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Episode 1: New Podcast, New Me
79 Plays4 months ago
Good Morning, Gents! This is a podcast hosted by four Marine Corps veterans with the goal of uplifting men to be the best version of ourselves. In an age of high rates of suicide and depression, especially in the male population, we are taking a stand. This is a place that will cover all of the challenges and realities that we face in the current world, and how we can break down barriers to betterment for ourselves, our families, and the world.
A tragic suicide of our friend sparked an idea and experiment for us as we rekindled our friendship: A group text where we say "Good Morning" to each other every single day, and continue the conversation about what is going on in our lives, be there for one another, and spread positivity and reassurance. Men bear so much weight of responsibility in society that it is hard for men to have an outlet to express themselves. This has attributed to the vast number of suicides in the male population. We aim to cut those numbers down with this podcast. Between the discussions our hosts will talk about, and the guests we bring onto the show, we invite you to join us on this journey towards self-betterment for all.
Episode 1 focuses on introductions of our hosts: Mac, 'Slammin' Brandon, Tyler/Littlefoot, and Kalab/Swamp, and NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS for 2025.
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Transcript
Introduction of Hosts
00:00:07
Speaker
Good morning, gents.
00:00:13
Speaker
morning gents Welcome to episode one. We're glad you're here with us, and I'd like to introduce you guys to the three gents that are with me today. If you want, I'll introduce myself first. I'm Brandon. Got a small family up here in northern Michigan's UP. Been married for about 14 years. Got an 11-year-old daughter.
00:00:35
Speaker
What else? Since my time in service, worked as a firefighter EMT, now a veteran service officer up here in Michigan, hopefully being on a farm here in the next few years and expanding my family. I got that Tyler over here. What's up? I'm Tyler, also known as Little Foot, as my friends like to call me. um I am currently a firefighter EMT, also work in veteran services, ah doing some kind of marketing and advertising. And I also am an independent filmmaker on the side. Went to college for that. And just happy to be here with my friends who I deployed with. And ah introduce Mac now. Hey, good evening. How is everybody? I'm Mac.
00:01:24
Speaker
i I'm living in my third state in the last 12 years. Got a family few kids, divorced, ah figuring out a new way of life, ah reconnected with these boys, happily so. And we'll get kind of more into that here in a minute, but we're gonna, I'm gonna send it on to the last one of the group here, Caleb.
00:01:55
Speaker
Hi, my name's Caleb. I live in Nebraska. Since active duty, I did a little reserve time, a couple deployments there. I now currently work for a class one railroad. And my family is a family of all women. That's myself. I've got two daughters and and a wife. So this time with these guys gets me a little test off thrown and keeps my yeah but my man card in check.
00:02:26
Speaker
So I'm sure you guys will hear more about each one of us as as this podcast dragged on. I did say drag on because you guys are coming along for the ride. So let's go ahead and take it over to we'll kick back to Mac with how we got to this point.
Podcast Philosophy
00:02:44
Speaker
Well, we do appreciate you listening in. um Again, like Caleb said, dragging on. We don't have a script for this. So whatever everybody is listening to is going to be raw. That was kind of the point of it. Raw, open. Four dudes talking. I kind of compare it in my head to four dudes that
00:03:07
Speaker
you get to drink a beer in your garage at 10 o'clock on and Friday night, things get said, but we're gonna do this without, well, most of us are gonna do it without drinking. Some of us will probably be drinking, but that is what it is. We're gonna have these conversations open and welcoming to anybody that wants to listen in and hope it helps you. But how we got here kind of will tell you where we're headed with this and why we started it.
Marine Corps History
00:03:34
Speaker
We all serve in the Marine Corps together. We're all part of a Mu, a Marine Expeditionary Unit. And a couple of us had the fun time of doing a special MAGTAF as well right before we did the Mu. So we spent about 18 months to two years deployed workups and all the crazy shit that takes you away from family time. and the Marine Corps takes it out of you. So we spent a lot of time together overseas. We we went through a lot together. We all got lucky enough to get on an Advon home and in September of 2014. So we got to come home before our main unit by about two months. And we got to spend a lot of time together during that period. um And during that time, we all became very close
00:04:28
Speaker
And with that, we grew into a ah brotherhood um that got stronger and stronger. Moved forward 10 years, big jump, a decade jump.
Reuniting and Support
00:04:41
Speaker
We had all grown apart. We stopped talking really after the Marine Corps. We stayed in touch here, there, this and that social media.
00:04:51
Speaker
um Caleb and I, at one point, live fairly close to one another. So we saw each other every once in a while. ah Yeah. Tyler is slamming. I haven't seen since. What you guys don't see is we are on video. So this is the the only time I've seen these guys. And they've seen me is this way. So since then, all our lives have completely changed. A great, great deal.
00:05:21
Speaker
we've a We've had more kids. We've ah been married. We've gotten divorced. We've gotten remarried. We've stayed married. One of us has successfully pulled off the staying married. oh And life has changed.
00:05:42
Speaker
greatly. we've We've had multiple careers. We've gotten degrees. We've taken different paths. We've done different jobs. We've we have done things in the last decade that is normal to being a man, and we've dealt with it on our own. So over the summer, ah some things happened. A Marine we served with ended up committing suicide this summer.
00:06:11
Speaker
And he didn't serve directly under me and I didn't have the closest relationship with him as the other three did. But at the same time that they were dealing with this suicide of one of our but fellow veterans, emotionally, I was dealing with some other emotional stuff that ah I was learning a different side of me and kind of going through some stuff.
00:06:35
Speaker
at that time. And Caleb reached out to me and told me what was going on. And I had heard another podcast at that time that would talk about to a lot of these things we we go through alone when we shouldn't and we don't have to. And um the emotional mental health side of just having a a group of other men to talk to.
00:07:00
Speaker
that you can count on to reach out to daily that somebody you can be a burden on um is so beneficial to your own mental health and to your own emotional health and to your own growth.
00:07:15
Speaker
um Caleb had reached out and told me about what all all those three guys were going through. I was going through my own thing, so Caleb set up a text group, and the next morning I shot out a text and said, yay, good morning, gents. um I don't remember what the rest said if I read onto it, but something along the lines of good morning, gents. I'm gonna do this every day until you guys get comfortable with it, and it took two days. The next day I think Slammin' had me beat.
00:07:43
Speaker
So and that was six months ago, five months ago.
Podcast Goals
00:07:48
Speaker
And since then, I think we can all blatantly speak to our emotional and mental health has been so much better since connecting the four of us again, and being able to have be a burden on one another with anything. um These are things of that we all battle. Anyone listening probably battles loneliness, um anger, frustration, exhaustion, confusion, happiness, love. um What was that? Even medical issues, money, and anything. Anything. Things that, man, a year ago, I would have talked about with anybody else.
00:08:37
Speaker
Hell, a year ago, I didn't talk about with anybody else. This is something we're all new at. We're being more vulnerable with each other than we probably have been with partners, wives, people that we should have been that way at some point, but this this is a group that we've done it with each other and that has helped us tremendously in other relationships. And so where this podcast has started is We wanted to see get together and do video and see each other face to face instead of just texting each other. And that has come into recording it. And Tyler has a history and production of great, great entertainment. And he ah we're going to use his expertise and lean on this.
00:09:30
Speaker
Absolutely. I'll pass it off. I talk too much.
00:09:36
Speaker
Well, you hit the nail on the head there, Mac, as to why we're doing this and everything. um And you really covered our background, deployments, life together in the Marine Corps, and then separation. So I don't think we need to delay any more time here. Everybody's good with it. Let's look roll into episode one's topic. um Today is December 27. Yep.
00:10:04
Speaker
in December 27th when we're recording this. So this will hit after the new year. But we wanted to share New Year's resolutions with the audience so you guys can take start this journey with us um and on a positive note and a goal setting, just mindset. Not every week's going to be like that. But this this should be a good way to kick it off. um So I'm going to go first. and got I got two goals in mind, two goals One big background that we all share, from deployment and post deployments and just but um doing the the military service life together.
Personal Goals
00:10:45
Speaker
See, Mac and I deployed in 2013 and he's the one who got into the gym consistently for the first time. That's going to be my first day. Yeah, buddy.
00:10:56
Speaker
That's going to be my first goal. It's going to be getting back to the gym. I haven't worked out on a regular rhythm since 2016. Even when I left active service, I did almost six more years in the reserves, and I still didn't work out, man. I would turn on the Jets one time a year for a PFT, one time a year for a PFT, and that was it. Max, Max, relax and make my score.
00:11:25
Speaker
So that is that is my first goal. I want you guys to hold me accountable for the gym. I want them to push me. And we'll see we'll see if I can't get back to a decade's younger self. The second the second goal is, and this this one might resonate with some folks, i kind of I struggled for a long time post Marine Corps and i kind of I kind of lost myself a little bit there and I quit doing things that I enjoyed and it kind of made me um depressed if if we're being honest. it um And ultimately that led to some self-destruction. Since I've had some restorations and some recovery from all that.
00:12:13
Speaker
But I don't want to get back into the things I enjoy. um I hunt, I fish. But I don't do it as often as I probably should for a mental health capacity. I've got um got two daughters, like I said. One of them might take some ice fishing. And she caught her first catfish. And she loved it. So like I need to get my kids back out doing that shit. And I need to get out doing shit that shit. So like that that's my second goal, is getting back to being true to my hobby, strip myself. Can I add real quick that?
00:12:44
Speaker
When Caleb was in the gym with us, we made a reference to the great Austrian oak and Caleb was also now known due to his heritage of the South as the Louisiana swamp oak. Or swamp for sure.
00:13:01
Speaker
yeah
00:13:05
Speaker
ah Take it Brandon.
00:13:12
Speaker
Slamming, what's your resolution, bro? Oh, my resolution? Ah, shoot, man. It's a little similar to what what Caleb's got going on there. I started going back to the gym after, shoot, a decade without working out with you guys in July of this last year. So I'm hoping to maintain that stride that we got going right now. It's been difficult because i'm I'm trying to work around a lot of injuries now that I sustained over the past couple of years and finding new techniques. and A lot of the things that you guys did for me back then are stuff that I implement in my life now. So it's it's kind of nice to have that that those foundational building blocks of getting him back in there. And I think that's going to help you out a lot too, Caleb.
00:13:57
Speaker
um Another thing that my ah goal of mine is is to to spend more time with my family. My daughter was born literally a few months before we deployed.
00:14:10
Speaker
Um, didn't get to spend much time with her there. It was kind of a wild ride getting out of the Marine Corps the next couple of years after we got back from our employment. Um, and then I jumped right into a job where I was gone 24 hours a day, every other day of the week for the next few years while my wife was in school. And then just some of my own lifestyle choices really kept me away from family a lot up until just recently, almost. So like my goal is to spend a lot more time with my family and, you know, I'm learning a few new walks in my own life, too. Like Caleb said, I'm working on a brand new identity and and leaning into you guys to kind of get the, kind of see where I like, what I don't like, what I did like about myself then. So that's about all I got for resolutions this year. That was some great resolutions. soon and some great ra Yeah. Littlefoot, take it. Let's hear it, man. Yeah, for me.
00:15:07
Speaker
um I don't usually do these kind of things. Like I feel like I've always kind of brushed them off. It's like, oh, people always say new year, new me, you know. How about new year, improved me, added to me. I like that a lot better. um I think past couple of years, I've slowly realized like how quickly time has passed, you know, the past 10 years since we got out, basically.
00:15:39
Speaker
And I don't feel superhuman anymore. You know, when we were in and we're just constantly working out and, you know, we're young and full of energy and, you know, it felt like you could do anything. And then, you know, I got out, started going through some horrible shit, um panic attacks and anxiety and all kinds of stuff, depression. And it really hit me hard.
00:16:08
Speaker
um But you know there was there was some periods in between where I would you know work out really heavy and kind of get myself back into it and felt great for a few years. And then just kind of fell back into it just because of you know work and you know the monotony of life. So I would definitely like to make fitness a priority for the new year. um Get myself back to where I'm feeling good about myself.
00:16:38
Speaker
physically, mentally. I'd like to work on my marriage big time. I think, ah you know, it takes a lot of work every day. And I think um that's something a lot of people could focus on that, you know, you know, we think about it in the broad sense, but we don't think about like the little actions it takes step by step to to get to where we want it to get to. So trying to focus on that hardcore And I would say the biggest one for me is ah get myself to a place of happiness with um you know my creative side. I think work has kind of slowed down my creative process and really got me to a place where I'm not being myself. And I need time to you know focus on the creative part of me.
00:17:38
Speaker
and, you know, work on my filmmaking and writing and feel like that's what that's what makes me feel alive. And, um you know, if I'm not doing it and if I start to start to harbor this, you know, depression and all these built up feelings that I don't get to express. So that's my outlet. And, you know, it's it's hard with filmmaking, especially it takes years to make even just one project unless you're making these tiny little films. but you know I'm working on these bigger projects and it takes years and years to do. So even just you know sitting down and writing for you know a couple hours every day or two would just be extremely beneficial for me. And my big goal is to to get this this film that I'm working on out there, hopefully within the next couple of years. And you know I'm trying to work out the funding and all that kind of stuff. There's a ton of planning, but ah even just working on it,
00:18:38
Speaker
would get me to a better place of mental stability. And I think the goal for all of us really is to just become better men and be our best selves. And holding each other accountable is a huge thing, which, you know, really as as a man in the current world, it's a very lonely feeling out there. And a lot of people just harbor their own feelings. and don't express themselves to each other or you know their family, their friends, anybody. um Men are supposed to be the providers and you know the the stoic quiet type that just bear the weight of responsibility and don't you know express their emotions. And I think that's why we have such a high rate of suicide and depression, especially in the male population.
00:19:35
Speaker
So I would like this podcast to be a positive platform, especially for men to you know know that we're all human beings and we all have problems and we're able to work through them, and especially if we do it together.
00:19:50
Speaker
I love it, dude. Those are the marriage one, man. that was That's something, I think, coming from a failed marriage. um I can personally tell you I did not take that serious as I should have.
00:20:03
Speaker
um during certain years and certain times of that marriage. And that's ah something when you you look back and you realize, I could have done better. So I commend you for actively looking out at that and actively being aware of that, especially in such a young marriage. um That's awesome. and Just being aware of that and knowing that that is something that you want to improve on alone will improve your marriage and improve your relationship. um That being said,
00:20:34
Speaker
Mine, I'm the old man of the group and my fitness is not my priority this year because I will run circles around all these shits and I can talk shit because they expect me to talk shit. So that is me. So fitness is not my thing. I, anyone that has known me or has known like me, like these guys are, I've always been more of a serious type.
00:21:03
Speaker
um not really the greatest people person. um I am the least in tune with my emotional side. um ah it's just It comes from a lot of places. Over the last two years um and in a lot in the last seven, eight months, I have really leaned into fixing that side of me.
00:21:29
Speaker
um The gym is not my place to go and fix that. A lot of guys lean on the gym to get the stress out the gym. I've been doing the gym in fitness for so damn long at this point. That is not my place. That is, that's the one thing I can control in my life. Um, that is the one thing I have full control of.
00:21:45
Speaker
but that is not where I go and do these things. It wasn't working for me. I thought it was, it wasn't. So my new year's resolution, what I'm aiming to fix this year, what I want to work on, what I will work on, in the last seven, eight months, I have found these little things. I had to listen to podcasts and reading books and talking to these guys and just really opening myself up to be vulnerable and educated.
00:22:12
Speaker
On things that I would have never done that I mean a year ago. There are people have been like du there's no way this guy is gonna do this um a Staying with the podcast and being open on it that is that is one for me that I will constantly fight being a vulnerable man um and sharing that with the world that is that is something that I'm gonna stick with and I'm gonna have to tell myself every week we record one of these to stick with it and be open about it. um Another one that ah along on top of that, I've got these little things I've started doing.
00:22:57
Speaker
I don't know, staying up and getting up at four 30 in the morning and hitting the gym, getting that workout first thing in the day. I get my workout in that is mornings. I don't have my kids stick with that because that sets my, this tone for the rest of my day. I do a little prayer every morning. I got a journal. I sit down. I give my prayer com conversation. It's a conversation, a letter. I feel better. If I write it down, it feels more real to me. It is a conversation.
00:23:26
Speaker
with my believer, with my creator, every morning on what I'm thankful for, what I wanna get done, what I need to get done, and where I failed. Recognizing my own failures um from the day before, from whatever pops in my mind. It's five, 10 minutes. I gotta stick with that. ah Getting outside, man. i get I get done with my workout or I drink my coffee and I take my dog for a walk.
00:23:54
Speaker
I go, I get my coffee getting, just getting the morning sunrise on me has done so much for me. That's another thing that I'm like, I got to stick with it this year. um
00:24:07
Speaker
And man, there was something else I was thinking of that I can't remember. I thought of it when I was a.
00:24:17
Speaker
Walking today, but so those my the little things I've been doing being open being vulnerable being friendly being willing to share with you guys Stick into that morning routine of getting exercise in getting my prayer in Being being self-aware before the day starts and getting that morning sunlight Watching the the creation of the sunrise really getting my emotional track ready for the day um Those are things that I am finding and keep educating myself. That there that that was the one I forgot. ah This is the year I've really gotten into listening to experts um on podcasts. We are not experts. So don't ever think, if you're listening, that we are an expert or anything. We are just four dudes that have failed a lot and we're here to talk about it and we're we've succeeded a lot. um So we're here to talk about that too. I don't know fuck about shit.
00:25:12
Speaker
i du I'm the dumbest person in most conversations, and I'll admit it, but I've opened myself to listening to guys like Dr. Huberman, um who is fucking brilliant, and he brings on brilliant minds, and I've learned a lot from listening to that guy. Books, I'm a guy that I can read, but if I read, I'm gonna be up all night reading. So i've I listen to books when I drive, I don't listen to music, I listen to books now.
00:25:39
Speaker
ah So those things like that self-improvement in all the other ways outside of the gym that are emotionally making me more of an adult. That's being an adult, I guess. And figuring out life as a divorced dad who is doing life different than what the last decade looked like.
00:26:08
Speaker
And I like how we all come from such different walks of life. you know you know We all have this common thing that we share of our time in the military together, but we all have very different lives. Oh, extremely. Whether it's careers, um religion, ah lifestyles, everything is just completely different. um And I think ah our differences are great for a podcast because you know we'll get plenty of different listeners with different walks of life and they can you know find ways to relate to all of us.
Community and Connections
00:26:44
Speaker
As this grows, like as listeners, like we'll find ways to get you guys
00:26:50
Speaker
get you heard. If you got things to tell us, things you want us to talk about, a topic, something like that, like we'll figure out how that what that looks like. We don't know it yet. um These fools have gotten me in charge of the Instagram page. So bear with me if you find us. like I'm sorry. Send in a question. Yeah. Message me. I will look at it. But man, um I'm sorry. They got me in charge. that That's a fail on my part, their part. But I'll get better.
00:27:20
Speaker
And we're also going to have guests on here who you know can talk about a wide variety of topics yeah from week to week as we go through this. And I think it's it's all going to work towards the betterment of all of us. Yeah, absolutely. you know It's funny. We all have similar but yet different goals. And I think that's that's an account to our background and our our current and then so yeah i'm really excited to get this started i'm really excited to but grow with all of you i am i do have a very important question though and that's the the
00:28:10
Speaker
dude i'm such mad no so my diet is the most boring fucking diet and what do you eat dude because i hate cooking i have learned this i used to think i enjoyed cooking you know i was married and had had the kids every night, had the wife and like had a big ass kitchen that my ex-wife now has. um I learned that I fucking hate cooking. So I meal prep two weeks at a time and it's literally like chicken
00:28:46
Speaker
and we'll deer right now because I'm fucking, I'm broke as shit. So deer and chicken and I meal prep enough for two weeks and then it's rice and I throw all my vegetables in the rice and then I have sweet potatoes too. So half my meals are like, it's a mixture of whatever meat and rice or sweet potatoes. And that's all stuck in the freezer, frozen away for two weeks. um And then like when i when I have my kids, I have my kids a lot. So anyone listening, don't think I'm,
00:29:15
Speaker
I'm very involved, and I have them damn near half the time. ah I eat whenever I cook them. ah Some nights, they just want something like buttered noodles. As active as I am, I got to get my um protein in. So that I'll still eat a frozen meal, but I'll probably, if we're making pancakes with them, I'll probably eat like four pancakes too. Issue is, days I don't have my kids, I'm getting two workouts a day in.
00:29:44
Speaker
so I'm one of those freaks that I'm lucky right now. I can eat damn near whatever I want. I just don't because I hate cooking. Fucking hate it. And I hate spending money. So I don't eat out that much either. And I love cooking. i Last Saturday, I smoked two turkeys. On Wednesday, I smoked a ham and ate a pulled ham. And tomorrow, I'm doing the front bread, brother. That's the Louisiana cheese.
00:30:12
Speaker
too much, too much about that kitchen line. um I'm concerned I'm not going to spread this belly fat. now Now, again, I don't want the listeners to think that I'm obese here. Doesn't seem to stick in years. I wear a 34 waist, OK? 34 inseam. I'm a 34, 34 if you want to send your boy a gift. I got you, bro. I got you. I'm not obese by any means. I'm still rather lean. there's just You know, there there's a little bit of ice over the six pack. A little layer of frost. We got to melt that. We got to get the six pack to find. it' It's going to be all right. I also do stupid shit. Like I'm ah i'm on three to leg days a week. Like obviously my emotional health is fucked somewhere because I've decided to like counteract it by lifting legs three days a week. You're glutton for punishment. like You're like one of those hoes. My Amazon wish list is in my bio.
00:31:13
Speaker
means the sugar that yeah
00:31:18
Speaker
but
00:31:22
Speaker
I like to go hiking. This year is going to be camping for us. It's one of my wife's favorite things to do and my kid loves it too. There we go.
00:31:35
Speaker
did my I got to get my kids back to the river to float. They floated last summer once and they loved it, but it rained on us. So they hated the first hour of it. So I got to find us a couple of days this summer to get back on the river and back on the canoes. I feel kind of left out because I'm the only one on this podcast who doesn't have kids. But at the same time, I find it encouraging because you want to you want to come to where I live. I'll put you on a canoe with my kids and you'll never want kids.
00:32:05
Speaker
I was going to say it just kind of motivates me because you guys are teaching me. You're teaching me the ways of ah fatherhood. Well, you got to think too, man. The things that we do with our kids are the things that you also do with your wife. Yep. Absolutely. Not 100%. Well, well. Hi, I'm Chris Hanson with Dateline NBC. Episode one, the very beginning and the end. You know what I mean.
00:32:35
Speaker
You brand it here. If you do it with your kids, then you probably do it with your wife, but if you do it with your wife, you don't always, you waiting and kids there there we go.
00:32:47
Speaker
but shit Listeners don't understand this, but we're going to have a ah college education period with Lamond here or slamming here in a few episodes. Uh, he's quite the educator.
00:33:01
Speaker
You have to have a professor until Slamans taught you a thing or two about spring break. Professor Slamans. For our younger generation. You do not spring break in Massachusetts. I'm sorry.
00:33:15
Speaker
We are definitely going to, yo, we should post that video on our YouTube or our hits Instagram page. I will get it up there. I'll get it up there. So people know what we're talking about. I OK this. But no, man, you want to fix it.
00:33:30
Speaker
work on and strengthening that marriage of yours, dude, like kayaking, canoeing, just trips, getaways with the wife. Everybody is a superman. You get that sun on you. I mean, scientifically, I'm no scientist, but I've listened to one. ah Scientifically, man, that I never thought about it, but the benefits it does for you, dude, just get outside. Yeah. Yeah. You're a ruck on a day pack, get in the woods, do some hiking.
00:34:01
Speaker
You got a kick-ass dog, dude. Don't get that dude out there. Yeah. That's the goal for this year. Just be more active, you know? Be active and open with her. I can 100% always own. I probably, not probably. That sounds like an excuse. I was not as open with my ex-wife as I should have been. Yeah. I think we're all getting rid of that from time to time. Oh, for sure.
00:34:30
Speaker
our failures are lessons and they make us better people. So it's sponsored our podcast. Exactly. We are sponsored by failure. That's going to be on a t-shirt. That will be a t-shirt. We're going to make that. TM by the way.
00:34:48
Speaker
ah man but i think I think a big thing for this year too is going to be gratitude for all four of us. I agree. that expressing of gratitude, us getting back together, our accountability, our gratefulness towards our families, each other. Gratefulness of life. to life from Like, <unk>'re we're choosing to do this. ground We're choosing to do this walk together like this. There's something to be grateful for there of having the opportunity to do. It's fun finding yourself again.
00:35:26
Speaker
and you don't find yourself until you got that community to help to help you along the way. Yeah, you can't be yourself. There's one you gotta have. eat yeah There's no yourself man. I think back to the times we spent together and I'm like, man, I remember those times that those were true happiness. That was very few times since then. Have I really had a group of guys that I've fucking laughed as hard as we laughed at shit. Oh, never. Never. Never in my life. Never in my does it compare? No. Dude, that little change in Spain, we're staying at MGM in 99 for a 30 rack.
00:36:17
Speaker
yes and then we were behind the exchange out of one more as much mail to week as we possibly could but we never like gra niin and beer forcing to our bacons on a daily basis Yes. Oh man, no.
00:36:35
Speaker
See, Tyler and Tyler and Brandon weren't on this, and you but this, our first appointments were Mac night. We were roommates and, uh, we binged through the show shameless. Oh yeah, we did. I love that show. I added probably 15 pounds of muscle. I wrecked the school bus. I made it to North Africa. Then, you know, we went to, we went home.
00:36:59
Speaker
but ah lucky Yeah. We, uh. Yeah. The, the pre-workout, this was before like shit was like, I mean, it's not the healthiest thing now, but like, legal yeah, we literally took like four, just mixed them one day. And so you never knew like you, you had about four minutes from putting it in your guts to when your guts came out of you. And indeed it was, it was all summer, summer of 2013 in Spain, Italy, and Africa.
00:37:34
Speaker
It was wild. It was, I'm pretty sure there were a group of Marines peeing in an alley waiting for the bus to come pick us up at one point. Always. This whole thing is about building a community. And, you know, I've watched so many studies just lately, especially about, you know, veteran in suicide.
00:38:00
Speaker
and the problems in the community and you know what what is the root issue. And one of the the people who I've done extensive research and listening to is the war correspondent, Sebastian Younger. And he goes extensively into how we all need a tribe as human beings. And we need people who have a common understanding and experience as us.
00:38:30
Speaker
And that's why you know you have veterans fitting into this community that you know are so strongly attached to each other because we have you know similar experiences. And a lot of people in society, and especially when veterans get out, they don't have that anymore. They don't have that connection with people. So it's all about building a connection and um you know shared experience with each other. And I'm excited to crack the codes.
00:38:56
Speaker
Hell yeah. du that's That's part of my resolution is like I want to keep sharing. I'll need you guys to hold me kind of like you getting your morning walks that sunrise up or you whatever because like I want to I want to give feedback like what is working for me? What is I mean, I'll be honest emotionally dark dark place. I've i've gone down to that basement and sat there figuratively not literally. I don't have a basement.
00:39:21
Speaker
oh But like I'm finding these things that are working for me, that are growing me in that emotional intelligence realm. And I want to share it. like If it's working for me, it's going to work for somebody else. So I want to do it, and I want to keep with it, and I want to share it, and I want to hopefully help somebody else. Yeah. And our experiences are similar with with the military service there. i don't I don't want to discourage any listeners to think that if you didn't serve with a group of guys that you can't get close with a group of guys, right? I i definitely think it's possible. You don't have to have that that that military service or, you know, that academy service from your local police agency, what they're part of or the same fair house. It could be four dudes in a neighborhood. I truly believe that. I think it's, uh,
00:40:16
Speaker
I think what it is is an openness and a heart and a willingness and of the mind to share yeah and actually cultivate that community. And I think that's something that, those odes that Tyler's looking to correct, is what is the formula that creates a military-esque bond for men without the trauma, without without that lifestyle?
00:40:45
Speaker
Well, that is something that's something that, uh, I think it's worth bringing up that Sebastian younger talks about in, you know, his various Ted talks and his books that he writes is trauma does bring community together. And it could be, you know, a plethora of things. Uh, he talks about different experiences, whether it's, uh, you know, the London blitz of world war two or nine 11. And you find that the suicide rates and depression rates went dramatically down during these times of extreme hardship because people during these times sought community and and everyone was in it together and they all had shared experiences of the trauma. So when you find this community of relative relatively minded people and you work together to better yourselves, it dramatically improves your mental health.
00:41:42
Speaker
I also want to add on this that if you're listening to this, thank you for staying with us. But we are not a group of guys that these are the only group of guys we talk to. um I know there are people out there that have like their own group, and that's the only group they ever really associate with. That's that's who they talk to. they have They might talk to people at work or whatever, and then it's straight back to this group.
00:42:06
Speaker
None of us live anywhere fucking close to one of us, any each other anymore. um The closest we live is like, I think the closest drive is a nine hour drive. um So we don't live fucking close at all. So all of us outside of our daily chat, and when we get together on here,
00:42:26
Speaker
we are We have other friends that we talk to and that we see and that we hang out with and we do things with. um But this is the group that is every day. um This is the emotional support group that we've just developed that there are things here that we talk about that I don't talk about with my other friends. um Whether that be because I'm not comfortable, I'm not on that level with that friend, or um I don't know if that friend can handle what I'm about to say. ah Because you you have to have trust and you have to have safety in every relationship. these were This relationship that you're listening to has trust, safety, and these guys can handle whatever I give them. So anyone listening, I don't want you to think that, oh, those are just four best friends that always see each other. We we don't see each other.
00:43:19
Speaker
This is a purely we are going on historical knowledge here of when we used to see each other. Now it's all virtual. We plan on seeing each other, but that's that that I just don't want anyone to think that. Oh, I don't have a group already.
00:43:40
Speaker
you can you find one. Reach out to an old friend. Hell, if it's been 15 years since you've been in college, reach out to an old college buddy. They probably love to hear from you. I still, I went to a football game a couple of weeks ago with one of my old college buddies. I love that guy. He is, he was the best man in my wedding.
00:43:56
Speaker
um
00:43:59
Speaker
Reach out. Somebody in your past wants to hear from you. Somebody in your past If you ain't have anybody right now, somebody wants to hear from you. Fuck, we wanna hear from you. um Find us on social media and reach out to us or just call your brother, call your sister. If you don't have one of those, call a fucking cousin, call somebody you know call somebody else at work and go, do you wanna go get a beer or go to lunch with them? um But it takes,
00:44:33
Speaker
You got to take the step sometimes. So if you're missing it, I'm sorry. And I do hope that us talking gives you the courage to find and start building that. It's all about vulnerability.
00:44:50
Speaker
um you know Unfortunately for us, it took the death of our friend. And for some of us, it's you know one of a ah number of friends who have committed suicide, um which brought us back together. And this this whole podcast and this whole experience of you know texting each other every single day and having this you know good morning text essentially is an experiment of perseverance and um you know cultural motivation to better ourselves.
00:45:28
Speaker
and each other. And, you know, we recommend to that other people go on us or go on this journey with us and start that group with your people. And I fully believe that it will, you know, work out for the better for you to, you know, your, your cultivating positivity within your, your groups.
00:45:53
Speaker
And whether it's somebody you talk to every day or somebody you haven't talked to in a long time, just reach out to those people and you know be vulnerable with them and see what comes of it. Because for us, it's been you know a number of months here and we've been keeping consistent with it every single day. And there's some days, you know these guys wake up sometimes earlier than me and I'll be waking up from my firehouse shift, exhausted as hell.
00:46:21
Speaker
And I'll be getting the good morning texts and I'm just like, fuck man, I'm not in the mood right now, but at the same time, it's accountability. Like it keeps me going and I fucking love it. Like even in the moment when I'm tired as hell and I don't feel like it, like it, there's a part of me that's like, God, like it's, it's keeping me motivated. So, uh, I really recommend it and, uh, just go on this journey with us.
00:46:49
Speaker
Hell yeah.
Closing Thoughts
00:46:50
Speaker
We're excited to have you with us. If you're listening, it's going to be an interesting study. If we keep this going for a longer amount of time than any doctors ever studied it, bro, I'm going to be fucking ecstatic. If we can get a hundred listeners. Oh, I think we can get a hundred listeners. I think, uh, I think everybody needs this. And I think there's, there's value there. So what's there to help?
00:47:17
Speaker
If it even helps one person, I will be happy. Oh, hell yeah, dude. If a we get one person to reach out positive, I don't need no negative bullshit. Keep your negative bullshit to yourself. But somebody who that wants to share something true to the cause, then ah that's worth it. The time's over. All right. Hey, Mac. Yo. Do me a favor. Pick up that telephone of yours and What's the handle for the Instagram? Read that. Oh, hold on. Let me get back to it. Our handle is good underscore morning underscore gents. Good underscore morning underscore gents. So if you listen to this first episode, please do us a huge favor. Go out and like that Instagram. We'll slowly become more active on that.
00:48:12
Speaker
I'm doing my best. Yeah. And we'll make a Facebook. We'll make you know an X account, Twitter, whatever the fuck it is. um Yeah. but We're just freak out know working out the kinks. Yeah, message and Instagram account. Understand we are very in the interesting stage, and we're still growing. So if you need to tell us our mics suck, please do. So you're going to hurt what's feelings, because they were they were gifts to us.
00:48:40
Speaker
but
00:48:44
Speaker
any any information you want to share with us tips and pointers of your podcast or you know if you're a man that's struggling in a walk uh you've got a conflict or something that you need to you need to hear a group of guys talk about then then message the instagram account and mcdonald mac will get it to us hell we'll call you leave your number and we'll call you in the middle of the show good luck hurting our feelings too i've been laughed at naked so
00:49:13
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. We've all been there. Can confirm. I was the one laughing. But it's it's when they point and laugh that it becomes an issue. Yeah. All right. i got I got a fun one. And you guys can cut this if you want, or we can keep it. But I'm springing it on you now. um We're going to do the quirky close outs. And that's and every week's an oddball fact about each other. So today's fat check or a quirky close out is favorite cookies. So I'm going to start this back. and Mine is chocolate chip. Ooh. Snickers. I want to know. Snickerdoodle. I'm a slut for Oreos. Ooh. Really? High production. Double stuff, baby. All right. I'm very specific on this one. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
00:50:10
Speaker
Yo. Knowing your diet. I eat fucking cookies, okay? Oatmeal raisin bullshit. Yes, oatmeal raisin with um some cream cheese icing. um Homemade, homemade, always been my favorite.
00:50:32
Speaker
always don't want that shit gooey raisins are fucking disgusting go fuck yourself little but i also like me with that bullshit oh come on end this podcast right now i'm done all right guys it's been good chatting all right till next week see you next time on good morning gents
00:51:03
Speaker
Good morning, Jess!