Articles

Some of these articles are available in audio format on Spotify.

Fitness

Sinister 7 50 Miler

I just need a fucking win. That was the attitude I went into Sinister 7 with. In November of 2021 I took a fall on

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Men, It’s Time to Stop Hiding

Last week I had a beautiful reminder of one of the most important aspects of healing, in particular for men. I attended a fundraiser luncheon

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Intentions Over Outcomes

I have written a bit on why I stopped using the term goal and shifted to a new paradigm of finding alignment with outcomes. Language matters. When I shift to setting an intention rather than obsessing about an outcome, I commit to how I am going to show up. I do not commit to a result that is often largely out of my control.

This mental shift has been incredibly liberating and a welcome way to remove unhealthy stress in my life. It doesn’t mean that I do not hold myself accountable to how I show up. It just means that commit to the process, not the result. The following story of an ultramarathon I ran Easter weekend was a great example of this concept.

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Becoming A Better Man

What is your influence?

On September 1, 2022, my 21-year-old son left to go to University 5000km from home. As a father, I am incredibly proud to see him

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Becoming A Better Man

Learning to Embrace the Suck

The difference between a good race and a bad race is all about how you manage the (inevitable) pain. Chris McCormack I first came across

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Leadership

How Can I Help You?

My mission is to create a community of emotionally connected leaders and inspire men to feel more, be more, and do more. I don’t know

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Becoming A Better Man

Men and Grief

Grief is often something we don’t associate with Masculinity and when we do, there seems to be an expectation of stoicism, strength and frankly – fixing it, not suffering with it. Together we are going to discuss how that shows up in our lives and in the lives of those who support men who are grieving.

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Leadership

Fly In Fly Out Life – Real Stories, Struggles and Victories From Remote Work Camp Life

FIFO: faɪ fəʊ or Fly In Fly Out

FIFO work refers to remote camp work where workers are required to fly in and fly out to work and work away from home and their families.

This type of work poses unique challenges to workers and their families. The mental health struggles that can arise from the isolation from family, role transitions from work life to home life, societal stereotypes of masculinity and stigmas creating barriers to seeking help. We unpack all this through storytelling to give you a snapshot of FIFO life and to provide workers and their families with tools to thrive in this lifestyle.

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How to set boundaries
Becoming A Better Man

How to Set Boundaries

In my work I talk a lot about leading with empathy and compassion. I talk about the value of kindness, acceptance and love in leadership.

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Leadership

What Gets Measured Gets Managed

Peter Drucker is one of the most often quoted business management guru’s. He has been referred to as “The founder of modern management.” I have

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Becoming A Better Man

The Scars That Shape Us

October 2, 2021. It’s now been six years since I heard those three little words that would change my life. The three words that would

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Redefining Leadership
Becoming A Better Man

Redefining Leadership for Men

I was shocked when I felt a sharp smack upside the head and a gruff voice yelling “What the fuck are you doing? Give me that phone!” 

After all, I had finally mustered up the courage to make that phone call! I was very proud of myself for doing so.

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Becoming A Better Man

How to be a better father after divorce

In a split second a combination of many variants of relief and terror washed over me. Holy shit, after 15 years this was actually happening.

When we go through a separation or divorce, whether by choice or by circumstance, it can be incredibly devastating. For me coming to terms with the fact that my marriage was not going to work was one of the most difficult things I had to do.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Breaking the Porn Trap

Pornography is such a huge business that rarely gets talked about. There is a ton of shame and guilt tied to any sexual addictions which makes it really difficult to discuss. Matt Cline has been working in porn addictions for the last 7 years and shares his thoughts.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How to Build Confidence

What if the question “How do I build confidence?” was not even the right question to begin with? Today I look at some of the

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Life Lessons from my Morning Workout

There are so many reasons I choose to incorporate regular physical exercise in my life. Not the least of which are the life lessons that often accompany the physical growth. Today I share with you a few of the lessons from my workout this morning.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Video: I Love You is Bullshit

For many years I have explored the phrase “I Love You”. You see I am a fairly romantic man and have always had a belief in the blissful existence of “The One”. You know, your soul mate, your perfect match, your true love, that one person that completes your heart’s desire. That individual that will give you those tummy butterflies for the rest of your life.

Yes, I believed in love, but I had yet to find it…

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Reinvention. Yes. You. Can!

Have you ever wondered if it was too late to reinvent your life? Have you ever felt like maybe you were caught in midlife crisis? What if it were actually a midlife correction?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Why #NotAllMen Is Not OK

Join me for a conversation with a few dudes about the importance of men showing up as allies. We talk about the why and we

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Becoming A Better Man

Men and International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day. For me part of Becoming a Better Man is about learning to be a better ally for gender equity. It means learning to forget what I think I know and ask questions to really dive in and learn more. It means replacing judgement with curiosity and getting intentional with how I show up in the world.

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Real Talk With Ryan Jespersen

“Emotionally connected men don’t kill people, they don’t kill themselves, they make better partners, fathers, leaders, and human beings. It’s critical we have this conversation.”

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Becoming A Better Man

Personal Development Scavenger Hunt

Who says personal development can’t be fun?! This activity is one of the many practices I use with our Lifestyle By Design group. It is an excellent way to propel your growth and gain some insights into who you really are.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Money Date Monday!

For many men our emotional relationship with finances can be strained. We tend to ignore things that cause us discomfort. Let’s talk about fixing that!

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The Key To Personal Development
Connect'd Men With Mike

Finding Your Edge

The key to personal growth is finding your ‘edge’ on a consistent basis and expanding it regularly.

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How to get unstuck
Connect'd Men With Mike

How To Crush Complacency

All of us at some point in our lives become stuck. We get complacent. Today I talk about how to get out of that rut.

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How to Live Your Dreams
Connect'd Men With Mike

Yes You Can!

Have you ever wondered about starting that side hustle? Getting that promotion? Building the kind of life that you dream of? If you have found yourself asking the question “Can I really do that?” the answer is an unequivocal “Yes You Can!”

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Does Goal Setting Really Work?

Traditional personal development models don’t work. The notion that we should set a ‘goal’ and work backward is flawed. Here’s why…

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Walking The Talk with Paul Laberge

When tragedy strikes we have choices. We can choose to go down that dark path of loss and despair or we can choose to use our pain to be a catalyst for change. Listen to Paul’s story of turning tragedy into triumph.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Setting A New Years Intention

We often talk about new years resolutions but what if that concept were flawed? What if intention setting could set you up for a more powerful year?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Curiosity Over Judgement

It is very easy to jump into judgement and condemnation these days. What would happen if we started to look at things through a lens of curiousity?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How To Build A Business Not A Job

Many entrepreneurs end up building themselves a job. Today we talk about how to create a business that transcends simply creating yourself a job.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Self Discipline: How to Achieve it and How to Lead it

For many of us in the entrepreneurial space we often talk about our struggles with lack of focus and an abundance of distraction. I have worked with many entrepreneurs and this is a common theme. What if focus wasn’t really the problem? What if we could simply learn to have more self-discipline?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How To Excel No Matter What

There is one thing that sets apart those who excel in life and those who don’t. Consistency and repetition is paramount to success.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

What Does It Mean To Be A Good Man?

What does it mean to be a good man? While all of us may have different definitions of what it means to be a good man, we can all actively do our part to support and promote being a ‘good man’ in society. What is your definition of what it means to be a good man?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Why You Matter!

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Why do you matter? Do you plan to matter? Perhaps you should.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

What I’ve Learned in 165 Daily Episodes

I thought after 165 daily episodes it would be worth reflecting on what I have learned in that time frame. What those of you who watch my shows have learned and how I can apply this moving forward.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

International Men’s Day

Today is International Men’s Day. Here is why it is important to celebrate it. Join me for a conversation on the importance of creating a space for conversation.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Slow The F&*k Down Man!

If you have been waiting for a sign from the Universe then this is it. Dudes, it is time to learn how to slow the F down.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Creating Life Changing Moments

We all have those life changing moments. Those points in time that change the course of the trajectory we thought our life was on. How often do we actively create them? Today I will share one of my “life changing” moments with you

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Connect'd Men With Mike

The Trouble With Men

Even as we start to make progress in men’s wellness and evolution, we still get stuck in old tropes. Let’s talk about some of those challenges and how we can get around them.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Amateur or Pro? Which are you?

Do we wait for inspiration to strike or do we have the discipline to make it happen regardless of inspiration. How do you make the switch from amateur to pro?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Samra Zafar: Men, vulnerability and why we should care

Samra Zafar is a speaker and writer, whose story of being a teen bride and survivor of domestic abuse became a bestselling memoir, “A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose” in Canada. Join me for a conversation with Samra

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Connect'd Men With Mike

The Burden of Being A Dude

In this episode we riff on the price of the patriarchy on men. The weight that we feel on having to provide, perform and show up strong.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

What kind of man are you?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to masculinity. Join me in conversation with Luke West on what he has learned about masculinity

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Why Do Men Struggle To Slow Down?

When it comes to pushing hard, moving fast men seem quite adept at it. However many times in order to perform best we need to learn to slow down

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Self Compassion for Men

Many of us men struggle with compassion for self. We beat ourselves up for not being perfect. The negative self talk, our inner critic can be very damaging.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How to deal with self sabotage

Self sabotage are those roadblocks we put in our own way. There are a number of reasons why we do this. Today we explore the why and how to overcome.

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A different kind of forgiveness
Connect'd Men With Mike

A different kind of forgiveness

We are often taught that forgiveness is important for healing. We also know it can be one of the most difficult things to do. What if there was a different way to look at it?

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How to become an overnight success

Overnight success is usually the culmination of a decade or more hard work. Are you looking for the quick fix? Or are you willing to play the long game? It’s those that jump from quick fix to quick fix that often fail to excel in any arena.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Why I am done creating “Awareness”

This one is more of a rant. I am done talking about the problem. I want to focus my energy on implementing things that are solution oriented. The solutions are a lot simpler than we make them out to be.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Power Skills for Success

You can find a plethora of online and in person courses that talk of tricks, tactics and behaviours to improve your life and business. What if there were more to it? What if there were skills needed that aren’t being taught well? Men, join me for a conversation on how to excel.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How to be a good friend

Sometimes when someone is struggling we have no idea how to “be there” for them. This has come up a few times in the last week so thought I would address it here.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

7 Tips On Managing Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are a big part of our world right now. We have so many unknowns out there that it is easy to slip into a pattern of fear and anxiety. Here are a few practices that I use with myself and my clients.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Why Should I Embrace Vulnerability?

When it comes to vulnerability it is hard for us to wrap our head around why we would practice it at all. This morning I share some of the learnings from my lived experience as well as Brene Browns definition of vulnerability. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
― Brené Brown

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Three Words That Will Change Your Life

When events happen that cause a strong emotional reaction how we respond can be a game changer. Whether in life or in business managing reactions is a key component to success.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Where will your path take you?

When life throws us a curve ball sometimes we just have to follow the path. Today I am going to share some of the stories of my 3 day back country camping trip at Pinto Lake and the lessons learned.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

How to be a hero

In 2003 a terrible avalanche buried Ken and twelve clients in the Selkirk mountains of British Columbia claiming the lives of; Dave Finnerty, Naomi Heffler, Kathy Kessler, Craig Kelly, Vern Lunsford, Jean Luc Schwendener, and Dennis Yates. The event was entirely avoidable.

Ken, the founder of Archetypal, recognized that the tragedy was caused by both guides inability to listen with humility and to act on what was heard. A failure to listen is often the cause of our suffering as human beings. The tragedy made this simple concept but challenging practice clear to Ken.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Billion Dollar Leadership

Yousry Bissada is one of the most inspiring leaders I know. He is the CEO of Home Capital, a billion dollar organization. In this interview we talk about the importance of values. Yousry is the epitome of a nice guy finishing first.

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Connect'd Men With Mike

Bob Burg – The Go-Giver

Bob Burg is the co-author of the best selling parable of The Go-Giver. In this conversation we talk about the importance of empathetic leadership

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