Why Men Need a Tribe (Elliott Ackerman)

Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Knox Robinson Productions

True Crime, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Elliot Ackerman is a decorated combat veteran, CIA paramilitary officer, and New York Times bestselling novelist. In this episode, he joins Amanda Knox to talk about what happens when the chapter closes and you have to figure out who you are without the tribe. They get into the Afghanistan withdrawal, institutional betrayal, what it actually means to raise boys well. And from his What a Man Should Know column on The Free Press, learn why men make friends shoulder to shoulder instead of face to face, and what gets lost when nobody talks to boys with intention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For ad-free episodes of Hard Knocks, subscribe at Amandanox.substack.com,
0:06.1	where you'll also find access to essays, bonus episodes, and more.
0:10.4	Enjoy.
0:13.7	Where the hell am I?
0:16.1	It's a fighting tournament.
0:17.6	To the death.
0:19.0	It's called Mortal Kombat for a reason. The tournament begins. The the death. It's called Mortal Kombat
0:20.8	for a reason.
0:22.6	The tournament begins.
0:25.1	Johnny Cage,
0:26.4	you have been chosen to fight.
0:28.5	Coming or what?
0:29.5	I'm an actor. I can't do this.
0:32.2	You're fighting for the fate of our world.
0:35.1	Get over here!
0:38.3	Mortal Kombat 2. In Cinema's May 8.
0:40.9	Book tickets now.
0:41.9	It's showtime.
0:46.0	I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knox.
1:12.4	Welcome to the Knox with Amanda Knox. Today I interview Elliot Ackerman. He is a New York Times bestselling author, former Marine Raider and CIA Special Activities Officer. He served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
1:16.3	And he's also a contributing writer to the Atlantic.
1:22.6	He wrote a column for young men at the free press.
	...

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