How to Try Again
The Art of Manliness
The Art of Manliness
4.7 • 14.8K Ratings
🗓️ 9 June 2026
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Life rarely unfolds according to plan. A relationship implodes. A move or job change doesn't work out. Or you simply fail in a goal you've set for yourself.
My guest has spent almost two decades researching and field-testing how to get back on track when smaller slip-ups and larger upheavals knock you off course. His name is Steve Kamb, and he's the founder of Nerd Fitness and the author of How to Try Again: An Approachable Guide to Navigating Chaos and Making Change THAT STICKS. Today on the show, Steve shares practical principles for dealing with life's frustrating and demoralizing setbacks. We discuss why sometimes the best move is to pause rather than push harder, how to accept reality without resigning yourself to it, why treating change as an experiment can help you beat paralysis and take action, why you should treat consistency with your goals the way you do showering, and more.
Resources Related to the Podcast
- Steve's previous appearances on the AoM podcast:
- Episode #42: Level Up Your Life With Nerd Fitness & Steve Kamb
- Episode #170: Level Up Your Life
- Steve's AoM guest posts:
- Don’t Be That Guy: The Taxonomy of Lousy Male Friends
- How Superheroes, Movies, and Video Games Taught Me to Conquer Fear
- Nerd Fitness
- Museum of Failure
- Sunday Firesides: Good Times Are Not Around the Corner (And That's Great News!)
- Sunday Firesides: Treat Life Like an Experiment
- "Lightning Fields" by the Killers
Connect With Steve Kamb
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | One of the things I've learned after running AOM for nearly two decades is that the fun part is creating, writing articles, recording podcasts, designing products, things like that. |
| 0:07.9 | The less fun part is all the operational stuff that comes with selling those products online. |
| 0:12.1 | And that's one reason we've used Shopify for the AOM store. |
| 0:15.1 | Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S. |
| 0:41.0 | It handles all the stuff you don't want to spend your day worrying about, inventory, payments, analytics, shipping, returns, all in one place. What I like is that it scales with you. Whether you're selling your first product or managing an established store, Shopify gives you the tools to keep things running smoothly. They've even built in AI tools that can help with product descriptions, page headlines, and product photography. Plus, as a customer, you've probably seen that purple shop pay button. There's a reason why it's everywhere. It makes checkout |
| 0:45.2 | incredibly easy, which means fewer abandoned carts and more completed sales. It's time to turn |
| 0:50.0 | those what-is into reality with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at |
| 0:55.0 | Shopify.com slash manliness. That's Shopify.com slash manliness. That's Shopify.com |
| 1:01.0 | slash manliness. Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for |
| 1:06.4 | entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy |
| 1:12.1 | customizable themes that let you build your brand, marketing tools that get your products out |
| 1:16.6 | there, integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time, from startups to scale ups, |
| 1:21.7 | online, in person and on the go. Shopify is made for entrepreneurs like you. |
| 1:26.9 | Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup. |
| 1:33.7 | Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the AOM podcast, |
| 1:37.0 | which since 2008 has featured conversations with the world's best authors, |
| 1:40.8 | thinkers, and leaders that gleaned their edifying, |
| 1:43.4 | life-improving insights without the fluff and filler. |
| 1:46.1 | The AOM podcast is just one part of the McKay mission to help individuals practice timeless virtues through thought, word, and deed. |
| 1:52.6 | Also, be sure to explore our articles in Art ofmanliness.com, read the deeper dyes we do in our substack |
| 1:57.2 | newsletter at dyingbred.net and turn our content into real-world action by joining |
| 2:01.4 | the Strenuous Life program at StrenuousLife.com. Now on to the show. |
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