What If Your Mood Problem Is Actually a Protein Problem? "The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." — Plutarch Hey all, I was walking through the grocery store last week when I stopped in my tracks in the cereal aisle. Protein Pop-Tarts. I stood there for a moment just taking it in. Picked up the box. Put it back. Kept walking. Then I turned the corner into the chip aisle. Protein Doritos. I am not making this up. We have protein Doritos now. Nacho Cheese flavor. 10...
4 days ago • 4 min read
Without Integrity, What Do We Actually Have? The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. — Proverbs 11:3 Hey all, We live in a world where integrity is praised loudly and rarely practiced. Integrity shows up in mission statements, slogans, acceptance speeches, and LinkedIn bios. Everybody is seeming to claim it. But watch what happens when it actually costs something. When telling the truth means losing the room. When keeping your word means...
11 days ago • 3 min read
What daily habits actually make a difference for your brain? "That's your best friend and worst enemy - your own brain" - Fred Durst Hey all! A few weeks ago I was scrolling through a article written by a neuroscientist (a real one, PhD and everything) listing her daily non-negotiables for brain health. Drink water. Get sunshine. Smile more. Go to bed. I kept reading waiting for the research. It never came. I was confused... we are living in a golden era of neuroscience. The last three years...
18 days ago • 5 min read
Is multi-tasking a myth? "What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore plays in defining the quality of our life." — Cal Newport Hey all, When I got to Kansas State, I decided I was going to finish my degree in three years instead of four. Not entirely sure why... prolly a combination of ambition, stubbornness, and a genuine dislike for taking out student loans every semester. It felt like a challenge at the time, so I went after it. That meant five consecutive semesters of 22-plus...
25 days ago • 5 min read
Quick recap: My first issue of Mental Health 4 Men went out to 3 people on May 23rd, 2025: Me (yes, I subscribed to my own newsletter) My wife (I asked her) And my brother (asked him too, but not sure opened it) Here's a picture of the first newsletter we launched 335 days ago titled: The Power of Being Present This past week, this newsletter surpassed 1,000 subscribers! Writing early in the morning, late at night, and jotting down notes in between clients ; I did not think it would grow like...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
The Emotion Nobody Wants to Talk About (ironically) "Shame derives its power from being unspeakable." — Brené Brown Hey all, I want to talk about the emotion that is most likely to make you close this email. Not anxiety. Not depression. Not anger. Those have become almost acceptable to discuss now. There are podcasts about them. Books. Entire therapy specialties. Shame is different. Shame is the one that makes people go quiet. The one that lives in the part of you that you work hardest to...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
What Three Years Inside a Big 12 Athletic Program Taught Me About Mental Health "In athletics, outcomes matter. That is the reality of competition. But identity doesn't have to track performance like a stock price going up and down. That distinction, between what you do and who you are, is where the real work lives." Hey All, Today I’m speaking at the Kansas Health and Science University Sports Medicine Conference about the several years I spent working as a therapist inside a Big 12 athletic...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
The Mental Health Desert in Kansas (And Why I'm Running to Change It) "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." — Proverbs 31:8-9 Hey everyone, Before I get into today's issue I want to say something I don't say enough: thank you. When I started Mental Health 4 Men I was a counselor in Wichita with a with a conviction that we need better mental health resources, and unsure...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Todays Topic: Anger & Why Your Family Gets the Worst of it... "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In that response lies our growth and our freedom." — Viktor Frankl Hey all, Let's be honest about how most men in MY generation were "taught" to deal with anger. You burned a CD (or had your older brother burn it for you). Grabbed a Sharpie, & wrote "ANGRY MIX" on it ... or if you were really trying to sell it, "ANGRY MIX WORKOUT,"...
2 months ago • 5 min read
What a Navy SEAL at the playground taught me about the brain science of mental toughness. "The obstacle is not the enemy. The obstacle is the training." — Navy SEAL Instructor Hey all, Last week I was at the playground with my two daughters in Coronado, CA. I got to talking with another dad; his kid had wandered over to the sandbox where my older daughter was playing, and we did what dads do... stood there, half watching, half chatting. Arms crossed. Normal guy. Relaxed. Fully present. Not on...
2 months ago • 6 min read
