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Published on:

25th Aug 2025

The Lie Men Have Been Told (And How To Finally Break Free)

Rudi Riekstins has been named one of the Top 5 Coaches in the world by Thrive Global and a Top 20 Thought Leader by Business Insider. He’s a leadership visionary, business mentor, and transformational speaker trusted by entrepreneurs, creatives, and even billionaires.

But behind the accolades lies a truth we rarely talk about. Men have been fed a lie — that we must always be strong, stoic, and never show vulnerability.

That conditioning disconnects us from who we truly are, leading to broken relationships, self-sabotage, and lives lived out of alignment.

In this conversation, Rudi shares:

  • The biggest challenge men face today and why it costs them their power
  • Why 98% of people don’t actually know who they are
  • The unconscious programs created in childhood that run our adult lives
  • How to stop self-sabotage and break destructive patterns
  • The daily practice that saved his life and can transform yours
  • Why presence is the most powerful gift you can give yourself
  • How to align your mind, body, and energy so you become magnetic to what you want

This episode is a roadmap back to authenticity and power. If you’ve ever felt like you’re living someone else’s story, this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for.

🧠 Sponsor: Mindful Meds

This episode is brought to you by Mindful Meds — trusted by high performers who want to think clearer, feel calmer, and live with greater balance.

Mindful Meds combines plant medicine, functional mushrooms, and natural nootropics into blends that are organically sourced, rigorously lab-tested, and designed to support mental clarity, emotional resilience, and peak performance.


Whether it’s microdosing to reset your mind or functional stacks to sustain focus, Mindful Meds is helping leaders, creators, and athletes operate at their best.

👉 Get 15% off with code ADVERSITY → mindfulmeds.io


🔗 Connect with Rudi

Website → rudiriekstins.com

Instagram → @rudiriekstins


🫁 Work with Lance

Step into exclusive 1:1 experiences designed for high performers ready to go all in:

  • Mastery Breathwork Breakthrough Session – A private session to release, reset, and reconnect with your true power.
  • 👉 Book now → Session Link
  • 1:1 Mentorship (Application Only) – For those committed to deep transformation, performance, and purpose.
  • 👉 Apply here → Mentorship Application
  • GET SEEN & GET KNOWN with strategic podcast bookings - Mic-Up Media (Application Only) – Get positioned on top shows and seen as the authority you are.
  • 👉 Apply here → Podcast Booking Application


📖 Resources & Links

📖 Mastering Adversity (the book) → lanceessihos.com/book

🌐 More on Lance’s work → lanceessihos.com

📲 Stay Connected:

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About the Podcast

University of Adversity
Real stories and tools to help you grow through adversity, burnout, and reinvention.
University of Adversity is a show about the moments that change us — especially the ones we didn’t ask for.

I’m Lance Essihos, and I sit down with athletes, bestselling authors, doctors, entrepreneurs, spiritual teachers, and everyday warriors to have real conversations about adversity — the kind that strips away the surface and forces us to face who we really are.

We go deep into the mindset shifts, emotional breakthroughs, and practical tools that helped them rebuild. Not just to survive, but to come back stronger, clearer, and more aligned.

This isn’t motivation.
It’s what happens after the breakdown, when you’re trying to put the pieces back together and make it mean something.

If you’re in a season of uncertainty, burnout, or reinvention — this show is here to walk with you.

We don’t just talk about getting through the hard times.
We talk about who you become because of them.

About your host

Profile picture for Lance Essihos

Lance Essihos

As an experienced veteran with adversity, Lance has faced some of life's most difficult challenges. Grinding his way through the hockey ranks to traveling the world as a bartender. Through his personal battle with drugs and alcohol for well over a decade, the tragic loss of his brother to suicide followed by the great loss of his father to cancer only a year later, Lance realized he had hit rock bottom. In the darkest of days, he made a promise to himself that he would create a new life, one that would make an impact and inspire the masses, leaving the world in a better place than he found it. Lance has made it his mission to facilitate the message of positive change through adversity and encourage people to see the light through the darkness of life's worst moments.