The Hardworking Man: Old Strength in a New World

Description & Shownotes:

In this debut episode of The Grounded Man Podcast, host John Douglas explores the shift from traditional, physically-driven strength to a new form of inner strength essential for today’s leaders.

He breaks down how constant connectivity and modern pressures demand emotional, mental, and spiritual resilience not just hard work. John encourages men to master their inner game, create space for reflection, and lead from freedom rather than pressure.

This episode sets the foundation for becoming a grounded, balanced man in today’s world.

Learn more: https://www.derunation.com

Timestamps

00:00:00 – Introduction & Podcast Purpose
John introduces the podcast, its mission, and the focus on mastering the inner game of leadership.

00:01:16 – Upcoming Episodes & Mission Statement
Overview of future episodes and the mission to help men change their mindset and outlook on leadership.

00:03:27 – Defining Strength & The Grounded Man
Explains what strength means today, the concept of being grounded, and the origin of "Daru."

00:04:32 – Old Strength: Previous Generations
Describes traditional strength—physical endurance and hard work—exemplified by fathers and grandfathers.

00:05:37 – Changing World & 24/7 Connectivity
Discusses how technology has created a nonstop world, increasing mental and emotional load.

00:07:52 – Language of Business & The Need to Think
Explores war-like business language and the importance of making space for reflection and thought.

00:08:56 – Willpower, Reactivity, and Inner Mastery
Highlights the power of will, the dangers of constant reactivity, and the need for inner mastery.

00:09:53 – New Strength: Enjoying the Work
Contrasts old and new strength, emphasizing the energy needed to enjoy work and avoid being owned by it.

00:11:01 – Self-Care & Energy Management
Stresses the importance of recovery, self-care, and giving energy to oneself in an always-on world.

00:11:55 – Overcoming Fear & Expanding Responsibility
Addresses overcoming fear, taking personal responsibility, and being present for family and community.

00:12:57 – Reflection & Call to Action
Encourages listeners to reflect on their current work style and make changes from within.

00:14:07 – Conclusion & Invitation to Share
Wraps up the episode, invites feedback, and encourages sharing the podcast with others.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You see, a lot of people think it takes all the strength to build it. And it does. It takes a hell of a lot of strength and resilience, persistence to build a business, and to build something real and to build something solid and to build something that works. But it takes an awful lot more, an awful lot of different type of energy. Actually enjoy it. To actually be able to switch off from it. To actually own it and not have it own you. Welcome to the Grounded Man Podcast by Deru. I am your host, John Douglas, and founder of Deru. This space is for hardworking men building businesses, carrying responsibility, and providing for the families who feel they should be freed. You see, the world has changed, and leading through hard work and long hours now limits a man's influence. The new way is mastering the inner game of leadership so you can carry it well, enjoy what you're building, and still feel free. Deru is leadership for the 21st century. And we are all about helping hardworking men to master the inner game of leadership so that you can carry responsibility with less pressure and more enjoyment. Because too often in today's world, the pressures from outside affect us on the inside, and they steal our time, our energy, and our headspace. And I want to help you restore that so that you can enjoy not only your work and leadership, but enjoy life and live it to the full. And that's what the mission of the Grounded Man podcast is all about creating a space for conversation, a platform to master that inner side of your leadership so that you can live with more peace of mind, more presence and profitability, and not just pressure. And on today's episode, episode one is all about the old strength versus new strength. And before I get into that, I want to just say that the next few episodes are all going to be about breaking down the mission statement, breaking down what it means to be a hardworking man, what does it mean to master the inner game, what does it mean to carry responsibility? What does it mean to work without pressure? What does it mean to enjoy it more? And to help you to basically change your mindset, change your outlook on business, on life, on leadership. Because if you've been experiencing a lot of pressure from different areas of your life, I'm here to tell you now that you don't have to, that that pressure is optional and you can frame your mind differently and lead and live from a place of freedom just as easy as pressure if you do the work. And so the Grounded Man podcast is a space for you. I'm going to shed light into areas that maybe maybe are subconscious or unconscious in your life at the moment. That I've basically gained the experience of working with dozens of men over you know periods of months to years and changing their mindset, changing their energy, changing their structure so that they're actually working and leading in a way that's aligned with them and not working against themselves and against life and against business. So I want to get into old strength versus new strength. So what is strength? Well, strength is really the ability to be stable and be balanced when things outside start to shake. So we can measure that physically, but we can also measure that emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And so a man who is grounded, the reason that the grounded man podcast is is called what it is, is because it's a man who has good inner strength. That no matter what storm hits or what um what wind hits on the outside, that the inside is still stable, that he's able to have balance and self-poise. Um, so the word Deru actually comes from the root word, which means steadfast and grounded and firm. And so, where how do we get that in more of that into our lives? Well, we have to go inside because that's where the truth and the self-awareness and the the wisdom is going to come from to get yourself to that place. So that's what these conversations really are all about. So that's what strength is. So, what I took what am I talking about? The old strength versus new strength. So the old strength is what I would consider my father, my grandfather's era, what they kind of were built on and what how they built communities and families and nations. And it was physical endurance, it was a lot of physical strength. You know, it was physically building things, physically making things, physically moving things, even thinking of the role of man in the household as a provider, as a protector, putting food on the table, putting a roof over their house because of more equality, but because of changes that have gone on to the world, because of technology, because of just evolution human evolution, things are starting to change. So I really respect um my my father and my grandfather and their generation for what they've done and all the opportunities and um possibilities and doors that they've opened up for our generation. Like we wouldn't be here talking across the screen from each other if that wasn't so. So I really respect where they've come from and it and it worked. You know, the physical endurance worked. If you worked hard and long, you know, you got on and you got by. All I want to bring some some space and clarity to is just thinking about today's world. Because today's world is a bit different. Today's world is 24-7. Technology has made it capable for us to do that, and so we have done that. We've made it a 24-7 world, it never switches off, it's always on demand. All you have to do is look at the difference between extra vision in the 90s and Netflix today. It's just always on. It doesn't require even physical movement, it's it's a lot of it's virtual. And so when we're thinking about leading a business in today's world, and even if you're still in a a business that you know is construction or engineering or manufacturing or retail related, whatever that might be, where you're making physical products, this still applies because the technology behind that runs the business is 24-7, even though the movement of the product obviously has physical, logistical problems and capabilities. We still are looking, we're still as the operator, as the man behind the business, we're still living in this world. And so some of the things that our fathers and grandfathers would never have experienced is the fact that when you come home from work, you have a laptop, a phone, email, and god knows how many other devices that keep you connected to the world of work, even when you're not physically working. And that has a mental load, it places a mental weight, an emotional weight on you. And if you're not aware of it, it can really start to drain your energy because while you while you have those things, you always feel the need to be in control. And so therefore, when you've access to emails and phones, you always you know see things that you can do, you know, to actually make things better. But sometimes that's at the detriment to ourselves because we don't get the time then to recover and rest and recharge. So the 20th century was very much about physical and about doing. You know, you are a doer, you get the work done, make it happen. And a lot of even, you know, the terminology in business from the 20th century and it which has come into the 21st century, a lot of it's war war talk. You know, business is a battlefield. I'm in the trenches, I'm on the front line, it's a war out there. We talk like this about business. So and how we talk to ourselves has a big impact on how we show up on the energy state of our bodies and our minds. So we need to change some of that language, and we need to be aware that we can't always be on, we're not robots. You know, the world of AI now and technology has made basically infinite input. AI will never stop working, and its capabilities are growing, so you'll never outwork it. So the doer of the 21st century, especially in leadership, is getting left behind. And if you want to be a really good leader in the 21st century, you have to start thinking more. And that is literally making space in your day where you just have a pen and paper and just think. Some people do this through journaling, some people do it reflection, writing out their goals, just even thinking about what it is that they, you know, where they want to be in 12 months' time, whatever that might be, start thinking more. And even a great tool is to pause in the moment as well. Give your space, give yourself space to think. A few seconds. Victor Frankel had a great quote, he said, There is a space between stimulus and response, and in that space lies your ability to choose, and in that choice lies your ability and your freedom. So that's where your willpower is. Your power, the only power that you have mentally is your willpower. Now you have a spiritual power as well, and that's when you get into alignment and living true to yourself, that you let that you know the energy of life kind of flow through you better. That's it, that's different. But your your mind, the power of your mind is your willpower. But if you react, if you just constantly react to the foot when the phone rings, when the email comes through, when something beeps, when somebody shouts, when somebody knocks on the door, if you just constantly react, you don't have willpower. You're just reacting. You're in that pressure zone. You're in that zone of not switching off. So the new way of working requires inner mastery, and I'll go into that in a later episode. But basically, the strength that we were trying to build, the new strength that we want to build, is strength so we can enjoy the work. You see, a lot of people think it takes all the strength to build it, and it does. It takes a hell of a lot of strength and resilience and persistence to build a business and to build something real and to build something solid and to build something that works. But it takes an awful lot more, an awful lot of a different type of energy to actually enjoy it, to actually be able to switch off from it, to actually own it and not have it own you. And so I want you to want you just to become aware of am I working like my father and my grandfather did, pushing through things, forcing things, just working it into existence? Or am I actually working like I should be in the 21st century? Am I taking a step back? Am I thinking about things? Am I thinking about the leader that I want to be? Am I thinking like the leader I want to be? Am I leading the business the way I want to be? Have I the right structure in place for myself? Like, am I getting enough um recovery in my week? Like, am I taking times from time for my exercise, time for the gym, time to connect with people, time just as as a break, maybe read a book, go for a walk, get out in nature. Am I taking that time for myself? Because in an always-on world, if you don't take that time for yourself, nobody else can. And if you literally want more energy, you have to give it to yourself. So, how are you giving energy to yourself? Because I know one way that will drain it, and that's if you're always on and always in constant pressure, because that constant pressure, the root of that, is there's a fear behind it. Fear of failure, fear of poverty, fear of rejection, fear of whatever. They come back to some basic fears, all driven by that. And so the new way of working is about overcoming that. And we the only way we can overcome that is by taking space out to think and to look after ourselves, take personal responsibility. Because as a man, if you want to be the provider and protector in the 21st century, it's not just about being there physically for your family, putting bread on the table, it's about being there for them, maybe to carry some of the responsibility of the home, of family, you know, whether that's with children, whether that is with chores around the house, whether that's with anything else remote. And it's also about being there in community as well, so you can give back to the community in ways that that you want to that feel aligned with you. You need energy to do that. So you have to emotionally and mentally and spiritually be on top of your game. So physically just doesn't cut it anymore. Physically is like that's that's the standard, that's that's the old one. But if we want to take things to the next level, it's about getting there on an emotional level, on a mental level, and that can only be done by taking the time to think. So I want you, I'm gonna leave you uh this this after the first episode with this question I want you to think about how you're working right now. And is is how I'm working right now working for me? I want you to just reflect on that. Is how I'm working right now working for me? Is how I'm working right now matching the life that I want to live? Because if it's not, something needs to change. And I can guarantee you that the the thing that needs to change will not come from outside, it has to come from inside. So you have to change your mindset, you have to change your energy state away from that pressure and into freedom. You have to change that thinking away from reaction to align alignment, alignment with yourself, and when you do that, you're living true to yourself, and that's when you're living, you're built on truth, and you're grounded and you're firm and you're solid, and that is new strength. You see, I think we have all the strength in the world, the outer strength, to build empires, but we don't have enough inner strength to actually enjoy it. So we'll leave it for there and talk to you next week. Take care. Thank you so much for listening today. I really enjoy sharing this wisdom because it doesn't come from me, it comes through me from the work I do with men like you that I serve. So if the idea you shared today resonated, be sure to like and follow the show. And if another man would value it, share this episode with him. Because the more men who hear this, the more of us can break free from pressure and enjoy what we're building. So let's enjoy the build together. Thank you for listening. I'll see you next week.