In the words of President James A. Garfield, “I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else.”
Such is the mindset of Bradford resident Josh Hatcher, who is the founder of Manlihood –– an online blog geared towards men and their personal development.
Hatcher described his website by explaining, “Manlihood.com is about personal development for men. I started the website several years ago and blogged, wrote a book and self-published it on Amazon. Things didn’t really start picking up, though, until I started the Facebook group ‘The Manlihood Mancave.’”
Hatcher added that Manlihood includes discussions where men can help and encourage each other.
“Since the group picked up, I launch (podcasts) on my website. I released about 50 episodes to start, but I’ll be producing more this fall, and I hope to get on a consistent schedule with it. I plan to add interviews with men to talk about various things that are of interest to my male readership –– leadership, fatherhood, health, finances, marriage, career advice, etc.,” he said.
Hatcher added that Manlihood will be collaborating with Code of Character — a group similar to Manlihood — in hosting an event in Fresno, Ohio, from August 17-19 called “The Forge Men’s Weekend.” The event will include workshops and activities for men to improve their skills.
“We did a similar event last year in the (Allegheny National Forest), and the men that went had a fantastic experience,” said Hatcher. “They connected with other men, made lifelong friendships, tackled challenges, and discovered their purpose. I’ve stayed close with these guys, and every one of them have seen major changes in their life as a result of that weekend.”
That connection leads to better mental wellbeing for event participants, according to Hatcher.
He explained, “I think that masculinity needs to be affirmed from time to time, and as we talked through the process of understanding purpose, as we had adventures, and as we just enjoyed each other’s company, it did just that — affirmed each other.”
For more information about Manlihood or “The Forge Men’s Weekend,” go to manlihood.com.
