Men in the Arena with Matt Kovatchis & MD

Guest Zak Hazlett joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Growing up in Utah & how it helped him develop a relationship with nature early in his life, and ultimately why he became a Marriage & Family Therapist The importance of nature & why it's healing for us humans Why couples are unable to effectively communicate with each other How to become more emotionally intelligent and use...

Guest Naftali Moses joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Hitting rock bottom after a break-up when he was 21 What it means to be authentic His journey towards healing, authenticity, and self-discovery How he helps awaken people to their humanity & become more self-aware, utilizing a combination of spirituality and psychology The psychology behind rejection & how to transcend it His bigge...

Guest James Moore joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: What inspired him to become a licensed massage therapist Suffering and recovering from a traumatic brain injury Perspective shifts pre- & post-recovery Going viral on social media & the impact it's had on his mental health The importance of getting adequate sleep, sunlight, and daily movement Breaking down the stigmas associated...

Guest Dom Fusco joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: The divorce of his parents and the impact it had on his emotional well-being Trying to fit into boxes he was never meant to be in Experiencing cardiac arrest whilst on a run, nearly passing away, & how it led to a reinvention of himself How experiencing cardiac arrest led to a newfound sense of gratitude for life Becoming more holistically...

Guest Stella McMillan joins the Men in the Arena. Stella was born a bilateral congenital amputee (meaning she was born without legs), was abandoned at birth, and spent the first few years of her life in an orphanage in Vietnam. She was then adopted and raised on the south side of Chicago. Stella is a J.D. Candidate at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. She was previously selected fo...

Guest Natalie Bell joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Time Management & balancing being a Nurse, Influencer, and Life Coach How she developed self-awareness and self-love Calling off her wedding and the courage it required to do so Her relationship with herself and how its evolved; developing self-discipline How to attract the person we desire for a romantic relationship Natalie lives in C...

Guest Blaine Anderson joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Losing her job during COVID, which ultimately led to the inception of her business, Dating by Blaine Starting her own business & the challenges associated with being an entrepreneur How to approach women with more confidence How to make yourself more marketable as a Man Can you be overly vulnerable and/or oversharing on a first date?...

Guest Bobby Hobert joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Driving for Uber post-college when all his peers were joining Corporate America, and why he chose to do so Leaving his corporate role to pursue coaching + content creating full-time What it means to be a lifestyle design coach, and how we can better design our lives to add more fulfillment and freedom The importance of adding structure to o...

Guest John Keegan joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: How the book, The Power of Now, inspired him to begin his journey of self-healing and self-awareness What inspired him to become a dating coach, largely for men His approach to dating and why it starts with your relationship with yourself How to gain more confidence in approaching women The concept of fear resistance + rejection and how to o...

Guest Rachel Gibler joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Tragically losing her father as a teenager Self-soothing through substances & eventually hitting her rock-bottom moment Dealing with & processing grief Spending 3 months in solitude...twice! Embodying her most authentic being & the everlasting process to get there Rachel is a Life Coach, Intuitive Business Coach, and Podcast Ho...

Surprise...no guest this week. In honor of a year's worth of episodes, in Episode #52, we decided to throw it back and do a solo episode. It was real, raw, and emotional - you don't want to skip this one! We discussed: Life updates - where we were a year ago & where we are now Key themes / takeaways from our guests The most impactful moments we've experienced during our conversatio...

Guest James Williams joins the Men in the arena to discuss: Going from law school to becoming a NBA ref The journey to becoming a NBA ref and what most people don’t see His welcome to the NBA moment The NBA experience and managing the many numbers of different player personalities Mental health journey and how it’s evolved Dealing with social media and hateful comments Always being in the public e...

Guest Dr. Peter Levine joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: What inspired him to write his new book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey Dealing with toxic shame, abuse, and constant danger as a child The Somatic Experience & how we can use it to heal our traumatic wounds What it means to be and feel enough How to know whether we're healing & making progress in life Peter i...

Guest Lee Knaz joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: The culture shock he experienced moving from Israel to Los Angeles His experience and observations from being a personal chef for the wealthiest of celebrities in Los Angeles What it felt like to appear successful externally but feel internally empty Loving and accepting all parts of himself Developing a relationship with gratitude Finding purp...

Guest Jamyle Cannon joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: His troubled childhood and growing up in the inner city of Chicago Boxing as an outlet & how it acted as a tool to help self-regulate The founding of The Bloc The most challenging + most prideful moments in his life Experience with therapy & how it's served him Becoming a father and how it's transformed his outlook and purp...

Guest Ameer Barbour joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: What drove his passion for fitness, nutrition, and wellness Cultivating a sense of purpose Overcoming insecurities + developing self-confidence through fitness Developing self-discipline Issues with fitness fads + get rich quick schemes on social media Social media's impact on mental health and how it's evolved Ameer is a fitness i...

Guest Meghan Swidler joins the Men in the Arena to discuss: Living a life for others and the unhappiness and dissatisfaction that followed Reaching her 'dream' job - only to find herself lonely and empty Leaving her lucrative corporate venture capital job to pursue her passion for Health & Wellness Developing & practicing self-love through things such as hiking, meditation, and yog...

Guest Julie Menanno joins the Men in the Arena to discuss attachment styles, how they develop and take shape from our childhood, becoming more secure in yourself and your relationship, and the NUMBER ONE thing couples can do to create a relationship that lasts a lifetime. Julie Menanno (MA, LMFT, LCPC) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Coup...

Guest Clayton Echard joins the Men in the Arena to discuss his journey with mental health, his in-depth experience being the Bachelor and its eventual leading to his rock-bottom moment, developing self-awareness and self love, and why mental health awareness is so important to him. Clayton is known by many for his role as the star and bachelor himself of Season 26 of The Bachelor. He has since bec...

Guest Scott Tatum joins the Men in the Arena to discuss his experience as a victim and survivor of domestic violence, healing himself and his past trauma through nature, becoming a father, and self-care tips that inspired him to write his first book, Friendly Reminders: Lessons from a Self-Care Savage. Scott is an outdoor enthusiast & mental health advocate who utilizes the outdoors for his ow...

Guest Ayesha Sehra joins the Men in the Arena to discuss the challenges associated with coming to the United States from Canada and becoming an entrepreneur, practicing gratitude & the law of attraction, how to manifest an abundant life, and why 2023 was the year of intentional NO's! Ayesha is a Social Media Brand Strategist (& CEO of Grow The Social), Business Coach, Social Media Infl...

Guest Ray Care joins the Men in the Arena to discuss his abusive childhood, becoming a Navy SEAL and building resilience, and how to take ownership of your life and create the life you've always dreamed of. Ray is a Navy SEAL Veteran, peak performance consultant, and sought-after keynote speaker who delivers high-energy, high-impact talks to organizations across the United States on leadership...

Guest Case Kenny joins the Men in the Arena to discuss the importance of being honest with ourselves, the power in journaling and sitting with our feelings, and how to identify whether a relationship, whether intimate or platonic, is right for us or not. Case is the host of New Mindset, Who Dis, a twice weekly podcast on SiriusXM that is centered around mindfulness, self-care, and self-improvement...

Guest Melissa Crouch joins the Men in the Arena to discuss her life story and becoming a teenage mother, building resilience through her darkest days, developing self-love, and manifesting her dream life. Melissa is a Digital Creator, Entrepreneur, and Social Media Influencer. Her content is focused on wellness, mental health, and life as a single mother. She is also the host of Girl, You're G...

Guest Wade Critides joins the Men in the Arena to discuss the feeling of being financially 'successful' but internally empty, his pivot to becoming an entrepreneur and creating his dream life, embracing fear, and how to be more holistically healthy. Wade is a lifestyle entrepreneur and also the co-host and founder of Getting Magnetic, a podcast for people who desire to build a magnetic, ab...