Adventure

Art Of Manliness Saved

Our world has never been more convenient and comfortable. With just a few taps of our fingers, we can order food to our door, access endless entertainment options, and keep our climate at a steady 72 degrees. We don't have to put in much effort, much less face any risk or challenge, in order to sustain our daily lives. 

In some ways, this quantum leap in humanity's comfort level is a great boon. But in other ways, it's absolutely killing our minds, bodies, and spirit.

My guest says it's time to reclaim the currently-hard-to-come-by but truly essential benefits of discomfort. His name is Michael Easter, and he's a writer, editor, and professor, and the author of The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Michael first shares how his experience with getting sober helped him discover the life-changing potential of doing hard things, before digging into what fleeing from discomfort is doing to our mental and physical health. We then discuss the Japanese idea of misogis, which involves taking on an epic outdoor challenge, and why Michael decided to do a misogi in which he participated in a month-long caribou hunt in the backcountry of Alaska. Michael shares what he learned from the various challenges he encountered during his misogi — including intense hunger, boredom, solitude, and physical exertion —as well as what research can teach all of us about why we need to incorporate these same kinds of discomforts into our everyday lives.

Get the show notes at aom.is/comfortcrisis.

#708: Overcoming the Comfort Crisis

When you’re deciding what to wear in the morning, or on the viability of some activity for the weekend, you’ll likely turn to a weather app to see what the forecast holds. My guest today would suggest supplementing that habit with another: actually going outside, looking at the sky and feeling the air in order to engage in an ancient and satisfying practice and build a more intimate relationship with the weather and the world around you.

His name is Tristan Gooley and he’s a master outdoorsman, expert natural navigator, and global adventurer, as well as the author of The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop. Tristan and I begin our conversation with how modern meteorological science is incredibly useful, but has also disconnected us from the weather signs right in front of our faces, as well as the different microclimates that can exist even on two different sides of a tree. We then do a quick review of some of the basic scientific/meteorological principles that underlie understanding the weather, before turning to the concrete, research-backed, field-tested, signs you can observe in your environment to predict the weather, like the shape and height of clouds, and why you should check those clouds from lunchtime onward. We discuss whether there’s truth to the old saying, “red sky at night, sailors’ delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning,” and what changes in plants and the behavior of animals can tell you about the coming forecast, We end our conversation with how to get started today with predicting the weather using natural signs.

Get the show notes at aom.is/weather.

#713: How to Predict the Weather (No Apps Required)

Everyone has experienced the way deadlines can act as a double-edged sword: on the one hand, they force us to get stuff done; but on the other, they often push us to wait until the last minute to get to work, so that we do that work in a poorly executed, slapdash rush. Scientists call that latter dynamic “the deadline effect,” and my guest today has taken a field-tested dive into how to manage it, so that you can get the advantages of deadlines, without suffering from their downsides.
His name is Chrisopther Cox, and he’s the author of The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like It’s the Last Minute—Before the Last Minute. We begin our conversation with how Chris’s experience as a magazine editor got him interested in deadlines and what studies have shown as to both their benefits and their pitfalls. Chris then unpacks ways to harness the former towards greater productivity in both your personal and professional life, including creating interim checkpoints, knowing how to set reasonable due dates, planning left to right rather than right to left, and using what he calls “soft opens with teeth.” Along the way, Chris explains these principles using a bunch of real world case studies, from the system a chef uses to open multiple Michelin 3-star restaurants to how the Telluride ski resort gets ready to open for the season. We end our conversation with what you can start doing today to take advantage of the power of deadlines in your own life.

The Art of Manliness

#728: Improve Your Productivity With the Power of Deadlines

Like Plato, C.S. Lewis believed that the human soul was made up of three parts — the head (the rational, reason-driven part of you), the belly (your appetites and base instincts), and the chest (the seat of virtue-seeking sentiments and well-tuned emotions). In order for your head to make your decisions, particularly the decision to live a virtuous life, rather than your decisions being driven by your belly, the head needs the aid of the chest, of right feeling.

A few months ago, we had Michael Ward on the show to talk about why C.S. Lewis felt that modern life was making “men without chests.” Today, I talk to a guest who can shed light on what Lewis thought was needed to build that chest back up. His name is Louis Markos and he’s a professor of English, as well as the lecturer of the Great Courses course: The Life and Writings of C.S. Lewis. At the start of our conversation, Lou gives us some background on Lewis’ life, including his conversion to Christianity, and how the nature of that conversion influenced his thinking on how to pursue virtue more broadly. We then talk about Lewis’ philosophical argument for there being a universal moral order, and why the chest is so vital for staying grounded in it. We spend the rest of our discussion unpacking the three ways Lewis believed the chest could be “educated”: reading stories and myths, rejecting “chronological snobbery” to learn from the past, and developing friendships that inspire excellence.

#765: C.S. Lewis on Building Men With Chests

A lot of young men today struggle in finding their footing in adulthood. They feel lost, directionless, and unsure of who they are and how to confidently and competently navigate the world.

Part of the reason for this is that most young men today lack something which was once a part of nearly every culture in the world, but has now almost entirely disappeared: a rite of passage.

My guest today didn't want his son to flounder on the way to maturity, nor to miss out on having an initiation into manhood, so he set out to create a 6-year journey for him that would help him move from boy to man. His name is Jon Tyson, and he's the author of The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character. Today on the show, Jon unpacks the components of the years-long journey into manhood he created for his son, beginning with how he brainstormed those components by doing "The Day Your Son Leaves Home" exercise. We then discuss how old Jon's son was when he started his rite of passage and why it began with him having a "severing dinner" with his mom. We get into what his rite of passage consisted of, from the kickoff ceremony to the challenges, experiences, trips, and daily rituals Jon used to impart values and teach his son the "5 Shifts of Manhood." Jon shares how moving his son's focus from being a good man, to being good at being a man, helped him get remotivated to continue the process, why his rite of passage included a gap year after high school, and how Jon celebrated the end of his son's journey into becoming a man. We also discuss whether Jon did something similar with his daughter. We end our conversation with some key principles any dad can use to start intentionally helping their kids become well-rounded individuals who can confidently step out on their own and into the world.

#810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man

In the 80s and 90s, few sports stars loomed as large as Bo Jackson. A Kansas City Royal and an Oakland Raider, he was the rare athlete to play two professional sports. His strength and power seemed supernatural. He soared into end zones, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.13 seconds, hit meteoric home runs, and broke baseball bats over his head for fun. And those were just his documented exploits. Because Bo played in an era before smartphones, stories circulated — that could never be entirely proven or disproven — that he was capable of even more impressive feats. The guy was the stuff of legends.

For this reason, Jeff Pearlman has entitled his new biography of Bo: The Last Folk Hero. Today on the show, Jeff and I talk about Bo’s Paul Bunyan-esque stature, and the real life behind the legend. We discuss both the flaws and the strengths of Bo Jackson, and how natural talent can be both a hindrance and a help, as we trace his life from an impoverished upbringing as one of ten kids, to how he managed to secure an arrangement where he got to play two professional sports. Jeff explains how Bo never liked to practice — because he was so naturally gifted he didn’t need to — why Bo didn’t take the deal when the Yankees tried to draft him out of high school, the flash-bulb moments he achieved in college and the pros, how a hip injury ended his football days but didn’t entirely finish him off for baseball, and why, after such a neon career, Bo has largely disappeared from the public eye.

#847: Bo Jackson, The Last Folk Hero

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: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. In today's show Robert and I discuss why pirates are so appealing, why two guys would risk millions of dollar to find a pirate ship, and the legendary story of the pirate who captained this sunken ship. You're not going to want to miss this. 

#122: Pirate Hunters With Robert Kurson

In today's episode of the Gym Laird Show, Craig Caudill, author and founder of Nature Reliance School, joins Jim to discuss the importance of getting outside.

They also discuss the need to have disaster preparedness and outdoor survival skills.

Craig Caudill, Founder and Owner Nature Reliance School, began his outdoor experiences while growing up hunting, fishing, and playing in the woods of Kentucky. For over four decades he has actively pursued experiential knowledge of all things related to wilderness recreation and living.

Learn more here: http://1b.io/vj

GYMLAIRD 17 - Craig Caudill - Getting Outside

Iain Miller is a marine engineer turned climbing, walking, and skiing guide that lives in County Donegal, Ireland. Iain is responsible for establishing routes on nearly every sea stack in Donegal (and doing most of them free solo). Iain spends most of his days guiding clients in the hills, mountains, seas, and on the crags in and around Donegal, one of Ireland's most wild and remote counties. We chat about how he landed in Donegal as a Scotsman, how he got into climbing sea stacks, his views on soloing, and why he gets so much out of guiding.

#7: Iain Miller – Climbing alone in northwestern Ireland

Full episode info and Show Notes: www.wearelookingsideways.com

Actual legend alert! 

I have to admit, the first time I heard of Ross Edgley’s plan to swim around the coast of Great Britain I thought he had absolutely no chance of completing it. Swimming six hours on, six hours off - for over 1500 miles? It just seemed too vast an undertaking to contemplate, let alone actually complete. 

Then, like many thousands of others, I became hooked on the whole crazy story, following Ross through his regular vlogs and cheering him on as it became clear that he was going to finish - and in his trademark inspirational and positive style.

Naturally, I had to try get him on the show - so on the eve of his big finish in Margate I jumped aboard Hecate, his home for the past five months, to meet the man himself and find out exactly how he was got though one of the most celebrated physical and mental feats of recent times. 

The result is a brilliant, poignant and hilarious conversation with Ross in which we unpick the whole thing. It was a real privilege to spend some time abroad Hecate with Ross, Matt Knight and crew, and the sense of achievement and camaraderie among everybody was brilliant to witness. 

Huge thanks to Ross, Matt, Euan Godon, Robbie Henderson and everyone else who made this happen. Thanks as ever to Matt Ward for the theme tune.

Episode 059: Ross Edgley - The Great British Swim

Youth sports in America is a 15 billion dollar industry. A lot of that money is going towards special coaching and training and participation in elite travel teams. Parents spend an enormous amount of money and time on their kids’ involvement in sports, hoping the investment will pay off in accolades, college scholarships, and even the chance to play professionally. But my guests today argue that all that special coaching you’re spending money on probably isn’t doing much to turn your kid into an superstar.

Their names are Leonard Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson, and they’ve co-written a new book called "The Playmaker’s Advantage." Leonard is one of the pioneers in the field of sports psychology and was a professor of it at Boston University for 37 years. Over the decades, he’s consulted for professional and collegiate sports programs as well as Olympic teams. Daniel Peterson is a science writer who has spent his career looking at the intersection of neuroscience and athletic performance, and is co-founder and director of 80 Percent Mental Consulting.

Today on the show, Len and and Daniel discuss whether you can spot athletic talent in a child and why a kid who looks talented at age 10 can end up being a dud athlete at 20. They explain why you shouldn’t regiment your child’s athletic training or specialize kids too early in sports. Along the way, they provide best practices for parents and coaches who work with children in sports. We then discuss how sports can boost children’s cognitive abilities and why an athlete’s mental game can be just as important as their speed and strength. We end our conversation talking about what kind of practice is nearly useless, and what kind is the most helpful.

Get the show notes at aom.is/playmaker.

#456: Myths About Kids and Sports

Iain Miller might just be the only professional sea stack climber on Earth. After twenty years sailing the world with the Merchant Navy, Iain made a home in western Donegal, and he has barely left since. Now, Iain's days are spent out in his kayak looking for unclimbed rock, and – in his own words – "Those moments in time that can't be replicated". What follows is an extraordinary collection of Iain's stories from a life on the high seas in a time gone by. 

To watch 'A Feather in the West', head over to Pertex.com

Episode 044: Finding Home, Iain Miller

Today's guest is the eccentric adventurer, filmmaker and writer Beau Miles!!

Beau has filmed some of the most inventive adventures out there including "The Human Bean", "A Mile an Hour", "Run the Line", "Africa by Kayak" and many more.  His Youtube channel is full of entertaining, quirky, impressive filmmaking and I am so grateful I was able to sit down and chat with him for this episode!

Throughout his many adventures (and misadventures), Beau comes across as a person who is passionate for new experiences, who seeks understandings of the world both the internal and external, and someone who expresses his artistic side through creating some major challenges.  At their core these adventures demonstrate an honest-to-goodness curiosity for life.

From running an abandoned railroad line in his hometown to kayaking 2,000kms along the Souther African Coast to commuting 60+ miles to work by highway and waterway, Beau shows all the ups and downs of forging new experiences.

In this episode we chat all about the lessons he's learned, his musings on adventure both local and exotic, and how he's evolved along the way.

I hope you love this one as much as I did! Huge thanks to Beau and make sure you tune into all of the amazing projects he has released and everything that is on the way!!

MORE FROM BEAU MILES:

Website: https://beaumiles.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm325cMiw9B15xl22_gr6Dw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beauisms/

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