Wolf & Iron | Feed the Wolf. Be the Iron‪.‬ Mike Yarbrough

I've been fairly absent from the scene since the last podcast drop in July of 2023. In this episode, I catch you guys up to what's been going on in my world and some thoughts on the future of Wolf & Iron.

There are a lot of books on entrepreneurship, marriage, and raising kids. In fact, you're likely to gain some needed wisdom on any of these subjects just by being with and observing people who are in that season of life. However, when it comes to the second half of life, let's say 40 onward, it can feel pretty lonely.
 
My guest today is Chris Bruno and he's the author of Sage: A Man's Guide into His Second Passage. Chris brings focus into the oftentimes nebulous second stage of a man's life. In our conversation we talk about mid-life crises, reconnecting with our boyhood as we grow older, and avoiding the pitfalls so many men fall into as they begin to realize their youth is a thing of the past.

In this episode I share my experience of one year as a student of Krav Maga, the Israeli Self-Defense system taught all over the world to Special Forces, military, and individuals like myself. I'll go through why I chose Krav and how it's increased my situational awareness and confidence.
Every man needs to be training to defend his life or the lives of those he could protect. This includes weapons training -- firearms in particular -- but also hand-to-hand, multiple attackers, car jackings, active shooters, and so on. Be ready, not just willing. Krav Maga can get you there.

There are two complimentary natures in manhood; the warrior and the poet. Today, the man who can simultaneously appreciate the finer arts and yet stand strong in adversity seems to be a rare breed. My guest on this episode, John Lovell, calls men to this noble undertaking and shares his guiding principles in his book The Warrior Poet Way.
This is the book I wish i had when I was in my early 30s and starting my journey of manhood in earnest. The Warrior Poet Way keeps the reader engaged while also imparting much needed wisdom in a man-to-man, relatable. Listen to the episode, then get a copy of the book. You'll be a better man for it.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a presidential candidate worth listening to. He has the right ideas for America and is pushing for a dismantling of many agencies, including the FBI and CIA, and believes that America needs a common identity.
I agree. We do.
But, he is Hindu. While he has been open about being raised Hindu and still considers himself and his family Hindus, he was also raised with a good deal of knowledge and influence from Christianity.
The questions I pose in this episode are these:
If an American President is 99% of what you want -- Conservative, Independent, beholden to the people, etc. -- does it matter if he is a Christian or not? What are the implications for a non-Christian President? Does the American identity need to be explicitly Christian or can it be more of a set of ideals and principles apart from a specific religion? I give my answers at the end of the podcast, but these are great questions and ones we need to answer. Vivek isn't the first and he certainly won't be the last.

Eugen Sandow is a name most men ought to know. He also had a physique people believed could only be achieved in the imagination or sculpted in marble. He's known as the father of bodybuilding, but in this episode I don't want to focus on how jacked he was. Rather, I use his story to drive home a deeper point. One that we've been missing for most of our lives.