Savage Gentleman Podcast

On this episode, I sit down with World Master's Weightlifting Champion, multi-facility CrossFit owner, and good friend, James Ellis, to record a deep and lengthy conversation out in my barn. Despite achieving such high accolades and accomplishments, it seems these might be the least interesting things about him. After joining us at our second Legion of Savage Gentlemen Event, James shares some of his takeaways from the experience and we discuss his expertise in building a community (among many other things). It's pretty wild ride, full of insight and inside jokes that highlight the fact that there is strength in numbers...if we are willing to be open enough to allow others to walk close enough beside us along our journey.

In this long overdue special episode, we sit down with Dr. Josh Sharpe and have a live discussion on the evolution of Savage Gentleman as an idea, a company, and a way of life. We delve into the process of becoming a Savage Gentleman through experience and intention. He and I discuss how a man can cultivate both his Savage and Gentleman sides to reach the full potential of who he was created to be. Towards the end, we open up the floor for some Q&A and dive into the body - mind - spirit cycle. We touch on how this progression inspires and guides the process of becoming a Savage Gentleman and how it has become the thesis for our live experiences within the Legion of Savage Gentlemen.

What would it be like to suddenly flee your home and seek refuge in a new town with complete strangers? How would you cope with the physical and emotional stress of being the one your family looks to for protection from the imminent danger of war? Recently, I had the unique opportunity to speak with a young man who is living this experience right now in Ukraine. Our friend "Nick" joins us for a powerful discussion on his current situation there, and shares some of the mental and emotional struggles he is currently facing. We talk about the strategies he has put to use to help him manage living through a war, as well as the valuable lessons he is learning about himself and human nature.

In today's modern world, more and more of our time and attention is demanded of us. We are told from every direction how to think, what to buy, and where to look. And if we aren't careful, we can get so caught up in the noise and static that surrounds us, that our lives drift past without us realizing. To prevent this, our guest Ryan Michler sets boundaries in all aspects of his life. From his commitment to his own podcast, to allotting time for his family, to practicing his own personal development, he creates certain "non-negotiables" that form a boundary around his time and attention. In this episode, we talk about this process and how it allows him to maintain a healthy family/work balance in his own business, Order of Man. He also speaks to using boundaries in one's principles, to maintain your honor and integrity.

UFC Hall of Famer, former Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion, Randy Couture, joined us for some heavy hitting life lessons he's learned over the years. Making the transition from Army Veteran, to Collegiate Wrestler, to UFC fighter, to blockbuster actor, Randy talks about learning to find his purpose moving from one era in his life to the next. We talk about how he uses his "wrestler's mindset" to navigate through difficult times and how finding a likeminded community is so important for men.

The legendary Bert Sorin joins us on this episode to discuss how he uses his love of sport and the outdoors to sharpen his senses. In our conversation, he relates how he has been able to hone his senses through various experiences in order to make better and better decisions. We talk about how heightened sensitivity allows us to receive more feedback to guide us in both business, relationships, and everyday life. Bert is the President of Sorinex Exercise Equipment, 4 Time D1 Track and Field All-American, avid hunter and outdoorsman, and a helluva cool guy with one of best beards in the game. If you're into hunting, lifting, entrepreneurship, and being legendary, definitely give this one a listen!

In times of crisis there are well established protocols for communication. These are tried and true methods that have been documented for centuries and are the foundation for effective crisis management. Regardless of your political stance, we can all agree that the past 2 years have been one huge debacle, and we have all seen first hand some perfect examples of the ways NOT to manage a crisis.  Our returning guest today just so happens to be getting his doctorate in complex systems and global crisis management and has some unique perspective on the matter. As a former adventure tour guide, Ryan Palmer started his career in "phoenix tourism" in South America, establishing the infrastructure for tourists to return to post conflict war torn countries. This experience led him into consulting on global security and foreign affairs which spurred his desire to better understand the inner connectedness of complex systems. In this episode, he shares some insight into how things SHOULD be handled and we discuss some potential reasons why they haven't been, without even needing to don our tin foil hats.

Whenever I get a chance, I like to do a little live feed in our Savage Gentleman closed Facebook Group we call the "League of Savage Gentlemen." In this episode, I touch on some of the ethos of the group, get a little bit personal, and also dive a deeper into a few recent conversations. Specifically, I delve into the concept of men making art, something that seems to be a waning practice in modern culture. Art being created by men that embodies and exalts masculine ideals has fallen out of favor over the past decades. Sadly, this has resulted in a decline of these traits in society and an increase in the negative consequences a lack of masculinity brings. While some would prefer to tear down everything they dislike (and sometimes this is necessary) it is also equally if not more important to create something better to replace it. If this sort of thing is of interest to you, I highly recommend you hop over to Facebook and check us out with the link below: https://www.facebook.com/groups/322075035235080 Cheers, and I look forward to seeing some of you over there!

This special episode is from and an interview for CHEST Magazine with Savage Gentleman educator, Matt Beaudreau. A former MMA fighter, turned school teacher and administrator, he now consults Fortune 500 companies while also running ACTON Academy and his Apogee program he co-founder with Tim Kennedy. In our conversation, Matt explains how his experience in the public, private, and collegiate education system pushed him to create his own schools. We discuss how boys today are lacking an "agoge" type coming of age, and how he is working to recreate a more positive environment for building better men.

Lucas O'Hara was an Army sniper and executive bodyguard, who now runs his Grizzly Forge blacksmith shop out of the Black Rifle Coffee headquarters in Salt Lake City. After spending the morning designing and forging a new knife for Savage Gentleman, we sit down for a deep conversation about his process, his mentality, and his story of transition throughout his life. Continuing with the theme of overcoming adversity, I run into a snag in when the camera shuts off midway through. After troubleshooting the problem and a bit of backtracking on the parts were lost, we quickly get back on track. Proving that sometimes, the best thing we can do is to keep moving forward and make the best of what we have. (It also proves that I should never be trusted to manage the audio and video equipment solely by myself, as I am still a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal when it comes to technology).

I once again sit down in the NonProphet studio, this time to record a long overdue session with Mark Twight. Mark is a prolific writer and photographer, that is best known for his accomplishments in the world of alpine climbing and the fitness industry. His exploits in the mountains (and the training he endured to facilitate them), earned him an advisory position with the U.S. military and subsequently connected him to the realm of Hollywood, where he was responsible for training the actors of the film "300" and "Justice League". In our conversation, we discuss his passion for firearms and shooting, his foray into the world of personal defense, his ability to pivot and transition through life, and most notably how his own efforts and autonomy inspire and impact others. This is our longest episode to date, but it is replete with wit and wisdom from a man who has just about done and seen it all, making it worth every minute.

Recently, my friend Will Jenkins came into town and took me on my very first proper quail hunt. After a successful afternoon in the field, we sat down with some Glenfiddich and recorded a conversation about the day's events and Will's latest endeavor, TryUpland.org. We delve into the serenity of upland hunting, the merits of trying new things, being both a mentor and mentee, defining success, carving out a path in the world and learning as you go. Will is an avid outdoorsman who runs a blog called "The Will to Hunt" and has worked in the industry with the likes of Donnie Vincent and many others.

We once again welcome our friend Jack Donovan to the show to discuss his most recent book, "Fire in the Dark". Like a modern day Prometheus, Jack's writing and philosophy help illuminate the way for many men looking for guidance and his latest piece is no exception. Along with his book release, we talk about about why ideals are necessary, the all importance of Tik Tok, being "Real" versus being an "Ideal", and giving ourselves the license to inspire others.

At certain points of our life, we all seek to make some changes to ourselves. Quite often, these are soley directed toward our external appearance, which is actually just a reflection of our internal and external environments. In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Erin and Michael Blevins in the NonProphet Podcast Studio to discuss some of their methods for changing one's environment both inside and out. Though our conversation centered around the Carnivore diet, nutrition, exercise, and Batman, the biggest take away was using these things to improve someone's overall quality of life, not just to look a certain way. You can learn more about Erin Blevins and her latest book "The Essential Carnivore Diet Cookbook" on her website: https://www.shutupwork.com/ To check out more of Michael's work and the nebulous "Space Program" you can check out his website here: https://www.nonprophet.media/

Being a dad isn't easy and there's no training manual to follow, but that doesn't mean we still can't gain an edge... Our guest, Larry Hagner of the Good Dad Project and the Dad Edge Podcast, joins us to chat about some of the invaluable lessons he's learned along the way. We talk about teaching our children physical literacy, how to be autonomous, and the importance of creating space between our reactions and our response.

Yesterday, I was in the shop and decided to go live on Instagram to have an open and candid conversation on how we have gotten here and how we can start to fix things. This is a raw and unedited recording of what was discussed regarding the death of George Floyd, the protests and riots, and the current state of affairs. We welcome your input in continuing the discussion and working together to help rectify the problems we are facing. Cheers, - Josh

It wasn't long ago when the barbershop was the place where men could discuss ideas and exchange different viewpoints. A place to not only groom one's appearance, but also one's mind. It was the contemporary version of the ancient Greek and Roman forums. In an effort to resurrect this time-honored tradition, we teamed up with our buddies over at Throwbacks Barber Company to bring you a new series we are calling "Man Behind the Cut". For our first episode, Vincent "Rocco" Vargas sits down with our very own, Josh Tyler, to discuss fatherhood, his fighting career, and the idea behind Savage Gentleman.

When tragedy strikes, how we react says a lot about our character and who we are as a person. Certain events are so catastrophic, they can even define entire generations. That is the case with September 11th, where men and women dropped everything to go and help their countrymen, and an entire nation banded together in unity. We spoke with one such individual, Fireman Rob Verhelst, who volunteered to sift through the ashes in the aftermath of the Twin Towers' collapse. In this episode, we talk about what he took from that experience and the thing that we was ultimately able to let go of.

Tanner Guzy, author of The Appearance of Power, joins us to discuss the idea of dressing with intention, and how dressing up doesn't just mean wearing a suit and tie. In this episode, we go over the nuances of how our appearance can affect our self-image just as much as how others may see us, which can determine our success in certain endeavors. He also brings up the notion of self-improvement LARPing, a phenomenon that many men fall prey to in this day and age of social media, where instant gratification can often supersede actual growth and real achievements.

This episode was recorded with our buddies over at ReadyMan, where we dropped in for their weekly Live Feed to discuss some different approaches for getting our asses up off the couch...  During our chat, we go over why most people typically lose motivation for working out and often fall short in reaching their fitness goals.