Shot and Paralyzed at 22 — Then He Found God | Pablo's Story | Season 3

Your Brain Was Wired for Purpose | Ft. Lance

Episode Summary Most men aren't burned out, checked out, or broken — they're purposeless. And according to Lance, a licensed therapist, pastor, and addiction counselor who has sat across from thousands of men in crisis, that one missing thing is the root of nearly every problem men are facing today. What makes this episode unlike anything We Take the Stairs has recorded is the lens Lance brings. He speaks as a clinician, a pastor, a divorced man who rebuilt, and someone who has mapped the male crisis from every angle — neuroscience, scripture, and lived experience. He connects the dots between why men disengage in marriage, why addiction spikes at retirement, why the brain literally wires itself toward purpose, and why a man without meaning will find something — anything — to fill that void. The science and the scripture point to the same answer. This episode is that answer. Guest Lance — Licensed therapist, pastor, addiction counselor, and clinical professional based in South Florida. Lance runs a private practice, works in addiction recovery, and brings a rare combination of neuroscience, faith, and lived experience to every conversation about men. Chapters * 00:00 — The One Question: Meaning and Purpose * 01:31 — Why Men Check Out After Work — And What's Really Going On * 04:09 — Protect, Pray, Provide — Why That's No Longer Enough * 11:43 — The Neuroscience of Purpose: Grid Cells, Flow States & Your Hot Spot * 13:49 — Who Moved My Cheese: How Meaning Shifts Through Life Stages * 16:20 — The Empty Nester, the Retiree & Why Addiction Spikes at 65 * 18:00 — Why the Church Is Actually Built for Every Stage of Life * 20:18 — The Role of Mentors & Why God Puts the Right People on Your Path * 25:06 — The Manosphere, Broken Systems & God's Design for Men * 32:02 — The Neuroscience of Social Media & Why We're More Disconnected Than Ever * 44:25 — Lance's Personal Story: Seminary, Loss & Finding Purpose Through Crisis * 55:28 — What Is a Crisis? Real Stories of Men Who Lost Everything * 01:03:47 — How to Navigate Crisis: Get to a Church, Find Community, Ask for Help * 01:11:39 — Three Practical Steps to Rewire Your Brain Toward Real Connection * 01:15:51 — The REACH Method: A Clinical & Biblical Framework for Forgiveness * 01:30:00 — We Takes: Crisis Isn't the End — It's the Catalyst Key Topics Covered * Meaning and Purpose as the Root Problem — Lance doesn't start with behavior. He starts with the existential question every man is quietly asking: Why am I here? Do I matter? Is what I'm doing enough? Every other crisis — disconnection, addiction, disengagement in marriage — is downstream of this one unanswered question. * Why Men Check Out After Work — A man who comes home and unplugs isn't being passive out of laziness. He's been reduced to a role — protect, pray, provide — and he's fulfilled it. Nobody told him that wasn't enough. Lance unpacks why this creates a silent, growing disconnect in marriages and what both spouses can actually do about it. * The Neuroscience of Purpose — One of the most unique moments in We Take the Stairs history. Lance breaks down what happens in the brain when a man finds his purpose — grid cells, place cells, the entorhinal cortex, and the state of flow. Your brain is literally wired to detect when you're on course. Purpose isn't mystical. It's neurological. * Who Moved My Cheese — Meaning Shifts Across Life Stages — Lance references Dr. Spencer Johnson's framework to map how what gives a man meaning changes at every stage: his 20s, his 30s, the empty nest, retirement. Men who don't know their meaning is shifting often collapse — or numb themselves — without knowing why. * Why Addiction Spikes in Retirement — One of the most surprising and sobering moments of the episode. Lance shares that one of the top reasons men develop addiction later in life is having nothing left to do. Bills paid. Kids gone. No purpose. And suddenly a drink at the country club becomes a daily ritual of slowly disappearing. * The Church as a Lifelong Framework — Lance and Rachael land on something that rarely gets said clearly: the church, when it functions as designed, is the only institution that meets men at every stage of life — from formation in youth to mentorship in old age. The design is right. The execution is what varies. * Community Dating — Lance advocates for dating in community — group dates, letting trusted people weigh in, watching how a potential spouse interacts with people who matter to you. The best marriages he's seen were built on more than two people deciding in isolation. * Crisis as a Catalyst — The closing of the episode reframes everything. A crisis — a lost job, a broken marriage, a failed season — isn't the end of who you are. For men who know their identity, it becomes the very thing that pushes them further into their purpose. Scriptures & Concepts Referenced * Erikson's Eight Stages of Identity Formation * Romans 8:28 — All things work together for good * The neuroscience of flow states and purpose alignment * Who Moved My Cheese — Dr. Spencer Johnson Key Quotes "Meaning and purpose — that's at the core of what men are facing. Everything else is a manifestation." — Lance "You may be tired, but you will not ever feel empty. When you're doing what you're supposed to do, it feeds you." — Lance "Finding your purpose is like finding your hot spot. When you're there, you know it — neurologically and intuitively." — Lance "Our role has been reduced to protect, pray and provide. And if I've done that, why are you trying to talk to me after a 16-hour day?" — Lance "What are you creating that's bigger than what you two can do individually? That's what keeps people together." — Lance "Men are so much more than what we provide monetarily. We matter emotionally. We matter relationally." — Lance "Crisis doesn't have to be the fall of who you are. It can be the very thing that brings you further into your purpose." — Jackson Practical Takeaways * Name what your current "cheese" is — what gives you meaning right now at this stage of life * Build something in your marriage that's bigger than any argument the two of you could have * Date in community — let trusted people weigh in before you commit About This Series Each episode, one man. One question. The answers are already revealing a pattern. If you're a man with something to say — we want to hear it. SEO Keywords Primary Keywords * Christian podcast for men * men and lack of purpose * male identity crisis meaning * men's mental health podcast * biblical manhood and purpose Secondary Keywords * why men disengage in marriage * neuroscience of purpose and flow * men and addiction recovery faith * meaning shifts across life stages * men checking out after work * protect pray provide not enough * community dating relationships * empty nester addiction men * church and male purpose * therapist pastor men identity Long-Tail Keywords * why do men feel empty even when successful * what does the brain do when a man has purpose * how lack of meaning causes men to disengage in marriage * why men develop addiction after retirement * Christian therapist on men's identity and purpose * how to build a marriage around mission not just love * what is community dating and why it matters * neuroscience of purpose and why men need meaning * how crisis can become a catalyst for a man's identity * men's podcast about meaning purpose and mental health

The War for Every Man's Identity | FT. Joshua

We ask one question to every man who sits down with us: What is the biggest problem men are facing in society based on your experience and perspective? For Joshua — former Marine, 14-year firefighter, and founder of Journey to Jericho — the answer came without hesitation: identity crisis. Not knowing who we are when God calls us sons. Living like orphans instead of children who are fully adopted, fully gifted, fully loved. This episode, recorded with Joshua joining from his hot rod shop in Columbia, Tennessee, is one of the most spiritually rich and tactically practical conversations We Take the Stairs has had. Joshua doesn't just talk theology. He runs a literal shop where fatherless young men learn to weld, grind, and turn wrenches — while quietly, patiently, being shown what an authentic man actually looks like. His own story, marked by a broken home and one Vietnam veteran named Ray who changed everything in six Saturdays, grounds everything he teaches. Guest Joshua — Founder of Journey to Jericho, a mentorship ministry based in Columbia, Tennessee, that uses a hot rod shop to build relationships with fatherless young men. A former Marine and 14-year firefighter, Joshua left a stable career and moved his family across the country in obedience to what he believed God was calling him to do. Chapters 00:00 — The One Question: Identity Crisis 03:30 — The Three P's: Power, Productivity, Prosperity 09:00 — Journey to Jericho: The Hot Rod Shop With a Deeper Mission 16:00 — Ray: The Man Who Changed Everything in Six Saturdays 23:00 — Hitting Rock Bottom at 30 — and the Prayer That Changed His Life 33:00 — Friend, Mirror, Minister: How Real Mentorship Works 39:00 — The Lamb and the Lion: Redefining What a Husband Is For 46:00 — Testimony: A Family Restored Through One Small Act of Showing Up 58:00 — The Traps Keeping Men Stuck — Power, Comfort & Noise 01:06:00 — Leaving Comfort: The Move to Tennessee & the Church That Pushed Back Key Topics Covered Identity Crisis — Joshua's answer cuts to the foundation: men were never meant to live as orphans, figuring it out alone, when they've actually been adopted as sons. Everything else — power, productivity, prosperity — is built on this one cornerstone. The Three P's — Power, productivity, prosperity. Joshua names the worldly substitutes men chase instead of sonship, and why even the richest men he's met are often the most miserable. Ray: The First Real Man — Joshua's foundational story. A Vietnam Marine who watched him and his brother for six Saturdays, taught him to weld, and modeled something Joshua had never seen — honoring his wife as his prize. That moment became the question Joshua chased for the next twenty years. The 30th Birthday Breaking Point — After years of performing discipline without a changed heart, Joshua hit bottom and cried out to God to either kill him or change him. That surrender — not effort — was the beginning of real transformation. Friend, Mirror, Minister — Joshua's framework for mentoring young men: build trust as a friend, reflect Christ's light as a mirror, then minister from that place of earned trust. Skip a step and the whole thing breaks down. The Lamb and the Lion — One of the most theologically rich moments of the episode. The Jews wanted a warrior king. They got a sacrificial lamb. Joshua applies this directly to husbands: leadership through sacrifice, not domination. A Family Restored — Joshua shares the story of a mother and two adult children, each carrying wounds from church hurt, slowly restored through nine months of simply showing up — no agenda, no lectures, just consistent presence. Comfort as the Enemy — When Joshua left a stable 14-year firefighting career to move his family to a town he'd never visited, the harshest pushback came from fellow believers. Joshua's takeaway: comfort had become their idol, and his obedience exposed it. Books Referenced 📖 Wild at Heart — John Eldredge — "I want to be rather than to appear." Key Quotes "If I am his son, I no longer have to live as an orphan. I no longer have to figure it out on my own." — Joshua "It's not what they do, but it's who they are." — Joshua "Identity found in anything other than Christ is absolutely futile." — Joshua "Comfort is one of our worst enemies. Enjoy it while you got it. Do not let it become your god." — Joshua "A generation will grow great when old men are willing to plant trees they will never sit under." — Joshua "A son cannot give what he has not received." — Joshua Practical Takeaways Ask God ten thousand questions instead of relying on your own wisdom.Invite one young man for a cup of coffee — that's a touch point, not a small thing. Take the tactical pause. Stop, ask the Father who he says you are, and let him answer. Christian podcast for men male identity crisis faith biblical sonship and identity men's mentorship ministry Christian men's podcast fatherless generation

HOW MEN BECOME UNSHAKABLE

James and Madison never expected a single call to change their family's future. After their son received a rare diagnosis, they faced uncertainty, fear, and challenges no parent wants to endure. But this conversation is less about the diagnosis and more about the resilience, faith, and strength they developed through it. In this episode of We Take The Stairs, Rachel and Jackson sit down with James and Madison to discuss raising boys in today's culture, navigating adversity as a family, and the lessons that helped them grow stronger through life's hardest seasons. This is a conversation about resilience, responsibility, and becoming the kind of person who stays steady when life gets difficult. Because strength is built through adversity. FULL SUMMARY What does it take to become unshakable? In this episode of We Take The Stairs, Rachel and Jackson sit down with James and Madison to discuss resilience, faith, marriage, family, and the challenges facing men today. They explore why many young men struggle with purpose and responsibility, why challenge and accountability are essential for growth, and what it takes to raise strong children in today's culture. The conversation becomes deeply personal as they share their son's diagnosis with MED13L Syndrome, a rare genetic condition affecting development, speech, and cognition. More importantly, they reflect on how adversity strengthened their faith, revealed hidden strengths, and shaped them as individuals, parents, and partners. Together, they discuss leadership in the home, the importance of partnership, and how responsibility, gratitude, and perseverance build stronger people, marriages, and families. This episode is a powerful reminder that strength is built through adversity, and that life's hardest seasons often become the greatest opportunities for growth. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Resilience is built through hardship, responsibility, and action. • Strong men are developed through challenge, purpose, and accountability. • Many young men struggle due to a lack of direction and meaningful responsibility. • Physical activity, discipline, mentorship, and competition help build confident men. • Strong marriages require communication, teamwork, and commitment through adversity. • True presence requires attention, leadership, and engagement. • Adversity reveals character, strength, and opportunities for growth. • Faith provides stability when circumstances are uncertain. • Personal responsibility drives growth and transformation. • Joy comes from gratitude, perspective, and purpose, not circumstances. • Strong families face hardship together rather than avoid it. EPISODE CHAPTERS 0:00 — Intro & Meet James and Madison 0:42 — The Crisis Facing Men Today 1:55 — Why Boys Are Struggling 4:13 — The Purpose Gap 6:15 — Building Resilience 8:45 — Why Men Check Out 9:40 — Presence at Home 11:13 — The Life-Changing Diagnosis 12:13 — Communication in Crisis 14:13 — Parenting, Marriage & Resilience 17:49 — True Partnership 18:42 — Masculinity, Femininity & Security 22:05 — Marriage, Identity & Leadership 25:21 — Understanding MED13L Syndrome 28:57 — Fighting for Their Son 32:31 — Lessons in Marriage 35:15 — Preparing for Adversity 37:35 — Responsibility & Growth 38:56 — How Men Grow Stronger 41:05 — Accountability & Grace 43:28 — Friends Who Challenge You 45:18 — Confidence vs. Arrogance 47:35 — Authentic Relationships 50:11 — Lessons From Hardship 52:00 — Happiness vs. Joy 54:21 — Advice for Struggling Families 58:29 — Final Reflections & We Takes GUEST INFO James & Madison James and Madison are business owners, parents, and advocates for intentional family living. They share their experience navigating marriage, entrepreneurship, raising two boys, and supporting their oldest son following a rare MED13L Syndrome diagnosis. Their story highlights resilience, faith, responsibility, communication, and the power of facing life's challenges together. Through adversity, they discovered deeper purpose, stronger partnership, and a renewed commitment to leading their family with courage and conviction. SEO KEYWORDS & TAGS PRIMARY KEYWORDS how men become unshakable resilience for men modern masculinity raising boys strong men purpose and responsibility marriage and resilience faith and family personal responsibility family leadership overcoming adversity mental toughness resilient families strong marriages leadership in the home

The Self-Reliance Trap: Why the Thing You Think Makes You Strong Is Keeping You Alone

What if the thing you thought made you strong — your self-reliance — is actually what's costing you your relationships, your peace, and your purpose? Jackson sits down with his own father for one of the most honest conversations on this show. FULL SUMMARY: This episode is different. Jackson brings his father David — a 37-year corporate veteran who retired as VP and General Manager of Valvoline's US lubricant business — onto the show for a rare father-son conversation about what the world is getting wrong about men. The core question: Is self-reliance a virtue or a trap? David's answer is both — and the line between the two is something most men never find until something breaks. They cover the cultural lies men are fed about success, independence, and worth. David shares candidly about losing his father at 35, chasing the next thing only to feel empty, and what he would tell every young man today. But the conversation takes an unexpected turn when Jackson opens up about a season of deep isolation as a teenager — and a moment he nearly didn't make it through. A conversation for every man who was raised to do it alone — and every father who didn't know his son was drowning. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Self-reliance is a virtue until it becomes a wall. The same strength that gets you through hard things eventually cuts you off from the people who could help you. * Every decision is made out of love or fear. Once you know which one is driving you, everything changes. * Meekness is not weakness. It is power under control — a man who chooses not to assert dominance is more powerful than one who has to prove himself constantly. * Boys don't learn how to be men by being told. They catch it by watching. Fatherless homes aren't just painful — they're a missing education no classroom can replace. * The dopamine isn't in the achievement — it's in the pursuit. Men who hit the number feel empty. The target was never the point. * Talking about someone to others instead of directly to them leaves wounds that last decades. Praise that travels through other people never fully lands. * Showing up and paying attention is the job. It's not complicated. But it requires presence — and most men are physically there while mentally somewhere else. EPISODE CHAPTERS For YouTube chapter markers and podcast timestamps. * 0:00 — Intro & Who Is David? * 0:35 — The Core Question: Self-Reliance — Virtue or Trap? * 3:50 — Meekness Is Not Weakness: What the Beatitudes Actually Say * 7:15 — Love vs. Fear: The Two Motivations Behind Every Decision * 10:37 — Why the Messaging to Men Is Broken * 13:31 — Women Are Better at Community — And What That Costs Men * 17:35 — The Lies Men Believe That Lead to Self-Reliance * 19:25 — The Work Harder Lie: Why Hustle Culture Is a Fallacy * 21:46 — Society Keeps Showing Men the Wrong Picture of Success * 25:38 — Happiness vs. Joy: Chasing One Leaves You Empty * 30:41 — David Chased Jobs and Cars Too — Here's What He Found * 32:23 — Jackson Asks: You Have the Nice Car. How Do I Not Want Shortcuts? * 35:50 — The Amazon Prime Problem: This Generation Expects Everything Now * 38:34 — Porn, Broken Communication & Replacing People With Things * 40:15 — When the Wheels Come Off: The Thread Every Generation Shares * 43:00 — David's Breaking Point: Losing His Father at 35 * 46:07 — Is There an Event That Shakes You Into Realizing Your Priorities Are Wrong? * 47:30 — David's Career: 37 Years, VP at Valvoline, B P&L * 49:09 — The Dad Who Praised Him to Others but Never Directly to Him * 51:24 — I've Fired People for Thinking They Didn't Need Anyone * 56:27 — The Greatest Joy: Working Yourself Out of a Job * 1:09:19 — You Didn't Teach Me to Sell. You Taught Me to Treat People. * 1:17:52 — Everybody Is Replaceable: The Truth About Being Too Valuable to Promote * 1:21:53 — He Learned His Father's Salary on His Deathbed — and Was Shattered * 1:26:04 — The Dopamine Reset: Why the Journey Is the Point * 1:33:29 — Jackson Opens Up: Self-Reliance at 13 Looked Like Nobody Cares * 1:36:30 — The Two People Who Cared Most — He Couldn't Let In * 1:37:04 — The Moment Jackson Nearly Didn't Make It * 1:38:26 — What's the Magic Sauce for Parents? Show Up and Pay Attention. * 1:40:10 — David's Response: I Could Not Be More Proud of You GUEST INFO Name: David Young Relationship to Host: Jackson's father Background: 37-year corporate veteran, retired VP and General Manager of Valvoline's US lubricant business. Led a team of 270 people overseeing B+ in annual revenue. Known for collaborative leadership and developing people — he deliberately worked himself out of his final role by building his team up to not need him. Now involved in a nonprofit helping estranged fathers reconnect with their children through the legal system, and guest lectures at universities on what corporate life actually looks like before young people enter it. Key Details From the Episode: * Lost his father to cancer around age 35 — his most significant personal breaking point * Grew up in a home where money was never discussed; learned his father's salary on his deathbed * Struggled his entire career to receive praise; his retirement party made him want the room to empty * Did not know until this episode that Jackson had come close to taking his own life as a teenager SCRIPTURES REFERENCED * Matthew 5:5 — Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth * 1 Corinthians 16:13 — Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong SEO KEYWORDS & TAGS PRIMARY * men and self-reliance * father son podcast * Christian men podcast * male isolation and identity * men's mental health faith * masculinity and leadership

Men's Identity Crisis: The Lie That's Keeping You Passive, Afraid, and Stuck

Kyle didn't know he was a king who forgot his kingdom. Depression at 14. Near-suicide. Years of rejection, numbness, and false identity. In this conversation, he unpacks the root problem men won't admit they have. FULL SUMMARY: What is the main problem men are facing today? For Kyle, the answer cuts deeper than surface-level symptoms. It's not just the passivity. Not just the fear. It's an identity crisis — and it's been engineered. Kyle opens up about a decade-long battle with depression that started at 14, years of rejection in work and relationships, and the moments he nearly didn't make it through. He talks honestly about how the enemy uses passivity, fear, and false belief systems to keep men living like peasants when they were made to lead like royalty. This conversation goes to the root — exploring why men can appear successful on the outside (money, followers, status) while still being completely unmoored from their actual purpose. Kyle shares the specific tools he's used to fight back: sticky notes on his bathroom mirror, iron-sharpening-iron community, speaking truth out loud over himself, and the moment a stranger at a church camp changed everything with nine words. Rachael and Jackson press in with honest, challenging questions about what it was like to be a young man drowning in silence — and what would have actually helped. The result is one of the most raw and practical conversations we've had on the show. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Passivity and fear are symptoms. Identity is the root. Until men know who they are in Christ, everything else is a Band-Aid. * Satan's oldest trick is convincing a prince he's a peasant. The lie isn't loud — it's the slow accumulation of rejection, failure, and silence. * Men don't need someone to tell them they're fearfully and wonderfully made. They need someone who does something they respect, who then earns the right to say it. * Speaking truth out loud over yourself — not just knowing it mentally — is the mechanism that actually shifts belief. * White-knuckling through depression isn't healing. It's managed pain. Real healing happens when you open up to the right people. * Your worth is not your income. This is a lie fed to men by the world and, often, reinforced by women. Kyle and Rachael name this directly. * Boys who grew up with social media starting at 12 are fighting a war previous generations didn't face. The tools they need are different. * Being a coworker with Christ means both trusting God to provide and showing up to do the work. The tension between those two is where most men get lost. EPISODE CHAPTERS For YouTube chapter markers and podcast timestamps. * 0:00 — Intro & Welcome: Who Is Kyle? * 0:46 — The Core Question: What Is the Biggest Problem Men Are Facing? * 1:00 — The Three-Part Answer: Passivity, Fear & Identity * 2:20 — The Ancient Kingdom Story: Why Identity Is Everything * 5:00 — A False Identity Looks Like Success (The Distraction) * 6:53 — When Did Kyle First Notice Identity Was a Problem? * 7:48 — Kyle's Personal Testimony: Depression Starting at 14 * 13:38 — What Betrayal Actually Did to Him (The Question No One Had Asked) * 17:00 — Rachael's Perspective: Testosterone, Teen Boys & What We're Losing * 19:22 — The Closest Kyle Came to Not Making It * 22:21 — How to Actually Reach a Young Man (The Subaru Moment) * 23:39 — What Kyle Ran To Instead: Drugs, Alcohol, Women, Porn * 24:50 — The Church Camp That Changed Everything * 36:02 — The Sticky Notes on the Mirror * 38:53 — This Is Not Just Kyle: Why Young Men Are Paralyzed * 39:56 — CDC Data on Male Suicide and Depression * 41:22 — Iron Sharpens Iron: The Community That Unlocked the Healing * 42:57 — The Enemy's Tool: Shame That Keeps Men Silent * 47:52 — When You Open Up and Get Rejected: What to Do Next * 52:30 — Social Media Told Kyle He Wasn't Enough Starting at 12 * 54:49 — Identity Is the Answer to Every Problem We Just Named * 57:46 — Your Words Are Life or Death: The Rudder of the Ship * 59:00 — Kyle's Truth: God and I Are Coworkers * 1:04:07 — Rachael's Honest Word to Men About Worth and Income * 1:07:30 — The Balance Between God as Provider and Man as Provider * 1:10:01 — The We Takes: What Everyone Is Walking Away With * 1:12:13 — It Is Only by the Grace of God That I Am Still Here * 1:14:51 — A Prophecy Spoken Over Kyle and What He Thinks It Means * 1:16:09 — Rachael's We Take: Every One of You Is Worth It GUEST INFO Name: Kyle Background: Filmmaker, entrepreneur, and community builder based in South Florida. Kyle is a deeply faith-rooted young man who has walked through depression, near-suicide, relational betrayal, and a long journey of learning to root his identity in Christ rather than performance, approval, or relationships. He is engaged and preparing for marriage. SEO KEYWORDS & TAGS PRIMARY KEYWORDS * men's identity crisis * men and depression podcast * Christian men podcast * men's mental health faith * male suicide prevention * passivity in men * identity in Christ men