Secure Masculinity Podcast

The story of TikTok star Brian Johnson, aka the Liver King, is a story that illustrates how men struggle with self-loathing, low self-worth, and feelings of powerlessness… issues that men face daily but aren’t talked about. In this episode of the Secure Masculinity podcast, I analyze Liver King's controversy while addressing some of the biggest issues men face amidst America’s masculinity crises. Brian Johnson, the self-proclaimed Liver King, is a social media star and supplement entrepreneur who quickly rose to fame by promoting what he calls an “ancestral" lifestyle. This primal lifestyle includes a diet of beef brains, bull testicles, and raw animal livers. Brian is also a husband and father of two teenage boys. Brian Johnson (not Liver King) is a kind, genuinely caring man and decent human being who believes in his products and ancestral diet, but he certainly got carried away with the glory of his social media fame. Listen in to learn how the Liver King’s story demonstrates the following issues most men deal with on a daily basis: • Self-worth • Self-loathing • Perception of strength vs. real strength • Feeling inadequate • The predominant feeling of powerlessness in men and boys • The importance of role models for young boys. • My personal connection to Liver King, for the sake of full transparency. Here are a few key takeaways… • Almost 140 men of all ages and all socioeconomic backgrounds take their own lives every day just in the US, and the majority don't make the headlines. We see similar stats in Canada, the UK, and almost every other country, but even higher in some countries such as Japan and Israel. • Modeling a dominant lifestyle to men is actually quite harmful and counterproductive, especially to young men and adolescent boys. When a man’s entire understanding of strength is big muscles and his understanding of masculinity is domineering, both heavily patriarchal views, we know we have a legit masculinity crisis on our hands. • Liver King’s lies about not using steroids were recently exposed, and despite his presence on multiple podcasts to address the truth, he along with the gen X and millennial podcast hosts was unable to be vulnerable and directly address his real issues and struggles. After listening to these episodes, I realized this whole façade Brian Johnson puts on has a direct correlation to his childhood trauma from bullying. • Unprocessed trauma, self-loathing, low self-worth, and feelings of powerlessness can manifest in many different ways, from overworking yourself to drug addiction to bragging about dominating with possessions, muscles, violence, and women. • When you’re confident in your self-worth, you feel powerful. When you feel powerful, you have an unshakable sense of safety and security, which gives you unwavering internal peace no matter what's happening in your life or the outside world. No amountof fame, money, or muscle gains can give you internal peace, worthiness, and selflove. • There are no perfect role models, so choose someone (or a few people) with at least one great thing you like about them and then study how they’ve gotten to where they are today. If you’re in a position to be a role model, acknowledge how incredible that task is and keep in mind that it’s not about being perfect. • Remember, a strong mindset is a gold mine with an unlimited supply for life.