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Matt McLeod, RD | Men’s Relationship Coach

@mattmcleod6

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Welcome 🥃 | KY → ATX | Coach (11+ yrs)
Building the next generation of husbands & good men
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New here? Pull up a chair

My name’s Matt. And this page will probably feel a little different than what you’re used to

Few things to know:

1️⃣ I’m originally from Ashland, Kentucky, where the grass is blue and the bourbon is caramel brown. So when I toast you in this pic, know it’s less about the drink and more of my hometown handshake

2️⃣ To know me, you should know *her* - my wife @meganmcleodxo. The best person I know. We got married recently, and happily live together in Austin, TX

3️⃣ In 2016, I earned my drug-free bodybuilding pro card. I won’t compete again, but I feel more equipped as a coach knowing what the extremes look like. And knowing that veins in your abs aren’t all they crack up to be

4️⃣ I’ve recently expanded from coaching fitness into coaching men in their relationships. I’m a registered dietitian, graduated from the University of Kentucky, and have been coaching since 2015. My work is still grounded in science and real-world experience, but now it goes beyond fitness into how men show up in their relationship

5️⃣ In a world full of Hubermans, I aim for a bit more McConaughey. I don’t have any protocols for you. I’ll just help you trust yourself to live without them

6️⃣ My house burned down when I was 12. No one was hurt, but we lost everything. I want to live my life in a way that warrants the same response my parents received from the local schools, churches, community, etc., when that tragedy happened to us. You find out your impact on others when you’re the one who needs help

7️⃣ Behold: our cute-as-shit dog Frankie and cat Romeo

8️⃣ My goal as your coach is simple: Help you close the gap between who you say you are and how you actually show up. So you respect the man you see in the mirror every morning and sleep with a clear mind every night

Thank you for being here. Please let me be your friend by telling me anything you resonated with in the comments 👇🏼 by @mattmcleod6

This is what I had to unlearn…

1.) I was addicted to feeling wanted

I loved the dopamine hit of attention, being desired, and being validated by women wanting me. And funny enough, I would’ve told you I was a confident guy, but my actions and thoughts said otherwise

2.) I said I wanted a partner, but chose women who didn’t challenge me

I liked relationships that felt easy because they didn’t ask anything of me. I would’ve said I was “leading” the relationship and pacing it appropriately, but I only let them in as much as I felt safe. Aka dodging any real vulnerability by being controlling

3.) I confused freedom with avoiding depth

I thought keeping things casual meant I was “independent.” What I was really doing was staying juuust far enough away to not be seen too clearly. Real intimacy felt threatening because it would expose where I wasn’t trustworthy yet

4.) I separated my words from my behavior

I talked about values, growth, and the kind of man I wanted to be while living in patterns that didn’t match any of it. And that gap erodes self-trust fast. You start knowing you’re full of shit before anyone else does

5.) I thought control over women would fix the lack of control over myself

Flirting, keeping doors open, vague language — none of it made me disciplined. But it def made me distracted! I learned that a man ruled by impulse and validation isn’t leading anything. Not a relationship, not his body, not his life.

I don’t believe the difference was me getting “tamed,” I believe I just got honest

My wife didn’t beg me to change. She made the call clear, like — this is the standard, depth, and the man I’m choosing

And I felt called up to be that man

And I swear that decision instantly unlocked a new level of self-trust

Because once I stopped lying to myself in love, everything else leveled up:

How I train
How I eat
How I keep promises
How I show up when no one’s watching

When your relationships are in integrity, your habits follow

When your word to yourself is solid, your life stabilizes

Unlearning those patterns didn’t make me “settle down”

I think it actually made me unstoppable by @mattmcleod6

The Brick Wall analogy works so great for men especially because “fixing your relationship” feels vague and unclear. Which creates anxiety and uncertainty, because we like logical steps and a process to follow.

And this all gets worse when you feel like you and your woman can’t seem to get on the same team

So now you’re existing in:

- unclear next steps
- anxiety, overwhelm, uncertainty
- helplessness because you can’t stop fighting when you do try to do something

The Brick Wall analogy lays it all out in front of you, for both of you, and gives you something SEPARATE to tackle together.

You’re now on a team, you know what needs addressed, and you know what “progress” looks like. Not easy. But workable.

Win win for everyone

(Shoutout to @alessandro_frosali for the analogy!) by @mattmcleod6

It never fails that when I post something about how it’s important for your woman to challenge you, I inevitably hear guys pushback with:

“Why would I want a woman to challenge me? I can do that myself”

And years ago, I probably would’ve agreed.

But then I met Meg and she made me feel more seen than I had ever felt in my life. She knew the deepest, most vulnerable parts of me and understood me better than anyone else.

Which… is scary as hell, but also made me trust her more than anyone else. Which means when she challenged me, I listened. And I became a better man for it.

So when you combine someone you deeply trust, who sees you better than you see yourself, and who is willing to be honest with you when you stray from your highest self — you access a form of love and safety that, I believe, isn’t possible to reach by yourself.

If you just want a companion in life that never makes you change anything about yourself, buy a dog.

If you want a strong woman to grow with, build with, and pour your soul into — become a man deserving of that woman. by @mattmcleod6

About 5:30pm hits

We put on our cool cat costumes, prepping for the army of kiddos that are about to flood our neighborhood around 6pm.

For the last 3 years we’ve gone to Halloween parties together, but thought we’d try handing out candy this year for once and see how it goes.

And we live in the burbs, so obviously we stocked up on candy with the expectation of 100+ kids to come through. Running out is unacceptable.

6pm: Candy ready, we’re posted at our table, and giddy to experience this the first time together.

6:05pm: nothing.
6:10pm: nothing.
6:15pm: our first kids!

Our neighbors’ kids… and they actually drove past us at first, then turned around. So it was more of a pity trick-or-treat stop lol

“How many kids should we expect around here??” We asked.

To which the daughter responded, “we only got 1 last year. We will bring some friends back with us for you guys.”

Ah. Sick. Awesome. More pity.

We couldn’t help but laugh. We were determined to keep the vibes high, so we made a marg and mocktail, we grabbed the animals, and played music.

Luckily, we had about a dozen more non-pity-treaters come through! We stocked them up. We met some neighbors.

While we didn’t get 100+ kids like we expected, that didn’t stop us from leaning all the way in like cool cats do.

(And, plus, now we have a ton of extra candy.)

Happy Meowlloween from the McMeoweds 🎃 by @mattmcleod6

When I meet a new person who executes this flawlessly in a conversation — I just want to shake their hand and say “well done.”

And the best part is that a true master of this trait doesn’t need any nod of approval, they simply do it because they can and for the love of the game of conversation.

I admire the hell outta that by @mattmcleod6

Believe me when I say I’ve caught myself wanting to blame Meg for situations I created more times than I’d like to admit

Priding myself on being steady, consistent, and “easy-going” comes with a shadow side of being too agreeable when I have an opinion, or associating passionate emotions as being “out of control,” or thinking that any feedback is a personal attack (because I couldn’t imagine doing that to them, even though I want to)

Sometimes being a good man means being agreeable and emotionally consistent. Sometimes it means having a fucking opinion and expressing how passionate you are about something you believe in

➡️ If you struggle here, I got you. My new 8-week private coaching program was built just for you.

I have 4 spots available for men who love their woman, but but their old habits, negative thoughts, or poor communication keep getting in the way of showing up as the man his woman fell in love with.

Comment/DM me “INFO” and I’ll send you the details by @mattmcleod6

Be proactive, boys. She’s craving to be led. You’re craving to be a leader.

Instead of waiting to fix whatever conflict pops up and being reactive — go on offense and take initiative. Then watch how much closer you all get and fewer fights you have.

🤝 To make it even easier to show up for her, I’ve got 10 simple initiatives you can try before the end of the day (some take minutes).

Comment/DM me “LEAD” and I’ll send you my free guide. by @mattmcleod6

I would have never met my wife if I didn’t leave this behavior and mindset behind me

So I feel called to pass this along - hope it helps by @mattmcleod6

I’m far from perfect. But getting clear on my standards has made me a better man in all ways.

I recommend you do the same.

🤝 If you’re a man that wants to show up better for the woman you love, I’ve got 10 simple initiatives you can try before the end of the day (some take minutes).

Comment/DM me “LEAD” and I’ll send you my free guide. by @mattmcleod6

Every man has a core wound/fear of feeling inadequate.

So of course we try to do everything possible in these moments of criticism or feedback to avoid feeling that. We think we’re protecting the relationship, but we’re actually trying to protect ourselves. And she doesn’t feel anymore seen or understood. Which makes the argument blow up more, or shoved under the rug until it pops up again because it was never repaired.

Bad news? If you’re like me — nobody taught you this shit! It’s hard. And frustrating. And confusing.

Good news? These are skills you can learn, just like anything else you weren’t taught growing up.

Better news? If every difficult conversation with your woman somehow turns into the same fight or small disagreements constantly turn into big fights — I can help.

🗣️ Best news?! Over the next 8 weeks, I’m opening 5 spots for men that love their woman, but their old habits, negative thoughts, or poor communication keep getting in the way of showing up as the man his woman fell in love with.

DM me “CONFLICT” and I’ll send you the full details + ask a few questions to see if I can help you by @mattmcleod6

Disclaimer: I could bullshit you and act like these questions are foolproof. But that’s ridiculous.

What I know is I coach men through this all the time, so these questions are from experience. And if she passes all these — you’ve got a great shot at forever with her.

1. Does she hit your non-negotiables?

Where you’ll live, kids, attraction, character, shared values, conflict repair, lifestyle, financial philosophy, etc.

2. Do you have evidence that your life’s gotten better since you started dating her?

Are your habits better? Do you feel more supported in your ambitions? Do you laugh more, feel more at peace, or enjoy everyday life more with her in it?

3. Do you like who you become when you’re with her?

Do you feel free to be yourself while also feeling challenged to grow? Does she bring out your warmth, playfulness, generosity, ambition, and the parts of you you’re proudest of?

Aka does she make you more YOU, in ways you can’t bring out by yourself.

4. Do you feel eager and proud to introduce her to new people, especially your closest friends/family?

If the MAIN reason you’re eager is because of how she looks by your side, then that doesn’t pass. This isn’t about how much status she gives you.

This should be because you genuinely admire her.

5. If you lost everything tomorrow, would you want her to be by your side more than anyone else?

Forget your career, income, status, lifestyle, and everything you’ve built. Is she someone you trust to face life’s hardest seasons with? Someone you’d still want beside you when there’s nothing impressive left to show?

And I’ll end with this: No amount of compatibility can guarantee you won’t have doubts. You’re both imperfect humans that come with tradeoffs.

Committing to someone is a decision that happens once. But choosing someone is a choice you intentionally make every day.

If she passes all these — I say leap both feet in, brother. by @mattmcleod6