Great Men w/ Shane Sams

Great Men Get Out Of Relationships Holding Them Back (w/ Chris Graebe)

Chris Graebe has lived one of the most unpredictable lives in entrepreneurship. MTV Road Rules cast member. Campus pastor at one of the largest churches in America. Serial entrepreneur. Angel investor alongside Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary. Father of five. And one of the most honest voices on what it actually costs to level up as a man. In this conversation Shane and Chris get into the real stuff. The relationships that can't come with you when you decide to grow. The crabs in the bucket moment when the people closest to you try to pull you back down. The identity crisis that hits when you've been known as one thing for years and need to become something else. And the moment every driven man faces when he realizes nobody is coming to save him. They also talk about physical transformation, the peptide and TRT conversation, the sunk cost fallacy, what it means to bet on yourself with a wife and five kids watching, and why your network shrinking might be the best sign you are actually growing. This one is real. This one is personal. And if you have ever felt like the people around you are more comfortable with you staying small than watching you rise, this episode was made for you. You're already a good man. Now become great on your own terms. No fake alpha nonsense. No paint-by-numbers 'family man' checklists. No endless trauma dumps. Get unstuck and reclaim your power in work, relationships, fatherhood, and life. End the war within. Find peace without. Learn more about The Great Men Project at https://www.greatmen.org [https://www.greatmen.org]

Great Men Struggle w/ Suicidal Ideation — Ibogaine, PTSD, and Coming Back From the Edge (w/ Dr. Daniel Franz and U.S. Army Veteran Anthony Woolever)

Shane Sams is joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Franz and U.S. Army veteran Anthony Woolever for an incredibly raw and deeply personal exploration of trauma, suicidal ideation, and the frontier of psychedelic assisted therapy. Anthony opens up about a lifetime of struggle, tracing the lines from childhood abuse and a suicide attempt at seventeen to a harrowing combat tour in Iraq that left him trapped in a perpetual state of fight or flight for over twenty years. After traditional therapy failed to provide relief, Anthony discovered the healing potential of plant medicines through a community of faith, eventually leading him to a life altering ibogaine experience in Mexico. Dr. Dan provides vital clinical context throughout the conversation, explaining how these specialized protocols help quiet the default mode network of the brain and spark the neuroplasticity necessary to dissolve deep seated fears and decades of chronic physical pain. The discussion moves beyond the initial medicine journeys to focus heavily on the critical role of preparation, safety, and lifelong integration. Anthony shares his daily post experience practices, highlighting the profound impact of pen to paper journaling, reading scripture, and intentional physical wellness on maintaining his mental clarity. The trio also examines the current legal and medical landscape of these treatments, from accessible ketamine therapy to international options for ibogaine, while Shane shares his own striking story of physical restoration following a psilocybin experience. Ultimately, this episode serves as a powerful testament to how men can transition from pain to purpose, utilize their darkest battles to save others, and find a path back to a life worth living. You're already a good man. Now become great on your own terms. No fake alpha nonsense. No paint-by-numbers 'family man' checklists. No endless trauma dumps. Get unstuck and reclaim your power in work, relationships, fatherhood, and life. End the war within. Find peace without. Learn more about The Great Men Project at https://www.greatmen.org [https://www.greatmen.org]

Great Men Live Life NOW (w/ John Lee Dumas)

Shane Sams welcomes legendary podcaster and Army veteran John Lee Dumas to discuss the intentional choices required to step off the corporate treadmill and build a life of genuine presence. Reflecting on 14 years and thousands of episodes of Entrepreneurs on Fire, JLD shares how he sent himself the enough memo after realizing that chasing endless scale was a distraction from the freedom he had already earned. Instead of sacrificing his health and time to grow a massive corporate team, he optimized his business model for time freedom and experiences, enabling him to spend months traveling and to be completely available for his young son. Shane and JLD dive into the empty promise of the moving goalpost in entrepreneurship, illustrating why true wealth is measured by the ability to live life now rather than waiting for retirement. The conversation also tackles the complex emotional landscape of manhood, from JLD's reflections on post-war PTSD to the vital importance of emotional volatility as a sign of vitality. Both hosts open up about the sobering reality that many men suffer in silence without a trusted circle to lean on during dark moments, highlighting the mission of the podcast to break that isolation. Utilizing the metaphor of being the first person on the dance floor, JLD challenges men to take the lead in vulnerability, giving others permission to be human, reach out, and build authentic connections. This episode is an urgent reminder that greatness is found in having the courage to go first, establish boundaries around your time, and become the man your family wants to see every day. You're already a good man. Now become great on your own terms. No fake alpha nonsense. No paint-by-numbers 'family man' checklists. No endless trauma dumps. Get unstuck and reclaim your power in work, relationships, fatherhood, and life. End the war within. Find peace without. Learn more about The Great Men Project at https://www.greatmen.org [https://www.greatmen.org]

Great Men Change Their Minds (w/ Cliff Ravenscraft)

In this episode of Great Men, Shane Sams reconnects with his longtime friend Cliff Ravenscraft, a true pioneer known to many as "The Podcast Answer Man." Cliff takes us behind the scenes of his massive transformation, from the early days of 2005 when he was producing up to 15 episodes a week to the shocking moment he walked away from a $750,000 per year brand. They explore the heavy toll of misaligned identity and the common trap of climbing a ladder of success only to realize it was leaning against the wrong building. Cliff shares the raw reality of being told by church leadership that his passion was a distraction from God, and how that friction eventually led him to deconstruct institutional expectations to find a more authentic way of being. The conversation moves into the deep work of reconstruction, focusing on how personal philosophies like The Four Agreements helped Cliff stop taking external criticism personally. Shane and Cliff get vulnerable about their shared experiences leaving religious structures and discovering that true community—their "church"—often looks like a 15 year mastermind with trusted peers rather than a traditional pulpit. Cliff traces his calling back to a 13 year old kid on an illegal CB radio, illustrating that our true purpose is often something we've carried since childhood. This episode is a masterclass for any man who feels the pressure to maintain a "monument" of success at the expense of his soul, offering a blueprint for finding peace through alignment rather than external validation. You're already a good man. Now become great on your own terms. No fake alpha nonsense. No paint-by-numbers 'family man' checklists. No endless trauma dumps. Get unstuck and reclaim your power in work, relationships, fatherhood, and life. End the war within. Find peace without. Learn more about The Great Men Project at https://www.greatmen.org [https://www.greatmen.org]

Great Men Gather in Person (w/ Vincent Pugliese)

Shane Sams and Vincent Pugliese reunite after a social media misfire and copy-paste misunderstanding nearly derailed their friendship, turning a real conflict into a powerful masterclass on authenticity and male connection. In a world increasingly dominated by AI automation and digital noise, they challenge the temptation to clone voices or outsource relationships, arguing that true integrity means standing behind every word you write. The conversation dives deep into how men handle conflict, the engineering of outrage on social media, and the freedom found in allowing both our children and ourselves to face consequences. They also break down unconventional event models like the Unconference and the Great Men Brotherhood, which reject high-ticket upsells and gatekeeping in favor of generosity, curated spaces, and raw peer-to-peer connection. The heart of the episode shifts to the hidden traps of entrepreneurship and the emotional architecture of ambition. Shane opens up about a massive financial milestone that left him feeling empty, prompting a raw discussion on Vincent's philosophy of prioritizing freedom over luxury before a moving target of wealth steals the life you built. They close with a vulnerable exploration of the father wound, examining how the lifelong chase for paternal approval drives male ambition and often leads to profound misery. By sharing personal stories of late-in-life reconciliation and the power of peer validation, they highlight why every man needs a tribe of brothers to step into the gap, handle hard conversations straight, and remind each other that they are doing a good job. You're already a good man. Now become great on your own terms. No fake alpha nonsense. No paint-by-numbers 'family man' checklists. No endless trauma dumps. Get unstuck and reclaim your power in work, relationships, fatherhood, and life. End the war within. Find peace without. Learn more about The Great Men Project at https://www.greatmen.org [https://www.greatmen.org]