Edge Within with Mat Davenport

About Edge Within with Mat Davenport

Edge Within is a personal growth podcast built on honest conversations. Host Mat Davenport sits with guests for raw talks on healing, relationships, discomfort, and becoming a stronger, more honest version of yourself. Real stories. Real lessons. Meet your edge within.

Publisher

Mat Davenport

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Jan 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   #21: Ryan Barraclough – Brotherhood, Initiation & What Makes a Mature Man

   Welcome to episode 21 of Edge Within with Mat Davenport. In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Ryan Barraclough, men's coach, co-facilitator of The Gathering of Men (TGOM) and Co-Founder of the Embodied Man Institute, to go deep on what it actually means to grow up, show up and stop pretending. From the brotherhood wound to the feather, brick and bus, from five days alone in a darkroom in Guatemala to the terror of fatherhood and the daily application of ethics over spiritual rhetoric, Ryan brings hard-won wisdom, radical honesty and real warmth to one of the most important conversations men are having right now. We dive deep into where the line is between a boy and a man, why addiction is an outcome not a problem, what modern masculine maturity actually looks like, the initiation that comes from sitting in total darkness, and why if your spirituality isn't political it might not be real spirituality. This is a conversation for men who are done with the surface and ready to go deep. TOPICS COVERED Boy to man: the developmental stages nobody teaches What mature masculinity looks like in the modern world The brotherhood wound and why men fear other men Addiction as a symptom of lost meaning and purpose The feather, the brick and the bus Monogamy as depth not limitation Five days in a darkroom in Guatemala: first public telling Tension in the body animates the mind Fatherhood: the biggest mirror and the harshest teacher Spiritual growth as privilege not universal right Why the daily application of ethics beats spiritual rhetoric Individuating from your father through business The return: coming home after growth is the hardest part Building the Gathering of Men and the Embodied Man Institute FOLLOW Ryan: https://www.instagram.com/ryanbarraclough__/ TGOM: https://www.instagram.com/thegatheringofmen_au/ EdgeWithin: https://www.instagram.com/edgewithinpodcast Mat Davenport: https://www.instagram.com/rawmatdavenport TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Pre-Roll and Welcome 1:44 Boy vs Man: Where Is the Line? 3:31 What Mature Masculinity Looks Like Today 5:18 Mat on Being Initiated Through Fatherhood 6:06 Peak Masculinity Is How a Man Holds a Baby 7:40 Where Have the Elders Gone? 9:28 What It Felt Like to Sit With a Real Elder 13:18 Why the Teachers Disappeared 16:00 Addiction Is the Outcome Not the Issue 18:34 What the Gathering of Men Actually Does 20:07 You're Not the Only One With That Shame 22:25 Even Lone Wolfing You're Still Brotherhood 25:12 Men Are Central to Healthy Society 36:26 The Feather the Brick and the Bus 39:00 Self-Celebration vs Self-Reflection 43:36 Monogamy as Depth Not Width 47:41 Why He Yells and What It Really Means 49:34 Spiritual Growth Is a Privilege 51:30 Fatherhood Scares the Shit Out of Ryan 52:47 How Mean I'll Be to Myself When I Mess Up 55:29 Mat Speaks Honestly to His Daughter 57:05 The Wounding Becomes the Wisdom 58:18 Into the Darkroom: Five Days in Total Darkness 1:01:29 Tension in the Body Animates the Mind 1:02:30 Crying for Three Days After the Darkroom 1:04:10 Worthy and Unworthy Are the Same Stick 1:06:48 What Drew Ryan Into the Gathering of Men 1:08:51 Pain Is Part of It. Suffering Is Optional. 1:11:00 Mat on Turning Pain Into Fuel 1:15:18 Daily Application of Ethics Over Spiritual Rhetoric 1:17:04 Ryan on Individuating From His Father 1:19:30 Initiatory Experiences and Mystical States for Men 1:21:05 The Return Is the Most Humbling Part 1:25:02 Don Validates Hitler to Free Himself 1:28:31 Fix the Home Fire Before Saving the World 1:33:45 If You Had Three Weeks to Live 1:35:16 Ryan Owns That He Loves to Work 1:36:22 Mat: From Numb to Feeling Everything 1:38:09 Closing and What's Coming Next

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   #20: Heath Jones - Comfort Is the Real Enemy

   Welcome to episode 20 of Edge Within with Mat Davenport. In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Heath Jones, emergency nurse, Army combat medic, oil rig medic, gym founder and relentless adventure-seeker, to explore what it really means to be physically, mentally and spiritually alive at every age. From walking into the Bondi Junction shooting armed with nothing but training and instinct, to surviving over a decade of chronic back pain and suicidal lows, to rebuilding himself into a man now chasing Ironmans, big waves and sand marathons at 48, Heath shares a story of raw resilience that will shake you awake. We go deep into questioning medical narratives, why chronic pain colonises the mind, how training hard makes life easier, the hidden loneliness of business ownership, and why discipline is the ultimate form of freedom. This episode is for anyone who has been told what their limits are and refused to fully believe it. TOPICS COVERED Life is more than merely living it Recognising when you are too comfortable Walking toward the Bondi shooting Treating casualties 350m from home Calm under fire: training the nervous system for chaos Why community only bonds after tragedy 12 years of chronic back pain and suicidal lows Questioning the medical narrative and trusting your own body The razor blade metaphor for chronic pain Teaching his younger self he was capable Launching Active and Ageless gyms through Covid The loneliness of wearing a brave face in business Train hard, make life easy Discipline as freedom: meal planning, routines and decision fatigue The triad of health: body, nutrition and mindset Never too late to back yourself FOLLOW Guest: https://www.instagram.com/heathjones1.618/ (https://www.instagram.com/heathjones1.618/) Edge Within: https://www.instagram.com/edgewithinpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/edgewithinpodcast) MAT: https://www.instagram.com/rawmatdavenport (https://www.instagram.com/rawmatdavenport) TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Welcome and Heath's Philosophy 1:19 How to Know When You're Too Comfortable 2:27 Mat on Numbness and Chasing the Rush 3:39 Adventure from Childhood: Always Outside 4:32 Emergency Nursing, London and Joining the Army 6:26 Oil Rig Medic: Autonomy and High Pressure 7:54 What Healthcare Taught Him About Wellness 10:27 Walking Into the Bondi Shooting 12:38 Overriding Police and Treating the Wounded 15:40 Secondary Devices, Fear and Getting to Work 17:08 Heart Rate Didn't Move: Calm Inside the Chaos 20:13 Life in Bondi After the Shooting 24:26 Connection Without Catastrophe 26:39 12 Years of Chronic Back Pain Begins 30:30 Close to Tapping Out: His Mum Kept Him Here 31:14 Running Along a Razor Blade 35:14 What Finally Shifted the Recovery 39:15 Why Medicine Treats Symptoms Not Causes 44:42 Question the Narrative on Your Own Body 47:27 Teaching His Younger Self He Was Capable 49:28 Train Hard, Make Life Easy 53:19 Launching Active and Ageless Gyms Through Covid 59:43 Delegating, Trusting Staff and Empowering Teams 1:01:49 The Loneliness of Wearing a Brave Face 1:05:10 The Triad of Health: Body, Nutrition and Mindset 1:08:34 Discipline Is Actually Freedom 1:11:27 Values He Lives By 1:13:09 The Dream: Live Life to the Fullest at Any Age

3. 

   1 Sept 2026

   #19: Roy Grant - Patience

   Welcome to episode 19 of Edge Within with Mat Davenport. In this grounded and genuine conversation, I sit down with Roy Grant, surfer, builder, founder of Ink & Foam a man who has spent 68 years learning to adapt, stay curious and live with gratitude, to explore what it really means to build a life on your own terms. From navigating multiple father figures and eight different schools to opening a surf shop in his 50s with no roadmap, Roy shares the wisdom of a man who learned everything the hard way. We explore generational programming, the lost art of real communication, health as the foundation of everything, and why purpose doesn't retire when you do. We dive deep into surfing as a teacher of patience, the courage to walk through unknown doors, what healthy masculinity actually looks like, building InConform from passion not profit, grief and death without fear, and why the world needs more honest conversations between generations. This episode is a reminder that it's never too late to begin again, and that the most important things in life are patience, kindness and the guts to be yourself. TOPICS COVERED Surfing as a life teacher: patience and discomfort The lost art of dropping in unannounced Generational programming and unconscious parenting Covid, sovereignty and critical thinking Three father figures and a turbulent upbringing Mentors who shaped Roy's character and work ethic Building InConform: purpose over profit Healthy masculinity and the peaceful warrior Grief, death and the spirit that lives on Fatherhood as the greatest rite of passage Walking through the unknown door with pure faith Patience, gratitude and the message to the young FOLLOW Ink and Foam: https://www.instagram.com/inkandfoam.au & https://www.inkandfoam.com/ Roy Grant: https://www.instagram.com/surferoy26 Edge Within: https://www.instagram.com/edgewithinpodcast Mat Davenport: https://www.instagram.com/rawmatdavenport TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Welcome to the Chaos: Rolling With It 0:55 What Surfing Really Teaches You 5:34 Mat on Letting Go of What Isn't for You 6:49 Ashes to the Ocean: Life, Death and Reincarnation 8:34 The Miracle of You Being Here 10:27 An Educated Mind Can Entertain Any Subject 12:49 Covid, Coercion and Critical Thinking 15:33 Unconscious Parents and the Generational Loop 18:27 The Death of Dropping In: Real Communication Is Disappearing 21:43 Laid on the Bed and Chose Action Over Self-Pity 22:24 If You're Not Yourself You're No One 27:49 Leaving School at 15 and Building Anyway 43:15 Patriotism, Roots and Belonging 52:45 Mentors Who Filled the Father Gap 1:00:29 Introducing InConform: The Brand and the Why 1:05:02 The Peaceful Warrior: What Healthy Masculinity Looks Like 1:10:02 It Keeps Me Alive: Purpose in the Later Chapters 1:15:10 Patience, Gratitude, Gut: Message to the Young 1:22:16 Facing Death Without Fear 1:25:32 Becoming a Father: The Biggest Rite of Passage 1:32:22 Yesterday History, Tomorrow Mystery, Today a Gift 1:39:09 The Octopus, Blue Zones and Passing Down Knowledge 1:50:50 Walking Through the Unknown Door 1:52:24 Discipline, Routines and Knowing When to Rest 1:53:06 Wrap Up and Gratitude

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Contact Edge Within with Mat Davenport

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.