The Art of Manliness

A sunken pirate ship is one of the hardest things to find in the world. But two treasure hunters risked their lives and fortune to find one. In the process, the uncovered the story of one of the greatest pirates to ever live during the Golden Age of Piracy. My guest today wrote a book about the search of this pirate ship. His name is Robert Kurson and he's the author of the book Pirate Hunters: Tr...

Tom Ruby served 26 years in the U.S Air Force and held positions as Squadron Intelligence Officer and Chief of Doctrine for Air Force Intelligence. Mr. Ruby served on a General Petraeus' Joint Strategic Assesment Team during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Today, Mr. Ruby spends his civilian life consulting companies on how to better think critically and strategically. Today on the show, Tom and I...

Alastair Humphreys is a real-life adventurer. He's biked around the world and has even been named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. But Alastair wanted to show people that you didn't need to travel halfway across the world or spend a lot of money or time to find adventure. So for a year, he did what he called "Microadventures" in his native England. They're small things he could do in...

Until fairly recently, most of the scientific research about parental influence on children usually left out dads. But recent studies have shown that fathers have an important role in the development of children-- from conception into adulthood. Award-winning science writer Paul Raeburn highlights all this new research in his book "Do Fathers Matter?" In today's podcast, Paul and I discuss what we...

In this episode I talk with the legendary wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable. He won the 1972 gold medal in Munich without giving up a single point, and won 15 championships as a coach at the University of Iowa between 1976 and 1997. His new book is called "A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...

What is it about making things with our hands that provides so much satisfaction? Why are we so drawn to the archetype of the craftsman? In his insightful book, Why We Make Things and Why it Matters, furniture builder and woodworking instructor Peter Korn explores the philosophy of craftsmanship. In the podcast today I talk to Peter about the ethos of craftsmanship, what craft can teach us about l...

If you've read the site for awhile, than you're likely familiar with Matt Moore-- AoM's resident chef. Matt recently published a book with Southern Living magazine entitled The Southern Gentleman's Kitchen. Today on the podcast I talk to Matt about cooking, chivalry, boar hunting, entreprenuership, and how to cook the perfect steak. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...

We often take for granted society's current sleep schedule. If you're like most people, you sleep about 8 hours a day in one chunk between the hours 10 PM and 8AM or there abouts. But our guest today reminds us that sleep always wasn't like that. In fact, it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that that idea of sleep became the norm. In his book The Slumbering Masses, Dr. Michael J. Wolf-M...

World record setting powerlifter Chris Duffin embodies what Teddy Roosevelt called the "strenuous life." Not only has he trained hard to lift superhuman amounts of weight, but he's strived to be the best man he can be in his family and professional life. His story of grit and drive to overcome obstacles and become a success is truly an inspiration. Chris and I discuss strength training and why men...

Today we refer to depression as a mental illness that needs to be cured as quickly as possible. But our guest today makes the nuanced case that human beings may have evolved to be depressed and that at one time in our prehistoric past it served an adaptive purpose. The problem is that our brain isn't made for this hectic and stressful modern world that we live in. Dr. Jonathan Rottenberg is psycho...

How do we make decisions in complex environments? Can we trust our gut? How do we gain insights? In today's podcast I talk to Gary Klein to answer these questions. Dr. Klein pioneered the field of naturalistic decision-making and is an expert on the science of insights. If you've enjoyed our content on the OODA Loop or situational awareness, you're really going to enjoy this episode. See Privacy P...

Jonathan Gottschall was an associate professor of English whose career had stalled in mid-life. Then one day he looked out his office and saw an MMA gym and he decided he was going to train to become a fighter to prove something to himself and to write a book about the biology, anthropology, and sociology of male violence. In the process, many of his assumptions about violence and masculinity chan...

David Levien is a screenwriter, movie producer, novelist, and amateur boxer. He's worked with his writing partner Brian Koppelman on Rounders, Ocean's 13, and The Illusionist. On his own, he's published several novels, including the Frank Behr detective series. In this episode, I talk to David about writing, why detectives are an American archetype of masculinity, and boxing. This was a really fun...

For the past year or so I've had AoM readers emailing and tweeting me about a book called Underground Strength. Finally had a chance to check it out and I had to have the author on. Zach Even-Esh is a strength and conditioning coach and author. His philosophy towards fitness really resonates with me: tire flipping, sledgehammers, squats, and deadlifts-- among other things. In today's show, I ask Z...

You can't go anywhere these days without running into an article or a book on how to be more positive and upbeat. Pessimism and anger are seen as traits we should do all we can to avoid. But my guest today says that view might be a little too short-sighted. His name is Dr. Todd Kashdan and he's the co-author fo the book, The Upside of Your Darkside. Today on the podcast we talk about the benefits...

Is success a skill that can be learned? Why are some people afraid of success? And what blind spots cause the successful to crash and burn? Well, my guest today has some ideas about these questions. His name is Dr. Jeff Spencer and he's spent his career helping top-performers-- athletes, CEOs, government leaders-- perform at their very best. We discuss his "Champion's Blueprint" and how the averag...

Robert Nickelsberg was a contract photographer for TIME magazine for 25 years. During that time he documented conflicts in Kashmir, Iraq, Sri Lanka, India and Afghanistan. His most recent book Afghanistan highlights his work from the Soviet retreat in Afghanistan in the 80s to the American conflict post 9-11. On the podcast Robert and I discuss what it's like working in such hostile environments,...

Eric Greitens is a Rhodes Scholar that started out his career as a humanitarian but then became a Navy SEAL. His book The Heart and the Fist makes that case that in order to be a good man, you have to be strong enough to fight for those you’re trying to do good for. His book Resilience is based around a series of letters between him and a SEAL buddy that was going through a rough time in his life...

I've quoted Dr. Waller Newell several times in my writing about masculinity on the Art of Manliness, and his approach towards manhood is very similar to the one that I take. So it was a pleasure to finally get to speak to him and have him on the podcast. Dr. Newell is a professor of political science at Carleton University and has written several books on manhood and honor including The Code of Ma...

What do women find attractive in men? What should you be looking for in a partner if you want a long lasting relationship? Are there any red flags to be looking for in a relationship? Are married men miserable or happy? My guest today has spent her career researching these questions. Her name is Dr. Duana Welch and in her book "Love Factually" she highlights the research that's out there about dat...

I talk to Antonio Centeno, owner of Real Men Real Style and our style writer at Art of Manliness, about the science and history of men's style. We discuss the martial origins of most menswear including the suit, tie, tench coat, and even t-shirt. We also discuss what science has to say about the effects a man's style and appearance has on their career and love life. For example, did you know that...

John Boyd is one of the greatest military strategists that hardly anyone knows about. Unmatched in the cockpit during the Korean War, his mind was also without rival. He was not simply a warrior of combat, but a warrior-engineer and warrior-philosopher. When he was 33, he wrote “Aerial Attack Study,” which codified the best dogfighting tactics for the first time, became the “bible of air combat,”...

What does it mean to kill for your country? How do you learn how to do it? What does it feel like in the moment? Once the killing starts, how do you control it? And what happens when you kill the wrong person, or don’t kill someone you wish you had, or look back, years later, at the people you killed? In this jarring and thought provoking book, journalist Phil Zabriskie interviews combat veterans...

You've probably heard about mud and obstacle races like Tough Mudder or Spartan Race, but did you know there are small local and regional obstacle races going on all over the country? In today's podcast I talk to David and Stephen Mainprize, founders and owners of Conquer the Gauntlet, a regional obstacle race that takes place in Oklahoma. I did the race last year and as someone who's done a few o...

West Point's graduating class of 1915 produced some of America's greatest military leaders including Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. Author and historian Michael Haskew calls it "the class the stars fell on". In today's podcast I talk to Michael about his book West Point 1915 and the men who made up this class and what made them so special. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californ...