“When you and I say we’re suffering from stress, we’re never really suffering from stress. That’s a myth. It’s like a unicorn. All right. What we’re really struggling with are various problems in our life.”

A lot of men think stress and anger are just part of life—stuff you have to manage, suppress, or push through. But what if we’ve been sold a lie about what those things even are? Stress isn’t some disease you catch; it’s just a word we slap on real-life problems we haven’t solved yet. And anger? That hot, righteous feeling? Turns out, it usually comes from looking at something the wrong way. 

Dr. Mort Orman breaks down the three mental filters that cause anger—and how to stop falling for them. He shares how your brain quietly convinces you that someone else is to blame, even when that’s not the full story. With the right lens, you can stop being hijacked by your emotions and start solving real problems while demonstrating the strength of of your masculinity. 

Mort Orman’s been teaching men how to take control of their emotional lives for over 40 years. He’s a physician, author, and probably one of the calmest men alive. 

Learn more & connect:  

 * Dr. Mort Orman’s Amazon Author Page [https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Dr.-Mort-Orman/author/B0CRPXMXQ2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true] 

 * https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Dr.-Mort-Orman/author/B0CRPXMXQ2?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true  

Also in this episode: 

 * Sterling Institute of Relationship [https://sterling-institute.com/] 

EP207: Dr. Mort Orman - Your Anger Is NOT Always Right!

“When you have a team that talks to only people who can buy, usually their close rate increases 80 to 100%. And then the back end, you’re able to kind of feed that data back into your marketing… 28% on average reduction over the course of 90 to 120 days in your lead cost.” 

Wasting time on calls with buyers who can’t buy isn’t just bad for business—it’s demoralizing. But what if you could know exactly who’s qualified before they ever hit your calendar? And what if that same process made things better for your buyers, too? 

SimpleCheck lets you pre-qualify leads using soft credit data, so your sales team only talks to people who can afford to say yes—while everyone else gets routed to free content or lower-commitment offers that match their needs. Buyers avoid the shame of overreaching or being pitched things they can’t afford. Sellers get higher close rates and lower ad costs. Everyone wins. 

Hunter Hensley is the co-founder of SimpleCheck, a tech platform that brings transparency and empathy to the sales process. His work empowers businesses to serve better, sell smarter, and build real trust from the first click to the final close. 

Expert action steps: 

1. Know Yourself – Clarify your identity, strengths, and gifts so you can operate from a place of authenticity and service. 

2. Prioritize Your Life Outside Business – Protect time for family and personal growth; business will always demand more. 

3. Understand Legal Compliance – Know your industry’s laws and avoid costly legal mistakes. This includes things like adverse action notices and FCRA/GDPR compliance. 

Learn more & connect: 

https://getsimplecheck.com 

Also in this episode: 

Visit https://www.eCircleAcademy.com [https://www.ecircleacademy.com/] and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level.

EP698: Hunter Hensley - How to Avoid Getting Unqualified Buyers On Your Calendar

“You will grow more by helping the people in your tribe.” 

Confidence doesn’t begin with how others see you—it begins with how you decide to see yourself. Insecurity, fear, and self-doubt may be part of the human experience, but they don’t have to define your leadership. The path to powerful presence starts with internal clarity: vision, values, and daily actions that reflect who you really are. 

Jaclyn Strominger built her leadership style from a painful, personal origin—years of feeling “painfully insecure” and overlooked. But instead of folding, she turned inward, found her voice, and teaches others to lead with heart and mission. Her energy, she says, is now her superpower. “The vibe attracts your tribe.” 

Jaclyn Strominger is a leadership coach, speaker, and co-author of Charting True North, a workbook to help leaders clarify vision and purpose. She works with companies between 5 and 50 employees, guiding them to lead with purpose, emotional intelligence, and contagious confidence. 

Expert action steps: 

 1. Write out your vision statement.   

 1. Make sure you have your top six key values that you want to live by and have your company and your team live by.   

 1. Look at your calendar every day and put on your calendar all the things that matter. That includes your family, working out, make sure that there’s time in there for you. 

 Learn more & connect: 

https://jaclynstrominger.com/ 

Book: Charting True North: The CEO's Guide to Authentistic Leadership [https://a.co/d/asWLFbW] 

https://a.co/d/asWLFbW

EP697: Jaclyn Strominger - Your Voice Can Make Your Tribe!

“The freedom in being wrong is growth, it’s expansion, it’s newness.” 

Most men aren’t taught how to process pain—they’re taught to hide it. And when that pain turns into isolation or hopelessness, there’s often no one there to catch it. This episode confronts the silence head-on, bringing clarity to why men must reclaim sacred, confidential spaces with other men. Not to fix each other—but to be witnessed, to be heard, and to remember they’re not alone. 

Andy Grant reveals how suicidal ideation nearly cost him everything, and why he’s now committed to making suicide among men a rarity, not the norm. He shares why masculine-only groups are critical to healing, the difference between being “right” and being “happy,” and how unspoken thoughts can turn poisonous when trapped in the mind too long. This isn’t therapy—it’s brotherhood. 

Andy Grant is a men’s coach, speaker, and the host of the Real Men Feel podcast. He’s also the creator of TheAndyGrant.com and founder of RealMenFeel.org, where he offers men’s circles, meditations, and resources to support mental wellness, emotional freedom, and authentic masculinity. 

Learn more & connect: 

 * Andy Grant’s site: https://www.theandygrant.com 

 * Podcast: https://www.realmenfeel.org 

You’re invited to come to a Sovereign Circle meeting to experience it for yourself. To learn more, go to https://www.sovereignman.ca/. While you’re there, check out the Battle Ready program and check out the store for Sovereign Man t-shirts, hats, and books.

EP206: Andy Grant - Men's Mental Health Needs To Be A Bigger Focus!!

“I thought I needed them more than they needed me and what turned out that I learned very very quickly is the opposite is true. They actually need us, the real estate investor, to borrow that money more than we need them.” 

Private lending isn’t a mystery—it’s a strategy. When traditional banks slam their doors shut, savvy entrepreneurs don’t whine… they pivot. By learning how to attract and manage private capital, you shift from being at the mercy of gatekeepers to becoming your own underwriter. This episode breaks down exactly how everyday investors can raise private money ethically, safely, and with integrity—without begging or pitching a single deal. 

Jay Conner shares how he raised over $2 million in just 90 days from people who had never even heard of private money before. “You don’t need a credit score. You don’t need a bank’s approval. You need a teacher’s mindset and a rock-solid program.” Conner breaks down his referral method, his “good news” script, and why trust, not desperation, fuels every successful transaction. 

Jay Conner is known as The Private Money Authority. He’s a national speaker, author of Where to Get the Money Now, and host of the Raising Private Money podcast. After being cut off by banks in 2009, he discovered private lending and has since done over 500 deals using over $8.5 million in private capital. 

Expert action steps: 

 1. Join a mastermind group – Surround yourself with like-minded people. 

 1. Read great books – Your destiny is shaped by the people you meet and the books you read. 

 1. Take care of your health – Sleep, hydration, and sunlight matter. He recommends starting the day with 16 oz of water with Himalayan salt and getting outside within 5 minutes to regulate circadian rhythm. 

Lean more & connect: 

EP696: Jay Conner - Private Lending Can Make YOU Rich!

“You gotta connect with somebody before you can convert somebody."

Building a thriving business isn’t about chasing the next shiny tactic—it’s about engineering a system that connects, converts, and compounds. That starts with a clear vision: what you want, what you don’t want, who you are, and what you stand for. Without clarity, you’re building by accident. With it, you’re building by design. Add in lead machines, education-based conversion events, and the right branding, and you’ve got a scalable, sustainable engine that works even when you’re not.

Dan Kuschell brings decades of entrepreneurial insight into play, mapping out the five pillars of business growth: vision and growth plan, connection campaigns, lead machines, conversion events, and going deep. He shares the “10 Cent Trust Trigger” and explains how to build visibility, trust, and leads on a shoestring budget—without burning out or burning cash. It’s strategy over hustle, architecture over guesswork. 

Dan is a business growth specialist, founder of Breakthrough3x, and the author of Direct Response Branding. He’s helped companies generate over $2 billion in client growth and specializes in building marketing systems that scale without sacrificing health, family, or sanity. 

Expert action steps: 

1. Take Care of Your Health 

Without your health, nothing else matters. 

2. Get Clear on What You Want 

Know the business you want—and don’t want—based on who you are. 

3. Build Smart, Not Hard 

Use proven systems and tools to grow your business the right way. 

Lean more & connect: 

Go to Breakthrough3x.com/Nikki [https://breakthrough3x.com/Nikki] to get Dan’t audiobook, Direct Response Branding. 

Visit https://www.eCircleAcademy.com [https://www.ecircleacademy.com/] and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level. 

EP695: Dan Kuschell - Direct Response Branding

“Where fathers go, families go.” 

Kids don’t just need screen limits—they need real-world play to grow strong minds and healthy confidence. Without play, they miss out on building imagination, solving problems, and learning how to work with others. Dads play a big role in bringing that back. 

Shannon Coulter shares her story of becoming a stepmom to three kids who didn’t know how to play. That moment set her on a mission to figure out what was happening to kids—and why smartphones were at the center of it. She explains how screens are rewiring children’s brains and how play can rebuild what’s been lost. Her message is clear: it’s time for dads to lead their families away from screens and back to life. 

Shannon Coulter is a stepmom, parenting advocate, and founder of Planet FASA—a tool to help parents get their kids off screens and playing again. She’s building an app that gives simple, fun activity ideas and shows how play can build strong kids and stronger families. 

Learn more & connect: 

 * Shannon Coulter’s website: https://sscoulter.com [https://sscoulter.com/] 

Also in this episode: 

 * Planet FASA: [No URL confirmed] 

 * The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina: https://www.citadel.edu [https://www.citadel.edu/] 

 * The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – [not confirmed link] 

You’re invited to come to a Sovereign Circle meeting to experience it for yourself. To learn more, go to https://w [https://www.sovereignman.ca/]

EP205: Shannon Sue Coulter - Teaching Kids How To Play Again

“Our strength is our freedom, and out of that freedom comes diversity, not the other way around.” 

Freedom means being able to live by your values without being punished for them. It takes courage to speak up, strength to stand your ground, and the willingness to protect other people’s rights—even when you don’t agree with them. Real leadership doesn’t shut people down. It listens, takes responsibility, and uses power carefully. A free country doesn’t force everyone to think the same. It respects honest questions, pushes back against political spin, and trusts people to make their own choices. 

Candice Bergen shares stories from her time in politics—what it was like during the trucker protests, how COVID-19 policy sowed division, and why the Emergencies Act was a turning point. She also opens up about the strategic decisions behind the 2025 election, the rise of podcasting in political outreach, and her belief in standing firm, even when unpopular. 

Candice Bergen is the former leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in Canada and the former interim leader of the Conservative Party. Today, she advises companies in the defense, natural resources, and tech sectors, with a focus on freedom, energy, and governance. 

Expert action steps: 

1. Show up. 

2. Do the work nobody else wants to do. 

3. Under promise and over deliver. 

Lean more & connect: 

Candice’s Website: 

https://www.candicebergen.ca

Also in this episode: 

Jordan Peterson’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference: 

https://www.arcforum.com [https://www.arcforum.com/] 

Visit https://www.eCircleAcademy.com [https://www.ecircleacademy.com/] and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level. 

EP694: The Right Honourable Candice Bergen - Canada Is Freedom

“You can be extremely productive and have very little stress in your life. And a lot of people have done that to their surprise… boom, it’s like an explosion of productivity.” 

When stress hijacks your clarity, your brain becomes the worst kind of news outlet—one that feeds you a distorted, fear-driven narrative. This episode breaks down why emotions like anger and anxiety aren’t triggered by the events themselves, but by invisible mental filters convincing you that you’re under attack. These same filters—blame, harm, and wrongdoing—can torpedo decision-making, damage relationships, and sabotage leadership if left unexamined. 

Dr. Mort Orman shares the system he developed after decades of personal struggle and medical practice: a repeatable method for dismantling emotional triggers and regaining control. From navigating corporate stress to dealing with bureaucratic injustice, he explains how to transform emotional reactions into powerful clarity by reframing your internal narratives. 

Dr. Mort Orman is a physician, stress relief expert, and the author of Dr. Orman’s Life-Changing Anger Cure. He’s published 26 books on emotional mastery and helps leaders eliminate chronic stress and anger so they can operate at peak performance—without wrecking their health or relationships. 

Expert action steps: 

 1. Be okay with being wrong. 

Mistakes help you learn and grow. 

 1. Old problems can still be solved. 

Just because it’s been hard for years doesn’t mean it can’t change. 

EP693: Dr. Mort Orman - Your Brain Is Like The Media, It Can't Be Trusted

“I want to make sure that they don’t have the missing link that I had.” 

When fathers vanish, so does the foundation of masculinity. This episode unpacks how fatherhood—especially in broken families—is not just about presence but about principles, persistence, and pain. The difference between a boy who becomes a man and one who never leaves the basement may come down to one thing: did a father light the path, even when his son wouldn’t follow? 

Brandon Held shares his raw, unfiltered journey from fathering three sons through divorce and distance to finding meaning in a mission to help other men. With military service, personal losses, and a brush with death behind him, his voice is one of hard-won wisdom. “I am lighting a path for you. All you have to do is walk down it.” If you’ve ever questioned whether your sacrifices mattered—this one’s for you. 

Brandon Held is a father of three, a veteran of both the U.S. Air Force and Army, and the host of a men’s mentorship podcast. His mission is simple: help young men avoid the pain he endured by sharing his own story—one mistake, one lesson, one breakthrough at a time. 

Learn more & connect:  

https://www.brandonheld.com/about 

You’re invited to come to a Sovereign Circle meeting to experience it for yourself. To learn more, go to https://www.sovereignman.ca/. While you’re there, check out the Battle Ready program and check out the store for Sovereign Man t-shirts, hats, and books. 

EP204: Brandon Held - Why Fathers Matter

MAKE THE DIFFERENCE YOU WERE BORN TO MAKE The Business of Thought Leadership podcast is about building your thought leadership around your expertise, your brand and your name. To become well known and highly regarded in the market place for the results you are able to produce for your clients. Our guests are top thought leaders who have done it. They’ve become widely known for their expertise and results they’re able to deliver for their clients. They all love what they do and get paid very well for doing it. You’ll meet entrepreneurs that have leveraged thought leadership in driving business revenue, coaches that were unknown and barely making ends who later became celebrities and took their income into the 7 figures, consultants that transformed into best-selling authors and built multi-million dollar firms and senior executives who followed their passion, left their day jobs and are changing the world. We’ve had interviews with notables such as New Times Best-Selling Author Seth Godin, success and investment coaching icon, Raymond Aaron, a personal coach to billionaires, Alex Charfen & Tony Robbins’ Director of Coaching, Marc Von Musser. Steve Jobs once said “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Are you crazy enough to join us in making the difference you were born to make. We want you to 10x your impact, your income and your influence every 12 months. Financially successful people with purpose and passion are changing the world and we want to inspire you to be one of them.

The Thought Leader Revolution Podcast

“A real man is sovereign over his own life. He takes full responsibility for becoming a better man, and owns his own successes and failures. But he also understands the value of being a part of a band of brothers, the kind that have his back, and he can call at 3 AM if he’s stuck in a jail cell, because they’ll come and get him. He understands that just like a wolf pack, the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” — Nicky Billou Welcome to the Sovereign Man Podcast where we have the conversations that matter to you as a man, and inspire you to become the best version of yourself. You’ll learn from the best business, career, financial, relationship, and mans skills experts from around the world. The Sovereign Man Podcast is for motivated men like you who want to win in today’s world. We equip you to become better in every area of your life from establishing mastery over yourself, to defining your purpose, strengthening your family and your relationships, becoming a better leader, and learning man skills. Each week I have real, unscripted conversations with real men, successful men, and men who give a darn.

Nicky Billou

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