Episode #5 feat. Mick Owens

What happens when the "good son"—the man who prides himself on being the reliable family "fixer"—realizes that his identity is built on a foundation of ego and false affirmations?

In this fifth episode of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller sits down with Mick Owens for a vulnerable conversation about his 2008 initiation at Pilgrim Park in Illinois. Mick, a retired teacher with over five decades of marriage, shares how he arrived at the rites carrying the heavy weight of his mother's recent stroke and a lifelong habit of trying to solve everyone else's problems.

Whether you are a caregiver feeling the weight of responsibility or a man searching for the "genuine self" hidden behind cultural expectations, Mick’s story is a moving testament to the healing power of letting go.

Episode Highlights

• The "Good Son" Trap: How being a "fixer" for his family fed Mick’s ego while leaving his soul hungry.
• Smashing the Mirror: The transformative moment of breaking an old image to start from scratch.
• Six Hours in the Woods: The discipline of the "four envelopes" and how journaling in the wilderness unlocked deep healing.
• "Tough Nut" to Vulnerability: Moving past the insecurity of not being "man-man" enough to discover the value of a sensitive heart.
• A New World of Connection: How initiation reshaped his 55-year marriage and his relationship with his adult sons.
• Read Mick's poem: Tough Nut - https://community.illuman.org/posts/97105952

Links & Resources

• Choosing Presence (Sponsor): https://choosingpresence.org
• Practicing Presence App: https://choosingpresence.org/app
• Illuman MROP page: https://illuman.org/mrop
• Adam's Return by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/3PzVESH
• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/4uUM64P
• Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/47qLNVp
• Host: https://brianmueller.com

Credits

• First and foremost, thank you to Mick Owens 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