Men's Group
Fuel Your Fire
Welcome. I have a membership program for men who are in the 2nd half of life, roughly age 40 and above.
TL;DR It’s in the DNA of every man to live a strong, purposeful life. An important part of this includes growing personal excellence, which can be developed by structured practice of the right elements. As men, our path towards “manly excellence” and the growth of manly strength and virtue has unique elements. Regardless of what the current culture says, the world desperately needs strong men of character to do what only they can do.
This membership is for you if you:
- feel stuck
- value personal growth and excellence
- want to be a strong man in all the GOOD ways
- desire to stay rooted in healthy masculinity
- hunger to live a fully engaged life
- want to stoke your vibrancy and vitality
- are willing to take action to move forward
- need clarity on your life direction
- need to reconnect with a compelling vision
- want your strengths to play a bigger part in your life
- sense there are important unlived parts inside you
- desire to bust out of your status quo life
- are open to challenging your perspective
Do You Want to Be a Better Man?
The WHAT: Men intentionally developing foundational character strengths, as well as practicing The 12 Pillars of Manhood.
The WHY: Because “sterling” character is foundational to inner excellence, forming the basis for all true outer strength. And the 12 Pillars help us men grow into greater excellence and strength.
The HOW: Join our community. Hold yourself accountable to develop your own growth path and intentionally practice classical virtues one day at a time. Get support along the way.
Training, Discipline, Practice Builds Character
It’s in the DNA of every man to live a strong, purposeful life.
What this specifically means is different for each man.
One thing it definitely DOES mean for every man is THIS:
the strength and quality of his CHARACTER has the potential to impact his world.
As a husband, a father, a professional, a citizen, a neighbor, a churchman, a leader, a servant.
But here’s the crucial truth: we ALL have character deficits, but we can GROW our character, or what the old Greek philosophers called, our “VIRTUE.”
It takes hard work, struggling with our laziness and our limits, like building our physical muscle and strength takes hard work.
We build our character strengths–our “virtuous excellence”–by training and practice.
For many men, they don’t want to put in the reps to build this inner strength. And as a result, they are lesser men, and they leave their corner of the universe to other men to impact, for good or bad.
What is Virtue?
What is “virtue?” There are various definitions, but here’s one: a virtue is the outer expression of an inner value.
Here’s another: Philosopher Immanuel Kant says virtue is “The moral strength of the will in obeying the dictates of duty.”
Examples:
- perseverance
- courage
- honor
- kindness
- fairness
Classically, the 4 Cardinal Virtues have been:
- prudence
- temperance
- justice
- fortitude
Some say virtue is human excellence.
Aristotle had much to say about virtue. Character traits and psychological dispositions were the directions he was pointing us in.
Of course, other cultures may have their own traditional list of virtues, eg, in the 1600s Samurai warriors developed their own moral code, known as “bushido”, or “the way of the warrior”, and the samurai spirit and virtues are still present today in the social and economic organization of Japan.
The Bible talks much about the quest for character, and refers to many qualities, such as:
- faith
- virtue
- knowledge
- self-control
- perseverance
- kindness
- love
- patience
- faithfulness
- steadfastness
- peace
- goodness
- endurance
- boldness
- servanthood
I’d imagine every society has its virtues, values, and character strengths as a way to not only guide personal development, but also societal development.
And, within every society, there are sub-groups that may have a more specific code for their community. Think military, religious institutions, and gangs.
The Problem
In this current age, men face various EXTERNAL challenges, as the culture, in it’s efforts to address “toxic masculinity,” has gone to the extreme of trying to erase all forms of masculinity altogether.
This is bad for society, though will take some time to see the full negative impact.
But it’s left many men confused about who they are as men, unclear on their “honorable calling” in this world, and afraid to boldly embrace a bigger vision for themselves.
Which then leads men to experience INTERNAL challenges, such as:
- problems with their energy
- decreased motivation
- confusion about their life direction
- boredom
- declining confidence in their abilities
- questions about their purpose, their “WHY”
- struggles with change and transition
- increased feelings of irrelevance
And all of THESE have the potential to spinoff into bigger problems all their own:
- marital tension and conflict
- overall malaise, even depression
- chronic stress and anxiety
- burnout
- decreased performance (work and home)
- health issues
- increased anger
- problem drinking and substance use
- identity issues
- isolation
- aggression
These stuck-points are often golden opportunities for transitioning into fresh “life chapters” and new beginnings, OR, remaining in the same life chapter, but from a more empowered, clarified, and focused position.
At the very least, ALL stuck-points are growth opportunities.
So many men are living far below what they were created for, and they know it. They might not be able to put words to it, but they definitely FEEL it.
A Solution
I have a monthly membership program that is designed to support and empower men to be growing into the best version of themselves possible.
This membership is aspirational, in that it seeks to focus more on enlarging your future rather than on fixing your past.
What is your compelling vision for the future?
You NEED one. Some are afraid to create one, not wanting to fail or feel disappointed if it doesn’t materialize. And guess what? They’re stuck.
Adopting a growth mindset is a cornerstone of this group. None of us have arrived (definitely including me!), but I encourage all of us to keep learning and growing. This group provides those opportunities.
Growth = learning + action . . . a rough definition!
These are some areas of focus in this membership that become true “force multipliers” for your life.
ALL of us have parts of ourselves, or parts of our lives, where we need to get stronger.
No shame, welcome to the human race.
Areas to consider, that we will address:
- daily attitude
- building character strengths
- integrity
- strong communication skills
- being/staying rooted in your core values
- purpose, your big “WHY”
- priorities
- clarity of direction
- identifying/pursuing high-impact goals
- building optimal excellence
- healthy boundaries
- physical strength and vitality
- courage to live out what you believe
- self-control, controlling your “spirit”
- mental strength
- taking radical ownership of your life
- fully embracing reality
- listening to emotions, but living from facts
The Results
I’m not going to over-sell or over-promise. The REALITY is simply this: the results you get from joining depends on . . . Y-O-U.
Hear this: it’s EXACTLY as if you were 50 lbs overweight and horribly out of shape. You could have the best trainer, the most proven program, and the shiniest gym. But we both know that the only one who will get YOU back into shape is YOU.
Because YOU’RE the only one who can TAKE ACTION on the steps that will get you the progress you desire.
But, if you’re asking what COULD the results be if you joined the membership, and WERE an action-taker?
It would likely be an overall STRENGTHENING of your life, as evidenced by everything I mentioned above, as well as:
- renewing your energy and daily vitality
- rebooting your life direction
- understanding the map for all transitions
- rebuilding your inner strength
- grounding yourself in your core values
- clarifying healthy masculinity
- increasing “manly virtue”
- strenthening healthy boundaries
- reconnecting to meaningful friendships
- understanding your signature strengths
- increasing your ability to manage stress
Ideally, a life of greater empowerment to move through this world with greater calmness and deeper purpose, as a man of excellence, activating your strengths on a daily basis, and living a more fully engaged life, with clearer direction, and having the capacity to be impactful in your corner of the universe.
What's This Membership?
This is a month-to-month membership.
Whenever you’re ready to stop, you simply do so before your next month’s payment automatically renews (there are juicy benefits, however, for those who stick around).
Here’s what you’ll get each month:
- No long-term contracts to worry about. This is simply a month-to-month membership–stay as long as you like, and cancel whenever you want (you will have to finish out the current month you paid for)
- Access to 2 group calls via Zoom every month guaranteed. No obligation to come to every one–that’s up to you.
- All my online courses
- My PDFs, Mindmaps, and Mental Models on my best strategies and protocols
- Special members-only webinars and “deep dives”
- Opportunities for occasional 1:1 “laser coaching” sessions with me
- Private community forums to interact with other members about your goals, game plans, and wins.
All of the above has a VALUE of over $500/month. However, the current price is only . . . $19/month.
Who Am I?
My name is Sean Patrick Cox, from the great city of Chicago. For the last 4 decades I’ve been enjoying the privilege of partnering up with people to assist them in living lives of deep purpose, strong passion, and high performance.
This hasn’t simply been a “hobby”, side gig, or some mid-career transition. This has always been THE sole focus in my professional life, though it’s also played a huge part in my personal life as well, all the way back to my teen age years.
High performance, personal growth, the healing path, and “decoding greatness” are topics that consume me and fill my brain, and are the things I constantly read about, ponder, and consult with clients on everyday.
I don’t pretend to know everything, but I have much experience with a wide diversity of clientele, who I’ve been very honored to work with and learn from.
I’m also a licensed professional counselor. However, my work in this group is as a coach, doing coaching, and not as a therapist/counselor. These are different activites with a different focus. My work here is not a substitute for mental health counseling.
I’ve learned a few things along the way, and testing and re-testing different frameworks and protocols, and developing my own best practices and methodology that you can’t figure out simply by reading a book or two – it takes field testing, practice, repetition, experience, and a lot of work over many years.
Some of my personal interests are biblical theology, traditional karate and its modern application, physical training, reading, and good conversation…and going for a long walk.
FAQs
Yes, as of now. This price will increase, but as long as your membership stays active, your price will remain at the price you joined at. However, if you cancel your membership and return at a later time in the future, your price will be whatever the current price is at that date of return.
Absolutely. However, your membership will remain active until the end of your billing cycle.
Again, no. Just don’t renew for the next month. In my opinion, money back guarantees often de-motivate people.
Absolutely not. At most, this is coaching, which is a different service and activity than counseling or therapy. So I advise you to not use this membership to resolve mental health issues that would be better discussed with a therapist. This is not therapy.
There are two meetings per month. But, as of now, I’ll do additional calls for different time zones/time of day. You’re welcome to join any of those, also.
Video, eg, Zoom or Google Meet. Both can be used by desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone.
They are on my end! But every group member is also responsible to protect the confidentiality of their fellow members–this is part of the membership agreement. Of course, I am obligated to say that, as a licensed counselor, even though this isn’t counseling, I still need to break confidentiality if someone is an actual risk of physical harm to themselves or others, or if vulnerable populations are being harmed.
You’re not required. Obviously these meetings have much better energy the more that people contribute. But there’s no pressure to talk. I know you have value to add, though!
As with many things, this group is a work in progress. As of right now, we discuss one of the 12 Pillars of Manhood, and then everyone is encouraged to consider how to concretely and specifically apply it to their lives–even setting an achievable goal for the month pertaining to this Pillar. We also discuss character strengths every group, including personal application as well.
Sure, courage is one on our list. If we wanted to develop courage, we would first need to properly understand it, including examples from life, literature, movies, etc, and we would also need to practice it in a structured way. Classically, the 4 Cardinal Virtues have been prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. There are many other virtues we study and practice together.
There are 12 Pillars of Strength I’ve identified that men need to personally develop in order to be men of excellence, empowered to move around in this world living in alignment with their core values, living a meaningful life, and having a positive impact on the world around them. These go beyond the virtues that we discuss and practice.
For now, it’s a hard stop at 55 minutes, though if the discussion naturally ends sooner, we don’t stretch it out. Also, this membership will evolve over time, so I’m always open to making changes that make sense. Perhaps one day the meetings will need to be longer. I value efficiency, though.
That’s up to you. But obviously you get out what you put in.
We begin with a quick check-in, including a report on your “wins” from the week. Then I’ll present some valuable content and information on the topic, and then it’s an open forum discussion, always ending with practical life application that every participant considers, stating their intention. This process is subject to change, but it’s a general map of a meeting.
Fieldwork and forums. Fieldwork is practical application of any of the topics discussed that month, or from previous months for things you’re still working on. Forums are discussion-based chats. This is were you can report on progress, ask questions, give an attaboy, or continue the discussion from one of the meetings.
Yes! I haven’t figured it out yet. Stay tuned!
No, as of now it’s all good. My focus for this website and 1:1 coaching is men who are in the 2nd half of life (roughly age 40 and above). However, as of today, this group is open to all adult men. One day that may change.
Next Steps . . .
I am in the process of building this membership. I have not begun it yet, but am first guaging interest and building a list of men who are interested in joining.
If you’re interested in learning more, and staying updated, please fill out this form, and I’ll add you to my list.
You’ll be among the first to know when I launch the membership.
If you’re NOT seeing my sign-up form, it likely has to do with your settings. In this case, you may also fill out the form below, and simply put “Men’s Group” in the subject line, and I’ll add you to the list.