Be yourself unapologetically. That is Steve Barton's two-word answer to the question Dr. Tommy Rhee left in the Upgraded Man Journal, and it took him eight seconds of silence to say it.

Every episode of The Upgraded Man ends the same way. There is a journal. The guest hears what the last guest left, answers it honestly, then leaves one line for whoever sits in the chair next. They do not get to know who that is.

This week it is Steve Barton, a high performance coach, the creator of The Game of Ten, and co-author with his son of The Father, the Son, and the Aha Moment. He turned seventy the day before this was recorded.

The question waiting for him was from Dr. Tommy Rhee: "What motivates you to be your best?"

Steve does not answer right away. He sits with it for a long eight seconds. Then he says two words. Being myself. A few more seconds. Unapologetically. Chris Anderson takes it from there, and admits he could lean into that more himself. Not worrying about what might come, because whatever it is, it is what it is.

Then he leaves his own line. It takes him a few tries to get the wording right, and Chris helps him land it. When he does, he asks for the last two words in all caps.

In this episode:

- Dr. Tommy Rhee's question, and eight seconds of silence before the answer
- Being myself. Unapologetically.
- Chris on why more of us, himself included, could lean into that
- The entry Steve leaves for the next guest, all caps and all

Questions this episode answers

What motivates you to be your best?
Steve Barton says being myself, unapologetically. Nothing else on the list.

What did Dr. Tommy Rhee leave in the Upgraded Man Journal?
One question. What motivates you to be your best? Chris Anderson reads it to Steve at the top of the episode.

What did Steve Barton leave for the next guest?
You can't be like somebody else, and you can't be like somebody else wants you to be. So just be yourself. And that is ENOUGH.

Find Steve Barton at stevebartoncoaching.com. Download The Father, the Son, and the Aha Moment free at thegameof10.com. He posts every week on LinkedIn as Coach Steve Barton.

The Upgraded Man is hosted by Chris Anderson. Full episode with Steve is out now. Send this one to the man who is still trying to be who somebody else wants.

#theupgradedman #beyourself #mensmindset

This episode may or may not be sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.

===========================

⚡️ PODCAST: Subscribe and listen on all major platforms

⚡️ Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Apply here ➡ https://upgraded-man.com/guest

⚡️ For support or business inquiries, email us ➡ chris@upgraded-man.com

Our mission at The Upgraded Man is simple — help men upgrade every area of their life through real conversations, honest stories, and actionable insight from men who have done the work.

Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Send Chris Anderson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/upgradedmanpodcast

The content on The Upgraded Man is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not constitute professional legal, financial, medical, or therapeutic advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on information discussed on this podcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hidden calories are the reason most men stall, and Andrew Menechian, Head of Fitness at FitCommit AI, has a story that proves it. This is the most valuable stretch of his conversation with Chris Anderson on The Upgraded Man, released as its own episode.

Andrew Menechian is a former IFBB Australasian Men's Physique champion and a coach who has trained more than 100 personal trainers. He was also a hard gainer, or thought he was. An Olympic weightlifting coach asked him to write down what he ate. He could barely finish 70 percent of the plan that coach handed him. Two months later he was ten kilos heavier at the same body fat.

Then he flips it. A client who was training hard, doing the cardio, eating the calories, and not losing a pound. They went back to basics. Coffee? Yes. Milk in it? No. Oil on your food? Her face went white. Two tablespoons of olive oil on every meal, five meals a day, and nobody was counting it. About 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day hiding in the pan. They took it out. The weight came straight off.

In this episode:

• The hard gainer lie, and how Andrew gained ten kilos in two months
• The bowl of chicken and rice that showed a client what enough looks like
• The olive oil story, and where 1,500 hidden calories a day came from
• Why it always comes back to calorie balance for the average man
• Keto, fasting, and carnivore, and what each one is really doing
• Taking out the irritant versus fixing the root cause

Questions this episode answers

Why am I not losing weight when I am doing everything right?
Andrew Menechian says look for the calories you are not counting. Cooking oil, sauces, and the things you never write down.

Am I really a hard gainer?
Probably not. Andrew Menechian thought he was for five years, then ate what his coach told him and gained ten kilos in two months.

Does the carnivore diet fix gut problems?
Andrew Menechian says it removes the irritant. It does not fix the cause. You should be able to eat a potato without feeling terrible.

Find Andrew Menechian at andrewmenechianfitness.com and @andrewmenechian on Instagram, X, and YouTube. His app is FitCommit AI at fitcommit.ai.

The Upgraded Man is hosted by Chris Anderson. Full episode with Andrew is out now. Send this one to the buddy who says he eats so much and never gains.

#theupgradedman #hiddencalories #mensfitness

This episode may or may not be sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.

===========================

⚡️ PODCAST: Subscribe and listen on all major platforms

⚡️ Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Apply here ➡ https://upgraded-man.com/guest

⚡️ For support or business inquiries, email us ➡ chris@upgraded-man.com

Our mission at The Upgraded Man is simple — help men upgrade every area of their life through real conversations, honest stories, and actionable insight from men who have done the work.

Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Send Chris Anderson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/upgradedmanpodcast

The content on The Upgraded Man is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not constitute professional legal, financial, medical, or therapeutic advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on information discussed on this podcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How to find your purpose as a man starts at home, not at work, and Jonathan Berryhill learned that the hard way. Jonathan Berryhill filed for divorce, hid the truth from his wife for two years, and today has been married to her for over 30 years.

He was a U.S. Army infantry sergeant in Bosnia, then a police officer, then a college football walk-on at 25. Today he is a real estate broker, CEO of B&B Health Services, father of six, and the author of Warrior to Wealth: Find Your Mission, Forge Your Identity, Build Your Legacy.

This one is for the man who is the best at his job and knows his home is getting the leftovers. Jonathan tells Chris Anderson what he changed and what his wife noticed first.

Chapters
00:00 The man who filed for divorce and stayed married 30 years
01:33 Broken home, the Army, Bosnia, and the badge
03:50 The night the vision woke him up
06:14 Getting back together after the divorce filing
07:00 The confession he put off for two years
09:43 Find your mission, forge your identity, build your legacy
11:14 The first changes his wife noticed
12:20 How to find your mission when you have no idea
15:18 Don't give your family the leftovers
17:18 Chris on three kids under five and being present
20:14 Why they homeschooled six kids
22:25 You are not going to screw your kids up
28:37 Why 90 days is not a real try
30:38 Are we going to make it financially?
32:20 The trailer they still own and why he can't fail
36:32 New levels, new devils
37:20 His grandfather's rule: don't have 'em
40:22 The two-minute rule for every setback
42:04 Your job is a vehicle, not your identity
46:24 The Upgraded Man Journal

In this episode:

• The conversation Jonathan put off for two years, and what his wife said when he had it
• The three questions he runs everything through: money, love, or God
• How to find your mission, and why it has to serve someone besides you
• Don't give your family the leftovers, and what changed once home was in order
• Why 90 days is not a real try at a business, a marriage, or the gym
• The trailer they still own, and why he says he can't fail
• New levels, new devils, and the two-minute rule for the next thing that breaks
• Why your job is a vehicle, not your identity

Questions this episode answers

How do I find my purpose as a man?
Jonathan Berryhill says start with who depends on you. Become the man your wife and kids need, then build everything else around that.

How do you rebuild trust after infidelity?
Jonathan Berryhill says tell the whole truth, even two years late. His wife said she would have forgiven him then and was only waiting on him.

How do I build a business without sacrificing my family?
Jonathan Berryhill says be intentional. Two hours where you look your kids in the eye beats a weekend on your phone.

Find Jonathan Berryhill at jonberryhill.com. His book Warrior to Wealth is available through Blue Hat Publishing. He is on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn as Jonathan Berryhill.

The Upgraded Man is hosted by Chris Anderson. Follow the show, and send this one to the man whose family is getting the leftovers.

#theupgradedman #findyourpurpose #marriageadviceformen

This episode may or may not be sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.

===========================

⚡️ PODCAST: Subscribe and listen on all major platforms

⚡️ Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Apply here ➡ https://upgraded-man.com/guest

⚡️ For support or business inquiries, email us ➡ chris@upgraded-man.com

Our mission at The Upgraded Man is simple — help men upgrade every area of their life through real conversations, honest stories, and actionable insight from men who have done the work.

Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Send Chris Anderson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/upgradedmanpodcast

The content on The Upgraded Man is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not constitute professional legal, financial, medical, or therapeutic advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on information discussed on this podcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.