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What if the tension in your marriage isn't about respect… but about direction?

In this episode, I break down one of the most misunderstood and misused words in modern Christianity: submission.

Most men have heard it. Many have quoted it. Few actually understand what it means.

I take you back to a moment in my own life — standing in my garage, frustrated, blaming my wife, convinced she was the problem… when in reality, I had no mission for her to follow.

We unpack the real meaning behind the Greek word translated as "submit" in Ephesians 5, and why it has nothing to do with control — and everything to do with leadership, clarity, and mission.

In this episode:

• Why submission is not something you can demand
• The real meaning behind Ephesians 5:22
• How a lack of mission creates tension in marriage
• Why your wife may not be resisting you — but discerning you
• The difference between compliance and true alignment
• What it actually looks like to become a man worth following

This is not a conversation about controlling your wife. It's a conversation about becoming the kind of man she wants to follow.

Ready to take the next step?

⚔️ The Sacred Code — A 12-week formation process to define your mission, build structure, and lead with clarity.

🛡️ Knights Order — An ongoing brotherhood walking this out together.

DM Steve the word FORGE to start a conversation.

Instagram: @realstevebaumgartner

Facebook: @Steve Baumgartner

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

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Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
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There’s a fight you’ve been avoiding.

And you know something’s off.

You’ve gotten comfortable.
Comfort doesn’t feel like a problem…
until you realize what it’s costing you.

Because every man eventually faces the same choice:

Run from the bear…
Freeze and get eaten…
Or fight.

In this episode, we break down:
• Why comfort is more dangerous than failure
• How slow drift quietly destroys your marriage, your body, and your purpose
• The three types of men — and which one you’ve become
• The real cost of avoidance (and why most men never see it coming)
• How suffering forms a man
• What it actually means to “fight the bear” in your real life

This is a call to stop coasting…
…and start fighting.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Why comfort doesn’t feel like a trap
01:00 – The hidden cost of an “easy” life
02:00 – How modern life is designed to make you soft
02:45 – Introducing the framework: 3 men and the bear
03:30 – The restaurant story: a man at peace with comfort
05:00 – “We are not wired the same”
06:30 – The moment everything shifted
07:30 – The three types of men explained
08:30 – The man who runs from the bear
10:30 – The man who gets eaten slowly
12:00 – The hotel bar story: choosing comfort over calling
14:00 – The moment of conviction
15:00 – Discovering extreme ownership
16:30 – The man who fights the bear
18:00 – Why fighting isn’t about feeling ready
19:00 – The connection to suffering and formation
20:30 – Gethsemane: the ultimate example of chosen suffering
22:30 – What suffering actually produces in a man
23:30 – The weight and presence of a tested man
24:30 – Clarity that only comes through difficulty
25:30 – What your kids are actually learning from you
26:30 – Naming your bear
27:30 – Why you can’t negotiate with comfort
28:30 – Stop avoiding the hard thing
29:30 – The man you want to be is on the other side of the fight
30:30 – Conviction vs. guilt
31:30 – Why this moment matters
32:30 – Invitation: The Sacred Code
34:00 – You don’t have to fight alone
35:00 – Final challenge: make the decision

Call to Action:

If this episode hit you, don’t just listen to it… act on it.

Take a minute and ask yourself:
What’s the bear in my life right now?

Be honest. Be specific.

Then take one step toward it this week.
Not tomorrow. Not “eventually.” This week.

Because the man you’re becoming is on the other side of that decision.

And if you’re ready to stop doing this alone…

Get around men who are actually doing the work.

🔗 Ready to step into the fight and become the man you were built to be?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realSteveBaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

🔗 Stay Connected:

Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

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Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

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There’s a reason you feel like something’s missing.
You’re working hard.
You’re showing up.
You’re carrying responsibility.

But deep down… you know there’s more.

This episode isn’t about motivation.
It’s about capacity.

God has already placed something inside of you — strength, purpose, responsibility, and the ability to carry more.

So the question isn’t:
“What am I missing?”
The real question is:
“What am I not stewarding?”

In this episode, we break down:
• Why most men feel stuck (even when they’re doing everything “right”)
• The difference between activity and alignment
• The 5 parts of a man (and why most men ignore them)
• How resistance — not confusion — is holding you back
• What it actually looks like to step into your God-given capacity

This is a call to stop drifting…
…and start becoming.
________________________________________
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Why so many men feel like something is missing
01:45 – The trap of “doing more” instead of becoming more
03:00 – What capacity really means
04:30 – Why you feel disconnected from your purpose
06:00 – Productive… but divided
08:00 – Clarity vs. resistance
09:00 – The 5 parts of a man: mind, body, soul, spirit, heart
10:30 – The mind: where your life is shaped
13:00 – The body: discipline, endurance, and stewardship
16:30 – The soul: stillness and meeting God
20:00 – Spirit = capacity
21:30 – You’re not missing something — you’re not stewarding it
23:30 – Why men stay small
25:30 – Capacity must be activated
26:00 – Your time reveals your life
26:30 – The heart: direction and alignment
28:30 – Why divided men cannot lead
30:00 – The domains that expose your life
32:00 – How your life affects your children
33:30 – The truth about “waiting for purpose”
34:30 – The danger of resisting the Holy Spirit
36:30 – How men drift and harden
39:00 – Are you responsive to God?
40:30 – The question you need to ask
41:30 – Where are you out of alignment?
42:30 – Practical steps to start stewarding your life
43:30 – Why structure matters
44:30 – Final challenge: step into your capacity
________________________________________
Call to Action:
If this episode hit you, don’t just listen to it… act on it.

Take a few minutes today and ask yourself:
Where am I living beneath what God already placed in me?

Pick one area — just one — and start stewarding it this week.
And if you’re serious about becoming the man you were designed to be, not just thinking about it…

Get around other men who are doing the same.
🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Step Into Your Capacity?
🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realSteveBaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

________________________________________
🔗 Stay Connected:
Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

🔗 Stay Connected:

Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

Send us Fan Mail

What if the biggest thing holding you back is not your circumstances… but the fence around your mind?

In this episode, I sit down with Todd Pultz for a powerful conversation on poverty, purpose, biblical wealth, money mindset, and getting started in real estate.

Todd shares his story of growing up in the projects and trailer parks of Dayton, Ohio, working in law enforcement, losing everything financially in 2011, and rebuilding through real estate, business, and personal transformation.

Todd is the founder of Maxxed Out, host of the Maxxed Out with Todd Pultz podcast, and has built a 9-Figure portfolio, 1,000+ rental units, co-authored a best-selling book with Kevin Harrington of Shark Tank, and appeared as a guest judge on The Blox. In this conversation, we unpack:

• Todd's concept of mental fences and how invisible limits keep people stuck
• What the Bible actually says about money, greed, and stewardship
• Why so many people are uncomfortable talking about money
• How to begin building wealth through real estate
• Why the right room, mentor, and environment can change your life
• What to expect at Maxxed Out Mastermind Live in Dayton, Ohio

Todd also breaks down practical advice for beginners, including how to learn the language of real estate, understand how money works, build the right team, and stop waiting for the perfect moment.

If this episode helped you, like, subscribe, and share it with a man who needs to break a fence.

Connect with Todd Pultz
Website: https://toddpultz.com

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/maxxed-out-with-todd-pultz/id1820462993

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/%40toddpultzofficial

Event: Maxxed Out Mastermind Live, Dayton, Ohio — April 21–23, 2026: https://live.maxxedout.com/

Private listener code MIAMI50 — 50% off Gold or VIP tickets.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:22 Todd Pultz's early life in poverty
02:27 From the trailer park to police work
06:42 Losing the badge and moving into Macy's investigations
10:53 Rock bottom, foreclosure, and discovering real estate
14:18 What "fences" really mean
15:50 Biblical wealth and what the Bible actually says about money
19:10 Giving, generosity, and shifting money mindset
22:34 Why people get uncomfortable talking about money
26:19 Why Todd kept progressing while others stayed stuck
31:28 The power of the right room and the right mentorship
37:06 Pay-to-play, personal branding, and investing in yourself
44:03 Iron sharpens iron, but only at the right angle
45:27 How to get started in real estate
54:10 Todd's mentorship programs and vertical integration
1:00:21 What to expect at Maxxed Out Mastermind Live
1:04:27 Final thoughts

About Todd Pultz
Todd Pultz is a self-made entrepreneur, real estate investor, speaker, author, and founder of Maxxed Out. He has built a $100M+ portfolio and 1,000+ rental units, co-authored a best-selling book with Kevin Harrington, and served as a guest judge on The Blox. He is focused on

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

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Why is it that men can operate with incredible discipline at work… yet feel scattered and unfocused in their personal lives?

In this episode of The Sacred Gentlemen Podcast, Steve Baumgartner introduces a powerful concept he calls The Standard — a personal operating system that helps men live with clarity, discipline, and purpose.

Many men live reactively. They work hard, take care of responsibilities, and try to be good husbands and fathers. But without a defined personal standard, life becomes chaotic and inconsistent.

Steve walks through the framework he personally uses to stay grounded in mission, faith, and discipline.

This episode will challenge you to stop drifting and start living intentionally.

If you're ready to build a life rooted in strength, clarity, and purpose — this episode is for you.

You’ll learn:

• Why men often operate at a high level at work but struggle at home
• What a personal standard actually is
• How discipline and faith work together in masculine leadership
• The role of physical habits in building mental clarity
• How to define your personal mission
• The danger of living without structure
• A practical framework to start building your own standard

0:00 — Why men operate better at work than at home
1:30 — The idea behind “The Standard”
4:10 — Why intention isn’t enough
6:05 — The moment that revealed the problem
8:20 — How men drift without structure
10:15 — The importance of defining your personal operating system
12:40 — The role of the heart in decision making
15:00 — Building physical discipline into your daily life
17:10 — Why your mission must be clearly defined
20:00 — What a real mission statement should include
23:30 — The domains of a man’s life
26:10 — Why your mission can’t come from culture or ego
29:30 — Setting realistic physical and life goals
31:20 — The difference between goals and daily standards
34:00 — Building systems that create consistency
37:30 — The masculine operating system
40:00 — Common mistakes men make when trying to improve
43:10 — Why retreats and inspiration alone aren’t enough
46:30 — How real change happens in community
49:00 — The challenge: define your personal standard

The Sacred Gentlemen Podcast helps men grow in faith, discipline, leadership, and purpose.

Each episode offers practical insight for men who want to become stronger husbands, fathers, and leaders.

Subscribe and share with a man who is serious about living with intention.

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

🔗 Stay Connected:

Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

Send us Fan Mail

Most men don’t lose their marriage in one dramatic moment.
They lose it slowly.
Not through betrayal.
But through avoidance.

There’s a conversation you’ve been delaying.
You keep telling yourself:
• “Now isn’t a good time.”
• “I don’t know what to say.”
• “I’ll bring it up later.”
But every time you avoid it, the distance grows.

In this episode of The Sacred Gentleman Podcast, Steve Baumgartner breaks down the one conversation most men avoid—and why leading it may be the moment that rebuilds your marriage.
You’ll learn:
• The 5 disguises of avoidance men use in marriage
• Why successful men often go silent at home
• A 5-step framework to lead difficult conversations without turning them into a fight
• The 30-second script that opens the door to reconnection
• How to respond when your wife reacts with anger, tears, or silence
• A 48-hour action plan to start rebuilding trust

If you’ve been strong everywhere else in life—but distant at home—this episode will challenge you to step back into leadership where it matters most.
Because a Sacred Gentleman doesn’t run from the hard conversation.
He leads it.
________________________________________
Share This Episode
If you know a man who is successful on paper but struggling at home, send him this episode.
Not to shame him.
To call him back.
________________________________________
Subscribe to The Sacred Gentlemen Podcast
More episodes on:
• Masculine leadership
• Marriage
• Identity
• Fatherhood
• Legacy

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

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Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
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If you feel stuck, it might not be discipline.

It might not be motivation.

It might be a story you’ve been carrying your whole life — a story that says you were rejected, abandoned, overlooked, or not chosen.

And when that story runs your life, everything feels like a threat.

In this episode, Steve unpacks victim mentality — not the loud version, but the quiet one. The one that shows up as defensiveness, withdrawal, overworking, perfectionism, or emotional shutdown.

You can be wounded… and still be responsible.
You can have real pain… and still take real steps.

This episode moves from orphan thinking to sonship. From reacting to your past to leading from security. From explanation to healing.

In This Episode

• Why feeling “stuck” often isn’t about discipline
• How trauma lives in the body and shapes your reactions
• The difference between suffering and victim mentality
• The father wound and performance-based love
• The nightmare that exposed a deeper lie
• The night God intervened and changed everything
• Salvation vs formation
• Why “hurt people hurt people”
• Psalm 27: Received, not forsaken
• John 5: “Do you want to be healed?”
• How to stop living like an orphan

Key Scriptures

Psalm 27:10
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”

John 5
“Do you want to be healed?”

Genesis 50:20
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Timestamps

00:00 – Why you feel stuck (and it’s not discipline)
02:00 – When pain becomes your identity
04:30 – Psalm 27: Forsaken but received
05:30 – “Do you want to be healed?”
07:30 – Growing up with abandonment
11:00 – Shame, rejection, and the football moment
15:00 – How victim mentality gathers evidence
17:00 – The nightmare that revealed performance-based love
23:30 – The night everything changed
24:00 – Arrest, despair, and hitting bottom
29:00 – The embrace that broke the lie
32:00 – Addiction removed, behaviors remained
34:00 – Salvation vs formation
37:00 – Why victim mentality keeps men immature
39:00 – Stop letting the past author your future
42:00 – Orphan thinking vs sonship
44:00 – The “Reps” for this week
48:00 – If you’re in a dark place, hear this

If This Episode Hit You

If you’re in a dark place — tell someone.
Call a friend. Talk to a pastor. Reach out for professional help if needed.
Strength is not isolation.

Men are not meant to do deep work alone.

If you want structured formation, explore the Sacred Code Formula or the Knight’s Order brotherhood.

Don’t drift after listening.
Text a brother.
Take action.

Sacred Gentlemen is a movement calling men out of comfort and back into God’s design — forming leaders of presence, purpose, and generational legacy.

Subscribe. Share this with a man who needs it.
And remember:

Stillness creates availability.
Availability is where leadership begins.

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

🔗 Stay Connected:

Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen

Send us Fan Mail

Show Notes

There’s a belief that can feel safe: “My heart is good, so God will understand.”
But what happens when that belief quietly turns into a cover for half-obedience?

In this episode, Steve breaks down the uncomfortable truth that a man can be sincere… and still be disobedient. Using the contrasting stories of King Saul and King David, Steve unpacks why God removed Saul from the throne, why David remained king despite massive failure, and what the real difference was between them.

You’ll learn how partial obedience, spiritual cover, and “responsible-sounding excuses” slowly shape a man’s soul — and how mercy isn’t permission to stay the same, but power to return and walk in faithful obedience.

Steve also shares his own story of delaying God’s call, negotiating with responsibility, and how God used discomfort, anxiety, and loss of control to push him out of compromise and into his true assignment.

If you’ve been stuck, delaying, bargaining, or calling fear “wisdom,” this episode will challenge you — and give you a simple framework to take your next faithful step.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why God watches not only what you do — but what you refuse to obey
• How Saul’s partial obedience mirrors modern Christian compromise
• The real difference between Saul and David’s hearts
• Why obedience is the fruit of trust, not rule-keeping
• How delays aren’t neutral — they shape your soul
• Why mercy doesn’t lower God’s standard, but restores you to it
• The CROWN Test: a practical framework for real-time obedience
• How perseverance sometimes looks like leaving, not staying

Timestamps

00:00 — The dangerous belief: “My heart is good, God understands”
01:00 — Why sincere men can still be disobedient
02:00 — Why Saul lost the throne and David didn’t
03:00 — What every man needs: mercy, obedience, faithfulness, perseverance
03:55 — God watches what you refuse to obey
04:30 — Why Israel wanted Saul as king
05:15 — Saul’s first failure: refusing to wait for Samuel
06:10 — Fear, pressure, and taking spiritual control
07:05 — Saul’s second failure: partial obedience with spiritual cover
08:10 — “To obey is better than sacrifice”
09:00 — Modern versions of Saul’s excuses
10:45 — The deeper issue: refusal to surrender
11:30 — Obedience as a response to love
12:15 — Saul protects himself; David returns to God
13:00 — David’s repentance vs. Saul’s excuses
13:50 — Three symptoms of drifting men
15:00 — Delays shape your soul
15:45 — Steve’s personal call to lead men
17:00 — Comfort, success, and resisting the assignment
18:15 — Calling “not yet” responsibility
19:00 — Anxiety, pressure, and God’s mercy through discomfort
21:00 — Resigning after 23 years
22:00 — Half-hearted plan vs. full obedience
23:00 — God’s confirming sign
27:00 — Obedience vs. religious cover
28:15 — Broken & honest vs. proud & fake
29:15 — Saul’s pattern vs. David’s pattern (Scripture overview)
31:00 — Mercy opens the door; obedience walks through it
32:00 — Introducing the CROWN Test
40:00 — Pe

Support the show

🔗 Ready to Unlock Your Purpose and Restore the Order?

🔥 Apply to join the SACRED Code:
📩 DM "FORGE" to @realstevebaumgartner on Instagram or @SteveBaumgartner1975 on Facebook

You’ll be invited to a quick clarity call with Steve or a member of his team to see if The SACRED Code is the right fit for your mission.

---------

🔗 Stay Connected:

Instagram: @realSteveBaumgartner
Facebook: @SteveBaumgartner1975
LinkedIn: Steve Baumgartner
YouTube: @SacredGentlemen