Brotherhood In the making
Every once in a while, you have a conversation that reminds you why you started something in the first place.
Recently, I connected with someone who reached out about Forge & Freedom, one of those messages that begins casually but ends up digging deep. We talked about getting outdoors, about building a space where guys can come together to breathe, reset, and reconnect with themselves. Because life has a way of moving so fast that you forget to pause until you finally find yourself under an open sky, remembering what peace feels like.
Then, as conversations sometimes do, it got real.
He told me he’s battling cancer. Traveling for treatment, but still chasing life. Still finding reasons to get outside and connect with others. And he said something that stuck with me:
“I don’t need people to feel sorry for me. I just need friends who want to hang out and talk about anything. something that distracts me from the illness.”
That hit hard.
Because the truth is, for a lot of men, illness or any kind of struggle makes people uncomfortable. And when people get uncomfortable, they distance themselves. But that’s exactly why Forge & Freedom exists.
It’s about helping men get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s about creating spaces where we don’t need to pretend everything’s fine. Where we can just be outdoors, together without judgment, without hierarchy, without that old “suck it up” mentality.
Forge & Freedom isn’t about miles logged or peaks climbed, it’s about what happens in the moment. The conversations. The quiet breaks. The shared laughs. The stories that stick with you long after you’ve packed up and headed home.
What struck me most about this man’s story wasn’t his diagnosis. It was his courage to reach out. To say, “I need this. I need community.” That’s not weakness. That’s strength. That’s what forging brotherhood looks like.
We talked about how hard it is to find real friends as an adult, especially when life gets heavy. About how so many men carry burdens silently because they don’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable. About how the right kind of group, even one day outside, one coffee, one conversation can make a difference. Maybe even save a life.
That’s why Forge & Freedom exists...to help men rediscover connection, purpose, and resilience through shared outdoor experiences.
This journey is just getting started. But every conversation like this one reminds me that it’s needed more than ever.
When was the last time you truly felt connected not just to people, but to yourself?
What’s one small way you step outside your comfort zone to reconnect with who you are?
Chapter 7 Unf*ck yourself | Hammock Hangs
