Best Little Man Big Problems Podcasts (2025)

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Chasing the White Whale — Into the Depths of Moby-Dick 50:51

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1d ago50:51

50:51

If you went to high school in America, you probably read Moby-Dick — or, more likely, you skimmed the CliffsNotes and wondered why this dense, whale-obsessed novel was considered a classic. That was me in 10th grade. But earlier this year, I decided to revisit Moby-Dick in midlife, and it hit me completely differently. What once seemed like a tedio…

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186: Tales from the Dark History Crypt - A Spooky Season Special 4:13:46

6d ago4:13:46

4:13:46

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! No tricks. Just treats here this spooky season. Over the years, many of your have commented that your like to put Dark History on and just let it play in the background. So, instead of you having to shuffle through a mish mash of episodes... I did the hard work for you and created a special themed playlist, if you will.…

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The 6 Practices of the Ultimate Morning Routine 48:08

8d ago48:08

48:08

There's been a lot of talk about morning routines in the last few years. But the idea is hardly new; famous men from Thomas Aquinas to Benjamin Franklin structured their mornings to accomplish great deeds and live flourishing lives. A modern advocate of this age-old practice is Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning, first published nearly twenty…

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185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All 56:29

13d ago56:29

56:29

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I learned about a place in Alaska where more than 20,000 people have vanished — planes, hikers, politicians — and almost none have ever been found. And I had to do an episode on it. It’s called the Alaska Triangle and it's a remote stretch of wilderness bigger than California and notorious for swallowing people, aircraf…

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The Classical Code of Manhood 59:51

15d ago59:51

59:51

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184: The Devil's Secretaries or Scapegoats? The Witches History Erased 58:47

20d ago58:47

58:47

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other night I was deep into my usual bedtime routine of doomscrolling, and I stumbled across this headline that said: “DID YOU KNOW: The Last Witch Trial Was in 1944.” And I was like… I’m sorry, what? 1944? Like while the rest of the world was fighting Nazis, someone was in a courtroom yelling, “She’s a WITCH”? B…

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Why You Need the Good Stress of Socializing 52:41

22d ago52:41

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You may have heard of hormesis — the idea that intentionally embracing small stressors activates the body’s repair and defense systems, building resilience, improving how the body and even the microbiome function, and ultimately protecting against the harms of chronic stress. We typically think of these hormetic stressors in terms of things like ex…

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Build Muscle Without the B.S. — A Straightforward Guide to Size and Strength 1:05:40

29d ago1:05:40

1:05:40

Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a weight room or you’ve been lifting for years without seeing significant results, figuring out how to get big, strong, and jacked can feel overwhelming. There are endless programs, conflicting opinions, and a lot of noise about what actually works. Today on the show, Paul Horn offers a grounded, field-tested ta…

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183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision 1:10:30

1M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other day, I was googling jelly beans. Don’t ask why, I was in a mood. But I ended up falling down a rabbit hole, and suddenly… I was reading about Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Reagan was *obsessed* with jelly beans. I guess he started eating them as a way to quit smoking. He swapped cigarettes for jelly beans. Ins…

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The Preparation — An Adventure-Driven, Skill-Building Alternative to College for Young Men 51:50

1M ago51:50

51:50

For generations, the path to adulthood was straightforward: go to college, get a job, build a life. But many young men are beginning to question the college component of that path; tuition keeps rising, A.I. has made the professional landscape more uncertain, and there's just a sense that after four years at college, guys graduate feeling like they…

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182: The Cult of Kellogg: Cornflakes, Celibacy, and Colonics?? 55:51

1M ago55:51

55:51

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I was craving a big fat bowl of Honey Smacks cereal with whole milk. When I was a kid, that was luxury to me. But I hadn’t had them in forever so I didn’t even know if they were still around. You know me - I googled “HONEY SMACKS… DISCONTINUED??” Good news, they’re around. Bad news… I found out about Kello…

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Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker 59:58

1M ago59:58

59:58

Modern medicine has given us incredible tools to peer inside the body and spot disease earlier than ever before. But with that power comes a problem: the more we look, the more we find — and not everything we find needs fixing. My guest today, neurologist Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan, argues that our culture of over-diagnosis is leaving many people more …

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181: The Real Conjuring: Ghost Hunters or Grifters? Who Were Ed & Lorraine Warren 49:38

2M ago49:38

49:38

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Listen… I know it’s not *officially* Fall yet, okay? But we all know Fall means Halloween, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. So I wanted to get started celebrating a little early this year. I did a soft launch on my decorations. Put out a few pumpkins and spider webs. The crows in my backyard approved. And I decided…

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Good Anger — Harnessing a Misunderstood Emotion 50:23

2M ago50:23

50:23

Most people think of anger as a problem — something to avoid or repress. It’s irrational, immature, and best left behind. But what if anger isn’t bad? What if it can actually be an incredibly positive, productive, energizing life force? My guest argues we’ve misunderstood anger — and that doing so has made us more anxious, depressed, and stuck. His…

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The Code They Killed For — Honor, Manhood, and the American Gunfighter 51:21

2M ago51:21

51:21

When you picture a gunfighter, you probably think of a Hollywood cowboy — spurs jangling, six-shooter on his hip, squaring off at high noon in a dusty frontier town. But gunfighters weren’t just products of Hollywood. They were real men who lived and died by a code: one rooted in a particular sense of honor. My guest today is Bryan Burrough, author…

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180: Harmless or Toxic? The Hidden Killers in Your Beauty Routine 47:07

2M ago47:07

47:07

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Did you guys ever see those ads for the Rejuvenique face mask? It was this electric face mask that looked like it was straight out of Friday the 13th. The guy on the infomercials was like “imagine what doing 8 situps a second could do for your abs! Well, Rejuvenique is doing exactly that… but with your face!” Well, appa…

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Aristotle’s Art of Self-Persuasion — How to Use Ancient Rhetoric to Change Your Life 51:42

2M ago51:42

51:42

The ancient art of rhetoric has shaped political policies, influenced social movements, structured legal arguments, and molded cultural narratives throughout history. It's been used for three thousand years to persuade other people to change their lives. But what if you could use it to persuade yourself? My guest today says you can. Jay Heinrichs i…

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179: The Oil Scandal They Tried to Erase from History 51:21

2M ago51:21

51:21

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I always wanted to date Robbie Sinclair from Dinosaurs. Anyone else? [CRICKETS] So whenever I drive by a Sinclair gas station, you know, the one with the dinosaur logo? I always think of him. His spiky hair. That letterman jacket. I don’t care that he was a foam puppet. I was eight and I knew what I wanted. And what I w…

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How to Make a Big Decision (Faster!) 52:15

2M ago52:15

52:15

Making big decisions can feel paralyzing. Whether it's choosing a new job, moving to a different city, or deciding if you should break up with someone, these choices can keep you agonizingly stuck, forever cycling through pros and cons. My guest can help you finally choose and move forward. That's what she does for a living. Nell Wulfhart is a prof…

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178: The Most F*ed Up Baby Products in History 51:53

3M ago51:53

51:53

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I don’t know if this is happening to any of you out there, but suddenly, everyone I know is having a baby. Which means I’m looking at one baby registry after another. Honestly I don’t mind, I love buying baby stuff. It’s so little and cute. But lately, I’ve noticed that the stuff people have on their registry is *next l…

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Rooted Living in a Shallow Age — A Shepherd’s Guide to the Good Life 44:31

3M ago44:31

44:31

In a world that often feels dominated by technology and constant change, it’s easy to forget that some people are still living by the rhythms of ancient traditions. James Rebanks, an author and shepherd, is one of them, and in today's episode, he shares what following a way of life that has endured for thousands of years can teach us about modern l…

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From Plane Crashes to Terrorist Attacks — Who Survives, and Why 1:00:24

3M ago1:00:24

1:00:24

You're on an airplane that crash lands. Smoke fills the cabin, and you've got only seconds to react. How would you respond? Would you immediately take action — or freeze in place? While you might think you know how a scene like this would play out from watching movies, the reality of what occurs in the aftermath of a disaster is quite a bit differe…

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177: They Used Nun Urine For What?! The Dark History of Getting Pregnant 38:31

3M ago38:31

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Hi friends, happy Wednesday! One of my friends is having a baby, so we’ve been talking about baby stuff a lot. And of course… my stupid phone is listening. So now my TikTok feed is filled with all these freaking baby videos. Usually I just scroll past it, but the other day… one of them caught my eye. It was a viral video all about how this girl got…

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The 6 Levels of Wealth and How to Reach Them 47:35

3M ago47:35

47:35

You've heard the advice that to build wealth, you need to earn more, spend less, and invest consistently. But what if there was a clearer way to understand exactly where you stand financially — and what steps you should take to reach the next level? My guest, Nick Maggiulli, offers just such a framework. Nick is the creator of the Of Dollars And Da…

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176: Who Invented Breakfast? The Breakfast Industry’s Dirty Little Secrets 36:13

3M ago36:13

36:13

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I woke up starving — like, hangry. So I wandered into the kitchen and stood there, just… staring. Eggs? Too much work. Pancakes? Ehhh Toast? Meh. I mean why is choosing breakfast this complicated? It’s supposed to be “the most important meal of the day,” right? At least that’s what we’ve all been told. But…

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The Microbiome Master Key — How 100 Trillion Bacteria Influence Your Weight, Mood, and All-Around Health 54:34

3M ago54:34

54:34

When you think of the microbiome, you probably think of your gut. But bacteria live all over your body. And they’re incredibly numerous; you play host to about as many microbes — a hundred trillion of them — as you do human cells. As my guest will explain, these microbial ecosystems are not only ubiquitous but hugely influential for your health — i…

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Tame the Dopamine Drive — How to Stop Chasing and Start Living 47:30

3M ago47:30

47:30

All the neurochemicals in the brain have to do with life in the present. Except for one: dopamine. Dopamine is the one neurochemical that looks to the future. It anticipates what may be to come and drives you towards it. That can be a good thing — dopamine is one powerful motivator — but it also has its downsides. Here to help us understand how the…

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175: How Bodybuilding Went from Freak Show to Fitness Empire 37:01

3M ago37:01

37:01

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! You know, lately I’ve noticed something strange. It feels like every celebrity these days is... jacked. Like, not just in “good shape.” I’m talking veins popping out of places I didn’t even know veins existed. I mean, back in the day, you had, what? 2 or 3 action stars. But now? Even the comedians are huge. Like, why is…

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Books, Routines, and Habits: The Founders’ Guide to Self-Improvement 45:07

4M ago45:07

45:07

Note: This is a rebroadcast. A lot of self-improvement advice and content feels empty. And there’s a reason for that. It often offers routines and habits to practice, but doesn’t offer a strong, overarching reason to practice them. That’s why the self-improvement advice of the Founding Fathers is particularly compelling. Though they were imperfect …

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174: Murder, Incest, and Castration: How Nero DESTROYED Rome 54:36

4M ago54:36

54:36

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So you guys know I love dictators. And you ended up *LOVING* the Caesar episode… So it made me wonder what other, *older* dictators were out there who I assumed were boring but actually had these scandalous lives. And that’s when I found out about a certain emperor we’re gonna talk about today. Not only did he mass murd…

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Ancient Buddhist Principles for Modern Life’s Dilemmas 51:29

4M ago51:29

51:29

When you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, and anxious — when you’re striving and achieving but still finding yourself persistently dissatisfied with life — you might start looking for answers beyond what’s offered by contemporary self-help. One ancient philosophy that can cast light on the sources of and solutions to our seemingly modern dilemmas is…

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173: Stripper Wars: Chippendales’ Glamour, Greed & MURDER?! 50:42

4M ago50:42

50:42

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! For some reason, female nudity feels *way* more common than male nudity. In pop culture at least, we’re way more used to seeing women being naked and sexualized. Think how many times you see titties on tv. And then think about how everyone loses their minds when there’s a penis on HBO or White Lotus. It’s rare! Back in …