Most guys don’t realize they’re on autopilot until life starts breaking in half.

This episode is with Uncle Jimmy — Boston union man, union vice president, host of Uncle Jimmy’s Podcast — and he’s lived the version a lot of us brag about: 7 days a week, 16 hours a day, convinced the whole operation would collapse without him… while his marriage and life were collapsing quietly in the background.

We get into the real cost of being “the reliable one.”
The ego behind “they need me,” the dinners you half-attend the family time where you get "a call," or the games you physically show up to while your head is still at work.
And the hard truth: your job will replace you fast , your family can’t.

Jimmy drops the line that sums it up:
Time is the only currency.
Money can be replaced. Hours can’t.

If you’ve ever taken a work call during a holiday… if you’ve ever told yourself “just one more shift”… if you’ve ever felt your family getting used to you not being there, this one’s going to hit.

Listen to Uncle Jimmy’s Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/77179VlSzVFSf3qZF1GAOW?si=2633d6419e554dae
Book, Resources & Support: https://stan.store/fts25

ost rebuilds don’t fail because they’re hard—they fail because the blueprint gets punched in the mouth and most people walk away.

When this podcast launched, the original blueprint was simple: four solo episodes, then guests. That was the plan. But rebuilds rarely honor your plans. This fifth episode wasn’t on the schedule, and I wasn’t delaying the guest episodes to make room for it. That’s exactly why it had to happen.

In Episode 5, we break down what actually happens when the life you’re rebuilding refuses to follow the script, and how the pivots, detours, and awkward identity clashes end up becoming the real strategy.

We cover:

• When the original blueprint stops working

• The three types of pivots nobody prepares you for

• Why uncertainty hits harder than failure

• How to stay in the game when support goes silent

• The “four things humans hate” during a rebuild

• A teenager’s handshake that said more than any adult validation

• The overheard conversation that forced an identity shift

If you’re somewhere between who you were and who you’re trying to become, this episode will make uncomfortable things make sense. Because when the pivot becomes the plan, the rebuild finally becomes real.

Guest episodes start Friday—real stories, real setbacks, real pivots. No delay.

Follow along and stay in the game.

Book, Tools and Resources: https://stan.store/fts25

Silence isn’t punishment, it’s the filter that shows up when you stop performing and start rebuilding. In this episode, Rob breaks down the four silences that hit you during a rebuild; social, tribal, work, and internal, and why proof always shows up before applause. We get into discipline, identity, self-respect, social media, unexpected support, and the quiet work that actually builds confidence. No gurus, no hype, just truth about why the rebuild feels lonely and why that’s the point.

If it hits, follow the show.

Book, Resources & Tools: ⁠⁠https://stan.store/fts25⁠

New guest episodes start next week.

Real fighters. Real rebuilders. Real stories.

Most people aren’t stuck because they’re incapable. They’re stuck because they’re addicted to validation and terrified of silence. In this episode, Rob breaks down how performing for approval destroys identity, why opinions only hurt when you sign for them, and how self-respect replaces applause when you stop asking for permission to exist. We get into social media, ego, insecurity, self-respect, identity, discipline, and becoming unrecognizable to your old crowd. No hype, no gurus.

If this hits, follow the show.

Book, Resources & Tools: ⁠⁠https://stan.store/fts25⁠

Self-awareness feels like growth, but without change it’s just avoidance. In this episode, Rob breaks down how people hide behind insight, explanations, trauma, and clever self-awareness while their life stays the same. We get into ownership, ego, excuses, mental health, emotional resilience, fatherhood, blue-collar identity, and the shift from “I’m working on myself” to actually changing. No gurus, no hype, just uncomfortable truth about the stories you protect and the one thing you already know you need to own.

If it hits, follow the show.

Book, Resources & Tools: ⁠https://stan.store/fts25⁠

F*ck The Standard isn’t a hype show, it’s a straight shot for people who look “fine” but feel like they’re rotting in quiet comfort. In this opening episode, Rob McCarthy breaks down discipline, comfort, identity, and the slow decay that happens when you stop showing up for yourself and the people you love. This hits if you’ve ever looked put together on the outside while quietly bullshitting yourself on the inside. No gurus and no perfect routines, just a 45-year-old blue-collar husband and father calling out his own excuses and rebuilding for real.

If it resonates, follow the show.

Book, Resources & Tools: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stan.store/fts25⁠⁠

This episode is the foundation.