“You Should Meet Someone!”

This Saturday, the team and I invited men ages 16+ to attend the second annual Mastering Manhood Conference. The purpose of the Mastering Manhood Conference is to empower for personal and professional development. We seek to inspire and encourage men to embrace community, responsibility, education, family, and legacy. To challenge and strengthen our men and young men to be leaders. What does that mean?  We believe reclaiming the individual’s ideal of his manhood will redefine his community. At the intersection of reclaiming masculinity and redefining community, you’ll find a man walking a journey to a healthier version of himself.

In this day and age, we see many terms thrown around to define certain things. We’re not interested in aligning with those buzzwords. What we want to see is for men to be, who they are meant to be at the innermost of their core.  Too many times, that is lost through life a person’s experiences, i.e. absent father, broken relationships, chasing success, etc.  Through these experiences, the man loses his purpose. And, a man without a purpose is a danger to himself and society. We desire to change it.

The “Art of the Comeback” was this year’s theme for the conference. I don’t think anyone left away disappointed. The speakers and men in attendance were in one accord on this day.  And, it was a tremendous time of inspiration, reflection, connection, and compassion.  Words not, often, associated with men.  It is, however, what we aimed for when we thought about creating this event.  It has become an exciting and safe space for men to be men without their masks. Vulnerable! Hungry! Passionate for change!

How, exactly, did this event come into existence. It started with a follow through on “You should meet someone!” and a challenge to “Dream Big” after two different meetings. Those two statements uttered two years ago, set the stage for three friends to take on the task of designing the Mastering Manhood Conference. As we followed the recommendation to meeting someone, we came face to face with our own vulnerabilities, hunger, and passion for change.  Totally in alignment with the vision, we stumbled upon an actualization of our purpose as you can see in the picture below. This young man flew from the Midwest to Texas to participate in the conference. Unsure of what to expect, he arrived with an open heart. He left filled, and ready to accept the challenge of “meeting someone” and finding his own purpose.