Basecamp for Men E103: Freeing Yourself from “Niceness”

E103:Freeing Yourself from “Niceness” with Special Guest James Rapson

 

E103 Introduction

One of the common things I see men struggle with is how do you break out of this people pleasing fixation. It is the curse of Nice Guys and Nice Girls. You always need to be getting your approval and validation “over there”. It seems that, if this was a strategy we used as children, unaddressed, this coping pattern will continue to assert itself, showing us in spades that simply pleasing others with our niceness is an insufficient strategy if we are to navigate  our lives in more heroic and authentic ways.

I used to be a full on people-pleaser. No shit. Many from my past might remember this side of me.  A Nice Guy. UGH!! Now I see that it was all part of my development as a man. I needed to outgrow this immature, validation-seeking part of myself. And I had many teachers along the way. Particularly when I got involved with the Mankind Project.

I remember when I first got initiated by MKP and attending my very first men’s wisdom councils. I couldn‘t believe how these guys spoke to one another. There was a rough-and-tumble honesty among the men and complete disregard for being nicey-nice.  These men commanded respect with their truthfulness and authenticity.

It wasn’t that these men were just being assholes, although sometimes this happened when a man was triggered. It’s that they had a freedom of expression that was not bound by the Nice Guy mold. I  would use these chapters in my life to grow past the old Happy-Go-Lucky Nice Boy that was such a dominant part of my young adult life. The Warrior archetype would finish him off in my forties as my inner strength as a man grew.

I still know many men that are hemmed in by incessant people-pleasing. It‘s widespread. My guest today wrote a book and knows a lot about this topic. I’m looking forward to dialoguing with him.

James Rapson Bio

James Rapson has been an innovator in the field of personal and professional development for over 20 years. A former psychotherapist, his focus is now on training and coaching. He is an internationally-published author and a nationally-recognized speaker and workshop leader.

And he co-authored the book Anxious to Please: 7 Revolutionary Practices for the Chronically Nice with long-time friend and collaborator Craig English. Here is my interview with James Rapson.

E103 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed our time with James as much as I did. To find James and his book, go to www.jamesrapson.com

Basecamp for Men E101: What is Skillful Living?

E101: What is Skillful Living with Special Guest Chris Beatie

 

E101 Introduction

I received a text message from a friend that had a little list of Right Livelihood principles and I immediately wanted to do an episode about it. Making a weekly 30 minute show turns you into someone who makes fast creative decisions.

I don’t have tons of episodes in the pipeline the way some podcasters do. I am a shoot-it-and-upload-it-now sort of guy. I tend to find stuff and turn it into content quickly.  I think this has been a blessing as I know some podcasters who labor over episodes for weeks trying to get it just right.

I really don‘t have the temperament for that. So I will see a meme or read an article that someone sends me and I’m off and running.  Make it good, pull the trigger on publish, and move onto the next episode.

Also, podcasters rarely have time to listen to other peoples podcasts. Isn’t that funny? All of the podcasters I have interviewed and spoken with all tell me the same thing: I am too busy making my show to listen to much else. Such is creative life at the microphone.

My guest today is my good friend Chris Beatie.  He’s a man who walks the talk and someone I can always count on. Let’s go have a conversation with him about skillful living.

Chris Beatie Interview

E101 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our time with Chris and found value in that episode. I love the way Chris shows up as a man. We had a good laugh afterwards as we asked each other-did we get too personal? And then we both shrugged and said, “Fuck it, it’s good they hear this.”

I count Chris as someone I can trust on about 10 different levels. And my blessing to you my listener is that you have a man or two in your life who is unafraid of owning up to his own shadow the way that Chris models for us.

It opens up the possibility that we can speak to one another with newfound honesty and courage. It means we can finally be real with one another.

 

 

Basecamp for Men E99: Leaving the Left

E99: Leaving the Left with Special Guest Lisa Rezac

 

E99 Introduction

I wanted to speak with you a bit today about a particular part of my Hero’s Journey and bring my life-partner and wife of 27+ years on as another set of eyes.

I have spoken of my political leanings in season three from time-to-time. I have even unpacked how I felt jettisoned by the radical left agenda. Many of you might be feeling the same way.

One of the most alarming things that I witnessed throughout this so-called pandemic was the liberties that Americans seemed so willing to give up in service to an authoritarian voice that told them this is how it had to be. It was and is appalling to me.

There is a part of me that is still scratching my head a bit. But I have also moved on. My take is that people will wake up when it’s their time. Neo will awaken. This much I know. For it lives inside of our Divine Imagination as  mythic prophesy.

Like I said in the last episode, using some of our most cherished and valuable myths and interfacing them with the Matrix and the Lord of the Rings, etc. If you can only parrot what the MSM is saying, you are still in the slime pod. Even if you pride yourself on your intellect and your critical skills, if you are parroting what the enemy wants you to parrot, you are still in the Matrix. You are playing a character Neo. The character you are playing is one that can’t be duped or fooled. You are too smart. Too on the ball. Too aware. You are a proud liberal and dammit, that means something. Such is the way of the ego.

As I have continued to riff on myths such as the Fallen Goddess Myth, I have started to become aware of an interesting dynamic. That, as Americans, we have our own version of the Goddess: our beloved Lady Liberty, the Feminine Soul  of our great nation. That she has been treated so shabbily and nearly forgotten by a group that will do nothing but hate and demean her. WHAT THE HELL?!?

Will everyday men and women defend her honor? Will liberals? Do you really need to have your freedoms stripped from you before you see what you truly have in this country? It’s an insane approach if you do. And much more full of suffering.

Why not honor the Goddess that is in front of you by showing her the reverence, love, and and awe that she deserve . And defend her when she is attacked. Are you following me?

I see people not wanting to step up here, no matter their political leanings. Maybe they are following the riffs on myth and the Grail and the Goddess and all the things I seek to challenge you with. But they still take too passive of a stance when defending this Goddess. She needs Warriors, both men and women, that are awake. People that are willing to put their backs into it.  Our ancestors (and future generations) are counting on us. We will not them down.

I want to let my mythic imagination run free. When I look back on my life, I see that freedom was always of utmost importance to me. It is in the core of my being. And the country that I was born and raised in and even taught to hate by my liberal education, is a living breathing Goddess herself, isn‘t she? America is and will continue to be a beacon of Light, for the world. And she is in the middle of HER rebirth.

Just consider what I am sharing with you. Trust me. I want to challenge you but we are on the same side, you and I. My prayer and my deep intention is that we continue to find each other through boundaries that we were always meant to break free from.

Speaking for  both Lisa and I, we welcome those of you who are arriving and we deeply honor you on your Hero’s Journey, no matter which chapter you are on.

E99 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our time with the always interesting Lisa Rezac. My hope is that, if you are a die-hard liberal, you can come away with a fresh perspective of Libertarians and Conservatives that might look a little like Naomi Wolf’s newfound appreciation. Nothing will melt illusory boundaries between these camps like mutual appreciation and gratitude.

I also highly recommend, especially liberals, join Telegram. I promise you that you won’t die. What WILL happen is you will start to become aware of things that are unfolding that are being omitted and censored by Big Media and Big Tech. Telegram is full of citizen journalists and independent and critical thinkers and yes, “conspiracy theorists”. You will even see people reposting some of Q‘s drops.

One thing Lisa forgot to mention when we were speaking of the difference in information between Telegram and MSM is she mentioned the massive demonstrations that are going on all over the world. Huge gatherings to protest masks, vaccines, shut-downs, and government overreach into our liberties. Are you seeing any of this on YOUR feed? Well, it’s happening.

If you do decide to make your way to Telegram, start with a simple follow: a channel called We The Media.  It’s sort of the baseline on Telegram. From there, you can find interesting voices and  citizen journalists whom you enjoy.

All of it exists for your awakening. I trust all of you to have the bandwidth and discernment to find the threads that most spark your curiosity and Divine intelligence.

 

 

 

 

Basecamp for Men E88: Conversations About Men

E88: Conversations About Men with Special Guest

Brandon Clift

 

E88 Introduction

It has been interesting to me to watch the evolution of the show as we make our way along season three. When we created the tagline of the show of “Men, Myth, and the Hero’s Journey” it was made to be specific enough to give me focus but wide enough to make room for inspiration, the esoteric, and any other topics that caught my fancy.

I knew that if we continued to focus on our collective awakening, The Great Awakening, as it is now being called and giving you tools for your own Hero’s Journey, you would find value in the 30 minutes each week that you listen.

As my own spiritual journey has progressed, I have found that my radar for Truth has been fine-tuned by the Divine. I know that many of you are having your own breakthroughs as well. Whether that comes in the form of deepening your spiritual work, taking better care of yourself, or challenging the oftentimes surreal narrative of the MSM, I hope that you are finding that, in the final analysis, WE THE PEOPLE are one tribe and one heart.

I have been promising you an episode on the UFO phenomenon. I did an interview recently but it just wasn’t good enough. Not interesting enough. So I am reaching out to a few more people. I am committed to making a good episode or two on this topic.

I am really excited about the upcoming guests. I think it will provide us a nice balance between menswork, mythic viewpoints, the evolution of humanity, and some edgy red-pill episodes for your consideration.

I appreciate you riding shotgun with me. And thank you for all the email and text messages supporting the show. I really appreciate it.

Brandon Clift Bio

Brandon Clift is on a mission to break the archaic and outdated molds of manhood that have led to many of the challenges we face in the world today. He is the host of The Mankind Podcast where he interviews leading researchers, experts, and influencers of change to find out how you can become a champion for healthy manhood.

Here is my interview with Brandon Clift.

E88 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our conversation with Brandon. For a different sort of men’s podcast, one that is more focused on racial issues and social justice, go check out The Mankind Podcast at all the places you listen to podcasts. I like the sound of EP #7 with Tony Porter, so that might be a great place to start.

Also, I have been meaning to recommend Jeremy Elliot of the Iconic Podcast. It has been in my notes for a month now. Jeremy speaks truth to power and does it in a gracious and skillful way.

Like most other podcasters, I don‘t have time to listen to many other podcasters as I am really busy making mine once a week. But I have recognized in Jeremy a kindred spirit. A man who is committed to truth and the elevation of our human tribe.

He is not available on the usual podcast platforms. The best way to listen to Jeremy is to go to The Iconic Podcast on Facebook. You can also find him on You Tube (although they are deeply censoring counter-narrative voices like his) or BitChute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basecamp for Men E84: Health as Your Foundation

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E84: Health as Your Foundation with Special Guest Janell Hartman   E84 Introduction I hope you are all well. I wanted to start off by saying that I loved what Howard Ferguson said at the…