Imperfect by Design: The Origin of the Imperfect Men’s Club
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode Overview In this episode, Mark Aylward and Jim Gurulé rewind the clock and walk through the real origin story of the Imperfect Men’s Club Podcast. This conversation traces how two men met during a difficult, uncertain period, built trust through advocacy and shared values, and slowly turned candid conversations into a framework-driven podcast that has now lasted five years and more than 130 episodes. What started as a mix of curiosity, recovery, disagreement, and whiteboard chaos eventually became a disciplined, consistent platform focused on self-awareness, structure, and honest...
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Our Flywheel of Life – Jim’s Story (Part 3 of the Framework Series)
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode Summary In this episode of the Imperfect Men’s Club Podcast, Mark Aylward turns the Flywheel of Life back toward co-host Jim Gurulé. This conversation completes the third installment of a multi-part series exploring the IMC framework and how the five interconnected areas of life shape who we become. Using the Flywheel as a guide, Jim walks through his worldview, childhood influences, relationships, money mindset, well-being, and life’s work. The discussion is honest, reflective, and grounded in lived experience—touching on neurodivergence, masculinity, discipline, money beliefs,...
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Self-Awareness: How Men Become Who They Actually Are
Imperfect Mens Club
Season 5 | Episode 2 A Conversation with Mark Aylward: Frameworks, Identity, and the Work of Becoming Self-Aware Episode Overview In this second episode of a three-part Season 5 series, Mark Aylward takes the guest seat as co-host Jim Gurulé interviews him on his background, lived experience, and the frameworks that underpin the Imperfect Men’s Club philosophy. The conversation revisits the origins of the IMC framework, often referred to as the Wheel of Life or Flywheel, and explores how self-awareness, subconscious belief systems, and life domains like money, relationships, ideology,...
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Why Self-Awareness Comes First In Our Flywheel Framework
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode: The Framework, the Flywheel, and What’s Coming in 2026 (Part 1 of 3) Episode Overview In this first episode of a three-part series, Mark Aylward and Jim Gurulé lay out what’s coming for Imperfect Men’s Club in 2026 and revisit the core framework that has guided the podcast from the beginning. This episode is about structure. Not the soul-crushing kind, but the kind that helps men organize the noise of life, identity, work, and relationships into something usable. Mark and Jim unpack their “Wheel of Life” framework, also called the flywheel, and explain why it matters more...
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Motivation is emotional - Self discipline is reliable
Imperfect Mens Club
Season 5, Episode 1: Self-Discipline The bridge between who you say you want to be and what you actually do. Mark and Jim kick off Season 5 by doing what they always do best: questioning the stuff we’re supposed to accept, leaning on lived experience, and dragging timeless wisdom into the present. This episode centers on self-discipline, inspired by the teachings of Jim Rohn, and explores why motivation fails but structure, identity, and self-respect don’t. Core Themes & Takeaways 1. Why Goals and Resolutions Fail Roughly 95% of people abandon resolutions by February. The...
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The Year-End Reset 2025 Inventory - 2026 Intentions
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode 48 Show Notes Imperfect Men’s Club Podcast Recording date: December 17, 2025 Hosts: Mark and Jim Overview Mark and Jim close out the year by doing what emotionally mature men do in public: taking inventory. They reflect on what shifted in 2025 (in big, practical categories) and then cautiously speculate on what 2026 might demand, especially around AI, personal brand, and how you spend your finite supply of time, energy, and money. Big Themes from the Episode 1) 2025: The Year AI Got Personal AI stopped being “a tech thing” and became part of everyday life for normal,...
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Your Story Matters - Understanding the Self Through the Stories of Our Fathers
Imperfect Mens Club
Summary In this episode of the Imperfect Men’s Club Podcast, Mark and Jim use the anniversary of Jim’s father’s passing to explore legacy, fatherhood, and the quiet ways men leave an impact. Jim walks through a timeline of his dad’s 29,352 days on earth, overlaying major world and U.S. events with his father’s life story, and connects it all back to the Imperfect Men’s Club framework. Mark shares stories about his own 97-year-old father, the gratitude that comes from growing up poor, and the urgency of capturing our parents’ stories while we still can. Together, they reflect on...
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Nothing Lasts Forever - What Men Get Wrong About Change
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode Overview In this episode of the Imperfect Men’s Club Podcast, Mark and Jim dive into the idea of impermanence: the simple, uncomfortable truth that nothing lasts forever. From aging bodies and shifting emotions to football seasons, jobs, relationships, and AI shaking up the world, they unpack how “everything comes to an end” can be either terrifying… or freeing. They use their five-part framework (career, health, worldview, relationships, money) to explore how men can respond to constant change with awareness, humility, and a little more presence in the moment. In This...
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Holidays - Why “More People, More Problems” Is a Thing
Imperfect Mens Club
Episode 45 · Family Dynamics, Holidays & “More People, More Problems” In this episode of the Imperfect Men’s Club, Mark and Jim talk about the chaos, comedy, and emotional landmines of family gatherings during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. They unpack why every family is “messed up in its own special way,” how that shows up around the table, and what men can actually do about it instead of just bracing for impact. They walk through a simple framework for understanding family dynamics and layer it over real stories: aging parents, kids scattered across the country,...
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Rewiring Self-Belief: What Neuroscience Says About Limiting Beliefs
Imperfect Mens Club
Overview In this episode, Mark and Jim dive into the neuroscience of limiting beliefs and how these old, deeply embedded mental patterns quietly steer a man’s confidence, ambition, and ability to grow. Through stories, personal revelations, and decades of lived experience, they break down why these beliefs form, why they stick, and how men can finally start replacing them with something far more empowering. This one sits right at the center of the Imperfect Men’s Club flywheel: the intersection of mental health, worldview, relationships, profession, and money. Key Themes 1. The Five...
info_outlineMark introduces the topic of self mastery and self transformation. Jim found 12 rules of self mastery online
Discipline
Focus
Resilience
Consistency
Solitude
Energy
Mind
Body
Legacy
Time
Surround
Untouchable
Jim explains how he was attracted to this framework
He connects this exercise to self awareness. He shares that our life is “on us”. No one is coming to help. We are responsible for our lives
Mark begins by reading the definition of each word. First is discipline. Mark suggests there is no destination. It’s a journey. Jim suggests discipline requires us to do hard things every day. Mark distinguishes between what we can’t control and what we can. These 12 practices are all within our control Mark reads the definition of discipline. He talks about his routines and how he is impacted by missing his routine. Jim reflects on the irony of associating discipline with freedom
Mark shares how all 12 are connected. He then reads the definition of focus
Jim shares how all our devices make focus very difficult. Mark talks about how his intellectual curiosity is a challenge for him.
Jim connects self awareness to self mastery. It’s the beginning of self mastery. Unfinished things become a source of regret and anxiety
Mark reads the definition of resilience…one of his favorite words
Jim says what doesn’t break you makes you. He sees this as the opposite of victimhood. Mark reflects on how we react to hardship. Jim agrees. Both guys reflect on how we react to people who opt for victimhood versus self accountability
Mark shares how he qualifies people in interviews by asking about hardship
Consistency is next. Small actions repeated over time. Mark shares his experience with getting close to quitting and says the closer you get to quitting, the closer you are to success. Jim shares how hard consistency is and how most people quit. He talks about the creative mind works regarding patents. Mark remembers the successful people he knows and Larry Bird in the context of showing up. Jim puts the perspective on showing up…ready, prepared, on time and energized
Solitude is next. Jim loves this idea because of the clarity it brings. It eliminates distractions. Being alone is something to strive to be comfortable with. Mark separates being alone and being lonely
Next is energy. Energy is a currency. Some people give energy and some people take energy away. Mark shares his experience with the news. He stopped watching because it was sapping his energy. Jim agrees. Mark says he lets people take his energy to a fault. He talks about both his daughters and how they handle new relationships. Both guys laugh about Mark’s ex-wife and her narcissism.
Once agian it’s a matter of self awareness. Next is the mind. Mark brings up his mind centered work. He equates it with exercise and compares the mind with the body. Jim relates this topic to the flywheel framework and the 5 areas of life. How directly the body and mind are dependent on one another.
The body is the next topic. Mark talks about eating with purpose and how challenged he is by it. Jim says if the body is not attended to, everything else is off. Jim says he gets his best thoughts when he is exercising. Mark shares how the 4 mile walk he took this morning, healed his mind. Next is legacy. Mark reads the definition of legacy and frames it as an issue that becomes bigger for men as we age. Jim talks about how he was thinking of legacy as an ego thing and how he has shifted his opinion toward impact versus ego. People want to serve and leave impact. He shares how he prefers not to get attention or credit for his service. Mark checks the time and suggests they quickly finish the list.
He summarizes with time, surround and untouchable. Jim addresses time as be careful with who you give your time to. Be selective of who you spend your time with. Mark suggests that you are the product of the 5 people you spend most of your time with. Jim references the idea of being untouchable. Mark concludes with his opinion about young people today and their struggles. He shares how important these 12 principles are for young people to live by. Jim adds that these 12 are good for all men. Not just young men. Jim ends with his opinion that these principles have been discouraged for means thought they might be toxic or bad