Lion Counseling Podcast

Lion Counseling Podcast
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Mental Health
  • Complete

The Lion Counseling Podcast helps men escape the cages that hold them back and become the Lions they were created to be. It exists to help men obtain success, purpose, happiness, and peace in their career and personal lives. The podcast is hosted by the founder of Lion Counseling, Mark Odland (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist), and Zack Carter (Counselor and Coach with Lion Counseling). In their podcasts, they address a variety of topics relevant to men, including: mental health, relationships, masculinity, faith, success, business, and self-improvement.

  1. 6d ago

    The Hidden Cost of Success for Business Owners

    🎙️ The Hidden Cost of Success for Business Owners: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 92 You’ve built something meaningful. People depend on you. You’ve learned how to carry responsibility, make difficult decisions, and keep moving forward—even when the pressure is high. But what happens when that pressure starts changing you? In Episode 92 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist, speaks directly to business owners, entrepreneurs, and other high-achieving men who carry the weight of leadership every day. From the outside, things may look strong. The business is growing. You’re providing for your family. You’re getting things done. But underneath the surface, decision fatigue, accumulated stress, unresolved experiences, and the constant weight of responsibility can begin affecting how you think, lead, and relate to the people closest to you. At Lion Counseling, we work specifically with men navigating these kinds of pressures.For some men, trauma-focused therapy such as EMDR can help address deeper unresolved experiences and accumulated stress that continue to shape how they respond under pressure. For others, the work may focus more on habits, patterns, stress responses, and behaviors that need to change for leadership to remain sustainable. The goal is not to force every man into the same approach. It’s to understand what is actually happening beneath the surface and determine the right path forward. This episode explores: ✅ The hidden cost of carrying significant leadership responsibility✅ How decision fatigue and chronic pressure can affect your relationships✅ Why successful men can struggle even when life looks good from the outside✅ How unresolved experiences can influence your reactions under stress✅ When trauma-focused work such as EMDR may be appropriate✅ Why sustainable leadership requires more than simply pushing harder✅ How Lion Counseling works with business owners and high-achieving menIf you’re building something meaningful but beginning to feel the weight of it—or you want to address the problem before you reach burnout—the next step is a Clarity Call. 📞 Schedule a Clarity Call:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 🎧 Listen to Audio Only:https://lioncounselingpodcast.transistor.fm/ 📘 Get the Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ Learn More About Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ About the Lion Counseling PodcastThe Lion Counseling Podcast helps high-achieving men break free from the patterns holding them back and become the men they were created to be. Mark Odland and Zack Carter explore psychology, faith, relationships, leadership, trauma, anxiety, personal growth, and the challenges men face in becoming stronger husbands, fathers, leaders, and friends.New episodes every Tuesday.

    The Hidden Cost of Success for Business Owners

  2. Sep 8

    Can’t Stay Consistent? Lower the Bar

    🎙️ Can’t Stay Consistent? Lower the Bar: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 96 If you struggle to stay consistent with working out—or almost any difficult habit—the answer might not be more motivation or discipline. It might be lowering the bar. In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a Reddit post arguing that when you’re struggling with consistency, you should lower your standards for the workout rather than giving up altogether. For high-achieving men, that can be surprisingly difficult. When you’re used to pushing hard, taking ownership, and refusing to make excuses, doing less can feel like failure. But sometimes the pursuit of the “perfect” workout is exactly what keeps you from doing anything at all. Mark and Zack explore the balance between discipline and realistic expectations, why starting small can create momentum, and how to push yourself without going so hard that you burn out, quit, or get injured. They also share what they’re learning from their own current challenges—with Zack training for a marathon and Mark preparing for a five-hour GORUCK event with 30+ pounds on his back. And somewhere along the way, Mark reveals his unfortunate new call sign: “Cushion.” ✅ In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why all-or-nothing thinking destroys consistency✅ Why lowering the bar isn’t necessarily making an excuse✅ How small habits can grow into serious discipline✅ Why success at work doesn’t always translate into fitness✅ How to find the balance between intensity and sustainability✅ Why avoiding injury is part of playing the long game✅ How Zack is approaching marathon training✅ How Mark is progressively training for a GORUCK event✅ Why sometimes you need to embrace being part lion, part cushion If you keep waiting until you have enough time, energy, motivation, or the perfect plan to get started, this episode is a reminder that imperfect action can beat perfect intentions. Click here to view the episode transcript.’ 📞 Schedule a Clarity Call:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 📘 Get the Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ Learn More About Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ 💬 What works better for you—setting an ambitious goal that forces you to rise to the occasion, or starting small and building momentum? Let us know in the comments. About the Lion Counseling Podcast The Lion Counseling Podcast helps high-achieving men break free from the patterns holding them back and become the men they were created to be. Mark Odland and Zack Carter explore psychology, faith, relationships, leadership, trauma, anxiety, personal growth, and the challenges men face in becoming stronger husbands, fathers, leaders, and friends. New episodes every Tuesday. #LionCounseling #Discipline #Consistency #Motivation #MensMentalHealth #SelfImprovement #FitnessMotivation #AtomicHabits

    Can’t Stay Consistent? Lower the Bar

  3. Sep 3

    Decisive… or Just Reactive?

    🎙️ Decisive… or Just Reactive? | Leadership Under Pressure #95Jocko Willink and Echelon Front teach the importance of decisive action. Leaders must move.Men must take initiative.Passivity destroys families, teams, businesses, and mission.But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores a critical distinction many high-performing men miss:Decisive action is not the same thing as emotional reactivity. Mark breaks down:✅ The difference between grounded leadership and reactive action✅ Why movement is not always leadership✅ How anxiety, anger, and fear often masquerade as decisiveness✅ The hidden danger of “action addiction” in high performers✅ Why reactive leadership quietly damages marriages, parenting, and teams✅ How fight responses, overfunctioning, and workaholism can become trauma-driven behaviors✅ Why slowing down is sometimes the strongest tactical move a man can make  This episode is not about becoming passive or weak.It’s about learning how to act from clarity instead of activation. Because:speed is not wisdomintensity is not strengthmovement is not leadershipAnd many men who pride themselves on being “men of action” are unknowingly reacting from anxiety, shame, fear, or unresolved internal pressure. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-performing men who want cleaner action, stronger leadership, and grounded decision-making under pressure.Sometimes the most important question is not:“What should I do?”But:“What is driving me right now?” 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    Decisive… or Just Reactive?

  4. Sep 2

    Think You’re Boring? You’re Probably Doing This Wrong

    🎙️ Think You’re Boring? You’re Probably Doing This Wrong: Lion Counseling Podcast Episode 94 Think you’re boring? You may be thinking about what makes someone interesting completely wrong. In this episode of the Lion Counseling Podcast, Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to a Reddit post making a surprisingly powerful argument: people don’t care nearly as much about how interesting you are as they care about how you make them feel. From social anxiety and awkward conversations to one-sided friendships and the lost art of listening, Mark and Zack break down what actually makes someone enjoyable to be around—and why genuine curiosity may be one of the most valuable social skills you can develop. They also push back on the idea that being interesting doesn’t matter at all. There’s something to be said for taking risks, pursuing meaningful goals, challenging yourself, and actually living a life that gives you something worth talking about. In this episode, you’ll learn:✅ Why trying to impress people can actually make you less likable✅ Why asking good questions is such a powerful social skill✅ How focusing on other people can reduce social anxiety✅ Why so many people have become terrible listeners✅ How smartphones are changing the way we interact✅ How to recognize one-sided friendships✅ Why genuine curiosity has to be authentic—not manipulative✅ Why living an interesting life still matters If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re boring, struggled to make friends, or walked away from a conversation wondering, “Did they even like me?” this episode offers a different way to think about connection. 📞 Schedule a Clarity Call:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 📘 Get the Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ Learn More About Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ 💬 What do you think makes someone interesting? Is it the life they’ve lived—or how they make other people feel? Let us know in the comments. Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About the Lion Counseling Podcast The Lion Counseling Podcast helps high-achieving men break free from the patterns holding them back and become the men they were created to be. Mark Odland and Zack Carter explore psychology, faith, relationships, leadership, trauma, anxiety, personal growth, and the challenges men face in becoming stronger husbands, fathers, leaders, and friends. New episodes every Tuesday. #LionCounseling #SocialSkills #Friendship #SocialAnxiety #MensMentalHealth #Relationships #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth

    Think You’re Boring? You’re Probably Doing This Wrong

  5. Aug 27

    When High Standards Become Fear

    🎙️ When High Standards Become Fear | Leadership Under Pressure #93Jocko Willink and Echelon Front teach the importance of standards, discipline, ownership, and execution. And they’re right. Low standards destroy:marriagesleadershiphealthfinancesteamscharacter But in this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores the hidden danger many high-performing men never notice: Sometimes what looks like “high standards” is actually fear in disguise. Mark breaks down:✅ The difference between healthy standards and fear-based standards✅ Why some men pursue excellence while secretly running from shame✅ How perfectionism quietly damages marriages, parenting, and leadership✅ Why fear-based standards create pressure instead of strength✅ The hidden connection between criticism, anxiety, and emotional distance✅ How unresolved shame contaminates leadership and relationships✅ Why some successful men can never fully relax, celebrate, or feel satisfied  This episode is not about lowering standards.It’s about purifying them.Because standards rooted in:purposemissionloveresponsibilitycreate strength. But standards rooted in:fearshameanxietyconditional wortheventually create exhaustion and distance. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-performing men who appear successful externally—but who internally feel driven by pressure, fear of failure, and the inability to ever feel “enough.”Sometimes the goal is not lower standards.Sometimes the goal is healing what’s driving them. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    When High Standards Become Fear

  6. Aug 20

    Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up

    🎙️ Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up | Leadership Under Pressure #91One of the most overlooked leadership skills taught at Echelon Front Muster is listening. Not listening to respond.Not listening to correct.Not listening to fix.Listening to understand. In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why many high-achieving men unintentionally train the people around them to stop being fully honest—and how anxiety, defensiveness, and problem-solving instincts quietly interfere with connection.Mark breaks down:  ✅ Why many successful men listen for flaws instead of understanding✅ How defensiveness slowly shuts down honesty in marriage and leadership✅ Why wives, kids, and teams stop opening up over time✅ The hidden role anxiety plays in poor listening✅ Why listening can feel threatening for high performers under pressure✅ The difference between solving problems and creating emotional safety✅ Why listening is actually a form of leadership strength This episode is not about becoming passive or weak.It’s about becoming steady enough to hear difficult things without immediately correcting, defending, explaining, or withdrawing.Because if people close to you stop being honest with you…that is not just a relationship issue.It’s a leadership issue. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-performing men who want to improve communication, leadership, and emotional connection—especially in marriage and family life.Sometimes the strongest thing a man can do…is stop talking long enough to truly listen. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    Why Your Wife Stopped Opening Up

  7. Aug 18

    Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship

    🎙️ Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship - Lion Counseling Podcast Episode #90 What does it actually take to make a marriage last? In Episode 90 of the Lion Counseling Podcast, therapists Mark Odland and Zack Carter react to Casey and Candice Neistat's "10 Tips for a Successful Relationship" — and explore where their advice lines up with what we see in the therapy room…and where things get more complicated. Casey and Candice talk candidly about marriage counseling, nearly getting divorced, maintaining independence, respecting each other's pet peeves, letting the little things go, and remembering what brought you together in the first place. Mark and Zack dig deeper into questions like: ✅ How much "work" should a healthy marriage actually require?✅ Is marriage counseling really like arguing with a referee?✅ How do you maintain your individuality without becoming disconnected from your spouse?✅ When does accommodating a spouse become enabling or losing your backbone?✅ Why can small disagreements become emotionally charged?✅ What does forgiveness actually require?✅ Can looking back at old memories genuinely change how you feel about your spouse today?✅ And for driven, high-achieving people: what are you ultimately working so hard for if you miss the people you're working for? They also discuss attachment, emotional escalation during conflict, contempt, appreciation, grace, forgiveness, and the importance of remembering that life is short. Casey and Candice aren't presenting themselves as relationship experts — and that's part of what makes the conversation interesting. Their advice comes from actually living through the messiness of a long-term relationship. Mark and Zack bring a therapist's perspective to their ideas while also reflecting on their own experiences as husbands and fathers. If you're married, in a serious relationship, or trying to balance ambition with being fully present for the people you love, this conversation is for you. 💬 What relationship advice has actually made a difference in your marriage? Let us know in the comments. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/contact/ 📘 Get Mark’s Free E-Book:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ 📚 Mark’s Books & Resources:https://escapethecagenow.com/books/ 🌐 Lion Counseling:https://escapethecagenow.com/ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⚠️ DISCLAIMER The Lion Counseling Podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for psychotherapy, medical care, diagnosis, or treatment. Watching or listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship with Mark Odland, Zack Carter, or Lion Counseling. #Marriage #Relationships #CaseyNeistat #MarriageAdvice #CouplesTherapy #RelationshipAdvice #MentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #LionCounseling

    Therapists React to Casey Neistat’s 10 Tips for a Successful Relationship

  8. Aug 13

    When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team

    🎙️ When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team | Leadership Under Pressure #89One of the Echelon Front principles that translates powerfully into marriage is: Cover and move. In leadership, teams cannot function as isolated units fighting for their own success. They have to support each other, protect each other, and move together toward the mission.That principle applies to marriage too.But many high-performing men stop functioning like teammates at home. In this episode of Leadership Under Pressure, Mark Odland explores why successful men often shift from partnership into defensiveness during marriage conflict—and how unresolved internal reactions quietly turn spouses into opponents. Mark breaks down:✅ How “cover and move” applies directly to marriage✅ Why many men become defensive instead of collaborative under pressure✅ The hidden role of shame, fear of failure, and criticism sensitivity in conflict✅ Why keeping score destroys emotional safety and trust✅ How unresolved internal patterns create distance in communication, parenting, and intimacy✅ The difference between protecting yourself and protecting the team✅ Why leadership at home requires emotional steadiness under pressure This episode is not about making men passive or pretending they are always wrong.It’s about helping men become strong enough to remain on the same team with their wives—even when the conversation becomes uncomfortable.Because once the team breaks…everything gets harder.Communication.Trust.Parenting.Connection.Intimacy. At Lion Counseling, Mark works with high-achieving men who want to lead well at home—not just succeed professionally. And sometimes the most important leadership battle is not at work.It’s in the living room. 🎙️ Book a Clarity Call with Mark:https://escapethecagenow.com/call/ 📘 Get Mark’s FREE book + join the newsletter:https://escapethecagenow.com/subscribe/ Click here to watch a video of this episode.’ Click here to view the episode transcript.’ About Leadership Under Pressure:Leadership Under Pressure is a series from Lion Counseling exploring the hidden psychological layer of leadership, discipline, relationships, and performance. Mark Odland combines trauma-informed therapy, EMDR expertise, leadership principles, faith, and real-world experience to help high-performing men operate with greater clarity, steadiness, and freedom under pressure.

    When Marriage Stops Feeling Like a Team
See All (96)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Lion Counseling Podcast helps men escape the cages that hold them back and become the Lions they were created to be. It exists to help men obtain success, purpose, happiness, and peace in their career and personal lives. The podcast is hosted by the founder of Lion Counseling, Mark Odland (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR Therapist), and Zack Carter (Counselor and Coach with Lion Counseling). In their podcasts, they address a variety of topics relevant to men, including: mental health, relationships, masculinity, faith, success, business, and self-improvement.

Information

  • Creator
    Lion Counseling Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    96
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Lion Counseling Podcast
  • Show Website
    Lion Counseling Podcast