Hey everybody! Let's get real for a second....Alcoholism and addiction come up more than ANY other topic on Let’s Get Real. At least 2/3 of all our calls are guys dealing with addiction or celebrating recovery. To me...that says it's an issue that most of us are either dealing with ourselves or we know someone who has.

What started as one caller celebrating sobriety turned into a wave of men opening up about their own struggles with drinking, addiction, and the fear of asking for help.

Me (Shark) and Spanish talk honestly about what it takes to get sober, why you can’t force someone into change, and how addiction often shows up in ways we don’t want to admit. From AA experiences to swapping one addiction for another, this conversation hits the realities a lot of men quietly live with every day.

You’ll hear real callers share stories about alcohol, kratom, anxiety, cravings, and the shame that keeps men stuck. There’s no judgment here—just honesty, perspective, and reminders that you don’t have to figure this out alone.

If you’re struggling, sober-curious, or supporting someone dealing with alcoholism, drop a comment and share your story. And if this conversation helps you, please like, subscribe, and leave a review. One day at a time.

🔑 Key Takeaways

Addiction and alcoholism are the #1 issues men call in about

Sobriety has to be a personal decision—no one can force it

Many people “swap” alcohol for other substances without fixing the root issue

Cravings are real, especially early on—but they do get easier

Clarity, presence, and self-awareness grow with sobriety

You don’t have to label yourself to ask for help

Doing this alone is the hardest—and most dangerous—option

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Why addiction keeps coming up on Let’s Get Real
01:15 – Spanish opens up about AA and hitting bottom
02:28 – The moment denial breaks and reality hits
04:38 – Caller Nolan on replacing alcohol with kratom
06:33 – One-on-one support and reaching out privately
08:52 – The vanilla extract story (addiction will find a way)
10:33 – “One day at a time” and dealing with cravings
11:15 – New caller asks: do cravings ever go away?
13:30 – Realizing alcohol caused more damage than you thought
15:38 – Fear, ego, and the stigma around AA

#alcoholism
#sobriety
#addictionrecovery
#mensmentalhealth
#menssupport
#recoveryjourney
#soberlife
#aa
#oneadayatatime
#addictionhelp
#mentalhealthformen
#realconversations
#healingformen
#letsg etreal
#talkshowforguys
#sobercommunity
#recoveryispossible
#addictionawareness
#liferecovery
#menshealth
#realtalk
#healingjourney
#mentalhealthmatters
#supportformen
#sobercurious

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

Every year, guys promise themselves this will be the year they quit drinking, lose weight, or finally get their life together. And every year, most of those New Year’s resolutions fail. In this segment of Let’s Get Real, we break down why that happens—and why the problem isn’t willpower or motivation.

Shark and Spanish talk honestly about failed resolutions, weight loss, drinking, and why trying to change your life alone almost never works. Spanish opens up about years of starting strong in January and falling back into old habits by week two—and what finally helped him make real change: accountability and admitting he needed help.

We also hear from a caller, John, who adds a powerful perspective about goals, outcomes, and staying open to unexpected paths. Sometimes it’s not about hitting the goal—it’s about the doors that open along the way.

This conversation isn’t about shame, guilt, or “trying harder.” It’s about understanding what’s really holding you back, letting go of the lies we tell ourselves, and choosing a better path forward.

👉 If this hits home, drop a comment, hit subscribe, and share this with a guy who needs to hear it.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Let’s Get Real
01:10 – Why New Year’s resolutions don’t work
02:40 – Spanish opens up about failed weight loss goals
03:55 – What finally helped him succeed
04:50 – The power of accountability
06:10 – Comfort, excess, and self-control
07:55 – Caller John on goals and unexpected paths
09:50 – Why men get stuck on outcomes
11:35 – Social media comparison and shame
12:45 – The real thing that stops change
13:30 – No shame, no guilt—just honesty

✅ Key Takeaways

✅ New Year’s resolutions fail because they don’t address deeper issues

✅ Most men cannot make big changes alone—and that’s okay

✅ Accountability dramatically increases your chance of success

✅ Comfort and excess often keep us stuck

✅ Change doesn’t require shame or guilt

✅ Goals matter—but staying open matters more

---------

#mensmentalhealth
#mensgrowth
#selfimprovementformen
#accountability
#menspodcast
#newyearsresolutions
#mensupport
#mentalhealthformen
#mensjourney
#lifelessons
#motivationformen
#realconversations
#menshealth
#dudeshelpingdudes
#menhelpingmen
#growthmindset
#authenticity
#menselfhelp
#changeyourlife
#personalgrowth
#menswisdom
#honesttalk
#letsgetreal
#menscommunity
#realtalk
#menscircle
#tampabay
#stpete

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

--------

New Year’s resolutions for men

Accountability for men

Why men fail at goals

Men’s self improvement podcast

How to change your life as a man

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

Most men have read a self-help book that hit hard… and then somehow stopped working. You felt inspired, clear, even hopeful — and then a few days later, you were right back in the same habits and patterns.

In this episode of Let’s Get Real, we talk about why that happens. Why wisdom fades. Why motivation doesn’t last. And why so many men keep searching for answers in books, podcasts, and programs but still feel stuck.

We explore the idea that maybe we’re not meant to do this alone. Whether you call it God, Jesus, the universe, spirit, or something bigger than yourself, maybe real help starts with surrender — not more fixing. Not more effort. Just letting go and trusting something greater.

This is a raw conversation about faith, acceptance, self-worth, and the idea that you might already be enough exactly as you are.

self help books for men

why self help doesn’t work

surrender and faith

men and spirituality

you are enough

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Road trips, silence, and thinking deeply
00:45 – Why the right book at the right time matters
01:25 – When self-help wisdom fades
02:00 – Why we don’t implement what we read
02:35 – “You need Jesus” and exploring spiritual lanes
03:15 – Are we meant to do life alone?
03:55 – Surrendering to something greater
04:35 – The danger of always “looking” for help
05:10 – You are already enough
06:00 – Being exactly who you’re meant to be
06:30 – It’s a Wonderful Life and unseen impact
07:00 – Showing up and letting God (or the universe) work

🧩 Key Takeaways

Inspiration fades without surrender

Self-help can become another form of chasing

You don’t need to fix yourself to be worthy

Growth doesn’t start with “I’m broken”

You are enough right now

Real change may come from letting go, not doing more

-----

#selfhelpformen
#mensmentalhealth
#youareenough
#mensgrowth
#surrender
#faithandlife
#mensawakening
#spiritualgrowth
#lettinggo
#menspodcast
#letsgetreal
#personaldevelopment
#menstalk
#innerpeace
#findingmeaning
#mentalfitness
#lifelessons
#masculinegrowth
#showup
#healingjourney

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

Most guys hear the phrase “self-help book” and immediately tune out. It sounds soft, awkward, or like something that doesn’t apply to real life. But what if the right book, at the right moment, could completely change how you see yourself and the world?

In this segment of Let’s Get Real, we talk honestly about books that had a real impact on us as men. Not because they promised success or happiness, but because they helped us slow down, get present, and actually live. From The Alchemist to The Power of Now, these books aren’t about fixing you — they’re about waking you up.

We break down why stories can be just as powerful as traditional self-help, how certain books hit differently depending on where you are in life, and why the lessons sometimes fade if you don’t live them. This is a real conversation about growth, purpose, freedom, and choosing to actually live your life.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, restless, or like there has to be more than just grinding through the days, this episode is for you.

self help books for men

books that change your life

men’s personal growth

The Alchemist meaning

The Power of Now explained

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Feelings getting “naked” and setting the tone
00:06 – What even counts as a “self-help” book for men?
00:58 – The Alchemist and why it shows up everywhere
01:59 – Why The Alchemist doesn’t feel like self-help (but is)
02:56 – The Power of Now and discovering the present moment
04:16 – “Do Cool Sh*t” and the ripple effect of living fully
05:35 – Maybe the secret is just… go live
06:28 – The Four Agreements and simple rules for life
07:10 – Conversations with God and early awakenings
08:18 – Listener call-in: Walden and stepping away from society
09:17 – Leaving society, Into the Wild, and what we learn
09:59 – Why books hit hard… then fade over time

🧩 Key Takeaways

“Self-help” doesn’t mean broken — it means curious

Stories often teach deeper lessons than how-to books

The right book finds you at the right time

Awareness can be powerful — and overwhelming

Life isn’t meant to be optimized, it’s meant to be lived

Wisdom fades if you don’t practice what you learn

---

#selfhelpformen
#mensgrowth
#mensmentalhealth
#bookrecommendations
#thealchemist
#powerofnow
#fouragreements
#conversationswithgod
#walden
#intothewild
#menspodcast
#letsgetreal
#mensawakening
#personalgrowth
#findyourpurpose
#mentalfitness
#reallifetalk
#masculinegrowth
#lifelessons
#menstalk

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

Spanish had an experience recently as the most authentic dude in the room.

He didn't plan it this way, but surrounded by people who gravitated to his authenticity, it was pretty awesome.

In this clip, Spanish shares the story and how we benefit, as men, by just being ourselves.

Most men hide behind a persona, especially in places built on ego and performance—but when you show up fully yourself, people feel it. We break down what real authenticity looks like, why strangers open up to you when you're comfortable in your own skin, and how our flaws and “drama” actually create deeper connection. If you’ve ever walked into a room unsure of who you need to be, this conversation flips that script.

🔑 Key Takeaways

✅ Authenticity is magnetic—people sense realness instantly.

✅ Being comfortable in your skin commands attention without trying.

✅ Our imperfections and shared struggles deepen connection.

✅ Men often hide behind toughness, image, or status in social settings.

✅ Showing up with no fear of judgment changes the energy of a room.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Shark on being “a man among men”
00:16 – Spanish describes being fully comfortable in his own skin
00:44 – The “get a drink from a dude” bet
01:10 – A father realizing his daughter mirrors his dramatic patterns
01:43 – How imperfections create deeper connection
02:10 – “Who are you?” — the moment authenticity hits
02:41 – Shark on the Hard Rock and fake environments
03:18 – The energy of being truly yourself
04:20 – Going into unfamiliar spaces with no fear
05:17 – Authenticity over anxiety when meeting new people
05:50 – Showing up fully yourself, anywhere

#LetsGetRealRadioShow #Authenticity #MensMentalHealth #BeYourself #RealTalk #SelfConfidence #MensGrowth #Masculinity #Energy #ComfortInYourSkin #Vulnerability #MenSupportingMen #EmotionalAwareness #LifeLessons #DudesHelpingDudes #SupportForMen #SelfWorth #PersonalGrowth #HumanConnection #MensHealing #ConfidenceTips #RealMenTalk #Honesty #Identity #Presence #SharkAndSpanish #TampaBay #StPete

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

From the November 15th Live Radio Show. On Let's Get Real, we just try to help dudes through their sh*t. And this week was all about relationships...

When a man loves someone who doesn’t choose him back, the ache is unlike anything else—and most guys carry that pain alone. In this raw conversation, Shark and Spanish unpack the heartbreak of wanting to rebuild a relationship that may never return, the truth about destiny when love isn’t reciprocated, and why the pain itself reveals how deeply you’re capable of loving. If you’ve ever fought for someone who didn’t fight for you, this clip will hit you right in the truth.

🔑 Key Takeaways

✅ The pain of unreturned love is one of the deepest wounds men experience.

✅ Sometimes the person you want isn’t meant to be part of your future.

✅ Heartbreak can reveal the depth of your capacity to love.

✅ Forcing a relationship can lead to long-term regret.

✅ Dignity, acceptance, and presence help men navigate emotional storms.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – A father aching to reunite with his ex
00:36 – Overcoming addiction but still hurting for love
01:16 – The painful truth men don’t want to hear
01:41 – Reconciling love with destiny
02:21 – Why it hurts like high-school heartbreak
02:37 – The danger of forcing a relationship
03:08 – When your heart wants what isn’t meant for you
03:35 – Spanish on destiny, fate, and loving deeply
04:03 – The pain is proof of your capacity to love
04:40 – Walking away with dignity
05:10 – Feeling the pain instead of avoiding it

#LetsGetRealRadioShow #MensMentalHealth #Heartbreak #MensHealing #LoveAndPain #BreakupAdvice #FathersStruggle #SingleDadLife #LettingGo #UnreturnedLove #EmotionalPain #MensSupport #LifeAdvice #HealingForMen #Masculinity #EmotionalAwareness #SelfWorth #MovingOn #RelationshipPain #TalkShowForMen #DudesHelpingDudes #SharkAndSpanish #LifeLessons #Destiny #Acceptance

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

This week's show was all about relationships and the realizations we have as men.

A lot of guys wake up in their 30s or 40s and realize they miss the simplicity, freedom, and connection they had in their college years—when they were broke but alive, surrounded by friends, and carrying zero expectations. Me and Spanish break down why so many men feel stuck, why nostalgia hits so hard, and how to stop chasing some future version of life while ignoring the moment you’re actually in. If you’ve ever stood at your front door, took a deep breath, and braced yourself before walking inside… this one’s for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

✅ Many men hit a wall in adulthood, longing for the simplicity of their younger years.

✅ College wasn’t great because of money — it was great because of connection, freedom, and presence.

✅ Men often chase a future ideal instead of appreciating the moment they’re in.

✅ You don’t have to live weighed down by expectations — happiness is simpler than you think.

✅ Nostalgia is a signal to bring presence and authenticity back into your current life.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Why men struggle more with midlife dissatisfaction
00:24 – The nostalgia of broke-but-connected college life
01:26 – Spanish’s “gay Yoda” moment about enjoying the NOW
02:09 – You don’t have to live the life you think you “should”
02:49 – Learning how to “live broke” and why it matters
03:18 – The trap of always trying to be somewhere else
03:28 – Why so many men are secretly unhappy

#LetsGetRealRadioShow #MensMentalHealth #MidlifeCrisis #MensSupport #RealTalkForMen #MensHealing #EmotionalHealth #LifePressure #TalkShowForMen #BePresent #MindfulnessForMen #MensCommunity #MensGrowth #Masculinity #HealingJourney #MentalHealthTalk #AdultingStruggles #LifePurpose #EmotionalAwareness #MenInTheir30s #MenInTheir40s #ModernMan #DudesHelpingDudes #SharkAndSpanish #TampaBay #StPete

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!

In this heartfelt and spiritually charged conversation, Shark and Spanish go deeper into the idea of surrender — not as giving up, but as remembering. Using Spanish’s now-iconic “lazy river” analogy, they explore what it means to trust the flow of life, how God and the universe move through others to help us, and why every stuck moment has divine purpose.

From reflections on gratitude and pain to reimagining the Serenity Prayer, this episode becomes a meditation on remembering our divinity — that we are the creators of our experience. With Shark’s vulnerability and Spanish’s soul-level insight, they paint a vivid picture of life as a gentle, endless river… one that’s guided, divine, and full of unseen grace.

💡 Key Takeaways

The “lazy river” of life flows with divine current — even the stuck moments are sacred.

God often works through other people to move you forward on your path.

True surrender isn’t learning — it’s remembering your divinity and connection to all things.

Gratitude, even for pain and chaos, transforms everything into grace.

“You already have the strength and wisdom” — the journey is learning to see it.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Diving deeper into spirituality and the meaning of surrender
00:47 – Remembering: we are the source, not just students of life
03:15 – The lazy river of life — flow, detachment, and divine timing
03:51 – God works through others to nudge us forward
04:36 – Pain and gratitude: the divine purpose behind suffering
05:32 – Shark on gratitude through grief, loss, and life changes
07:49 – A moment of brotherhood and deep appreciation
08:46 – Spanish redefines the Serenity Prayer and surrender
09:43 – The biggest disservice: forgetting where it all comes from
10:37 – You never really leave the lazy river — until you choose to
11:13 – God welcomes you home with love when your journey ends

#LetsGetRealRadioShow #Surrender #SpiritualAwakening #LazyRiver #FaithOverFear #DivineFlow #MenHealing #Mindfulness #Consciousness #LetGoAndLetGod #Gratitude #TrustTheUniverse #RememberWhoYouAre #SelfDiscovery #InnerPeace #SoulGrowth #MichaelSharkey #SpiritualityForMen #HealingJourney #FlowState #MenTalking #QuantumFaith #LettingGo #SpiritualWisdom #HigherSelf #TampaBay #StPete

❤️ Follow Let's Get Real everywhere!
🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Let's Get Real for Updates and Surprises
✅ Instagram: @soul_spanish
✅ Instagram: @iammichaelsharkey
✅ TikTok: @iammichaelsharkey

"Let's Get Real" is a weekly, interactive live talk show for guys on 102.5 FM in Tampa Bay. The show is live Saturdays at 12N ET.

If you'd like to listen to the show live, stream at www.theboneonline.com or on your favorite live streaming radio app, like iHeartRadio or Audacy.

We also post unique segments from every show on our YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe and get new content!

To join the Lets Get Real community for exclusive content, click this link, enter your name and email and you're in!

Please give us a 5-star rating and a written review to help others discover this show! And tell a friend to tell a friend about Let's Get Real!

Thanks for listening!