origin story

Rocamadour is epic. A vertical town with three levels: one for the merchants, one for the clerics and one for the Knights Templar who protected them all.

It was Rafa's birthday, a warm summer night in France.

We had been brainstorming men's group ideas all day. As we entered our 40’s, we felt called to this line of work, but we knew it was going to be an uphill battle getting men to sign up for support groups.

The guys we grew up with would never come to a Zoom meet to talk about problems in their marriages. We knew we needed a new packaging for men’s groups.

After dinner, we climbed the steps to the chapel.

The cathedral was about to close. The courtyard was almost empty. Rafa and I were watching the sparrows dart through the dusk to hunt down dinner…

Then we heard a surreal sound coming out of the tunnel. Humming? Singing? Chanting?

30 French Eagle Scouts emerged singing and carrying the cathedral's famous relic, The Black Madonna.

It was the end of their weeks long trek and they had climbed up the 216 church steps on their knees.

We realized that men need missions to bond and grow. We are at our best when we take on a challenge with a team of peers. We are at our worst when we isolate and focus on acquiring more (status, money, materials).

That surreal moment in France provided our answer: a men’s group that creates challenges & gamifies life.

A few months later, we were at Rafa’s house in Nashville outlining our vision for this group.