School of Man Quantifies, Teaches Authentic Manhood

If a being from outer space were to land in 2026 America and start to nose around about the sexes, it would likely return to its home planet more confused than it landed on the subject of the male species.

Times have arguably never been more difficult for a typical male as headline after contradictory headline screams louder than the last about what a man looks like, acts like and should be in American society.

Take the results of a recent Pew Research survey, for example, which found less than 50 percent of Americans view “manly or masculine” traits positively, while 56 percent found such traits either negative or neither positive nor negative.

The same poll queried opinions on such traits individually and found an average of 33 percent of respondents said American society places too much emphasis on traditional masculine qualities of confidence, assertiveness, risk-taking and physical strength. Meanwhile, 60 percent of respondents said not enough emphasis rested on emotions, soft-spokenness and affection among men.

In the wake of this back and forth, males from boyhood through adulthood are often left confused and adrift as to how to assume the roles they were created to play, that society needs them to play, and that they should play to ensure a healthy, successful and balanced life.

Part of the problem in men realizing and ultimately attaining their true potential lies in accountability issues — or a lack thereof — in the form of missing or substandard fathers, lack of positive male role models, and a dearth of mentors in every aspect of life. That is what has elevated Arkansas-based School of Man, a sophisticated program for bringing men into communion with their purpose and capacity.

“Our ethos at the core is to build a more healthy, resilient man and eradicate generational weakness,” said Cole Rodgers, CEO and founder. “The way we do that is unique and starts with men buying into our process of being their future selves now. The one thing I love about School of Man is that it’s full of men who are constantly refining themselves as men of depth, reinventing themselves constantly.”

Launched in 2016, the SoM program is a Christian-based 18-month curriculum referred to as “The Path,” broken into three six-month segments. Progressing through these segments, men are taught how to develop attributes the organization sees as essential for men to possess, such as courage, adaptability, resilience and perseverance.

Rodgers said the transformation of participants who faithfully follow and work at the program, which combines physical and spiritual work, as well as discussing concepts and learning life strategies, is nothing short of astonishing to watch.

“This organization does not simply show up and drink coffee and read a textbook,” Rodgers said. “It is unique by design in that it demands something of the participants. Not every guy wants to do the work to go through the process, which requires sacrifice and desire, but that’s what makes us different in our approach to building healthier, more resilient men.”

BROTHERHOOD MATTERS

If the heart of the School of Man program is individual drive, then the hands and feet of the program are accountability, which takes the form of teams that go through various developmental experiences together. Rodgers said men crave such interaction within a team setting, since access to such tribes is sorely lacking in today’s society.

“Men long to reject passivity, they long to lead courageously, and they long to have responsibility,” he said. “They also thrive in real brotherhood, that old team camaraderie that we’ve all experienced, maybe in the locker rooms or in different aspects of life.

“The one thing men lose along the way is a mission; a mission to reverse engineer backwards from, to help them be their future self. We provide that and do it in a setting that gets men centered on the things that matter most, with their instructors guiding them through that process.”

Time and again, alumni come back to the idea of brotherhood as an essential component, both in their successfully completing the program and in sustaining what they learned through SoM for years to come.

At the end of each six-month section, teams go through a crucible escalating in duration and intensity from 12 hours to 24 hours to 55 hours, further soldering the bonds of brotherhood. Along the way, the men earn tokens of their achievement, including different-colored shirts and specially minted coins as outward reminders of the road they have traveled and their capacity to meet the challenges that lie ahead.

RESILIENCE CAN BE TRAINED

Very often, when talk turns to the subject of “toughness,” the context is of brute strength; mention “resiliency,” and one thinks of who can endure the most pain. School of Man’s approach does not seek to teach men how to merely bulldoze through life’s obstacles but to develop the strength to properly and effectively cope and overcome, the kind of strength that knows when it is time to buck up and when it is time to ask for help.

“On one hand, you have passive men who avoid responsibility, who avoid conflict, who avoid discipline and leadership. Those are the facts,” Rodgers said. “On the other end of the spectrum, there are the aggressive men who confuse dominance, arrogance, anger and selfishness with strength. Those are the two most common role models that many young men have been exposed to.

“What we strive to create is what I call a healthy alpha. That’s someone who leads his family, takes responsibility, someone who is physically capable, someone who shows his strength through his actions, keeps his word and controls his emotions without suppressing them.”

Rodgers said the last point is perhaps the most distinguishing element developed through the School of Man program.

“One thing we do really, really well is develop men’s emotional strength,” he said. “It’s not how big of a badass you can be in the gym or on the gun range; it’s the emotional strength side. That doesn’t mean suppressing emotions or suffocating them. That means you understand how to utilize them, control them and process them.”

STRENGTH EXISTS TO SERVE

A major underpinning of the SoM program is its firm roots in Jesus Christ, Rodgers said.

“One of the biggest things we stress is health is wealth. The most valuable thing that a man possesses that God has gifted all of us with, is his spiritual energy, especially when it is used to pour into those around you.”

Rodgers said this spiritual component is often misunderstood as some magical, supernatural formula when, in fact, it is an all-consuming force that steadies a man in times of trial, a life force so powerful it not only improves the man himself but compels him to improve the lives of others through service.

“I call it being spiritually grounded, believing in something bigger than yourself,” he said. “The healthy alpha doesn’t need everybody to know that he’s the strongest man in the room but shows up for his son’s baseball game. As a husband, he remains faithful when temptation for porn or whatever else is present, and it’s ever present. It’s everywhere.

“That’s the challenge that men face today and what we’ve built this movement around, where we really focus on virtue. The man who admits when he is wrong, a man who’s willing to protect the weak, that’s masculinity at the core.”

The program also develops in men the belief that living up to one’s intended purpose and future greatness comes with constant self-examination and self-improvement, since the journey to one’s full potential is lifelong.

BUILDING REAL MEN

Men from all walks of life across a broad swath of ages and experiences have discovered the rejuvenating power that comes with understanding how to unlock their full potential and live fearless, achievement-oriented lives of purpose. In the process, they are improving their families, their neighborhoods and their communities, maximizing their God-given gifts with intention.

“There’s a real problem out there for men called social media, and what makes this so counterproductive is that it rewards extremes,” Rodgers said. “The loud, the angry, the attention-seeking personalities get the views, the passive personalities avoid criticism, and the healthy middle doesn’t go viral. Well, we’re not training influencers, OK?

“The reason why SoM resonates is because it isn’t about teaching men how to become tougher. There are already plenty of tough guys out there. It’s teaching them how to become integrated: strong, compassionate, confident, humble, controlled, ambitious, grateful men. We inspire each man to strive to be the man his wife dreams of waking up to in the morning and the father his children need. Are they perfect? No, but they are committed to doing the work to improve just 1 percent every day.”

“Before School of Man, I was completely alone. I didn’t have a core group of men I could rely on,” alum Paul Kroger said. “Once I took that step, everything changed. The brotherhood here is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. For the first time, I had men checking in on me, pushing me to be better and holding me accountable. Now I show up not just for me but for them too.”

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“I had been stuck in a rut for years, going through the motions, feeling like I was missing something,” alum Louis Petit said. “My health was suffering, my relationships felt shallow, and I was losing my drive. SoM challenged the way I saw myself. The moment I embraced the discomfort, I started to grow. Now I’m in the best shape of my life not just physically but mentally and emotionally. I take responsibility for my actions, lead with purpose and have a renewed sense of drive that I didn’t think was possible.”

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“I used to believe that being a man meant handling everything on my own. I avoided deep conversations, bottled up my stress and convinced myself that asking for help was weakness,” alum Jon Viguerie said. “SoM shattered that illusion. Here, I learned that true strength comes from being vulnerable, from stepping into discomfort and from letting other men sharpen me. Now I’m a better husband, father and leader not because I have all the answers but because I have the courage to seek them.”

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“The way SoM affected me is going through the unknown, doing the unthinkable. It prepared me for the unknowns in the future,” alum Bobby Baldwin said. “That allowed me to break down barriers in my mind telling me I was undeserving or I couldn’t do something or I wouldn’t stand a chance in that arena. The possibilities now are really endless — I was a 9-to-5 Tyson Foods employee, and now I own two businesses with over 12 employees. Before School of Man, I never would have thought that was a possibility.”