Lion Counseling Podcast

Lion Counseling Podcast
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The Lion Counseling Podcast helps men escape the cages that hold them back and become the Lions they were created to be. It exists to help men obtain success, purpose, happiness, and peace in their career and personal lives. The podcast is hosted by the founder of Lion Counseling, Mark Odland (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist), and Zack Carter (Counselor and Coach with Lion Counseling). In their podcasts, they address a variety of topics relevant to men, including: mental health, relationships, masculinity, faith, success, business, and self-improvement.

  1. 2h ago

    Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up

    🎙️ Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up | Leadership Under Pressure #91One of the most overlooked leadership skills taught at Echelon Front Muster is listening. Not listening to respond.Not listening to correct.Not listening to fix.Listening to understand. In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-achieving men unintentionally train the people around them to stop being fully honest—and how anxiety, defensiveness, and problem-solving instincts quietly interfere with connection.Mark breaks down:  ✅ Why many successful men listen for flaws instead of understanding✅ How defensiveness slowly shuts down honesty in marriage and leadership✅ Why wives, kids, and teams stop opening up over time✅ The hidden role anxiety plays in poor listening✅ Why listening can feel threatening for high performers under pressure✅ The difference between solving problems and creating emotional safety✅ Why listening is actually a form of leadership strength This episode is not about becoming passive or weak.It’s about becoming steady enough to hear difficult things without immediately correcting, defending, explaining, or withdrawing.Because if people close to you stop being honest with you…that is not just a relationship issue.It’s a leadership issue. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-performing men who want to improve communication, leadership, and emotional connection—especially in marriage and family life.Sometimes the strongest thing a man can do…is stop talking long enough to truly listen. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up

  2. 2d ago

    Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship

    🎙️ Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship - Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #90 What does it actually take to make a marriage last? In Episode 90 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, therapists Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to Casey and Candice Neistat's "10 Tips for a Successful Relationship" — and explore where their advice lines up with what we see in the therapy room…and where things get more complicated. Casey and Candice talk candidly about marriage counseling, nearly getting divorced, maintaining independence, respecting each other's pet peeves, letting the little things go, and remembering what brought you together in the first place. Mark and Zack dig deeper into questions like: ✅ How much "work" should a healthy marriage actually require?✅ Is marriage counseling really like arguing with a referee?✅ How do you maintain your individuality without becoming disconnected from your spouse?✅ When does accommodating a spouse become enabling or losing your backbone?✅ Why can small disagreements become emotionally charged?✅ What does forgiveness actually require?✅ Can looking back at old memories genuinely change how you feel about your spouse today?✅ And for driven, high-achieving people: what are you ultimately working so hard for if you miss the people you're working for? They also discuss attachment, emotional escalation during conflict, contempt, appreciation, grace, forgiveness, and the importance of remembering that life is short. Casey and Candice aren't presenting themselves as relationship experts — and that's part of what makes the conversation interesting. Their advice comes from actually living through the messiness of a long-term relationship. Mark and Zack bring a therapist's perspective to their ideas while also reflecting on their own experiences as husbands and fathers. If you're married, in a serious relationship, or trying to balance ambition with being fully present for the people you love, this conversation is for you. 💬 What relationship advice has actually made a difference in your marriage? Let us know in the comments. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 📘 Get Mark’s Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Mark’s Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ 🌐 Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER The Lion Counseling Podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for psychotherapy, medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Watching or listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship with Mark Odland, Zack Carter, or Lion Counseling. #Marriage #Relationships #CaseyNeistat #MarriageAdvice #CouplesTherapy #RelationshipAdvice #MentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #LionCounseling

    Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship

  3. Aug 13

    When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team

    🎙️ When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team | Leadership Under Pressure #89One of the Echelon Front principles that translates powerfully into marriage is: Cover and move. In leadership, teams cannot function as isolated units fighting for their own success. They have to support each other, protect each other, and move together toward the mission.That principle applies to marriage too.But many high-performing men stop functioning like teammates at home. In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why successful men often shift from partnership into defensiveness during marriage conflict—and how unresolved internal reactions quietly turn spouses into opponents. Mark breaks down:✅ How “cover and move” applies directly to marriage✅ Why many men become defensive instead of collaborative under pressure✅ The hidden role of shame, fear of failure, and criticism sensitivity in conflict✅ Why keeping score destroys emotional safety and trust✅ How unresolved internal patterns create distance in communication, parenting, and intimacy✅ The difference between protecting yourself and protecting the team✅ Why leadership at home requires emotional steadiness under pressure This episode is not about making men passive or pretending they are always wrong.It’s about helping men become strong enough to remain on the same team with their wives—even when the conversation becomes uncomfortable.Because once the team breaks…everything gets harder.Communication.Trust.Parenting.Connection.Intimacy. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-achieving men who want to lead well at home—not just succeed professionally. And sometimes the most important leadership battle is not at work.It’s in the living room. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team

  4. Aug 11

    David Goggins Is Right… Until He Isn’t

    🎙️ David Goggins Is Right… Until He Isn’t | Lion Counseling Podcast #88 David Goggins has built a career around one uncompromising message: stop making excuses, get off the couch, and become stronger by overcoming yourself. And there’s a reason that message resonates. But what happens when the person listening isn’t lazy? What if he’s already working 50 hours a week, raising a family, serving others, trying to be a good husband and father—and still telling himself he’s weak because he can’t do more? In Episode #88 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to David Goggins’ conversation with Chris Williamson on the Modern Wisdom Podcast and wrestle with the line between discipline and self-destruction. Goggins argues that we shouldn’t need a race, achievement, career goal, or external reward to keep performing at a high level. The deeper purpose, he says, is becoming better ourselves. There’s real wisdom there. But Mark and Zack ask an important question: When does “push harder” stop being the answer? In this episode: ✅ Why external goals aren't enough to sustain motivation✅ The difference between laziness and burnout✅ Why high-achieving people can still believe they’re never doing enough✅ Self-respect vs. self-centeredness✅ The danger of making self-improvement your ultimate purpose✅ What Christianity says about loving God, your neighbor—and yourself✅ Why being a good husband and father may sometimes mean doing less, not more✅ How personal mission statements can create direction and accountability✅ Why discipline still matters even when motivation disappears✅ What David Goggins gets profoundly right about keeping promises to yourself Sometimes you really do need to stop making excuses and get moving. Other times, you need enough self-awareness to recognize that you aren't lazy. You're exhausted. The challenge is knowing the difference. 📞 Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 🎧 Prefer Audio Only? Listen to the Podcast:https://lioncounselingpodcast.transistor.fm/ 📘 Get Mark’s Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Mark’s Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ 🦁 Learn More About Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ #DavidGoggins #MentalHealth #Burnout #Discipline #Motivation #MensMentalHealth #SelfImprovement #ChristianMen #LionCounselingPodcast

    David Goggins Is Right… Until He Isn’t

  5. Aug 6

    When “Good” Becomes Emotional Avoidance

    🎙️ When “Good” Becomes Emotional Avoidance | Leadership Under Pressure #87One of Jocko Willink’s most famous responses to adversity is simple: “Good.” Something goes wrong?... Good.An obstacle appears?... Good. Now you have an opportunity to adapt, grow, and become stronger.It is a powerful mindset. But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores how many high-performing men unintentionally misuse that principle—not as resilience, but as emotional avoidance. Mark breaks down:✅ The difference between resilience and emotional suppression✅ Why many disciplined men override pain instead of addressing it✅ How unresolved stress quietly impacts marriage, health, parenting, and leadership✅ Why “pushing through” is not always strength✅ The hidden emotional cost of constantly staying in motion✅ How burnout, numbness, irritability, and disconnection slowly build over time✅ Why wisdom is knowing which pain to endure—and which pain to process This episode is not about becoming fragile.It’s about becoming whole.Because some pain is meant to strengthen you…but some pain is trying to tell you something. And many high-performing men have spent years overriding signals that actually needed attention.At Lion Counseling, Mark works with disciplined, resilient men who are successful on the outside—but who may still be carrying unprocessed stress, pain, and emotional exhaustion underneath the surface. Sometimes the real “good” is not just that you pushed through.Sometimes the good is finally facing what you’ve been avoiding. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    When “Good” Becomes Emotional Avoidance

  6. Aug 4

    Why Human Dignity Changes Everything | Dr. Kristin Collier

    🎙️Why Human Dignity Changes Everything | Dr. Kristin Collier | Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #84 What gives a human being value? Is our worth based on intelligence, productivity, independence, health, or achievement? Or is human dignity rooted in something deeper—something that cannot be earned, measured, or taken away? In Episode 84, Mark sits down with Dr. Kristin Collier, an internal medicine physician, professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, and leading Christian voice on medicine, spirituality, bioethics, and human dignity. Together, they explore what happens when a culture begins assigning different levels of value to different human beings—and why the Christian doctrine of the Imago Dei offers a radically different foundation for medicine, psychology, leadership, and everyday life. ✅ Why dignity must be based on who a person is—not what they can do✅ How modern medicine can unintentionally create tiers of human value✅ The ethical questions surrounding abortion, physician-assisted suicide, disability, and end-of-life care✅ How to speak Christian truth in public without losing wisdom, compassion, or courage✅ Dr. Collier’s experience surviving a major cancellation attempt✅ Why healing is ultimately an act of submission rather than mastery✅ How physical, emotional, social, and spiritual suffering intersect✅ Why eliminating suffering must never become eliminating the sufferer✅ The Christian understanding of redemptive suffering✅ How the resurrection gives Christians hope beyond medicine, therapy, aging, and death Dr. Collier also turns the conversation toward Mark’s work with EMDR therapy, asking how traumatic memories can be healed and how the mind and body appear naturally oriented toward truth, integration, and restoration. This is a thoughtful and deeply hopeful conversation about medicine, trauma, suffering, faith, and the inherent worth of every human life. 🎙️ Connect with Dr. Kristin Collier:https://x.com/HSRDirector 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 🎙️ Prefer Audio Only?https://lioncounselingpodcast.transistor.fm/ 🎙️ Get Mark’s Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 🎙️ Mark’s Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ 🎙️ Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ If this conversation challenged or encouraged you:✅ Like the episode✅ Subscribe to the Lion Counseling Podcast✅ Share it with someone who cares about faith, medicine, human dignity, or ethical leadership✅ Leave a comment: What do you believe is the strongest foundation for human dignity?

    Why Human Dignity Changes Everything | Dr. Kristin Collier

  7. Jul 30

    When Leadership Becomes Control

    🎙️ When Leadership Becomes Control | Leadership Under Pressure #85One of the strongest leadership principles taught by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin, and Echelon Front is decentralized command: A leader cannot control everything.The people closest to the problem need enough clarity, trust, and authority to make decisions.It’s a powerful principle. But what happens when a man believes in decentralized command at work… while struggling to live it at home? In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-performing men unintentionally become controlling in marriage, parenting, leadership, and business—and why control is often anxiety in disguise.  Mark breaks down:✅ The leadership principle of decentralized command taught at Echelon Front Muster✅ Why many successful men unintentionally micromanage the people around them✅ How fear and anxiety often masquerade as leadership✅ Why over-control slowly destroys trust and initiative✅ The hidden connection between uncertainty and nervous system activation✅ Why many men struggle to tolerate mistakes, uncertainty, or loss of control✅ How fear-based leadership creates dependence instead of strength This episode is not about becoming passive or disengaged.It’s about learning how to lead in a way that builds strength, responsibility, and confidence in the people around you. Because decentralized command is not just a strategy.It’s an internal capacity.And if your nervous system cannot tolerate uncertainty…you will undermine trust even while believing in the right principles. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    When Leadership Becomes Control

  8. Jul 28

    Strong Men Still Fall Into Temptation (The Odyssey Explained)

    Strong Men Still Fall Into Temptation (The Odyssey Explained): Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #84  Most men think discipline is enough.It isn’t. In one of the most famous scenes from The Odyssey, Odysseus doesn't trust his own willpower. He knows temptation is coming, so he prepares before it arrives by having his crew tie him to the mast. That ancient strategy has surprising implications for modern life.In this episode, Mark Odland and Zack Carter discuss: ✅ Why temptation often begins with curiosity—not just desire✅ The connection between the Sirens, dopamine, AI, social media, and doom scrolling✅ Why high-performing men often overestimate their ability to resist temptation✅ What pornography addiction reveals about human nature✅ Why accountability is a strength—not a weakness✅ Practical ways to "tie yourself to the mast" before temptation strikes Whether your struggle is pornography, social media, work, alcohol, endless information, or something else entirely, this conversation explores why preparation consistently beats willpower. 🎙 Book a Free Clarity Call:https://www.escapethecagenow.com/contact 📘 Get Mark's FREE book, Escape the Cage:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📩 Join our newsletter:hhttps://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Lion CounselingLion Counseling helps high-performing men break free from the hidden struggles that keep them stuck. Through EMDR therapy, intensive counseling, and leadership coaching, we help men overcome trauma, anxiety, burnout, pornography addiction, and relationship challenges so they can lead with greater strength, clarity, and purpose. Whether you're a business owner, executive, first responder, pastor, physician, or another man carrying significant responsibility, our mission is simple: help you escape the cage that's holding you back. #MentalHealth #HighPerformingMen #SelfDiscipline #PornRecovery #AddictionRecovery #Leadership #TheOdyssey #ChristianMen #PersonalGrowth #Therapy #EMDR #Dopamine #Accountability #Psychology #LionCounseling

    Strong Men Still Fall Into Temptation (The Odyssey Explained)
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Lion Counseling Podcast helps men escape the cages that hold them back and become the Lions they were created to be. It exists to help men obtain success, purpose, happiness, and peace in their career and personal lives. The podcast is hosted by the founder of Lion Counseling, Mark Odland (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist), and Zack Carter (Counselor and Coach with Lion Counseling). In their podcasts, they address a variety of topics relevant to men, including: mental health, relationships, masculinity, faith, success, business, and self-improvement.

Information

  • Creator
    Lion Counseling Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    91
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Lion Counseling Podcast
  • Show Website
    Lion Counseling Podcast