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What happens when the career you've chased since you were seven years old finally pays off, and then falls apart the same weekend your life changes forever? That's the question at the center of this conversation with animator Colin Brady. Colin has helped bring some of cinema's biggest names to life, think Toy Story, E.T., the Hulk, and worked directly with Steve Jobs and Steven Spielberg along the way. In part I of our conversation with him, he talks about falling in love with animation as a kid in the Chicago suburbs, talking his way into CalArts, being at Pixar during its wildest early years, and a surprisingly thoughtful, pro-AI take on where his industry is headed next. Then he gets honest about the brutal, deeply personal moment his directing career took a hit at the worst possible time — and the unexpected Christian friendship that helped him find his footing again.

No time to pray? You might already have 20 minutes hiding in your day, your commute, your run, the five minutes before bed you usually spend scrolling. In this episode, Paul makes the case that the rosary isn’t a grandma prayer, it’s a real discipline, and one of the most powerful tools you have for facing whatever’s coming your way. He shares where it actually fits into a packed schedule, a simple trick for staying focused instead of zoning out, and two stories you won’t forget: an outnumbered fleet staring down impossible odds, and a 14-year-old who faced something far worse than a bad day at work — and didn’t flinch.

What if the house, the career stability, the "right time" — none of it ever fully arrives? Would you still say yes? That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Patrick Wilkinson, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department who drives a hundred-foot aerial ladder truck through the streets of LA. But work isn't what lights Patrick up, it's his family. He and his wife Bianca met completely by chance at an Applebee's, and from there built a marriage and a household that now includes four kids, a fifth on the way, and a homeschool routine neither of them originally planned. Patrick gets honest about the financial sacrifices, the daily grind of sibling conflict, and the men's group that pulled him out of isolation during COVID — plus some hard-won wisdom about waiting too long to start a family that he wishes he'd heard earlier. 00:00 Introduction to Patrick and his family 01:52 How Patrick met Bianca at Applebee's 04:00 Traits that attracted Patrick to Bianca 06:10 Transition to parenthood and trusting God's plan 07:58 Financial sacrifices and home decisions 11:02 Family life, homeschooling, and faith practices 13:50 Balancing work as a firefighter with family responsibilities 18:03 Building community and supporting each other in faith 22:00 Conflict resolution and teaching children forgiveness 24:57 The importance of prioritizing faith and family

If you've ever felt like dating today is somehow harder than it used to be, this episode is for you. Dana, a California government attorney, Harvard grad, and returning guest, is back on the show, and a lot has changed since his last appearance: he's now engaged. In this conversation, Dana and Paul get honest about the real risks of dating, where to actually meet someone worth pursuing, how to handle breakups without spiraling, and what changed for Dana when he met his fiancée. You don't want to miss Dana's insights on navigating the complexities of modern dating, the importance of virtue and community, and how to discern God's will in finding a life partner. A perfect episode for Catholic men seeking guidance on their journey to marriage.

You don't need a full bank account or a clear plan to trust God with your future, you just need to be willing to take the next step. That's the heart of this episode. Milton Ogdoc is an architect who moved his family, including four children with special needs, from the Philippines to California with almost nothing to his name. In this conversation, Milton talks about the years of real financial pressure, a wildfire that nearly took everything, and the daily habits of faith — Mass, the rosary, a total trust in providence — that carried him through. He also shares what he looks for looking back, in the woman he married, and what he'd tell a young man who feels like he can't start a life of his own until he has more money or more certainty. Milton Ogdoc shares his inspiring journey from the Philippines to the United States, highlighting faith, family sacrifices, and the importance of divine providence in overcoming life's challenges. This episode offers valuable insights on marriage, faith practices, and resilience. If you're single, still figuring out your career, or waiting for the "right time" to pursue marriage, this one's for you.

Your phone may be quietly rewiring your attention, your habits, and even your soul. Andrew Laubacher, co-founder of Humanality and creator of Illumined Wellness reveals why digital addiction is not just a productivity problem, but a human problem and what it takes to reclaim your focus, your freedom, and your life. In this Forge the Man and Fairest Love podcast crossover, Andrew shares about why he believes “moderation” with social media is often a myth, the warning signs of phone addiction, including nomophobia and compulsive checking and how platforms are designed to exploit comparison, anxiety, lust, and dopamine loops. Learn more here: https://www.humanality.org/

Ever made a decision you were completely sure about, brushed off someone's caution, and later wished you could take it all back? In this solo reflection, Paul uses a simple picture, four parts of a car, to talk through the cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, courage, and justice. It's a short, practical episode, the kind you could listen to on a drive to work and actually carry with you for the rest of the day. Paul also shares a favorite book on virtue, a surprising quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, and a simple daily habit he's kept for years that he thinks more men should try.

Have you ever had your whole life planned out — college, the girl, the wedding, the kids, right on schedule — and then felt God quietly rearrange the timeline on you? That's exactly where our guest this week found himself. Anthony Giuntini is an electrical engineer who spends his weekdays designing power and lighting systems for buildings. Underneath the engineer's logic is a guy who once had a literal countdown to marriage running through his head at thirteen years old, and found himself, instead, called to something he never saw coming, a vocation to give his life to God as a Numerary in Opus Dei. This is an honest conversation in a way discernment stories don't always get to be. Anthony walks us through the disorienting season when he moved cities away from his friends, the mentor who helped guide him, and a breakthrough moment in Rome that reframed everything for his very analytical mind. Along the way, there's a story about a dying man's final prayer that you'll want to hear Anthony tell it himself. Whether you're married, discerning, or just trying to figure out what God is asking of you right now, we think you'll find something here worth sitting with.

Lieutenant Colonel Joe Groff has spent nearly 14 years in the United States Air Force as a JAG officer — an attorney handling criminal prosecution and defense within the military justice system. In this episode of Forge The Man, Joe walks Paul through his path from UCLA history major and Bush campaign field director to law school, failing the notoriously difficult California bar exam twice before finally passing, and commissioning into the Air Force in 2012. Joe gets candid about what actually separates officers who thrive from those who struggle (hint: preparation), and the real trade-offs of raising five kids across five moves in six years. The conversation closes on a reflective note about identity, public service, and the deep, lifelong friendships forged in the "crucible" of military life — including a friend who converted to Catholicism while deployed to Afghanistan.

Roberto "Bobby" Girault is an award-winning Mexican filmmaker best known for his breakout 2009 film El Estudiante, which won six Silver Goddess Awards including Best Director and Best Picture. In this episode of Forge The Man, Bobby talks with Paul about his winding path from law school to Vancouver Film School, the tension of choosing a "romantic" creative calling over the business path his family expected, and what he learned watching his father face both huge success and real failure without ever staying down. The conversation moves into the craft and leadership side of directing — confidence, fatherhood-style leadership, and knowing when to draw a hard line of authority on set — before landing on Bobby's deeper "why": using film to remind audiences of their God-given dignity. Paul and Bobby also get honest about the boundaries of storytelling, how far is too far when depicting violence or intimacy on screen, and close with a genuinely funny behind-the-scenes story from the set of El Estudiante.

In this solo reflection, Paul Ybarra digs into a 2018 Vatican document, Giving the Best of Yourself, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which explores the role of sports in the Christian life — largely drawing on the "theology of the body" and personal example of Pope St. John Paul II, famously known as the "athlete pope." Paul makes the case that sports and physical fitness are genuine gifts from God, capable of building virtue, humility, and team-oriented character — but warns that, left unchecked, the same good desire for strength and health can quietly crowd out prayer, family, and the interior life. Drawing on a story about Magic Johnson learning the joy of assisting his teammates, a conversation with a young man preparing for the fire department, and John Paul II's own words to athletes, Paul lays out a simple but challenging question for every man who loves sports: are you training your body while letting your soul go dry? Share this episode with a friend who might be chasing fitness (or any good thing) a little harder than his prayer life right now. Subscribe to Forge The Man for more reflections on faith, virtue, and living with the right priorities as a Catholic man.

Joel Ojeda is the Chief Operating Officer for the West region of an infrastructure consulting company, where he's helped scale the organization from roughly 1,000 to 6,500 employees. In this episode of Forge The Man, Joel — a USC engineering grad and Yale MBA — gets refreshingly practical about what it actually takes to lead well and grow a career: how he protects his focus from constant digital noise, what he looks for when hiring (and firing), how he handles team conflict, and why owning your mistakes builds more trust than trying to look perfect. The conversation also goes deeper into Joel's own struggle with overwork and perfectionism, his decision (with his wife) to become a single-income family, and how he's learned to turn a hard day's work into prayer instead of a search for recognition. It's a grounded, tactical episode for any young man trying to build a career without losing himself — or his family — in the process.

Carlo Boton is a Certified Financial Planner in Southern California whose team manages roughly $200 million in client wealth — and he's also a father of eight, married to his wife Joy for 21 years. In this episode of Forge The Man, Carlo shares the whirlwind story of proposing to Joy after just ten days of courtship, why he believes raising a large family is far less expensive than most young couples assume, and the daily rhythm that keeps a household of ten running. He also gets candid about parenting through conflict — how he and Joy resolve sibling disputes "court of law" style, how Joy's tenderness balances his own more demanding style of love, and why he believes the real beneficiary of a hard parenting season isn't the child, but the parent being refined. It's a grounded, practical conversation about marriage, money, and fatherhood from a man living all three at full capacity. Subscribe to Forge The Man for more real conversations on marriage, fatherhood, and building a life of purpose as a Catholic man. Share this episode with a friend who's on the fence about starting — or growing — a family. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: KG6Q7T0Y3MODLYQV

Most Catholic men have heard of two vocations: marriage or the priesthood. In this episode of Forge The Man, Paul talks with James Herrick — a civil engineer, poet, and mentor living in the Bay Area — about a third path many have never considered: the celibate vocation of a numerary in Opus Dei. James walks through his own discernment story from third grade all the way through his decisive commitment in 2010, including the mentors, retreats, and quiet nudges that shaped his path. The conversation moves into the practical side of discernment — building a real prayer life, finding a spiritual director, and learning to hear God's voice in the ordinary noise of daily life — and closes with a moving tribute to two close friends, both numeraries, who died saving a third man from drowning. It's a conversation about vocation, mentorship, legacy, and what it really means to give your life away. James Herrick grew up in Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia, and attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 2016. He has worked as a civil engineer in New York, Los Angeles, and now the Bay Area, and is preparing to begin a master's program at Pepperdine University. James comes from a family with a long military and pilgrim history. Since high school, he's written poetry, deepened his prayer life, and mentored young men through Opus Dei programs and service trips around the world. Subscribe to Forge The Man for more real conversations on vocation, discernment, and what it looks like for Catholic men to give their lives away — whether married, single, or still figuring it out. Share this episode with a friend who's in the thick of discernment right now.

What if most of what you want — the job, the truck, the girl, the tattoo — isn't really yours? In this episode of Forge The Man, Paul sits down with Trevor Merrill, scholar, novelist, and director of Imitatio, to unpack the work of French thinker René Girard — the man Peter Thiel has credited with shaping his approach to leadership. Trevor breaks down two of Girard's biggest ideas: mimetic desire (we imitate the desires of others more than we realize) and scapegoating (how groups — from ancient tribes to Twitter mobs — offload tension onto a single target). Along the way, Paul and Trevor get practical: how to avoid office politics, how to choose good models instead of flashy ones, why freshman year roommates become rivals, and how young men can build a life around something deeper than comparative advantage. It's a conversation for any man trying to figure out what he actually wants — and who he should be listening to. Trevor Merrill manages Imitatio, a program devoted to advancing René Girard's mimetic theory, and has translated and edited several of Girard's books. He's a novelist (Minor Indignities, 2020; The Comforts of Exile, forthcoming September 2026), a co-producer of the documentary Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard, and has taught French language and literature at Caltech for over a decade. He is currently translating a forthcoming biography of Girard for Stanford University Press. Trevor and his wife Carolyn converted to Catholicism (2015 and 2017, respectively) and have four children. Resources & Books Mentioned Deceit, Desire, and the Novel — René GirardViolence and the Sacred — René GirardThings Hidden Since the Foundation of the World — René GirardWanting — Luke BurgessClever as Serpents — (mimetic theory applied to management/office politics)Finding True Happiness — Fr. Robert SpitzerAristotle's Way — Edith HallDocumentary: Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René GirardTrevor Merrill's novels: Minor Indignities (2020), The Comforts of Exile (forthcoming Sept. 2026)