WHY MEN NEED TO BE INITIATED – AS MEN | The Free Radical Podcast # EP 78 — Deva Madhava 9/16/26

In this upcoming episode of the Free Radical Podcast, we sit down once again with dear friend and brother, mentor, author, and Vaishnava creative Deva Madhava Das for a profound conversation on initiation, masculinity, and the spiritual journey toward wholeness.

Drawing from years of experience building intentional spiritual community through the Harmony Collective in Michigan, Deva Madhava explores the importance of rites of passage for modern men, the role of elders and brotherhood, and why initiation is not a single event but an ongoing process of transformation. Together, we discuss the wounds and challenges many men carry, the wisdom traditional cultures preserved around initiation, and how authentic community helps shape integrated, spiritually grounded human beings.

This conversation also touches on the unique spiritual strengths women bring into communal and devotional life, the necessity of bearing witness to one another’s struggles, and the sacred responsibility of growing into maturity with honesty, humility, and support.

A rich and deeply human dialogue on tribe, belonging, spiritual formation, and what it truly means to become whole.

on Youtube! Swami Padmanabha – YouTube