Work · 18 min
Freedom Is a Myth: Why Six Figures Just Upgraded Your Cage
1,700 people under him and a $226 million budget, and Steve was in chains nobody could see. Start with his story.
The Fire Forged Leader Podcast · New episodes every Monday
Lead at work. Lead at home. Lead yourself first.
Real conversations for men who built success and are still figuring out the rest. Marriage, fatherhood, faith, work and the discipline that holds it together. Hosted by Steve Baumgartner.
249Episodes
4.9Stars on Apple Podcasts
125Countries listening
2,000+Cities
Apple Podcasts reviews
In their words.
Real reviews from listeners on Apple Podcasts. Read them all
“Steve is always dishing out real tangible advice on how to be an effective leader. He has great guests that deliver insightful strategies to improve your leadership skills. You Do not want to miss any episode!”
“Great; relevant topic. Talks about real issues we deal with daily that affect our lives. I like the candor and no-nonsense approach to life and how Steve deals with his struggles.”
“Great podcast that teaches us from experience. Steve does a great job in sharing his experience and knowledge. Highly recommended.”
“I’ve found myself listening to this podcast for mentorship.”
The latest episode
Watch · 21 minScore Your Life | Why Good Men Are Losing at Home and How to Rebuild
"You barely live here anymore." That is what my wife said in our kitchen, and she was right. Good at work, losing at home. The fix is not more discipline. You are running a broken operating system.
Who it's for
You built the career. Now build the rest.
Most men are building a life. Few are building one that lasts. This show is for the man who carries the weight at work and refuses to drift at home. Five lanes, one man.
01Browse →02Browse →03Browse →04Browse →05Browse →
Work
The career you built, the value you deliver, and the cost nobody puts on the spreadsheet.
Marriage
From roommates back to partners. Conflict, closeness and leading at home.
Fatherhood
Breaking the cycle you inherited and raising sons and daughters who know who they are.
Faith
Order, conviction and what it means to follow Christ as a man in this culture.
The man
Discipline, comfort, drift and the story you tell yourself in the mirror.
New here?
Start with these six.
249 episodes is a lot of ground. These six cover the whole man, one lane at a time, and finish with one of the best conversations on the show.
Marriage · 14 min
Career vs. Marriage: When Success Comes at a Cost
What happens when the skills that make you successful at work start damaging your marriage.
Fatherhood · 14 min
The Father Wound: Breaking Generational Cycles & Raising Emotionally Strong Sons
We tell our sons to be a man. We rarely show them how.
Faith · 30 min
Men Searching for Order: Why Faith Is Pulling Men Back
Men aren't searching for comfort. They're searching for order.
The man · 14 min
Why Strong Men Drift | The Lone Wolf Trap
Disciplined, capable, respected. So why does something still feel off?
Conversation · 74 min
Hard-Target Yourself: How Navy SEAL Tommy Richardson Rebuilt His Faith, Family, and Leadership
Former Navy SEAL Tommy Richardson on the battle that isn't overseas. It's the one inside your own mind.
Free · from Forged Knight
Winning at work. Drifting at home?
The Live Free Assessment scores ten areas of your life in about nine minutes. You'll see what's still running hot and what went cold while you were winning somewhere else.
Straight From the Anvil
Ask Steve. He answers on air.
Send Steve your question. He answers listener questions on air in Straight From the Anvil. He reads your first name and where you're from. No judgment, straight answers.
“I’m providing for everyone. So why am I losing connection with my wife, my kids and myself?”
At the table
Men who've been through it.
Navy SEALs, fathers, founders, pastors and coaches. A few of the men who have sat across from Steve.
Shelric PetersonFrom teen dad to Navy commander
Massie CamposForgotten history and biblical manhood
Sathiya SamThe 3 hidden roots keeping good men trapped
Todd PultzBreak the fence
Tommy RichardsonHard-target yourself
Gary ChupikStop leaking confidence
Bryce EddyThis is the turning point
Kipp SorensenThe truth about leadership no one talks about
Ali GilbertFrom burnout to alpha
Your host
Steve Baumgartner
Steve spent 32 years in manufacturing, from the plant floor to Director of Asset Reliability with responsibility for 42 plants. Six figures and 1,700 people under him. In his words, he was still in chains nobody could see.
He rebuilt from the inside out, and now he helps other men do the same. Husband to Sheri, father of a big family, coach, speaker and host of this show for more than four years. He doesn't talk about leadership from a stage he's never stood on. He talks about what it costs and what it's worth.
About the show
What is Fire Forged Leader?
Fire Forged Leader is a weekly podcast for men who built success at work and are still figuring out the rest. Host Steve Baumgartner talks about work, marriage, fatherhood, faith and discipline, with solo episodes, listener questions and guest conversations. It has more than 250 episodes, a 4.9 rating on Apple Podcasts, and listeners in more than 125 countries.
Who is the show for?
Fire Forged Leader is for men who built success at work and are still figuring out the rest: marriage, fatherhood, faith and the man himself.
Is it a Christian podcast?
Yes. Faith is a main lane of the show, and Steve talks about it openly alongside work, marriage, fatherhood and discipline.
How often do new episodes come out?
New episodes come out every Monday.
Where should I start?
Start with the six episodes in the Start here section on the home page.
How do I ask Steve a question?
Send it through the Ask Steve page. Steve answers listener questions on air in Straight From the Anvil episodes.
Subscribe
Listen your way.
Follow on your app and new episodes arrive every Monday. If the show helps you, a rating on Apple Podcasts helps the next man find it.
Built something real and still fighting for home? Apply to be a guest