KneeToKnee

How to Stay Curious When Every Instinct Tells You You're Right - with Eric Robinson

Eric Robinson spent years pastoring a church built for people who didn't normally go to church. The work was meaningful. The stress was unsustainable. So he made a call most people would never consider: he applied to the FBI. What followed was a 25-year career that included 15 years on FBI SWAT, roles as a tactics instructor, firearms instructor, and fitness instructor, and front-row seats to some of the deepest male bonds you can build. He retired a few months ago, and this is one of his first conversations since. In this episode, Mark and Eric get into the real stuff: how Eric managed stress that others couldn't, why the FBI felt like a relief after ministry, what SWAT brotherhood actually feels like from the inside, how his team handled a shooting, what "being curious" really means in practice, and how a man figures out who he is when the badge and the title are gone. Eric's closing answer to "the one thing" is simple, practical, and worth sitting with. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and the Running Connection 04:00 From Ministry to the FBI: The Pivot Nobody Saw Coming 07:00 Resilience, Trauma, and Underestimating Yourself 10:30 What FBI SWAT Brotherhood Actually Feels Like 13:30 The Hot Wash: How Eric's Team Processed a Shooting 19:00 Retirement, Identity, and Letting Go of the Badge 23:00 The One Thing: Stay Curious, Stay Open 📩 Get The One Thing — a weekly note from Mark every time a new episode drops: https://bit.ly/4eIs6gf [https://bit.ly/4eIs6gf] 🎙️ KneeToKnee — connection that compounds. https://youtu.be/r_EpasCuWos [https://youtu.be/r_EpasCuWos] ☑ Find us most everywhere! https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee [https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee] #HumanConnection #AuthenticConnections #WellnessJourney

The Voice Your Ancestors Gave You - with Darren Perry

Darren Parry, former chairman of the Northwestern Band Shoshone Nation, on Bear River Massacre, indigenous wisdom, male leadership, service, brotherhood, and reconnecting men to purpose. What does it actually mean to lead? Not manage, not dominate, but lead. Darren Parry has spent his life carrying that answer. Darren is the former chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, an educator at Utah State University, and the author of the Bear River Massacre of Shoshone history. That book started with his grandmother, the tribal historian for their people. When she passed before she could finish it, Darren picked it up and carried it home. In this conversation we go deep on what indigenous culture understood about men and community that our modern world has slowly walked away from. Darren talks about the difference between hierarchical power and a circle of responsibility, what it means to build intergenerational bonds with your family before it's too late, the courage it takes to stand up for something even when the odds are against you, and the simple question his grandmother asked him as a boy that redefined what leadership actually looks like. His closing answer about eagle feathers and what it means to go be a chief is one of the best moments we've had on this show. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:23 Darren's background and Shoshone history 03:54 The Bear River Massacre 06:13 What indigenous men knew about responsibility 09:26 How to rebuild intergenerational bonds 12:45 Oral history, elders, and the library that burns 14:10 Running for Congress to give a people a voice 18:18 Go be a chief — the eagle feather story 📩 Get The One Thing — a weekly note from Mark every time a new episode drops: https://bit.ly/4eIs6gf [https://bit.ly/4eIs6gf] ☑ Find us most everywhere! https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee [https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee] #HumanConnection #AuthenticConnections #WellnessJourney

7 Principles That Took Him from Broke Kid to One of 3 Epic Deca Finishers on Earth - JD Tremblay

EpicDeca finisher JD Tremblay breaks down blood chemistry, energy regulation & endurance performance. Insert Link Only 3 people on Earth have completed the Epic Deca — 10 Iron Man distance triathlons across 10 Hawaiian islands. JD Tremblay is one of them. But what makes this conversation different from every other endurance story you've heard is that JD isn't interested in telling you how tough he is. He's here to give you the systems he used — systems that work whether you're attempting the impossible or just trying to drag yourself back to the gym. In this episode of KneeToKnee, JD breaks down the DECA framework (Discipline, Energy Regulation, Capacity, Action), his BRAIN optimization method (Blood Chemistry, Recovery, Attention, Inflammation, Nervous System), why your morning smoothie may be sabotaging your focus and energy, the truth about electrolytes, sodium, and insulin timing, and why values need to come before goals if you want lasting direction in your life. JD is also a certified naturopathic practitioner and military veteran — and his perspective on inflammation, community, and building a value-driven life is something every man needs to hear. Chapters • 00:00 – Welcome & Introduction to JD Tremblay • 01:00 – What Is the Epic Deca? (10 Iron Mans, 10 Days, 5 Islands) • 03:32 – The DECA System: Discipline, Energy Regulation, Capacity & Action • 11:12 – The BRAIN Framework: Blood Chemistry, Recovery, Attention, Inflammation & Nervous System • 16:53 – Practical Nutrition Tips for the Average Man Getting Back in the Gym • 27:46 – Values Before Goals: JD's Closing Advice for Building Deep Connections ☑ Find us most everywhere! https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee [https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee] #HumanConnection #AuthenticConnections #WellnessJourney

The Unexpected Truth He Discovered After Leaving the Military - with Ryan Reichert

Veteran mental health, male loneliness, and brotherhood collide in this raw conversation with Lt. Colonel Ryan Reichert on KneeToKnee with Mark Marrott. Ryan Reichert retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, landed a Fortune 500 job with a multi-six-figure salary, and found himself completely alone. No brotherhood. No mission. No foundation. What followed was an identity crisis, addiction, divorce, and the hard work of rebuilding from scratch. In this episode, Ryan shares what broke him after the military, how he found his way back through community and faith, and why kindness might be the most underrated weapon a man carries. Topics covered include post-military identity loss, veteran PTSD and addiction recovery, the Bravo Zulu House (the first all-veteran sober house in the nation), Our Protector Development, the one-high-two-lows check-in method, and Ryan's six-step kindness framework from his TEDx Duluth talk. This is a Tier 4 episode: Mindset and Relationships. Chapters: • 00:00 — Introduction: Ryan Reichert and the Built to Break mindset • 02:30 — Post-military identity crisis: From Lt. Colonel to Fortune 500 to rock bottom • 05:10 — Male loneliness and the cost of going it alone • 10:35 — The groups that rebuilt Ryan: Church, veterans court, and battle buddies • 12:50 — Bravo Zulu House: The first all-veteran sober house in the nation • 15:10 — Our Protector Development: Turning pain into purpose • 19:45 — The six-step kindness method: Ryan's TEDx Duluth framework ☑ Find us most everywhere! https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee [https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee] #HumanConnection #AuthenticConnections #WellnessJourney

He Spent Years Thinking Something Was Wrong With Him ...Until He Discovered This - with David Hall

Introvert strengths, deep connections & male loneliness — David Hall reveals the truth about quiet men. Insert Link Most men have been told their whole lives that being an introvert is something to overcome. In this powerful conversation, introversion expert and podcast host David Hall joins Mark Marrott to bust the biggest myths and flip the script on what it means to be quiet and strong. David shares the exact moment he stopped thinking something was wrong with him — and how understanding his introvert personality changed his relationships, his career, and his confidence forever. If you've ever felt misunderstood for being the guy who thinks before speaking, needs time alone, or prefers a great one-on-one conversation over a room full of strangers — this episode is for you. We dig into the neuroscience of introversion, practical strategies for building deeper connections, how introverts can master small talk without losing their soul, and the one thing you can do TODAY to strengthen your most important relationships. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome & Introduction to David Hall 02:00 — What Introversion Actually Means (And What It Doesn't) 06:30 — Introvert Strengths: Deep Thinking, Reflection & Innovation 10:30 — The Neuroscience of Introversion 14:00 — Practical Strategies for Introverts in Relationships & Work 19:35 — The One Thing You Can Do Today to Build Deeper Connections ☑ Find us most everywhere! https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee [https://linktr.ee/kneetoknee] #HumanConnection #AuthenticConnections #WellnessJourney