Franklin Swann: a man should be able
to feel the full range of emotions.

From joy and love all the
way to anger and frustration.

But in the midst of all that, he still has
the capacity to control himself and choose

his actions in spite of his emotions.

'cause sometimes the emotion
we are having is not supporting

the action we should be taking.

Right now, the world needs great men who
will stand up and lead with honor, serve

with purpose, and courageously fulfill
their God-Given roles and responsibilities

as husbands, fathers, leaders, and
men, it's time we see more men thrive.

Marriages filled with passion
and families that flourish.

So whether you're a man struggling
to figure it all out, or an awesome

husband and dad looking for the next
level, you've come to the right place.

We are your hosts, Franklin Swan and
Tanner Hayes, bringing you practical,

applicable tools and strategies you
can use every day to build yourself

into the man God is calling you to be.

This is the world needs men.

Let's go.

Tanner Hays: Welcome to the
World Needs Men podcast.

We're your hosts, Tanner Hayes.

Franklin Swan.

Franklin today we're gonna be
talking about what a healthy man is.

Before we get into that, why don't
you start us off with a quote?

Absolutely.

Franklin Swann: Boys
are born, men are built.

Men are built through trial and toil and
tear, day after day, defined and refined

over decades, all for the simple reward
of that which God created them to be men.

Tanner Hays: Such a powerful quote.

'cause and then the thing that
I love about it most is that

it's a daily pursuit, right?

Over an entire lifetime, it

Franklin Swann: never ends, right?

Every day we're waking up and we're
going to work to build ourselves

into a better man, a better version
than we were yesterday, right?

'
Tanner Hays: cause it's not easy
being a man, but it is a privilege

and it's, uh, obviously something that
God has called each of us to to do.

I

Franklin Swann: was, uh, I was doing
a devotional the other day and, and

I was reading and it said, you know,
being, being a man is, is hard, right?

I don't think anyone really tells
you that at the beginning, right?

It's almost like starting a race.

Uh, and you know, it's gonna be hard,
but no one really is able to tell you

just how hard this race is gonna be.

If you knew, you probably
wouldn't start to begin with.

One of the things I do believe though,
is it doesn't have to be so hard.

I think that men make it
with, because of a lack of.

Training, a lot of times a
lack of the tools that we need.

Exactly.

That.

We make it a lot harder
than it needs to be.

And then we also do it alone.

We don't have to go on
this journey by ourselves.

Tanner Hays: Right.

And that's the, the heart of this podcast
is that one, we know that there are men

out there that are silently struggling
and we want this podcast to be something

that can walk alongside them in that.

And also we wanna be able to give.

Tools to these men that they can use
and take to, to their daily life and

Franklin Swann: and apply them.

Yeah.

And the reason we know that is 'cause
that's who we were and who we still are.

Some days, yes.

I mean, there are days when I struggle,
but the difference is I have tools

that I can lean on and I can fall
back on and I can put into use that

keep me moving forward even when.

I continue to get knocked down.

And, and that's the thing.

There's no like magic pill, there's
no, lottery ticket that just gets

you out of, out of the challenge.

But there are tools and resources
and ways to, uh, to build yourself

daily in order to have the capacity
to thrive in the midst of a storm.,

Tanner Hays: there's so many
different areas and so many different

things that, , go into being a man.

And, and, and what we've done and what
we're gonna go over on this podcast is

we've broken it down into four key areas.

Why don't you tell us
what those areas are?

Yeah.

It's,

Franklin Swann: it's really simple,
and you're right, you can, I.

Like, you can't really fully define
what it means to be a man because

there are so many levels and
dimensions and, and elements to that.

But there are some very big boxes you
wanna make sure are checked, right?

That if they aren't that you're gonna
have a much more difficult time.

Uh, so those four in a very simply,
and we'll walk through and really

define what we, what we mean by them.

The first one is physical, then
we have emotional, we have mental,

and we have spiritual, right?

Those are the four areas of health and
wholeness that a man must have in order

to show up for his family, show up for his
wife and his kids, and in his community

and in his business in a way that allows
him to lead and serve and create value

in the world and to, and to be a healthy
man that adds to versus take from.

Tanner Hays: And really
this is biblical rights.

Um, there's the, the first Corinthians.

Scripture, um, that
really applies to this.

Franklin Swann: Yeah, I,
I love this scripture.

It says, so be on your guard,
stand firm in the faith.

Be courageous, be strong,
and do everything in love.

And I really think that that
encapsulates those four areas.

Uh, I mean, be on your guard.

You have to be mentally clear,
sharp, and aware and present

in order to be on your guard.

Right.

Standing firm in the faith, we can have
all the physical strength, all the mental

strength, all the emotional strength.

There is a, there is a power that
comes through from God into our lives.

And there is a, a, a piece of this
where if you don't have a relationship

with God, as a Christian, if you
don't have a relationship with

Jesus, like there is just gonna be a
missing element to the whole thing.

Be strong and be courageous.

We are called as men to be
protectors and providers.

We cannot do that without physical
bodies that have capacity to be used.

We have to have ability in our physical
bodies that can be used for the benefit

and in the service of the people we love.

Right?

And then, uh, finally
do everything in love.

This is your emotions.

The greatest challenge
sometimes is to love somebody.

Mm-Hmm.

But that's what we're called to.

We have to love God.

We have to love other people, but
we also need to love ourselves.

And I think it's really important that we
recognize just how it's emotions should be

felt, but they also should be controlled.

It's, it's feeling your emotions,
but choosing your actions.

Right.

Tanner Hays: Gosh, that's so good.

Can you say that again?

Yeah.

Franklin Swann: It's, you, a man should be
able to feel the full range of emotions.

From joy and love all the
way to anger and frustration.

But in the midst of all that, he still has
the capacity to control himself and choose

his actions in spite of his emotions.

'cause sometimes the emotion
we are having is not supporting

the action we should be taking.

Tanner Hays: Right.

And and the great thing
about capacity is it's.

You're not born with a fixed capacity.

At least we don't believe that.

And that's something that we can
continually work towards, is building our

capacity, whether that's in love, whether
that's our mental clarity, our physical

capacity, or our spiritual, it's a, it's a
pursuit that can con, that we can continue

to work towards and continue to build.

Franklin Swann: Absolutely.

So dive diving into physical
capacity specifically.

And we, we chose capacity because of its.

Of its connection to ability, right?

You've got all kinds of, you, you could
say, physical strength, but it's really

much more than that because it's not
strength for strength's sake, it's

really your god-given physical capacity
and ability in the fullness of the

greatest extent to which you are able
to produce in your life through your

physical body, that being available and.

Being able to be directed to
the people that, that you serve.

And so, yes, you'd be, you
should be physically strong.

Yes.

You should have endurance and speed
in a body that is at the height of its

capacity so that you can direct that
into the lives of the people around you.

Right?

Tanner Hays: And, and ultimately that
comes down to being a good steward

of what we've been given rights, uh,
and, and we're talking about physical.

So that's taking care of our body and.

Um, making sure that we're
continuing to keep it healthy and not

letting it just degrade over time.

Yeah.

Optimal.

Franklin Swann: Exactly.

So next one, mental clarity.

Tanner.

Talk about that.

Tanner Hays: I think we've all
been in a place where we've

felt a lack of mental clarity.

And oftentimes we can, you know, make so
many different excuses of to what that is.

But mental clarity comes down
to a few different things,

comes down to preparation.

Uh, it comes down to giving ourselves the
margin to think and process, you know,

different things that we're going into.

And we use different tools on a daily
basis to make sure that we're mentally

sharp so that we can go into the workplace
and be productive so that we can.

Show up for our family, um, and be
the men that God has called us to be.

Franklin Swann: Yeah.

And a lot of times mental clarity
comes down to just realizing

that a lot of the stories we tell
ourselves are simply not true.

Right.

And, and even if they are, are
they giving us what we want?

And it's so important to recognize
that we are not our thoughts

and to have the ability and the
skill of deciphering between.

What is real, what is not, and being
able to set thoughts aside and get

clear on what it is that is true
and get clear on what it is that

we actually want and is the thought
we're having serving us or not.

And so with, without mental
clarity, a man cannot be healthy.

A man cannot be on his guard.

A man can't show up well for his, for
his, uh, for his wife and kids, right?

Going back to emotions
and emotional control.

This is the third pillar that
must be healthy and in place.

And it really is about control.

There's, there's so much in the
world, I think, and so much pressure

on men, on boys too, to not feel, to
suppress and repress our emotions,

to just kind of, Hey, suck it up.

And, you know.

Suck it up buttercup and, and
keep moving and, and not show

any emotion and not feel emotion.

But the difference is we should be able
to feel, but we shouldn't allow those

feelings to dictate action, right?

We have to really cultivate the
ability to sit in that discomfort,

but still choose the right action.

Tanner Hays: Right.

And I, I think, I know for me personally,
when I feel out of control of a situation

or, um, in business or in life or, or
anything like that, that's when, like,

the worst part of me shows up, right?

Franklin Swann: The, the worst mistakes
I've ever made in the, in the things

that I regret the most were probably
all made in a moment of allowing

my emotions to dictate my actions
rather than my values and principles.

To determine the action I'm gonna
be taking outside of the immediate

circumstance that I found myself in.

Right.

'
Tanner Hays: cause ultimately, we
believe that God is in control,

but oftentimes when we feel, you
know, back to that emotion, we feel

out of control, that's where we
start to make decisions that aren't

Franklin Swann: serving us best.

Well, and they're,
they're fear-based, right?

Right.

I mean, you're, you're drifting down
into lower level thinking, responding.

I mean, anytime we've snapped at our
wives or, or flown off the handle

with kids or, or snapped at someone
at work or, you know, even, you know,

if you got road rage or something.

I mean, all of that is just
an emotional reaction instead

of a thought through response.

And fundamentally, a man cannot
show up well for his family

until he gets that in line.

Like you cannot be an emotional.

Hand grenade ticking time bomb and thrive
at home and be a, and be a man that

your, your family can count on trust
in and, and have some security with.

Tanner Hays: Right.

Especially if you're, if your kids are,
if your wife don't know when the, you

know, when the grenade's gonna go off
and they're walking around on eggshells

Franklin Swann: yeah.

That just creates a, just an
undercurrent of fear and anxiety

and you'll, you'll never have.

The harmony that I think we've, what you
and I want in our homes and in our, our

marriages and lives are like, we want
harmony and stability and safety right.

For our families.

And, and they can't experience that if
they don't, if they can't trust that

we have our emotions under control.

Tanner Hays: Right.

And this a topic for another
podcasts, but, um, two of the, the

most important things to, to our
wives is safety and security and.

Showing up in these four areas ultimately
is how we, we provide that for them.

Franklin Swann: Absolutely.

Um, finally, it, we define the spiritual
side of our health as connection.

You know, it's, it's not, it's very
different from religion, I believe.

Right?

It's not just going through emotions.

It's not just just checking off a list.

It is, do you have a daily walk with
God and a relationship with him?

There's a power and there's a, there's
just a strength that comes through

that, that's unlike anything else.

You can have the fittest
body in the world.

You can have the mental clarity, the
emotional control, but if you don't

have the spiritual connection with God
for, if you don't have a daily walk with

him and, and him guiding you through,
you're gonna be missing the biggest part.

Those others are necessary.

Those others are important,
that other areas are critical.

But if you don't add this fourth one
in, if you're not a man who is led

spiritually and then who can also lead
his family spiritually, then you're

gonna be missing out and you're gonna
be leaving opportunity on the table for

what would be possible in your home.

Tanner Hays: Right, because I, I think
one of the most systemic things in our

society when it comes to that spiritual
domain is men that are operating

with a spirit of spiritual apathy.

And I know I've been there at times
throughout my life, but there's something

so powerful by a man that is pursuing
his calling and is spiritually on fire

Franklin Swann: when you're in that place.

You have purpose, right?

You can see the vision that
God has created for you.

I believe they're all, we, we are
all called to something great.

It was defined by God, planned by him,
but we've gotta be open to it, and we've

gotta be willing to answer that call.

We've gotta be willing to
step into whatever that is.

And, and that just
doesn't happen naturally.

Doesn't happen just overnight.

there's work that has
to be done even there.

It's a, it's a, like any other
relationship, like I can't have

a great relationship with my wife
if I'm not taking her on dates.

Right?

Connecting and communicating
with her each day.

And so if, if the depth of my
relationship with God is, I maybe

show up to church once every now
and then, it'd be no different

than talking to my wife just once.

Every now and then, there won't
be a healthy relationship there.

And so what I, I'm expecting something
from it that I really don't deserve.

Right.

And if

Tanner Hays: you're sitting at
home and you're listening to this

and you, you're like, well, I
don't know what my calling is.

Or, or maybe you do and you,
you don't feel equipped.

We've been there, you know, we just were
talking before this podcast, uh, about

this same topic and something that has
really encouraged me is God doesn't

call the equipped, he equips the called.

Franklin Swann: Yeah.

No one is, is really ready for what
God probably has in front of him.

He will give you that strength
and he'll give you that, uh, he'll

give you what you need in order to
step into what he's calling you to.

Tanner Hays: Right.

And, and for us, it comes down
to walking in that obedience.

Mm-Hmm.

Franklin Swann: If I look back, you know,
we talked to, on the last podcast on

Origin story, fundamentally I was a man
who was, was physically, uh, had, was just

not well, uh, mentally just burning down.

Emotionally out of control with myself.

Uh, and, and then spiritually just numb.

I'd go to church, I'd go through the
motions, but I couldn't feel anything.

And the translation of that was a
man who is not healthy, cannot show

up and have a healthy marriage.

He can't show up and
have a healthy family.

And, and it's not until the
guy, the man gets healthy.

That the marriage and the family
can then start to experience health.

So the journey we've been on and what
we wanna paint today is just the, the

image of a man who's healthy and a man
who has his life in order so that he

can show up for the people he loves.

Tanner Hays: Right?

And that's what we want this to be.

We want this to, to encourage you.

Whether you feel like you are
crushing it in life or at home,

um, or you feel like the opposite.

We want this to encourage you
that you don't have to be, you

don't have to do this alone.

Um, and this is a continued pursuit
and it doesn't happen in just one day.

Franklin Swann: Yeah.

Whether you're at one end of the
spectrum, like literally burning down

in all four areas of your life, or
things are amazing, and you just might

need one little click of the dial.

The point of this podcast is to bring
applicable, practical tools that we have

used to rebuild ourselves as men, to
pull ourselves out of the dark space that

we found ourself in, and to share that
experience and to go on that journey with

you and the journey that we continue to
go down every single day, and so that we

can paint the picture of what's possible.

We believe a lot of men are struggling
and that families are suffering,

and so we're, we're really just on a
mission to help men and heal families.

That's what our heart is for

Tanner Hays: this I.

And if that resonates with you,
uh, it would bless us if you would

follow this podcast and share it
with maybe someone you know or just

share on, on your social media.

'cause we are on a mission to reach
as many people as possible with this

and ultimately help heal families.

Franklin Swann: On the next podcast,
we'll be talking and starting to

get more specific around the topic
of our physical body and capacity.

And go into some real like dimensions
of what that looks like, and then begin

to lay out the the tools that you and I
have used in order to restore order to

our lives in these areas that matter.

Tanner Hays: We ask that if you found
value in this, that you subscribe to the

podcast and share it with someone that you
think would find value in this as well.

Franklin Swann: If

there's a man that you know
who would benefit from this,

please share it with them.

We want to get these messages and
these tools and resources out to as

many men as we can so that marriages
can be thriving, families can heal.

So kids have great dads so that wives
have great husbands and one man at a time.

In this world, we can make a difference.