Co-Host Michael Lassen (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/lovefreedom) We all know that as men we need a strong identity and a sense of purpose. That, of course, leads to us being compelled to make a stand for what we value and believe in. But in post-modern Western culture where every social media account is a potential media outlet, and the iPhones go up at the slightest hint of public drama, we're confronted with having to weigh the costs and benefits of our so-called 'freedom of speech'. My returning guest Michael Lassen is an out-of-the-box thinker on most everything, and now that he's also a singer/songwriter, he considers himself to have a special freedom to, well...stand up and speak out. In this power-packed episode, we hit the ground running by explaining why we need to free our mind and speak up sooner than later, and earlier in life than we may even feel comfortable with. Moreover, we need to be ready at all times to do so. Do you have to be an 'angry young man' to make a stand? Or wait a minute, can anger be positive? What SHOULD we as men take a stand for nowadays? On a related note, what are too FEW men making a stand about? Does doing so necessarily involve fighting angry battles and conflict? Is the secret to humans staying more competent than AI going forward found in this conversation? Do you have to be a 'one-trick pony' with regard to the cause you're passionate toward? I mean, it seems to lack character to simply 'support the current thing' on a revolving basis, so how do we find some balance there? And best of all, how can having two very real passions absolutely supercharge your level of both personal fulfillment and professional success? Get in on the newsletter and more at https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

=== SNIPPETS FROM THE SUMMIT === Online dating apps aren't working, and haven't been for some time, actually. And men and women in social circles freely hang out and complain about the state of dating and relating...yet none are actually asking each other out. Ultimately, it's often not necessarily that men and women are mad at each other and bitter, but hoards of people are GIVING UP on dating anyway. And meanwhile, they're STILL daydreaming about finding love and living the dream with someone. What are we doing to ourselves? And how do we get out of this weird trance? https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

Co-Host Dr. Laura Gabayan (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/wisdom) Knowing that you guys tend to LOVE the episodes where we apply science to social dynamics, I've found a true expert in the field of the scientific basis for human wisdom. Dr. Laura Gabayan is both a medical professor at UCLA and a social scientist. As she embarked upon studying the subject of this episode, she recognized that all major religions talk about wisdom and many famous people have written about it, but she was taken aback as to how subjective, if not purely anecdotal, all the information out there was. She craved more objectivity so she set out to evaluate wisdom herself in a more, well...scientific context. She interviewed sixty of the world's wisest people over the course of several months, and arrived at eight scientifically provable elements of wisdom. We kick off this fascinating conversation by talking about what Laura discovered during her research. Do we as men really 'mellow with age', or is something deeper really going on there? What is the proper response on the part of wise men to those who aren't quite as wise just yet? What is the important relationship between wisdom and respect? Why is it a mistake to treat wisdom and intelligence as synonyms? What exactly is 'resilience' and why is it a component of wisdom? And wait a minute...what exactly is it that makes Laura's eight elements 'scientifically proven', anyway? Add it all up, and it's clear that wisdom is sort of the culmination of all sorts of different human virtue...making this episode absolutely essential. Get in on the Masterclasses, download free goodies and so much more at https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

=== SNIPPETS FROM THE SUMMIT === Yeah, yeah...'women are like cats and men are like dogs'. We've all heard that before and know what the point is. But if you think about how men and women relate to each other nowadays, we as men aren't really functioning like dogs...at least not in the best way possible. In reality, we're taking on more of a...um...bovine role. What in the world do I mean? Well, maybe I'm completely out of my mind, but give me about nine minutes to convince you of what's really going on out there, how we need to get back to our roots, of sorts, and how doing so will benefit everyone involved. https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

Co-Host Clifford Lee (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/cliffslist) My guest is the most legendary curator of men's dating advice content, and certainly the OG impresario for men's PUA conferences. I'm talking about my returning guest Clifford Lee of Cliffslist fame, of course, who was certainly instrumental in the launch of my own career as a dating coach. Perhaps amazingly, even in the year 2024--a time when anyone under age 38 probably has no idea who Neil Strauss is--Cliff remains one of the top organizers of pickup and seduction content for men. To the shock of some, Cliff has never deviated from his commitment to publish the ideas and teachings of various different 'dating gurus', often resulting in a wide-ranging or even conflicting points of view. That makes him the perfect co-host for this particularly interesting discussion on what happened to the so-called 'Seduction Community', aka the 'Underground Society of Pickup Artists'. For the past decade or so, it's as if the idea of seduction itself has fallen out of style. So, is it that none of those ideas and tactics ever worked at all, or is seduction's somewhat tarnished image worth restoring? We kick things off by talking about the sense of community between men BITD compared to the decidedly negative victimhood vibe nowadays. What should men who are genuinely interested in getting better with women to do? And to that end, where does Cliff draw the line insofar as ethics and integrity relative to what tactics work to attract women and get guys 'laid'? Clearly, the shady stuff drew shady people...which led to the bad rap. Well, the plain truth is women LOVE to be seduced, so we as good, decent men have got to do SOMETHING. Get show notes, cool free stuff and more at https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

=== SNIPPETS FROM THE SUMMIT === Last week's full episode was called 'The Bad Sex Survival Guide'. Well, by request, I'm following up this week with a solo-cast on how to have GREAT sex instead. After all, avoiding awkward, disgusting and painful moments in the bedroom is one thing. But isn't always more productive to focus on the positive? You bet it is...and in this case the best news ever is the golden secret to cataclysmic, toe-curling, mind-numbing sex with women is actually SIMPLER and EASIER than our complicated imaginations are usually willing to allow it to be. https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

Co-Host Cyndi Olin (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/cyndi) Well, since this is episode 404, I figured we'd talk about something all of us would like to delete and make disappear. And even though Woody Allen infamously believes otherwise, that's BAD sex. Indeed, not all sex is GOOD sex simply because it happened. I brought along none other than my long-time friend and colleague Cyndi Olin to throw this ugly topic on the table in all it's lack of glory. As you probably have guessed by now, Cyndi and I have a certifiably weird relationship when it comes to talking about this stuff, so it starts off fun and hilarious and stays that way. For starters, we cover the obvious factors that lead to bad sex, punctuated by some humor. But then Cyndi talks about how women time their sexual encounters with a man, whether we realize it or not. And what, other than the obvious, might be going on when two people never call each other again after sex? How does misplaced disappointment and self-blame ruin otherwise perfectly good sex? I mean, how is it we blame ourselves for each others lack of sexual skill and/or performance? It's weird. And what about our sexual priorities? How do selfish people end up having bad sex? And how does our level of understanding regarding the opposite sex's view of sex enter into all of this? Do women ever use men for sex? What should you do if she gets naked and you're disappointed? Does porn make real sex worse? Does holding off on having sex for the first time really make it better when it finally happens? Is 'tender lovemaking' synonymous with good sex (or is that a rhetorical question?) And of course...how can you (and your partner) recover if you've indeed endured bad sex? Get in on all the new goodies at https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

=== SNIPPETS FROM THE SUMMIT === It's easy to look around and see some other guy dating six or eight women, and another dude who has a great girlfriend who is exactly your type. And we all know comparison is odious. But how do you know when you've really ARRIVED at a place where you're genuinely good with women? As it turns out, there is a specific place and time you can know for sure...and the secret comes to us courtesy of a financial expert, of all people. And no, it actually has nothing to do with money. https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

Co-Host Brian Marckesano (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/newcity) When my guest Brian Marckesano relocated to a new city for a job, he thought it would be a slam dunk to find a social circle, make new friends and date a bunch of new women. But the stone cold reality was it wasn't nearly as easy as he thought it would be. What was up with that? After all, he's a decent guy with plenty going for him. He became passionate about building the social circle he wanted, including doing extensive research into social dynamics. The result? Not only did Brian reach his social goals beyond his expectations, he now specializes in helping other men do the same. So then, why is social circle development the single most important skill a man can have? And why do we as men in particular struggle so much with developing it? How is even a modicum of abundance mentality extra-powerful when it comes to all of this? What are the unexpected, less-than-obvious ways building relationships with men is very different than building relationships with women? And how did Brian start receiving amazing 'perks' due to the relationships he was building with people? What were Brian's breakthrough moments when he moved to a new city? What did he do right, and what were the social lessons he learned along the way? What is the 'lost art' that makes meeting new people so much easier? And how can getting better at talking with women actually ruin your chances at making friends with other men? (Hint: It's not really because they're jealous.) Get in on all the insider info at https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

=== SNIPPETS FROM THE SUMMIT === Deep down all of us as men fully realize that women and men are designed to be attracted to each other, and sex is a natural result of that. So how do so many of us get wadded up over showing interest in a woman? Is the 'male gaze' truly despised by women? Do they really see sex as some sort of concession they make to men? Does that, in turn, make all sex 'rapey'? If these all seem like rhetorical questions, fair enough...but what, then, is it about men who seem to attract women at will without ever getting in trouble? https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!

Co-Host Brian Ahearn (https://mountaintoppodcast.com/story) My returning guest, Brian Ahearn, has recently published His Story, My Story, Our Story; which is a memoir about his life growing up with his Marine Corps father. But this isn't yet another biography from someone who was told he 'should write a book' because his life is so interesting. Rather, like Matthew McConoghey's Greenlights, it's more FOR you than ABOUT him. In discussing the book, Brian and I turn our discussion on fathers and sons toward what makes a man truly the head of the household rather than just another co-resident of it. Why do we have so many 'absentee parents' nowadays? What is the best way to instill trust in your wife and promote good behavior with your kids? What is a man to so when his young sons hit their 'knucklehead stage' around 9-12 years old? And what about when your teenage daughters hit their teen years? How do we as men lead so as to set the right vibe for our entire household...and indeed our entire life? What shocking ways can our wife and kids' lives outside the home be affected by that tone we set? What if the general 'conventional wisdom' on how to raise kids doesn't quite work for you as a dad? What do you do then? And finally, of course, knowing none of us are perfect dads and husbands, what do we do to make things right when the inevitable mistakes happen? Overall, a unique and valuable episode on a topic that's not discussed nearly often enough. Get show notes, free downloads and more at the newly updated https://mountaintoppodcast.com

=== HELP US SEND THE MESSAGE TO GREAT MEN EVERYWHERE ===

The content in this show is NEVER generated by AI. I discovered it can't handle a joke a long time ago. Meanwhile, I'll keep the practical, actionable ideas coming as well as the entertaining part...all for free. If you love what you hear, please rate the show on the service you subscribed to it on (takes one second) and leave a review. As we say here in Texas, I appreciate you!