[00:00:00] 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 as husbands, fathers, leaders, and men. I'm your host, Franklin Swan, bringing you practical tools and powerful conversations you can use in real life. every day to build yourself into the man God is calling you to be.

This is the world needs men. Let's go. Welcome back to the world needs men podcast. I am your host, Franklin Swan. And this is episode 51. That is absolutely wild to me. If you would have told me about a year ago, or shoot, say 18 months ago, that I'd have a podcast and I would have completed 50 episodes, I'd tell you, you were crazy.

But as I sit here this morning, just kind of reflecting [00:01:00] over the past months, I want to make this episode a bit of a pause to kind of look back and go, okay, so 50 episodes in, You know, what have I learned? Where have I been? And then what does the next 50 look like? And how can I improve this in a way that, that is meaningful and makes a difference for men?

And where's it going to head and where's it going to go? So over the past 50 episodes, I have learned that sharing, the struggles and the tough places that you've been in life, the dark moments that you have experienced. Sharing those with the world is one of the most terrifying things that you can possibly do.

At the beginning of this year, as I started this journey, I mean, I walked around with almost a constant, uh, Feeling of nausea, thinking what in the world have I put out there? What in the world have I, uh, have I shared with everyone who would, you know, who might come along and listen to this podcast? What are they going to think about me?

How are they going to treat me? Are they going to judge me? Am [00:02:00] I going to lose friends? What's my family going to think? But there was this pull inside that just said, Hey, there, there's men struggling out there and there are men who, who need to hear another man's pain, because that's where men connect.

And that's where men find a space where they can trust each other and where they can listen and when they, where they can find hope. Because if I can share the struggles I had, and if I can share the tools that I used and the journey that I went on in order to get out of the dark places I was in. And in that.

offers hope for other men. But if I don't start from this place of sharing those dark moments, then all I'm doing is preaching and I'm not a preacher. So yeah, over the past 50 episodes, I have learned just how terrifying it is to, to share your weakness, your darkness, your struggles, your failures with the world.

But I've also learned that in doing that, there is a freedom that comes on the other side of that, that is liberating. [00:03:00] There's a, there's a great saying, it's the, the most powerful man in the room is the one who has nothing to hide and men, we all know we hide, we hide behind, you know, the quote masks or just behind our insecurities, behind our cover.

our frustrations, our pain, whatever it is, like, we just hide who we are, what we feel, what we think. But the moment we start sharing that with the world in a, in a constructive way, when we start sharing that with the people we love, when we start sharing it with people that we don't even know, but from a place of, hey, I want to serve and I want to help, and if I can share and if it can help, then, Then that's what I need to do.

There's freedom that comes through that and I found that sharing like this connects like there's people who have reached out people who have, uh, have stopped me, you know, in passing that. Like, man, I had no idea the different things you've, you've faced, overcome, and it has connected us, and it has created trust and a bond, and [00:04:00] some of those men are, I mean, even working with me now, looking at the struggles that they're having.

You know, whether that's in their body and they're in their marriage or in their business or in their walk with God and figuring out, okay, how do we, how do we get out of this? How do we crawl and dig our, out of this pit that we have, we've dug ourselves, but the connection came because I was able to share like just where I was and what I went through.

And. You know, ultimately, when you are able to share your experience of life and not the highs and not the joys, not just the wins, but when you can share your struggles, that is the place that allows you to change the world in the way that you uniquely can. It doesn't mean you have to get on a podcast and do what I've done, but it means that if you're listening to this, man, if you want to lead, if you want to make a difference, you stepping over the discomfort of sharing.

I [00:05:00] mean, that's the step that puts you in a position of leading others, of serving others, of, of, of helping others. Like, there is no shortage of men out there who are, who are pretty lost, who are, are struggling, who are stuck, who don't have answers. And these are not bad men. These are good men, they just don't have the training, they don't have the tools, and they don't have someone who's come along who's been able to connect with them by sharing the dark side of what they've gone through, and all they're getting is preached at, and when they're just preached at, all that creates is guilt and shame, and this thought that, well, I just must be screwed up, I just must be a failure, I just, must not have what it takes.

And, and that's just not the truth. That's the lie that the enemy wants us to believe. But when you share, it breaks all of that down. It connects you and it opens up a space where, where you can pour into the life of another man. In these past 50 weeks have been one of the most challenging [00:06:00] things that I've ever done, but it's also been one of the most rewarding because I know I'm living out my purpose and mission at this point in my life in the way that God has uniquely called me to.

And so the challenge of it, the pain of it, the struggle of it for me personally, and most of this is just internal, there's purpose behind it. And I know that if one man has found value through these episodes, then, uh, Then that's all I've got to hang my hat on, like, that's, that's the whole point of this.

If one man gets, gets something out of each episode, then that's a win. So what's in store for the next 50? As I sit here, it's like, if you listen to podcasts, you've probably listened to a lot of podcasts. You've probably listened to hundreds of podcasts potentially. And, you know, it's like at the end of that, like, maybe we get some good ideas, but What do we actually do?

Like, does, does our life, like, materially change or shift, even if it's only by one degree or 1 percent after we listen to each episode? Do we actually take something with it, from it? [00:07:00] And in what I see with, whether that's me talking or interviewing in all the podcasts I listen to, most of the time it's some nice ideas.

It's some nice stories, some nice concepts, and those are all good things. But do we, I find this place where it's like, I just don't need more good ideas. I need practical, real world tools in order to go to work on the problems I specifically face. And so what we need, we need real tools. We need real results in our lives.

And, and so what I'm going to continue to do and lean in even more is go even deeper and even more specific into different struggles I've faced. Whether that's struggles in my physical body and my health, whether that's struggles in my spiritual life, in my walk with God, in my faith. in my purpose and mission, struggles that I've had in business, good gosh, massive struggles there.

And then struggles that I've had in my marriage and struggles I've had trying to figure out how do we, how do I show up as a good husband and a good father? And how do I do all [00:08:00] of those things consistently? How do I have a healthy thriving body? How do I have a deep faith and connection with God and live out my purpose?

How do I, how do I show up and love my family well every day? And how do I win in business and do that all at the same time? That is hard, and that doesn't happen by luck. There is not a man on earth who's winning across the board who's doing it by luck and by just sheer blessing. It's because he's doing some things either consciously or unconsciously.

Some men are winning because they're just unconsciously doing the right things. Most men are not winning. because they're unconsciously doing the wrong things. And so when I can share a specific struggle, it wakes another man up to see himself in that story inside of his struggle and understand how the tool can be applied to eliminate the struggle.

That's what this next 50 is going to be about. Like me sharing even more [00:09:00] what I've faced. And the tools I've found that have helped me overcome it. And most of these tools I did not create. I went and found the right coach, right? I found the right person who could help me dig into that area of life. And, and I've just seen too much.

improvement and too much growth and too much success, just putting these tools to work in my life to just keep them all for myself. Like, I'm compelled at this point that, like, my purpose is to share and to help, help other men in the same way that I was helped, because it can't just all be for me. And so I'm going to share how I did it, like what was I struggling in, what are the tools that I applied, what were the results that came from applying those tools over time, and that's a key to this, over time.

in order to, in order to bring order to my life, right? Because every one of us has some level of chaos and over, no matter how much [00:10:00] work we do, there's always a new level. But ideally, we're, we're fighting better battles. We're dealing with better and bigger, like, they may be bigger problems, but they should be better problems.

The problem is always going to come along, but ideally we're moving and progressing in a way that we're not just rehashing the same thing. We're not having the same struggle in business. We're not yo yoing in our fitness and our health. We're not having that same fight with our spouse over and over again.

We're not having the same prayer, just feeling empty and disconnected from God. And we've, we have, if you're listening to this and you're a human, you have experienced all of those things. And the, and the worst place you can be is that cycle where you're just reliving it over and over again, never moving forward and wondering.

Why am I just so unblessed? Why, why haven't I been blessed with a life where everything just works? And it's like you've been blessed with an amazing life. You just haven't been [00:11:00] given the right tools and you're unconsciously doing things that's sabotaging the life that you deserve. Your family deserves an amazing husband.

Your family deserves an amazing father. Who's able to show up predictably consistently because he knows how to, because he's trained, taught and educated with the right tools, has the right targets, has a team around him and a tribe. And so that's what I'm going to be sharing over these next 50 episodes.

And I'm sure after that 50, I'll reassess and go, okay, well, how can I add more value through this? But I don't want to just have more interviews. where we have a nice conversation. I don't want to just share more nice ideas. I want to share real things, real struggles, real challenges, and real tools that you can take after you listen to the episode.

And if you apply that into your life consistently, it would begin to resolve that issue and bring more order and abundance and prosperity and joy into your life. [00:12:00] So the next thing to. I've said it over and over. This is one of my deepest beliefs, and this is really at the heart of, of this, this whole podcast.

The world needs men, and I believe every man needs a coach. You think back to school, like you grow up and you've got baseball coaches, soccer coaches, football coaches, you have all these people in your, in your youth that are pouring into your life. If you're like most kids, no, that's not everybody, but most kids have got some, you know, they've got teachers, they've got mentors, they've got coaches, they've got all these people who are helping them to learn.

How to play the game of life. But then we, you know, we get out of college, we get into, into the real world and, and the game, like, is just beginning. I mean, the game hasn't even begun until you have a career and have a job and have, you know, got to produce an income and have, start having responsibilities, paying rent, paying a mortgage.

But then the stakes go up when you get married, right? And then the game really heats up. And then it goes up even more to a whole nother level [00:13:00] when you add kids to that. So. We get into this place and it's like, so, but where's the coach? And the coach is just someone who has perspective and has experience and can see the things that you can't.

I have a coach that I, I have coaches that I talk to every single week that help me to see the things inside of me. It's never my business that needs to change. It's never my family, my, my wife or my kids that need to change. It's never God that needs to change. It's always me. I'm responsible for every single element of my life.

I'm accountable for how I've shown up and the results that I've produced. And so I live by this, by this belief, by this principle that every man needs a coach. And if I hadn't sought out coaches when I was in my darkest space, I don't know what today would be. I certainly wouldn't be on this podcast. I certainly wouldn't have the marriage and the family that I have today.

I certainly wouldn't have the [00:14:00] business that I have today. And it's all because I needed someone who could help me see. the truth of where I was helped me chart a course for where I wanted to go and help me understand the plan and the tools to get there. So with that said, big part of this purpose is, or my purpose in this podcast is to share, but then it's also to begin opening up a space where men who want more than just to listen to a podcast can reach out and can join up with me and the other men that I'm coaching right now and, and start to dig in on their specific challenges.

on their specific situation and figure out what are the tools that are necessary and required in order to, to resolve those things. So every episode, I'm going to be sharing a lot. Like, if this is a conversation that resonates with you, if you're a man who is struggling, if you're a man who is tired of just running [00:15:00] yourself into the ground, tired of pushing that boulder uphill just to watch it roll back down, tired of having the same fight, the same issue, the same challenge over and over, and you just can't figure it out, then you're in good company, because that's the man that I'm working with, and that's the man that I have been and continue to work on.

So if I resonate with you, I am opening up space to come join me in a group of other men who are committed every single day to showing up and leveling up and, and having it all across the board, winning in every area of life that matters. And those boil down to our physical bodies and our health, our being, which is our spirituality, our faith, our walk with God, our relationship with God.

In living out our purpose and mission in life, it's our balance, which is our relationships that matter the most, it's our wives, it's our children, the people we hold most dear, and then it's in our business, in whether we're an [00:16:00] employee, an employer, whether you own a business, work in a business. Like your financial world, like those are the four areas of life that we strive to win in every single day to create value and to show up better for, better in our bodies, better in our being, better in our balance, better in our business every single day, consistently, predictably, because we have tools and training and methodologies and we're not just hoping and wishing that everything works out and we can struggle together and we can win together and we can fight together and we can move forward because we have men who can see into our lives and help us to see the thing that we can't see.

So every episode, there will be an invitation. Every episode, there will be a link where you can send me an email, a direct message, and we'll jump on a call. I'll jump on a call and I mean, I'll do a free call. Man, if I can help one man see that one thing that's standing in his way so that he can show up as a better husband and [00:17:00] father, so that he can show up and find the freedom that he's ultimately after.

Cause, cause that's, at the end of the day, men, that's what we're, that's what we're searching for. We are searching for freedom. We want freedom in our body. We want freedom in our walk with God and living out our purpose. We want freedom in our marriage and in our relationship with our kids. We want freedom to create value in this world through our business.

But we're stuck in bondage. And most of the time, it's simply because we have the wrong mindset. We don't have the skill set. And we're unprepared. And so we have a choice to make every single day. Am I going to be a victim? Am I going to continue to live this life? Or am I just going to sedate it? Just go crack a beer and watch some Netflix and not worry about it?

Or am I going to do something about it? Because what you choose to do today is going to resonate and, and ripple into the lives of your children, your grandchildren, and so on. Every single day you get to decide, am I going to [00:18:00] perpetuate it? this story, or am I going to be, or am I going to put an end to it and write a new story?

So men, if you're hearing this, if you're resonating with this, it's an open invitation. How long are you going to suffer and struggle? How long are you going to sit in darkness, unable to find your way out? And if you've listened to my episodes, if you go back to the origin story, I know what darkness looks like.

And I know that's where you and I connect. And that's where men find. relief to know that, man, it's not just me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only one struggling. I'm not the only one dealing with this and there are ways out. And that's the whole point of this, this mission I'm on. So that, that wraps up our episode for today.

You know what to do, men. And if you don't know what to do, here's what I'm going to tell you to do. [00:19:00] You're going to click on the link and you're going to reach out to me. Because I have struggled in every area of life and I have sought out the best training and tools from the best programs on the planet.

And that's what I'm bringing to my men every single week. Sharing with them and seeing their lives begin to transform almost overnight. And the reason is because they are transforming. They're learning how to do this on their own and not just have to go back to another conference, not have to go back to another event, not have to go get hyped back up somewhere.

But then come home and have no substance, have no, have no game plan, sitting around going, what in the world do I do? We're doing things that are very specific, that give us specific results. So I invite you, reach out, let's have a conversation. The world needs men, your family needs you, men need a coach.

And so if you don't have a coach, find one. If you need to be connected with a coach, I'm happy to do that. I can connect you with some of the best coaches on the planet, depending on your [00:20:00] specific challenge. Or, if you resonate with me, you can come run with us. The world needs men, gentlemen. If

you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe to the podcast, give us a rating and review, and share this episode with one man you know needs to hear this message. We want to encourage as many men as possible to show up as the strong leaders, loving husbands, and intentional fathers their family deserves.

And until next time, be the man the world needs.