A lot of men carry a quiet ache they can’t quite name, then spend decades trying to outrun it with work, wins, and willpower. On this Father’s Day, we sit with that ache head-on: the father wound, the craving for approval, and the lifelong impact of a dad who is physically present but emotionally absent. We don’t treat it like a psychology trend or a sentimental story. We treat it like spiritual warfare in the heart, because what happens with dad often shows up everywhere else.

My guest, Buddy Griffin, is known around the world for his music and his leadership, but he tells a deeply personal story about growing up with a hard father who never hugged him, never affirmed him, and never said the words he needed. A moment from Robert Lewis’ Better Man teaching forces Buddy to face one brutal question: will he someday stand at a casket with everything still unresolved? That question leads to action and to an awkward first visit in a retirement center where Buddy asks directly for love and a hug and keeps coming back until the dam finally breaks.

We also talk about what to do when your father is already gone, how forgiveness can start with honesty, and why reconciliation changes not only a man’s peace but his parenting, marriage, and drive. If you’ve ever felt fueled by pressure but starved for approval, this conversation offers a clear path forward.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review. What’s one conversation you know you’ve been putting off?

Chapter Markers

• 0:00
• Welcome To The Inner Fight
• 0:35
• Father’s Day And Why Dads Matter
• 3:00
• Growing Up Without Warmth At Home
• 4:43
• The Photo That Forced The Question
• 8:45
• Asking For Love And A Hug
• 12:58
• Final Words In The ICU
• 16:12
• Taking Other Men To The Grave
• 20:55
• Forgiveness, Action, And Closing Poem

Send us Fan Mail

Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

A single email during COVID turned into a paternity test, a flight to an empty LAX, and a face-to-face meeting with a 46-year-old son Rick Wertz never knew existed. That’s the kind of story that sounds impossible until you hear the details, and it opens a bigger question many men carry quietly: what do you do with the father-wound, the love deficit, and the years you can’t get back?

We sit down with Rick, the founder of Faithful Fathering, to trace the path from a childhood marked by violence, alcoholism, and untreated wartime trauma to a life rebuilt through faith, Scripture, and intentional fatherhood. He shares the moment he realized his work and travel had made him a stranger in his own home, and how that wake-up call pushed him toward accountability, spiritual discipline, and a mission to equip churches to encourage dads rather than only critique them.

Then the “COVID curveballs” hit: first, discovering and blessing an adult son who had been searching for decades, and second, learning through DNA results that he also had a half-brother and that long-held family secrets were revealed. We talk adoption reunion, genetic mirroring, forgiveness, boundaries for kids and parents in a world of social media and pornography, and why knowing the Heavenly Father changes how we handle every part of the story.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more men can find it.

Here is a link to Rick's website to learn more:

https://faithfulfathering.org/

Chapter Markers

• 0:00
• Welcome To Wrestling The Inner Man
• 0:34
• Valentine’s Day And The Love Deficit
• 1:33
• A Childhood Shaped By Violence
• 4:31
• Chasing Approval Through Work
• 6:52
• Faithful Fathering And A Biblical Worldview
• 9:48
• The DNA Email That Introduced A Son
• 14:43
• A Second Curveball And A Half-Brother
• 20:11
• Boundaries, Redemption, And Real Fathering
• 22:46
• Final Counsel And Closing Prayer

Send us Fan Mail

Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

A lot of men can describe the exact second they heard the words “I’m pregnant” and what happened next, their mind racing through fear, responsibility, and what kind of man they’re going to be. But almost nobody asks the next question out loud: what happens to the father when an abortion happens, and he’s told to stay quiet? That silence can turn into years of shame, drifting, and numbness, even for men who look fine on the outside.

We sit down with Greg Mayo, award-winning author of Almost Daddy: The Forgotten Story, to talk about men’s abortion grief, post-abortion trauma, and why the cultural conversation leaves fathers without language or support. Greg shares his own story of abortion loss, how unresolved pain can show up as addiction and escapism, and the moment he finally broke isolation by telling the truth in a church small group. We also dig into the surprising statistics, including the “one in five men” reality, and why so few men seek help from clergy or church leaders.

Greg explains why he chose to write a novel instead of a memoir, and how story can disarm politics long enough for real empathy and spiritual healing to begin. We close with practical next steps, a challenge to raise the sails toward healing, and a call for men to lead, serve, and step into the fight with courage and compassion. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs words for what he’s carried, and leave a review so more men can find a path forward.

You can visit his website to learn more at:

https://gregmayoauthor.com/

Chapter Markers

• 0:00
• Welcome To The Inner Fight
• 0:36
• The Shock Of An Unexpected Pregnancy
• 2:06
• Greg Mayo And Almost Daddy
• 4:59
• Why Men’s Abortion Stories Stay Hidden
• 8:48
• Greg’s Story Of Loss And Hardening
• 14:15
• Why Fiction Can Tell The Truth
• 19:12
• The Numbers And The Church Silence
• 24:37
• Helping Men Name The Wound
• 27:39
• How To Reach Greg And Start Healing
• 30:03
• Get In The Fight As Men
• 32:03
• Closing Prayer And Sendoff

Send us Fan Mail

Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.