Let me ask you something that might hurt. When you think about your father, what comes up first? Pride? Pain? Anger? Emptiness? That desperate need to prove something he never acknowledged?

In this episode, I'm going into territory that's sacred and raw—the father wound. After 27 years leading men in the Coast Guard, I learned something critical: almost every man I worked with was carrying something from his father. Most didn't even realize it until we started unpacking why they showed up the way they did.

Your relationship with your father—or the lack of one—is shaping how you show up as a man right now. It's in the way you lead. The way you love. The way you parent. The way you see yourself when no one's watching.

Here's what we're covering:

I break down the five types of father wounds I've seen repeatedly—absence, criticism, harshness, emotional distance, and the impossible standard of perfection. Each one leaves different marks, but they all teach you something about what it means to be a man. And those lessons? They're running your life right now, whether you know it or not.

Then I walk you through how these wounds show up in your daily life. Why you might struggle with intimacy even though you love your partner. Why you work yourself to exhaustion chasing approval that never comes. Why you're terrified of failing. Why you feel like you're faking manhood without a blueprint.

But here's where it gets real—I give you the actual path forward. Not theory. Not feel-good platitudes. The real work: acknowledging the wound, grieving what you didn't get, separating his limitations from your identity, doing the work he couldn't do, and building what you never received.

This episode will hit hard if:

• You're still chasing approval from a man who'll never give it
• You're determined not to become your father but don't know what to become instead
• You're carrying anger you've never known what to do with
• You grew up without a father and you're figuring out manhood alone
• Your father was great and now you're drowning trying to measure up

I include a Power Pause in the middle because this stuff brings up real pain. You'll need a moment to breathe and sit with two questions that might change everything.

This isn't about blaming your father. It's about understanding how his presence or absence shaped you so you can heal and stop passing the same wounds to the next generation. Your father's limitations were about him—his wounds, his pain, his lack of tools. Not about your worth.

You are not your father. You're not limited by his limitations. You can be the man you needed him to be.

Ready to do this work?

Head to www.calibratedresilience.com and sign up for my FREE webinar, "The Resilience Reset: From Overwhelm to Unstoppable."

Got a story about your father wound? Questions you need answered? Email me at angela@calibratedresilience.com. I read every message.

My books—Man Enough, Calibrated Resilience, and others—are available on Amazon or at my website.

Next week, we're talking about the anger you're not allowed to feel. If you're carrying anger that's eating you alive, that episode is for you.

You can break the cycle, brother. It starts with you.

—Angela R. Strong Man Enough: Real Talk

When was the last time someone asked you what YOU need?

Not what your family needs. Not what your company needs. What do YOU need?

If that question feels strange, like it doesn't even apply to you, you're not alone.

You've been taught that being a man means being the provider. The one who shows up. The one who handles it. The one who makes sure everyone else is taken care of, no matter what it costs you.

And now you're exhausted. Running on empty. Giving and giving and giving, and nobody's asking if you have anything left.

In this episode, we're talking about what happens when being the one everyone leans on means you have no one to lean on yourself. We'll explore the four hidden costs of constant providing, the three beliefs that keep you trapped in the paradox, and the practical steps to break free without abandoning your responsibilities.

This isn't about stopping being a provider. It's about learning to provide for others without losing yourself in the process.

If you've ever felt like you're carrying the weight of the world and nobody notices, this episode is for you.

What You'll Learn:

• Why being good at providing makes you more isolated, not less
• The four ways of constant providing cost you (health, identity, connection, self)
• How to challenge the beliefs keeping you trapped
• Practical steps to get support without feeling weak
• Why your worth isn't measured by what you give

Power Pause Moment included: Three questions to help you identify what you need

Contact: angela@calibratedresilience.com

Take a deep breath. Wherever you are right now—in your car, walking alone, lying awake at 2 AM, sitting in your office with the door closed—this moment is for you.

This is the episode that changes everything. Not because I have all the answers, but because for the first time, you have a space where your voice won't be interrupted, your feelings won't be invalidated, and your experience as a man will be centered, honored, and never questioned.

In this inaugural episode, we're establishing what makes Man Enough: Real Talk different:

• This is your sanctuary – No female co-hosts. No one is jumping in to say "not all women" or dismiss your perspective. Just uninterrupted space for your truth.

• Your feelings are valid, period – Depression isn't fixed with positive thinking. Provider stress doesn't need to be compared to anyone else's struggles. Loneliness doesn't require a lecture. Your pain stands on its own.

• You don't have to carry it alone anymore – The weight of expectations, the pressure to provide, the fear you can't name, the anger you've swallowed, the sadness you've never been allowed to feel—none of it is yours to bear in silence.

What you'll hear:

• Why this podcast exists and who it's really for (spoiler: it's for YOU)
• The "perfect prison" trap that keeps successful men dying on the inside while looking fine on the outside
• Why your need for connection, understanding, and support isn't a weakness—it's what makes you human
• A direct message for any man thinking about ending his life right now

This episode is for:

• The man who shows up strong for everyone else but falls apart when he's alone
• The provider who's forgotten how to receive
• The leader who's never learned it's safe to be led
• The warrior fighting battles that were never his to fight
• Every father breaking inherited cycles, every husband learning to love without losing himself, every son still seeking approval

Here's what won't happen in this space:

• Your struggles won't be minimized or compared
• Your emotions won't be corrected or explained away
• Your male experience won't be interrupted by "what about" conversations

Here's what will happen:

• You'll get permission to feel whatever comes up—anger, sadness, fear, hope
• You'll learn that your worth isn't measured by what you produce or how much you endure
• You'll discover tools that stop panic attacks, guide decisions, and build real resilience
• You'll remember who you really are underneath all the armor

This is your love letter. Your permission slip. Your invitation to finally be real.

No apology. No interruption. No one else's opinion about what you should or shouldn't feel.

Every Tuesday, I show up for you. Not to judge. Not to tell you to "man up." But to sit with you in the mess and help you find your way through it.

Hosted by Angela R. Strong | 27-Year Military Veteran | CEO, Calibrated Resilience®

📧 Share your story: angela@calibratedresilience.com

If you're in crisis: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 | Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 | Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, Press 1

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