Modern Manhood: A Compilation On Redefining Masculinity, True Strength & Igniting Purpose, Community & Vulnerability In Men

This modern masculinity compilation emerged from recognizing a through-line: conversations kept exposing similar wounds from different angles.

Not planned—just the same patterns revealing themselves through different voices over the years.

I kept thinking: this could have been me. Different decade, same trajectory. Lost, looking for meaning. Desperate for someone to tell me I mattered. Ready to follow any voice that offered purpose.

The collapse is measurable. Friendships hemorrhaging—down fifty percent in my lifetime. Economic opportunity is concentrated in an ever-shrinking circle. Ten hours daily are lost to devices by design. But data doesn’t capture the exhaustion of cosplaying confidence. The psychic toll of maintaining parallel lives.

Yes, toxic masculinity is the problem everyone can see. But visibility isn’t a solution. We’ve created this void where mentorship has dissolved, and pernicious stuff fills that vacuum by default. Rites of passage vanished, community eroded, and the worst possible models rushed in. And we’re shocked that young men are rudderless?

But what does emotionally available even look like? How do we level up a generation that’s been written off?

This collection brings together NYU Stern professor Scott Galloway, actor and former NFL player Terry Crews, NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, bodybuilding legend and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jungian therapist John Price, pioneering male supermodel John Pearson, and H2O frontman and straight edge pioneer Toby Morse—voices exploring what’s fractured and what could be rebuilt.

Today, we unpack:

• The friendship recession and its mental health impact
• Boys without role models facing higher incarceration rates
• Digital isolation that preceded the pandemic
• Why strength and vulnerability complement rather than contradict
• The elephant metaphor illuminating the male crisis

Guest list with links to full episodes:

• #826 – Scott Galloway
• #676 – Terry Crews
• #827 – Jonathan Haidt
• #784 – Arnold Schwarzenegger
• #939 – John Price
• #739 – John Pearson
• #816 – Toby Morse

The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Peace + Plants,