Yesterday, I watched my eight-year-old disappear into his work. He'd grabbed a leftover cardboard box from the Murphy bed I was installing and was attempting to build what he called a "robot." For twenty minutes, he was completely absorbed, measuring with his hands, marking with a pencil stub, cutting with scissors with intense concentration. His face cycled through pure … [Read more...] about What My Boys Taught Me About Building Men
Articles
The Art of Subtraction: Why I’m Getting Better at Being Less
Last month, I found myself digging through boxes that had somehow survived two moves without ever being opened. I came across a folder that made me stop cold. Professional headshots from my modeling days in my twenties. Yes, modeling. I had gotten into really good shape and thought, "Why not?" Spoiler alert: I found out why not. But tucked behind those overly confident … [Read more...] about The Art of Subtraction: Why I’m Getting Better at Being Less
The Play Deficit: 4 Ways to Reclaim Fun and Feel Fully Alive Again
I was sitting in Jake's living room on a Tuesday night, nursing my third beer and listening to him complain about his boss for the twentieth time this month. We’d moved from his kitchen table to the couch, then eventually to Murphy’s Bar down the street. More sitting. More drinking. More of the same. Sometimes we played quarters, bouncing coins into shot glasses. Other times, … [Read more...] about The Play Deficit: 4 Ways to Reclaim Fun and Feel Fully Alive Again
Why Work-Life Balance Is a Lie—and What to Do Instead
The perfectly level scale—career on one side, family on the other, with health and personal interests squeezed in between is mathematically impossible. There are 168 hours in a week, and the numbers simply don't add up to equal distribution. Something always gets shortchanged, leaving you feeling like you're failing at everything. I no longer believe in work-life balance. … [Read more...] about Why Work-Life Balance Is a Lie—and What to Do Instead
The Comparison Trap Is Stealing Fatherhood: How to Escape the Silent Pressure to Measure Up
You're scrolling through social media when it hits you again—that familiar pang of inadequacy. Your friend's perfect family vacation in Costa Rica. Another dad's impressive promotion. Someone else's beautiful custom home. Meanwhile, you're sitting on your couch in sweatpants, surrounded by unfolded laundry, having just negotiated a 20-minute battle with your son about finishing … [Read more...] about The Comparison Trap Is Stealing Fatherhood: How to Escape the Silent Pressure to Measure Up