The Better Man Podcast

Today's guest, Joe L., was blindsided about two years ago when he went to donate his blood and was denied. Joe has O- blood, which means every other blood type can accept his. As such, he's always been a big proponent of donating his blood. 
 
But he was denied a few years back because his blood pressure was sky high. 
 
Joe never would've suspected that his blood pressure was high at the time. His doctor then prescribed him blood pressure medication. But Joe didn't want to live the rest of his life dependent on medicine. So he asked his doctor to give him six months to lose some weight and see if he could be taken off blood pressure. 
 
Then, his doctor gave him life-changing advice: 
 
Lose 10 pounds. And when the first 10 pounds are gone, lose 10 more. 
 
Since this trip to the doctor's office in February 2025, he's… 
 
Lost 55 pounds 

Found out his hormones were out of balance and fixed his low testosterone and high prolactin levels (which made his libido return with a vengeance) 

His confidence has gone through the roof 

He stepped out of the depressive cloud that's been following him for most of his life 

 
And he even told me that he feels better today, at 62 years old, than he felt 20 years ago! 
 
How did Joe do it? 
 
He followed his doctor's advice: He broke down his wellness journey into baby steps, stayed the course, and he feels like a completely different person some 17 months later.
 
Not only does Joe's story prove that you are NOT too old to make significant health and lifestyle changes, but you'll also find that it was easier than you thought it would be if you follow the "baby steps" method. 
 
Here's what Joe and I discuss: 
 
Why being afraid of your doctor can put you into an early grave 

How Joe realized that aging was NOT the primary reason his body and health started falling apart 

Why taking your wellness journey seriously will transform your life in ways that seem impossible right now 

 
Other highlights from this episode include: 
 
How Joe avoided the "silent killer" (high blood pressure) after being denied to donate his O- blood (3:03) 

The "Baby Steps" method that saved Joe's life as he turned 10 pounds of weight loss into losing 55 pounds (4:47)  

2 exercises Joe started to lose his first 10 pounds without injuring himself like he always seemed to do in the gym (10:30) 

How coming to the MFY Wellness Weekend in LA last year motivated Joe to lose an additional 30 pounds (15:04) 

Does your head pound when you're doing downdog? If so, don't ignore this warning from Joe at (22:50) 

How to protect your fitness journey when you're plateauing and becoming hopeless over your lack of progress (26:00) 

How Joe learned - and fixed - his dangerously low testosterone levels and dangerously high levels of prolactin (and how fixing his hormones accelerated his weight loss and restored his lost libido) (30:47)

The trick to losing weight without giving up drinking alcohol completely (38:34) 

 
Resources mentioned in this episode: 
 
1. Man Flow Yoga Events: While Joe started his wellness journey before attending the LA Wellness Weekend, he emphasizes it was a key part to his continual weight loss. If you want to experience what caused Joe to lose an additional 30 pounds, find the full list of cities we're coming to and secure your ticket to a MFY in-person event here: https://manflowyoga.com/man-flow-yoga-events/ 
 
2. Man Flow Yoga: Joe also credits his yoga practice to being paramount to his 55 lb. weight loss journey. If you want to follow in Joe's footsteps,  start your 7-day free trial here: https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7

There is nothing more deeply humiliating or shameful, to men, than suffering from any kind of sexual dysfunction. 
 
You feel like less of a man. You lose your natural sense of masculinity. And it allows your shame to consume your mind and trick you into thinking you'll be laughed at if you bring it up to other men. 
 
But something magical happens when you can talk about it openly: 
 
It loosens the pressure vault and lets the tension in your nervous system relax. Why? Because your sexual wellness isn't just about doing more kegels. In fact, that misses the point entirely. 
 
Perhaps nobody knows this better than today's guest, Michael Hodge. 
 
Michael lived through 5 years of severe pelvic pain, urinary, and sexual issues, which culminated in his wife telling him that she doesn't want to have sex with him anymore. 
 
Since then, he's merged his own healing experience with somatic nervous system practices which saved his sex life (and possibly his marriage). Beyond that, he's helped thousands of men transform their sexual and pelvic health issues too. 
 
Today's episode will transform how you think about - and approach - your own sexual wellness. You'll see why it's a necessary ingredient to your overall holistic health. And you'll leave with weird techniques that can make a significant difference to your connection and sense of pleasure (versus pressure) when it's time to "get busy." 
 
Here's what Michael and I discuss: 
 
Why your sexual health means so much more than your penis or pelvic floor 

How bringing more sexual energy into your platonic relationships improves your sexual relationship with your partner 

Why the best way to improve your sexual health is by playing more in your day-to-day life 

 
And so much more, including… 
 
Why putting too much emphasis on exercises to address underlying sexual dysfunction can sometimes miss the forest for the trees (1:53) 

How Michael's been through the complete ringer of pelvic floor and sexual health dysfunction - and what helped him to recover "down there" (6:43) 

A strange connection between "nice guy complex" and sexual dysfunction (10:08) 

Why type T personality types usually finish the quickest in bed (and how addressing your nervous system can help you last longer) (11:03) 

How somatic techniques can be wildly effective if you're prone to bottling up your emotions (this made Michael cry the most primal cry of his life) (14:04) 

The scientific reason why purely mechanical approaches to ED and other types of sexual dysfunction leave you hanging (17:56) 

Do you feel "trapped in your body" when making love? Here's why this is a common feeling (22:06) 

How to instantly quell any feelings of guilt or shame when you're getting busy (and why this nervous system technique will help you last longer and enjoy sex more) (25:45) 

Are you scared that your partner will leave you because of your bedroom performance? Michael's wife said that to him once (and here's how he fixed it for good) (26:21) 

How to significantly increase how long you last by doing something that will make you recoil … but it WORKS! (43:01) 

 
Guest Bio:
 
Michael Hodge lived through 5 years of severe pelvic pain, urinary, and sexual issues. By merging his own healing experience with nervous system practices, he is helping thousands of men to transform their pelvic health. He also really likes dark chocolate and produces euphoric dance music.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode: 
 
1. Transform Men's Pelvic Health Website: https://www.transformpelvichealth.com/
 
2. Miachel's Vigor Sexual Strength Program (for ED and PE): https://bit.ly/vigorstrongsex   
 
(Use code MANFLOW to save 15% on Michael's Vigor program.)  
 
3. Overcome Pelvic + Urinary Issues Program: https://bit.ly/overcomepelvicpain  
 
4. Follow Transform Men's Pelvic Health on social media: 
 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TransformPelvicHealth   
Instagram: @transformpelvichealth  
Tik Tok: @transformpelvichealth
 
5. Man Flow Yoga: Haven't signed up yet? Start your 7-day free trial and see how yoga can eliminate aches and pains better than other types of exercise here: https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7 
 
6. Man Flow Yoga Events: Find the full list of cities we're coming to here: https://manflowyoga.com/man-flow-yoga-events/

If you're a dad, especially if you have younger kids, then you know how quickly your home can go from clean and organized to a chaotic disaster. 
 
Whether you realize it or not, this physical clutter takes a toll on you - emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (even if you have a high tolerance for clutter, which is something I was not born with). 
 
With Father's Day around the corner, and as a dad of two young kids myself, I invited the PERFECT guest for today's Father's Day themed show: 
 
Tyler Moore aka The Tidy Dad!
 
Tyler is a public school teacher, best-selling author of Tidy Up Your Life: Rethinking How to Organize, Declutter, and Make Space for What Matters Most, and perhaps most impressive, is that he's a father of three living in a 700 square foot apartment in New York City. 
 
Squeezing five people (including three children) into a 700 square foot apartment is not easy. He doesn't have the luxury of excess physical space that many of us do. 
 
And yet, his apartment stays cleaner, more organized, and more efficient than the vast majority of living spaces. Mine included. 
 
And you know what?
 
After Tyler created a system to keep his 700 square foot apartment clean, organized, and useful … he realized how crucial his "tidying up" methods are when applied to other, more important areas of life like his relationships, his career, and his overall life. 
 
This is a fantastic episode even if you're not a dad, even if you live in a spacious home, and even if your living space isn't cluttered. 
 
Here's what Tyler and I discuss: 
 
How to declutter your life according to a dad of three living in a 700 square foot apartment in New York City

The vicious way keeping up with the joneses fills your house with useless stuff 

How physical decluttering and organization applies to more important areas of your life too 

 
Here's a sneak peek at what's in this episode: 
 
How 30-day experiments can give you a completely new experience of life (without boxing you into a certain identity) (1:58)

Why The Tidy Dad spends his mornings with Man Flow Yoga (3:13) 

The absolute worst way to start your morning (and you probably do it too) (8:34) 

A silly question to ask about your clothes that will give you instant clarity over whether it can be safely donated or kept (14:11) 

The strange way certain color clothing gives you a boost of confidence (18:16)

How thinking of the rooms in your house as zones can tidy up a cluttered space almost overnight (and why it might address your hidden dissatisfaction) (24:56) 

An ingenious "toy" idea for your kids that will be consumed in quick order (41:00) 

How to jump off the train that leads to an endless accumulation of stuff (and the sneaky cause of it) (42:41) 

Why the simple act of naming stuff around your house means you can tidy it (54:42) 

The suffocating "Internalization" trap that men, and particularly fathers, fall into and the simple, yet identity-shattering way out (56:43) 




Resources mentioned in this episode: 
 
1. Man Flow Yoga Father's Day Sale: Tidy Dad-approved. If you're seeing this before Monday, June 22, we're currently having our biggest sale of the year. Become a Man Flow Yoga Lifer here: https://manflowyoga.com/fathers-day-2026/ 
 
2. Get Tyler's Book: Tidy Up Your Life: Rethinking How to Organize, Declutter, and Make Space for What Matters Most on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Tidy-Your-Life-Rethinking-Declutter/dp/0593797833 
 
3. Read The Tidy Times (Tyler's Substack) and learn how to become more tidy in your day-to-day life: https://tidydad.substack.com/ 
 
4. Listen to Tyler's Podcast, Tidy Tidbits, available wherever you listen to podcasts. 
 
5. Follow Tyler on Instagram: @TidyDad (https://www.instagram.com/tidydad/)  
 
6. Check out The Tidy Dad website here: https://thetidydad.com/ 
 
7. Man Flow Yoga Events: Find the full list of cities we're coming to here: https://manflowyoga.com/man-flow-yoga-events/

I've always been suspicious of this idea that becoming more selfish is the path to happiness. It feels like a lie. Especially when you're a father. 
 
But you know what?
 
After hosting a handful of in-person events this year, I've noticed a silent crisis amongst men: We don't know how to get our needs met. We carry around invisible rucksacks that weigh us down, dim the color and depth of our world, and snatch peace, fulfillment, and joy from our grasp.
 
My suspicion about doing things that benefit me was an example of this invisible weight. Maybe yours is a productivity hack, a fitness schedule, or a weight loss journey. Defense mechanisms like these are smart and cunning, so they'll dress themselves up in a way that feels like moving forward… 
 
…while you slowly watch your world get duller and less fulfilling around you. 
 
So ponder these questions:
 
What if there was nothing to fix about yourself? 
 
What if you didn't have to fill every spare second of your schedule to feel like enough? 

What if you didn't need to become a better man to be happy and fulfilled and connected? 
 
Join me as I try to answer these existential, yet empowering questions. 
 
Here's a sneak peek at what's in this episode: 
 
Why optimizing only your physical fitness leaves your mental, emotional, and social fitness hanging (0:27) 

How the wrong environment can leave past pains and traumas trapped in the physical body (and why giving yourself a break from the daily drudge of your routine makes it easier to let them go) (1:22) 

The invisible 60 lb rucksack that modern men carry on their shoulders without experiencing the immense relief that comes by setting it down (3:12) 

Why losing weight can't make you happy forever (and what you actually need to do to feel the peace, fulfillment, and joy that's always available) (8:15) 

Why you can't out-exercise a bad diet and you can't out-work a negative emotional pattern (and what to do instead to become the man you want) (8:43) 

How approaching your emotions as THE solution, instead of the problem, makes all of your goals more achievable and more fun (10:18) 

A heavy realization I made after recent Man Flow Yoga Events about why something feels like it's missing in so many lives of middle-aged men (19:00) 

Why being selfish (like spending an entire weekend golfing) is perhaps the most counterintuitive, yet effective way to improve your relationships (24:32) 




Resources mentioned in this episode: 
 
1. Man Flow Yoga Events: Find the full list of cities we're coming to here: https://manflowyoga.com/man-flow-yoga-events/ 
 
2. Man Flow Yoga: Haven't signed up yet? Start your 7-day free trial and see how yoga can eliminate aches and pains better than other types of exercise here: https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7

What if you could achieve all of your health goals without using any willpower, discipline, or external motivation?
 
It might sound too good to be true, but there's a surprisingly simple way to do this: Falling in love with your future.
 
Something magical happens when you fall in love with your future: You start to appreciate the mistakes you made (or will make) on your health journey instead of beating yourself up over them. 
 
Today's guest, Scott, experienced this first-hand:
 
After retiring and moving to Hawai'i with his husband, the luxurious life caught up to his belly. One day, he looked in the mirror and hardly recognized himself because he gained so much weight. 

Instead of beating himself up over it or worrying how he'll find the discipline to be consistent enough to lose the weight, Scott remembered to fall in love with his future. 
 
Since that moment he looked in the mirror, Scott's done a complete 180. He started yoga and eating right. As his momentum grew, he started resistance training. And today, he's continually tinkering and integrating healthier micro habits into his daily life.
 
Scott comes loaded with helpful tips and tricks, mindset shifts, and ways to approach your fitness and health from a new perspective.  
 
Here's what Scott and I discuss:
 
The micro habits Scott built to lose weight in retirement 

How to eliminate the need for discipline and sacrifices when becoming healthier 

How to create your own philosophies that can hold you up when accountability, discipline, and motivation fail

 
And more, including… 
 
The spiritual mindset shift Scott went through after not recognizing himself in his mirror (and how this enabled him to be consistent without discipline) (3:11) 

The slow and insidious postural destruction that happens when you sit at a desk for work all day (3:34) 

Why the "Gravel Hill" technique can stop you from falling off the wagon completely when you feel discouraged or uncomfortable (6:16) 

How to recognize your growth when you're miserable in the middle of the discomfort phase (8:16) 

Why falling in love with your future unlocks the ability to look forward to stumbling on your fitness journey (9:19) 

The counterintuitive reason to put yourself first in your relationship (it sounds weird, but Scott and his husband celebrate 30 years next year!) (16:58) 

Why off-the-mat Man Flow Yoga helps ingrain the postural benefits more deeply into your body (and how to easily start doing this) (28:53) 

How to start resistance training without stepping foot in the gym or even lifting weights (42:28) 

The most effective dieting strategy if you're overweight and over 50 (48:51) 




Resources mentioned in this episode: 
 
1. Man Flow Yoga Events: Find the full list of cities we're coming to here: https://manflowyoga.com/man-flow-yoga-events/ 
 
2. Man Flow Yoga: Haven't signed up yet? Start your 7-day free trial and see how yoga can eliminate aches and pains better than other types of exercise here: https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7