When I was a young man, I was a part of The Boy Scouts. At the time, I didn't appreciate the experience, because we were poor, and I couldn't participate in many of the activities that were offered. However, the ones I did take part in were transformative. That was in the early 70's. A lot has changed. So much so that girls are now part of "The Scouts." Selling cookies wasn't enough for them. They had to invade boys' spaces, at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure there was no place for young men to go learn how to be BOYS! When I first opened my gym, I absolutely refused to work with little kids. I didn't have the patience, nor the desire to deal with anyone who didn't have a fundamental foundation for the task at hand. One of the main reasons I changed that was the lack of ability and mental toughness I discovered in many of the athletes I was training. They weren't being "trained" properly in their formative years, so it was imperative to put myself in the position to influence that. The other reason was my wife knew that it was something that would be good for *me. Now, I train kids as young as 7 years old. What I've come to notice in dealing with these young men is their thirst for the guidance and validation of men they look up to. I'm not a nice guy in the gym, at all! I detest weakness and despise "I can't!" I am not a circus clown coach, I'm a lion trainer. THEY LOVE IT!!! The lack of masculine influence has created a hunger in these young men that pushes them to walk through fire to hear "That-a-boy!!!" This has led me down a trail of possibility. What if we created something that was adjacent to what The Boy Scouts used to be, on a community level? What if we created a system where we shared our own personal offering to the young men who don't have guidance? What if we took the time to heal ourselves by helping a young man crawl from a hole you may have conquered yourself? IT'S GOOD FOR ME* I believe one of the biggest reasons I didn't want to work with young kids was the inability to be soft. I didn't receive the intimacy software from my father. In fact, my default setting has always been aggressive intensity. I believe this was a defense mechanism I adapted to regulate the environmental input.

Many men are walking around pretending to be okay. Ask any man how he's doing and most of them will respond with a version of "I'm good..." More often than not, this is a lie. However, as men, we've been trained to suppress our feelings and put on a stoic, strong face. The reasons for this are simple: First, nobody likes a whiny, bitch male who whines and cries about life. The second is the internal knowing that nobody cares! Some men are actually killing it in life in one area, at the sacrifice of everything else. Think the powerful business executive whose wife and kids have all the wealth in the world at their disposal, but not the man, the husband, the father they so desperately want. Or we can envision a person with a thriving social life, but when the music stops playing and the lights come on, they're lonely, depressed and empty. There are endless examples of people who have no balance in life, no real happiness or fulfillment. Their house is built with little to no foundation. THE FOUR PILLARS At the end of life, the book that tells your story will close and your legacy will be set. The things that mattered most to us will come into question and, if we're fortunate enough to reminisce, the only things that matter will be the 4 pillars that make the foundation of a man. SPIRITUAL HEALTH: The relationship you have with God. When our time is over, the next steps will be dictated by our relationship with our Creator. While we're living, our lives should reflect that relationship. PHSICAL HEALTH: What have you done with the amazing body you were blessed with? Have you seen and felt the beauty of strength? Are you taking care of your most prize "possession?" RELATIONSHIPS: Who you loved and who loves you will probably be the most important thing we consider in our last moments. Will your room be filled out of love, or obligation? PROFESSIONAL/PURPOSE: What did you DO with the gifts you were given? Did you leave a meaningful, lasting mark on the world? Did you leave it a better place than you found it? Did you use your ability to help, or is all about taking, winning, acquiring MORE?

God gave men so many beautiful gifts that have been taken for granted and/or disrespected altogether. Strength, resilience, and the incredible ability to adapt to and overcome just about anything was coded in the man's DNA. Unfortunately, males born in the west have been bred and cultured to surrender their inner lion in exchange of becoming a house cat, carried around in the woman's purse. The generations of great men have expired. Their children gave birth to the ever-devolving generations of soft, weak, entitled, worthless males who now find themselves suffering an existential crisis. Weak men have created hard times. Now, strong men must step up, step in and take our rightful place at the head of our society! In a cultural tribe in Africa, young men are taken into the jungle with the men to hunt lions with spears. If the young men return, they are no longer considered a child, as they have had an undoubtedly exhibited all the traits and abilities needed to be a "MAN" in taking down the king of the jungle. WHAT WAS YOUR "LION?" -----WHAT MAKES YOU A "MAN?! If you're brave enough to share your answers with the group, please do so. However, it's not necessary. The answers are for you, not anyone else. For those looking to find their lion, seek guidance from those who have hunted and conquered their own. What you hold to be important will depend on what you see as critical to your journey in life. What's more is what you think it means to be a strong man. Modern males think it's about who has better toys, bigger muscles, a nicer car/truck, who can beat who up. That's the result of boys telling boys what men are. That's NOT what manhood is! My example of what manhood looks like comes from the Bible. Jesus knew that he was all powerful, yet he washed his disciple's feet. He also flipped the tables of the bankers and shook his fist at those in power. He was no coward! If the Bible causes your skin to crawl, an equally valid example is Marcus Aurelius. With all the power and riches of Rome, he chose to deny all the excess, debauchery and waste and put his power towards serving those he was tasked with leading. The note to be written is: REAL MEN SERVE! That's why we were blessed with the strength we have taken for granted.

After watching the video, you were compelled to take the action of joining this group. Congratulations! You are one of the few who are willing to take action. My goal is to help you navigate whatever journey you may be on, while learning whatever you have to teach along the way. While this group is about strength and fitness, that doesn't mean we're solely focused on the body. Mental, spiritual and professional matters also require strength and a level of "fitness." All of these things work in synergy to create the life we want to live. Please share with the group who you are, why you're here and what you'd like to accomplish in the next year.

In 2025, we are going to build a group of strong men across the world by instilling discipline and self-mastery into day-to-day non-negotiables. This group will serve as a foundation for making change, world-wide. Self-observation is the first step to true freedom. An honest assessment of where you are will enable you to lay out a course to go where you want to be and become who you want to "BE!" Join our team and build the man you'd follow into battle!