A few months ago, my wife sent me a link to a podcast episode, because it featured a guest that I knew and she thought I might enjoy it. His name was Justin Stumvoll and he and the two hosts Wes and Ryan spoke intelligently for an hour about men, our sexuality, the fact that we’re emotional creatures and that real masculinity is not found in bravado, but in your confidence and humility.
It was an excellent episode that really engaged me, got me thinking and more importantly wasn’t a dull repeat of oft-repeated clichés: it was out-of-the-box thinking that challenged the status quo, dared to ask the questions that people shy away from and invited discussion, disagreement and debate.
It took me listening to this episode to realise how much I miss conversation like this. I’ve discussed previously how objectivity is so absent in America and how dearly I miss it.
Wes and Ryan are self-made successful men from broken backgrounds with a heart for family and humanity. They started A Human Project, a non-profit that is seeking to impact the lives of youth and create a community that fosters positive habits and empowers them to reach their potential.
The Human Podcast is an off-shoot of this project. Every week, Wes and Ryan talk for one hour, typically on a current topic and intentionally explore the perspective that is perhaps being missed or misrepresented by the media or by society. Some of their more recent episodes have looked at:
- Body image (including that of young boys)
- Setting boundaries with your loved ones
- Addiction
- Running a successful business by putting people first
- The skewed nature of the media
- Instagram and the way its normalising soft-core porn
- How food is produced and why it’s killing us
- The use of foul language
- Maintaining a happy marriage
The thing that I love the most is that I don’t agree with everything that they say, but I understand where they’re coming from and I respect them. And knowing this just makes it so apparent to me how much respect has vanished from American society. Standard practice now is to state your opinion and forcefully rebuff anyone who disagrees with it, so much so that an “I can see your point” would seem out of place in day-to-day conversation.
I’m so glad that I got into The Human Podcast. I’ve enjoyed listening to every episode since I found out about them and have set about listening to their entire archive as well (currently a little over 100 episodes).
If you’re hungry for another perspective, real conversation and a real commentary on society and how we can change it, I highly recommend giving them a try.
I really enjoyed reading this post. I also like how they are not afraid to talk openly about subjects that others either won’t talk about or talk about it only using PC terminology. I have learned a lot about myself from listening to their podcasts.
This is a fantastic review! I write the show notes and tend to keep these boys in line when they get their facts wrong, but that’s what they get when they asked an English and history teacher turned stay at home mom who LOVES to edit to come on board. It has been a very fulfilling project to be a part of in my own small way, so thank you again for your kind words.