250: A Mission Bigger Than a Milestone

 Episode 250 celebrates a milestone few podcasts ever reach: 250 episodes dedicated to helping men know God, know themselves, and lead their families with faith and conviction. In this special episode, Mike Van Pelt unveils a major announcement, True Man Life Coaching and the American Family Renaissance are joining forces to build the man, strengthen the family, and restore the nation. 

Contact Mike Van Pelt: 

Mike@TrueManLifeCoaching.COM 

https://www.AmericanFamilyRenaissance.Org/ 

Order Mik’s New Book, True Man True Ways – A Roadmap of Discovery to the Masculine Heart 

https://www.AmericanFamilyRenaissance.ORG/TtrueManLifecoaching/Books/True-Man-True-Ways/ 

True Man Inner Circle Newsletter: 

https://www.AmericanFamilyRenaissance.ORG/#Subscribe 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the True Man Podcast. This is an invitation to radical reconstruction of a man's masculine heart and soul in a place of safe community where we dare to ask questions deep seated inside a man and explore ways to help you become a better man, a better son, a better dad, and a better spouse. Hard to believe. I've read that 250 times to open the show. And uh, truth be known, I've probably done it a few more times than that on re-record. So it's been said a lot. Well, welcome to the true man podcast. This is a very, very, very, let me say that again just to make sure we covered it, very special podcast today, as it marks episode 250. Man, hard to believe. I just got chills down the back of my neck saying that. I um I was with somebody yesterday, and I was saying to them that I was recording my 250th episode, and they jokingly said to me, So I guess you're just figuring everything out. And I said, actually, that's true. It would be fair to say, I'm figuring out so many things. And this podcast has been a catalyst for much, much of that. And you know, many times when we have these milestones in our life and things, big things happen, we tend to look back. But today, I'm gonna spend my time looking forward and roll out what I'm working on, what I have been working on, and the future of the American Family Renaissance and True Man Life Coaching, because there are many things in store that we've been working on, not the least of which is my upgraded website. So I want to encourage you to go out to that site, American Family Renaissance.org. Now, if you're used to true manlife coaching.com, don't worry, it still exists. In fact, it'll take you right on out to uh the American Family Renaissance website. If you're used to the True Man Podcast, don't worry.com. Excuse me, it still exists. Don't worry, it is bigger and better than ever before. In fact, you will hear me every time if somebody asks me, how do I find your podcast? Just go to true manpodcast.com. We've got everything set up so you can go out to your favorite podcast uh channel, download it, listen to it. And I want to encourage you not only listen to it, sell it, send it on to a friend. Absolutely. Get them to listen to it, use it as a great topic to start your men's small group. So you may be asking, why am I doing all this? Well, let's dig into today's show, and I will tell you. So I want to hit you with some numbers that are interesting. The average podcast, any podcast, any genre, any host stops or goes inactive after just three to seven episodes. That's roughly 44 to 47% of all podcasts that ever launch quit within their first three episodes. Seven episodes is where most creators just flat out run out of ideas, run out of motivation, or just run out of reasons to show up. So if your show survives that first cliff, 90% of those remaining shows stop producing content after episode 20. And if you make it past that, less than 8% of all podcasts ever reach 10 episodes in a meaningful, sustained way. And more than 92% quit before they ever see 100. Let me say that again. Well, folks, today, as you've heard me say, is True Man Podcast episode 250. I think it's fair to say we have outlived the statistics. Thank you for helping us do that. Now, you might ask, well, why? How could that happen? Why did that happen? Why did this one make it when so many don't? Well, I think the answer to that is actually pretty simple. I didn't start out to become some viral sensation. I guess that would be cool. I didn't sit down 250 episodes ago and think I was going to build some kind of media empire or make a million bucks off this thing. Well, the money would be great, and I sure would like to build a multimedia education company for men, but that's not why I did all this. And I definitely didn't start this because I needed a weekly place to melt down and call it content. I started this to try and make a difference in the lives of men of the men that I wanted to serve. That's it. That was the whole plan, really, outside of just wanting to improve on a weekly basis and get better at what I do on a weekly basis. Now, somewhere along the way, in the middle of just trying to be faithful with what was in front of me and honor this skill that God had brought me, I grew. I developed. I learned things about myself, about God, about leadership, about what men actually need that I never would have learned had I just not done this and stayed comfortable. You see, I found that success starts when you decide to be uncomfortable. And this was one of those things that came up in my life that was incredibly uncomfortable, uh uncomfortable at first. Now, had I stayed in that stuck position, I would have never found this gift that God had for me. This beautiful gift meant for you, and on that path, I found me. And honestly, I've had a great time doing it. I hope that shows. And so there's something in scripture that I've found that's been on my mind as I prepared for this 250th episode, and that's in Galatians chapter six, verse nine. Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. Not if we not if we go viral, not if we get a book deal, not if the algorithms love us, whatever that is. If we do not give up, that's the whole game. 250 episodes is proof of nothing except this. I didn't give up. I'm not going to. It's not even in my vocabulary. And if you're a man out there right now who's three episodes into something, or three weeks into a new discipline, three months into trying to rebuild your marriage or your business or your walk with God, and it feels like nobody's watching and nothing's working, well, I want you to hear me. The statistics say you're supposed to quit right now. Don't do it. Be the standard, set the standard, lean into God and trust what He has for you. Now I want to take a minute here because I don't do this enough. To every man who's made time in his week to listen to this show, in your truck, on your job site, on a run or a walk, folding laundry at 11 p.m. Because that's the only quiet time you get. Thank you. To the men who've reached out, sent me an email or DM'd me, who've emailed me their story, who've told me an episode, hit them right between the eyes at exactly the moment they needed it. Thank you. To the men who've joined the true man journey, who've done the work, who've raised their hand and asked for help when everything in their flesh told them to white knuckle it alone. Thank you. I appreciate you more than you will ever, ever know. The show doesn't exist without you choosing week after week to show up for yourself. So, what does the future look like? Well, I'm glad you asked because I've actually got an answer for you. First, the American Family Renaissance. You've already heard me talk about it, and it really began with the American Family Renaissance Summit. Now we're going to roll this out on September 14th. It is a recorded uh summit. It's uh in the neighborhood of about four to five hours worth of content. You don't have to listen to it all at once. It is free, believe it or not. So this was built around the theme and the idea of the power of asking for help. So this isn't a webinar, this is a gathering, so to speak, online, a moment for men who are done pretending they've got it all figured out and they're ready to actually be honest about where they're stuck. And I'll have more details for you on this registration soon, but mark it down. September 14th, we're rolling this out. All you have to do is sign it up, but it'll come right to your email box because this one matters. I have seven wonderful men who've stepped into this mission: Chris Widen, Tom Ziggler, Jim Britt, Vince Miller, Bob T, and Scott Schilling and Bob Bodine. And of course, yours truly. This has been recorded, and I think you will be amazed at the wisdom that these truly great, godly men have. And I want to say a special thank you right now to my good friend Scott Schilling. Scott, you're absolutely the best, my brother. Scott, help me build out the keynote, the power of asking for help. And along that journey, we realized God was calling us into something larger, something more significant in the American family Renaissance was born. Scott, thank you, my friend. Thank you for all that you've helped me to do. I I so enjoy our conversations. Second is the standard of a restored man, the nine marks of a restored man. This is the next evolution of work that I've been working on and doing this. Course is going to be a part of the summit that you can uh sign up for. This course lays out nine specific non-negotiable marks of what a restored man actually looks like. Not a perfect man, a restored man. And I'll be walking through what those nine marks are in the coming weeks. And I just want you in that course. In fact, you're about to hear more about these nine marks in just a minute. Third, speaking and the power of asking for help. So I'm going to continue taking this message on the road into churches, into men's groups, into conferences, uh, into workshops, uh, wherever we can, because I'm convinced that this is one of the missing pieces for most men. Not motivation, not another five-step plan, the willingness to say, I need help. That's where restoration starts. Now, if you know of an organization, a church, a men's group that needs to hear this, please get in touch with me. This mission is going to help equip men. All you have to do is go out to the website, American Family Renaissance.org. My calendar is on there. And if you want to send me an email, you can certainly do that at Mike at True Manlife Coaching.com. And just let me know that you're looking for somebody in your next group. It doesn't necessarily have to be in person. We can do these uh on Zoom, believe it or not. The technology is amazing and wonderful, but we just want to help equip men to understand they don't have to do life alone. So here's something uh uh bigger that I want to tell you about. And this is really the rollout of the American Family Renaissance, something that's been building for a while. And I felt like episode 250 was really the right moment to say it out loud. So here we go. There are definitely moments in life where things become clear, and all this work that I've been doing is part of that. Not because everything gets easier, but because God brings alignment and clarity into our life. And that's what I've experienced by doing this work. So over the past several years and through the growth in my faith, my family, and my work, something has become undeniable to me. And that is true man life coaching and the American family renaissance were never meant to stand apart. In fact, they were meant, always meant, to really move together. So, what does that mean? Well, what started as a focus on building men for me has revealed something deeper. If we truly want to change lives, we cannot stop at the man. We have to rebuild the family. And if we rebuild the family, we begin to restore the very foundation of this nation. That's why I'm stepping forward today with clarity and conviction. The American Family Renaissance will now lead is the primary brand and mission for me. Now I want to be clear about this and what it's not. This is not a departure from true man life coaching. This is the real natural next step. One mission, two expressions. The American Family Renaissance and true man life coaching, they were never two separate efforts. They were one mission expressed at two different levels. True man life coaching builds the man, and the American family renaissance restores the family. And when a man is built right, the family rises with him. Now, true man life coaching continues as the foundational piece of what I've been doing, developing the man in identity, discipline, faith, and responsibility. It's where the internal work gets done, where men learn to lead themselves with strength and clarity. Well, the American Family Renaissance expands that work outwardly, it carries the transformation into the home, into relationships, into communities, and ultimately back into the culture. It's fair to say we need a better culture right now. So this is about returning to the fundamentals that built strong families and a strong nation. God, family, and country. Men, this is not just, it's not a slogan. It is the standard. You see, we're living in a time where the family is under pressure, leadership is lacking, and a lot of men are unsure of who they are or what they're actually called to do. And that doesn't get solved with more noise. Lord knows. It gets solved with truth, structure, and men willing to step up. The American family renaissance creates a broader front, one that calls families back to what works. It reestablishes values that have been ignored, dismissed, or simply never taught. And it does that by starting exactly where it's always needed to start with the man. So the path forward, here's how it comes together. You see, true man life coaching is the engine, and the American family renaissance is the movement. One builds a foundation, the other multiplies its impact. Because you cannot rebuild the American family without rebuilding the man. And you cannot stop the man, stop at the man. You have to carry that transformation into the family and be got beyond. So together, this is the mission. Build the man, strengthen the family, and restore the nation. The heart of it all, reviving the heart of America through strong Christian family values, God, family, and country. Now, this isn't about creating something new for the sake of it. That's not why I'm doing it. This is about stepping into what's needed. Men who lead with faith, families grounded in truth, a nation anchored in the values that once made it strong. This is the American family renaissance, and it starts with men who are willing to raise their hand, seize responsibility, and lead the way forward. So as I close out today, 250 episodes ago, I had no idea where this was gonna land. In fact, Paul Bailey and I started this podcast, and in order to even hit the record button, the truth of it is we had to have a couple of cold ones. We were that nervous. But I just knew I had something to say when I started this, and I was optimistic, I was saying things that men needed to hear. And if you're still here 250 episodes later, you're part of the reason this whole thing didn't become a statistic. So thank you. So here's my ask wherever you're at right now, whatever you've been carrying alone, raise your hand and ask for help. That's not a weakness, that's where the restoration actually begins. So thank you for listening. And here's to the next 250. Now again, uh, please make the time to go out to uh the new website, American FamilyRenaissance.org. We are going to be adding to that on a consistent basis. You can go out to that website under the summit page and see what the summit is all about. You can read about it on the page, you can uh catch the speakers' bios and and see everything that they're about. And this is just the beginning. This summit is just the start. And while it was easy to put this together, well, it wasn't easy, but it was easier to put this together online and record all these fantastic, godly men. Scott and I have talked about this at great length, and we would really like to take this thing out on the road with great Christian speakers and begin equipping men uh person to person, eyeball to eyeball, belly to belly. Uh, all this online convenience is wonderful, and it is convenient, but there's nothing better than being in person and shaking hands with people and building relationships. In fact, this very podcast in so many ways has been built by handshake, by just simply telling somebody, hey, I have a podcast, simply one person at a time. And I hope you will continue to help me in that by sending this to another man that you care about, that you feel that this podcast may lift them up and join the mission of the American Family Renaissance. Again, thank you so much for listening and being there week after week. And uh, I so enjoy the feedback that I get from everybody. Uh, you know, leave me a great review, it goes a long way. As much as I don't understand a lot of the algorithms and SEO and all this other technical stuff. Um, all my technical people tell me it really helps. And I enjoy hearing from my audience. So leave me a great podcast review on your favorite podcast channel. And if you want to reach out to me, certainly send me an email at Mike at True Manlife Coaching.com. So thank you for joining me this week, and we will continue the journey of the True Man Podcast and expand it into the American Family Renaissance. Come join us for this mission, for this movement. God bless you and thank you for listening to the True Man Podcast. Until next week, go out and make this your very, very best day ever.