Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast by Kyle Thompson

In this episode, we welcome Dakota Meyer to the show. He is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Dakota was the first living US Marine in 41 years to receive the Medal of Honor and one of the youngest. He was given the award for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8th, 2009. He wrote a New York Times bestseller about his life and that experience in 2013 called Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War. He is also the co-author of the new book The Way Forward: Master Life’s Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy with co-author and retired SEAL Robert O’Neill, the man that killed Osama Bin Laden. In this interview, we discuss why he decided to become a US Marine, what went wrong leading up to the Battle of Ganjgal and why he was removed from his team, the guilt he feels about losing his entire team during the battle, why he defied direct orders to stand down during the battle, the actions that led to him earning the Medal of Honor, why he hates the Medal to this day, his decision to attempt suicide, the one combat kill that haunts him the most, his personal thoughts on God and Jesus, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome Robert O’Neill to the show. He is a retired Navy SEAL that deployed more than a dozen times and took part in over 400 missions across four different theaters of war. During his career, he was a member of SEAL Teams TWO, FOUR, and the legendary Development Group, aka DEVGRU, aka SEAL Team SIX. He was part of many well-known missions including the mission to rescue Marcus Lutrell, the Lone Survivor from Operation Red Wings, and the mission that saved Captain Richard Phillips after he was kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2009. Robert is best known for his participation in one of the most famous ops in US Military history called “Neptune’s Spear” which took place on May 2nd, 2011 at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. On that mission, he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda that carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After he retired, he wrote a New York Times bestseller about his life and military experience in 2017 called The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior. He’s also the co-author of a new book out this week called The Way Forward: Master Life’s Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy, with co-author and retired United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient, Dakota Meyer. In this interview, we discuss the funny story about how he ended up as a SEAL instead of a Marine, how SEALs are selected to become a member of SEAL Team SIX, what he was doing during the mission to save Captain Phillips, all of the information leading up to the bin Laden raid, what it was like killing the leader of al-Qaeda, how that mission changed his relationships with many of his SEAL brothers, what he thinks about the “code of silence” for Special Operators, his personal faith, how he feels about all of the killing he’s done, the one killing that haunts him most, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and writer Michael Easter discusses the dangers of modern comfort obsession, his transformative backcountry caribou hunt in Alaska, creating discomfort for growth in everyday life, his sobriety journey, ancestral challenges, spiritual reflections, weight loss struggles, and the philosophical concept of Missogi for personal improvement.

We’ve got a bit of drama with this interview. You do NOT want to miss the intro of this one!... In this episode, we welcome Krispin Mayfield to the show. He is a couples counselor and the author of a new book out this week called Attached to God: A Practical Guide to Deeper Spiritual Experience. He is a proponent of using something called “Attachment Science” to help people develop a deeper spiritual life, and that is what this book centers on. In this interview, we discuss what Attachment Science is, how our attachment style affects our relationships, his thoughts on healthy stoicism, why he doesn’t believe in Hell, why he’s a Universalist, the time God spoke to him and told him “I’m your Mother now,” and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome Brian Sumner to the show. Born in Liverpool, England, Brian made a name for himself in the UK as a skateboarder, and he came to the US at the age of 15 to join Tony’s Hawk’s Birdhouse Skateboards team. During his professional career, his life and marriage began to fall apart. He set out on a journey to disprove the existence of God only to find Him and dedicate his entire life to Him. He is now an evangelist, pastor, author, and speaker. In this interview, we discuss how he got into skateboarding, what it was like riding for Tony Hawk, why his marriage fell apart and how God redeemed it, how he came to faith in Christ after considering suicide, why he started training jiu-jitsu, who he thinks is the GOAT of MMA, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome Jon Tyson to the show. He is a church planter and the lead pastor of Church of the City in New York City. He is originally from Adelaide, Australia but currently lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of NYC. He moved to the US over 20 years ago because he wanted to renew the Western Church. He is the author of books such as Beautiful Resistance, Rumors of God, Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden is Light. We spent most of this interview talking about the book he released in August of 2021 called The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character. In this interview, we discuss the difficulty of being a Christian pastor in NYC, why our culture doesn’t focus on leading boys into manhood, how fathers can intentionally impact their sons over time, the four questions every father must answer about their son, why we should “sever” the relationship between our sons and their mothers, why initiation for young men is so important, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kyle takes your questions. He hits on the controversy surrounding Joe Rogan and Spotify, his thoughts on the Freedom Convoy in Canada, whether he thinks Jesus would get “The Jab,” if Tom Brady is the GOAT in any sport, the worst bourbon he’s ever had, advice for newly married men, his grade for Joe Biden’s first year as president, his favorite type of workout, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome the one and only Phil Robertson to the show. He is the patriarch of the great American Robertson family, a professional hunter, the founder of Duck Commander, one of the stars of the reality TV series Duck Dynasty, and the NYT bestselling author of books like Happy, Happy, Happy, UnPHILtered, The Theft of America’s Soul, and Jesus Politics. He also authored the brand-new book out now called Uncanceled: Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation. In this interview, we discuss what it was like growing up in rural Louisiana, his time as a college quarterback at Louisiana Tech, why he founded Duck Commander, his life before and after he found Jesus, the dangers of Cancel Culture, what he thinks of those that participate in Cancel Culture, his thoughts on the lack of manhood in the church, and much more. This episode is sure to make you happy, happy, happy! Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kyle describes the experience of recently being promoted to purple belt in jiu-jitsu. He also discusses the biggest turning points he’s experienced so far, the top lessons he’s learned, a message to those that just started training jiu-jitsu, a message to those that haven’t started training yet, an ode to his jiu-jitsu family, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome Trent Talbot to the show. He is the CEO of BRAVE Books, an entrepreneur, and a medical doctor. According to his bio, he has a deep love for America and the values it was built upon, and he is passionate about reminding Americans of the beauty and responsibility of freedom. He’s doing that with BRAVE Books. BRAVE Books is a publisher that is dedicated to bringing real American values that endure and equipping parents to have intentional and enjoyable conversations with their kids about topics that matter. They have prominent conservative guest writers like US Rep. Dan Crenshaw, The HodgeTwins, and Dana Loesch. These books tackle huge themes like the sanctity of human life, the right to bear arms, the dangers of Communism, gender identity, cancel culture, CRT, and others, but in a way that is appropriate for children. In this interview, we discuss why he decided to get into the publishing world, why he decided to create an entire fictional universe for the books to take place in, why they tackle such hard topics using children’s books, what they plan to expand into in the future, and much more. Let’s get into it…Episode notes and links HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices