Brian Recker is a former Marine Officer, the son of a Baptist preacher, and an alum of the fundamentalist Bob Jones University. Brian spent eight years as an evangelical pastor before deconstructing his faith to find a more inclusive spirituality. He now speaks about following Jesus without the fear of hell, and has written about this in his new book, HellBent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love.

We talk about why he deconstructed his faith and what spirituality looks like to him now. He shares why he believes that hell isn’t real and that love should be radically inclusive, as demonstrated through the life and teachings of Jesus. The conversation also covers why men need an authentic spirituality, why the Western world has “an empathy problem”, why a spirituality of hell creates a divided self, and why the Sears catalogue made him question his faith as a teenager.

As someone who also grew up in an evangelical church and used to be a pastor, I found this conversation–and Brian’s book, HellBent–to be a very refreshing and liberating take on what true spirituality is and what’s really important in this life, not just as a man, but as a society.

Website: https://www.brianrecker.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berecker

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@berecker87

Website: TheAkkeri.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/theakkeri

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Brent Beshara spent 24 years in the Canadian military, mainly as a special forces Navy bomb disposal diver. In his words, when he retired on a Friday it was all “pats on the back” and “we’ll get together,” but when Monday came “it was tumbleweeds”.

He had a great career, but the highly stressful and traumatic experiences had left a mark and now his mission was to heal.

Through mindfulness, breath-work, and cold exposure - what he learned through his Wim Hof instructor training - he was able to heal himself; mind and body, and now focuses on passing on what he’s learned to others.

Brent shares how his newfound routine enabled him to reverse his pre-diabetes condition, heal from what he calls a “mental meltdown”, and ultimately save his life. We talk about the physical impacts of this work and the potential societal impacts, which is what he is focused on now through HeadStart - a 2-minute breath-work program for students and staff - that is launching in several Canadian schools this Fall, 2025.

Website: https://besh.ca

HeadStart: https://besh.ca/headstart

Newfoundland Winter Crew: https://www.facebook.com/groups/324829538112496/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@diverbrent

Website: TheAkkeri.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/theakkeri

Instagram: Instagram.com/the.akkeri

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Finding a vocation (not a job) is one of the most important tasks for any man.

We want work that makes us feel alive, provides for a strong financial foundation, and has a significant positive impact on the world.

And we find that by pursuing our passions, practicing the discipline required to perfect our craft, and sharing that work with the world.

Jack Aldous–my friend and solo artist–is doing that work right now as he has recently released his debut album, ‘Inertia’, under the artist name White Cricket.

In this episode, Jack shares how he discovered his passion for music production and what producing his debut album, Inertia, has demanded of him. Jack talks about the vulnerability required for any creative endeavour and how he manages the self-doubt and self-criticism that often arise when we put something we’ve made out into the world. He also shares the story behind his choice of artist name, and it makes a lot of sense once you listen to his music.

Jack’s music draws inspiration from artists such as Tycho, Com Truise, and Jon Hopkins, pairing psychedelic elements with warm, lush soundscapes that evoke a sense of calm as well as excitement.

If you’re a musician or someone who wants to devote more time to a creative endeavour–or just someone who feels like you need to spend more time doing what lights you up–then this episode is for you.

Like Jack, we all need to find those things that make us feel alive. In doing so, we learn about ourselves, we grow, and we make a positive contribution to the world. This is about having a vocation, not a job, and it’s one of the most important things for a man to figure out.

Bandcamp: https://whitecricketmusic.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitecricketmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitecricketmusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SciCwxk3brPpESFw8bJ8A?si=dAlgOX0YR56eqy_jYoENEA

Website: TheAkkeri.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/theakkeri

Instagram: Instagram.com/the.akkeri

YouTube: YouTube.com/theakkeri