BraveCo Podcast

Rite of Passage: A Clear Path Into Manhood register now: https://www.braveco.org/riteofpassage

Every boy needs a moment where he’s called out of boyhood and into manhood—where his strength is tested, his faith is forged, and a father’s voice calls him forward. That’s why we built the BraveCo Ride of Passage: a 30-hour weekend where fathers and sons encounter God together, push limits, and come home changed. This isn’t a retreat or a conference—it’s a rite of passage. (Jacksonville, Florida • February 28–March 1, 2026)

In today’s live Q&A, I answer real questions men are facing right now: What do you do when your kids vent to you about their mom and they’re carrying pain? How do you validate your child without throwing your spouse under the bus—and how do you “bridge” the conversation on the back end to help the family communicate better? I also talk to the friend who’s watching a marriage hit a tipping point when one spouse wants help and the other refuses counseling—and why changing one person’s skills and boundaries can start shifting the whole ecosystem.

Then I share my personal experience with OCD and intrusive thought loops—what it felt like, what actually helped, and the simple framework that changed my life: recognize, relabel, refocus (and how thankfulness can become a powerful reset). We also hit temptation in marriage (curiosity about a past relationship) and what to do when separation is on the table—plus the most practical next step I’ve seen work when the stakes are high: get the right guide in your life.

Chapters:
00:00 Ride of Passage: Calling Boys Into Manhood
01:14 Live Q&A: Ask Anything (Anonymous Welcome)
01:50 When Kids Vent About Their Mom: What To Do
02:25 Validate Emotions Without Dismissing Mom
03:16 Don’t Throw Your Spouse Under the Bus
04:01 Be the Bridge: The Back-End Conversation
05:12 Marriage Tipping Point: One Spouse Refuses Help
05:42 Why One Person Getting Help Can Shift Everything
09:04 How I Overcame OCD Loops: The 3 R’s
19:31 Curiosity About an Ex + Separation: Next Steps
CONNECT WITH BRAVECO
Join Our Free Community for Men (ladies, sign up your man): https://www.braveco.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveco.men
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveco.men/
Shop: https://shop.braveco.org/
ABOUT BRAVECO: We live in a time where men are hunting for the truth and looking for the codebook to manhood. At BraveCo, we are on a mission to heal the narrative of masculinity across a generation; fighting the good fight together because every man should feel confident and capable of facing his pain, loving deeply, and leading a life that impacts the world around him.

In this week's episode I join my dad on Cultural Catalysts to discuss the growing crisis of fatherlessness and how to restore authentic manhood. 
I share my powerful vision for helping boys become men through meaningful rites of passage. Together, we explore how our culture has substituted therapy and medication for true discipleship, leaving many young men without proper initiation into manhood. 
I also go into inspiring stories of transformation from our BraveCo events, where hundreds of men gather to mentor and celebrate young men through challenging physical and spiritual journeys. 
Join us as we reveal BraveCo’s exciting new partnership with Spartan Races for an upcoming father-son Rite of Passage event in Jacksonville, Florida – a powerful opportunity for fathers, mentors, and sons to experience life-changing connection and growth together. Discover how proper initiation into manhood can heal generations and transform communities!

Connect with Kris Vallotton:
Website: https://www.krisvallotton.com/
Facebook:   / kvministries 
Instagram:   / kvministries 
X: https://x.com/kvministries

CONNECT WITH BRAVECO
Join Our Free Community for Men (ladies, sign up your man): https://www.braveco.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveco.men
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveco.men/
Shop: https://shop.braveco.org/
ABOUT BRAVECO: We live in a time where men are hunting for the truth and looking for the codebook to manhood. At BraveCo, we are on a mission to heal the narrative of masculinity across a generation; fighting the good fight together because every man should feel confident and capable of facing his pain, loving deeply, and leading a life that impacts the world around him.

Rite of Passage: A Clear Path Into Manhood register now: https://www.braveco.org/riteofpassage

As a pastor, counselor, and dad, I’m convinced of this: no young man should stumble his way into manhood. In this episode of the BraveCo Podcast, I sit down with my close friend Cole Zick to talk about what most families feel but don’t know how to fix, the lack of a clear, intentional pathway for boys to become grounded, capable men. We get practical about the pain points fathers feel, the pressure of raising teenage sons, and why “just go to church” isn’t enough to form men who can lead, serve, and endure.

We unpack why boys need testing and equipping, and how feedback builds capacity. We talk about the power of coaches, youth pastors, mentors, and a tribe of men, and why “heroes” matter if we want our sons to delay gratification and pursue what’s possible. We also hit real parenting language like trust, freedom, structure, boundaries, and why failure isn’t an indictment, it’s often the training ground when you actually have a plan.

If you’re a dad (or a single mom raising sons) and your boys are in that 10–18 window, I want you to hear this: it’s not too late, but it does require intentionality. If you want to take a real step, join us for the BraveCo Ride of Passage with our Spartan partnership: February 28–March 1, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida (ages 12–19). Register at braveco.org. And if this episode helps you, subscribe, share it with a father who needs a pathway, and let’s rebuild manhood on purpose.

Chapters:
00:00 — No Young Man Should Stumble Into Manhood
01:14 — Cole Zick Returns: The Need for a Real Plan
03:39 — “Come Follow Me, I Will Make You”
04:16 — The Crisis: Men Aren’t Reproducing Discipleship
06:41 — The Weight of Parenting Teenage Sons
07:36 — Building a Network of Trusted Men for Your Boys
15:11 — Testing, Feedback, and Capacity: How Boys Become Men
20:12 — Trust Earns Freedom: Clear Standards at Home
28:46 — The 7 Pillars of Initiation + Ride of Passage Details

CONNECT WITH BRAVECO
Join Our Free Community for Men (ladies, sign up your man): https://www.braveco.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveco.men
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveco.men/
Shop: https://shop.braveco.org/
ABOUT BRAVECO: We live in a time where men are hunting for the truth and looking for the codebook to manhood. At BraveCo, we are on a mission to heal the narrative of masculinity across a generation; fighting the good fight together because every man should feel confident and capable of facing his pain, loving deeply, and leading a life that impacts the world around him.

We just hit 200 episodes, and I wanted to do something different. Instead of one conversation, I’m counting down the 10 moments that have shaped the BraveCo community the most. These are the clips that hit men in the chest, brought real change into marriages, and reminded us what it means to live with a whole heart.

In this episode, you’ll hear why vulnerability isn’t weakness, and why hiding doesn’t make us strong. We talk about relationships and dating without all the pressure, what courage really is, and how the presence of God becomes an anchor when you’re wrecked on the inside. We also go straight at the stuff men don’t want to talk about: anxiety, the lies playing on repeat in your head, and how addiction is often a symptom of pain that never got a voice.

Here's the links to the TOP 10 from our 200 Episodes:
Number 1 - John Eldredge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOg88tcR1gg
Number 2 - Carl Lentz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e3vtBK3eS4&authuser=0
Number 3- Sathiya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY02c6mUukg&authuser=0
Number 4 - Dr. John Delony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aAq04ebRFI&authuser=0
Number 5 - Kris Vallotton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6_Yl7vW3t8&authuser=0
Number 6 - Todd Pierce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GLIjbpN9gY&authuser=0
Number 7 - Michael Koulianos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYpmAYFRYJY&authuser=0
Number 8 - Danny Silk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMEUtdpTyl0
Number 9 - Alley Vallotton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aicz5scd03w&authuser=0
Number 10 - Abi Stumvoll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBxCIvnFPGM

Chapter:
00:00 - 200 Episodes: 10 Moments That Shaped BraveCo
01:17 - #10 Brian Johnson: Vulnerability Isn’t Weakness
04:03 - #9  AlleyVallotton: Dating Without Pressure (Boundaries & Clarity)
06:23 - #8 Danny Silk: Courage, Story, and the Call to Rise
10:22 - #7 Michael Koulianos: Weakness, Pain, and the Nearness of God
12:24 - #6 Todd Pierce: Courage and the Fight Every Man Faces
15:16 - #5 Kris Vallotton: Weaponized Meditation & Spiritual Warfare
17:22 - #4 John Delony: Exposing the Lies Behind Anxiety
19:26 - #3 Sathiya: The Pain Beneath Porn and Addiction
22:14 - #2 Carl Lentz: Truth, Infidelity, and Rebuilding Trust  
24:55 - #1 John Eldredge: Strength on Behalf of Others
CONNECT WITH BRAVECO
Join Our Free Community for Men (ladies, sign up your man): https://www.braveco.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveco.men
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveco.men/
Shop: https://shop.braveco.org/
ABOUT BRAVECO: We live in a time where men are hunting for the truth and looking for the codebook to manhood. At BraveCo, we are on a mission to heal the narrative of masculinity across a generation; fighting the good fight together because every man should feel confident and capable of facing his pain, loving deeply, and leading a life that impacts the world around him.

Rite of Passage: A Clear Path Into Manhood register now: https://www.braveco.org/riteofpassage

No young man should stumble his way into manhood. In this episode, I sit down with my dad for a conversation that hit me in the chest: the difference between living like a slave and living like a son. We open John 15 and talk about how obedience is real, but it’s not the finish line. God is inviting us into friendship, into revelation, into the kind of inner transformation where we don’t just “do what we’re told,” we become like Him.

Then we go somewhere most people never take the Joseph story. Joseph didn’t just interpret a dream and “save the day.” We unpack how withholding revelation can create slavery, how a short-term solution can build a long-term prison, and why your gifting without a legacy mindset can accidentally harm the very people you’re called to serve. If you’re a man building a business, a family, or a ministry, this will challenge the way you define wisdom and success.

We also get practical: pruning, discipline, sonship, and the process God uses to mature a man—called, tested, equipped, commissioned. If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, fear mode, performance mode, or you’ve never known what it feels like to be a beloved son, this conversation will give you language and direction. At the end, I share a simple 5-minute daily exercise that can start rewiring your inner world: asking the Lord what He’s thinking about you.

Chapters:
00:00 - Rite of Passage: A Clear Path Into Manhood
00:50 - Welcome Back + Dad Joins the Conversation
03:44 - John 15: From Obedience to Friendship With God
07:17 - Joseph’s Dream: Revelation That Changes Everything
10:40 - The Twist: Joseph Enslaves Egypt
12:26 - Slavery Comes From Withholding Revelation
15:06 - Symptomatic Cures Become Tomorrow’s Slavery
18:15 - Your Home: Palace or Prison Depends on Revelation
30:49 - Initiation: Beloved to Sage (The Manhood Pathway)
47:32 - How to Build Sonship: 5 Minutes With God Daily
CONNECT WITH BRAVECO
Join Our Free Community for Men (ladies, sign up your man): https://www.braveco.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveco.men
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braveco.men/
Shop: https://shop.braveco.org/
ABOUT BRAVECO: We live in a time where men are hunting for the truth and looking for the codebook to manhood. At BraveCo, we are on a mission to heal the narrative of masculinity across a generation; fighting the good fight together because every man should feel confident and capable of facing his pain, loving deeply, and leading a life that impacts the world around him.