If You've Come This Far

In this episode of If You've Come This Far , Chris and Shaun sit down with Ron Dresher and Brian Harris, founders of the Los Angeles-based Life Transition Group. Approaching their 80s with the metabolic age and energy of men decades younger, Ron and Brian share how they built a thriving community designed to help men navigate the often-daunting shift out of full-time careers. They discuss the crit...

In this "From the Vault" episode, Chris and Shaun are joined by MenLiving co-founder Todd Adams to reflect on the teachings of the late Father Michael Himes, a beloved Notre Dame and Boston College professor whom Chris considers the wisest person he’s ever known. Anchored by audio clips from Father Himes's beautiful "Last Lecture," the trio explores what it means to live a deeply meaningful life a...

In this episode of If You've Come This Far , Chris and Shaun sit down with Ed Frauenheim, an author, journalist, and advocate doing critical work around masculinity and men's health. Ed's career spans from technology journalism to studying organizational culture at Great Place to Work, but his current mission is deeply personal: helping men move past the isolated, stoic "cowboy" mentality to embra...

Shaun and Chris connect with Celine Coggins, a lifelong educator, founder of Teach Plus, and the inaugural CEO of The Goodness Web. Celine shares her journey from growing up in a large Irish Catholic family in Massachusetts to navigating the rigorous worlds of Stanford and Harvard. The conversation explores her career transitions and her current mission with The Goodness Web: transforming youth me...

Chris and Shaun sit down with Matt Davison , the CEO of NAMI Chicago , to explore the intersection of law, advocacy, and radical empathy. Matt shares his transition from serving as a public defender and civil litigator to leading one of the nation's most prominent mental health advocacy organizations. He discusses the limitations of our current "triage" approach to mental health and why we must mo...

In this episode, Chris and Shaun sit down with Andy Rotherham , co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners and a veteran of the Clinton White House. Andy has spent over 30 years at the intersection of education policy and social impact, but he’s also a music enthusiast, a Red Sox fan, a Boston bar investor, a podcaster himself, and a man willing to run a 5k in a full Easter Bunny costume to surpr...

Chris and Shaun sit down with Katie Fogarty, a communications expert, "proud crusader" for women in midlife, and the host of the popular podcast A Certain Age . Katie discusses her journey from a religion major at Holy Cross and a teaching stint in a Japanese fishing village to becoming a leading voice in the "menopause zeitgeist." We explore the systemic gaps in women’s healthcare, the "beauty in...

Chris and Shaun sit down with Zach Gale, an elementary special education teacher and the founder of Me to We . Zach discusses his journey from a hyper-competitive sports family to finding his purpose in supporting students with behavioral needs. We explore the transition from "Me" to "We," the importance of routine for mental health, and why Zach believes your story can one day become someone else...

In this episode, we sit down with author, activist, and education policy expert Justin Cohen to explore the evolving role of fatherhood in the 21st century. Justin shares his personal journey from growing up in a household steeped in education advocacy to launching Dads for All , a movement designed to engage fathers in both community building and "bite-sized" civic action. We dive into the "low b...

In this episode, we sit down with author and activist Jonathan Mooney to explore the myth of "normalcy." Jonathan shares his personal journey navigating the education system with ADHD and dyslexia and discusses the powerful influence of the people who championed his differences. We also delve into the dark history of eugenics and its lingering impact on society's perception of disability. Finally,...

Chris and Shaun welcome Sean Harvey , an advisor, consultant, author, and ordained interfaith minister. Sean has dedicated his life to helping men in hyper-masculine systems--ranging from Wall Street to police departments and the military--reconnect with their humanity. The trio discusses Sean's journey growing up as a gay man in Southwest Ohio, his transition from a high-stakes Wall Street consul...

In this episode, Shaun and Chris interview Janice McCabe, a sociologist from Dartmouth College and author of "Making, Keeping, and Losing Friends." They discuss making friends in college, the importance of propinquity and homophily, tight knitters, compartmentalizers, and samplers, friendship markets, the Dunbar number, her recommendation for students, parents and colleges, men and women as friend...

In this episode, the guys talk with acclaimed photographer, Stacy Waldman Bass, about her memoir, Lightkeeper. They explore Stacy's draw to photography, the value of stories and photos to keeping memories alive, the tragic accident that changed her life, what it's like to write a memoir, the therapeutic value of writing, the challenges of balancing grief and joy, and more. Get your copy of Lightke...

In this episode, Chris and Shaun talk with Jim Maley, teacher and founder of the Maley Way. The guys discuss Jim's struggles with depression, his time as a Northwestern hoop player, enrolling at Holy Cross, screening selfishly, his mom's genius, his dad's brilliance, his wife's love, his role as a "depression agent," speaking to kids about mental health and more. Learn more about Jim and the Maley...

Join Chris and Shaun as they chat with Pete Davis, writer, film maker, and civic advocate about his book, Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in An Age of Infinite Browsing and his documentary, "Join or Die." The guys cover the influence his mom and dad had on him, growing up in Falls Church, making a life in Baltimore, why he decided not to be a lawyer, the importance of community participation, t...

In this episode, Shaun and Chris talk with Kaitlyn Tierney, co-founder and CEO of Diverting Hate, an applied research nonprofit disrupting digital radicalization of boys and men through the use of evidence, empathy, and innovation. The guys talk with Kaitlyn about the challenges of running a non-profit, the value of partnerships, dealing with threats, moving to an island, ICE, the definition of ri...

In this episode, Chris and Shaun talk with Blayne Smith, co-founder of Applied Leadership Partners. The guys discuss Blayne's decision to go to West Point, his time there, and his time as a Special Operations Forces member. They also discuss golf, rucking, parenting, applied leadership, PTSD, perseverance (His book with co-author and business partner, Brandon Young, is Perseverance is Greater than...

In the 17th episode of the season, Chris and Shaun interview Matt Candler, educator, inventor, investor, and coach. The guys discuss the state of education, mad libs, parenting, park bench pitches, Matt's sweet garage, electrification, the intersection of joy and curiosity, fossil fuels and renewables, kindness, and more. Learn more about Matt here

In this episode, Chris and Shaun interview Bill Burke, founder of the Optimism Institute. The guys discuss Bill's relationship with Ted Turner and his early career at Turner Broadcasting, his time leading the Weather Channel and his life in minor league baseball as owner of the Portland Sea Dogs. They discuss the importance and power of optimism, The Paradox of Modern Optimism (Burke's forthcoming...

In this episode, Chris and Shaun interview John Moe, a writer, longtime radio host, and creator of two mental health podcasts, "The Hilarious World of Depression" and "Depresh Mode with John Moe." The guys talk about the importance of hope and resilience, comeback stories, the need for open discussions about mental health and the impact of humor and empathy in addressing these issues, Patton Oswal...

In this episode, the guys interview Jon Macaskill, former Navy SEAL and co-host of the "Men Talking Mindfulness" podcast. After doing a quick opening meditation, they discuss Jon's growing up in Louisiana, great coaches, Jon's choice to go into the military, his journey from enlisting in the Navy to becoming a SEAL, his struggles with PTSD and subsequent recovery through mindfulness. the creation...

In this episode, Chris and Shaun interview Dr. Eli Joubert, a psychosexual therapist from Leeds, UK. They discuss Eli's work on human sexuality and the concept of "sexy facts." , growing up in South Africa, transitioning from a career in fine art to psychology, and focusing on masculinity and sexuality. Eli highlights the need for open conversations about sex and sexuality, emphasizing the importa...

in this episode, Chris and Shaun talk with Sam Pressler, founder of the non-profit, the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) and his new project, Connective Tissue. The guys discuss entrepreneurship, grandmothers, flourishing, professionalism, veterans, humor as a connection mechanism and more! Learn more about Sam and his projects here Follow the Connective Tissue Substack here Get Mental at 20...

The guys chat with Chris MacLellan, also known as "Father Mac," founder of the Whole Care Network and Aging Gayfully. They discuss Chris' journey from professional bowling to caregiving, his experiences caring for his partner, Richard, who passed away from cancer in 2014. Chris highlights the challenges faced by same-sex couples in healthcare. He also talks about his work building the Whole Care N...

Chris and Shaun talk with Chris' friend, Trish Tierney, co-founder of WAKE, Women's Alliance for Knowledge Exchange. The gang discusses Notre Dame, rowing, kids, Trish's development of WAKE, lessons in travel, matchmaking women in tech with nonprofits around the world, WAKE's aims to scale its US program while exploring new countries for its international efforts, WAKE success stories, men's invol...