind-Body Integration with Luke IorioEp. 138 — Curiosity Is Key to Breaking Men Free from Judgment and RuminationMore about JIMMY WIGHTMAN:Instagram: @that_meditation_guyWebsite & Courses: delvedeep.com Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Steven Pressfield spent 27 years writing before his first novel was published — enduring 21 jobs, living in 11 states, and at times out of his car. Finally, at age 52, Steve finally, what Joseph Campbell calls, “Seized the Sword”.Since then, he’s written over 20+ books and sold millions of copies. His most famous works are: The War of Art, Turning Pro, Gates of Fire (Gates is on the US Marine Corps commandant's mandatory reading list), and he also wrote the 2000 Oscar-nominated film, The Legend of Bagger Vance. His newest book, The Arcadian, was just released May 26th.Steven comes on Men Talking Mindfulness to talk about the inner war every man is fighting — against Resistance, and the risks of actually Turning pro.IN THIS EPISODE:-What Resistance is — and why it wants to kill you, not just stop you-The one question Steven asks at the end of every day — and why it changes everything-Why warrior virtues and artist virtues are identical-The Muse — what it is, where it comes from, and how to tune in-Amateur vs. pro: the mindset shift that separates people who do from people who mean to-The authentic swing — Bagger Vance, the Bhagavad Gita, and your true callingRELATED EPISODES:-Overcoming Procrastination-The Shadow Holds Your Power, Not Your Pain with Connor Beaton-Finding Your Purpose-Curiosity Is Key to Breaking Men Free from Judgment and RuminationPRE-ORDER THE ARCADIAN BOOK &FOLLOW STEVEN PRESSFIELD:-stevenpressfield.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter-Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.comA2A COURSE:Change is Possible, this is where it starts - 12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Self-paced.-https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course- Maps to Module 2 of A2A: Observing Your Inner World Without Being Owned By ItBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:-focusnowtraining.com/contactCo-produced by Robert Lopez cratesaudio.comHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Our A2A Course is live and at 40% off until Friday, May 29th at 1pm ET. Visit https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course to sign up NOW!!Marcus Aurelius said it nearly two thousand years ago: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. On this episode of Men Talking Mindfulness, hosts Jon Macaskill and Will Schneider sit down with Andy Riise... army officer, mental performance coach for NFL athletes including the Chicago Bears, and host of the Skull Sessions podcast... to break down the approval trap and why it's quietly running most men's lives.Will lays the biological foundation. Fear of negative evaluation, FNE, is one of the most studied patterns in clinical psychology. Your brain processes social rejection through the same neural circuits it uses for physical pain. Getting dismissed in a meeting registers the same way getting punched does. That's evolutionary wiring, not weakness.The guys get into the spotlight effect (Cornell research showing people overestimate how much others notice them by roughly double), Andy's story of deliberately sitting with a different group at the West Point prep school mess hall, and Alyssa Liu's gold medal comeback after quitting figure skating to rediscover why she loved it in the first place.Jon, Will, and Andy walk through how FNE shows up in daily life: the yes-man pattern at work that stalls careers, the reassurance-seeking in relationships that erodes attraction, the Disney dad trap of buying approval instead of earning respect, and the deepest layer... the ghost. Most men are performing for one or two specific people from their past, and they've been doing it for decades.Andy teaches the BASS framework he uses with NFL athletes for real-time emotional regulation. Will adds a values audit and a spotlight effect experiment. And Jon talks about how purpose is the single biggest antidote to approval-seeking, which ties directly into the A2A (Awareness to Action) course launching through Focus Now Training.What you'll hear in this episode:Why social rejection activates the same brain circuits as physical painThe spotlight effect: half as many people are watching you as you thinkAndy's West Point mess hall story and why crossing social lines is the real macho moveAlyssa Liu's gold medal run and the next-play mindsetHow FNE shows up at work, in relationships, with kids, and in communityThe ghost concept: who you're still performing for decades laterBASS framework: Breathe, Accept, Separate, ShiftMotivational interviewing basics: OARS (Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, Summarizing)Purpose as the antidote to approval-seekingAndy's podcast: Skull Sessions (available everywhere) Andy's TEDx talk: Fight to Win the War from WithinFull episode: https://pod.fo/e/3abd25Text MTM to 33777 for updates on new episodes, the A2A course, and resources from Focus Now Training.Jon's book, DIAL in Your Leadership: 4 Non-negotiables for Leading with Clarity, Trust, and Purpose, is available now on Amazon. https://a.co/d/0hYwI2SzFollow Men Talking Mindfulness, Jon Macaskill, and Will Schneider for more.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

What happens in the space between a trigger and your reaction? That gap — the one most people don't even know exists — is where everything changes. In this special episode, Will and Jon break down the concept live during the Awareness to Action (A2A) course launch webinar, walk the audience through a real-time breathwork exercise to experience the gap firsthand, and explain how training this skill can transform the way you lead, parent, and show up in every relationship.Whether you're a maxed-out leader running on fumes, someone searching for a change that actually sticks, or just going through a hard season, this one's for you.Sign up for the Awareness to Action (A2A) course: https://focusnowtraining.com/A2A-course Or text MTM to 33777Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Have you ever been mid-conversation with your partner, felt your jaw tighten, your stomach drop, your brain go sideways — and some part of you already looking for the exit? That's not a character flaw. That's your nervous system treating your partner like a threat.EJ and Tarah Kerwin are couples therapists, founders of Relationship Renovation, and parents of twins born on their honeymoon. EJ — a yoga teacher and therapist — turned avoidant the moment real chaos arrived, and Tarah had a name for it: Buddhist motherf***er. They had to learn everything they now teach by surviving their own marriage in real time.This conversation goes deep on why your success traits destroy your closest relationships, how your childhood nervous system patterns are running your marriage without your consent, and what emotional safety actually feels like when a man finally builds it.IN THIS EPISODE:Why the traits that made you successful at work become your biggest relationship wreckersWhat a genogram reveals about your patterns — and why compassion always followsFINE = Feelings Inside Not Expressed — and what that silence costs youThe difference between hypo arousal and being regulated — most men confuse the twoTriple H — Heard, Hugged, or Helped? Ask before you fixYour partner is your greatest teacher — if you stop running from the lessonRELATED EPISODES:Ep. 105 — Learning to Respond Without Reactivity with Dr. Charles FrelighEp. 120 — Creating Emotional Stability with Jay FieldsEp. 124 — No More Mr. Nice Guy with Dr. Robert GloverFOLLOW EJ & TARAH:Website, Podcast& Couples Coaching: relationshiprenovation.comBook: Relationship Innovation at Homework — AmazonGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletterSubscribe & All Episodes: mentalkingmindfulness.comA2A COURSE:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Self-paced. Built for people who hate the word mindfulness.focusnowtraining.com/a2a→ This conversation maps directly to Module 4 of A2A: Regulating Your Nervous System Under PressureBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:Custom attention, resilience & leadership training. In-person or online.focusnowtraining.com/contactHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Leaders are exhausted from a job they're not actually doing. They're exhausted from the performance of doing it. The mask, the armor, the carefully calibrated version of themselves they put on every morning before walking into the office.In this solo episode, Jon breaks down what leadership theater is costing you, your team, and your family. Why most leaders are running on imposter syndrome and don't know it. What happens when you finally drop the armor. And five honest questions to ask yourself this week to start dismantling the mask.Awareness to Action is here. The course Will and I have been building for the last year officially opens May 27th. Twelve modules that walk you through this exact work. Sit in on the live launch webinar that same day and you'll get a coupon code for 40% off the course, good for 48 hours after the webinar ends.Register for the webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HY7Nta6rQXaoAWZTEEPQGAText MTM to 33777 to get the course info, the webinar link, and everything else we're doing.Or just click here: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/linkinbioTimestamps: (00:01) The Mask of Leadership: Authenticity in the Workplace(02:21) "Leadership Without the Mask: Embracing Authenticity"(07:29) Cultivating Authentic Leadership: Steps to Building Trust and Real Connections(10:05) "Embracing Authentic Leadership: Five Questions for Self-Reflection"(13:53) Embracing Authentic LeadershipHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

We've got a new course, Awareness to Action, launching May 27. Text MTM to 33777 or hit this link to stay in the know: https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interestEpisode notes:We almost didn't make it past the first few episodes.Jon was filming from a yellow Fiat with black racing stripes in a Starbucks parking lot, stealing their wifi. Will was in his old apartment. The dogs walked through every shot. The phone overheated so badly Jon would drop off and Will would carry the show alone. We had no plan, no audience, no producer, and no idea what we were doing.275 episodes later... we're still figuring it out. And that's kind of the whole point.Today's episode is about two things. Starting before you're ready, and why community is the thing that actually keeps you going once you do.We talk about the moment Will convinced Jon not to quit the show. The gold mine story... how close we came to stopping right before things broke open. Why Gene Roddenberry was embarrassed by the first episode of Star Trek (and why that's a good sign). What we've learned from 275 conversations with people like Jocko Willink, John Eldredge, Sean Fargo, James Nestor, Dr. James Doty, Nir Eyal, Steven Kotler, Howard Behar, Stanley Cup winners, SEALs, Special Forces, Olympic athletes, monks, psychologists, and guys who rebuilt their lives from scratch.Every single one of them started before they were ready. Every single one of them had somebody in their corner.If you've been sitting on something... a project, a business, a conversation, a creative thing you keep putting off... this one's for you. The timing will never be perfect. You will never feel ready. Start anyway. Start ugly. And find your people.We also talk about our new course, Awareness to Action, launching May 27. Text A2A to 33777 or hit this link to stay in the know: https://focusnowtraining.com/a2a-course-interestHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Who are you when everything you've built your identity on gets taken away?For Dennis Connors, that question wasn't hypothetical. A teenage USA rock climber turned Marine Corps intelligence operator, he served three combat tours in Iraq supporting Tier 1 Special Operations, ran 250 interrogations, and came home with multiple undiagnosed TBIs, severe PTSD, and two strokes — the second partially paralyzed his left side. In March 2018, his call sign was still Villain and he had a plan to end his life the next day. What happened on the other side of that moment took him to the Paris 2024 Paralympic podium as a Silver Medalist and to a TED stage where he made 4,000 people cry.IN THIS EPISODE:Why Dennis stood at the dark edge in March 2018 — and the single moment that stopped himHow undiagnosed TBIs compounded PTSD for years — and why he toughed them both outVulnerability reframed: not disclosing weakness — opening a conversational gateSelf-worth tied to results vs. self-love that doesn't collapse under pressureWhy community with shared passion goes deeper than shared service aloneThe four pillars of perseverance: vulnerability, self-love, disciplined action, communityRELATED EPISODES:Ep. 123 — Bipolar General: Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin's Forever War with Mental IllnessEp. 106 — Transcending Trauma with Dr. Frank AndersonEp. 135 — The Lie of Self-Sufficiency: Jon Macaskill on Why Men Carry Too Much AloneFOLLOW DENNIS CONNORS:Website: dennisconnorsusa.comLinkedIn: Dennis ConnorsGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletterSubscribe & All Episodes: mentalkingmindfulness.comFNT Website: focusnowtraining.comA2A COURSE:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Self-paced. Built for people who hate the word mindfulness.focusnowtraining.com/a2a→ This conversation maps directly to Module 3 of A2A: Building Unshakeable Self-Awareness Under PressureBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:Custom attention, resilience & leadership training. In-person or online.focusnowtraining.com/contactHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Text A2A to 33777 to stay in the know about our upcoming Awareness to Action Course!Carl Jung said that when a man deals with his own shadow, he does something real for the world. On this episode of Men Talking Mindfulness, host Will Schneider sits down with Connor Beaton, founder of Man Talks and author of Men's Work, to get into what shadow work actually looks like for men and why most of us have been trained since childhood to avoid it.Connor explains why men tend to carry a denser shadow than women. Masculine culture teaches strength through suppression. Stuff it down, hide the weakness, perform. The result is that the parts of yourself you've rejected... anger, vulnerability, self-compassion... don't go away. They go underground. And they start running the show from there.Connor walks Will through the mechanics of how anger gets repressed and creates the nice guy pattern, how shame gets used on boys to gain compliance and then keeps grown men living small, and what he calls shame-based motivation... using pain as fuel to achieve, which works until it doesn't.Connor shares his own story of bottoming out in his late twenties, living in the back of a Pontiac G5, apprenticing with a Jungian mentor, and the conversation with a close friend that changed everything. He and Will get into relationships as mirrors for shadow, the difference between guilt and shame, psychedelics and the default mode network, and why the real work for men is growing down into yourself rather than always building up and out.What you'll hear in this episode:Why masculine culture creates a denser shadow through suppressionThe nice guy pattern and what happens when anger goes undergroundShame-based motivation and why it has a shelf lifeConnor's crisis story and the two things that pulled him outSeparating personhood from behavior and why it matters for fathers and sonsRelationships as the clearest mirror for your shadowPsychedelics, the default mode network, and accessing the unconsciousGrowing down instead of growing up as the real path to maturityConnor's book: Men's Work Connor's website: ManTalks.com Man Talks Alliance: ManTalks.com (courses, live calls, community) Connor's platforms: Instagram, YouTube, SpotifyFull episode: https://pod.fo/e/33c406Text MTM to 33777 for updates on new episodes and resources from Focus Now Training.Jon's book, DIAL in Your Leadership: 4 Non-negotiables for Leading with Clarity, Trust, and Purpose, is available now on Amazon. https://a.co/d/0hYwI2SzFollow Men Talking Mindfulness, Jon Macaskill, and Will Schneider for more.shadow work for men, Connor Beaton, Man Talks podcast, men's shadow work, shame and masculinity, anger suppression men Men Talking Mindfulness podcast, Will Schneider, nice guy pattern, shame-based motivation, Jungian shadow, men's personal development, separating personhood from behavior, default mode networkwhat is shadow work for men, why do men suppress anger, how does shame affect men, what is shame-based motivation, nice guy syndrome and anger, how do psychedelics help shadow work,Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information. Check out our Awareness-to-action Self Mastery COURSE & COMMUNITY:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Work at your own pace plus a community built for Inspiration and connection.1.  www.focusnowtraining.com/a2a-CourseJOIN US IN PERSON — Future Events and Retreats.1.  Live in-person event: Warrior Defined. We will be in Charlotte, NC, September 25, 2026 more info HERE: Or mentalkingmindfulness.comGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletter1.  Subscribe: mentalkingmindfulness.com2.  FNT: focusnowtraining.comBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:1.  focusnowtraining.com/contactProduced by Robert Lopez | https://www.cratesaudio.com/