
Why Men Need a Tribe (Elliott Ackerman)
From Hard Knox with Amanda Knox by Knox Robinson Productions
April 21, 2026 · 1h 7m
About this episode
Elliott Ackerman discusses the importance of male friendships and identity after leaving a close-knit community.
Elliot Ackerman is a decorated combat veteran, CIA paramilitary officer, and New York Times bestselling novelist. In this episode, he joins Amanda Knox to talk about what happens when the chapter closes and you have to figure out who you are without the tribe. They get into the Afghanistan withdrawal, institutional betrayal, what it actually means to raise boys well. And from his What a Man Should Know column on The Free Press, learn why men make friends shoulder to shoulder instead of face to face, and what gets lost when nobody talks to boys with intention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Amanda Knox
Guest: Elliott Ackerman
Topics covered
- masculinity
- friendship
- identity
- mental health
- parenting
- military experience
Keywords
- tribe
- men
- friendship
- Afghanistan withdrawal
- raising boys
- institutional betrayal
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Free Press
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