How the Vagus Nerve Heals the Body and Builds Connection
How the Vagus Nerve Heals the Body and Builds Connection Two leading scientists have shown how one nerve sits at the center of both health and relationships. Neurosurgeon Kevin Tracey, MD (author of The Great Nerve), demonstrates how the vagus nerve regulates inflammation and restores physiological balance. Behavioral neuroscientist Stephen Porges, PhD (author of The […]
Behavior Is Contagious—So What Are You Catching?
Behavior Is Contagious—So What Are You Catching? I’ve been listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point, and it struck a nerve. Not because it’s about dramatic social shifts or political pivots, but because it confirmed something I’ve seen quietly changing men’s lives for years: Behavior doesn’t just change because someone “tries harder.” Behavior […]
Where Are All the Elders? The Missing Piece Men Are Searching For
Where Are All the Elders? The Missing Piece Men Are Searching For Something happened in one of our groups recently that’s been sitting with me. A man raised his hand and asked if we could spend the evening talking about elderhood. Not because he was old, he wasn’t, because he felt the absence of it. […]
Reclaiming the Real: How Men Can Return to Creativity, Community, and Struggle
Reclaiming the Real: How Men Can Return to Creativity, Community, and Struggle A continuation of last week’s: PART 1: THE GREAT SHIFT – FROM MAKERS TO WATCHERS When men stopped making, something vital went missing. Not just from the culture. From our nervous systems. Because being a man isn’t about being in charge or having […]
From Makers to Watchers: Why Men Feel Lost in a World of Consumption
From Makers to Watchers: Why Men Feel Lost in a World of Consumption There’s a quiet tragedy unfolding around us—so quiet that most men don’t even notice it happening. We’ve been told we’re more connected, more informed, and more entertained than ever before. But beneath the constant ping of updates and endless options, a deeper […]
Outgrowing the Mother: A New Model of Masculine Maturity
Outgrowing the Mother: A New Model of Masculine Maturity Why men need more than emotional safety — and how challenge, structure, and leadership complete the arc of development I sought to become more sensitive to succeed in my relationships with women. I became good at it. Women felt safe with me. Slowly, I realized that […]
When Comfort Weakens and Toughness Fails: What Men Actually Need
When Comfort Weakens and Toughness Fails: What Men Actually Need The Third Way for Men: Beyond Soft or Stoic In our culture, we have long placed sensitivity and risk-taking in opposition: one coded as feminine; the other as masculine. One associated with nurture; the other with challenge. But our experience at MELD — forged in the fire of thousands […]
The Hidden Force Blocking Men’s Success — And How to Break Through It
The Hidden Force Blocking Men’s Success — And How to Break Through It Steven Pressfield describes Resistance as the unseen force that keeps us from stepping into our true calling. It’s the hesitation, the fear, the self-sabotage. It whispers that we’re not ready, that we don’t deserve it, that we should wait just a little […]
From Isolation to Integrity: How Men Are Reclaiming Meaning
From Isolation to Integrity: How Men Are Reclaiming Meaning Formation and Men’s Work In his recent speech, “How the Elite Rigged Society (And Why It’s Falling Apart),” David Brooks critiques the breakdown of societal structures and urges a return to moral formation and community-based renewal. His message resonates with MELD’s work over nearly three decades: […]
Your Nervous System Isn’t Broken—It’s Adapted: The Real Reason Men Feel Stressed and Shut Down
Your Nervous System Isn’t Broken—It’s Adapted: The Real Reason Men Feel Stressed and Shut Down The Hidden Brain System That Keeps Men in a State of High Alert — and How to Shift Out of It Have you ever felt like you’re constantly on edge, like you’re waiting for something bad to happen — even […]