Pirate Monk Podcast

On the episode this week: Nate asks Aaron questions. Aaron reads recipes and annoys people in public.   Nate and Aaron talk to returning guest Cat Etherington. Cat is a podcaster, writer, wife, mom, and works for Naked Truth. Naked Truth is focused on opening eyes and freeing lives from the damaging impacts of porn. NT also facilitates discussion and resources in churches, with christian leaders, and in the UK education systems. Cat shares her story of addiction to drugs from the ages of 16 to 26, meeting her husband at an AA meeting, and later learning about porn and sex addiction. Other topics include why former addicts make the best therapists/couches/counselors, the power of empathy and understanding, being sh!t on, and why British people sound smarter than Americans.   Links: Naked Truth Project NT Church App - Apple NT Church App - Android     NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com.     The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society.   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com.   The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.

  On the episode this week: Aaron might be wearing a woman's sweater, and he’s ok with that.   Aaron talks to Jerrad Lopes. Jerrad is former clergy, a podcaster, dad, husband, author, and much more. He likes the weight of a blanket nearly to suffocation. Jerrad talks about his “first crisis” where he was fired from church before an implosion and nearly divorced, and how that set him on the path to healing a stumbling towards Jesus. He confesses that he ministered to avoid his own wounds and learned that God isn’t a business. His journey included a 14-day intensive and lots of counseling to heal and help him be part of a strong family. He now leads retreats, podcasts and walks with other men growing and healing themselves and their families.   Links: Dad Tired     NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com.     The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society.   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com.   The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.

Chaos to Order with Brandon Syler   On the episode this week: Aaron hosts solo and sounds really really similar to last week.   Aaron talks to Brandon Syler. Brandon is from Charolette where he has a wife, 3 kids, and 12 inches of snow. He shares how he was a “human doing,” going to school, getting good grades, and being a good boy. Brandon talks about how the human doing produced chaos at work, chaos at home, and chaos inside of himself. His journey of healing and growth includes story work retreats, Coach Steve, Jim Cress, reenactment, Chick-Fil-A, and starting One Bridge Experience. See local Samson Society celeb Justin’s testimony about One Bridge here.   Links: Brandon’s Email One Bridge Experience MP parts.com   Books: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, By: Michael E. Gerber Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy, By: Donald Miller     NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com.     The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society.   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com.   The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.

On the episode this week: Aaron hosts solo and speaks of the tongue with his tongue. Aaron also updates on Nates wife’s cancer.   Nate and Aaron talk to Sheila Ray Gregoire. Sheila is a therapist, podcaster, author, researcher, and more. This week we discuss orgasms in church, sex drives, gender roles, and even spicier topics. Sheila also talks about faulty sex teaching in the church. We compare noticing, attraction, and lusting. And this controversial topic: who leads in marriage, and why? And finally, this bomb: sex is not connection! All this and way more.   Links: Bare Marriage Bare Marriage Podcast Spotify Bare Marriage Podcast Apple   Books: The Marriage You Want The Great Sex Rescue The Good Guys Guide to Great Sex The Good Girls Guide To Great Sex     NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com.     The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society.   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com.   The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.

Rebuke The Wise and They Will Be Wiser with Ben Bennett On the episode this week: Aaron doesn’t feel different. Nate leaves late and feels shades of covid. Nate and Aaron talk to returning guest Ben Bennett. Ben updates on Resolution ministries and how it continues to grow, helping others find the path to healing and freedom with the Bible and Science. He shares how to prevent burnout. Ben questions if you keep people in your life that Jesus would have walked away from. He discusses often misunderstood concepts in scripture. Other topics include forgiveness, boundaries vs. walls, God doesn’t have amnesia, milk toast, and Ned Flanders. Links: Ben Bennett Resolution Movement NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402 If you have thoughts or questions and you’d like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com. The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society. For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com. Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com. The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.   Ben Bennett Ben Bennett | Bestselling Author, Nonprofit Founder, Speaker, Consultant Ben Bennett is an internationally recognized voice helping leaders, organizations, and faith communities prevent burnout, strengthen mental health, and build cultures where people thrive–through a trauma-informed, neuroscience-based approach to transformation. https://benbennett.org/     Resolution Movement Resolution Movement | Resolution Movement There Is A Way Out https://resolutionmovement.org/     App Store Samson Community App - App Store Download Samson Community by Samson House on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Samson Community. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/samson-community/id6749582016     play.google.com Samson Society - Apps on Google Play Brotherhood & recovery hub

On the episode this week: Nate and Aaron offer assistance on planning your own retreats and considering firing up the 48 hours of frankness. Reach out to Aaron here for guidance. Nate and Aaron talk to Robb Kelly. Robb is a Texan, you can tell from his accent. Robb leads us in box breathing to get started. He shares how he lost everything to drugs and alcohol and died twice. There is discussion about how relapse happens weeks before the first drop of alcohol (or whatever is common to you), and there is neuroscience backing this up. Robb encourages us that we can be anything, even president, as we learn from fleas. Robb even explains epigenetic! There is also discussion on healing from the inside out. And you may be able to get a free book. Links: Robb Kelly NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402 If you have thoughts or questions and you’d like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com. The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society. For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com. Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com. The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.   Robb Kelly Recovery Group Addiction Solution - Robb Kelly Recovery Group IT’S NOT A DRINKING PROBLEM, IT’S A THINKING PROBLEM IT’S NOT A DRINKING PROBLEM, IT’S A THINKING PROBLEM DR. ROBB KELLY TONY ROBBINS GRANT CARDONE GERY BREACKA JENNY MCCARTHY JOHN MENDESH The Solution https://robbkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/robbkelly.mp4 Traditional treatment concentrates on the alcohol and drugs which are a symptom of the underlying disease. We all know… Continue reading Addiction Solution   https://robbkelly.com/     App Store Samson Community App - App Store Download Samson Community by Samson House on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Samson Community. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/samson-community/id6749582016     play.google.com Samson Society - Apps on Google Play Brotherhood & recovery hub

For the 500th episode, Nate and Aaron sit down and talk with two men who were at the first Samson Society meeting in Franklin, went to the first 48 Hours of frankness, and travelled to California for the first large Samson event at the church where Aaron was a pastor. This episode makes everyone feel...old.

Jay Stringer, author and therapist who studies desire, sexuality, and recovery. He introduces a roadmap for identity and belonging. He outlines five core desires we all need. Topics include differentiation, intimacy versus enmeshment, sex as revelation and healing, and moving beyond recovery toward a life you want to stay in.

On the episode this week: Nate had a no pants meeting and Aaron pimps the new app. Also, you can come to new comer meetings, again. Nate and Aaron talk to Mike Vaughn. Mike is a counselor and works for Bethesda Workshops. Bethesda is a non profit in Nashville, TN that has intensives for sex, porn, and betrayal trauma. They are also working on a workshops for teens, both online and in person. Mike is sharing his knowledge and experience to help us understand highly sensitive people (HSP). It is estimated that over 20% of the world population are high sensing. Mike uses the acrostic DOES(S) to define HSP and how to support yourself or others. HSP is a temperament, not something to be corrected or healed. Mike also reminds us that the way to recover is to do the thing which you are most afraid to do, which is being connected to others in community. Links: Highly Sensitive Person Test Bethesda  Workshops High Sensing NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store) June 5-7, 2026 Italian/International Samson Retreat Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402 If you have thoughts or questions and you’d like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com. The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society. For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com. Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com. The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.   hsperson.com Are You Highly Sensitive? – The Highly Sensitive Person Take this test and find out if you're a Highly Sensitive Person.   Bethesda Workshops Home - Bethesda Workshops Bethesda Workshops is a Christian based sex and pornography addiction treatment organization that has helped hundreds adults and teens overcome their struggles. Aug 8th, 2023 https://bethesdaworkshops.org/     App Store Samson Community App - App Store Download Samson Community by Samson House on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more games like Samson Community. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/samson-community/id6749582016     play.google.com Samson Society - Apps on Google Play Brotherhood & recovery hub https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mightybell.samsonsociety&pcampaignid=web_share

Tim Stein, a licensed marriage and family therapist and recovering sex addict, explains his workbook and clinical approach. He talks about partner sensitivity woven into recovery, the fence metaphor for shared safety, how vulnerability differs from mutual intimacy, and why both people need their own healing paths. Short, practical conversations about transparency, boundaries, and rebuilding trust.