What does a boy need to hear as he begins becoming a man? Billy shares the story of a coming-of-age weekend with his two nephews and the message at the center of it: You do not have to earn our love, and no failure can make us love you less.

Recording from a hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, after a road trip from Atlanta, Billy and Joe explore what healthy manhood actually looks like. They discuss rites of passage, fathers and mentors, responsibility, resilience, bullying, emotional honesty, protecting vulnerable people, and the words boys need to hear from the men in their lives.

Billy also shares how being bullied shaped his commitment to protecting people who feel excluded. Joe reflects on raising three sons, learning to recognize when his words have caused hurt, and making sure his children know that disappointment never changes his love for them.

This is not a conversation about appearing tough or becoming an “alpha male.” It is about integrity, self-control, courage, compassion, responsibility, and continuing to grow throughout your life.

What do you believe marks the transition from childhood into adulthood? What is something every boy deserves to hear from the adults in his life?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Recording from the road in Franklin
02:10 Billy’s coming-of-age weekend in Texas
05:29 The symbolic gift presented to the boys
06:51 Did we receive guidance growing up?
08:25 The approval boys spend their lives chasing
10:33 Love that does not have to be earned
13:38 What actually makes someone a man?
18:48 Strength, protection, and responsibility
24:30 Would you lay down your phone for your child?
27:00 How bullying created a protector
36:09 What we misunderstood about manhood
44:50 Why male mentors need to be vulnerable
48:47 Teaching boys resilience
50:57 Coming-of-age traditions around the world
55:00 What Joe wants his sons to hear
58:24 Fathers need to say the words
1:02:12 When a father realizes his words caused hurt
1:06:16 What we would tell our younger selves
1:10:00 Rapid-fire questions about growing up
1:13:08 What society gets wrong about masculinity
1:16:34 Manhood is a lifelong journey
1:18:06 Men teaching and learning from one another
1:21:36 Closing thoughts

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