Falsely Happy: Why Faking Optimism Is Destroying Men with Shahar Link

Falsely Happy: Why Faking Optimism Is Destroying Men with Shahar Link

Every 13 minutes in America, a man takes his own life. This podcast exists to push back that clock by helping men discover, learn, and live their Why. In this episode, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi connects with entrepreneur and visionary Shahar Link for a deeply intimate conversation that ranges from a chance meeting in a Colorado hot spring to the frontlines of modern fatherhood. Shahar, a core Enneagram 7 (The Enthusiast), opens up about the midlife crossroads that completely reoriented his world. After selling his 15-year business and navigating a painful divorce, he found himself stepping away from the constant pursuit of future escape routes to ground down into a profound new reality. He shares the painful but necessary transition from chasing "freedom from" restriction to committing to "freedom towards" what truly matters: his new fiancee, Rebecca, their beautifully chaotic blended family, and his ultimate current why, shepherding his 16-year-old son through a severe battle with depression. Together, Dr. B and Shahar unpack the danger of the "void dance," the exhausting survival mechanism where high-achieving men wear a mask of forced optimism to run from emotional discomfort. They dive deep into why modern society has failed young boys by replacing true, raw initiation with empty, commercialized celebrations. From ancient Hasidic wilderness rituals to dropping a teenager off to face his fears in a dark Denver alley, they make a fierce case for bringing back primal rites of passage to help young men build self-trust. The dialogue takes a beautiful spiritual turn as Shahar describes his journey from being kicked out of an Orthodox Yeshiva into a decade of militant atheism, only to be entirely reawakened by a profound plant medicine experience. He describes a visceral download that changed everything: the realization that love is not just an abstract concept, but the literal molecular "cosmic glue" keeping the universe from shattering apart. Dr. B matches this with an untold story of his own DMT journey, illustrating how men must stop answering to spreadsheets and start anchoring themselves to the hearth of home. This episode is an essential guide for any father or man navigating a whiteout blizzard in life, reminding us how to tie a rope to our immovable anchor points and find our way back to true connection. Connect with Shahar Link: • LinkedIn: in/shahar-link [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahar-link/] • Website: catalystscholars.com [https://catalystscholars.com/] Engage with Dr. B HaLevi: • Facebook: Dr.BHaLevi [https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/] • Instagram: @baruch_halevi [https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/] • Website: bhalevi.com [https://bhalevi.com/] • YouTube: @bhalevi [https://www.youtube.com/@bhalevi] Join the Movement: • Support the 13 Minutes Mission [https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/]

Falling to Grace: How Hitting Rock Bottom Can Save a Man’s Life with Collin Chartier

Every 13 minutes in America, a man takes his own life. This podcast exists to push back that clock by helping men discover, learn, and live their Why. In this episode, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi sits down for a raw, unfiltered conversation with former professional triathlete Collin Chartier, a man who reached the absolute pinnacle of his sport, only to have it all come crashing down. At 29 years old, Collin was ranked 11th in the world when he became the center of the biggest doping scandal in triathlon history. Stripped of his career, his profession, and his entire identity overnight, he faced a brutal wave of public scrutiny and isolation. But what felt like the end was actually a brutal catalyst for rebirth. Collin opens up about the relentless pressure of the "never enough" mindset, the gray zones that lead to self-sabotage, and how hitting bottom wasn't a fall from grace, but a profound fall to grace. Dr. B connects Collin's athletic collapse to his own painful transition away from life as a pulpit rabbi, exposing the traps men fall into when their self-worth is entirely tied to their achievements. Together, they break down the psychology of the "ego-protective mechanism," the danger of suffering in silence, and why self-actualization means nothing without self-transcendence. Plus, Collin takes Dr. B through a powerful, live 4-minute pattern-interrupt breath work practice. They dive into the physiological science of box breathing, how fabricating anxiety through CO2 tolerance trains the nervous system to choose response over reaction, and why mastering your breath is the ultimate form of grounding. From running rim-to-rim-to-rim at the Grand Canyon to his upcoming 2,000-mile "Running Home" project for addiction recovery and mental health, Collin’s story is a living blueprint for any man who needs to dismantle his false self and build a life on solid ground. Connect with Collin Chartier: • Instagram: @collinchartier [https://www.instagram.com/collinchartier/?hl=en] • Download the Ground App [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/groundapp-breathwork/id6760352779] Engage with Dr. B HaLevi: • YouTube: @bhalevi [https://www.youtube.com/@bhalevi] • Facebook: Dr.BHaLevi [https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/] • Instagram: @baruch_halevi [https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/] • Visit the Website [https://bhalevi.com/] Join the Movement: • Support the 13 Minutes Mission [https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/]

The Fiery Sword: How to Vanquish Your Darkest Spiritual Shadows with Melody Hu

In this episode, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi welcomes Melody Hu, an energetic force of optimism, Enneagram 7 visionary, artist, and speaker, for a profoundly deep and wide-ranging conversation that moves quickly from the material world into the spiritual and psychological realms. Melody opens up about a profound spiritual awakening of universal love and oneness she experienced at just 11 years old, which was quickly followed by a terrifying, 15-year battle with sleep paralysis. She shares the exact "fiery sword" visualization she used at age 26 to finally vanquish that dark presence. Dr. B connects this deeply to his own pivotal "fiery sword" moment with plant medicine following his father’s suicide, highlighting how facing our shadows head-on can completely rewrite our soul contracts. Together, they dive into the structural and biological programming of men, discussing testosterone, the critical need for honest mentorship during puberty, and the lack of resources for young boys navigating modern war zones like pornography. They also explore the true nature of leadership, contrasting the existential burden of hierarchical power, which led Dr. B to step away from being a pulpit rabbi, with the beauty of the "servant leader" archetype found in ancient traditions. From the physics of dance and embodiment to the role of the artist in bringing God out of the shadows, this episode is a masterclass in extracting what is good from the world and evolving it. The conversation reaches a powerful climax when Melody asks Dr. B about the meaning of life, prompting him to share the raw, unfiltered daily warrior declaration he recites three times a day to stay anchored against generational trauma and chaos. Connect with Melody Hu: • Website: https://www.melodyhu.com/ [https://www.melodyhu.com/] • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hellomelodyhu [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hellomelodyhu] • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellomelodyhu [https://www.instagram.com/hellomelodyhu] • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@melodyhu [https://www.youtube.com/@melodyhu] • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellomelodyhu [https://www.tiktok.com/@hellomelodyhu] Engage with B HaLevi: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/ [https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/] • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/ [https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/] • Website: https://bhalevi.com/ [https://bhalevi.com/] Join or Support the 13 Minutes Mission: • https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/ [https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/]

From Loneliness to Community: Faith, Fitness, and Finding Your Why with Trent Poulsen

In this episode, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi sits down with Trent Poulsen, co-founder of Ember and Ice and host of the upcoming Out of Pocket podcast, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to build a meaningful life from the inside out. Trent opens up about growing up in a small mountain town outside Boulder, battling depression and suicidal thoughts in high school, and how loneliness quietly shaped his early years. He shares the role substances played in helping him find connection in college, and what it looked like to eventually walk away from them and build something real. Together they explore how Ember and Ice grew from a personal need for community into a nature-based sanctuary for connection and healing, and what happened when the business hit a wall and had to pivot. They also dig into faith in a secular world, the difference between trust and conviction, Trent's unexpected path to Christianity, fitness as a means versus an end, and what Viktor Frankl would say about a six-pack of abs. This is a conversation about the kind of man you become when you stop running from loneliness and start building toward something bigger than yourself. Engage with B HaLevi: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/ [https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/] • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/ [https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/] • Website: https://bhalevi.com/ [https://bhalevi.com/] Join or Support the 13 Minutes Mission: • https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/ [https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/]

Money, Meaning, and the Flow of It All with Natalie Levy

In this episode, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi sits down with Natalie Levy, founding partner of She's Independent Investments and author of Cash is Queen: A Conscious Journey into Angel Investing, for one of the most unexpected and expansive conversations the show has ever had. What starts as a conversation about finance quickly becomes something much deeper. Natalie shares her journey from Wall Street to Boulder, from chasing numbers to chasing meaning, and how losing three family members to suicide shaped her relationship with money, purpose, and life itself. Together they explore why money is never really about money, the difference between hoarding wealth and letting it flow, what Jewish wisdom has to say about currency and idolatry, and why the question investors should always ask first is the same one B asks every man he works with: what is your why? They also get into angel investing as a vehicle for healing and change, the link between financial illiteracy and mental health, masculine versus feminine approaches to wealth, and what orgasmic energy and tantric philosophy have to do with how we move money through the world. This one goes places. Come ready. Connect with Natalie Levy: Instagram: @nattygram_and_b [https://www.instagram.com/nattygram_and_b/] Book: Cash is Queen: A Conscious Journey into Angel Investing Engage with B HaLevi: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/ [https://www.facebook.com/Dr.BHaLevi/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/ [https://www.instagram.com/baruch_halevi/] Website: https://bhalevi.com/ [https://bhalevi.com/] Join or Support the 13 Minutes Mission: https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/ [https://bhalevi.com/the-13-minutes-mission/]