#51 | Building A Circle of Men - Bill Kauth (ManKind Project)
“All we men need is a safe place to open our hearts”
My guest today is Bill Kauth, the resident visionary and co-founder of The ManKind Project, one of the most recognized men’s organizations in the world.
In 1984, Bill was working as a psychotherapist when he conceived and co-created the New Warrior Training Adventure. Since then, over 75,000 men in 12 countries have completed this neo-initiatory experience. In 1992, Bill also authored one of the first books for starting and running effective men’s groups: A Circle of Men.
In our episode today, he shares about these early days of what became the mythopoetic men’s movement, including reaching out to Robert Bly during the heyday of Iron John. Bill shares some of the hard lessons learned along the way, what inspires him about the current generation of men’s work, and the alchemical power of holding space for men to open their hearts to each other.
Also: this episode is released in tandem with my forthcoming interview with Jason MacKenzie, one of the co-founders of Sacred Sons, a more recent men’s organization that grew in part from the soil of The ManKind Project. I’ve chosen to release both conversations in sequence, in order to offer a portrait of the similarities and differences between the generations.
LINKS
Time for Tribe - Bill’s current project
JOIN THE SCHOOL OF MYTHOPOETICS
SHOW NOTES
Starting out as a femminist therapist and the birth of leading men’s work
The spontaneous development of maps and structures while working with men
Robert Bly and “the new warrior training”
Early experiences with the derogatory media
Examples of patterns that men work through during the training
The organic burst of MKP’s reputation
The birth story of the name “ManKind Project MKP”
The initial intention behind working with men and the mission
MKP’s steady growth over the years
Integration groups and the journey after the training
Embracing diversity and specificity without appropriation
The reason behind secrecy within MKP
How and when did Bill’s title change to “visionary”
The wound of corporate capitalism
The alchemy of men work
The contribution of younger and older generations in a troubling time
Meeting future wife in Burning Man
Time For Tribe - an ongoing project and a future book
