Stories & podcast · on
topic 569093
Stories from the men who facilitate and attend these circles, on topic 569093.
23 stories
Building Generations: Become a Sage this Spring
Earlier this year, MenLiving partnered with Sages & Seekers for our first intergenerational co-mentorship cohort. Eight men over the age of 60 were paired with eight high school and college-age young men for a…
Locker Room Talk, Hockey, and the Moment I Realized I Had Blind Spots
There’s been a lot of conversation about locker room talk lately. Much of it has stemmed from the controversy surrounding the U.S. Olympic hockey teams: the men celebrating their gold medal with a high-profile…
Loras College-PO Box 541
My Dad passed away in February and as we prepared for his memorial I found an entire collection of letters he wrote my Mom in the fall and winter of 1960 when she went away to Northern Illinois University and he stayed…
Way Back When…
For those that don’t know, I’m a lucky Dad of three young men. Jack is a junior in college and his twin younger brothers, Keil (pronounced Kyle. It’s his grandmother’s maiden name) and Sam, are just beginning their…
Maybe It’s Time to Turn, Turn, Turn
Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die It takes a lot to change a man Hell it takes a lot to try Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die Jackson Maine, “Maybe It’s Time”- A Star…
Who Has It Worse? It’s the wrong question.
These days, it feels like we’re racing to prove which sex has it harder—males or females. On any given day, the media serves up plenty of fodder to feed the debate. Boys are struggling in school. No, girls are…
Restoring Our Girls: How the Men in Their Lives Can Make a Difference
Hey dads, grandpas, uncles, brothers, and anyone with a young woman aged 12 to 25 in your life… If that’s you, I’d like to offer a perspective on their experiences. Of course, young women are not a monolith, and there’s…
Helping, Fixing, Serving
“ Helping, fixing and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be…
Is Joy Reserved for the Youth?
During most MenLiving meetings, we start with a check-in process. Last week, I led our very first Friday meeting, and I chose the topic of emotions, which is the 3rd of the Five MenLiving Suggestions. The main emotions…
Charting an Intentional Path for 2024
Jim is passionate about life and he explores his individual hero’s journey with curiosity and zeal. Jim is a father, husband, yogi, mystic, storyteller, author, coach, teacher and student who sees himself as a spiritual…
The American Institute for Boys and Men
On June 30th, Richard Reeves, author of Of Boys and Men, announced that he would be leaving the Brookings Institution to become President of the American Institute for Boys and Men. This piece is a repost of his…
The State of American Men
This article is a repost from Equimondo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice introducing their report on the state of american men in 2023. This inaugural State of American Men report, “From Crisis and Confusion…
Jaw-Dropping
A few months back, I wrote a post called “Short King or Daddy Long Legs” that explored the practice of leg lengthening by men. A ghastly and painful exercise just to get a few inches taller. Well, as a man living…
Why Boys Stop Reading?
Writer, Matt Haig, posted this piece on his Instagram. I wanted to share his interesting data and perspective. Thoughts? At age 11, most boys enjoy reading. By 14 that drops from 65% to 32%. In other words, we lose half…
Short King or Daddy Long Legs?
I recently read that the new UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is regarded as a Short King (he’s 5′ 7″). Short King? I had never heard the term before though I had a pretty good idea what it was all about when…
The Crisis of Men and Boys
I am a fan of David Brooks and have been reading his New York Time column for a long time. Last Friday, he posted the following piece on the struggles of boys and men in our society. Most of the article focuses on the…
Redefining Sensitivity As An Essential Trait in Boys: MenLiving Speaks with Writer Elisse Gabriel
The ways that word association and the assumptions that may follow interact with each other have always had cultural meaning behind it. When we hear words like “joy” and “sadness,” they usually bring clear understanding…
Mentorship, Affirming Education and Changing the World for the Better: MenLiving Speaks with Louie Ortiz-Fonseca of Advocates for Youth
Louie Ortiz-Fonseca knows how great it feels when a mentor sees potential in someone and helps grow and blossom that potential, almost like a beautiful plant that takes time and care. Ortiz-Fonseca, who considers…
The Strides Made and the Work Ahead: Celebrating Bernice Sandler and the Fight for Title IX, 50 Years Later
Telling the story of one of the biggest civil rights leaders in the history of the U.S. is no easy feat. Being able to tell that story in a fascinating, digestible way for young teenage readers can be even more complex.…
Teaching Ethics, Integrity and Healthy Masculinity While Still Remembering Kids are Kids in 2022: MenLiving Speaks with Two Chicago Educators
The job of teaching teenagers is no easy feat. It can be frustrating and exhausting for both new and well-seasoned educators. But for Brandon Woods and Jonathon Legendre, it’s all part of the process of helping develop…
Teaching Advocacy and Acceptance: Chris Tompkins on Talking to Your Kids, Not Making Assumptions and His Book Raising LGBTQ Allies
Author Patrick McKenna When Chris Tompkins realized there was a missing conversation happening with his own family, he felt the need to not just broaden their view on LGBTQ topics, but to do so with families everywhere.…
Taking Off the Shield and Raising Boys to Be Emotionally Connected: Dr. Michael Reichert Speaks with MenLiving
Patrick McKenna Dr. Michael Reichert has made a lifelong career out of helping young boys get in touch with their emotions and unlearn harmful ideas around masculinity. He’s an author, psychologist and Executive…
An Interview with Andrew Reiner
Andrew Reiner has been interested in challenging the tropes of modern day hypermasculinity since his teenage years. After becoming a father, the research he had been doing for years felt even more urgently needed. That,…
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