The Vital Masculinity Podcast

Vital Masculinity

We provide modern men with direction by cutting through the noise and offering insightful commentary on classical masculinity with step-by-step guides designed to direct you on your path to noble manhood. Learn from saints, great thinkers and doers, and your ancestors about what it means to be a saintly man, including ways to forge a strong moral character, foster brotherhood and manly friendship, and pursue a strong and virtuous way of life. read less
EducationEducation
Self-ImprovementSelf-Improvement

Episodes

Tom Ruby | Maxims for Life
20-05-2021
Tom Ruby | Maxims for Life
In this episode, Stephen interviews retired Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on some hard fought wisdom he has acquired throughout his life and career. Rubes' Maxims/Show Highlights: Goodness Breeds Goodness - Why is it important to act for the good of others (and yourself)?Seek Balance in Life - How do we overcome the temporary nature of so many areas of our life and focus on a longer-termed, balanced lifestyle?Truth Doesn’t Change Based on the Rank of the Recipient - Why must we always tell the truth, even if it has undesirable consequences?Focus on the Mission - Why carrying out our goals requires us to keep the mission in mind and dutifully tackle all the minutiae.If You Have to Eat a Frog, Staring at it Won’t Make It Go Down Easier - Why must we confront difficult issues head on?Iron Sharpens Iron - The importance of challenging ourselves as leaders and men for personal and professional growth.Bloom Where You’re Planted - Why do we need to put energy into the present instead of focusing completely on the future.They Can’t Say No If You Don’t Ask - One of the only ways to get what you want is to ask those that can give it to you.You Can Never Go Back - A sad truth about life that we all must master as we mature. About Tom: Tom is a retired Air Force Colonel with 26 years of active duty experience and the CEO of Bluegrass Critical Thinking Solutions. He is widely published and speaks globally on topics including critical thinking, leadership, strategy, and morality in warfare. Connect with Tom: Twitter: (@bgcts) Website
Stained Glass Zealot | Why Beauty Matters
29-04-2021
Stained Glass Zealot | Why Beauty Matters
In this episode, Stephen sits down with Stained Glass Zealot, one of the foremost members of the Twitter Aesthetics-Sphere to discuss the importance of beauty and the positive benefits men get from surrounding themselves with beautiful things. Show Highlights: – Why beauty matters? – A good heuristic for appreciating beautiful things. – The problem with progress and linear history. – Why you should read The Decline and Fall of Western Art. – The oppressive nature of ugliness in art and architecture. – Why we need to start focusing on long-term and eternal things. – The beauty of fractal patterns. – The relationship between beauty and our thoughts and the state of our soul. – Why you need to curate your timeline. – How contemplating beauty can change you. – How can we reclaim beauty in the public sphere? – Learning to be humble through the appreciation of the art of our ancestors. – If you want to RETVRN to tradition, you need to surround yourself with the knowledge of the past. – How our ancestors aesthetics had values and morals embedded in them. – Why does a religious worldview lead to more beautiful aesthetics? Patron-Exclusive Content: We live in a world full of ugliness – there’s no doubt about that. As beauty continues to recede from our life, many young men have been asking about how we can begin to reintroduce it and surround ourselves with it. On our patron-only question, Stained Glass Zealot answers a question from patron Sean R. on how we can do just this and explains the concept of Lindy, which can be a useful tool for reducing the modernist ugliness that crowds so many areas of our life. References: Madonne Assise by William Adoplhe Bougereau Connect with Stained Glass Zealot: Twitter: (@glass_zealot) Instagram Substack
Dr. Andrew Montanaro | How the Bible Teaches Us to Live Manfully
22-04-2021
Dr. Andrew Montanaro | How the Bible Teaches Us to Live Manfully
In this episode, Stephen and Brian interview Dr. Andrew Montanaro, a professor of Sacred Scripture at Christendom College in Front Royal, VA on the subject of Biblical Masculinity, growing in wisdom, and what the Book of Sirach can tell us about living manfully. Show Highlights: Why we need to give everything to God.How boys and men get left behind, and how Scripture can call them to greatness.Examples of great men in the Bible.What does spiritual readiness look like?Why men should study the Wisdom Literature.How do Biblical lessons apply to 21st century men?What the Book of Sirach/Wisdom of Sirach can teach us about wisdom, masculinity, and family life.What can we learn from Ben Sira's mission?How proper education includes both teaching and demonstrating information/wisdom.Father-Son language in the Book of Sirach.How gaining wisdom requires discipline.Why you should make your family like a school.Was Ben Sira's project successful?Why we need to think long term in our goals. Exclusive Patron Content: On our patron-only question, Andrew discusses how we can use the wisdom from the Book of Sirach (as well as the other wisdom literature and the Bible as a whole) to live more meaningfully masculine lives in the modern world. Sign up for our Socrates Tier at $5/month for access to this and more! About Andrew: Dr. Andrew Montanaro is an Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at Christendom College. His research interests include biblical theology, the transmission and use of Scripture in pedagogy, masculinity, wisdom literature, and ancient languages. Keep in Touch with Andrew: Website
MICHAEL THOMAS | Homesteading, Planting Roots, and Your Place in the World
29-03-2021
MICHAEL THOMAS | Homesteading, Planting Roots, and Your Place in the World
In this episode, Stephen interviews Michael Thomas of Sharon, a homesteader, on the importance of homesteading, tradition, place, and much more.   Show Highlights: Why Michael decided to go live on an 18th century farm. The importance of a sense of place. Why tradition and culture are tied in to place. What we can learn from those that came before us. On man's reaction to modernity and what we can do about it. The role of God and faith in tradition.  The balance Michael carries between modernity and tradition. Why we need to "purify" ourselves first before jumping fully into homesteading. The importance of humility and learning from our mistakes. Why incremental steps are better than a big, sudden move. The need for others and learning from the past. The importance of the Benedict Option. How you can connect with Michael and learn more about his projects in upstate NY.   Exclusive Patron Content: On our patron-only question, Michael gives his advice on how young men can get started with homesteading and the skills they should develop now in order to make it successful.     Sign up for our Socrates Tier at $5/month for access to this and more!   About Michael: Michael is a homesteader who lives on a 1795 Colonial Farm in Sharon Springs, NY. He and his family run an orchard, breed dogs, and much more on their farm, and he works to spread the beauty of homesteading to the traditionalist side of the internet.     Keep in Touch with Michael: Twitter: @MichaelTG09 Website     ---   Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe.     Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter.     You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@ManlyVirtue), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity)
Agape, the Divine Love
13-03-2021
Agape, the Divine Love
In this episode, the gents examine what C.S. Lewis considered the fourth love, Agape or divine "God love." Show Highlights: Is love really all you need, as the Beatles said?The necessity of relying on God's help in order to love properly.What a properly ordered love looks like.Why Agape is the only love which does not have the potential to bring misery.How Agape relates to the other three loves.How God "implants" the capacity to love - gift-love and need-love particularly - in us.The cure for restless hearts.  Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@ManlyVirtue), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
Can Men and Women Be Friends?
06-03-2021
Can Men and Women Be Friends?
In this episode, the gents tackle a more controversial question - can men and women be friends? Should they be? The answer is more complicated than you may think. Show Highlights: A recap of the three Aristotelian forms of friendship.Can men and women be friends?Why is there typically the temptation to eros in these friendships?What does male/female friendship look like before marriage?The rise of nice guy syndrome.Should you be friends with a member of the opposite sex when you're in a relationship?The importance of boundaries - the "Mike Pence" rule.Why men and women should have their own spaces to be with "their own." View the full show notes here. Related Podcast Episodes: The Problem with Nice Guys Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis   About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
KENNEDY HALL | Overcoming Effeminate Masculinity
01-03-2021
KENNEDY HALL | Overcoming Effeminate Masculinity
This week, the gents sit down with Catholic author Kennedy Hall to discuss his books on masculinity and how we can combat and overcome the rise of "effeminate manliness." Show Highlights: How Kennedy's "vague cultural Catholicism" influenced his development as a man.How did he ultimately realize the problems with modern masculinity?The nature of effeminate masculinity.How can men become less effeminate and more masculine?How important should a man's faith be?Family Be Damned and why good fiction can inform and enliven the soul. View the full show notes here. About Kennedy: Kennedy Hall is the author of Terror of Demons: Reclaiming Traditional Catholic Masculinity and Family Be Damned, as well as the host of the Fatima Centre's Kennedy Report. Keep in Touch with Kennedy: The Kennedy Report Website Newsletter Twitter: @kennedyhall --- About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@ManlyVirtue), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
Marriage and Chastity
26-02-2021
Marriage and Chastity
In this episode, the gents discuss the institution of marriage and the virtue of chastity, including her role inside and outside matrimonial covenants. Show Highlights: What is the virtue chastity?The common misconception that chastity only refers to celibacy.What does a rightly ordered sexual appetite look like?What is marriage?The traditional understanding of marriage.The role of sex and chastity within marriage.The four aspects of marriage.Marriage as a 'type' of Christ and the Church.Chastity in single people and married people.Examples of 'unchastity.'Why chastity is important in dating/courtships. View the full show notes here. Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis Catechism of the Catholic Church About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@ManlyVirtue), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
Distortions of Eros: Victorianism and Promiscuity
11-02-2021
Distortions of Eros: Victorianism and Promiscuity
In this episode, the gents discuss continue their exploration of distortions of eros, the third love, by examining the opposite approaches advocating a Victorian puritanism and a more open and promiscuous stance. Show Highlights: How do Christians properly view the body and natural desire?Why is a promiscuous worldview incorrect?What do the Victorians and Puritans get wrong about a prude and rigid treatment of eros and sex?What a properly ordered eros or desires look like.Why sex and pleasure are, at a base level, good until they become corrupted.Is eros mainly an evolutionary appetite?Does this carnal element of eros make it dangerous?Why our view of Eros and sexuality need not be restrictive if ordered properly. View the full show notes here. Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity).6xgment names before you publish --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
Distortions of Eros: Pick-Up Artists & the Red Pill
05-02-2021
Distortions of Eros: Pick-Up Artists & the Red Pill
In this episode, the gents discuss the issues with PUA and the Red Pill movement, discussing how each are distortions of eros.  Show Highlights: What is a pick-up artist?What is the Red Pill?Why do more men seem attracted to these movements/philosophies?The relationship between evolutionary psychology and the Red Pill.The problems with making sex your top priority. The manipulative nature of these philosophies.What do these both get right?What do these both get wrong? View the full show notes here. Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
Distortions of Eros: Casual Dating & Hookup Culture
29-01-2021
Distortions of Eros: Casual Dating & Hookup Culture
In this episode, the gents explore two modern distortions of Eros or romantic love: hookup culture and casual dating. Show Highlights: Recap of the definition of eros.Becoming worthy of your love.Dating and discernment of marriage.Defining casual dating.What is friendship "with benefits"?Transactional sex and hookup culture.Physical love over all else -> the credo of the modern world.The damage that comes from hookup culture.The subordination of love to pleasure. Related Episodes: Masculinity and Femininity: Biological Differences Masculinity and Femininity: Psychological Differences Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis View the full show notes here. About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
PROF. SCOTT YENOR | Recovering Family Life
26-01-2021
PROF. SCOTT YENOR | Recovering Family Life
This week, Stephen and Brian sit down with Professor Scott Yenor of Boise State University to discuss his new book The Recovery of Family Life. Show Highlights: Why do we need to recover family life right now?What is the "rolling revolution?"How has feminism mixed with other cultural and political aspects to get us here?What is the end goal of feminism and the rolling revolution? Is there one?Why haven't conservative and traditional institutions done more to stop the transformation of family life?How do we fix this as a society?The pros and cons of legislating a new pro-family society.How each man can fight back and help reclaim a healthy, stable, traditional family life. View the full show notes here.  Resources: The Recovery of Family Life by Professor Scott Yenor Exclusive Patron Content: On our patron-only question, we discuss Professor Yenor's run-in with the cancel culture mob, how he handled it, and his advice for how we can react and respond to those that seek to cancel us for the opinions we hold or the life we live. Sign up for our Socrates Tier at $5/month for access to this and more! About Scott: Scott Yenor is a PhD and tenured professor of political science at Boise State University, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute. He has authored multiple books and also writes at multiple sites Keep in Touch with Scott: Website YouTube Book Website --- Give us a like, follow, subscribe, and leave us a rating and review - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe.  You can learn more about our mission and find more content at our website at vitalmasculinity.org or at our Patreon page. Connect with us on Twitter or Facebook and sign up for our newsletter as well to stay on top of all our latest content. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
An Introduction to Eros, the Third Love
22-01-2021
An Introduction to Eros, the Third Love
In this episode, the gents begin an analysis of C.S. Lewis' third love, eros, and explore why this is more than pure romance or only about sexuality. Show Highlights: Is eros just about sex?The relationship between eros, lust, and sexual desire.Pleasure vs. Person focused loves.The human aspects of eros.Friendship vs. eros.Does eros aim at happiness?Why this love should not become a god. Resources: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout. --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe. Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter. You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support
The Limits of Friendship
15-01-2021
The Limits of Friendship
In this episode, the gents wrap up their discussion on friendship by investigating limits and ends of these relationships. Show Highlights: Defects in relationships.Self-imposed limits.Physical, Mental, and Spiritual limits to friendship.What happens when virtuous friendships turn bad?Friendship and the innermost self.Man's helplessness and friendships.How friendship ultimately respects the personality of the individuals.Why these limitations are "God's occasion." Resources: The Art of Being a Good Friend by Hugh Black The Four Friendships by Kevin Vost About our Sponsor: Covenant Eyes is a screen monitoring and accountability platform for all your devices which will help you kick your porn addiction once and for all. Stephen personally used this to help him break free of the vicious cycle of addition. The resources provided by Covenant Eyes also help you identify triggers, form healthy new habits, boost your confidence, and restore hope so that you can live the life you want to live. Our followers can get 30 days FREE by using the promo code "VIRTUE" at checkout.  --- Please like, subscribe, and leave a rating and review. Be honest - this feedback is crucial to helping us improve the quality of our show and reach like-minded men across the globe.  Check out our website at vitalmasculinity.org and apply to join our active Discord chat group which you will receive an invite to by signing up for our newsletter.  You can also contact us via email (hosts@vitalmasculinity.org), Twitter (@theVMPod), or Gab (@vitalmasculinity).  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vitalmasculinity/support