Jayson Gaddis is an author, podcaster, speaker, and “personal trainer for relationships”. He is a global leader on interpersonal conflict and connection. He joins me on the show to discuss the keys to success in relationship, and his book “Getting To Zero - How To Work Through Conflict In Your High Stakes Relationships”.

In this episode we discuss:
How to be better in relationships.
The Relationship School.
The one common denominator in relationship struggles – ourselves.
Avoidance tendencies.
How we learn to “do conflict”.
Conflict as an inevitable part of a relationship.
Conflict as a mirror.
Honest and authentic interactions.  
How to manage and navigate conflict.
The “why” of relationships.
Active listening skill development.
The higher purpose of relationships.
Relational blueprints.
Attachment/Conflict Styles: Seeker and Avoider.
Polarity and romance.
Shadow Vows.
How to handle your triggers and your partner’s triggers?
Attuning to loved one’s nervous systems.
What’s at the core of getting back to zero?
Understanding the other person’s experience (LUFU).
10 Roadblocks to Reconnection.
Where else can these tools be applied in your life?

Links from this Episode 
The Relationship School Website
The Relationship School Instagram
Jayson’s Instagram
Getting to Zero Website 
Jayson’s Facebook
Jayson’s Twitter
Jayson’s YouTube
The Conscious Relationship Council

Jayson Gaddis is an author, podcaster, speaker, and &ldquo;personal trainer for relationships&rdquo;. He is a global leader on interpersonal conflict and connection. He joins me on the show to discuss the keys to success in relationship, and his book &ldquo;Getting To Zero - How To Work Through Conflict In Your High Stakes Relationships&rdquo;.
In this episode we discuss:
<ul>
<li>How to be better in relationships.</li>
<li>The Relationship School.</li>
<li>The one common denominator in relationship struggles &ndash; ourselves.</li>
<li>Avoidance tendencies.</li>
<li>How we learn to &ldquo;do conflict&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Conflict as an inevitable part of a relationship.</li>
<li>Conflict as a mirror.</li>
<li>Honest and authentic interactions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>How to manage and navigate conflict.</li>
<li>The &ldquo;why&rdquo; of relationships.</li>
<li>Active listening skill development.</li>
<li>The higher purpose of relationships.</li>
<li>Relational blueprints.</li>
<li>Attachment/Conflict Styles: Seeker and Avoider.</li>
<li>Polarity and romance.</li>
<li>Shadow Vows.</li>
<li>How to handle your triggers and your partner&rsquo;s triggers?</li>
<li>Attuning to loved one&rsquo;s nervous systems.</li>
<li>What&rsquo;s at the core of getting back to zero?</li>
<li>Understanding the other person&rsquo;s experience (LUFU).</li>
<li>10 Roadblocks to Reconnection.</li>
<li>Where else can these tools be applied in your life?</li>
</ul>
Links from this Episode&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://relationshipschool.com/">The Relationship School Website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/therelationshipschool">The Relationship School Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jaysongaddis">Jayson&rsquo;s Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gettingtozerobook.com/">Getting to Zero Website&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jaysongaddisfanpage/">Jayson&rsquo;s Facebook</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/jaygaddis">Jayson&rsquo;s Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFfW3sn34YjXevKiinGvfA">Jayson&rsquo;s YouTube</a></li>
<li><a href="https://evolvingman.com/conscious-relationship-council/">The Conscious Relationship Council</a></li>
</ul>

The Evolving Man podcast features leaders and influencers in the personal growth arena who are actively engaged in "deep work", whether that be as a healer, or someone doing their own work. The guests on this podcast have a unique gift that they bring to the world, and they come to share these gifts with listeners. 

Tune in to witness discussions about addiction, consciousness, masculinity,  health and personal growth.

The Evolving Man Podcast

The Evolving Man podcast features inspiring figures who are strong forces of change in the world. Tune in to witness discussions about personal growth, romantic relationships, parenting, men's work, addiction recovery, and healing.

The Evolving Man podcast features inspiring figures who are strong forces of change in the world. Tune in to witness discussions about personal growth, romantic relationships, parenting, men's work, addiction recovery, and healing.

#64 - Working Through Conflict In High-Stakes Relationships - w/ Jayson Gaddis

Our phones promise connection, convenience, and access to nearly everything. But what happens when the tool we carry everywhere begins filling every quiet moment, exploiting our unresolved patterns, and gradually taking away our freedom to choose?

Mark Groves returns to the Evolving Man Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about truth, addiction, technology, and personal sovereignty. Mark shares what it was like to speak publicly during the social division of COVID, the backlash and nervous-system strain that followed, and how he eventually realized that fighting against polarization was pulling him away from his deeper mission of creating connection.

From there, we trace a much longer transformation in Mark’s life. Quitting alcohol revealed sugar, people-pleasing, pornography, social approval, and other subtler vices. Eventually, he recognized that his phone had begun occupying the space once filled by many of those behaviours.

This conversation explores how smartphones and social media exploit our need for belonging, approval, stimulation, and escape. They enter every crack in our lives, eliminate boredom, interrupt our relationships, and make it increasingly difficult to hear ourselves think.

The answer is not to reject technology altogether. It is to develop a more conscious relationship with it. One grounded in boundaries, discernment, accountability, and the freedom to put it down.

IN THIS EPISODE:
The personal cost of speaking out during COVID
Moving from freedom fighting toward bridge building
Repairing relationships without waiting for an apology
Why Mark quit drinking more than seven years ago
How removing one vice can reveal the next
Codependency, people-pleasing, and the fear of not belonging
Mark’s decision to confront pornography in his marriage
Why social media can resemble an abusive relationship
How phones keep the nervous system surveying for danger
Why boredom is essential for creativity, intuition, and self-connection
How technology exploits unresolved relational wounds
Why willpower alone is rarely enough to change phone habits
Protecting attention, relationships, and childhood from constant screens
Creating red, yellow, and green zones for technology use
Reclaiming sovereignty in a world built to capture your attention

This episode is for anyone who has ever reached for their phone without consciously deciding to—or felt that technology was interfering with their focus, sleep, creativity, relationships, or connection to themselves.

Your phone can add extraordinary value to your life. But only when you are the one deciding what kind of relationship you have with it.

CONNECT WITH MARK GROVES

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/itsmarkgroves
@itsmarkgroves

The Mark Groves Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5se5aQBcki87JV3zo1RYSi?si=c07c0af6917d4c62

Substack:
https://markgroves.substack.com

YouTube:
https://youtube.com/user/markgrovestv

Get Mark’s Digital Detox Kit:
https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/form/A1Z1U7swAaUZHuJmWM3P?notrack=true

WORK WITH BEN

Learn more about the Freedom From Addiction Circle:
https://freedom.evolvingman.com/freedom-from-addiction-circle

Subscribe to the Evolving Man Podcast and share this episode with someone who is ready to reclaim their attention.

Our phones promise connection, convenience, and access to nearly everything. But what happens when the tool we carry everywhere begins filling every quiet moment, exploiting our unresolved patterns, and gradually taking away our freedom to choose?
Mark Groves returns to the Evolving Man Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about truth, addiction, technology, and personal sovereignty. Mark shares what it was like to speak publicly during the social division of COVID, the backlash and nervous-system strain that followed, and how he eventually realized that fighting against polarization was pulling him away from his deeper mission of creating connection.
From there, we trace a much longer transformation in Mark&rsquo;s life. Quitting alcohol revealed sugar, people-pleasing, pornography, social approval, and other subtler vices. Eventually, he recognized that his phone had begun occupying the space once filled by many of those behaviours.
This conversation explores how smartphones and social media exploit our need for belonging, approval, stimulation, and escape. They enter every crack in our lives, eliminate boredom, interrupt our relationships, and make it increasingly difficult to hear ourselves think.
The answer is not to reject technology altogether. It is to develop a more conscious relationship with it. One grounded in boundaries, discernment, accountability, and the freedom to put it down.
IN THIS EPISODE:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The personal cost of speaking out during COVID</li>
<li aria-level="1">Moving from freedom fighting toward bridge building</li>
<li aria-level="1">Repairing relationships without waiting for an apology</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why Mark quit drinking more than seven years ago</li>
<li aria-level="1">How removing one vice can reveal the next</li>
<li aria-level="1">Codependency, people-pleasing, and the fear of not belonging</li>
<li aria-level="1">Mark&rsquo;s decision to confront pornography in his marriage</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why social media can resemble an abusive relationship</li>
<li aria-level="1">How phones keep the nervous system surveying for danger</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why boredom is essential for creativity, intuition, and self-connection</li>
<li aria-level="1">How technology exploits unresolved relational wounds</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why willpower alone is rarely enough to change phone habits</li>
<li aria-level="1">Protecting attention, relationships, and childhood from constant screens</li>
<li aria-level="1">Creating red, yellow, and green zones for technology use</li>
<li aria-level="1">Reclaiming sovereignty in a world built to capture your attention</li>
</ul>
This episode is for anyone who has ever reached for their phone without consciously deciding to&mdash;or felt that technology was interfering with their focus, sleep, creativity, relationships, or connection to themselves.
Your phone can add extraordinary value to your life. But only when you are the one deciding what kind of relationship you have with it.
CONNECT WITH MARK GROVES
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsmarkgroves">https://www.instagram.com/itsmarkgroves </a>@itsmarkgroves
The Mark Groves Podcast: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5se5aQBcki87JV3zo1RYSi?si=c07c0af6917d4c62">https://open.spotify.com/show/5se5aQBcki87JV3zo1RYSi?si=c07c0af6917d4c62</a>
Substack: <a href="https://markgroves.substack.com">https://markgroves.substack.com</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://youtube.com/user/markgrovestv">https://youtube.com/user/markgrovestv</a>
Get Mark&rsquo;s Digital Detox Kit: <a href="https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/form/A1Z1U7swAaUZHuJmWM3P?notrack=true">https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/form/A1Z1U7swAaUZHuJmWM3P?notrack=true</a>
WORK WITH BEN
Learn more about the Freedom From Addiction Circle: <a href="https://freedom.evolvingman.com/freedom-from-addiction-circle">https://freedom.evolvingman.com/freedom-from-addiction-circle</a>
Subscribe to the Evolving Man Podcast and share this episode with someone who is ready to reclaim their attention.

#107 - How Your Phone Is Stealing Your Freedom - w/ Mark Groves

intro

post intro

Ben sits down with Jason Grechanik - a tabaquero and plant medicine practitioner who spent years apprenticing in the Peruvian Amazon studying the traditional spiritual and medicinal use of tobacco.

Together they explore the surprising role tobacco has played in indigenous healing traditions, the difference between sacred tobacco and commercial cigarettes, and why many traditional cultures considered tobacco one of the most important master plants.

The conversation moves through spirituality, masculinity, addiction, trauma, anxiety, nervous system healing, warrior traditions, direct experience, and the relationship between plants and consciousness.

Jason also shares his personal journey into the world of plant medicine, including his intense initiation into tobacco dietas and what these traditions teach about healing, presence, clarity, and power.

Topics Discussed
Tobacco as sacred medicine
The difference between tobacco and cigarettes
Indigenous and Amazonian healing traditions
Tobacco dietas and plant apprenticeships
Masculinity and spiritual initiation
Anxiety, addiction, and trauma healing
The difference between medicine and medication
Why shamans consider tobacco a master plant
Jiu-jitsu, embodiment, and grounded spirituality
Direct spiritual experience vs intellectual knowledge

About Jason Grechanik

Jason Grachanik is a tabaquero and plant medicine practitioner who spent years living and apprenticing in the Peruvian Amazon studying traditional healing systems, tobacco work, and master plant dietas.

He now works with people through immersive healing retreats and traditional plant medicine practices rooted in Amazonian traditions.

Links from this episode: 

Jason’s website

Retreats with Jason

Jason's Instagram

The Universe Within - Podcast

Evolving Man’s Freedom From Addiction Circle

The ARKA Talks Podcast

Ben sits down with Jason Grechanik - a tabaquero and plant medicine practitioner who spent years apprenticing in the Peruvian Amazon studying the traditional spiritual and medicinal use of tobacco.
Together they explore the surprising role tobacco has played in indigenous healing traditions, the difference between sacred tobacco and commercial cigarettes, and why many traditional cultures considered tobacco one of the most important master plants.
The conversation moves through spirituality, masculinity, addiction, trauma, anxiety, nervous system healing, warrior traditions, direct experience, and the relationship between plants and consciousness.
Jason also shares his personal journey into the world of plant medicine, including his intense initiation into tobacco dietas and what these traditions teach about healing, presence, clarity, and power.
Topics Discussed
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Tobacco as sacred medicine</li>
<li aria-level="1">The difference between tobacco and cigarettes</li>
<li aria-level="1">Indigenous and Amazonian healing traditions</li>
<li aria-level="1">Tobacco dietas and plant apprenticeships</li>
<li aria-level="1">Masculinity and spiritual initiation</li>
<li aria-level="1">Anxiety, addiction, and trauma healing</li>
<li aria-level="1">The difference between medicine and medication</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why shamans consider tobacco a master plant</li>
<li aria-level="1">Jiu-jitsu, embodiment, and grounded spirituality</li>
<li aria-level="1">Direct spiritual experience vs intellectual knowledge</li>
</ul>
About Jason Grechanik
Jason Grachanik is a tabaquero and plant medicine practitioner who spent years living and apprenticing in the Peruvian Amazon studying traditional healing systems, tobacco work, and master plant dietas.
He now works with people through immersive healing retreats and traditional plant medicine practices rooted in Amazonian traditions.
Links from this episode:&nbsp;
<a href="https://jasongrechanik.com/">Jason&rsquo;s website</a>
<a href="https://nicotianarustica.org/">Retreats with Jason</a>
<a href="https://instagram.com/jasongrechanik/">Jason's Instagram</a>
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7C5UIeKqJQdGLNPob9yJh7?si=73e726adbe3943eb">The Universe Within - Podcast</a>
<a href="https://evolvingman.com/freedom-from-addiction/">Evolving Man&rsquo;s Freedom From Addiction Circle</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI2tKDBzBfno58eWjcFKQtglYsmnPgEng">The ARKA Talks Podcast</a>

#106 - Sacred Tobacco, Healing & The Warrior Path - w/ Jason Grechanik

With over 25 years of hands-on experience in personal transformation, Stefanos Sifandos works at the intersection of human potential, relational intelligence, and embodied leadership. He is a trained educator and somatic, trauma-informed relationship specialist with a background in behavioral science and philosophy, known for translating deep inner work into grounded, real-world change.

In this episode, we dove deep with Stefanos about the real work that keeps love and connection alive, especially through parenting, marriage, and personal challenges. Stefanos got vulnerable about hitting rock bottom, doing the inner work, and how being radically honest and intentional with yourself and your partner is the ultimate foundation for transformation. If you want insight into lasting love, conscious relationship tools, and parenting, this episode is a must-listen. 

Here are some of the pieces we discuss on this episode:

– How to keep love alive and act with love when your romantic partner is angry or distant
– The challenge of maintaining connection and spark in long-term relationships, especially under stress and obligations
– Stef's personal journey of transformation and inner work
– The impact of becoming a parent: how fatherhood stretches emotional edges and expands capacity for love, grief, and devotion
– Life challenges and awakenings: Stefanos Sifandos's turning point with addiction, infidelity, and facing suicidal thoughts
– The role of surrender and connection in moving through rock-bottom moments
– How shame, worthiness, and self-connection relate to addiction and healing
– The power of speaking the truth and vulnerability in men’s work and relationships
– Recognizing and breaking patterns of trauma bonding in volatile relationships
– When and why it’s healthy to let go of a relationship that’s become too toxic or drama-filled
– The importance of doing inner work: working on yourself to show up better in partnership
– Facing old family patterns, impatience, and imperfection as a partner and parent
– Real talk on the struggles of parenthood: impatience, mistakes, and embracing humanity
– Practicing conscious parenting: modeling humility, self-regulation, and apology to your child
– How a father’s relationship with his daughter informs her view of masculinity and future partnerships
– Making quality time and simple connection a priority in marriage
– Relationship tools: carving out time for intentional sharing, listening, and repair (including the Imago dialogue practice)
– The impact of performative gestures versus simple, consistent acts of care in keeping the spark alive
– How curiosity and presence nurture ongoing intimacy and novelty in partnerships
– The art of holding space, self-regulation, and loving your partner even when you’re the target of their anger
– Embracing imperfection in relationship and family life
– Stef’s new book, Tuned In and Turned On: A Path to True Connection, Deep Healing, and Lasting Love, and how it explores these teachings and practices in greater depth

Links from this episode

Stefanos Sifandos – Tuned In and Turned On - with Book Bonuses

Stef’s Instagram

The Path to Conscious Love program for couples

The Conscious Relationship Council live program for men

The Arka Fire and Flow Men’s Weekend - Feb 26 to March 2nd

Keep an eye out for:

The Arka Talks Podcast – launching Feb 2026 (link to be shared upon release)

With over 25 years of hands-on experience in personal transformation, Stefanos Sifandos works at the intersection of human potential, relational intelligence, and embodied leadership. He is a trained educator and somatic, trauma-informed relationship specialist with a background in behavioral science and philosophy, known for translating deep inner work into grounded, real-world change.
In this episode, we dove deep with Stefanos about the real work that keeps love and connection alive, especially through parenting, marriage, and personal challenges. Stefanos got vulnerable about hitting rock bottom, doing the inner work, and how being radically honest and intentional with yourself and your partner is the ultimate foundation for transformation. If you want insight into lasting love, conscious relationship tools, and parenting, this episode is a must-listen.&nbsp;
Here are some of the pieces we discuss on this episode:
&ndash; How to keep love alive and act with love when your romantic partner is angry or distant &ndash; The challenge of maintaining connection and spark in long-term relationships, especially under stress and obligations &ndash; Stef's personal journey of transformation and inner work &ndash; The impact of becoming a parent: how fatherhood stretches emotional edges and expands capacity for love, grief, and devotion &ndash; Life challenges and awakenings: Stefanos Sifandos's turning point with addiction, infidelity, and facing suicidal thoughts &ndash; The role of surrender and connection in moving through rock-bottom moments &ndash; How shame, worthiness, and self-connection relate to addiction and healing &ndash; The power of speaking the truth and vulnerability in men&rsquo;s work and relationships &ndash; Recognizing and breaking patterns of trauma bonding in volatile relationships &ndash; When and why it&rsquo;s healthy to let go of a relationship that&rsquo;s become too toxic or drama-filled &ndash; The importance of doing inner work: working on yourself to show up better in partnership &ndash; Facing old family patterns, impatience, and imperfection as a partner and parent &ndash; Real talk on the struggles of parenthood: impatience, mistakes, and embracing humanity &ndash; Practicing conscious parenting: modeling humility, self-regulation, and apology to your child &ndash; How a father&rsquo;s relationship with his daughter informs her view of masculinity and future partnerships &ndash; Making quality time and simple connection a priority in marriage &ndash; Relationship tools: carving out time for intentional sharing, listening, and repair (including the Imago dialogue practice) &ndash; The impact of performative gestures versus simple, consistent acts of care in keeping the spark alive &ndash; How curiosity and presence nurture ongoing intimacy and novelty in partnerships &ndash; The art of holding space, self-regulation, and loving your partner even when you&rsquo;re the target of their anger &ndash; Embracing imperfection in relationship and family life &ndash; Stef&rsquo;s new book, Tuned In and Turned On: A Path to True Connection, Deep Healing, and Lasting Love, and how it explores these teachings and practices in greater depth
Links from this episode
Stefanos Sifandos &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tunedinandturnedonbook.com/">Tuned In and Turned On - with Book Bonuses</a>
Stef&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/stefanossifandos/">Instagram</a>
<a href="https://courses.risingwoman.com/path-to-conscious-love">The Path to Conscious Love</a> program for couples
The&nbsp;<a href="https://evolvingman.com/conscious-relationship-council/">Conscious Relationship Council </a>live program for men
<a href="https://www.tickettailor.com/events/arkabrotherhood/1885683">The Arka Fire and Flow Men&rsquo;s Weekend</a> - Feb 26 to March 2nd
Keep an eye out for:
The Arka Talks Podcast &ndash; launching Feb 2026 (link to be shared upon release)

#64 - Working Through Conflict In High-Stakes Relationships - w/ Jayson Gaddis

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