Episode #30 feat. Mike Clawson

What happens when you spend five years pouring your heart and soul into building a business, only to have it completely fall apart through no fault of your own?

In this thirtieth episode of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller sits down with Mike Clawson from Austin, Texas, to discuss his 2022 initiation at Johnsonburg, New Jersey. Mike opens up about arriving at the rites carrying the heavy grief of a lost "passion project" and a suddenly unmoored identity. As a former administrator for Illuman, Mike offers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the organization, while reflecting on the challenges of dropping his own guard to be truly vulnerable with other men.

Episode Highlights

• The Disorienting Loss: Navigating the grief of a failed business venture and learning that "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose."
• Lover and Magician: Why the MROP focuses more on the emotional depth of the Lover and Magician archetypes, rather than the traditional King and Warrior energies.
• The Rain and the Woods: The somatic, visceral power of sitting alone in the freezing rain to excavate unresolved grief.
• Human Work vs. Men's Work: Mike’s perspective on why the inner work of the rites transcends gender, even if men specifically need a male-only container to feel safe enough to begin it.
• Redefining Ikigai: Shifting away from the Western obsession with "grand purpose" to find meaning in the simple, everyday things that get you out of bed.

Links & Resources

• Brian Mueller (Host)
• BriansPoems.com
• Illuman MROP
• Choosing Presence (Sponsor)
• Practicing Presence App
• The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
• Adam's Return by Richard Rohr
• Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
• Trust Stillness by Brian Mueller

Credits

• First and foremost, thank you to Mike Clawson for sharing his journey and his heart with us today.
• Thank you to Fr. Richard Rohr and the men of Illuman who have stewarded the Men’s Rites of Passage since 1996.
• Thank you to Jim Heaney and Jim Taylor for their dedication to Choosing Presence.

Music Credits:

• Slow Mo Dreams by Soundroll
• Becoming a Legend by Vens Adams