The American Masculinity Podcast

Timothy Wienecke, MA, LPC, LAC

Want to become a better man? American Masculinity is a self improvement for men podcast helping you master personal development, men's mental health, and leadership.Hosted by Timothy Wienecke, licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and award-winning men's advocate. Each episode delivers expert insight and practical tools for men's self improvement.Whether you're navigating fatherhood, building confidence in relationships, or working on personal growth, you'll find grounded conversations on masculinity, trauma recovery, growth mindset, and what it means to show up as a better partner, father, and leader.No yelling. No clichés. Just thoughtful motivation rooted in psychology and real-world experience. Perfect for men seeking mental fitness, self-discipline, and meaningful life skills.New episodes drop weekly with actionable advice on men's wellness, stress management, and becoming a better man. Subscribe now and join thousands of men committed to personal development and positive change.  

  1. The Hidden Reason Men Fail With Money w/ Khara Croswaite

    3D AGO

    The Hidden Reason Men Fail With Money w/ Khara Croswaite

    Send a text Money shapes nearly every part of a man's life. Yet most men never learn how to talk about it without shame. Success gets measured in income. Stability is tied to numbers. Worth often gets confused with earning power. When those pressures collide with relationships, identity, and a changing economy, many men feel anxious. Some become avoidant. Others feel silently overwhelmed. In this episode, host Timothy sits down with financial therapist and educator Khara Croswaite. They have a wide-ranging conversation on money, masculinity, and the emotional lives of men. They draw from clinical work, financial psychology, and lived experience. They explore how money works as more than just a practical tool. It also works as a deeply emotional force in modern male identity. Together, they unpack how cultural expectations shape men's financial behaviors. Expectations around providing. Expectations around succeeding. Expectations around being independent. They also explore a key question. Why do so many men struggle to feel secure no matter how much they earn? You'll hear us break down: Why money is never "just numbers": Emotions shape men's financial decisions. So does family history. So does cultural pressure. These forces matter far more than logic alone.Masculinity and financial success: Many men link their competence and worth to income. They link it to status. They link it to visible success. That belief quietly fuels anxiety and burnout.Saver vs. spender dynamics: Men often fall into rigid financial roles. Those roles create conflict in relationships. Neither extreme leads to real security.Financial gatekeeping: This is a subtle but common pattern. Men take full control of money out of responsibility or shame. It often costs trust. It often costs closeness.The provider role under pressure: Economic realities are shifting. Gender roles are changing. Men are being forced to rethink what providing actually means.Entrepreneurship myths: Hustle culture appeals to struggling men. So do "get rich quick" stories. But there's a real psychological cost. Chasing financial freedom without support takes a toll.Values-based money conversations: Practical tools for identifying what truly matters. This includes green-light, yellow-light priorities, and red-light spending priorities.Personality, attachment, and money: Enneagram types influence how men handle money. So do attachment styles. So do family money patterns. These shape how men save, spend, avoid, or obsess.This conversation doesn't offer financial advice. It doesn't offer quick fixes. Instead, it gives men language for experiences they've often carried alone. Pressure. Fear. Comparison. The longing for stability without losing freedom. It invites a more compassionate, honest relationship with money. One rooted in values rather than shame. Here is our affiliate link to buy the books discussed from a local bookstore in your area: www.bookstore.org/americanmasculinity The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    59 min
  2. The Problem Isn’t Suffering, It’s Your Relationship to It w/ Tim Desmond

    FEB 10

    The Problem Isn’t Suffering, It’s Your Relationship to It w/ Tim Desmond

    Send a text Being a man today often means shouldering heavy pressure without the words to name it. We're still expected to show strength and provide stability. Yet many of us were never taught to navigate our inner world. We were told to push through it instead. This creates a culture of silent strain, bottled-up emotions, and burnout dressed up as toughness. In this episode, host Timothy chats with therapist, author, and veteran mindfulness teacher Tim Desmond. They explore how to ease suffering while holding onto real responsibility. Drawing from decades of Buddhist practice, therapy, and leadership coaching, Tim shares a practical take on masculinity. This is built on awareness, compassion, and emotional steadiness, not just grit or performance. They unpack how men are taught to grit through discomfort and why burying feelings often passes for strength. Furthermore, they talk about how mindfulness builds the capacity to face pressure head-on without shutting down or drifting off. Tim opens up about his own path from political activism to deep meditation retreats. He explains how it reshaped his views on fear, choice, and duty. This talk isn't about encouraging retreat or weakness. It's about mindfulness as a sharp tool for smarter decisions, stronger leadership, and resilience that lasts. They cover emotional regulation, the body's stress responses, and the key difference between toughing it out and unknowingly making it worse. You'll hear them break it down: Suffering vs. strength: Ignoring pain doesn't build toughness. Awareness does, by boosting true endurance. Mindfulness beyond calm: Real practice keeps you present in the heat of pressure, not escaping it.The body as anchor: Emotional control starts with feeling sensations. It's not about thoughts. It's about how bodily awareness stabilizes the nervous system.“I’ll be happy when…” mindset: Chasing the future quietly feeds burnout and discontent.Compassion as discipline: It's not weakness. It's a skill for staying steady through tough spots.Power with ease: Carry responsibility without endless tension, control, or self-denial.From reaction to response: Pause and sit with discomfort. Act from your values, not knee-jerk impulses.Tim stresses that less suffering isn't about dodging hardship. It's about facing it with clarity and kindness. When men meet discomfort this way, they unlock a deeper strength. This fuels better leadership, closer relationships, and lasting purpose. This conversation bridges discipline and compassion, presence and duty, effort and ease. It's not about getting softer or more "spiritual". It's about showing up more effectively, more grounded, and more fully human. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    57 min
  3. Valentine’s Gifts She Actually Wants ($0 Cost) | Psychotherapist Approved

    FEB 4

    Valentine’s Gifts She Actually Wants ($0 Cost) | Psychotherapist Approved

    Send us a text Valentine’s Day is easy to dismiss. People often call it shallow, overpriced, and performative. In this solo episode, Tim Wienecke starts there. He critiques it at first. Then he digs deeper. He uncovers what his resistance to holidays, anniversaries, and romantic rituals was really hiding. He also shares what that resistance ultimately cost him. Tim draws from his personal history. He adds clinical insight and includes hard-earned regret. He explores how men often hide behind logic, stoicism, and cultural critiques. These cover deeper discomforts. Men struggle with being seen. They resist being celebrated. They avoid emotional exposure. The episode begins as a critique of Valentine’s Day marketing. It turns into an honest reckoning. Routine, avoidance, and unexamined masculinity can erode intimacy over time. This is not a lecture on buying better gifts. It is not a defense of consumer romance culture. It is a reflection. Intentional disruption matters in long-term relationships. Moments of deliberate attention can restore what familiarity grays out. In this episode, we explore these topics: Why holidays feel fake (and why that belief is convenient). Dismissing Valentine’s Day as “just marketing” helps avoid vulnerability. It also dodges responsibility in relationships.The neuroscience of familiarity. Even deeply loving relationships fade into the background. This happens without intentional disruption. Routine dulls connection.Masculinity and discomfort with celebration. Many men struggle to receive affection, praise, or emotional labor. This is true even from the people who love them most.Family history and holiday avoidance. Chaotic or painful childhood experiences can wire holidays to feel unsafe. They stop feeling connective.Reframing romantic rituals. Holidays can help when done intentionally. They let you see and be seen again. This is not about performing.Money, meaning, and misalignment. Think about gifts and gestures based on your real financial situation. Base them on your partner’s actual values. Ignore external pressure.Letters, anticipation, and shared experiences. Time, attention, and thoughtful planning matter more than price tags. Anticipation itself deepens connection.Letting yourself be celebrated. This is an overlooked skill. It means allowing your partner to show up for you. Even when it feels deeply uncomfortable.This episode is a cautionary tale. It is also an invitation. Love doesn’t disappear all at once. It fades when we stop marking it. We stop naming it. We stop tending to it. You don’t need grand gestures. You do need intention. Tim doesn’t offer a perfect formula. He offers honesty, reflection, and a challenge. Don’t lose something meaningful. Don’t let it happen because you refused to make it visible. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    11 min
  4. Top Therapist Fact-checks 10 Viral Masculinity Claims

    JAN 27

    Top Therapist Fact-checks 10 Viral Masculinity Claims

    Send us a text Being a man online has never been louder, sharper, or more polarized. Every day, millions of men are fed short, confident answers to complex human problems. Confidence is praised. Control is celebrated. Certainty is rewarded. But much of today’s viral masculinity advice is built on partial truths that, when taken at face value, quietly lead men into isolation, rigidity, and relational failure. In this episode, Timothy breaks down ten of the most widely shared masculinity clips circulating right now. Rather than attacking the creators, he adds the missing context, psychological nuance, and clinical reality that short-form content cannot hold. The goal is not to tear down masculine values, but to refine them. This conversation moves through attraction and power, discipline and self-worth, vulnerability and leadership, sex and commitment, and the subtle ways biological explanations can become excuses for emotional avoidance. Timothy unpacks why some advice feels strong but produces fragile men, and how competence, connection, and accountability must develop together. You’ll hear us explore: Why “dark triad” attraction is often misunderstood, and how confidence without character becomes manipulation.Self-control vs. self-mastery: When discipline builds dignity, and when it turns into shame.Male depression beyond pathology: How belonging, purpose, and systems matter as much as mindset.Vulnerability and relationships: Why men often speak only when they break, and how to communicate before collapse.Sex as a marketplace vs. sex as attachment: Why uncommitted success often produces deeper loneliness.Marriage and commitment: What actually predicts long-term well-being for men.Shoulder-to-shoulder connection: How men bond through action, and why range in connection keeps men alive.Solitude as training, not escape: When stepping back heals, and when it becomes avoidance.Masculine communication: Why ball-busting works, where it fails, and what healthy emotional range looks like.This episode is not about rejecting masculinity. It’s about rescuing it from oversimplification. It’s an invitation to build strength that can think, discipline that can feel, and confidence that does not require disconnection to survive. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    24 min
  5. Top Therapist: How Men Build Authentic Leadership

    JAN 20

    Top Therapist: How Men Build Authentic Leadership

    Send us a text Being a man today often means being asked to lead without ever being taught how. Strength is still expected. Responsibility is still assumed. But the models for authority, leadership, and masculinity are increasingly thin, either rigid and domineering or so hands-off they leave men unformed. Many men are left wondering how to hold power without becoming the thing they once feared. In this episode, host Timothy sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist and leadership consultant Logan Cohen. Logan’s work involves working with traumatized youth in wilderness therapy. His current role is developing leaders in high-pressure industries. Together, they explore what healthy masculine leadership actually looks like when safety, trust, and accountability all matter. This conversation moves through violence and restraint, power and humility, and the difference between domination and authority. Logan shares formative stories, from growing up around abuse and survival, to a pivotal moment in the wilderness where choosing restraint over force reshaped an entire group dynamic. Together, they unpack how men learn to take hits, build resilience, and lead without needing to control. You’ll hear us break down: Leadership without domination: Why fear-based authority only works once, and how trust creates lasting influence.Fairness and vulnerability as strength: How consistency, boundaries, and emotional regulation build real loyalty in groups.Taking the hit on purpose: Why the ability to absorb pain, without collapsing or retaliating, is central to masculine maturity.Wilderness lessons for modern men: What working with violent, traumatized youth reveals about power, safety, and group dynamics.False independence vs. earned resilience: How extreme self-reliance isolates men and undermines leadership.The window of tolerance: How men expand their capacity for stress, responsibility, and growth without burning out.Mentorship and generativity: Why older men are often waiting to be asked—and why younger men need guides more than motivation.We explore the tension between comfort and integrity, safety and growth, and strength and compassion. This episode isn’t about softening men or glorifying toughness. It’s about forming men who can hold authority without fear, lead others without crushing them, and build lives that are both demanding and meaningful. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    1 hr
  6. Masculinity After the Uniform Comes Off (No One Talks About This)

    JAN 14

    Masculinity After the Uniform Comes Off (No One Talks About This)

    Send us a text Being a man today often means carrying responsibility without a clear map for meaning. Work used to define everything. Service, provision, and endurance were enough. Now, many men are left asking who they are when the old scripts no longer hold. They often wonder what strength is supposed to look like in a world that’s changed. In this episode, host Timothy sits down with military veteran and entrepreneur Scott DeLuzio. They have a grounded, wide-ranging conversation about masculinity, service, leadership, and identity after uniform. Drawing from military culture, entrepreneurship, fatherhood, and generational change, they explore how men are shaped by systems that prize competence and toughness and what happens when those systems fall away. You’ll hear us break down: The military’s masculine culture: Why structure, hierarchy, and shared mission accelerate growth and how that culture can both build and limit men.Combat vs. support roles: The unspoken hierarchy inside the military, why most service members are enablers rather than fighters, and how that reframes masculine worth.Teamwork and leadership after service: Why veterans often succeed in entrepreneurship by rejecting the “do it all yourself” myth.Scarcity vs. abundance thinking: How competition for attention and status undermines men, and why collaboration creates more room for everyone.The provider identity collapse: How our grandfathers’ work-based purpose shaped masculinity and why that model no longer sustains modern men.Fatherhood and overprotection: How today’s parents have created safer childhoods, and the unintended cost of limiting failure, risk, and resilience.Letting boys struggle well: Why strength is built through responsibility, exposure, and earned competence, not constant rescue.We highlight the tension men feel between duty and meaning, protection and growth, independence and belonging. This conversation doesn’t offer easy answers or nostalgia. It provides something more durable: a clearer understanding of how men are formed, what they’ve lost, and how they can rebuild purpose without abandoning strength. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    1h 22m
  7. What Every Man Should Know Before Starting Therapy (Top CBT Therapist)

    JAN 6

    What Every Man Should Know Before Starting Therapy (Top CBT Therapist)

    Send us a text Being a good therapist isn’t just about technique. It’s about presence. It’s about knowing how to hold space without flinching, how to challenge without shaming, and how to stay steady when someone finally tests whether you’ll leave as everyone else did. In this episode, licensed therapist Timothy sits down with trauma clinician Bianca Thomas for a raw, deeply grounded conversation. The discussion centres around men in therapy, gender dynamics in the clinical room, and why so many men struggle to feel safe opening up. Together, they unpack what actually helps men heal and where the mental health field still falls short. You’ll hear us break down: Why do men test female therapists? How boundary-pushing, sexual comments, and humour are often safety bids, not disrespect.Vulnerability vs. emotional collapse: Why men fear that “opening up” means losing control, and what healthy vulnerability actually looks like.The gender gap in clinical training: How modern therapy education often overlooks male socialization and leaves clinicians underprepared to work with men.What builds real safety in the room? Directness, credibility, humour, and consistency.Rupture and repair: Why conflict in therapy isn’t failure, but one of the most powerful healing tools when handled well.Sex, shame, and silence: How sexual dynamics show up in therapy, and why avoiding them does more harm than naming them.Why do men need other men? The role of community and “me too” moments in helping men finally seek support.We stay with the pressure men carry every day, the pull between connection and self-protection, between showing up and staying guarded. This conversation doesn’t promise quick wins or clean solutions. It offers something more useful: honesty about what men actually need to heal, grow, and stay in the room. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    1 hr
  8. Is the Military Worth It? Why Some Men Thrive in the Military and Others Break?

    12/30/2025

    Is the Military Worth It? Why Some Men Thrive in the Military and Others Break?

    Send us a text Joining the military isn’t just a career choice. It’s a moral, psychological, and identity-defining decision that reshapes who you are, what you belong to, and what you carry long after the uniform comes off. In this episode, Air Force veteran and dual-licensed psychotherapist Timothy Wienecke offers a clear-eyed, deeply personal breakdown of what military service actually gives, and what it takes. Drawing on over a decade of clinical work with veterans and his own lived experience, Timothy walks listeners through the realities civilians rarely hear before signing on the dotted line. This isn’t a recruiting pitch. And it isn’t a bitter veteran rant. It’s an honest conversation about power, purpose, loss, and responsibility. It’s meant to help people make one of the most consequential decisions of their lives with their eyes fully open. You’ll hear us explore: Purpose, structure, and direction: Why the military can be life-saving for people who feel lost and why that structure is so powerful.The real benefits include housing, healthcare, education, and skills development. And how they can set you up if you use them intentionally.Brotherhood and belonging: What makes military bonds so deep, and why they often come at the cost of your civilian community.Identity loss and assimilation: How military culture reshapes obedience, authority, and selfhood. And why parts of who you were may not come back unchanged.The job vs. the branch myth: Why your military job matters far more than the uniform you wear.Combat, hierarchy, and shame: The rarely discussed guilt carried by non-combat veterans in a warrior culture.Moral authority and killing: What it actually means to give up control over how your labour is used. And the moral injury that brings many veterans to therapy.Active duty vs. Guard and Reserve: Why “part-time service” often carries full-Timothye risk with less support.Who thrives and who struggles? The values, expectations, and red flags that predict whether service will be growth-building or deeply damaging.This episode holds the tension at the heart of service. The pride and the anger. The gratitude and the grief. The ways service can save your life. And the ways it can cost you parts of it. There’s no right or wrong answer to whether you should join the military. What matters is making the choice informed, intentional, and honest. This conversation doesn’t tell you what to decide. It gives you the clarity to decide for yourself. The American Masculinity Podcast™ is hosted by Timothy Wienecke — licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and men’s advocate. Real conversations about masculinity, mental health, growth, and how men can show up better — as partners, leaders, and friends. We focus on grounded tools, not yelling or clichés. If you have questions or want a tool for something you're wrestling with, leave a comment or send a message — your feedback shapes what we build next. Note: While this doesn’t replace therapy, it might help you notice something worth exploring.

    33 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Want to become a better man? American Masculinity is a self improvement for men podcast helping you master personal development, men's mental health, and leadership.Hosted by Timothy Wienecke, licensed psychotherapist, Air Force veteran, and award-winning men's advocate. Each episode delivers expert insight and practical tools for men's self improvement.Whether you're navigating fatherhood, building confidence in relationships, or working on personal growth, you'll find grounded conversations on masculinity, trauma recovery, growth mindset, and what it means to show up as a better partner, father, and leader.No yelling. No clichés. Just thoughtful motivation rooted in psychology and real-world experience. Perfect for men seeking mental fitness, self-discipline, and meaningful life skills.New episodes drop weekly with actionable advice on men's wellness, stress management, and becoming a better man. Subscribe now and join thousands of men committed to personal development and positive change.  

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