Man Up!

Aaron Gunsaulus, a former full-time Reformed pastor in Newton, Iowa, continues his conversion story with host Joe Stopulos. Part 1 covered his Lutheran upbringing, his conversion in college, and his call to ministry. This week covers the road from pastor to Catholic.Episode highlights:2020 hits a small church: COVID and the election collide. Trust drops, meetings get contentious, and Aaron feels for the first time that “this isn’t what I signed up for.”A season of funerals: Over about 14 months, Aaron leads around a dozen funerals in a congregation of about 125, while his wife’s father dies unexpectedly. Grief and fatigue start to pile up.Keith Nester and the “cage stage”: Aaron explains how Reformed theology views the Catholic Church, why he once argued hard with Keith over his conversion, and how a friendly comment on a YouTube video led to lunch and a renewed friendship.Reading the Catechism cover to cover: Aaron marked every article as agree, disagree, or unsure, and found much more common ground than he expected: the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the Creeds.The radar blip: While planning for life after ministry, the Catholic Church shows up as a real option in 2023–2024.The wife factor: Aaron chose not to convert ahead of his wife. He shares how they finally found an “exit ramp” together during a week of prayer on a Florida beach in 2024.Rome Sweet Home and Amazon boxes: Aaron’s wife reads Scott and Kimberly Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home and resources from Catholic Answers, then decides on her own that they need to become Catholic.Shepherded home: Keith’s priest, Fr. Aaron, met with Aaron over Zoom to answer questions about the Catechism. He later guided the whole family into the Church outside of a formal OCIA program.Don’t miss Part 3 next week, when Joe asks Aaron about the Pope, Mary, and what changed for him after becoming Catholic.Missed Part 1? Find it in the Man Up podcast feed.Support Man Up:Construction Professionals: https://cpcustomhomes.com/Iowa Catholic Radio: https://iowacatholicradio.com/#ManUp #CatholicMen #CatholicConvert #ConversionStory #ComingHome #Catechism #ProtestantToCatholic #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #Iowa #CatholicFaith #KeithNester Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Some conversion stories ask everything of a man: his job, his income, his flock, and the life he built. In Part 1 of this three-part series, Joe Stopulos sits down with Aaron Gunsaulus, a former Christian Reformed pastor from Newton, Iowa, who gave it all up after discovering the truth of the Catholic Church. Two of Joe’s past guests, Jim Verwoert and Keith Nester, both told him he had to get Aaron on the show.Highlights from this episode:The music connection: How Aaron met Jim Verwoert and Keith Nester through a Christian band in Newton, which also included Pella native Dave Keuning, now the guitarist for The Killers.A Lutheran upbringing: Aaron grew up in a mainline Lutheran family, went through three years of catechism and confirmation, and admits he never owned the faith for himself.A college conversion: At Iowa State, Aaron had a conversion experience, dropped out, returned to Newton, and began walking deliberately with Christ under the mentorship of his friend Kyle.Called to pastor: Mentors saw a gift for Scripture in Aaron. While serving at a Baptist church near UNI, he was introduced to Reformed soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) and was eventually drawn into the historic Reformed tradition of Luther and Calvin.Open to life and homeschooling: Aaron and his wife Cami chose to leave their family size in God’s hands and homeschool. They now have six children.Fifteen years as a pastor: After serving as interim pastor of a Christian Reformed church in Newton, Aaron was asked to stay on as its pastor. He later earned his MDiv mostly remotely and was ordained.Best year, worst year: In 2019, despite a church fire that forced the congregation out of its building, Aaron finished seminary, was ordained, and saw the church grow. Then came 2020: COVID and a contentious election year sent things off the rails.A challenge for every man: Aaron’s love of the Bible is a lesson for all of us. Are you starting each day with even five or ten minutes in Scripture?Don’t miss Part 2 next week, when Aaron explains what happened in 2020 and how it set him on the road to Rome.Thank you to our sponsors:Construction Professionals: https://cpcustomhomes.com/Iowa Catholic Radio: https://iowacatholicradio.com/#ManUp #CatholicConversion #ConversionStory #ComingHome #CatholicMen #ProtestantToCatholic #FormerPastor #ReformedToCatholic #CatholicFaith #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #Iowa #CatholicDad #Fatherhood #Homeschool #Scripture #Catholic Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is the job you have today the one God is calling you to? In Part 2 of this two-part series, Joe Stopulos and Sam Halligan of FORGE go beyond the question of why we work. They look at how a man’s daily work can become prayer, give him purpose, and become a mission field for evangelization. Joe notes up front that this is a philosophical conversation, not official Church teaching.In this episode:The unexamined life: Joe opens with Socrates and asks whether you are using your God-given talents in the job you have now.John Adams and the generations: In a letter to Abigail, Adams wrote that he studied politics and war so his grandchildren could study painting and poetry. Joe asks what happens when a society, or an AI-driven economy, loses the habit of real work.The crisis of purposelessness: Sam explains how closely a man’s sense of purpose is tied to making a difference. When men feel replaceable, they lose their footing. Fatherhood, lived as a vocation, gives a man a reason to get up every morning.Can you retire at 40? Not working a traditional job isn’t wrong, but stewardship is. Spending every day at the country club is a wasted life, and your kids are watching. Sam also explains why a lottery jackpot often leaves people with no aim.Even spreadsheets can be worship: Following St. Paul (Romans 12:1), any task, even a dull one, can be offered to God as spiritual worship.Ora et labora: The Benedictine rhythm of prayer and work puts prayer first. Anchor your day in prayer, then let your work and your prayer feed each other.Praying always at work: Set reminders on your phone or watch through the day. Pray the Angelus at noon (under three minutes) and the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m. (under ten minutes).St. Josemaría Escrivá and Opus Dei: Lay work is a real path to holiness. You may be the only Catholic some of your coworkers ever meet.Your workplace is your mission field: Men are stirred by movies like Braveheart, but modern work can feel like a grind until Friday. What would change if you saw your office as a mission? Be the light at work, give exceptional service, and leave people better off than you found them.Joe’s closing reflection: Pray first and then work. See your vocation as a path to holiness and your workplace as your mission field. Use a men’s group to sharpen the sword.Missed Part 1? Go back to last week’s episode on the theology of work, Genesis, and whether you need to enjoy your job.Join a FORGE small group and explore the Men and Work course (click the Courses tab):https://myforge.org/Thank you to our sponsors:Construction Professionals: https://cpcustomhomes.com/Iowa Catholic Radio: https://iowacatholicradio.com/Listen to Man Up live on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network and find more at IowaCatholicRadio.com.#ManUp #CatholicMen #CatholicPodcast #FaithAndWork #OraEtLabora #Evangelization #WorkplaceMinistry #Purpose #Vocation #OpusDei #StJosemaria #Benedictine #CatholicFather #Fatherhood #MensMinistry #ForgeMen #DesMoines #Iowa #IowaCatholicRadio #Catholic Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What is the purpose of work? Am I in the right career? Am I called to this job? Most men wrestle with these questions throughout their careers. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Joe Stopulos sits down with Sam Halligan of FORGE, fresh off FORGE’s new course on men and work, for a candid conversation about why we work and how faith shapes the way we approach our jobs.In this episode:Meet Sam Halligan: A Des Moines native (St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale, Dowling Catholic, Benedictine College) who spent a decade as a missionary with Damascus in Ohio and Minnesota before coming home to Iowa and joining FORGE.Work is not a result of the Fall: God commissioned Adam to till and keep the garden before original sin. Work carries real dignity by design; the “sweat of your brow” came later.Do you have to enjoy your job? Providing for your family is a higher good than loving what you do. Ideally the two go together, and St. Irenaeus’ “the glory of God is man fully alive” points toward using your God-given talents well.There is no perfect job: Even dream careers like pro golfer, rock star, or CEO come with grinding pressure. Comparison is a trap, much like Instagram.Virtue lives in the middle: Avoid both the overworker who neglects his family and the man who never gets in the arena. Avoid both the job-hopper and the man stuck on autopilot.Take an inventory: Pause, pray, and ask whether you are stewarding your talents or hiding them under a bushel basket.Finding purpose in modern work: Since the Industrial Revolution, workers have moved further from the people they serve. Joe and Sam discuss meaning in a 100,000-person company, the role of AI, and the parable of three men building the same wall, one of whom knows he’s building a house for God.St. Paul on idleness: 2 Thessalonians makes clear we are all called to work, including retirees.Why men’s groups matter: A small group of faithful Catholic men who know you well is a strong sounding board for career and vocation decisions.Next week in Part 2: evangelization in the workplace and much more with Sam Halligan.Join a FORGE small group and explore FORGE courses:https://myforge.org/Thank you to our sponsors:Construction Professionals: https://cpcustomhomes.com/Iowa Catholic Radio: https://iowacatholicradio.com/Listen to Man Up live on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network and find more at IowaCatholicRadio.com.#ManUp #CatholicMen #CatholicPodcast #FaithAndWork #TheologyOfWork #Vocation #CatholicFather #Fatherhood #MensMinistry #ForgeMen #CatholicLife #DesMoines #Iowa #IowaCatholicRadio #Purpose #Career #Genesis #Catholic Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever wanted to hear from someone who helped get a saint named Doctor of the Church? Dr. Bud Marr was there in Rome for both of Newman’s big moments, and in this episode he and Joe dig into why this 19th-century English convert matters so much for Catholic men today.In this episode:Bud’s road to Newman. In 2006, while studying at Duke Divinity School and drifting toward Anglicanism, Bud found Newman through an essay by Rusty Reno, now editor of First Things. Two lines changed everything: “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant” and “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.”Who was John Henry Newman? He lived from 1801 to 1890, was a famous Anglican minister and Oxford fellow, and became Catholic at about age 45. It’s also why your college Catholic center is likely called the Newman Center.Red vs. white martyrdom. Newman’s conversion cost him his career, his friends, and his standing in English society. To be English was to be Anglican.The development of doctrine. In An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman explains how Church teaching grows organically without changing its substance, an idea that later informed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and Vatican II.Newman’s mottos for life: Cor ad cor loquitur (“Heart speaks to heart”) and “Holiness before peace.”Where to start reading Newman: Don’t start with the Grammar of Assent. Begin with his sermons, especially the eight volumes of Parochial and Plain Sermons, all free online. Next, try A Letter to the Duke of Norfolk, Newman’s balanced take on conscience and papal authority after Vatican I.Behind the scenes of the Doctor of the Church cause. As director of the National Institute for Newman Studies in Pittsburgh (hired in 2017), Bud worked with the Brompton Oratory in London. The Institute digitized Newman’s huge body of writing (8 volumes of sermons, 32 volumes of letters, and more) and gathered 20 scholars to write the positio sent to the Vatican.Rome, twice. Bud was there for Newman’s canonization under Pope Francis in October 2019 and for his declaration as Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo on All Saints Day 2025. At the second ceremony, Newman was named co-patron of Catholic education with Saint Thomas Aquinas.Joe’s rosary challenge update. After the rosary episode with Keith Nester, Joe’s one-week daily rosary challenge has grown to nearly four weeks. If you haven’t started yet, start now.Resources mentioned:Read Newman’s sermons free online at Newman Reader: https://www.newmanreader.org/National Institute for Newman Studies: https://www.newmanstudies.org/Seeking God with Saint John Henry Newman by Ryan J. Marr, published by Our Sunday Visitor. It’s written for a general audience.To Be Perfect Is to Have Changed Often by Ryan J. Marr, Bud’s dissertation on how Newman’s understanding of the Church developed.Bishop Robert Barron’s Pivotal Players series features Newman.Thank you to our sponsors:Construction Professionals: https://www.cpcustomhomes.com/Iowa Catholic Radio: https://www.iowacatholicradio.com/Listen to Man Up with Joe Stopulos on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network and at IowaCatholicRadio.com.#ManUp #CatholicMen #JohnHenryNewman #SaintJohnHenryNewman #DoctorOfTheChurch #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicConversion #CatholicFaith #Rosary #Iowa #CatholicEducation  Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever wanted a deeper devotion to the Rosary but struggled to make it part of your daily routine? Joe Stopulos welcomes back Keith Nester of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, former Protestant pastor, Catholic convert, and founder of the Rosary Crew, to talk about how to pray the Rosary every day and truly enter into its mysteries.In this episode:Keith's conversion to the Catholic Church and why the Rosary was initially a hang-up for himHow Fr. Donald Calloway's book Champions of the Rosary inspired Keith to see the Rosary as a spiritual weaponThe story of how one March 2020 livestream turned into six and a half years of praying the Rosary daily with thousands onlineWhy the Rosary is "a prayer, not a formula," and why it still counts even when you get distractedJoe's "lazy river" analogy: letting the prayer of the Church carry youA moving encounter at a truck stop on I-80 in Gretna, Nebraska, with a Rosary Crew member facing terminal cancerTestimonies of people breaking free from habitual sin and finding their way into the Church through the RosaryKeith's practical steps for starting a daily Rosary habit: learn the mechanics, pick a time (earlier in the day is better), find a quiet place, meditate on the mysteries, and don't get discouragedResources MentionedUnpacking the Mysteries of the Rosary by Keith Nester, a Scripture-based guide to each mystery of the Rosary, available on Amazon and at Keith's website:down2earthministry.orgChampions of the Rosary by Fr. Donald Calloway, MICPray With the Rosary CrewSearch "Rosary Crew with Keith Nester" on YouTube or Facebook.Monday–Friday: 5:00 PM CentralSaturdays: usually 8:00 AM CentralSundays: usually between 9:30 and 10:30 AM Central (varies with Mass times)Missed the live? Every Rosary is available as a replay on YouTube.Take the ChallengeJoe is committing to pray the Rosary every day for the next seven days. Join him, and let us know how it goes!Listen to more Man Up and all of our programs at IowaCatholicRadio.com: IowaCatholicRadio.com#Rosary #DailyRosary #CatholicMen #KeithNester #RosaryCrew #CatholicConvert #HolyRosary #MysteriesOfTheRosary #CatholicPrayer #ManUp #IowaCatholicRadio #Catholic #Faith #PrayTheRosary Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if a school existed for one reason: to make saints?On this episode of Man Up, Joe Stopulos sits down in studio with Bryan Gonzalez — founding family, board member, and tutor at St. Thomas Classical Academy — for an honest conversation about Catholic classical education, homeschooling, and what it takes for fathers to raise children for heaven.In this episode:What St. Thomas Classical Academy actually is. A hybrid model: families homeschool Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then gather together Tuesday and Thursday. Parents stay the primary educators, but the curriculum is already selected — removing what Bryan calls the thorn in the side of homeschooling.The mission statement, and the two pillars that set STCA apart: a deep commitment to the Catholic tradition, and education done the classical way — encountering truth, goodness, and beauty.Six students to 120. The academy launched in 2017 and now serves roughly 50 families, plus another 30–40 children through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It rents space at Sts. John and Paul Parish in Altoona.Zero dollars. Bryan explains why STCA receives no funding from the state or the diocese, why the community declined ESA dollars, and what that independence protects.Why the priests keep showing up. Rotating priests drive from across the diocese to offer Mass — some on their day off — because 120 kids serving, reading, and singing at Mass fills them up.Ephesians 6:4 for fathers: bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord — and what that looks like practically for Catholic dads and male mentors.Bishop James Conley's story. He entered the University of Kansas as a self-described hippie agnostic, encountered John Senior's Integrated Humanities Program in the 1970s, and became Catholic his senior year. Joe explains why Conley was the one speaker he wanted for this event.Visit the school: Mass is at 8:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Sts. John and Paul Parish in Altoona. Come to Mass, and Bryan is happy to give a tour afterward.THE GALA — Tuesday, October 205:30–8:30 p.m. | The Tea Room, downtown Des MoinesKeynote: Bishop James Conley, Diocese of LincolnAlso featuring testimony from Fr. Mark McGearyThis is a ticketed event and tickets are selling fast — purchase in advance. Individual tickets and sponsor tables are available. Get tickets, watch the 90-second school video, or request a tour at the contact page: https://www.stthomasclassical.org/New: Official Man Up whiskey glasses are now available in the Iowa Catholic Radio store, along with other ICR merchandise: https://iowacatholicradio.com/store/Listen to Man Up and stream Iowa Catholic Radio anytime at https://iowacatholicradio.com/If this episode helped you, please rate and review Man Up on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more men find the show.#CatholicEducation #ClassicalEducation #CatholicHomeschool #ManUp #CatholicMen #CatholicDads #BishopConley #Homeschooling #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #DesMoines #CatholicFaith #Fatherhood #TruthGoodnessBeauty #JohnSenior Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode is part two of a special crossover conversation between Joe Stopulos and Bud Marr, recorded for Bud's show The Uncommon Good in the weeks after the passing of Joe's father, Mike Stopulos. If you missed part one, it's worth going back to catch the full arc of this reflection on grief, service, and eternity. Highlights from this episode: Joe and Bud unpack Bishop Robert Barron's phrase "your life is not about you" and why it's become a touchstone for how they each think about their days Reflections on three very different funerals — a diocesan priest, a Catholic bookstore owner, and Joe's own father — and what their outpourings of love reveal about a life spent in service to others The witness of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint John Henry Newman as models of holiness that don't require fame or resources to imitate A candid conversation about balancing provision for a family with genuine presence — including when it might mean taking a pay cut to be home more Bud's reflection on intentionality with his own children as time with them narrows year by year A discussion of healthspan and physical stewardship, citing Peter Attia's Outlive, and the example of a priest still driving himself to say Mass at 93 A closing word Bud offers his own children about what a life well lived actually requires Whether you're walking through grief, wrestling with the tension between work and family, or looking for saints to emulate as a father, this conversation offers grounded wisdom for living with eternity in view. #ManUpPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicFatherhood #LifeWellLived #YourLifeIsNotAboutYou #CatholicMensMinistry #CatholicPodcast #FaithAndFatherhood #HeroicVirtue #GriefAndFaith #DavenportIowa #QuadCities Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special crossover episode, Man Up host Joe Stopulos trades the mic for the guest chair, joining Dr. Bud Marr of The Uncommon Good for a deeply personal conversation about what it means to live — and die — well as a Catholic man. Recorded this past June, just weeks after the sudden passing of Joe's father, Mike Stopulos, the discussion centers on the "obituary virtues" that matter most: faith, service, and family. Highlights from this episode: Joe's father received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, an apostolic blessing, and Holy Communion in his final hours — surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, and brothers praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet at his bedside. Why fourteen weeks of terminal cancer became, in Joe's words, a blessing — offering time for last conversations a sudden death never would have allowed. A candid look at the Church's teaching against hastening death, and how that teaching shaped the family's experience of Joe's father's final months. The biggest lesson Joe's father left behind: a life of joyful, selfless service — "he made everyone feel like his best friend." How every Catholic father, regardless of profession, is called to be "salt and light," radiating the joy of the Gospel in ordinary daily life. A nod to Tim Carney's book Family Unfriendly and the danger of comparing real family life to curated "Instagram motherhood." This is part one of a two-part conversation — part two continues next week on Man Up. This episode of Man Up is brought to you by: Construction Professionals — CPCustomHomes.com Iowa Catholic Radio — IowaCatholicRadio.com #ManUpPodcast #CatholicFatherhood #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicMen #LifeWellLived #TheUncommonGood #CatholicFaith #CatholicGrief #EndOfLifeCare #CatholicDad #DavenportIowa #QuadCities Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this solo teaching episode, Joe Stopulos tackles a topic many Catholic men avoid discussing openly: money. Drawing on two books by finance writer Morgan Housel — The Psychology of Money (2020) and The Art of Spending Money (2025) — Joe walks through the core lessons of both and reframes them through a Catholic lens of stewardship, humility, and contentment. Highlights from this episode: Why doing well with money is about behavior, not intelligence — and how habits shape financial peace The "benchwarmer on a Major League team" analogy that reframes comparison and contentment Why real wealth is what you don't spend, not what you show How money's highest dividend is control over your time — spending it on the people you love Why finances are one of the top three pillars of a healthy marriage, and how Joe addresses this in the marriage prep he leads A nod to Dave Ramsey's budgeting framework — where Joe agrees, and where he doesn't The story of Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and the billionaire who had everything except "enough" The quiet millionaire janitor who left $8 million to charity — and what it says about humility A closing quote from St. John Chrysostom on wealth, stewardship, and caring for the poor This episode is a call for Catholic men to examine their relationship with money — not as an end in itself, but as a tool for building a life centered on faith, family, and generosity. This episode is brought to you by: Construction Professionals — CPCustomHomes.com https://cpcustomhomes.com/ #CatholicMen #ManUpPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicFatherhood #CatholicDadLife #CatholicStewardship #FaithAndFinance #PsychologyOfMoney #MorganHousel #CatholicMarriage #CatholicPodcast #DesMoinesIowa #IowaCatholic #HeroicVirtue Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our StationsLINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.