Man in Progress: Forging Manhood

TRAVIS MURRAY

Man in Progress: Forging Manhood is a raw, real podcast for men building better marriages, stronger fatherhood, and steadier character. Hosted by Travis Murray, a father of four and voice-over artist, the show dives into men’s mental health, marriage, fatherhood, communication, discipline, integrity, identity, responsibility, and purpose. We talk healing and shame. We talk sex and trust. We talk legacy and the work it takes to grow up on the inside. Each episode feels like time at the anvil. We heat the truth, name resistance, and turn values into action you can use the same day. Stories are honest. Reflections are practical. The goal is not image. The goal is resilience you can carry into your home, your work, and your kids’ future. If you’re engaged, newly married, co-parenting, raising a blended family, or trying not to lose your mind, this is your forge. No gurus. No fake alpha talk. Just men, in progress. New episodes every week. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and the apps you already use.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Weight we Carry

    Send us a text The heaviest load rarely rattles on a barbell. It sits in your chest, shows up at 3 a.m., and whispers that if you miss one deadline the whole house tilts. Today we gather the season’s tools—courage, journaling, boundaries, rest, repetition, brotherhood—and learn how to carry real responsibility without pretending it’s light. We revisit the journey from raw iron to tempered steel: naming mental health without shame, building a handle so your sharpness doesn’t wound the people you love, and creating rituals that keep you from warping under constant heat. We talk about fractures and repairs, the honest mending that happens when you admit you’ve snapped and step back into the fire with help. And we add something unexpected to the toolkit: humor. A well‑timed laugh doesn’t erase pain; it vents pressure, widens perspective, and pairs with humility to keep you human when life gets loud. You’ll hear practical prompts to move forward—what weight you haven’t named, what you can set down for a breath, who you need to invite into the work, and which lie about masculinity you’re ready to drop. We honor brotherhood as presence, not performance: one man who shows up on time to your struggle and stays long enough to see you through. By the end, you’ll recognize the pattern beneath the chaos and trust the process that turns grind into glory and fire into a forge. If this resonated, follow the show and share it with a friend who needs a lighter grip on a heavy load. Rate and review to help others find the forge, and tell us: what’s the next small weight you’ll set down today? Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    21 min
  2. JAN 26

    In the Fire of Sacrifice (Ep:18)

    Send us a text What if the finish line you’re chasing isn’t the one that matters? We explore sacrifice as a living practice—less about grand gestures, more about daily choices that put love, integrity, and presence first. Through four vivid stories, we follow a father who breaks Olympic protocol to carry his son, a beloved comedian who trades fame for bedtime stories, a Kenyan entrepreneur who sells his empire to raise abandoned children, and a corporate executive who learns the language of biochemistry to fight for his kids’ lives. Across each story, a pattern emerges: real sacrifice costs something visible—status, applause, money, or certainty—but buys something deeper. We talk about how to build the “muscle” of sacrifice through small acts, how to navigate the pull of ego and public approval, and why generosity can turn fear into freedom. From Derek and Jim Redmond’s unforgettable walk to Rick Moranis’ quiet decade at home, from Charles Mully’s orchards in a semi-arid desert to John Crowley’s lab-backed hope, the thread is constant: choose people over pride, purpose over performance. You’ll leave with practical prompts to act this week: step onto someone’s track, trade a vanity commitment for presence, share resources with open hands, and map your skills to someone else’s need. If you’re weighing a hard choice, consider what you’re willing to lay down so someone else can stand. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a quick review to help more men in progress find their path. Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    19 min
  3. JAN 19

    Speaking Truth To Power Can Reshape Laws, Lives, And Us (Ep:17)

    Send us a text In the 1990s, a decade obsessed with progress, comfort, and image, a few people chose something harder. They spoke when silence was safer.  They stood when institutions told them to sit down.  They accepted personal cost instead of moral escape. This episode of Man in Progress – Forging Manhood explores the value of courage through real lives from the 1990s, not heroes polished by history, but men and women who acted under pressure when the outcome was uncertain and the consequences were real. From an eight-year-old crawling up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand access, to a law professor testifying before a hostile Senate, to a corporate scientist exposing deception, to a writer who refused to bow to power even when it cost him his life, these stories reveal what courage actually looks like when it isn’t rewarded, applauded, or safe. This is not motivation.  It’s examination. Courage isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself.  It shows up when silence would be easier and walks forward anyway. If you’ve ever delayed telling the truth, softened your convictions to avoid conflict, or convinced yourself that staying quiet was the responsible choice, this episode asks a question you can’t dodge: What does your silence cost, and who pays for it? You’re not broken.  You’re not late.  You’re in the forge. Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    35 min
  4. JAN 5

    When the Noise Was Loudest, Character Was Forged(Ep:15)

    Send us a text The 1980s are remembered for excess, neon, and noise.  But while the world was distracted, a different kind of work was happening. This episode digs into the men and women who quietly forged the foundations of the modern world, without applause, without safety nets, and often without recognition. You’ll hear the stories of engineers who built the digital backbone of our lives, artists who reshaped identity and expression, athletes who redefined excellence, and leaders who stood for democracy and dignity under impossible pressure. These weren’t icons chasing fame.  They were forgers.  They worked in constraint. They chose integrity over image. And their impact outlived the decade that tried to drown them out. This isn’t nostalgia.  It’s a reminder that real legacy is built when no one is watching, and that character is forged most deeply when the noise is at its loudest. Stay to the end for a practical reflection on how to apply these same traits, courage, curiosity, discipline, and responsibility, to your own life, marriage, work, and fatherhood. You’re not behind.  You’re not broken.  You’re still being forged. Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    22 min
  5. 12/26/2025

    Tempering Values In A Decade Of Fire (Ep: 14)

    Send us a text We study how five leaders tempered values under pressure across the 1980s and draw out steps to test our own values today. Openness, nonviolence, stewardship, solidarity, and truth are measured not by slogans but by systems that last. • Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika loosen control and end the Cold War while unleashing domestic turmoil • Tutu’s nonviolence and Truth and Reconciliation create healing frameworks yet leave inequality unresolved • Maathai’s Green Belt Movement links women’s empowerment with environmental restoration and civic power • Wałęsa’s solidarity unseats dictatorship but struggles to govern amid economic shock and polarization • Havel’s living in truth topples lies and inspires activists while confronting corruption in market transition • Practical reflection prompts to choose one value and take a small aligned action today Hit that follow button, hit that save, hit that favorite You can find me on TikTok or Instagram at TravisMurrayVO If you feel like you need someone to talk to, go to the description, hit that send us a text button I receive all the messages and I will respond to every one of them Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    37 min
  6. 12/23/2025

    Temper the Steel: Strength That Knows How to Stay (Ep:13)

    Send us a text  Strength doesn’t fail because it’s weak, it fails when it’s never taught how to stay.  A blade can look finished after the quench and still snap on the first bad strike. That image frames this episode’s exploration of tempered strength, the quiet, low heat where power learns how to stay. We move past grind and survival into the harder work of turning force into steadiness, the kind that doesn’t consume everything it touches. We begin with Ashoka, an emperor who tasted victory and then faced its cost in the stillness after battle. His public regret and renunciation of conquest were not weakness. They were tempering. Authority redirected toward welfare, justice, and religious tolerance. From there, we step into Nelson Mandela’s long furnace on Robben Island. He refused to let hatred govern his mind, regulated his fire through discipline and routine, and when freedom came, chose reconciliation over revenge. That choice was not softness. It was strategy shaped by restraint. We bring the work home with Marcus Aurelius, who ruled through plague and war while writing private corrections to himself. Stay patient. Restrain anger. Resist spectacle. Choose fairness over cruelty. This is where leadership becomes felt. Children relax around a settled parent. Partners stop bracing for mood swings. Teams steady under calm presence. We close by turning the forge inward. Where does your strength still spill. Where do justified reactions cost more than they give. What would change if you chose low heat instead of intensity. Authority earned through steadiness lasts. Authority taken by force frays fast. If this episode gave you language for work you’re already doing, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone ready to trade intensity for integrity. Your steadiness might be the warmth someone else needs to hold. Support the show You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re just a man in progress. 🔥 Thank you for listening your support means everything to me. Hit that Follow button and Send to a friend. Disclaimer, I am not a therapist, and this is not replacement for therapy.

    23 min

Ratings & Reviews

About

Man in Progress: Forging Manhood is a raw, real podcast for men building better marriages, stronger fatherhood, and steadier character. Hosted by Travis Murray, a father of four and voice-over artist, the show dives into men’s mental health, marriage, fatherhood, communication, discipline, integrity, identity, responsibility, and purpose. We talk healing and shame. We talk sex and trust. We talk legacy and the work it takes to grow up on the inside. Each episode feels like time at the anvil. We heat the truth, name resistance, and turn values into action you can use the same day. Stories are honest. Reflections are practical. The goal is not image. The goal is resilience you can carry into your home, your work, and your kids’ future. If you’re engaged, newly married, co-parenting, raising a blended family, or trying not to lose your mind, this is your forge. No gurus. No fake alpha talk. Just men, in progress. New episodes every week. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and the apps you already use.