The Powerful Man Project is something its designer and founder, Andrew Bryan, wishes he had had access to. “It’s not just a program,” Andrew said. “It’s a rite of passage for men and boys to step into self-leadership, resilience and purpose.”
After growing up in a home full of chaos, violence and fear, trauma continued to plague Andrew in his adult years to the point where he felt like he was failing as a husband, a father, a man. His breaking point, which nearly ended his life, became his turning point, and he created the Powerful Man Project to help others break out of the cycle of withdrawal and despair. He’s a walking billboard for its effectiveness, brimming with energy and loving life with his wife and three children.
It takes strength to be vulnerable, especially when anxiety is still largely demonised, but Andrew has an uncanny ability to set participants at ease. Beneath his imposing physique is an empathetic communicator with a big heart. There are no glib textbook responses from behind a desk in this program. Andrew commits to patiently working alongside each individual, personalising his approach to suit their needs.
At an age when peer groups can validate thoughts and behaviours in person and online, teens are encouraged to identify and honour their own values. Those who cite family as important – and most do – are challenged to prove it by their actions: taking time away from devices; emerging from their bedrooms; making time for family by joining them for dinner and board games at the kitchen table.
For boys aged 12 and up, the program includes weekly goal reviews focusing on three main concepts: Achieve, Grieve, Commit. What have you achieved? What hasn’t gone well? What can we do next week to fix it? Discussed individually or in small groups, it’s an opportunity for boys to communicate their feelings in a constructive manner and learn to understand the emotions of others.
Adult sessions likewise focus on accountability and stepping up to do the work . “When a man steps into this work, everything changes,” Andrew said. “He builds unshakeable self-respect and confidence; he reconnects with his wife and children; he faces his anger, his pain and his past and learns how to turn struggle into strength; he stops living on autopilot and starts living with purpose, discipline and direction.”
The program is about equipping participants with strategies to be used throughout life, and its mission is to help boys and men “become their best versions to lead and love”. The program is available in a range of in-person sessions for teens and adults, with the recent inclusion of online sessions for mums looking to support their sons. Participants have praised the program as “life-changing”.
