We’re revisiting a conversation from last year that speaks directly to one of the most common excuses men carry: “I just don’t have the bandwidth.”

In this episode, the focus is on why meaningful friendships rarely happen by accident—and why waiting until life falls apart is far too late to start building them. When work demands and family responsibilities dominate the calendar, relationships are often postponed. But real brotherhood is formed long before it’s needed, through consistency, commitment, and showing up even when it costs time and comfort.

The discussion highlights how connection among men grows best in natural, shared spaces rather than forced or overly formal settings. Training together, playing a round of golf, serving at church, or committing to a structured brotherhood like ISI all create environments where trust develops over time. These connections don’t stay confined to one area of life—they influence character, faith, decision-making, and even career direction.

At its core, this episode explores what separates acquaintances from true brothers. The men who know your full picture—home life, pressures, blind spots, and strengths—are the ones who can offer real insight, challenge you when needed, and stand with you through both wins and setbacks.

If you’ve ever told yourself you’ll focus on relationships “when things slow down,” this conversation invites a different perspective—and a better way forward.

Key Takeaways:

• Why brotherhood is worth the investment
• Moving past isolation and self-reliance
• Understanding trust and openness in male friendships
• Creating space for relationships in a full schedule
• Using community as a tool for growth
• Simple, actionable ways to build strong bonds

Connect:

• ISI Brotherhood: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
  
  
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
  
  
• Big A on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
  
  
• Seth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley/

This week, we’re bringing back a conversation from last year that continues to hit close to home—especially for men who are building, leading, and carrying a lot on their shoulders.

In this episode, we unpack why isolation quietly erodes growth and why meaningful male friendships are not optional if you want to live with integrity, faith, and long-term impact. The discussion goes beyond surface-level connection and into what happens when men surround themselves with trusted, objective voices who are willing to challenge them, encourage them, and call them higher.

We also address a tension many men know all too well: chasing success while unintentionally sidelining the relationships that matter most. Through honest personal stories, we reflect on moments that forced hard perspective shifts—especially the realization that financial wins can never replace missed time with a spouse or children. As one sobering reminder puts it: you can rebuild income, but you don’t get a second shot at being present for your family.

The episode highlights how brotherhood creates momentum in unexpected ways. When relationships are formed without agendas or transactions, doors often open—personally and professionally. Some men enter community looking to grow their business and discover personal transformation. Others come seeking growth and find opportunities they never anticipated.

This conversation invites you to take an honest look at the men you’re doing life with. Who sharpens you? Who celebrates your progress? Who has permission to speak truth when it’s uncomfortable? The strength of those relationships may determine the ceiling of your leadership and the depth of your fulfillment.

If you’re tired of carrying everything alone, this episode is worth another listen—or a first one.

Key Takeaways:

• You don’t have to carry life on your own
• Why isolation quietly undermines excellence
• Creating margin for what truly matters
• Keeping family relationships at the center
• Using community as a catalyst for shared growth
• Building connections that compound over time

Connect:

• ISI Brotherhood: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
  
  
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
  
  
• Big A on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
  
  
• Seth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley/

We’re resharing this powerful conversation from last year because its message is just as relevant today.

The Man in the Mirror is a timely reminder that personal growth doesn’t eliminate struggle—it deepens self-awareness.

In this episode, Aaron Walker and co-host Seth Buechley speak candidly about a truth many leaders quietly face: regardless of success, the most difficult challenges are often internal. Rather than offering polished soundbites, they unpack the real disciplines and decisions that have helped them navigate decades of business pressure, personal responsibility, and faith-driven leadership.

The discussion centers on three foundational pillars of resilience: intentional morning routines, a faith-based perspective, and authentic accountability. Aaron reflects on how his journey from extreme poverty to business success shaped both his drive and the inner battles that followed. Seth offers a grounding counterpoint through his concept of “the gift of limits,” challenging listeners to examine when ambition begins to cost more than it gives.

What makes this episode worth revisiting is its honest take on accountability—not as obligation, but as chosen vulnerability. Masks come off. Perfection is set aside. And real growth begins with ownership. As Aaron shares, “None of us have it all together—and until you come clean and own it, you’re not going to be able to build on a solid foundation.”

Whether this is your first time listening or a return to a familiar conversation, The Man in the Mirror offers practical wisdom, spiritual encouragement, and an invitation to become the kind of man you respect when you look inward.

Key Takeaways:

•Welcome to Season 2

•Meet Co-Host Seth Buechley

•How to build personal resilience amid daily challenges

•The power of intentional morning routines

•Emotional resilience: why it matters and how to strengthen it

•Accountability as the missing link to sustainable growth

Episode Resources:

•Dr. Andy Garrett’s 7-Day Resilience Course

Connect:

•ISI Brotherhood: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/

•Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community

•ISI Newsletter: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/newsletter

•Big A on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/

•Seth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley/

We’re bringing this episode back because this conversation feels more relevant than ever. So many entrepreneurs are still wrestling with the same tension: their business looks successful on paper, but something is missing in their soul. When profit becomes the only scoreboard, even a “winning” business can feel empty.

In this replay, first released in April 2025, we revisit how your business can become far more than a money-making machine. What if it could function as a calling, a mission field, and a platform for Kingdom impact? We challenge the false divide between “faith life” and “work life” and explore what it looks like to lead with a faith-forward mindset in every decision you make.

We discuss practical, real-world examples of integrating faith into leadership—such as choosing integrity over financial shortcuts, setting goals that honor God and drive results, and being willing to say no to opportunities that would compromise your witness. You’ll hear stories, including turning down tax advantages that didn’t align with our convictions, and how those “small” decisions shape the long-term character of a business.

We also unpack how to seek God’s direction in your business without getting stuck in fear of “missing His will.” Through prayer, scripture, and wise counsel, we describe a framework for moving at a “grace pace”—walking in freedom and responsibility inside the boundaries He’s already made clear.

Most importantly, we reframe business challenges as spiritual training grounds rather than unfair burdens. When you see obstacles as part of God’s refining work, you can endure hardship with more peace, purpose, and confidence that He’s doing something deeper than what you can see right now.

If you’re hungry for more than material success and want your leadership to reflect what you believe, this episode is a timely reminder that faith and business were never meant to be separated.

Key Takeaways:

• What a business rooted in faith actually looks like in practice.
• How to intentionally integrate faith into everyday business decisions.
• Why aligning business goals with God’s plan matters for more than just profit.
• How to lead with integrity, even when it costs you.
• How to use faith as your leadership compass in seasons of clarity and confusion.

Connect:

Connect with ISI Brothers: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
Big A's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
Seth’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley/

What if real strength isn’t what you lift but how you live? We sit down with legendary coach Mike Boyle to rethink training, leadership, and legacy through a simple lens: show up, serve people, and build habits you can sustain for decades. Mike shares why most men chase aesthetics and numbers that don’t translate to life, and how functional strength keeps you capable—hauling wood, climbing stairs, playing with grandkids, and getting off the floor with ease. He breaks down the essentials for men over 40: avoid joint pain, use unilateral work to protect balance, push sleds and carry loads, and measure progress by how you feel getting out of bed.

Beyond the gym, Mike opens up about mistakes, counseling, and the cost of being absent at home. His leadership playbook is plain and powerful: hire people who like people, build a client-first culture, and remember that a good coach with a simple plan beats a great plan with a mediocre coach. We talk presence over ego, how to create teams that greet and care, and why some high-profile relationships are transactional—and why that’s okay when your real life is built locally with people who matter.

You’ll also hear the daily practices that keep Mike sharp: early mornings, a one-sentence gratitude journal, short naps for recovery, consistent reading, and 20 minutes of intentional thoughtfulness to check in with others with no ask attached. Walk away with one challenge: choose a single functional rep for the part of your life that’s slipped—body, marriage, or mission—and repeat it daily.

If you’re ready to trade mirror muscles for a life that works, press play, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs a nudge. Then tell us: where will you show up first this week?

• Connect with ISI Brothers: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
• Big A's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
• Coach Mike's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mbscvideo

This conversation first aired in 2022 and quickly became a listener favorite. We’re bringing it back because the honesty, hope, and hard-won wisdom in Patrick’s story continue to help new listeners every week.

In this encore episode, Patrick Lewis—President & CEO of Superior Rigging & Erecting Co.—shares an unfiltered journey of grit and grace: from a childhood spent working, to a spiral into infidelity and cocaine addiction, to rebuilding his life, relationships, and company. Patrick talks candidly about therapy, gratitude, forgiveness, and leadership—how guardrails at home and core values at work shape the people we’re becoming.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction and suicidal thoughts.

What you’ll hear

• Growing up fast: the discipline learned from early work—and the backlash when freedom finally came
• Choices, consequences, and the long road back from addiction
• Practical tools: therapy, gratitude, and forgiving his father
• Parenting with love + guardrails
• Scaling a business without letting money become the measure
• Hiring for values and building a healthy culture

About Patrick Lewis

Patrick Lewis is the President & CEO of Superior Rigging & Erecting Co., a hoisting, rigging, and steel-erection company based in Atlanta, GA, and Orlando, FL. He started working for Superior at the age of ten and has watched it grow from a family business into an industry leader with over 370 employees. Before becoming Owner/President in 2001, Patrick served in multiple roles across the company. He attended Mercer University and earned his Millwright JATC in 1996. Outside of work, Patrick has coached Georgia Impact Fastpitch Softball, leading the 18U team to the 2018 PGF National Championship.

If this episode resonates with you: share it with a friend who needs hope, and consider leaving a review so more listeners can find stories like Patrick’s.

• Connect with ISI Brothers: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
• Big A's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
• Patrick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-lewis-superior-rigging/

Ever build a business to buy your freedom, only to feel like it’s stealing it? We sat down with Mike Michalowicz—author of Profit First, Clockwork, The Pumpkin Plan, and The Money Habit—to break the cycle of entrepreneurial poverty and design companies that give time, profit, and purpose back to their owners. Mike shares the core behavioral shift that changed over a million businesses worldwide: move profit to the front. By allocating a percentage of every deposit to profit and protecting it, you force clarity on pricing, margins, and waste while creating a calm, focused operator that your clients actually prefer.

We also dig into the growth myth that complexity drives revenue. Mike shows how reducing variability—fewer offers, cleaner processes, standardized delivery—scales faster than adding yet another service. Real stories from the field reveal how “simplicity scales, complexity fails” turns into faster estimates, smoother operations, and a brand people remember. Then we step into personal finance with The Money Habit, Mike’s new system that adapts the Profit First mindset to salary-based households. You’ll learn how to use seasonality to attack debt, fund big goals, and activate purposeful spending, plus one powerful tactic: funnel every subscription onto a single card to expose and tame the hidden drip.

The through line is purpose. External success doesn’t equal internal success, and Mike’s reminder from Howard Thurman lands hard: don’t ask what the world needs; ask what makes you come alive. Start small and act now—set up that profit account, cancel a subscription, delegate one task, or name the work that lights you up. If this conversation helps you design smarter and live freer, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs margin, and leave a quick review so more owners can find it.

• Connect with ISI Brothers: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
• Big A's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
• Mike Michalowicz's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemichalowicz/

What if the loudest obstacles to hearing God are inside your own head? We sit down with Robby Gallaty—pastor, author, and former addict—who shares a raw story of burnout, confession, and revival that began not with a plan, but on a porch.

Robby is the pastor of Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, TN, where a simple act of obedience sparked a powerful movement of spontaneous baptisms. He recently joined our monthly ISI Roundtable as the guest speaker, and we’re deeply grateful for the time, teaching, and wisdom he shared with our brotherhood.

Robby unpacks emunah—the Hebrew idea of faith as steadiness and allegiance—and shows how silence, Scripture, and obedience can turn down the noise and turn up discernment. You’ll hear practical ways to recognize God’s voice, clear the clutter of pride and jealousy, and act courageously when He speaks.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us one step you’ll take this week.

• Connect with ISI Brothers: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/
• Join the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community
• Big A's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/
• Explore more from Pastor Robby Gallaty and watch his sermons at: https://longhollow.com/