291: Master Your Marriage, Health, Business – with Keith Yackey
Keith Yackey is a 20-year veteran of high-performance philosophy and the founder of Married Game. His journey was forged in failure.
“Jesse left 8 years ago. I messed up this relationship. I was selfish.”
When Yackey met his wife, he was “185 pounds of tiger meat wrapped in barbed wire.” Five years later, he was 250 pounds. The man she married was gone. Only after doing the hard work did other high-performers start noticing his “code.”
What is that code? Your marriage, health, and business reflect your personal standard.
The Health and Marriage Connection
Why do successful men fail at home? They treat health, business, and marriage as separate buckets. Yackey argues they are linked.
According to Yackey, “87% of dudes are not happy with the quantity or quality of love, intimacy, and sex in their marriage.” Most guys think providing and protecting entitle them to love. They are wrong.
The 3 Principles of the Top Dog
Yackey’s philosophy has three core principles.
“I am the problem. I am the solution.” Radical ownership. If you push her away, you can attract her back.
“Become the most attractive version of me for me.” Build yourself into a man you respect. Attraction is a byproduct.
“Her response does not dictate my standard.” “If I invite her on a date and she doesn’t want to go, I’m still going,” he says. Be an immovable leader.
The 5 Dials Report Card
Yackey gives men a report card based on 5 Dials. 99% score 80 or below—a C-level husband. “If you are an A-plus husband, you’re gonna get an A-plus wife.”
The five dials: Parenting (are you present?), Partner (still her best friend?), Producer (marketplace value), Player (is life fun?), and Power (your word). “When trust goes down, lust goes down.”
Enthusiasm Beats Entitlement
One core reason for failure: entitlement.
“You have enthusiasm on one side, entitlement on the other. When you were dating her, high enthusiasm. As soon as you start getting entitled, it’s fucking done.”
Yackey runs a brotherhood called “The Supremely Valuable Man.” Men have become isolated. “If you are a man not hanging around other men, you’re learning how to be a man from a woman.”
“We’re the only species that thinks they’re entitled to mate. The top dog gets the top dog reward. If you want to be desired, you have to be desirable.”
It’s not about “fixing” your wife. It’s about fixing you. “This prison you’re in—once you realize you actually hold the key? That’s true 100% of the time.”
In this podcast you’ll learn…
- The three core principles of the Top Dog philosophy and how to apply radical ownership to your marriage
- Why 87% of men are unhappy with intimacy in their marriage, and how entitlement kills attraction
- The 5 Dials report card system to assess where you stand as a husband, father, and leader
- Why becoming the most attractive version of yourself is the key to reigniting passion and desire
- How to maintain your standard regardless of your partner’s response, and why this changes everything
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