F*ck The Standard

Rob McCarthy
  • 4.0 (1)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

F*ck The Standard is a no bullsh*t podcast for people who look “fine” but know they’ve been coasting on comfort, fear, distraction, and half truths. Hosted by Rob McCarthy, this show digs into discipline, identity, mental health, sobriety, family, emotional resilience, and the rebuild that happens when you finally take ownership. No gurus, no hype, just real conversations for blue-collar minds, parents, spouses, anyone tired of numbing out, avoiding the mirror and pretending they’re good. New Episodes Drop Every Friday!!

  1. The Price You Pay

    2d ago

    The Price You Pay

    Deepak Saini walked into adulthood as the chronically ill, morbidly obese kid who kept telling himself the next thing would eventually fix everything. The next job. The next raise. He lost thousands of pounds over his lifetime running the yo-yo cycle and never once stopped to look at what was actually driving the pattern underneath it all. Then in 2014 his back gave out. He could not bend at the waist. He could not put on his own socks. He could not pick up his three-month-old daughter. The Western medical system ran him in circles with misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments until Deepak stopped waiting and started researching on his own. What he found was an alternative modality that healed his back and, as a byproduct, eliminated the final 60 of the 100 pounds he had carried his entire adult life and sent his undiagnosed autoimmune condition into remission. He has not been meaningfully sick in a decade. He was not trying to lose a single pound. He was trying to hold his child. That shift sent him down a different road entirely. He got certified in timeline therapy, NLP, and hypnosis. He left his CPA career behind. He built a health and mindset coaching practice around the core insight that most people are not failing because they lack willpower. They are failing because they are running unconscious patterns that no amount of discipline can override without the right tools and the honesty to look at where those patterns came from. In this conversation Rob and Deepak cover the full arc: the physical transformation that nobody saw coming from the outside, the limiting beliefs stored in the body as armor around old wounds, the moment Deepak brought his laptop to the hospital while his wife was recovering from giving birth, the scarcity mindset handed down from immigrant parents who were just trying to protect their kids, what men actually model for their daughters whether they intend to or not, and the anger that ran through Deepak's early life that he would do anything to have addressed sooner. They also get into the softening of an entire generation, the consequences of parenting without consequences, and what true wealth actually looks like when you strip away every story you have been fed about money and success. Connect with Deepak Saini: deepaksainihealth.com Get the book F*ck The Script: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/CK-SCRIPT-Caring-Others-Rebuild/dp/B0FQ4F5NBB

    47 min
  2. YOU Built This Mess

    6d ago

    YOU Built This Mess

    Season 2 opens with a solo episode. No guest, no script to hide behind, no filter. This one is about the political outrage machine, the echo chambers you built yourself, the news channels that stopped reporting and started flattering you, and the generation of kids we're raising on screens while we fight strangers online. It's not about who's in office, and it never was, it's about who we've become. political outrage, social media addiction, echo chamber, keyboard warriors, parenting, accountability, blue collar podcast, mens mindset, self accountability, media manipulation, solo episode, f**k the standard Both sides catch it equally, nobody gets a pass, and if something in this episode makes you uncomfortable....THAT'S THE POINT!!! This is what solo episodes on F**k The Standard sound like now. Get used to it. Rewrite. Rebuild. Repeat.

    24 min
  3. Is It An Open Bar? - Laura Ferri

    Apr 24

    Is It An Open Bar? - Laura Ferri

    Laura Ferri grew up in a house where love came with conditions and threats, where her mother used suicide as a manipulation tool so consistently that Laura carried the guilt of it into her thirties without ever questioning whether it was hers to carry. She built a life anyway. She got married, raised three kids, built a career, started a podcast, wrote a book, and kept showing up for everyone around her while privately believing she had nothing worth offering any of them. Then she lost the job, the relationship, and almost every person she knew inside of a year, and wound up alone on her kitchen floor asking out loud for someone to love her. What happened next changed everything. In this episode, Rob and Laura go deep on what it actually costs to grow up under narcissistic control, why self-worth does not collapse all at once but erodes slowly through the relationships you tolerate and the crumbs you accept, and what the path back looks like when you have finally run out of crutches to lean on. This episode covers: Growing up with a narcissistic, abusive mother and not recognizing it for decadesThe identity collapse that comes when you lose your job, your relationship, and your community at the same timeWhy the mother-daughter relationship is the foundation of every relationship a woman will have for the rest of her lifeTaking crumbs from people because bare minimum felt exciting, and what finally broke that patternHow low self-worth quietly destroys your finances without you noticingThe kitchen floor moment that cracked everything openRebuilding confidence as a single mother starting a business from scratchWhat a three-day solo backpacking trip in the woods taught her about what she was actually capable ofThe one thing she would scream at her eighteen-year-old selfLaura Ferri is the host of the My Inner Struggle podcast, author of Is It an Open Bar?, and has spent over a decade documenting her own transformation across more than 300 blog posts so that nobody going through the same thing has to feel like they are doing it alone. Find everything Laura at https://myinnerstruggle.com/ Grab Rob's book F*ck The Script: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/CK-SCRIPT-Caring-Others-Rebuild/dp/B0FQ4F5NBB

    1h 1m
  4. You Can't Grow Without Discomfort: Mike Jarrell

    Apr 17

    You Can't Grow Without Discomfort: Mike Jarrell

    Most addiction recovery conversations stop at sobriety. This episode starts there. What Rob McCarthy and Mike Jarrell examine in depth is the psychological architecture that makes addiction necessary in the first place, and what a real, self-directed rebuild looks like when institutional support is absent, resources are zero, and the damage stretches back to early childhood. Mike Jarrell spent nearly 30 years in active heroin and opioid addiction, served time in prison, and rebuilt his entire life from nothing at 47 years old. His framework for doing it draws from positive psychology, Stoic philosophy, cognitive restructuring, and the hard data of lived experience. This is not a sobriety story. It is an identity reconstruction conversation. What this episode covers: ​The childhood trauma to addiction pipeline, how unresolved CPTSD and untreated early abuse create the psychological conditions that make substance dependency almost inevitable, and how medical prescribing can accelerate that cycle rather than interrupt it​Ego vs. identity in long-term recovery, the clinical distinction between the protective false self built in response to trauma and the authentic identity buried beneath it, and why conflating the two extends victim mindset thinking long past the original threat​The table leg method for breaking limiting beliefs, a cognitive restructuring framework that requires only three contradicting facts to dismantle an entrenched belief system, with direct application for anyone doing identity work in or outside of addiction recovery​Positive psychology and sobriety; why short-term clinical intervention fails without addressing the underlying belief architecture, and how evidence-based psychological tools produce more durable long-term recovery outcomes than rehab alone​Social environment as a measurable variable in rebuilding, the documented principle that your five closest relationships directly shape your trajectory, including the practical and emotionally difficult process of auditing that circle without external validation or permission​Fixed vs. growth mindset after incarceration, how generationally inherited fixed mindset thinking contributes to recidivism and relapse, and why the ceiling most people in post-incarceration recovery accept as permanent is a learned condition rather than a structural one​Stoicism as a daily recovery and grounding practice, the application of Stoic philosophy, specifically Marcus Aurelius, to emotional regulation, CPTSD management, and the development of a stable identity framework for men in long-term recovery​The role of silence and discomfort in identity discovery, why sustained stillness without distraction is the primary mechanism for self-knowledge, and how avoiding it through social media, constant connection, and surface-level relationships keeps people in a holding pattern that looks like living but functions like stagnationThis episode is for: ​People in addiction recovery, relapse prevention, or long-term sobriety who want frameworks beyond the first 30 days​Men doing inner work, identity rebuilding, and personal development after trauma or significant loss​Life coaches, sobriety coaches, and practitioners working with trauma-adjacent clients who need real-world frameworks grounded in both lived experience and psychological research​Anyone navigating a significant life restart after 40 and looking for proof that the timeline is not over Mike Jarrell's books: From the Streets to Redemption -- https://a.co/d/dJT0ALN\nHow to Find Happiness in the Worst Possible Times -- https://a.co/d/fbnMaKU\n Rising from the Ashes -- https://a.co/d/0W0pu4K Mike's website: deaconslegacy.site Mike's TikTok: @deaconslegacy Grab F*ck the Script: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/CK-SCRIPT-Caring-Others-Rebuild/dp/B0FQ4F5NBB

    42 min
  5. A Lie Too Big To Carry: Steve Knapp on Five Years Sober, Shedding Identity, and Betting on Himself

    Apr 10

    A Lie Too Big To Carry: Steve Knapp on Five Years Sober, Shedding Identity, and Betting on Himself

    Steve Knapp was drinking on the drive to work, during his lunch hour, on the drive home, and through the entire evening. In his late thirties, that was his daily life. Then his wife found the credit card bill. What happened next was not rock bottom, it was a choice. He turned to her and said: that's all me. From that moment, nearly five years of transformation began. In this episode, Steve and Rob go deep into the mechanics of how shame works, why nice guys are actually practicing self-abandonment, the specific tool Steve used to stop over-apologizing and start building real self-respect, what happened on a one-night backpacking trip that rewired everything, how he quit a corporate job, drove 24 hours to Colorado with his life in the back of his truck, gave himself three months to make it work, and never left, how to tell the difference between running away and running toward, and what it means for men to stop bottling emotions without losing presence and responsibility in the moment. One of the most raw and complete episodes the show has produced. Follow Steve at NoAlcoholNeeded.net Listen on Spotify:  Get the book F*ck The Script:

    45 min
  6. Take Imperfect Action — How Dan Ahlborn Went From Foreclosure to $500K

    Apr 3

    Take Imperfect Action — How Dan Ahlborn Went From Foreclosure to $500K

    Dan Ahlborn has been a real estate investor for 16 years. He's failed forward through most of them, made mistakes, learned the hard way, and built something real. Two moments nearly ended him: a foreclosure notice on his own home while he was in the business of helping others avoid them, and a business partnership that evaporated overnight leaving him with 30 days to figure out everything from scratch. His response to both? Take Imperfect Action. That phrase has become his calling card, and in this conversation with Rob, he breaks down exactly what it means and why it's the most underrated principle in business and in life. In this episode of F*ck The Standard Podcast, Dan and Rob go deep on: How childhood wounds create adult money habits and how to break the cycle Why Dan generated $500K solo in 8 months after losing his business partnership The identity shift that transforms behavior at the neurological level Why discipline beats motivation every single time The difference between leveraged debt and debt as self-destruction Victor vs. victim: the one choice that defines everything else How to take imperfect action before you feel ready Faith, family, and the kind of 3am conversations that actually matter This is not a self-help episode. This is a field guide from someone who's been in the trenches, made the call, and rebuilt from scratch. Dan's book Flipping My Identity is in the works, but grab his free eBook Flipping My Future at danahlborn.com. Follow him on Instagram @danahlborn Find him on YouTube and Facebook as housebuyerdan. F*ck The Standard Podcast is for those of you who are done with the script, done performing, done waiting, and ready to actually build. New episodes weekly, subscribe so you don't miss one. Keywords: real estate investor, fail forward, imperfect action, men's personal development, identity transformation, financial recovery, discipline over motivation, victim to victor, blue collar success, men's mindset, flipping your identity, rebuild your life

    1h 1m
  7. Hall of Fame Winner, Hall of Fame Loser, Same Woman: Kimberly Stevens

    Mar 27

    Hall of Fame Winner, Hall of Fame Loser, Same Woman: Kimberly Stevens

    Kimberly Stevens calls herself a Hall of Fame winner and a Hall of Fame loser, and she’s earned both titles the hard way. A University of Iowa swimmer who set Big Ten records and won national championships, Kimberly also survived child loss, two divorces, four years in the hospital with her daughter before a liver transplant, breast cancer, and home foreclosure, then rebuilt her life from the ground up. In this episode, we rip apart the two most dangerous words people hide behind: “I’m fine.” We talk grief, trauma, identity loss, faith, parenting, resilience, and why small wins are the only way out when life buries you. Kimberly also breaks down her ROSE framework: Recognize, One step at a time, See/celebrate milestones, Extend, and why “never give up” isn’t motivation… it’s survival. Kimberly’s book: Altered (ALTAR’d): Finding Hope Through Grit and Gratitude to Never Give Uphttps://www.amazon.com/ALTARd-Finding-through-GRATITUDE-NEVER/dp/B0BQ9LLP7H Kimberly’s nonprofit: https://extendtherose.org/ — bring hope to kids/families in hospitals ROAR Gallery (upload a positive short): https://extendtherose.org/roar-galleryWant Kimberly to know you came from FTS? Comment or message “FTS.” Support the show / coaching / resources: https://stan.store/fts25Book link: Start Your Journey Now

    44 min
  8. I Overdosed… and Woke Up With a Purpose: Angie Hawkins

    Mar 21

    I Overdosed… and Woke Up With a Purpose: Angie Hawkins

    Angie Hawkins (author of Running in Slippers and Inner Glow Coach) joins Rob McCarthy on F*ck the Standard to share the moment that forced her to confront the belief that had been running her entire life: “I don’t deserve to be loved.” Raised by emotionally unavailable parents, Angie developed people-pleasing tendencies, perfectionism, and a deep lack of self-worth that followed her into relationships, money, and career decisions. After years of chasing approval, and even moving across the country to “start over," everything collapsed. Rock bottom became the turning point. In this episode we break down: • How childhood beliefs shape adult identity• Why victim mindset keeps you stuck• The connection between self-worth and money mindset• Perfectionism as disguised procrastination• Auditing your circle for mental health• Rewriting your internal script after crisis If you’ve ever felt stuck in patterns you can’t explain, this conversation will hit. Angie Hawkins Book and Coaching⁠: https://runninginslippers.com⁠ Get Rob McCarthy’s book F*CK THE SCRIPTStart Your Journey Now: https://a.co/d/dh0uSat Coaching & Resources: https://stan.store/fts25

    41 min
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About

F*ck The Standard is a no bullsh*t podcast for people who look “fine” but know they’ve been coasting on comfort, fear, distraction, and half truths. Hosted by Rob McCarthy, this show digs into discipline, identity, mental health, sobriety, family, emotional resilience, and the rebuild that happens when you finally take ownership. No gurus, no hype, just real conversations for blue-collar minds, parents, spouses, anyone tired of numbing out, avoiding the mirror and pretending they’re good. New Episodes Drop Every Friday!!

Information

  • Creator
    Rob McCarthy
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Rob McCarthy
  • Show Website
    F*ck The Standard