Next Level Guy
How to build Real Confidence through Pressure | Discipline, Fatigue & Mastery with Owen Livesey “You don’t rise to the occasion — you default to whatever you’ve trained when you’re exhausted.” — Owen Livesey What if the reason most men fail isn’t talent, technique, or motivation — but their inability to stay consistent when nobody’s watching? 🎙️ Meet Owen Livesey — world-class pressure grappler, former elite judoka, and coach known for breaking opponents with simplicity, fatigue, and control rather than flashy techniques. In this conversation, Owen Livesey...
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Primal Eats: How Learning to Butcher Meat Builds Confidence, Skill, and Control in all areas of your life! “Confidence doesn’t come from talent — it comes from repetition, patience, and knowing what you’re doing when it matters.” Welcome to 'The Next Level Guy Podcast', a show built around one mission: helping men rebuild themselves from the ground up. We cover 🧩 Identity 🔥 Emotional Mastery ⛓️ Discipline ⚙️ Capability 💪 Physical Mastery 🎯 Purpose and so much more. What if one of the most expensive mistakes you’re making with food has nothing to...
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From Self-Doubt to World Stage: Andy Black on Pressure, Purpose & Progress “What if the people hyping you up are the very reason you’re stuck? You don’t need hype — you need people honest enough to tell you when you can do better.” What does real strength look like when the hype is stripped away? In this episode of The Next Level Guy Podcast, I sit down with elite Scottish strongman and World’s Strongest Man competitor Andy Black to talk about what actually drives long-term progress — in training, performance, and life. Meet Andy Black — elite Scottish strongman and...
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Michael "The Monster" Todd: Faith, Grit & Finding Your Way Back “Mediocrity disgusts me. Being normal never made sense.” — Michael “The Monster” Todd 🎙️ Meet Michael “The Monster” Todd — world champion arm wrestler, founder of The Monster Factory, and proof that grit, faith, and consistency can turn pain into power. Level Up with the Show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/michaelthemonstertodd230/ This isn’t just about arm wrestling — it’s about what it takes to rebuild yourself when life breaks you. Michael “The Monster” Todd has faced shattered bones,...
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The White Belt in Your Head: Overcoming Self-Doubt at Every Level “You can’t have negative self-talk while someone’s trying to strangle you.” — Daniel Schuardt Level Up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/danielschuardt229/ 🎙️ What if the secret to silencing your inner critic… was letting someone try to strangle you? Today, Daniel Schuardt joins me to talk ego death, imposter syndrome, and how getting choked can actually change your life. 🎙️ Meet Daniel Schuardt — elite jiu-jitsu black belt, ADCC veteran, and creator of The Man Child, whose mix...
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BJJ Ain't that hard; Stop over-complicating it! “BJJ isn’t that hard — people just make it hard by chasing fluff. If you focus on movement and fundamentals, everything else falls into place.” What if Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t actually that hard? My guest today says the problem isn’t the art itself — it’s the way we’ve been taught to overcomplicate it. Meet Randy William — BJJ black belt, police officer, and straight-talking coach who’s on a mission to cut through the fluff and show you why “BJJ isn’t that hard.” From teaching as a...
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The Shepherd's Code: Leadership, Legacy, and Life with Working Dogs 💬 “They’re not forced to work — they live for it. A dog without purpose isn’t happy, and I don’t think people are any different.” Level Up with the show-notes at: In a world chasing hacks and highlight reels, there’s one man who never left the land. Sean Hannah — better known as Sean the Sheepman — has built more than a following. He’s built a legacy. This isn’t just about sheepdogs — it’s about leadership, loss, loyalty, and what it means to live with purpose. This one’s...
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Your Therapist Won't Tell You These Mental Health Secrets! "What if the emotions you’re avoiding—anger, shame, anxiety—aren’t the problem... but the key to your healing?" Level up your emotional journey with the show-notes at https://www.nextlevelguy.com/emmamcadam226/ Emma McAdam, licensed therapist and creator of Therapy in a Nutshell, doesn’t just challenge how we think about mental health—she rewires it. In this episode, she unpacks how emotional mastery isn’t about control or suppression, but about understanding, acceptance, and building the right emotional...
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Ozzy’s gone. And suddenly everyone cares. But did they care yesterday? Did they tell him when he was here? Or are they just posting because it’s trending? This isn’t just about him. It’s about us. And how we’re wasting our lives pretending to care… too late. On today’s short and sharp solo episode, I get real about the performative grief we see every time someone famous passes — and how it reveals a much deeper problem in how we connect with the people who matter. If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable watching everyone jump on the RIP bandwagon… you’re not alone. Be a real...
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Episode: #39 Jack Donovan on redefining the way we see masculinity today
Who: Today's guest is Jack Donovan (@starttheworld), a leading figure on the topic of masculinity. From Jack's about page: "Jack Donovan is the author of The Way of Men, a candid and unorthodox theory on masculinity that has gained underground popularity worldwide... Donovan has been blogging, authoring, and speaking about masculinity and tribalism for over a decade. He resides in the Pacific Northwest and leads a chapter of the notorious Wolves of Vinland, an esoteric group of Germanic pagans." I think this introduction is self-explanatory! In this conversation, we delve into the concept of masculinity, why it shouldn't be stigmatized, and the importance of embarking on our own paths to become stronger and more masculine men.
Affiliate highlight: Before we get into that, a quick word about our affiliates. I’ve managed to build up some great relationships with some awesome companies. This allows me to obtain special discount codes, deals, and listener exclusive. Please go to www.nextlevelguy.com/affiliates for further info.
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Listen here
You can listen and find the show-notes and other goodies at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/jackdonovan39/
What we cover
- Who he is and why he is well known
- What happended during his childhood that made him look in masculinity
- How is masculinity being portrayed in today's society
- What is masculinity and who are the great role models of masculine energy?
- Where he thinks modern day men are going wrong in society and the factors that affect thier masculinity
- How can we recreate the old rituals that boys undertook to become men like the old civilisations do but do it in our easy lives
- Why do you need a tribe to truly become masculine and a man and how it needs to be set up/contain to succeed.
- Can we use sports etc to replace these missing rituals and tribes in our lives?
- Are the characteristics of what makes a good man the same across the world?
- What he thinks about the style of masculinity that is shipped by today's media?
- Can you grade masculinity? Are we masculine or not or shades of masculine more or less than the next man?
- What challenges could you set yourself to become a more masculine man and develop yourself?
- Why is there not a push for men to become more masculine in today's society?Why do some men hate on those who try to improve in their lives?
- How should today's men adapt to the differing roles of women and equality in the modern world
- Can you ever become too mascline? At what point does becoming more masculine cause problems?
- How does the role of the father play in how masculine a man is and how good a man he will be? How should we raise the next generation of men to help raise good men?
- How does he deal with those who dislike the masculinity message he is bringing out?
- How should those listening overcome jealousy, hate etc when they try to become a more masculine man and a better man?
- How can you tell if you are becoming a better man? What is the yard stick or criteria we can use to show improvements?
- The message those listening should take from this interview?
- Are there any unusual things about Jack that will blow your mind?
- How you can keep in touch with him?
- And so much more
Some things to reflect on
- There are a lot of positives about striving to be a better man
- Masculinity is being softened in today's media and "made into a joke"
- "When you are marketing things, you want to be overly inclusive" - the way masculinity is portrayed in today's society is more about marketing than ideology
- Masculinity is what men percieve to each other as masculine, are the things we need from each other to survive through our evolutionary history - The parameters of masculinity never change, they are part of who we are in throughout time
- Find out about Jack Lemmon here - the author who's books helped him on his journey
- What you believe, comes true - it is a self-fufilling prophecy
- The failing answer in life is waiting for approval for what you are wanting to do
- Your tribe needs to share the same values as yourself and be more than just about one thing like sports - there has to be a higher purpose involved in the tribe.
- "The people who control the media are not average people"
- "Men who don't know what masculinity is are more subject to be manipulated in terms of what tnhey need to be masculine"
- See the interview I did with Tanner Guzy here
- It is a good thing to have competition with other men, to take controlled risks and realise you won't break, that you won't die - physical things are very important
- People will talk down to you when you try to improve yourself as it brings other people's failures into sharper perspective and they don't want you to succeed - getting better should be about you and your own change
- "You don't need to be a dick to be a masculine man", you can be just as smart, as creative, as talented, as loving etc as you always are and get better and yet become more masculine
- You can't expect affirmation from those who aren't on the same mission as you - you need to focus out the hate and focus instead on those who get the message you are providing and on the same journey as you
- If you believe in something, you should measure your actions against and ensure you are meeting your beliefs, that you are being consistent in your beliefs
Connect with the Guest
- Visit his website here
- Like Jack on Instagram here
- Like Jack on Facebook here
- Subscribe to Jack on Youtube here
- Buy Jacks' great book 'The Way of Men' here (affiliate link)
- View the 'If' poem he mentions here by Rudyard Kipling
- His speech at the 21 Convention website - you will need to sign up for their free trial to view it
Subscribe to the podcast
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