In this last podcast episode of 2021, I talk about some of the challenges 2021 brought to Wolf & Iron and also how YOU all helped straighten things out.

I also spend some time talking about 2022, make a few predictions, and finish with a bit of what will be happening over in The Foundry in the new year.

There's simply nothing like meeting people IRL (in real life). Even a short exchange can add gravity to our online relationships and should be something we pursue. Don't allow online relationships to become the new standard of friendship. True friends make time for one another and are willing to go the extra mile (or miles) to connect.

In this episode I use my powers of prognostication to predict the future of social media. Interestingly enough, the future looks a lot like the past and removes power from the big tech companies.

COVID has caused a lot of families to reevaluate their expenses and income strategies. I've heard of an increase in men deciding to stay home with the kids while the mom goes to work at a higher paying job. While just about anything can work for a season, I have some warnings about doing this long term. Men are made to work. Here's why.

Growing up in the 80s, as I did, television was meant for families. So many of the shows were geared towards showcasing family values and generally had a moral for each episode. They were incredibly entertaining, but also added value. Valuetainment. We need more of this and less twaddle.

Many men are wandering through their life, unsure of what their purpose is. They believe they are created for something greater, but have a hard time determining what that is. The Spiral of Significance is an easy way to think about how you approach life and what is ultimately going to help you find a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

When we first showed up to social media, we likely had a common intent: to share our lives and connect with others doing the same. But the progressive platforms had a different intent, one that began to reveal itself about 3 years ago.
For any online community to work, there has to be a value alignment. We currently don't have that with FB, IG, TW, and others. It's time for a change.

Boundaries are extremely important for any healthy relationship. Setting them and keeping them can be a challenge for some men who have a more compliant nature or fear of being disliked. Here are some tips on how to set and keep boundaries in your life.

Introducing Foundry Fridays! For the next several weeks we'll drop a new episode related to social media, the problems, and the solutions. Check out what we're doing to address this at https://wolfandiron.com/thefoundry.
FF01. No one has ever been taught how to do social media. Very few people are properly taught how to engage in a productive conversation. In short, we've given millions of poor communicators a platform to showcase their shortcomings. We can do better.

You might thing risk aversion and entrepreneurship can't go together, but that's not entirely accurate. Many great entrepreneurs are also experts at understanding risks and mitigating them. Here is some advice for wantrepreneurs that have an aversion to risk.

Since 1902 Buck Knives has been crafting USA Made knives for those who depend on them. In this episode I talk to CJ Buck, CEO of Buck Knives and great-grandson of founder Hoyt Buck, about what it's like to lead a company that has such an outstanding legacy and the pressure to remain a USA Made brand.

Welcome to Foundry Friday! On Monday, Oct 4th, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all went down for several hours. It's particularly bad timing given the "whistleblower" that came out the same day. But is that what's really going on?

I've heard a few men compare getting the vaccine (if you can call it that) to the verse in Matthew 22 where Jesus says, "render unto Caesar's what is his, and render to God what is His...". In this episode I talk about how stupid this is.

When a man begins to pursue bettering himself, he quickly sees that growth is something which doesn't have a final destination. We are called to a lifelong pursuit of manliness and that's exactly what Jarrett Samuels believes in.
Jarret is the founder of Pursuit of Manliness and leads men to be the best versions of themselves through Christ-centered teachings. 20 or 30 years ago, talking about Jesus would have been mainstream, but today it's obviously counter-cultural and it's exactly what we need.

Many men that I talk to say, "I feel like I should be doing more, but I don't know what it is..." They don't realize their legacy and who they have been prepared to be. Until we realize that we are primed for a fight, we won't feel at home in our own skin.

Jack Carr is living most men's best life right now! In this episode we talk about a number of things: his latest book, The Devil's Hand, his upcoming moving The Terminal List starring Chris Pratt, his writing style, and what it's like to be him right now.

I've never seen such an assault on American freedom as we've seen in the last 2 years. We are in a true battle for freedom and our enemies are on the inside.
The tactics they use, however, generally look the same and we need to be aware when it is happening. We are seeing the 3 stages of forced compliance happening on a weekly basis at this point: Shame, Intimidation, and Cancellation/Ruination.

There's been a good deal of controversy in the last few years with athletes kneeling during the National Anthem and not showing respect to the US Flag.
While most Americans recognize this as unpatriotic and disrespectful, we haven't done a good job of really identifying why someone should stand for the flag.
As it turns out, kneeling for the flag is not only unAmerican, it's pretty dumb.

What rights do Christians really have when it comes to passing judgement on others? Are there different types of judgement? Is there such a thing as righteous anger for a Christian?
In this episode, I talk about some familiar Bible passages and common assumptions we have as Christians and whether or not they are truly Christian.

Current society has it easier than our ancestors could have ever imagined. And that is actually making life harder.
Certain types of stress, challenges, and hard times actually make us better men. When those are lacking, we actually feel in distress. Having an easy life isn't good for us. Here's why.

Transgenderism has really taken hold of the younger generation, with more and more parents giving into the idea that it's perfectly normal. Unfortunately, people aren't allowed to have a conversation about it unless it's completely supportive of this narrative.
In this episode, I talk about the current reality of trying to transition from one sex to another, the obvious medical limitations, and why gender and truth still matter for everyone involved.

Christianity was a forward movement out of mythology, but we've lost sight of this. As a result, men in society are backtracking without knowing it. It's time to once again see how Christianity has progressed society and to acknowledge our tendency to fall backwards without it.

Every man needs three types of other men in his life: Counselors, coaches, and comrades. As the seasons of our lives progress, the types of men we need to have in our can change as well, but they tend to fall into one of these categories.

It's true. Instagram is dying. Or better said, it's killing itself. This episode is particularly relevant to those of you working to build a brand on Instagram or Facebook. Nearly all of them are moving to entertainment platforms, which isn't great for those of us who aren't interested in creating 15 second videos.

My wife and I spent about 5 weeks traveling from Charlotte, NC to several parts in Texas. We had a great time but noticed something in just about every city we stayed in: businesses are hiring and can't find people to work.

So many people have opted to stay on unemployment rather than use this as a massive opportunity to get their foot in the door. Rather than standout, they'll take a handout.