I came across a podcast on iTunes recently called Order of Man: Protect | Provide | Preside. It popped up as a related recommendation while I was browsing the Health and Fitness category. The show’s description intrigued me. “If you’re ready to level up your life as a man, this is the show for you,” it said.
Scrolling through nearly 500 episodes, I learned the first show aired on March 24, 2015 and it has been hosted by Ryan Michler since the beginning. Michler served in the Utah National Guard and he is an Iraq War Veteran. He is an entrepreneur and runs a website also named Order of Man. The date of his first blog suggests he started the website a few weeks before his first podcast. Michler claims growing up without a permanent father figure left him to learn how to be a man on his own, and with the help of a few strong men in his life.
He posts three podcasts per week. The Tuesday and Wednesday shows are approximately one hour in length and most of them are interviews with guests. The Friday show is around 30 minutes and this he does solo. I listened to both a long and short podcast.
The long podcast was an interview posted August 27, 2019 called “Pat McNamara | Make Yourself a Sentinel.” Michler produced the podcast while attending a Jiu Jitsu seminar. He recorded the introduction, advertising and ending and then spliced in a pre-recorded interview with McNamara. The interview sound quality was slightly poor. Michler’s voice track was good but it was evident McNamara was using the internet to communicate, possibly with FaceTime or Skype. Michler conducted a solid interview as McNamara spoke about maintaining situational awareness every day and how he teaches this to his children. They kept the discussion light and it moved swiftly. I stayed interested throughout the episode not only because I respect Pat McNamara, but because Michler’s interview technique was on point.
The short podcast was published September 6, 2019. The Friday podcasts are often labeled as “field notes.” Here Michler breaks down a list of tips to help you on the road to being a man. This episode was topical in nature. Referring to the damage and supply shortages left by Hurricane Dorian, Michler provided ten points related to emergency preparedness. Recorded in his usual studio, the background music and vocal track had great quality. Michler is easy to listen to. He is articulate and rarely uses fillers.
Advertising occurred right after the intro for both the long and short podcasts. Michler thanked his sponsor Origin Maine and spoke personally about their products. He then referred his listeners to the sponsor’s website and provided a promo code. Origin Maine promotes living a healthy lifestyle with nutritional supplements, martial arts and rugged outdoor clothing. The advertising feels like it belongs in the podcast. Michler also has a store on his own website and he invited listeners to pick up some merchandise. Halfway through the long podcast Michler interjected with an ad for one of his upcoming live events. In my opinion, the best advertising was at the end of each podcast. He wrapped up the show with inviting listeners to take learning and community to the next level by going to his website and signing up for the Iron Council. This is a $67.00 USD monthly membership program with exclusive content created by Michler.
I rate this podcast five stars out of five. I was initially concerned that Order of Man | Protect | Provide | Preside would be about questioning the rise of feminism or some far-right ideology but this is far from the truth. Michler is pushing his listeners to be better men, and by this he means a better husband, father and leader. He believes that strength and resilience are paramount. Michler does not propose to be an expert in his field of study and this what keeps the podcast fresh. He is constantly arranging interviews so that he and his audience can continue to learn. Michler was prepared for his podcasts and he provided great value for my time.