The Personal Impact of Men's Work

A Remaking Manhood Episode with ​Boysen Hodgson

For generations, our culture has taught us a narrow and limiting set of rules for how to be a man. The end result? Epidemic levels of isolation for boys and men and embedded repression and violence for the vast majority of women and children. As a boy and young man, I learned that same set of rules and I adopted that stoic, suppressed, and sometimes emotionally violent version of manhood. It took me years to find a way back to the real authentic version of myself that is open, loving, curious, vulnerable, bold, and creative. 
What if there were ways… paths… programs… groups… a movement, that helped men break out of the Man Box, find their authentic selves, and become happier, less destructive, and more constructive? This episode is about just those paths, those groups and that movement.  
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This week on the HERE.together Podcast we are releasing, in full, another of the early episodes of the Remaking Manhood Podcast which I co-host and co-produce with Mark Greene. In this episode, we interview Boysen Hodgson,  the Communications Director for the ManKind Project USA. For the last 35 years, ManKind Project has been providing intensive weekend retreats and long-term peer support groups for men all over the world. 

In this conversation, Boysen quickly sets the bar for vulnerability, insight, and truth. Mark and I also end up sharing our deep backstories about how we created our old, mistaken assumptions about ourselves and the world.  Mark explains how those old bad stories cause many men to either self-sabotage or lash out. 

All three of us men share our experience with the work it took us to become a man of connection, accountability and purpose. For all of us, men's work is an ongoing process and one that constantly reveals new ways of seeing and being. Boysen's own knowledge of men's work, both as a leader and as a man is a powerful resource for all the men in our community. I end up surprised by a couple of new ideas that come from the conversation and by some insight that comes bubbling up out of me at Boyson’s invitation. 

I’m really pleased, and a little nervous to share this episode with you, but here we go. 

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Charles at charles@charlesmatheus.com
Mark at mark@remakingmanhood.com
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How to successfully become a traitor to all those things you took on as oaths when you were a little boy -- there's the path to men's work.

Resources for Men’s Work

• Mankind Project
• Humen: The Men’s Mental Health Movement
• Rising Man 
• Evryman 
• Sacred Sons 
• Michael Meade - Mosiac Voices
• More Remaking Manhood: The Healthy Masculinity Podcast
  • On Anchor
  • On Spotify
  • On iTunes​
    

Background References:

• More about Boysen Hodson & Mankind Project
  • Boyson’s Personal Website
  • The New Macho – a Credo for the Mature Masculine
  • Mankind Project

• More about Mark Greene’s work & writing 
  • www.remakingmanhood.com
  • Good Men Project
  • Follow on Twitter @remakingmanhood

• More about Charles’s work 
  • www.charlesmatheus.com
  • Redefining Strength Facebook Group
  • YouTube Channel (Includes 2 TEDx talks)

Other relevant HERE.together Episodes: 

• Re-defining Strength for the Challenges Ahead​

Dive Deeper on the Topic: 

• Remaking Manhood Book
• Little #Metoo Book for Men
• The Mask You Live In Documentary
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
• King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine - Robert Moore & Doug Gillette

Music Credits: Theme music composed by Gus Greene. Click here for links to his music on most streaming services.  ​