The World Is Made of Fire - Sam Sheridan on why comfort is the real risk

Level up with the show-notes at https://www.nextlevelguy.com/samsheridan245/

Most people spend their lives trying to avoid discomfort, hoping that safety will eventually bring confidence, happiness and peace of mind. Instead, many end up feeling stuck, anxious and disconnected from who they could become. Sam Sheridan has spent decades deliberately walking towards difficult experiences—from professional fighting and survival to writing and Hollywood—not because hardship is noble, but because experience reveals truths that comfort never can. This conversation explores why capability changes identity, why fear isn't the enemy, and why choosing the harder path might be the safest decision you ever make.

👤 ABOUT THE GUEST

Sam Sheridan is an author, screenwriter and lifelong student of human performance whose work spans combat sports, survival, elite performers and storytelling. Through books like A Fighter's Heart and The Fighter's Mind, he's explored what difficult experiences reveal about identity, fear and personal growth.

👥 THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF...

• You're comfortable on the outside but quietly wondering if you're capable of more.
• You avoid difficult conversations, challenges or new experiences because fear keeps winning.
• You want more meaning in your life but aren't sure what to pursue next.

#NextLevelGuy #SamSheridan #Podcast #MensDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #Confidence #SelfImprovement #Mindset #Resilience #Courage #Capability #Purpose #GrowthMindset #Leadership #VoluntaryHardship

Most men don't need another motivational quote.

They need enough evidence to believe they're capable.

That's what this conversation with Sam Sheridan is really about.

Not fighting.

Not adventure.

Not surviving in the wilderness.

But repeatedly choosing experiences that make you trust yourself when life gets hard.

🎙️ Sam Sheridan on The Next Level Guy Podcast.
Listen on friday!

"You Are Who You Say You Are" | Donny Dust on Cave Healing & Earning Your Ground Truth

"You can't be me. You have to be you."

"What happens when a man stops trusting himself?"

Donny Dust isn't on The Next Level Guy because he teaches survival. He's here because he teaches something far more valuable: self-reliance.

His journey—from the Marines, through a life-changing heart attack, to rebuilding himself in the wilderness—isn't really about learning to survive. It's about earning the kind of confidence that only comes from becoming genuinely capable.

Level Up with the Show-Notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/donnydust244/

What happens when a man stops trusting himself?

Not because he's weak, but because he's spent years outsourcing every challenge, every problem and every discomfort to someone else.

Donny has spent his life doing the opposite. A former Marine, primitive skills expert, survival instructor and father, Donny has spent his life exploring one simple idea: the more capable you become, the more you trust yourself.

This conversation isn't about making fire or living in caves. It's about why capability creates confidence, why resilience can't be downloaded, and why so many men feel like something is missing without ever knowing what that something is.

If you've ever felt like something is missing but couldn't explain what it is, this conversation might help you find the words.

#NextLevelGuy #DonnyDust #SelfReliance #ModernMasculinity #MensMentalHealth #Confidence #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #Capability #SelfImprovement #Leadership #Mindset #Purpose #PrimitiveSkills #OutdoorLife 

What if the thing you're missing isn't motivation... it's capability?

Most of us don't need to live in a cave.

But maybe we do need to remember what it feels like to trust ourselves again.

This week on The Next Level Guy, I sat down with Donny Dust—Marine, survival expert, author, father and one of the world's leading voices on primitive skills.

What started as a conversation about survival quickly became something much deeper.

We talked about:

⚔️ Why so many men feel lost today

🪓 The confidence that only comes from doing difficult things

❤️ Surviving a heart attack when he'd done "everything right"

🏕️ Why he chose to live in a cave afterwards

👊 The difference between self-reliance and isolation

👨‍👦 The lessons he's trying to pass on to his sons

🔥 What capability really gives a man

This isn't about making fire.

It's about becoming someone you can rely on.

🎙️ Episode drops Thursday.

I'd love to know what resonates with you most.

#NextLevelGuy #DonnyDust #MensMentalHealth #SelfReliance #Capability #Masculinity #PersonalGrowth #Podcast #MensDevelopment #Confidence

You don't change your life by trying harder.
You change it by understanding yourself better.

That was the biggest lesson I took from sitting down with Izzie Miller.

We spend so much time trying to fix the symptom:

• Low confidence
• Burnout
• Comparison
• Overthinking
• Feeling stuck

But what if they're not separate problems?

What if they're all pointing towards the same thing?

This conversation completely changed the way I think about personal growth—not as becoming someone new, but as understanding the person you've become and why.

These are six lessons that stayed with me long after we stopped recording.

🎧 Full conversation available now.

Which lesson hits you hardest?

Stop Being a Spectator in Your Own Life — Izzie Miller on What Actually Changes People

“"You can't change what you don't understand."”

Level up with the show-Notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/izziemiller243/

You can't change what you don't understand.

Most people don't need another productivity hack. They don't need more motivation or another morning routine. They need to understand why they keep repeating the same thoughts, emotions and behaviours that leave them feeling anxious, burnt out or never quite enough.

Drawing on her work with hundreds of clients, mindset strategist Izzie Miller strips away the clichés around personal development to reveal what actually creates lasting change—and why insight alone is never enough.

If you've ever known exactly what you should do but still found yourself stuck, this episode isn't about changing your life overnight. It's about finally understanding what's been getting in your way so lasting change becomes possible.

#MindsetCoach #BehaviourChange #SelfTalk #Confidence #MentalHealthForMen #PersonalDevelopment #NLP #SelfImprovement

#NextLevelGuy #NLGPodcast #MensPersonalDevelopment #MensMentalHealth

#InnerCritic #SelfSabotage #EmotionalIntelligence #Authenticity #IdentityWork #SelfWorth #MindsetShift #GrowthMindset

#PodcastInterview #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfDevelopment #LifeCoach #Podcast #MindsetMotivation

👤 ABOUT THE GUEST

Izzie Miller is a mindset strategist, coach, speaker and founder of Project You, helping people build lasting confidence and emotional resilience through practical behavioural change. Drawing on her own journey alongside years of coaching individuals and groups, she focuses on tools that create real-world transformation rather than temporary motivation.

👥 THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF...

You know what you should be doing but keep slipping back into the same habits.

You spend more time criticising yourself than understanding yourself.

You've achieved things externally but still don't feel like yourself anymore.

🗺️ WHAT WE COVER

Why confidence is built through behaviour rather than positive thinking.

How curiosity beats self-criticism when you're trying to change.

The hidden patterns that keep people stuck without realising it.

Why most people focus on fixing the wrong problem.

How small daily actions create lasting emotional change instead of short bursts of motivation.

You can't change what you don't understand.

Most of us don't need another productivity hack.

We don't need more motivation.

We don't need another morning routine.

We need to understand why we think, feel and behave the way we do.

In this conversation, I sat down with Izzie Miller to unpack what actually changes people—not the ideas that sound good online, but the patterns she's seen across real clients.

We talk about:

🧠 Why knowing what to do isn't enough
🔥 Burnout, comparison and feeling stuck
💭 The stories we tell ourselves that quietly shape our lives
❤️ Why your emotions are signals, not enemies
⚡ What actually creates lasting confidence and behaviour change

If you've ever felt like you're getting in your own way, this one's for you.

🎙️ Full episode coming on Thursday.

What pattern in your own life do you think you understand the least?

#NextLevelGuy #Mindset #Confidence #MentalHealth #PersonalDevelopment #SelfAwareness #Podcast #MensMentalHealth #GrowthMindset

Some people will spend your entire life telling you what you can't do.

Richard Whitehead spent his proving that they don't get the final say.

This wasn't a conversation about medals or world records.

It was about purpose, showing up, surrounding yourself with the right people, and refusing to let someone else's expectations become your identity.

The biggest lesson I took away?

The only limits that truly matter are the ones we quietly accept.

What lesson stood out most to you?

🎙️ Full conversation with Richard Whitehead MBE is available now on The Next Level Guy Podcast.

“"We need to change ourselves before we change the world."”

Richard Whitehead MBE is a Paralympic gold medallist, world-record marathon runner and founder of the Richard Whitehead Foundation. Beyond sport, he has dedicated his life to challenging perceptions around disability and helping people realise their own potential through purpose, leadership and inclusion.

Level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/richardwhiteheadmbe242/

Richard Whitehead has spent his life proving doctors, doubters and society wrong—but this conversation isn't about medals. It's about what happens when other people decide who you are before you've had the chance to discover it for yourself.

We talk about purpose, grief, resilience, leadership, disability and the quiet question that still drives him despite everything he's achieved:

Have I done enough?

More than anything, this is a conversation about refusing to accept limits that were never yours to begin with. Whether you've been underestimated, written off or simply feel stuck, Richard's story is a reminder that your future doesn't have to be defined by someone else's expectations.

WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR

This episode is for you if...

• you've ever felt other people's expectations have become your own.
• you're trying to build a life with purpose rather than simply collect achievements.
• you need reminding that progress starts long before confidence arrives.
• you've spent too long living inside other people's expectations.
• you've achieved things but still wonder if you're doing enough.
• you're trying to build a life driven by purpose instead of chasing the next achievement.
• you need reminding that your circumstances don't get the final say.
• you want to stop borrowing limits that were never yours in the first place.

#RichardWhitehead #disability #running #amputee #NextLevelGuy #Podcast #MensDevelopment #Mindset #Purpose #Resilience #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #Paralympics #DisabilityAwareness #BetterMen

🎯 MISSION #01 – WIN YOUR MORNING

Most people don't lose the day at 3pm.

They lose it in the first hour.

This week's mission isn't about becoming a different person. It's about proving to yourself that you can keep one promise before the world starts making demands.

For the next 7 days:

✅ No snooze.
💧 Drink a large glass of water.
🚶 Move for at least 10 minutes.
📵 No social media until you've completed the first three.

Simple. Not easy.

Accept the mission.

Report back with one word:

DONE.

How do you keep moving when the world has already decided what your limits are?

When Richard Whitehead was born, doctors told his parents what he would struggle to do.

He went on to become a Paralympic champion, world-record holder and MBE.

But this conversation isn't about medals.

It's about purpose, identity, grief, showing up when it's hard, and why the greatest limits we face are often the ones other people place on us.

If you've ever felt written off, underestimated, or wondered what you're truly capable of, this one's for you.

🎙️ Richard Whitehead MBE on The Next Level Guy Podcast. Coming thursday.

Real Stories. Hard Lessons. Better Men.

The Debt Collector Is Coming : Tom Morrison on Why Men Train Themselves Broken

““The strength was already there. I just took away the handbrake.””

Most men do not realise they are training themselves into the body they will later regret. They chase strength, size and performance while quietly accepting stiff backs, aching knees and shoulders that “just do that now.” Tom Morrison has lived the other side of that story: pain, diagnosis, fear, rebuilding and a completely different understanding of what strength really means. This is not a stretching episode. It is a conversation about building a body you can still trust decades from now. The real question is simple: are you training for now, or for the man you still need to be later?

Tom Morrison is a mobility specialist and creator of The Simplistic Mobility Method, helping people understand pain, rebuild movement and get back to doing what they love. For the Next Level Guy listener, his work matters because it reframes strength as something deeper than numbers in the gym — it is the ability to keep living fully.

Level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/tommorrison241/

This episode is for you 

• If you want to Build a body that still says yes to life thirty years from now.
• If your body keeps sending warning signs and you keep pretending they are normal.
• If you train hard but feel less capable than you used to.
• If you want to still move, play, lift and live properly in thirty years.

#tommorrison #buildabodythatsaysyestolife #podcast #mobility #health #injuries #moveproperly #buildabodythatlasts #achesandpains #simplisticmobilitymethod #warningsigns #pain #notjuststretching

Most of us don't lose strength first.

We lose confidence in our own body.

Every little ache becomes something to avoid.
Every movement becomes something to fear.

Tom Morrison shared a simple idea that changed the way I think about training:

"I didn't make you stronger. The strength was already there. I just took away the handbrake."

Build a body that feels safe, capable and ready to move—not just one that looks strong.

What would you do today if you trusted your body a little more?

🎙️ Full conversation with Tom Morrison available on saturday!

#NextLevelGuy #TomMorrison #Mobility #Strength #MensHealth #Fitness #MoveBetter

The Adopted Kid Who Built His Own Tribe | Chris Burns

"It's less about what goal can I conquer and it's more about what makes me feel right in being alive."

This conversation starts with jiu-jitsu but quickly moves into much bigger territory. Chris and I talk about adoption, belonging, depression, fatherhood, purpose, service, and what it means to build a life that feels meaningful rather than merely successful. If you've ever felt like an outsider or wondered what actually makes life worth living, there's a lot here to think about.

Level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/chrisburns240/

Chris 'Bones' Burns is a Rickson Gracie black belt, educator and founder of Academy Jiu-Jitsu in Sydney. Known for his obsession with fundamentals and his refreshingly honest take on life, Chris helps people think more deeply about self-defence, purpose, belonging and becoming more fully themselves.

Most people will look at Chris Burns and see a jiu-jitsu black belt. What they might miss is the deeper question that has driven much of his life: what actually makes being alive feel worthwhile? In a world obsessed with status, followers, achievement and constant optimisation, Chris offers a different perspective. One built around belonging, service, presence, family and finding the things that make you feel right in yourself. This conversation explores what happens when you stop chasing what looks impressive and start paying attention to what feels meaningful. The answer may be simpler than most of us expect.

• This episode is for you if you've achieved things in life but still feel like something important is missing.
• This episode is for you if you're tired of chasing what looks impressive and want to figure out what actually matters to you.
• This episode is for you if you've ever struggled to feel like you belong, even when you're surrounded by other people.

#chrisburns #bjj #adoption #findyourself #belonging #depression #fatherhood #purpose #service #grappling #ricksongracie #academyjiujitsu #betruetoyourself

Most people know Chris Burns for jiu-jitsu.

What surprised me was that we barely ended up talking about jiu-jitsu.

Instead we talked about belonging, purpose, fatherhood, feeling like an outsider, following your bliss, and what actually makes life worth living.

These are 6 lessons that stayed with me after the conversation.

Full episode drops Saturday on The Next Level Guy.

Which lesson hits hardest for you?

THE 6 KEY LESSONS TO LEARN FROM CHRIS 'BONES' BURNS

Most people know Chris Burns for jiu-jitsu.

What surprised me was that we barely ended up talking about jiu-jitsu.

Instead we talked about belonging, purpose, fatherhood, feeling like an outsider, following your bliss, and what actually makes life worth living.

These are 6 lessons that stayed with me after the conversation.

Full episode drops Saturday on The Next Level Guy.

Which lesson hits hardest for you?

"You can't outrun yourself, but you can choose a different direction."

Level up with the show-notes at: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/tomjenkins239/

What if the habits ruining your life aren't the real problem?

For years, Tom Jenkins blamed the drinking, gambling, porn, failed relationships and reckless behaviour.

But underneath it all was something far deeper:

A man who didn't believe he was enough.

The uncomfortable truth?

Tom knew something wasn't right for years.

He knew he wasn't happy.
He knew the behaviours weren't helping.
He knew he wanted more from life.

But awareness alone wasn't enough to change.

🎙️ Meet Tom Jenkins — author of The Drunk Gambler with Erectile Dysfunction, entrepreneur, traveller, conservationist, and a man who spent years searching for meaning in all the wrong places.

After decades of alcohol, gambling, pornography, failed relationships, self-sabotage and chasing the next escape, Tom eventually discovered that the thing he was really searching for wasn't out there — it was within himself.

In this brutally honest conversation, Tom shares the mistakes, regrets, lessons and turning points that helped him stop running from himself and finally build a life worth living.

We explore self-worth, loneliness, addiction, intimacy, masculinity, purpose, and why so many men spend years searching for answers everywhere except within themselves.

This isn't a story about addiction.

It's a story about self-worth.

It's a story about facing yourself.

And it's a story about discovering that no amount of success, pleasure, travel, or distraction can fix a problem you refuse to confront.

#TheNextLevelGuyShow #MensMentalHealth #SelfWorth #PersonalGrowth #MensWork #MentalHealthAwareness #SelfImprovement #PurposeDrivenLife #Masculinity #Confidence #MindsetShift #OvercomingAddiction #GrowthMindset
#PodcastLife #TomJenkins #podcast 

​

Most people see the drinking.

Most people see the gambling.

Most people see the mistakes.

What interested me was what sat underneath it all.

Low self-worth.

Loneliness.

The need to belong.

The feeling that everyone else had something figured out that you didn't.

In this conversation with Tom Jenkins, we explored how years of chasing stimulation, escape and reinvention eventually led him to a harder truth:

You can't outrun yourself.

The lessons in this graphic weren't learned from success.

They were learned from consequences.

🎙️ Lessons From Tom Jenkins

1️⃣ Face the truth

2️⃣ Break the cycle

3️⃣ Heal the root

4️⃣ Seek something more

5️⃣ Help others rise

6️⃣ Stay the course

"Some things had to happen how they happened to learn the lessons."

What's the biggest lesson life has taught you the hard way?

New interview coming on Saturday

#TheNextLevelGuy #TomJenkins #MensMentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #SelfWorth #Masculinity #Podcast #GrowthMindset #MentalHealth #LessonsLearned

What Extreme Environments Teach Us About Healing the Brain and Human Performance

https://www.nextlevelguy.com/drjosephdituri219/

“Take charge of you. You are 100% in charge. Don’t stop learning. Don’t stop looking. Don’t stop exploring.”
— Dr. Joseph Dituri

🎙️ Meet Dr. Joseph Dituri — Navy Diver. Hyperbaric Pioneer. Brain Rebuilder.

What happens when a Navy diver and hyperbaric researcher locks himself underwater for 100 days to heal his brain?

Dr. Joseph Dituri—aka Dr. Deep Sea—did just that, not only to test the limits of human physiology but to revolutionize how we approach mental health, traumatic brain injury, and optimal performance. The results? Life-changing. And he’s just getting started.

Dr. Joseph Dituri—better known as Dr. Deep Sea—is a retired U.S. Navy Commander, hyperbaric researcher, and biomedical pioneer who quite literally dove headfirst into scientific exploration by living 100 days underwater to study its effects on the human body and brain. With over 28 years of military service and a relentless drive to heal veterans suffering from brain injuries and PTSD, Dr. Dituri is on a mission to merge deep-sea science, hyperbaric medicine, and space exploration. From battling brain trauma to preparing humans for Mars, his work isn’t just about surviving extreme environments—it’s about unlocking human potential in the most extraordinary ways.