Brett & Kate McKay 234 posts 0 comments

On the Art of Manliness, we talk about many things, from personal development, to physical fitness, to concrete skills and know-how. If you’ve ever wanted to do more than just listen to/read the content we publish, and desire to start…
Read More...

in: Advice, Character, Podcast Brett & Kate McKay • December 30, 2025 Most of us chase goals — starting a business, running a marathon, getting a promotion — without ever asking: What are the actual odds this will…
Read More...

Happiness is the subject of thousands of articles, podcasts, and scientific studies. Yet all this focus on happiness doesn’t seem to be making people any happier. In fact, the more they try to be happy, especially by fighting to get rid…
Read More...

Another year — our 17th in operation — has wound down here at the Art of Manliness. Here are a few highlights from the various projects that spring from the AoM epicenter. Dying BreedOne of the highlights of 2025 was launching Dying…
Read More...

Teddy Roosevelt, the patron saint of the Art of Manliness, had an exuberant love of life. A friend of T.R.’s described his joie de vivre as the “unpacking of endless Christmas stockings.” If Teddy Roosevelt approached all of life as if…
Read More...

The Holly and the Ivy. If you’re feeling tired of the standard set of classic holiday films, give The Holly and the Ivy a watch. In the movie, a family gathers at the home of their father — a recently widowed parson. This is not a happy…
Read More...

To make winter a more enjoyable time of year, you ought to consider adopting certain practices you only do during this season — rituals that help to create a kind of liturgy for life.One of those practices could be fire meditation.Fire…
Read More...

Books are everywhere. They’re so common, they’re easy to take for granted. But my guest argues that they’re worth fully appreciating — because the book isn’t just a container for content; it’s a revolutionary technology for shaping…
Read More...

I finally got around to watching Casablanca this year. I’m a little embarrassed it took this long. I think the delay was due to the fact that I already thought I’d seen it, on account of seeing clips of it so often. It’s part of the…
Read More...

Does it feel like the world is out to get you?Does it seem like everyone you know is an a-hole?Does it feel like your life is going nowhere and that you’ll always be a loser?If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above questions,…
Read More...

in: Odds & Ends Brett & Kate McKay • December 12, 2025“Last Christmas” by Jimmy Eat World. I can’t say I’m a fan of the original “Last Christmas” by Wham!, but I am a big fan of this cover by Jimmy Eat World.…
Read More...

Winter gets a bad rap.I know I often treat it like a season to be endured rather than enjoyed, but there’s plenty of fun to be had when the temperature drops. And there are plenty of small winter rituals that make the cold months feel…
Read More...

in: Health, Health & Fitness, Podcast Brett & Kate McKay • December 9, 2025Most of us know what we should do to be healthier: eat better, move more, sleep well. The real challenge? Actually following through.On…
Read More...

About 10 years ago, I impinged my right shoulder pretty badly, which prevented me from doing regular low-bar barbell squats. I didn’t want to stop squatting completely while I healed up, so I bought this funny-looking contraption with a…
Read More...

Stocking stuffers often get overlooked in the rush to see the bigger gifts Santa’s left (be sure to check out our ideas for those). But they’re one of my favorite parts of Christmas. There’s something so fun about little gifts small…
Read More...

How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life by Kurt Streeter. This beautiful article profiles Paul Lundy, a former facilities manager who walked away from a soul-crushing career in his mid-50s to apprentice under Bob Montgomery, a 92-year-old…
Read More...

There’s a lot of debate these days about what it means to be a man. But maybe the answer is simpler than we think, and a lot of masculinity just comes down to confident competence. A broad set of know-how. The ability to get stuff done.…
Read More...

You’re at a party and start chatting with another guest.Twenty minutes later, you’re still talking with them one-on-one. You feel trapped, and you wish you knew how to break away from the conversation.Maybe the person is annoying, and…
Read More...

It’s that time of year again, when we share our top men’s gift ideas from Huckberry. It’s hard to go wrong with getting family members and friends any of these featured items, and if you need even more options, check out Huckberry’s…
Read More...

Some of you might be thinking, “Brett, why should I learn how to pick a lock if I don’t plan on breaking into people’s homes?”Great question.There are a few good reasons why law-abiding citizens should learn how to pick a lock:Lock…
Read More...