Of all the podcasts I could recommend to men interested in men’s work and personal development, Lost Man Standing with Rainier Wylde probably tops my list. On paper, the reason why you should listen to what Rainier has to say is a long one. He was a college professor who taught ego psychology and human development. He was a former psychotherapist. He has a graduate degree in community counselling and an undergrad in human development. He’s a certified vocational specialist. And he’s a former spiritual director and pastor.

But, as Rainier would be the first to tell you, the titles a teacher has held and the credentials he has on his walls mean very little if he hasn’t also lived and learned through struggle and failure. Rainer has failed on numerous occasions in his life and he’s very open about it.

I believe that’s one of the reasons Rainier is able to communicate deep, meaningful wisdom so effortlessly to his listeners. He humanizes the complex inner workings of the human psyche and soul through personal stories of struggle and triumph. He intertwines these stories with ancient myth and recounting of human history, highlighting the fact that while the details change from man to man the overarching stories and their effect remain largely unchanged. 

Storytelling is an art form that has been an integral part of human culture for as far back as we can look. However, that art form of communicating deeply ingrained cultural truths through story has largely been lost over the past hundred years or so.

Rainier would say that you should listen to him because he’s failed. I would say that you should listen to him for the same reason I do: because he’s able to take the lessons he’s learned from failure and craft them into meaningful stories that impact you at the level of your soul. 

And he does so with a light hearted, warm, almost childlike approach. When you listen to him it feels as though he’s speaking directly to you. 

Rainier is one of those rare people who is an expert in most of the quadrants of the goal wheel and his podcast covers personal development, career, fun & recreation, family & friends, and physical environment. 

There’s a lot we covered in our conversation together, primarily focusing on personal development, but it’s really only scratching the surface of what he has to share. After you listen to our conversation I encourage you to listen to his podcast, Lost Man Standing, and check him out on Instagram, @rainierwydle. Being a writer as well, Rainiers blog is definitely worth checking out  - https://www.rainierwylde.com/