by A Men's Mental Health Podcast
A podcast where we drop the stigma and talk about men's mental health. Expect to read and hear inspiring stories from behind closed doors. Normalizing the challenges of everyday life, one conversation at a time... <br/><br/><a href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">tamingthumos.substack.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/24/2026
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July 2, 2026
<p>Today I’m joined by Rich Johnson. Rich is a wellness practitioner and co-founder of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacredhumans.org/"><strong>Sacred Humans</strong></a><strong>, </strong>a platform dedicated to emotional calibration and self-healing through sound frequency work. Having met over a decade ago in the London CrossFit community, our parallel paths eventually crossed again on the other side of the world, on Gubbi Gubbi Country. As Rich approaches his 50th birthday, he reflects on the challenges and breakthroughs of maintaining personal authenticity within relationships. Rich talks about transitioning away from “people-pleasing,” navigating relationships through personal evolution, and processing deep-seated childhood experiences through introspection, plant medicine and sound frequency work.</p><p>Scroll down if you’d like to watch the conversation or if you’re listening on Spotify please visit the Substack page <a target="_blank" href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com/">here</a>.</p><p><strong>Key themes from the episode</strong></p><p>The Evolution of Relationships </p><p>Rich discusses re-framing his past relationships from failures to essential chapters of learning, realizing he was the common denominator in his relationship patterns. Allowing him to shift from the “nice guy” persona and anxious attachment styles to building healthier, more grounded boundaries.</p><p>Life Milestones as Wake-Up Calls</p><p>How the passing of his father at age 60 and his brother’s early-onset Parkinson’s diagnosis served as profound catalysts for prioritizing personal wellness, lifestyle alignment, and longevity.</p><p>The Healing Journey (Somatic and Spiritual)</p><p>Rich details his 11-year journey with plant medicine, the somatic processing of grief and childhood trauma, and finding a space of deep forgiveness and unconditional love. He shares the daily tools he uses for ongoing self-care, including Yin practices, Qigong, and the science behind the sound frequency work offered through <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacredhumans.org/">Sacred Humans</a>.</p><p></p><p>“I feel so secure now that if those relationships move on, I’m fine. That is not who makes me. My identity isn’t a direct reflection of how much the other person is there for me or not there for me. If I’m fully in my power, it doesn’t matter.” </p><p></p><p>I hope you enjoyed that conversation, I know I did! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing about what people take away from these conversations!</p><p>If you’d like to know more about Rich and the work that he offers through Sacred Humans, . Visit the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sacredhumans.org/">website</a> or on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/sacredhumans12/">Instagram</a>. </p><p>Support the cause</p><p>If you’re enjoying the podcast, and would like to support men’s mental health, consider leaving a 5 star review on <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7mjXZUfbTL4eEMHizleqKi">Spotify</a> and follow Taming Thumos on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/tamingthumos/">Instagram</a> or better still, sharing the episode on your social media!</p><p>Stay up-to-date</p><p>Never miss an episode by subscribing to Taming Thumos on <a target="_blank" href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com/">Substack</a>, it’s free! Every new episode and article is sent directly to your email inbox. Or if you’re listening on Spotify hit the notification bell to stay up to date with future episodes!</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">tamingthumos.substack.com</a>
June 22, 2026
<p>In this episode, Brett and I catch up to discuss his background in the military, physical training and reflect on what he has learned over an extensive 20-year coaching career. We dive deep into the philosophy of physical training, how Brett’s coaching style has evolved from being rigid to a more supportive mentor role, and the connection between physical fitness, mental resilience, and spiritual health.</p><p><strong>Key themes from the episode</strong></p><p>Lessons from 20 Years of Coaching</p><p>Brett notes that a primary lesson from his decades of coaching is realizing you don’t know everything, even when you think you do. </p><p>Self-reflection vs External Validation</p><p>We discuss the the importance of self-reflection as well as external validation to orient ourselves in the world. Specifically, how the rigorous nature of the CrossFit seminar staff internship process shifted me from a place of blaming outside factors to deeply auditing my own professional capacity and self-reliance.</p><p>Self-Talk During Training</p><p>The two of us contrast our internal monologues during intense physical workouts. How I tend to be driven by internal high standards and pushing to absolute physical limits, often blocking out external noise to grind through the hurt. Whereas Brett’s Style is more calculated, logical, and structured. Brett admits he handles training “softly” compared to high-intensity outliers, focusing on pacing and doing what is sub-maximally sustainable.</p><p>The Connection Between Fitness and Faith</p><p>Finally, Brett draws a strong parallel between physical fitness and his recent return to Catholicism. He equates fitness to physical health and faith/spirituality to internal, spiritual health. Rather than strictly focusing on granular, rigid rules (micro-rules), Brett highlights the overriding “meta-rules” of both practices. Where in fitness, “something is better than nothing,” and in faith, the guiding principle is love and self-reflection.</p><p>“One must imagine Sisyphus happy... [Life] is a punishment, and it relates to the human condition because we are the rats in the wheel, and the existential dilemma is: what’s the point of this? ...The trick is to enjoy every moment, be grateful for the things you have.”</p><p>I hope you enjoyed that conversation, I know I did! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing about what people take away from these conversations!</p><p>Support the cause</p><p>If you’re enjoying the podcast, and would like to support men’s mental health, consider leaving a 5 star review on Spotify and sharing the episode on your social media!</p><p>Stay up-to-date</p><p>Never miss an episode by subscribing to Taming Thumos on <a target="_blank" href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com/">Substack</a>, it’s free! Every new episode and article is sent directly to your email inbox. Or if you’re listening on Spotify hit the notification bell to stay up to date with future episodes!</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">tamingthumos.substack.com</a>
June 2, 2026
<p>In this episode, I am joined by Andrew Boniface, a former emergency helicopter pilot turned corporate consultant and men’s group facilitator. Andy shares his profound personal transformation following the breakdown of his marriage. He discusses how hitting rock bottom led him to processing and taking responsibility for his own trauma. Which in turn, allowed him to become a more present and regulated father to his twin daughters. He is now giving back by facilitating dad’s groups and helping corporate organizations foster human-first cultures.</p><p>Scroll down if you’d like to watch the conversation or if you’re listening on Spotify please visit the Substack page <a target="_blank" href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com/p/the-feather-the-brick-and-the-truck">here</a>.</p><p><strong>Key themes from the episode</strong></p><p>The Analogy of the Feather, the Brick, and the Truck</p><p>Andy introduces a powerful framework for how life communicates lessons to us through subtle and not so subtle means. Starting with the feather, a gentle, subtle tickle or indicator (e.g., minor arguments or coming home with the wrong mindset) that we often ignore. Which then turns into the brick<strong>:</strong> A more severe, tangible warning sign. And if we ignore that, the truck!<strong> </strong>Usually, a catastrophic event or rock bottom that forces an ego death and complete awakening.</p><p>Squeezing the Lemon: Facing Generational Patterns</p><p>Andy notes that it isn’t until we are squeezed like a lemon under intense stress that our deepest unaddressed issues emerge. Having previously avoided long-term relationship tests, the immense stress of sleep deprivation and raising twin daughters caused him to default to the critical, judgmental habits of his own father—habits he had sworn he would never replicate. Recognizing this allowed him to step out of a victim mindset and take absolute responsibility for his actions.</p><p>The Power of Emotional Responsibility and Self-Forgiveness</p><p>Andy talks about learning the difference between blame and responsibility. We discuss how losing oneself in shame becomes self-loathing rather than focusing on repair. And how self-forgiveness must take place to stop whipping yourself and truly take responsibility.</p><p>Andy explains how he grew up believing anger was inherently “wrong” because of his father’s short temper, leading him to suppress it. Through men’s work, he learned that responsibly expressing anger is necessary.</p><p>Moving from Left-Brain Logic to Right-Brain Feeling</p><p>Andy shares how his self-development was purely left-brained, focused on structured logic, reading classic corporate psychology books, and physical fitness. Referencing Steve Bidoff’s book Wild Creature Mind, Andy discusses how men frequently suppress emotions with logic. True healing required him to get back into his body and actively feel the suppressed emotions.</p><p>"For every new level, the same devil will be there... we can never outrun the humanity. I've got to love the humanity because that will always be there. I can never outrun it by fixing myself."</p><p>I hope you enjoyed that conversation, I know I did! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I love hearing about what people take away from these conversations!</p><p>To learn more about Andy’s corporate offering, Altitude Initiative, visit his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.altitudeinitiative.com/">website</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/andrew_boniface2025/">Instagram</a>.</p><p>Support the cause</p><p>If you’re enjoying the podcast, and would like to support men’s mental health, consider leaving a 5 star review on Spotify and sharing the episode on your social media!</p><p>Stay up-to-date</p><p>Never miss an episode by subscribing to Taming Thumos on <a target="_blank" href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com/">Substack</a>, it’s free! Every new episode and article is sent directly to your email inbox. Or if you’re listening on Spotify hit the notification bell to stay up to date with future episodes!</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">tamingthumos.substack.com</a>
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A podcast where we drop the stigma and talk about men's mental health. Expect to read and hear inspiring stories from behind closed doors. Normalizing the challenges of everyday life, one conversation at a time...
<br/><br/><a href="https://tamingthumos.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">tamingthumos.substack.com</a>
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