The Will Spencer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Masculine Men and Christian Leadership | JONATHAN WEST Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Jonathan West hosts the popular podcast Being HUSBAND and runs the Instagram account of the same name. He’s a spiritually-facing man who grew up in the faith and earned a degree in theology, with a preacher for a father.

His podcast also helps men become better husbands and leaders in their homes and communities. So naturally we became fast friends.

In our conversation we discussed:

The origins of the Being HUSBAND podcast in a dream Jonathan had
How he maintains a strong and healthy marriage with his wife, aka "Smoke Show", and some advice for other men looking to get married to a woman who respects them
The nature of the social justice movement, its viral ideology, and what we can do about it
Jesus' nature as a man, and how we don't often think of him that way
And finally, the impact of the Gnostic Heresy on Christianity, and why it might be the crime committed against masculinity within the Christian faith

One of the most exciting things about this Renaissance is the number of men who have walked such unique roads of life, but who are now finding their way together.

This conversation between me and Jonathan just one example of something that's probably happened in your life. If not, I hope it happens soon.

To follow Being Husband on Instagram, click here

Listen to Being Husband on Apple — Spotify — Google

To support Being HUSBAND on Patreon, click here

To join the Alexander Cortes Inner Circle, click here

To read my blog post “To Lose the World and Gain My Soul”, click here

To visit “The Library” on the Renaissance of Men website, click here

Check out my new website at https://renofmen.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter

Being Spiritually-Facing Men | BEN HOWES, Oaks and Oaths Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

Ben Howes runs the popular Instagram account Oaks and Oaths, and the podcast of the same name. Though born a Christian, his disillusionment with the faith and its faithful led him to abandon that path and discover Norse and Germanic Paganism. Now he leads and instructs others down that ancient road.

Due to time constraints we had a shorter conversation than my recent episodes, but we think it’s just the first of many. We discussed:

Self-actualization, aesthetics, and masculinity.
Why men need to reject consumerism.
The pagan notion of "frith", and how it plays into the larger functional worldview of paganism.
How hierarchy gives men a goal to strive for, a ladder to climb, and something to aspire towards.
How a trip to Peru and an experience with psychedelics led him to discover the faith of paganism.

I originally reached out to Ben because I feel that it’s time that, despite their historical differences, Christians and Pagans (and all spiritually-facing men) need to learn to come together it the face of a third thing, an anti-spirit that’s flooding across the globe.

It’s time to start building bridges, and I think we made a good start of it.

To follow Oaks and Oaths, click here

Listen to the Oaks and Oaths podcast on Apple — Spotify — Google

To read Neil Gaiman’s “Norse Mythology” click here

To read Brett McKay’s “Muscular Christianity” click here

Check out my new website at https://renofmen.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter

Redeeming Our Fathers | BRENDAN SCHMIDT Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

Brendan Schmidt runs the popular Instagram account MasculineRevival, on which he pairs a rich aesthetic and movingly honest words about masculinity, as he discovers for himself what it means to be a man.

He’s also someone I share a lot in common with. We “speak the same language,” having been on similar journeys through the New Age and men’s inner healing world and arriving at a rediscovery of traditionalism.

Over the course of our two-and-a-half hour conversation we discussed:

The difference between functional and fulfilling Relationships
Cultivating traditional values in the dating world
The narcissism of the New Age religion
Men's work, why it's important, and why it's not "gay" to feel genuine love for other men
And finally, his moving story of being abandoned in childhood by his father, when and how they met, and what happened after

This is one of the most important conversations I've had so far. I think many men will see themselves reflected in Brendan's story, and hear familiar themes in the discussion that we share.

And for those men who don't recognize themselves in us, who perhaps come from different backgrounds, I hope you'll see more clearly some of the burdens carried by your brothers and the journeys that we've walked to stand beside you in this Renaissance of Men, and Masculine Revival.

To follow MasculineRevival on Instagram, click here

To follow his girlfriend EmbracingFemininity on Instagram, click here

To watch the documentary "The Work", click here

Check out my new website at https://renofmen.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Andrew Marvell - ”To His Coy Mistress” | POETRY FOR MEN Jan 23, 2021

Show notes

Andrew Marvell was an English Restoration poet who lived and wrote during his nation’s civil wars, and in its transition from monarchy to the beginnings of republicanism.

He was a well-traveled, well-spoken, hard-partying bachelor.

In his masterwork “To His Coy Mistress” he paints a vivid picture of a familiar and amorous scenario most men will be familiar with.

But he presents his own unique spin on it, in a moving and timeless encouragement to seize the day.

To read "To His Coy Mistress" click here

To learn more about Andrew Marvell, click here

To watch "Baby It's Cold Outside" click here

To hear "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" click here

To read AD Hope's "His Coy Mistress To Mr. Marvell" click here

To order "The Best Poems of the English Language" click here

Visit https://renofmen.com and follow us on twitter @will_renofmen and Instagram @renofmen.

Anger: Ally or Enemy? | JOHN SONMEZ Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

John Sonmez, founder of Bulldog Mindset, is a men’s coach, entrepreneur, published author, public speaker, and ultra-marathon runner.

We met at the 21Convention in Orlando, Florida, this past October. He’s the sort of high-energy, fit, and positive guy who makes that event so special.

And while you wouldn’t know it to look at him today, he’s also a man who’s been on a remarkable journey of transformation from fat to fit, scared to brave, and sad to Chad.

He’s built businesses, retired young, and traveled the world. And he’s still not done, which is a feeling I can relate to.

Together, we also had what I think might have been one of the most important conversations I've yet hosted on my podcast.

We discussed:

John's transformation journey to become the man he is
The need to cultivate courage in cold-approaching women
How to confront our fears to live a little bit closer to freedom.
Some of the key books of the Renaissance of Men, including works by David Deida and Jack Donovan

But then we got into a conversation about anger. It wasn't a conceptual conversation either.

We talked about what place it has, if any, in the lives of men as it relates to our evolving and devolving environment today — a world of fear, controversy, division, and this creeping sense that something isn't right.

The result was like two men rolling jiu-jitsu with our life philosophies.

Getting a conversation like this on tape is a bit like catching lightning in a bottle. I felt exhilarated afterwards and more alive.

Because that's what it means to be men today: to have our ideas and believe in them passionately, and then mutually put them to the test for the purpose of making us both better.

To visit John and Bulldog Mindset, click the following links:

YouTube — Instagram — Twitter — Website

To purchase Jack Donovan, “The Way of Men” click here

To purchase David Deida, “The Way of the Superior Man”, click here

To purchase Robert Glover, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” click here

To learn more about the 21Convention, click here

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Fitness and Your Higher Self | DEREK ARELLANO Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

Derek Arellano is a former first-place pro bodybuilder and US Army veteran, and now is a professional trainer who’s passionate about the body, movement, and creating transformation in his clients.

Derek and I also live in the same city. And the more time we’ve spent together, the more I’ve seen how much of value he has to share.

He’s found his way into the Renaissance of Men, as well, and is discovering how all the streams of his life are feeding into a singular expression of who he is, and what he can create in his life and in the lives of men.

In our three-hour conversation we discuss:

The world of pro bodybuilding, how he got into it, what he got from it, and how he got out of it
The world of personal training and the effort required to create transformation in people
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his love for competition
His family background, and how it helped set him up for a life of success
What it means to LARP, or live-action-role play your personal development (to borrow a phrase from Tanner Guzy)
How fitness ties into spirituality
The meaning behind the hashtag "post physique", why it works in communities of men today, and where it falls short.

As you can tell, Derek and I enjoy talking about these topics and we hope that you enjoy our conversation — or at least that it’s better than dragging your dick across glass.

Thanks to Rob at The Grounded Athlete, for bringing us together.

To follow Derek on Instagram, click here

To visit Derek’s website Volition Training, click here

To follow The Grounded Athlete on Instagram, click here

To follow the Holistic Psychologist on Instagram, click here

To read “Conscious Coaching” by Brett Bartholomew, click here

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Men of Service vs. Servitude | SHAWN T. SMITH, PSY.D. Dec 26, 2020

Show notes

This week I interview clinical psychologist, coach, and author Shawn T. Smith, Psy.D.

Shawn is an outspoken critic of the “woke” ideology spreading through the field of clinical psychology, and speaks up courageously against the American Psychological Association, the governing body propagating it.

Because psychology and psychotherapy is one of my core interests, I felt having Shawn on the podcast was essential. I wanted to get his wisdom and insight into this rapidly changing field, and how men can best take advantage of its gifts, while protecting themselves from its growing anti-masculine dangers.

In our conversation we discuss:

• The manosphere, or as I call it "The Renaissance of Men", and how Shawn found his way into the rich world of male personal development

• The power of shame, and how it can help us in our social interactions, and hurt us when it goes too far

• The difference between being men living in service to an ideal, versus men living in servitude

• The dangerous ideology spreading through the APA and how it could be leading to an unchecked disaster down the line

• His background growing up with a father who owned a truck stop bar, and how his childhood observations of human interactions helped propel him towards a career psychology

I try to conduct my podcasts in an interview style, where I do minimal talking and lots of listening. But this turned out to be the most conversational podcast yet. And that makes sense, because Shawn is a listener too.

So I hope you enjoy this episode with two men finding their way around some of their favorite and most familiar subjects.

To watch Shawn’s popular 21Convention Speech, "How To Keep The Wrong Women Out of Your Life", click here

To visit Shawn’s YouTube channel, where he discusses the APA, click here

To purchase Shawn's book "The Tactical Guide to Women", click here

To follow Shawn on Twitter, click here

To visit Shawn’s website, click here

To read Robert Bly’s classic “Iron John”, click here

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

George Herbert - ”The Collar” | POETRY FOR MEN Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

This week I read "The Collar” by the English poet George Herbert, who lived during the 1600’s.

This poem depicts one man’s struggle with his chosen calling of the priesthood versus his burning desire for freedom and adventure.

I also discuss the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the flows of history that connect Herbert with our modern age.

This poem is proof that we’re not disconnected from history, and that the more things change, the more some things stay the same.

To read "The Collar", click here.

To learn more about George Herbert, click here.

To order "The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart", click here

To order “Poems That Make Grown Men Cry”, click here.

To order “The Best Poems of the English Language”, click here

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.

Follow The Renaissance of Men on Instagram and Twitter.

Ayahuasca and the Pursuit of Happiness | JASON GRECHANIK Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Renaissance of Men Podcast, I interview the host of the Universe Within Podcast, Jason Grechanik. Jason is a facilitator at the acclaimed Peruvian ayahuasca healing center The Temple of the Way of Light, which is where we met in 2016.

Jason also leads his own tobacco healing ceremonies in Peru’s Sacred Valley and is an experienced martial artist and yoga practitioner.

Naturally we had a lot to talk about. In our engaging three-hour conversation, we discuss:

Jason’s background, and how he arrived at the Temple of the Way of Light and why he stayed
The nature of ayahuasca: what it means, where it comes from, and how best to prepare
Being, Identity, and Meaning, and how they combine to produce our experience of reality, as individuals and a species
Why it's important to avoid expectations when encountering ayahuasca, and how every person's journey will be unique
Personal responsibility when it comes to healing traumas from our lives and our families
The fascinating nature of plants, and how many familiar plants embody powerful healing potential

I planned this episode as a gift to the many men I’ve met that have sincere questions about ayahuasca and the idea of gnosis, or direct spiritual knowledge. But the conversation actually became a gift to me as I got to partake in Jason’s wisdom and perspective. Doing so helped me relive some special times in my life, which I look forward to sharing someday.

To learn more about the Temple of the Way of Light, click here.

To check out The Universe Within, visit the following links: YOUTUBE — INSTAGRAM — APPLE PODCASTS — SPOTIFY

To learn more about Jason's tobacco healing ceremonies in Peru, click here

To purchase to the full album of Ikaros from the Temple maestros, click here

To read Jed McKenna's book "Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing" click here

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.

Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

The Art of Healing Humanity | SABIN HOWARD Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Renaissance of Men Podcast, Will Spencer interviews master sculptor Sabin Howard, America’s foremost practitioner of Modern Classicism. Sabin's works are owned by museums and private collectors around the world, and he's been favorably reviewed in the New York Times, Washington Post, and many international journals.

He's currently in the process of sculpting the U.S. National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C — a 60-foot wall of bronze with 38 figures, scheduled for completion in 2023.

In our engaging conversation, Sabin and I discuss:

- The story behind the Memorial, and the technological and traditional processes that have gone into making it

- Sabin's bi-cultural childhood in the US and Italy, and how they combined to make them the artist he is

- How a bit of insight from his wife Traci transformed the memorial into something greater and more universal than he could have imagined

- How failure can be a gift and a sign of the orderliness of the universe, and how that's come true in his life over and over again

- Why his war memorial isn't a war memorial, but a piece to heal humanity.

Sabin Howard makes artwork that will outlive us all, so it was deeply moving to me to speak to a man who not only shares my Humanist values, but who also labors so tirelessly and skillfully to bring them forward into our modern era, which is so desperately in need of them.

Special thanks to Mark Puchinsky and Traci for making this conversation possible.

To visit Sabin Howard on the web, click here.

To visit Sabin Howard on Instagram, click here.

To learn more about the National World War I memorial, click here.

To listen to Sabin give a fascinating lecture about the process of developing the memorial, click here.

To see Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment”, click here.

To see the Riace bronze sculptures claimed from beneath the sea, click here.

To order “Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain”, click here.

To order “Has Modernism Failed” by Suzi Gablik, click here.

To visit Mark Puchinsky on Instagram, click here.

To learn more about Sabin’s wife Traci Slatton, click here.

Visit https://renofmen.com to sign up to be notified about exciting upcoming news.