Why I Do This Work

A note from Justin McReynolds

"I was lost and didn't even know it."

A few years ago, I thought I had everything that was supposed to matter. A successful career at Cisco. Megan by my side. Two incredible sons. A life that looked successful from the outside. But inside, I was missing something I couldn't name. I lacked self-awareness. I made decisions that had seismic impact on those closest to me.

It took a crisis to wake me up. I found therapy. I found books. I found communities of strong men. I found stoicism and spirituality. I found me—and I've been becoming him ever since.

Here's what surprised me: I had incredible parents. A father who taught me to protect, to provide, to love—and a mother who was just as strong in her own way. They were both there. They gave me everything they had. But even with that foundation, I still got lost. Because no two people—no matter how good—can give us everything we need. We need a village. We need other guides. We need more.

So when I looked at Carson and Crosby, I didn't just want to match what my parents gave me. I wanted to build something more around them. More guides. More men. More of a village.

That journey led me to one question: What am I uniquely put on this earth to do?

"Where you come alive is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." — Frederick Buechner

I found mine: Lead boys and young men. Help them become men of integrity before the world teaches them the wrong lessons.

The Crisis We're Facing

Not every boy has what Carson and Crosby have. Not every boy has a father who shows up, a mentor who cares, anyone, teaching him what it means to be a man. The data is staggering:

70%

of all failing grades are boys

4×

higher suicide rate among boys than girls

34%

of boys are raised without a male figure at home

When healthy men don't show up, the internet raises our boys instead. And the lessons it teaches about manhood aren't the ones we'd choose.

What I'm Doing About It

This fall, I became a mentor with Journeymen Triangle—an organization that's been transforming boys into men of integrity for nearly 20 years. Every Friday, I show up at Mount Vernon Middle School in Raleigh to lead a mentoring circle with teenage boys.

We don't try to "fix" them—because they aren't broken. We meet them where they are. We model something many of them have never seen: men who listen, men who admit when they're wrong, men who keep showing up. We teach emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and what it means to take leadership in your own life.

In August, I met Ryker, Mert, Sergio, Julien, Brent, and Cody. They couldn't sit still. They disrupted everything. They trusted no one—especially not some guy who showed up claiming to care. By December, those same boys were cheering each other on, opening up about their home lives, their struggles, their girlfriends. From chaos to brotherhood. From skepticism to vulnerability. That's what happens when men keep showing up.

"I'll never not do this work. I am built and made for it."

How You Can Help

I've set a personal goal: raise $30,000 by May 1st to help Journeymen expand into three new communities. Each school or community group costs about $10,000 / year and serves 10-20 boys who desperately need men in their lives.

$1,250 sponsors one boy for a full year.

That's mentoring, retreats, and ongoing support.

You become the reason he has a man who shows up.

"The hour is late. No one is coming to save us but ourselves."

Will you join me?

With gratitude and purpose,

Justin McReynolds

Journeymen Mentor & Father of Two Future Men

Journeymen Triangle is a 501(c)(3). Your gift is fully tax-deductible.

Cisco employees: Your company matches dollar-for-dollar up to $10k (log your donation here)