Be a Man: Mentally Tough, Physically Strong, Morally Straight, and Financially Independent

by Carl Higbie, Kay Smythe Hill

Overview

“Any man should be strong enough to kill an enemy, but gentle enough to hold a baby.”—Carl Higbie

Hard Time Create Hard Men

Hard Men Create Good Times

Good Times Create Weak Men 

Weak Men Create Hard Times

Don’t Be Weak…BE A MAN!

AMERICA NEARLY DESTROYED ITSELF BY LETTING WEAK MEN LEAD FOR FAR TOO LONG: WE CAN NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.

Even though we’ve made great strides in steadying our course, there is still a lack of definition on the modern American male identity. Not only does this keep us vulnerable at home, but it shakes our foundation in a contentious global landscape. America needs to understand who we are as a masculine nation, how we ensure prosperity for American women, and how we reintroduce ourselves to the rest of the world. The answers in this book are designed as timeless instructions on how to BE A MAN.

Carl Higbie, former Navy SEAL and host of NEWSMAX FRONTLINE, takes on the downfall of the American male, and how to reverse the trends of failure, loneliness, ill health, and deaths of despair, by providing a blueprint to get back to real masculinity, self-respect, and pride in being a REAL MAN. And why woman want this too!

Carl and Kay show the reader why and how mentally tough, physically strong, morally straight, and financially independent men can be respected again, and teach lessons that enable A REAL MAN to:

• Be able to kill your enemies (or at least get out of a jam fast)
• Lead people into battle or in the boardroom, and work in a team
• Protect the weak
• Fix anything (or have friends who can!)
• Hunt or grow your food (and build or provide shelter)
• Stay strong and get even stronger
• Build something, swn Something, work hard & GET RICH!
• Find Your Calling & your purpose
• Have GREAT SEX
• Love & be loved
• Marry & raise a happy family
• Be a strong husband & father
• LIVE YOUR VALUES
• Serve something (or someone) bigger than you.
• Die Well
• Leave a legacy
• REPEAT

BE A MAN: MENTALLY TOUGH, PHYSICALLY STRONG, MORALLY STRAIGHT, AND FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT is an examination, celebration and redefining of true masculinity in a world being led into decline by weak men, and a back-to-basics primer on everything you need to know about how to be a successful leader, husband, father, and role model to your children.

IT'S TIME TO MAN UP!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630063269
Publisher:	Humanix Books
Publication date:	10/14/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook

About the Author

KAY SMYTHE HILL (SNOW HILL, NC) is a writer and social scientist, fill-in host for Newsmax Daily Podcast, and weekly guest on Carl Higbie’s FRONTLINE and The Joe Pags Show. Kay has written for Million Voices, Daily Caller, The Why Files, and many more.

Kay Smythe Hill was born in Wales, UK. She started her writing career with one-off travel pieces for national news outlets as a teenager before becoming a columnist for The Tab and Huffington Post. She graduated with Honors from Plymouth University in 2015 with a dissertation focused on macro-trends in social capital. 

Kay earned her first O-1 visa as an expert writer in 2016, after which she moved to Venice Beach, California, to write about all aspects of emerging social culture at that time, including entertainment and cannabis legalization. Upon realizing the rampant corruption within cannabis and the revolting realities of Hollywood, Kay turned her attention to working with PhD candidates, private companies, and start-ups.

Watching California fall from paradise to the homeless crisis, drug epidemic, illegal immigration crisis, led Kay back to writing publicly about her research on social decline … and into a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. Her work was picked up by Dr. Drew Pinsky, and eventually Buck Sexton, who introduced Kay to the Daily Caller. As news and commentary writer, Kay’s headlines regularly went viral, earning her the “Most Read” award in her first year and a reputation for blunt-force honesty.

Kay has appeared on many news programs, podcasts, and radio shows, and is a weekly regular on “The Joe Pags Show,” contributed to multiple episodes of “The Why Files,” and currently heads-up writing at Million Voices. 

Kay lives in the country with her husband, their family, and not enough chickens.

The author lives & works in the Raleigh-Durham NC metro area.

KaySmythe.com

CARL HIGBIE (NY, NY) is a former Navy SEAL and Trump advisor, and the host of Newsmax’s FRONTLINE on NEWSMAX at 5pm Monday-Friday.

Carl Higbie was born in 1983 in southwestern Connecticut. As state champion wrestler in high school, he attended Sacred Heart University until the war on terror was declared. In 2003 Carl dropped out of college, leaving behind a promising wrestling career, and enlisted to become a US Navy SEAL. He completed 2 combat deployments to Iraq in 2007 and 2009 where he led his team to capture the infamous “Butcher of Fallujah”. 

It was during this time that Carl released his first book: BATTLE ON THE HOME FRONT which brought to light many problems, some political in nature that were plaguing our country and the military. The book led to a highly publicized battle against a politically charged machine reaching to the White House. 

Two years after leaving the military, Carl emerged victorious against all odds which his new book ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC is based on. With a victory against political correctness under his belt and at 30 years old, he took on a run for US Congress in 2014. He then published his third book, CRISES OF CULTURE: THE POLITICAL BATTLEFIELD OF THE NEW CIVIL WAR.  And in 2024 Carl published hist bestselling book: PROFILES IN FREEDOM: HEROES WHO SHAPED AMERICA.

Carl Higbie has owned three successful businesses and is currently the CEO of AlignUs, an app that allows the public to rate the political leanings of businesses, school districts and other entities. He has been an integral player on dozens of campaigns including a President Trump’s chief surrogate during the 2016 campaign as well as the communication director and Spokesman for Great America Super PAC. He served as a Presidential appointee as the Chief of External affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service was the director of advocacy for America First Policy and America First Action. And he currently sits on the advisory board of Pipe Hitter Foundation. 

The author lives & works in the New York City metro area. 

CarlHigbie.com

CARL HIGBIE (NY, NY) is a former Navy SEAL and Trump advisor, and the host of Newsmax’s FRONTLINE on NEWSMAX at 5pm Monday-Friday.

Carl Higbie was born in 1983 in southwestern Connecticut. As state champion wrestler in high school, he attended Sacred Heart University until the war on terror was declared. In 2003 Carl dropped out of college, leaving behind a promising wrestling career, and enlisted to become a US Navy SEAL. He completed 2 combat deployments to Iraq in 2007 and 2009 where he led his team to capture the infamous “Butcher of Fallujah”. 

It was during this time that Carl released his first book: BATTLE ON THE HOME FRONT which brought to light many problems, some political in nature that were plaguing our country and the military. The book led to a highly publicized battle against a politically charged machine reaching to the White House. 

Two years after leaving the military, Carl emerged victorious against all odds which his new book ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC is based on. With a victory against political correctness under his belt and at 30 years old, he took on a run for US Congress in 2014. He then published his third book, CRISES OF CULTURE: THE POLITICAL BATTLEFIELD OF THE NEW CIVIL WAR.  And in 2024 Carl published hist bestselling book: PROFILES IN FREEDOM: HEROES WHO SHAPED AMERICA.

Carl Higbie has owned three successful businesses and is currently the CEO of AlignUs, an app that allows the public to rate the political leanings of businesses, school districts and other entities. He has been an integral player on dozens of campaigns including a President Trump’s chief surrogate during the 2016 campaign as well as the communication director and Spokesman for Great America Super PAC. He served as a Presidential appointee as the Chief of External affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service was the director of advocacy for America First Policy and America First Action. And he currently sits on the advisory board of Pipe Hitter Foundation. 

The author lives & works in the New York City metro area. 

CarlHigbie.com

Table of Contents

Table of Contents to BE A MAN: MENTALLY TOUGH, PHYSICALLY STRONG, MORALLY STRAIGHT, AND FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT by Carl Higbie & Kay Smythe Hill

Authors' Notes

Foreword

Introduction

A Brief History of Mankind

The Problems We Face Because of Weak Men 

Men AND Women (NOT Men vs Women)

What Do Women Want?

FamilyMAN

How To Be A Real Man 

The Modern American Man

Final Thoughts

What YOU Can Do to be a MAN, become a MAN or Help a MAN

About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Praise for PROFILES IN FREEDOM: Heroes Who Shaped America by Carl Higbie

“Carl Higbie has the ability to walk you through history, to open your eyes, and to challenge you to greatness. As a former SEAL team operator, Carl is no stranger to getting to the root of a problem and being real. As you journey through the histories of these American heroes, my sincere hope is that you are encouraged, revitalized, and made more confident. Every history you read is really your own history, no matter when you came to this great country. We are in this together.”—from the Foreword by Senator Markwayne Mullin

“As a Navy SEAL defending freedom, and then an entrepreneur benefiting from our liberties, Carl Higbie provides a unique and essential look at history. A must-read.”—Retired Brigadier Gen. Blaine D. Holt, U.S. Air Force

“A must-read for every American who wants to learn from our great county’s history. I can’t wait to share it with my family.”—Greg Kelly, anchor of Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax TV, and author of Justice for All

“Carl Higbie gets it. America was no accident. The greatest nation on Earth was sculpted over centuries by true heroes. Understand how they did it now. Before it’s too late.”—Sebastian Gorka, Ph.D., host of The Gorka Reality Check on Newsmax TV, and former deputy assistant to President Donald J. Trump 

“In an era of revisionist history and agenda-driven education, this book is a breath of fresh air.”—Eric Trump, executive trustee, and vice president of the Trump Organization

“When people ask what I mean by ‘truth, justice, and the American way,’ they need look no further than Carl’s book about these true American heroes. The amazing men and women profiled here tell the story of America and her founding principles, and why this is the greatest nation on earth.”—Dean Cain, American actor, including Lois & Clark

Praise for Crisis of Culture: The Political Battlefield of the New Civil War by Carl Higbie

"What I love about Carl beyond his loyalty and warrior spirit is if he gets knocked down, he gets back up. We all trip and fall in life but his perseverance is second to none. Carl is a great American who should inspire many."—Robert O'Neill, U.S. Navy SEAL & New York Times bestselling author of The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior

"Make no mistake: The lines are drawn, and the battle is at hand. This time, it is a fight for the very fabric of America. There has never been a more critical moment for our country. We are poised on the brink of utter greatness, with a rabid left that wants to tear it all down. Carl Higbie is a true American patriot on and off the battlefield, who fought for this country before and will inspire you to fight for the best country in the history of the world, under the best president in the history of America. The time is now! Carl's fight for America is bolder than ever in Crisis of Culture — a no-holds-barred gut punch to the regressive left's war on America, our children's' futures, and our President."—Dr. Gina Loudon, conservative commentator & author of Mad Politics: Keeping Your Sanity in a World Gone Craz

"Carl is a friend of mine and I love of his unique perspective on what is happening in our culture right now. He volunteered to serve this country and protect our freedoms, so he knows firsthand how to bridge what we're seeing in America today with what he saw on the battlefield while bringing common sense solutions. This is the book I  think every American should read!"—Wayne Dupree, host of the Wayne Dupree Show

Praise for Enemies, Foreign and Domestic: A SEAL's Story by Carl Higbie

"There are not many American men who have ever earned the right to wear the Navy SEAL Trident. Only some of that elite group have served with valor in combat against our foreign enemies far down range. And damned few indeed have continued the close-quarters battle at home against our domestic enemies, which is a far trickier battlefield. Carl Higbie is one of those few."—Matt Bracken, Navy SEAL and author

"Though Carl Higbie and I approached our service to our country from different political perspectives, our experiences in speaking back to our government, and of telling the truth to the American people about our government, are remarkably similar. Both of us came to the same important conclusions: our oath of service is to the Constitution, not the government, and our obligations are to the ideals represented in that Constitution of freedom and liberty. The critical importance of that in a democracy cannot be overestimated. Standing up and saying 'This is wrong' is the basis of a free society, and Higbie and Caro demonstrate this well in Enemies, Foreign and Domestic: A SEAL's Story. The title says it all."—Peter Van Buren, former United States Foreign Service employee and author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the War for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People

From the Publisher