Heroic Stories

Heroic Men
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

Every man has his heroes, and every life is made up stories. Heroic Stories is a series from HeroicMen.org, to find out why some men choose the harder path in life, even when it means losing everything, how they survived, and who they are today.

  1. Sep 30

    It’s Okay to Be Mad at God - Rob Kaczmark

    Rob Kaczmark starts with a Thor: Ragnarok scene and ends with why it's okay to be mad at God. Rob is the founder of Spirit Juice Studios (12 Emmys and over a billion views), and host of the new show Flicker and Burn. On Heroic Stories he talks about what happens when the things a man planned on are stripped away: how he takes it one brick at a time, what he does with his anger at God after a hard year, why there is a fourth Jesus tattooed on him, and how he is teaching his sons to own their mistakes. What You'll Learn ✅ Why the Thor: Ragnarok scene is a picture of surrendering to God the Father ✅ How "one day at a time" and "one brick at a time" carry a man through uncertainty ✅ Why Rob says it's okay to be mad at God, and what to do with the anger ✅ Why he teaches his sons to own their mistakes instead of blaming the ref Spirit Juice Studios CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Heroic Stories 01:48 The Thor: Ragnarok scene that lights him up 06:13 Why it hits: life stripped away 09:13 Living with uncertainty 11:33 A family diagnosis and letting go of control 15:06 One day at a time, one brick at a time 17:17 Childhood: Terminator 2, Legos and BMX 19:29 Growing up Catholic 21:17 The Medjugorje pilgrimage 23:41 A prayer at Notre Dame and a hard year 27:10 Angry at God, choosing to trust him 28:56 Tattoos: the skull, the Seven Sorrows, Jesus on his head 31:26 Carved into the palms of his hands 32:58 What fatherhood taught him about God's love 37:22 Heroes: his father and St. Joseph 41:47 Raising sons to own their mistakes 46:55 F3: fitness, fellowship, faith 49:08 Who he is here to serve ▶ Watch this episode on YouTube ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories TAKE THE HEROIC PLEDGE Pray daily. Connect weekly. Invite monthly. 👉 Take the Pledge Find a Catholic men's group Support the mission · Heroic Man Magazine Follow Heroic Men: YouTube · Facebook ABOUT HEROIC MEN Heroic Men brings isolated men into brotherhood where they are strengthened by Christ to pray, connect and invite. Our mission is to see one million men living the Heroic Pledge by 2033. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

  2. Sep 25

    Why Steve Rouhana (physicist) researched gender dysphoria, & wrote a book

    A rabid bat scare taught physicist Steve Rouhana why evangelization is life-saving news. Steve is a PhD physicist with 32 years in crash safety at GM and Ford, an MA in pastoral studies, and a writer on the Rosary and on gender dysphoria (per the host's intro). We start with a rabid bat and end with how he prays each day. In between: loving family who don't practice the faith, why he left GM over crash-safety ethics, boyhood dreams of the priesthood and the stars, and what he says after reading the research on gender dysphoria for his book, 'The King and Queen Are Naked.' What You'll Learn ✅ How a rabid-bat scare turned into a lesson on evangelization ✅ How to love family members who don't practice the faith ✅ Why a PhD physicist left GM over crash-safety ethics ✅ Why Steve argues for compassion without affirmation on gender dysphoria Get the book: The King and Queen Are Naked CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Heroic Stories 01:47 The rabid bat story 07:24 Life-saving news: why evangelize 09:10 Loving family who don't practice 13:26 Leaving GM over crash safety 18:32 Priesthood, astronaut, Air Force Academy 25:04 A son's question on gender dysphoria 28:39 Why the APA dropped the disorder 35:37 The King and Queen Are Naked 39:20 The Cass Review and puberty blockers 45:40 Conversion therapy, in his words 48:03 Who he serves and how he prays TAKE THE HEROIC PLEDGE Pray daily. Connect weekly. Invite monthly. Take the Heroic Pledge FIND A CATHOLIC MEN'S GROUP Search for ministries and conferences near you: Find a Catholic men’s group SUPPORT THE MISSION Help us bring isolated men into brotherhood: Support the mission GET THE HEROIC MAN MAGAZINE Read The Heroic Man magazine FOLLOW HEROIC MEN Facebook: Facebook YouTube: YouTube LISTEN TO HEROIC STORIES Spotify: Spotify Apple Podcasts: Apple Podcasts Amazon Music: Amazon Music ABOUT HEROIC MEN Heroic Men brings isolated men into brotherhood where they are strengthened by Christ to pray, connect and invite. Our mission is to see one million men living the Heroic Pledge by 2033. Strengthen the man. Strengthen the family. Strengthen the family. Strengthen the Church. Strengthen the Church. Transform the culture. ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  3. Sep 18

    Former Playboy Editor’s Powerful Catholic Conversion Story - Kevin Kuster

    Former Playboy photo editor Kevin Kuster spent decades chasing money, status, power and pornography until divorce, lawsuits and despair shattered his life. Kevin reveals how childhood shame shaped his identity, why he considered suicide, what happened during his first confession in 25 years and how an encounter with the Holy Spirit led him back to the Catholic faith. Book Kevin on CatholicSpeakers.com | Kevin Kuster's Website: | Get the Book What You’ll Learn ✅ How childhood wounds shape adult choices ✅ Why Kevin’s successful life felt empty ✅ What brought him back to confession ✅ How the Holy Spirit transformed his life ABOUT HEROIC MEN Heroic Men brings isolated men into brotherhood where they are strengthened by Christ to pray, connect and invite. Our mission is to see one million men living the Heroic Pledge by 2033.Strengthen the man. Strengthen the family.Strengthen the family. Strengthen the Church.Strengthen the Church. Transform the culture. ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  4. Sep 3

    What Fatherhood Teaches Men About Strength & Leadership - Alan Webb

    Fatherhood changes a man. For record-setting runner and Catholic convert Alan Webb, raising daughters forced a deeper question: What does it actually mean to be a man? Webb talks about masculine leadership, marriage, athletic discipline, conversion, miscarriage, confession, and the responsibility every father carries to show his children what faith looks like under pressure. His answer is demanding: a man needs to know who he is leading, where he is leading them, and whether his own life can survive being copied by his children. What You’ll Learn ✅ Why fatherhood strengthened Webb’s masculinity ✅ How miscarriage deepened his Catholic faith ✅ Why athletic discipline needs a spiritual destination ✅ What Catholic leadership looks like inside a family TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Heroism is made 00:58 Meet Alan Webb 01:39 Maximilian Kolbe and sacrifice 04:27 Life with four daughters 06:02 Fatherhood strengthened his masculinity 09:24 What daughters learn from dad 12:20 Defining true masculinity 14:36 Losing a child 16:04 The value of human life 19:35 Loss deepened his faith 21:41 When Christ’s burden feels heavy 23:11 Athletic success in perspective 25:47 What sports teach men 29:54 Failure and conversion 32:08 Eucharist and confession 33:26 Why John Paul II matters 35:13 Meeting his wife 38:15 Who Alan wants to serve Hashtags #CatholicMen #CatholicMasculinity #AlanWebb ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  5. Aug 25

    What Makes a Man Strong? Courage, Sacrifice and Catholic Masculinity - Brandon Powell

    What does strong masculinity actually look like? After 17 years as a Protestant pastor, Brandon Powell left his career, friendships, and familiar world behind to enter the Catholic Church. He and Dominic explore the men who shaped his understanding of masculinity, the courage of fathers and martyrs, why real strength includes gentleness, and how ordinary inconveniences become opportunities for a man to sacrifice for others. Brandon also shares how prayer, honest self-examination, Scripture, and fatherhood continue forming the kind of man he wants to become. Website: https://www.whyitmatterscatholic.org/ Book Brandon: https://catholicspeakers.com/profiles/brandon-powell What You’ll Learn ✅ Why masculinity can be strong, gentle, and generous ✅ Why sacrifice matters more than comfort ✅ How fatherhood changes a man’s understanding of courage ✅ How prayer forms men for responsibility and service 00:00 Brandon Powell 01:22 Two teenage refugees choose freedom 04:34 Could I make that sacrifice? 07:32 Leaving Protestant ministry 11:08 The search that led to Catholicism 14:40 Why some men keep digging 15:27 Learning to ask hard questions 20:27 Scripture rabbit holes 23:49 The Ark and Catholic reverence 26:30 Brandon’s models of masculinity 27:52 Thomas Becket and moral courage 30:45 Blessed Stanley Rother 33:36 Sacrifice in ordinary life 36:26 Building a Catholic prayer life 40:02 Stop trying to sound impressive 42:27 Giving God room to answer #CatholicMen #CatholicConversion #CatholicFaith ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  6. Aug 18

    How Catholic Men Forgive Without Becoming Weak - Chuck Jansen

    Every man wants justice when he has been betrayed, humiliated, wounded, or cheated. But what happens when the demand for justice becomes its own prison? Chuck Jansen joins Heroic Men to explain why forgiveness is one of the hardest and most heroic choices a Catholic man can make. Drawing from years of teaching in prisons, churches, and men’s groups, Chuck reveals how unresolved pain controls men, why forgiveness is a decision rather than a feeling, and how surrender to the Holy Spirit frees a man from anger without denying evil, abandoning truth, or excusing the offender. Website: https://www.forgivenessinstitutekc.com What You’ll Learn ✅ Why men confuse forgiveness with weakness ✅ How unresolved wounds begin controlling your life ✅ Why justice alone fails to heal the heart ✅ How the Holy Spirit leads men into freedom TIMESTAMPS 00:00 The man behind the mission 01:25 Finding purpose inside prison 04:26 Trauma changes a man 08:14 Why forgiveness feels impossible 09:34 Justice can become a prison 12:00 Grace transforms wounded men 13:39 Acknowledge, own, process 17:19 The danger of controlling everything 19:19 Let God write the next chapter 21:32 Why men resist surrender 24:11 Chuck’s forgiveness journey 25:38 When the mission became personal 28:09 Mercy toward men who did evil 30:45 Facing judgment without hatred 32:09 Justice, action, and surrender 34:48 The men who formed Chuck 36:16 Resources for learning forgiveness 37:54 Trusting the Holy Spirit 39:45 Serving men without a voice 40:16 The freedom forgiveness brings #CatholicMen #ChristianForgiveness #HeroicMen ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  7. Aug 13

    Catholic men are bored. Sam Halligan says they need a mission

    Many Catholic men feel bored, underused and unsure where they fit in the Church. Sam Halligan of Forge joins Heroic Stories to explore why men need a demanding mission, how sacrifice becomes a way of life, and what Ernest Shackleton’s impossible Antarctic expedition can teach men about leadership. Sam also shares the painful discernment that uprooted his career and family, why struggle can transform a man’s identity, and how ordinary men can recover purpose by serving the people already within their reach. What You’ll Learn ✅ Why men respond to difficult missions ✅ How sacrifice forms masculine identity ✅ Why struggle can become an encounter with God ✅ How one man’s life affects everyone around him TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Heroic Stories with Sam Halligan 01:40 Shackleton’s impossible expedition 05:32 Why this story matters 07:15 Cutting away dead weight 09:38 Ordinary men can become leaders 11:38 Making heroism practical 13:19 Choosing sacrifice early 18:21 What sacrifice truly means 20:08 The Church asks too little 21:41 Men need a greater story 24:08 Giving men a real mission 26:05 Why modern men feel bored 28:37 Sam’s hardest recent decision 33:13 Finding purpose through suffering 35:03 Stop wishing struggle away 37:31 Jacob wrestles with God 39:32 Encounter changes how you walk 42:31 Sleeping through your climax 42:54 Sam’s heroes 47:14 Becoming a brother to men #CatholicMen #CatholicManhood #MensMinistry ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

  8. Aug 4

    What Makes a Man Useful When His Strength Is Gone? Dr Dillon Caswell

    What gives a man purpose when his plans collapse? Dillon Caswell chats about Christian hope, Catholic faith, and the courage to serve through suffering. Caswell opens up about becoming a caregiver at 17 after his mother suffered serious complications during cancer surgery. The experience forced him to release his athletic ambitions, grow into responsibility and learn that heroism often begins with the person directly in front of you. His story later leads through career disruption, a call to write despite dyslexia, conversion to Catholicism and a growing conviction that obedience matters more than controlling the next five years. Book Dillon Caswell: https://catholicspeakers.com/profiles/dr-dillon-caswell-pt-dpt-scs Get the book: https://hopenotnope.org/learn-about-the-book/ What You’ll Learn ✅ A deeper Catholic definition of masculine purpose ✅ What Tim Green’s ALS witness teaches about hope ✅ How suffering formed Caswell’s life of service ✅ Why surrender can require greater courage than control 00:00 Dillon Caswell 03:09 A different definition of heroism 05:08 Tim Green writes with his eyes 06:51 The collapse of Caswell’s plan 08:18 Called to write through dyslexia 11:52 The crisis that changed his family 14:58 Service replaces athletic ambition 17:38 Formation through his father 20:06 A Catholic promise completed 21:00 His future wife invites him 23:19 Finding home in the Mass 25:27 A strange beginning to RCIA 26:51 Mary and the grotto 28:02 His greatest Catholic barrier 31:38 Why St. Paul became his hero 37:09 Living beyond long-range plans #DillonCaswell #CatholicConversion #FaithThroughSuffering ABOUT HEROIC STORIESDiscover the raw stories of Catholic men finding faith, grit, and purpose. Join Dominic de Souza for a podcast journey into heroism, transformation, and strength.Every episode of Heroic Stories

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About

Every man has his heroes, and every life is made up stories. Heroic Stories is a series from HeroicMen.org, to find out why some men choose the harder path in life, even when it means losing everything, how they survived, and who they are today.

Information

  • Creator
    Heroic Men
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heroic Men
  • Show Website
    Heroic Stories