Man Up!

What a Well-Lived Life Looks Like with Dr. Bud Marr - Part1 - 08/31/2026

Episode Summary

Man Up host Joe Stopulos steps into the guest chair for a raw, personal crossover conversation with Dr. Bud Marr of The Uncommon Good, recorded weeks after the sudden loss of his father. Together they explore what a truly well-lived Catholic life looks like — from facing a terminal diagnosis with faith to the sacraments that mark a holy death. Part one of this two-part series digs into servant leadership, radiating the joy of the Gospel, and why every Catholic father is called to be salt and light for his family.

Episode Notes

In this special crossover episode, Man Up host Joe Stopulos trades the mic for the guest chair, joining Dr. Bud Marr of The Uncommon Good for a deeply personal conversation about what it means to live — and die — well as a Catholic man. Recorded this past June, just weeks after the sudden passing of Joe's father, Mike Stopulos, the discussion centers on the "obituary virtues" that matter most: faith, service, and family.

Highlights from this episode:

• Joe's father received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, an apostolic blessing, and Holy Communion in his final hours — surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, and brothers praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet at his bedside.
• Why fourteen weeks of terminal cancer became, in Joe's words, a blessing — offering time for last conversations a sudden death never would have allowed.
• A candid look at the Church's teaching against hastening death, and how that teaching shaped the family's experience of Joe's father's final months.
• The biggest lesson Joe's father left behind: a life of joyful, selfless service — "he made everyone feel like his best friend."
• How every Catholic father, regardless of profession, is called to be "salt and light," radiating the joy of the Gospel in ordinary daily life.
• A nod to Tim Carney's book Family Unfriendly and the danger of comparing real family life to curated "Instagram motherhood."

This is part one of a two-part conversation — part two continues next week on Man Up.

This episode of Man Up is brought to you by:

Construction Professionals — CPCustomHomes.com

Iowa Catholic Radio — IowaCatholicRadio.com

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