AI meditations are everywhere right now—apps, chatbots, VR headsets promising calm in 10 minutes or less—but are AI meditations actually helping guys handle real stress, or just giving you one more screen to hide behind?

In this episode, we get real about AI meditations, digital mindfulness, and whether any algorithm can truly replace a human teacher who sees you, feels the room, and knows when you’re about to lose it.

We sit down with guest expert and clinical psychologist Steve Haberlin, PhD, to explore the intersection of technology, meditation, and human awareness. Steve has spent years studying both traditional mindfulness practices and emerging tech—AI, virtual reality, and digital training tools—and asking hard questions about where mindfulness is headed.

Together, they unpack what technology can genuinely support in mindfulness practice—and what it can’t. They discuss the difference between guided experiences and embodied learning, why attention and nervous system regulation still require human relationship, and how men can engage technology without outsourcing responsibility for awareness.
This episode isn’t anti-tech. It’s pro-discernment.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:
• The rise of AI-guided meditation and VR mindfulness tools
• What technology can accelerate—and what it cannot replace
• Why embodiment and nervous system regulation matter more than insights
• The risk of mistaking consumption for practice
• How real teachers differ from algorithms
• Where mindfulness is likely headed in the next decade
• How men can use tech without avoiding responsibility or presence

If you’re curious about meditation apps, AI tools, or the future of mindfulness—but want grounded perspective instead of hype—this episode offers clarity.

You’ll walk away with:
✅ A realistic understanding of AI’s role in mindfulness
✅ Language to evaluate meditation tools critically
✅ A clearer sense of what real practice requires
✅ Perspective on presence in an increasingly digital world

Sponsor:
Peptides for Health by Mark L. Gordon, M.D. is a two-volume series exploring the science and clinical application of therapeutic peptides.
Medical Edition Vol. 1 Release: December 22, 2025
Consumer Edition Vol. 1 Release: January 20, 2026
Discount Code: PFH25
Medical Edition Offer Window: Dec 20, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026
Consumer Edition Offer Window: Jan 20 – Feb 20, 2026
Proceeds support the Children of Veterans Program.
Preview both editions: https://tbihelpnow.org/biohack-yourself

Links & Resources
Join the Men Talking Mindfulness team at the 2026 Spartan Race and take mindfulness into real-world challenge. This is about grit, presence, and brotherhood under pressure. Learn more and join the team here: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/spartan-race-2026

More episodes & resources: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com
Mental fitness & coaching with Will: https://willnotfear.com
Book Jon to speak with your team: https://jonmacaskill.com

If this episode resonates, follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with one man who’s trying to hold it all together.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

En este episodio en solitario de Men Talking Mindfulness, US Navy SEAL, Jon Macaskill deja atrás la conversación y entra en la honestidad silenciosa de estar solo, hablando directamente a hombres que saben cargar con la responsabilidad… pero que la cargan solos.

Este episodio explora la mentira de la autosuficiencia: cómo ser capaz, disciplinado y confiable puede parecer fortaleza por fuera, pero poco a poco drenar la conexión, la presencia y la salud emocional por dentro.

Jon comparte reflexiones personales de su propia vida —el matrimonio, el liderazgo, el servicio militar y la paternidad— y nombra patrones que muchos hombres nunca cuestionan: mantenerse ocupados en lugar de ser honestos, gestionar en lugar de conectar, y confundir la resistencia con la verdadera fortaleza.

Escucharás por qué la autosuficiencia funciona… hasta que deja de hacerlo.
Por qué la soledad no siempre se ve como aislamiento.
Y por qué muchos hombres no se quiebran… simplemente se aplanan.

En este episodio, Jon explora:
• Por qué la autosuficiencia es elogiada, recompensada y rara vez cuestionada
• Cómo los hombres altamente funcionales pierden poco a poco el acceso emocional sin darse cuenta
• La diferencia entre ser autosuficiente y estar emocionalmente cerrado
• Cómo el control, la ocupación constante y el “estoy bien” se convierten en estrategias de supervivencia
• Por qué pedir ayuda no es debilidad, sino conciencia de capacidad
• Pequeños cambios realistas que no requieren convertirse en alguien que no eres

Este episodio no trata de arreglar a los hombres ni de desmontar la masculinidad.
Se trata de decir la verdad… y de ofrecer una manera de dejar de cargar con todo en soledad.

Si eres un hombre que sigue funcionando, sigue proveyendo, sigue cumpliendo… pero se siente distante, irritable o silenciosamente agotado, este episodio es para ti.

Te llevarás:

• Lenguaje para entender qué es lo que realmente estás cargando

• Permiso para dejar de confundir resistencia con salud

• Herramientas simples de conciencia que interrumpen el patrón a tiempo

• Un recordatorio de que la conexión no requiere colapsar

Enlaces y recursos
Únete al equipo de Men Talking Mindfulness en la Spartan Race 2026 y lleva la atención plena a un desafío del mundo real. Esto se trata de determinación, presencia y hermandad bajo presión. Más información y registro aquí:
https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/spartan-race-2026

• Más episodios y recursos: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com

• Fitness mental y coaching con Will: https://willnotfear.com

• Reserva a Jon para hablar con tu organización: https://jonmacaskill.com

Si este episodio conecta contigo, sigue el programa, deja una calificación y reseña, y compártelo con un hombre que necesite escucharlo.

Este episodio fue coproducido por Robert Lopez de https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Most men don’t grieve by sitting in circles and talking about feelings. They grieve by working harder, staying busy, isolating, or pushing pain down until it shows up as anger, anxiety, exhaustion, or illness.

In this powerful episode of Men Talking Mindfulness, Will Schneider and Jon Macaskill sit down with Michelle Ann Collins—grief coach, mindfulness teacher, and survivor of profound loss—to explore how men actually process grief and why “try harder” is not a plan.

Michelle shares her personal journey through her husband’s suicide, PTSD, dissociation, and recovery through somatic, body-based mindfulness. Together, they unpack why men are conditioned to suppress grief, how shame and regret keep men stuck, and why embodied practices—not forced emotional expression—are often the safest entry point into healing.

This conversation offers real tools men can use in their truck, at work, or at home—without needing to relive the trauma or perform vulnerability.

In this episode, you’ll hear:
• Why men and women feel grief similarly but process it differently
• How action-style grief shows up as overworking, isolation, or emotional shutdown
• Why suppressing grief often leads to anxiety, panic, illness, or burnout
• How embodied mindfulness helps men stay present without dissociation
• What post-traumatic growth actually looks like in real life
• A simple grounding practice men can use anywhere
• How to move from the grief cave toward meaning without rushing the process

If you’re a man carrying loss silently—or supporting someone who is—this episode offers a grounded, compassionate path forward.

Sponsor:
Peptides for Health by Mark L. Gordon, M.D. is a two-volume series exploring the science and clinical application of therapeutic peptides.
Medical Edition Vol. 1 Release: December 22, 2025
Consumer Edition Vol. 1 Release: January 20, 2026
Discount Code: PFH25
Medical Edition Offer Window: Dec 20, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026
Consumer Edition Offer Window: Jan 20 – Feb 20, 2026
Proceeds support the Children of Veterans Program.
Preview both editions: https://tbihelpnow.org/biohack-yourself

Links & Resources
Join the Men Talking Mindfulness team at the 2026 Spartan Race and take mindfulness into real-world challenge. This is about grit, presence, and brotherhood under pressure. Learn more and join the team here: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com/spartan-race-2026

More episodes & resources: https://mentalkingmindfulness.com
Mental fitness & coaching with Will: https://willnotfear.com
Book Jon to speak with your team: https://jonmacaskill.com
Learn more about Michelle’s work: https://inhabitjoy.com

If this episode resonates, follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with one man who needs to hear it.

This episode was co-produced by Robert Lopez of https://www.cratesaudio.com/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.