The Long Middle

Mark W Cermak
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Simply put, this is for you. This space is designed to give listeners the wisdom to navigate a life. Guests talk about enduring hardship, what makes a life meaningful, joy-filled experiences, spirituality, creativity, professional pursuits, and whatever else comes up. Some guests bring lived experience, some bring professional expertise, and some bring both.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    What Men Miss About Women's Health with Mary Stratos, PA-C

    This was an eye-opener. Mary Stratos spent nearly a decade sick, dismissed by doctors, and without a menstrual cycle, until one night she prayed for help and woke up to a voice telling her to try the paleo diet. Within three weeks, 90% of her symptoms were gone. Now a PA in functional medicine focused on women’s hormonal health, Mary walks me through everything men don’t know (and most women were never taught): the bloodwork your annual physical skips, why the thyroid is like a thermostat, what’s really going on during each phase of the menstrual cycle, and how to show up for your partner through all of it. We also get into GLP-1s, testosterone, and why unexpressed emotions might be keeping your body stuck. Curiosity is the whole point. Key Discussion Points: -What women wish their partners knew (they often don’t know it either) -Primary amenorrhea, a year on antibiotics, and “do you think you have cancer? -The voice that said “do the paleo diet” -The labs your annual physical isn’t running -Hashimoto’s and the thyroid thermostat -Vitamin D, K2, and magnesium glycinate -Maxed-out GLP-1s and 7 pounds in one week -The menstrual cycle explained, and what she needs from you in each phase -Anger, grief, and the layers between you and your true self -Testosterone: lifestyle first, and the TRT myth Follow The Long Middle Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thelongmiddlepodcast/ Follow Mary: https://www.instagram.com/marystratos_pa/ Follow Mark: https://www.instagram.com/marksnrec/ Timeline 00:00 to 03:49 · What women aren’t telling their partners 03:49 to 07:14 · No cycle, a year of antibiotics, and being dismissed 07:14 to 09:31 · A prayer, a voice, and the paleo diet 09:31 to 11:53 · The second voice: “You’re going into medicine” 11:53 to 14:37 · The bloodwork your doctor isn’t ordering 14:37 to 16:41 · The thyroid thermostat and Hashimoto’s 16:41 to 19:11 · Vitamin D, K2, and magnesium on a desert island 19:11 to 23:00 · Inflammation, fasting insulin, and the first domino 23:00 to 29:03 · Heavy metals, omega-3s, hormones, and ApoB 29:03 to 33:06 · “I’m tired” and antibodies over 2,000 33:06 to 37:49 · GLP-1s: what they are and what worries her 37:49 to 42:32 · Her cycle, explained 42:32 to 46:05 · What she needs from you in each phase 46:05 to 51:01 · Emotional suppression as a driver of disease 51:01 to 53:39 · Anger is a cheap emotion: numbness, armor, grief, essence 53:39 to 60:40 · Somatic Experiencing, embodiment, and the shape your body takes 60:40 to 68:16 · Trying it live, and my men’s group story 68:16 to 71:48 · Heart coherence in five breaths 71:48 to 73:24 · A day in the life of a free spirit 73:24 to 78:03 · Testosterone: sleep, stress, strength, and the TRT myth 78:03 to 80:35 · The revolution in women’s hormonal health Resources Mentioned: -Somatic Experiencing (Dr. Peter Levine) -Strozzi Institute -HeartMath Institute -Women’s Health Initiative study -Dr. Julie Colwell, https://thecolwellpractice.com/ More Ways to Connect with Mary -Website: www.marystratos.com

  2. Oct 27

    35 Years in the DEA Taught Me This: Your Job Is Not Your Identity

    This was a riveting chat. Dennis Baker spent nearly 35 years in federal law enforcement, from DEA street agent and SWAT team member to helicopter / fixed wing pilot, and he’s one of the most grounded people I know. A deep dive on identity, trust, faith, family, and the quiet strength that comes from knowing you don’t have to control every outcome. We talk about what the job does to you when you bring it home, why the most meaningful moments never happen on a screen, and why you never run from something, you always run to something. Key Discussion Points:  Why your job should never define who you areFailing out of the Coast Guard Academy and finding a better pathLetting life take you where it’s going, and being the paddler, not the rudderDelivering a death notification on 9/11What a career in law enforcement does to your mind, and getting help for itMaking a career leap at 40 and learning from the oldest instructor you can findWelcoming two Ukrainian girls into the family, and what it taught him about being chosenRetiring on fire instead of petering out Follow The Long Middle Podcast: Instagram.com/thelongmiddlepodcast Follow Mark: Instagram.com/marksnrec Timeline 00:00 to 02:07 · What 35 years taught him: the job isn’t your identity 02:07 to 09:13 · A Missouri farm kid and the uncle who made his world bigger 09:13 to 13:39 · Washing out of the Coast Guard Academy 13:39 to 17:42 · A dozen roses for the wrong Linda 17:42 to 22:32 · DEA Academy, crack cocaine, and Reno’s meth boom 22:32 to 29:34 · Let the investigation take you where it goes. Be the paddler, not the rudder. 29:34 to 38:31 · 9/11, a death notification, and coming face to face with death 38:31 to 46:21 · When the job comes home: hypervigilance, therapy, and zero trust 46:21 to 54:45 · One ceramic plate, one round, and the brotherhood that holds 54:45 to 62:00 · Learning to fly at 40 with old Colonel Ken Kellogg 62:00 to 66:18 · Never run from something. Always run to something. 66:18 to 69:39 · Where quiet strength comes from 69:39 to 75:20 · Missed events, “I hate your job, Dad,” and a story still being written 75:20 to 77:58 · Becoming legal guardians to two Ukrainian girls 77:58 to 82:27 · Meaning off the screen, pack rafting, and legacy 82:27 to 87:33 · Retirement: going out on fire, not petering out

  3. Oct 27

    Why I Told My Wife “Pray Our House Burns Down”

    This was a powerful one. On January 7, 2025, Joseph King Barkley went to sleep at a friend’s place, sure the Eaton fire was still miles from his home in Altadena. At 4:44 AM his phone rang, and by morning the only thing left standing was the fireplace. A deep dive on grief, achiever mode, the whisper that says you’re not enough, and the question his coach asked him 48 hours after the fire. We talk about what a home really is, why crisis doesn’t build character but X-rays it, and how his family chose what story to tell. No silver lining speech, just real wisdom on how to navigate crisis. Key Discussion Points: The 4:44 AM call and “pray it burns down”What a home really isPutting the scared toddler in the back seatWhy high performers skip the inner workWhat he built before the fire that carried him throughYour worst-case future is make-believe tooCrisis doesn’t build character, it X-rays itThe Enneagram 3 whisper: am I enough?Earning love vs. feeling like you don’t deserve it Follow The Long Middle Podcast: Instagram.com/thelongmiddlepodcast Follow Joseph: Instagram.com/josephkingbarkley/ Follow Mark: Instagram.com/marksnrec Timeline 00:00 to 05:28 · The 4:44 AM call and “pray it burns down” 05:28 to 09:25 · His wife’s question, and what a home really is 09:25 to 11:05 · 100 mph winds and a hurricane of fire 11:05 to 15:03 · One outfit, two pairs of underwear, and a head start 15:03 to 17:00 · The night Disneyland burned in his dreams 17:00 to 21:23 · Putting the scared toddler in the back seat 21:23 to 25:23 · Why high performers skip the inner work 25:23 to 32:20 · What he built before the fire that carried him through it 32:20 to 37:13 · “Was that the best life will ever get?” 37:13 to 43:27 · Your worst-case future is make believe too 43:27 to 48:31 · Crisis doesn’t build character. It X-rays it. 48:31 to 55:21 · The Enneagram 3 whisper: am I enough? 55:21 to 63:44 · Earning love vs. feeling like you don’t deserve it 63:44 to 67:15 · 25 years married, a 50th party, and breaking ground Books Mentioned The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery by Dr. W. Lee WarrenThe Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy GallweyLovable by Kelly Flanagan More Ways to Connect with Joseph LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephkingbarkley/Novus Global: https://novus.global/josephkingbarkley/Personal Website: https://www.josephkingbarkley.com/

  4. Oct 27

    From Divorce to Tracking Lions on Foot

    This was a raw one. I’ve known David Gerber for 20 years, and in March 2020 a friend told him, “I don’t think your wife likes you.” What followed was the end of a 10-year marriage and 18 months in the darkest place of his life. A deep dive on grief, heartbreak, numbness, and the slow work of coming alive again, one track at a time. We talk about the future you mourn when a marriage ends, why ice baths can become punishment instead of healing, and what he learned from five wild lions with no fence between them. I was there for part of it, including a bull elephant that stared us down. David now leads excursions every year to Africa to invite others into tracking lions on foot. Key Discussion Points: The comment that ended a 10-year marriageGrieving the future you never gotFeeling fine after divorce, then crashingWhy he moved past talk therapyUsing ice baths to punish, not healFive lions, no fence, and the first sparkA lioness charging from six feet awayYou don’t lay the tracks, the lions doFinding aliveness one experiment at a time Know someone in their own dark season? Send them this one. Follow The Long Middle Podcast: Instagram.com/thelongmiddlepodcast Follow David: Instagram.com/davidgerber Follow Mark:  Instagram.com/marksnrec Timeline 03:00 to 07:18 · The anniversary trip that looked like a comeback 07:18 to 11:00 · Feeling fine, then drawing himself drowning 11:00 to 15:00 · He booked horse therapy on Airbnb 15:00 to 22:27 · Ice baths, a dirt bike crash, and one choice: feel or die 22:27 to 26:10 · His advice for anyone in the darkest stretch 26:10 to 32:56 · The helmet, the mirror, and a lion at age 15 32:56 to 37:13 · Five lions, 40 yards, no fence 37:13 to 42:30 · What a lion’s growl is really saying 42:30 to 47:53 · A lioness stops six feet away 47:53 to 56:16 · What 99% of lion tracking really looks like 56:16 to 63:05 · A buffalo hunt 60 yards from dinner 63:05 to 71:19 · Frozen in front of a bull elephant 71:19 to 81:01 · Why getting close to pain makes you alive 81:01 to 83:53 · What he’d tell himself before that conversation More Ways to Connect with David LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidagerberWebsite: davidagerber.comNovus Global: https://novus.global/davidgerber/

  • 4 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Simply put, this is for you. This space is designed to give listeners the wisdom to navigate a life. Guests talk about enduring hardship, what makes a life meaningful, joy-filled experiences, spirituality, creativity, professional pursuits, and whatever else comes up. Some guests bring lived experience, some bring professional expertise, and some bring both.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark W Cermak
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mark W Cermak
  • Show Website
    The Long Middle

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