The truth is, it wasn't until I was 25 that I found good role models in the form of other men. Like many others, I had been let down by the male figures around me — not necessarily by their own choice, but often for the very same reasons they had been let down themselves.

So many of us are exposed to coping mechanisms and behaviours that keep us trapped, recklessly and uncontrollably reacting to external stimuli. We then turn to what we believe will make us feel better, help us regulate ourselves, or bring us some relief. We reach for life's many distractions and numbing agents, trying to hide from or stop feeling what is really going on within us.

Running. Avoiding. Pretending. The list is vast, and the diagnoses are infinite.

If, like me, you've tried it all, then bless you. But now, the time has come for the story to change.

That change begins by searching deep within, unravelling the stories we've inherited, and taking serious action to become stronger in both mind and body. It means becoming clear on who you are and how you choose to live — free from the expectations and opinions of others, and free from the chains that have held generations of men before us.

It's about reconnecting with our power, our fire as men — and doing so with love. With unconditional love for ourselves and those around us.

Because true strength means creating safety. A safe environment where your family can thrive, where those you love can feel secure in their own home, and where your work, purpose, and vision can flourish.

These are not false promises or abstract ideas. They are real experiences, born from a deeper awareness of who you are and what you're capable of becoming.

They emerge when you finally stand up for yourself, stand firmly in who you are, acknowledge all that you have been through and all that you have done, and still declare:

You choose to walk this path as the incredible, infinite, potent man that you are.