Heroic Stories

Heroic Men

Every man has his heroes, and every life is made up stories. Heroic Stories is a series from HeroicMen.org, to find out why some men choose the harder path in life, even when it means losing everything, how they survived, and who they are today.

  1. 3d ago

    It’s Okay to Be Mad at God - Rob Kaczmark

    Rob Kaczmark starts with a Thor: Ragnarok scene and ends with why it's okay to be mad at God. Rob is the founder of Spirit Juice Studios (12 Emmys and over a billion views), and host of the new show Flicker and Burn. On Heroic Stories he talks about what happens when the things a man planned on are stripped away: how he takes it one brick at a time, what he does with his anger at God after a hard year, why there is a fourth Jesus tattooed on him, and how he is teaching his sons to own their mistakes. What You'll Learn✅ Why the Thor: Ragnarok scene is a picture of surrendering to God the Father✅ How "one day at a time" and "one brick at a time" carry a man through uncertainty✅ Why Rob says it's okay to be mad at God, and what to do with the anger✅ Why he teaches his sons to own their mistakes instead of blaming the ref Spirit Juice Studios CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to Heroic Stories01:48 The Thor: Ragnarok scene that lights him up06:13 Why it hits: life stripped away09:13 Living with uncertainty11:33 A family diagnosis and letting go of control15:06 One day at a time, one brick at a time17:17 Childhood: Terminator 2, Legos and BMX19:29 Growing up Catholic21:17 The Medjugorje pilgrimage23:41 A prayer at Notre Dame and a hard year27:10 Angry at God, choosing to trust him28:56 Tattoos: the skull, the Seven Sorrows, Jesus on his head31:26 Carved into the palms of his hands32:58 What fatherhood taught him about God's love37:22 Heroes: his father and St. Joseph41:47 Raising sons to own their mistakes46:55 F3: fitness, fellowship, faith49:08 Who he is here to serve ▶ Watch this episode on YouTube━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━TAKE THE HEROIC PLEDGEPray daily. Connect weekly. Invite monthly. 👉 Take the PledgeFind a Catholic men's groupWatch Heroic Men freeGet the Heroic Men app: Apple · AndroidSupport the mission · Heroic Man MagazineFollow Heroic Men: YouTube · FacebookABOUT HEROIC MENHeroic Men brings isolated men into brotherhood where they are strengthened by Christ to pray, connect and invite. Our mission is to see one million men living the Heroic Pledge by 2033.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

  2. Sep 25

    Why Steve Rouhana (physicist) researched gender dysphoria, & wrote a book

    A rabid bat scare taught physicist Steve Rouhana why evangelization is life-saving news. Steve is a PhD physicist with 32 years in crash safety at GM and Ford, an MA in pastoral studies, and a writer on the Rosary and on gender dysphoria (per the host's intro). We start with a rabid bat and end with how he prays each day. In between: loving family who don't practice the faith, why he left GM over crash-safety ethics, boyhood dreams of the priesthood and the stars, and what he says after reading the research on gender dysphoria for his book, 'The King and Queen Are Naked.' What You'll Learn✅ How a rabid-bat scare turned into a lesson on evangelization✅ How to love family members who don't practice the faith✅ Why a PhD physicist left GM over crash-safety ethics✅ Why Steve argues for compassion without affirmation on gender dysphoria Get the book: The King and Queen Are Naked CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to Heroic Stories01:47 The rabid bat story07:24 Life-saving news: why evangelize09:10 Loving family who don't practice13:26 Leaving GM over crash safety18:32 Priesthood, astronaut, Air Force Academy25:04 A son's question on gender dysphoria28:39 Why the APA dropped the disorder35:37 The King and Queen Are Naked39:20 The Cass Review and puberty blockers45:40 Conversion therapy, in his words48:03 Who he serves and how he prays TAKE THE HEROIC PLEDGEPray daily. Connect weekly. Invite monthly.Take the Heroic Pledge FIND A CATHOLIC MEN'S GROUPSearch for ministries and conferences near you:Find a Catholic men’s group WATCH HEROIC MEN FREECatholic films, series, podcasts and resources for men:Watch Heroic Men free GET THE HEROIC MEN APPApple: Download for AppleAndroid: Download for Android SUPPORT THE MISSIONHelp us bring isolated men into brotherhood:Support the mission GET THE HEROIC MAN MAGAZINERead The Heroic Man magazine FOLLOW HEROIC MENFacebook: FacebookYouTube: YouTube LISTEN TO HEROIC STORIESSpotify: SpotifyApple Podcasts: Apple PodcastsAmazon Music: Amazon Music ABOUT HEROIC MENHeroic Men brings isolated men into brotherhood where they are strengthened by Christ to pray, connect and invite. Our mission is to see one million men living the Heroic Pledge by 2033. Strengthen the man. Strengthen the family.Strengthen the family. Strengthen the Church.Strengthen the Church. Transform the culture.

  3. Aug 25

    What Makes a Man Strong? Courage, Sacrifice and Catholic Masculinity - Brandon Powell

    What does strong masculinity actually look like? After 17 years as a Protestant pastor, Brandon Powell left his career, friendships, and familiar world behind to enter the Catholic Church. He and Dominic explore the men who shaped his understanding of masculinity, the courage of fathers and martyrs, why real strength includes gentleness, and how ordinary inconveniences become opportunities for a man to sacrifice for others. Brandon also shares how prayer, honest self-examination, Scripture, and fatherhood continue forming the kind of man he wants to become. Website: https://www.whyitmatterscatholic.org/ Book Brandon: https://catholicspeakers.com/profiles/brandon-powell What You’ll Learn ✅ Why masculinity can be strong, gentle, and generous ✅ Why sacrifice matters more than comfort ✅ How fatherhood changes a man’s understanding of courage ✅ How prayer forms men for responsibility and service 00:00 Brandon Powell 01:22 Two teenage refugees choose freedom 04:34 Could I make that sacrifice? 07:32 Leaving Protestant ministry 11:08 The search that led to Catholicism 14:40 Why some men keep digging 15:27 Learning to ask hard questions 20:27 Scripture rabbit holes 23:49 The Ark and Catholic reverence 26:30 Brandon’s models of masculinity 27:52 Thomas Becket and moral courage 30:45 Blessed Stanley Rother 33:36 Sacrifice in ordinary life 36:26 Building a Catholic prayer life 40:02 Stop trying to sound impressive 42:27 Giving God room to answer #CatholicMen #CatholicConversion #CatholicFaith

  4. Aug 18

    How Catholic Men Forgive Without Becoming Weak - Chuck Jansen

    Every man wants justice when he has been betrayed, humiliated, wounded, or cheated. But what happens when the demand for justice becomes its own prison? Chuck Jansen joins Heroic Men to explain why forgiveness is one of the hardest and most heroic choices a Catholic man can make. Drawing from years of teaching in prisons, churches, and men’s groups, Chuck reveals how unresolved pain controls men, why forgiveness is a decision rather than a feeling, and how surrender to the Holy Spirit frees a man from anger without denying evil, abandoning truth, or excusing the offender. Website: https://www.forgivenessinstitutekc.com What You’ll Learn ✅ Why men confuse forgiveness with weakness ✅ How unresolved wounds begin controlling your life ✅ Why justice alone fails to heal the heart ✅ How the Holy Spirit leads men into freedom TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The man behind the mission 01:25 Finding purpose inside prison 04:26 Trauma changes a man 08:14 Why forgiveness feels impossible 09:34 Justice can become a prison 12:00 Grace transforms wounded men 13:39 Acknowledge, own, process 17:19 The danger of controlling everything 19:19 Let God write the next chapter 21:32 Why men resist surrender 24:11 Chuck’s forgiveness journey 25:38 When the mission became personal 28:09 Mercy toward men who did evil 30:45 Facing judgment without hatred 32:09 Justice, action, and surrender 34:48 The men who formed Chuck 36:16 Resources for learning forgiveness 37:54 Trusting the Holy Spirit 39:45 Serving men without a voice 40:16 The freedom forgiveness brings #CatholicMen #ChristianForgiveness #HeroicMen

  5. Aug 13

    Catholic men are bored. Sam Halligan says they need a mission

    Many Catholic men feel bored, underused and unsure where they fit in the Church. Sam Halligan of Forge joins Heroic Stories to explore why men need a demanding mission, how sacrifice becomes a way of life, and what Ernest Shackleton’s impossible Antarctic expedition can teach men about leadership. Sam also shares the painful discernment that uprooted his career and family, why struggle can transform a man’s identity, and how ordinary men can recover purpose by serving the people already within their reach. What You’ll Learn ✅ Why men respond to difficult missions ✅ How sacrifice forms masculine identity ✅ Why struggle can become an encounter with God ✅ How one man’s life affects everyone around him TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Heroic Stories with Sam Halligan 01:40 Shackleton’s impossible expedition 05:32 Why this story matters 07:15 Cutting away dead weight 09:38 Ordinary men can become leaders 11:38 Making heroism practical 13:19 Choosing sacrifice early 18:21 What sacrifice truly means 20:08 The Church asks too little 21:41 Men need a greater story 24:08 Giving men a real mission 26:05 Why modern men feel bored 28:37 Sam’s hardest recent decision 33:13 Finding purpose through suffering 35:03 Stop wishing struggle away 37:31 Jacob wrestles with God 39:32 Encounter changes how you walk 42:31 Sleeping through your climax 42:54 Sam’s heroes 47:14 Becoming a brother to men #CatholicMen #CatholicManhood #MensMinistry

  6. Aug 4

    What Makes a Man Useful When His Strength Is Gone? Dr Dillon Caswell

    What gives a man purpose when his plans collapse? Dillon Caswell chats about Christian hope, Catholic faith, and the courage to serve through suffering. Caswell opens up about becoming a caregiver at 17 after his mother suffered serious complications during cancer surgery. The experience forced him to release his athletic ambitions, grow into responsibility and learn that heroism often begins with the person directly in front of you. His story later leads through career disruption, a call to write despite dyslexia, conversion to Catholicism and a growing conviction that obedience matters more than controlling the next five years. Book Dillon Caswell: https://catholicspeakers.com/profiles/dr-dillon-caswell-pt-dpt-scs Get the book: https://hopenotnope.org/learn-about-the-book/ What You’ll Learn ✅ A deeper Catholic definition of masculine purpose ✅ What Tim Green’s ALS witness teaches about hope ✅ How suffering formed Caswell’s life of service ✅ Why surrender can require greater courage than control 00:00 Dillon Caswell 03:09 A different definition of heroism 05:08 Tim Green writes with his eyes 06:51 The collapse of Caswell’s plan 08:18 Called to write through dyslexia 11:52 The crisis that changed his family 14:58 Service replaces athletic ambition 17:38 Formation through his father 20:06 A Catholic promise completed 21:00 His future wife invites him 23:19 Finding home in the Mass 25:27 A strange beginning to RCIA 26:51 Mary and the grotto 28:02 His greatest Catholic barrier 31:38 Why St. Paul became his hero 37:09 Living beyond long-range plans #DillonCaswell #CatholicConversion #FaithThroughSuffering

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Every man has his heroes, and every life is made up stories. Heroic Stories is a series from HeroicMen.org, to find out why some men choose the harder path in life, even when it means losing everything, how they survived, and who they are today.

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