#13 - Men’s Health Is More Than Testosterone: Dr. Rigobert Kefferputz on Burnout, Brotherhood, and Whole-Person Healing

Men’s health is often reduced to testosterone, supplements, lab results, and quick fixes. But what if low energy, burnout, insomnia, sexual health challenges, anxiety, and loss of vitality are pointing to something deeper? In this episode of Arka Talks, Ben Goresky sits down with Dr. Rigobert “Rigo” Kefferputz  - naturopathic doctor, father, ARKA captain, breath worker, and longtime practitioner of men’s work - for a conversation about men’s health, performance, burnout, testosterone, nervous system regulation, leadership, and whole-person healing. Rigo shares his own story of growing up in Germany, immigrating to Canada, being bullied as a German kid, losing himself in perfectionism, and trying to earn belonging through achievement. He talks about father absence, the self-critical patterns he absorbed growing up, the pressure of university at McGill, insomnia, over-performing, and the classic male trap of trying to fix distress by doing the same thing harder. The major turning point came when Rigo moved to Salt Spring Island to build a retreat centre — only to have the dream collapse almost immediately during COVID. That public failure forced him to confront where he had outsourced his worth, and eventually led him deeper into men’s work. Ben and Rigo also explore what Rigo sees in his naturopathic practice: men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s coming in with low testosterone, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, insomnia, anxiety, depression, burnout, and the deeper weight of a life that no longer feels aligned. This conversation is not anti-medicine, and it is not anti-testosterone. It is a deeper look at men’s health. Rigo makes the case that a man’s vitality is shaped by much more than hormones: sleep, stress, boundaries, anger, purpose, community, emotional honesty, and the willingness to stop performing and start telling the truth. In this episode: - Why men’s health is more than testosterone - Rigo’s childhood in Germany and immigration to Canada - Father absence, inherited self-criticism, and the roots of perfectionism - Bullying, belonging, and becoming the over-performer - McGill, insomnia, and the trap of doing the same thing harder - Why the retreat-centre collapse became a turning point - How men’s work helped Rigo see through the performer - The difference between validation and being called forward by men - Why men’s group is not just about making friends - Leadership, people-pleasing, and learning not to need everyone to be happy - What men bring into Rigo’s naturopathic practice - Testosterone, burnout, sexual health, anxiety, and midlife - Why information alone does not change a man’s life - Clean anger, boundaries, and the masculine core - Why community is medicine for men This episode is for men who are tired, burned out, over-optimized, under-supported, or looking for the next supplement to fix what may actually be a deeper life pattern. Your health is not separate from how you live. Real men. Real stories. The path of the conscious warrior. Links Join an ARKA group: www.arkabrotherhood.com Follow @ArkaBrotherhood on Instagram: http://instagram.com/arkabrotherhood Connect with Dr. Rigobert Kefferputz: https://drkefferputz.com/