If you were to describe what it means to be a man in one word, what would it be and why?
"I would choose the word stability.
In a family, I think men feel obligated to bring stability, I think that's something that is hardwired into us. I think of when I was a child and my dad always drove. I always felt safe. I always felt like I knew he was in control... I think that is something stability brings.
This is something I try to focus in on in my life. I try to bring stability to my family. We all fall short of our ideal right? And so I think that you can't say that we will bring stability to all situations but as a whole, that should be something that a man should want to bring to a situation."
Word: Stability
Occupation: CEO
Age: 39
From: Raytown, MO
Who is the manliest person you know and why?
"That is a hard one, I have a lot of mentors and people that I have leaned on over the years, but I would say that my father was very stable when I was growing up. Again, he didn't talk much but when he spoke it was important. Uhm. When he told you to do something you knew it was important.
Another person was my grandfather. He was a little rough around the edges but he taught me about masonry. He was a man that again, you knew that when he said something he meant what he said and said what he meant. He wasn't somebody that beat around the bush. And I think that brings stability.
Lastly, there was this guy named Jay. He was always cheerful, he was a cancer survivor and I had talked to some people that knew him when he was going through his Chemo. They said he'd go and get his chemotherapy on the weekends and throw up all weekend and show up to work on Monday. And the thing is it all came down to him having to supply for his family. I don't know if you could call anything else more stable than that. He was a stable guy. You could count on him. You knew that he was there for you.
I think those three guys right there are tied for first."
When was a moment in life that you felt most masculine?
"One of the times was when my daughter was born. I just remember holder her for the first time, and seeing how little she was and realizing how strong and big my hands were and that I had the responsibility of protecting her when I could."
What does healthy masculinity look like?
"I will bring it back to stable. It is balance. It is understanding that you have a power and using it wisely...
We(men) need to be builders and not breakers."
