There are a lot of men out there right now who are stuck, quiet, and trying to figure things out on their own. What we’ve got in here…most of them don’t have. And I know for a fact that some of your stories, your experiences, and even just the way you talk about this stuff could help someone more than you realize. So I’m asking a few of you to record a video. Nothing fancy. Phone is fine. There’s no time limit here. Could be 30 seconds, could be 5 minutes. Could be one video or a few different ones. Say what you need to say. No script. Just talk like you would to a buddy. If you want a bit of direction, here are a few angles you can run with: – Who you are and what your life looks like right now – Why you joined Anchored and Ready – What you’ve gotten out of being in here (even if it’s just one thing) – A moment where something clicked for you – What you’d say to a guy who knows he needs something but hasn’t taken the step yet – What “doing the work” actually looks like in your day-to-day life – Something you’ve struggled with that you’re starting to get a handle on Or just hit record and tell your story as it comes. No structure needed. If you’re up for it, send it to me on WhatsApp. I’ll likely use parts of these to speak on different topics and share them online, because your voice and your experience matters. This isn’t about polished content, it’s about real men talking about real things. No pressure at all. But if you’ve got something to say, say it.

I really enjoyed the group call today because we touched on some important aspects of what stress is and what it requires. Stress and anxiety need attention or we risk losing opportunity to navigate it successfully. There's also a reality that we may lose opportunity to grow which Drew mentioned. Matt reminds us clearly and repeatedly that awareness is needed. This awareness is a personal thing. When we show up for people and situations we have to have a formula (a toolkit) for how we navigate. Showing up is the work that builds greatness and being available to the real work is what matters. Jeff, you sit in a room with us on Saturdays - fostering an environment of mutual openness. What's important here is the 7 that were on the call today. It's not 'it could be 25', but there's only 7. It's 7 that actually stopped their Saturday to be here. The score for your impact is 700. * 700 * wins this weekend. All 7 take 100% of today back to our family and friends, and even to work and we get to use it. That's the result of creating the environment. You want depth anyway, not width. This same reality of going deeper with people we interact with - this is for us all. On the call we are all 100% here and ready to engage and listen. At home we see moments like the call, but we see it in passing. Troy - you mentioned the door being open. That's key in carrying the burden of showing up for others. We don't just stand in the doorway to invite people in. The sales approach happens impromptu when we are interacting. Selling people on an idea and the need to take action is the mission of helping people right where they are. This comes in the form of listening. Tyson mentioned that stress builds and compounds if we let it. This is true. Having awareness can allow us to develop a pattern of working through it. Each of us here have shared our experiences of great things and terrible situations or journeys. We already have those benchmarks of highs and lows even if the benchmark in your mind wasn't your experience, you learned it from seeing it. I believe fully that a reason that we get knocked down and stay down for too long is because we fail to build and keep a tool kit. There's no protocol or tool kit that solves losing someone to suicide. However knowing what is being impacted, knowing how people are affected, knowing where we can insert ourselves to be available and have an impact and help... that's the toolkit we carry to help men grow.

Welcome to Anchored & Ready. Tell us who you are, what you do, and what brought you here. Share one area of your life you want to improve or lead with more intention. Keep it real. No filters needed.

Another tradesman is gone this week. And I’m sure there were more. Many more. I’m not interested in scrolling past that and pretending it’s just “one of those things” anymore. It’s not. This is happening way too often, and if we’re being honest, most of us have felt close to that edge at some point. So this is the call. No polished topic. No lesson plan. We’re talking about what’s real right now. What you’ve been carrying, what’s been building, and the stuff you’ve been keeping to yourself because you think you’re supposed to handle it alone. That’s the lie most of us were taught. Handle it. Don’t talk about it. Keep moving. And look where that’s getting guys. No pressure to talk, but don’t sit there behind the screen pretending everything’s fine if it’s not. This isn’t about looking strong. It’s about being real for once. Tomorrow morning. Show up.

Today as I’m picking up my girls from school my youngest; who is 9, hands me a bookmark. The book mark and a punch if confetti. The bookmark discusses what is coming for a test tomorrow and the magic of this confetti that helps become restful , reduce stress, and be ready cone the morning to do your best. Now, generally I would go off into a banter on schools standardized everything cresting an anxiety rich environment for the young…. However, true as that is in our school systems, the opportunity of building on a way to practice reducing school based anxiety, while creating a fun environment at age 9 is an opportunity perhaps they did not exist when I was a kid. Being intentional on how to educate kids and students on curriculum as well as adding tools to manage stress and anxiety is something I admire here. Here we are learning these tools as adults, after years of just doing it as we are told or, suppressing feelings with multiple substances, and kids in the 3rd grade may actually develop better self managing behaviors than I could ever dream of.