Real Men Feel: Men's Mental Health, Masculinity & Personal Growth

🔥 Want deeper conversations like this with men who actually get it? Join Authentic AF: https://realmenfeel.org/group Taking Off the Superman Costume: Jasper Calcara on Vulnerability and the Structure of Excellence Host Andy Grant introduces Real Men Feel and invites successful-but-stuck men to book a free clarity call. He interviews structural engineer and entrepreneur Jasper Calcara, who describes a lifelong “Superman complex” rooted in childhood anxiety and lack of self-worth, masked by decades of professional success. After the sudden death of his business partner, mounting pressure, and the end of his marriage, Jasper hit rock bottom and began healing by acknowledging his “internal cracks,” seeking the right support, and embracing vulnerability. He shares engineering frameworks—temporary supports and maintenance—to explain personal growth, including “be good, do good, evolve,” his definition of excellence as sustained high performance for the right reasons, and a GPS goal model (goal, process, skills). They discuss why men delay getting help, the difference between rescuing and empowering, and the importance of safe communities. Andy closes by promoting his men’s group and reminding listeners that feelings are information. 00:00 Welcome and Clarity Call 00:26 Meet Jasper and Themes 01:18 Superman Complex Origins 03:05 Success Without Peace 05:26 Why Men Hit Rock Bottom 06:51 Collapse and Choosing Healing 08:37 Be Good Do Good Evolve 10:45 Engineering Metaphor for Support 13:21 Vulnerability and Safe Spaces 14:39 Rescuing vs Coaching 17:11 Structure of Stability 19:12 First Steps to Drop the Cape 24:24 Excellence and Goal Frameworks 28:16 Asking for Help and Connection 30:20 Where to Find Jasper 31:58 Final Takeaways and Community CONNECT WITH JASPER Jasper Calcara — https://jaspercalcara.com/ YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@JasperCalcara26 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jaspercalcara CONNECT WITH ANDY: Coaching: https://TheAndyGrant.com/talk Real Men Feel: https://RealMenFeel.org Instagram: @realmenfeelshow and @theandygrant ABOUT REAL MEN FEEL Real Men Feel explores men's mental health, modern masculinity, relationships, purpose, authenticity and personal growth. Hosted by Andy Grant. Join other like-minded men in the Authentic AF Community | https://www.realmenfeel.org/group #RealMenFeel #MensMentalHealth Real Men Feel ep 421

Be more you in Authentic AF. Visit https://www.skool.com/authenticaf/about Andy Grant on Real Men Feel: Vulnerability, Values, and Coming Home to Yourself Andy Grant, host of Real Men Feel, makes a guest appearance on The Richard Taliaferro Podcast to discuss masculinity, vulnerability, and authenticity, including why many men hide behind “I’m fine,” why sensitivity is often treated as a slur, and how fear of hurt and rejection drives disconnection and addiction. Andy recounts surviving multiple suicide attempts and depression, a pivotal spiritual moment that led him to seek help, and how his coaching draws from what saved his life. He contrasts performative support with real support, emphasizes unlearning “man box” conditioning, and recommends simple practices—gratitude journaling, brief meditation via breathing, and mirror work—to rebuild self-connection. Andy highlights the importance of identifying personal values (moving from safety rooted in fear to freedom, love, and joy), encourages safe failure to reduce fear, reminds men that they are more than roles, invites them to the free Authentic AF community, and announces a two-week break, with a return on September 25th. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:09 Guest Intro and Background 02:24 Suicide Survival Turning Point 04:14 Reclaiming Sensitivity 06:38 Unlearning the Man Box 09:06 External Success vs Inner Truth 12:10 Masks and I'm Fine 15:08 Simple Practices to Reconnect 16:47 Permission to Feel 18:24 Modern Mystery School Path 18:48 Know Thyself Beyond Labels 19:43 Breaking Old Thought Ruts 20:29 Real vs Performative Support 22:23 Why Vulnerability Feels Unsafe 24:57 Fear of Rejection and Addiction 25:38 Practicing Failure on Purpose 29:04 Values Over Resume Success 31:34 Put Yourself First to Serve 32:45 Three Tools to Come Home 35:13 You Matter and Final Sendoff Connect with Richard Richard Taliaferro — https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/ LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtaliaferro/ Richard Taliaferro Podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-richard-taliaferro-podcast/id1745735069 Connect with Andy: Join other like-minded men in the Authentic AF Community | https://www.realmenfeel.org/group Instagram | @realmenfeelshow & @theandygrant Andy Grant | https://theandygrant.com for coaching, healing, and book info! Real Men Feel | https://realmenfeel.org YouTube | https://youtube.com/realmenfeel #RealMenFeel ep 420

Find yourself in Authentic AF. Visit https://www.skool.com/authenticaf/about Attorney and Psychic Medium Jason Zuk on Identity Collisions, Caregiving, and Authenticity Host Andy Grant interviews Jason Ciofalo, aka Jason Zuk “the social psychic,” an attorney licensed in five states who is also a psychic medium. Jason describes growing up with family intuition, a transformative experience after his grandfather’s death that sparked mediumship, and a premonition dream that led him to adopt the Jason Zuk name and begin public psychic work and podcasting in 2018. He recounts intuitively sensing his cancer diagnosis months before confirmation, spiritual experiences during anesthesia, and how cancer, COVID, and becoming his mother’s caregiver reshaped his values, relationships, and focus on authenticity, compassion, and boundaries. Jason explains he keeps psychic abilities separate from legal work for ethical and credibility reasons, discusses meditation and “insight with structure,” shares a CE5-style nonhuman contact experience tied to the film “Disclosure Day,” and urges men to lead with empathy, care for elders, and live authentically. 00:00 Two Worlds One Man 01:04 Choosing the Name Zuk 02:36 Family Intuition Awakens 03:36 Grandfather’s Passing Message 05:35 Hiding Then Going Public 07:41 Cancer Premonition Lessons 11:22 Caregiving and Lost Support 23:07 Resentment Boundaries Healing 26:52 Lawyer Ethics Psychic Split 29:14 Insight Into Action 31:02 Disclosure Day CE5 Encounter 34:19 Meditation Compassion for Men 37:29 Final Reflections Farewell Connect with Jason Jason Zuk — https://www.thesocialpsychic.com/ Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/The.Social.Psychic.JasonZuk/ LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-zuk/ Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/the_social_psychic/ Podcast — https://www.thesocialpsychic.com/podcast-1 Connect with Andy: Join other like-minded men in the Authentic AF Community | https://www.realmenfeel.org/group Instagram | @realmenfeelshow & @theandygrant Andy Grant | https://theandygrant.com for coaching, healing, and book info! Real Men Feel | https://realmenfeel.org YouTube | https://youtube.com/realmenfeel #RealMenFeel ep 419

Find your brotherhood in Authentic AF. Visit https://www.skool.com/authenticaf/about Escaping the Success Trap: Measuring Resistance and Reclaiming Emotional Freedom with Mike Irving Andy Grant interviews executive coach Mike Irving about the “success trap,” where external achievement still leaves men feeling stuck, numb, or dissatisfied. Mike shares how, despite building a successful business in his 20s, he became miserable and was prescribed depression medication near 30, prompting him to learn emotional awareness from an older “research team.” He contrasts forcing outcomes—which creates opposing resistance—with choice, intent, and tools like centered breathing, emphasizing that getting unstuck requires willingness to experience emotions rather than trying to avoid them. Mike describes “quantum resistance” as a measurable emotional-physiological barrier and explains a two-hour, 320-question diagnostic that assesses traits across attitude, competency, aptitude, and human interaction skills to predict behavior under pressure and guide change through his Unhindered program. He offers an executive benchmark at execbenchmark.com and notes a coming book, Unseen Leadership. 00:00 Success Trap Setup 01:07 Turning 50 Perspective 02:26 Boat Life Redefined 03:38 Chasing Moving Goals 05:38 Hitting the Wall 10:28 Learning to Feel 13:45 Below the Line Resistance 17:39 Numbness and Apathy 21:27 Measuring the Trap 27:49 Willingness to Change 30:24 Tools and Next Steps 32:27 Freedom Through Emotions 35:17 Final Takeaways Connect with Mike Mike Irving — https://advancedbusinessabilities.com/ Exec Benchmark Test — https://www.execbenchmark.com LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/irvingmike/ Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mike_irving/ Connect with Andy: Join other like-minded men in the Authentic AF Community | https://www.realmenfeel.org/group Instagram | @realmenfeelshow & @theandygrant Andy Grant | https://theandygrant.com for coaching, healing, and book info! Real Men Feel | https://realmenfeel.org YouTube | https://youtube.com/realmenfeel #RealMenFeel ep 418

Find your brotherhood in Authentic AF. Visit https://www.skool.com/authenticaf/about Cuzzin Justin on IVF: Men, Grief, and the Intentional Path to Fatherhood Host Andy Grant interviews entrepreneur and podcast host Justin “Cuzzin Justin” Abrams about his six-year IVF journey, emphasizing that infertility and pregnancy loss affect men too. Justin describes feeling pressure to be strong and hide emotions, the emasculating sense of having little role beyond supporting his wife Tara, and how the medical process felt “sterile,” ambiguous, and businesslike. After years in an “unexplainable” category, they learned Tara had endometriosis, following multiple failures and miscarriages. Justin discusses trauma from the uncertainty, private grief, faith/spirituality, and coping through suppression and solitary “walkabouts,” while noting his cousin Todd was his main confidant. Justin explains their determination to build a family by any means, the desire to continue his family name, and their plan to end doctor-assisted attempts by August. He advises supporters to ask needs-based questions and stresses there’s no playbook—just keep going. 00:00 Men in IVF Too 00:18 Meet Cousin Justin 01:08 Beyond the Roles 02:57 Legacy and Divorce Wakeup 05:37 IVF as Uncontrollable Creation 07:46 Unexplained Infertility Years 10:29 Family Name Pressure 13:59 Emasculating Sterile Traumatic 19:51 Trauma and Fear of Loss 23:47 Why Keep Trying 26:21 Manhood and Testing Results 27:31 Carrying Her Burden 29:14 Atlas Mode and Anger 32:17 Validation and Deflection 35:07 Grief in Different Ways 37:30 Cousin Todd Safe Space 40:08 Marriage Bond and Next Goal 43:12 How to Support Men 46:46 Talking to Kids About IVF 49:10 No Playbook Keep Going 51:00 Final Reflections and Invite Connect with Justin Justin Abrams — https://cuzzinjustin.com/ LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cuzzinjustin/ Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/cuzzinjustin/ Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/cuzzinjustin24Resources Podcast — Strictly From Nowhere Connect with Andy: Join other like-minded men in the Authentic AF Community | https://www.realmenfeel.org/group Instagram | @realmenfeelshow & @theandygrant Andy Grant | https://theandygrant.com for coaching, healing, and book info! Real Men Feel | https://realmenfeel.org YouTube | https://youtube.com/realmenfeel #RealMenFeel ep 417