Goodpain Podcast Season 02 Episode 017: Sam Pressler & Soren Duggan of Nobody to Call – Men Without College Degrees & the Yearning to Connect

Goodpain Podcast Season 02 Episode 19: The Architecture of Legacy and the Wisdom of Maturity

Episode Summary In this episode, Jeremy and Tyler explore the profound responsibility of becoming a good ancestor in a world that often prioritizes immediate gratification over long-term resonance. The hosts discuss how personal maturation is found in overcoming fear and the baser instincts that keep us trapped in predictable, reactive habits. By letting go of control and the impulse to stabilize or "ix every chaotic moment, we open ourselves up to a deeper curiosity and the ability to witness life's inherent beauty. The conversation encourages a shift toward intentional living, moving from unconscious behaviors to conscious choices that align with the highest version of ourselves. Central to this discussion is a critique of modern society’s obsession with convenience, which the hosts argue can lead us to trade our humanity for predictability and comfort. Ultimately, they invite listeners to embrace the goodpain of self-governance and accountability to build a legacy that transcends the narrow limitations of the present. Key Themes and Discussion Points: * Legacy and Meaning: The hosts redefine legacy not as a monumental external lift, but as an expression of a higher version of oneself. They discuss the importance of contributing to a "reclamation" of the wisdom class, where being a "wisdom holder" becomes a primary life purpose for those moving into the second half of life. * The Journey of Personal Growth: The conversation highlights the transition from immature to mature expression, which involves a migration from unconscious, reactive behaviors into intentional, conscious choosing. This personal growth requires transcending old habits and baser instincts to align with who we truly want to become. * Developing Emotional Maturity and Self-Awareness: Emotional maturity is characterized by the expansion of internal roles—moving beyond being just a "problem solver" or "fixer" to becoming a "witness" to life as it unfolds. This requires deep self-awareness, questioning why we react to slights or chaos in predictable ways after decades of life. * Navigating Fear and Control: Tyler shares a vulnerable account of a health scare that forced him to confront the fear and control that often drive our reactions. He describes the liberating mindset shift that occurs when one chooses curiosity over the need to "right the chaos" or predetermine how a situation should be solved. * The Power of Conscious Living: Conscious living is presented as the practice of "catching one's breath" and taking a step back to get curious about the root of our actions. It involves setting aside the "idolatry of comfort" and convenience to embrace the necessary, and often "good," pain of self-governance and accountability. * Fostering Human Connection through the "Bridges of Meghalaya": Using the metaphor of living root bridges that take generations to grow, the hosts discuss the necessity of human connection and intergenerational stewardship. They argue that true progress comes from "bumping into the messiness of other people" rather than retreating into algorithmic bubbles of certainty.

Goodpain Podcast Season 02 Episode 18: Fred Rogers' Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

We have a couple more interviews coming for Season 2, but this week we take another break to bring a voice of wisdom to our audience. This week it is the man that always welcomed us into his Neighborhood, never failing to invite us to be his neighbor simply because us to know we were worth knowing.  In this recording from 2001, we hear Fred Rogers' commencement address to the graduating class of Marquette University.

Goodpain Podcast Season 02 Episode 017: Sam Pressler & Soren Duggan of Nobody to Call – Men Without College Degrees & the Yearning to Connect

IN THIS EPISODE * What the Disconnected survey (2024) established about the college degree as the dividing line in American civic life * Why the male loneliness narrative misreads the real crisis – and what "left alone by society" means instead * The friendship cliff: why connections collapse after high school for men without degrees * Tenuous ties and single points of failure in men's relational lives * The accompaniment framework: loss and transition as communal experiences, not individual problems * Why the self-help ethos is the wrong prescription for structural disconnection * What it means to "call men in" – and who is responsible for doing it ABOUT THE GUESTS Sam Pressler spent seven years building the Armed Services Arts Partnership, helping veterans find their footing in civilian life after service. He turned toward research and writing at the intersection of civic life, social connection, and class – and in 2024 co-produced Disconnected with the Survey Center on American Life, which established the college degree as the dividing line in American civic participation. He edits and writes the Connective Tissue newsletter on Substack, where these ideas have been taking shape for years. Sam approaches this work not as a detached researcher but as someone who has stood in the gap – and who understands that the data, when it gets flattened into a headline, stops being about people. Soren Duggan spent nine years in human intelligence collection roles for U.S. Special Operations. He now researches and builds strategies for large-scale digital communication. He was the sole interviewer for all thirty conversations in Nobody to Call – which means he sat with these men, none of whom had any reason to trust a stranger on Zoom, and asked them about the hardest parts of their lives. The emotional weight of this report comes directly from his ability to hold that space without flinching. FROM THE REPORT "I feel lonely. I feel like I don't have connections, and on a broader scope, that I don't really matter." – Jordan, 43 "If I was a part of something, I wouldn't be looking for friends. I could find friends inside of the organization that I belong to… That's the bottom line. I just want to be a part of a team. I feel like that's therapeutic." – Cedric, 31 "The younger generation coming up – they're lost too. I want to try to give them an answer, but not in a toxic way." – Deion, 29 RESOURCES * Read the full Nobody to Call report: nobodytocall.org [http://nobodytocall.org/] * Connective Tissue newsletter: connectivetissue.substack.com [https://connectivetissue.substack.com/] * Disconnected: The Growing Class Divide in American Civic Life (Survey Center on American Life, 2024)

Goodpain Podcast Season 02, Episode 016: Robyn D. Walser, PhD – Making Space for Masculine Vulnerability

This week we sit down for a discussion with Robyn D. Walser, PhD.  Robyn  is a clinical psychologist, author, and internationally recognized trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), often described as a clinician’s clinician for her deep emphasis on therapeutic presence and connection.  She is the author and coauthor of several influential ACT books, including The Heart of ACT, where she invites therapists to move beyond technique into a more heartfelt, process-based, and relational way of working — treating therapy as a shared human experience rather than a set of tools. Her work highlights how psychological flexibility is cultivated not just through cognitive shifts, but through courage, compassion, and an open-hearted stance with clients. In recent years, Robyn has been reflecting on questions of feminism, masculinity, and the impacts of cultural narratives on our sense of self, intimacy, and vulnerability, especially in the context of trauma and moral injury. She invites a more nuanced, inclusive conversation about gender—one that honors pain without vilifying whole groups, and that makes space for men and women alike to live with greater authenticity, responsibility, and heart. https://robynwalser.com/ [https://robynwalser.com/]

Goodpain Podcast Season 02, Episode 015: Male Maturation over Time – Remembering to Choose Intentionally

In this episode, Jeremy and Tyler explore the past as a means for informing how we can more consistently remember to make active choices. But choosing takes practice: it is easy to forget, including the ways we convinced ourselves we are certain of what will make us happy. While the word is not used, "regret" is one that could also be applied here; however, rather than use it as something to avoid, the co-hosts explore how the fact that we will at times regret, acceptance of that fact can invite us into more active remembering of who we want to be and who we are becoming.  All of this is discussed, and more, as we continue to excavate the topic of mature masculinity.