Front Row Dads with Jon Vroman

What does mature masculinity actually look like in fatherhood, marriage, and leadership?
Jeddy Azuma of Rising Man joins Front Row Dads to talk about rites of passage, masculine presence, and why boys need initiated men.
In this Front Row Dads interview, Jeddy Azuma shares a grounded and honest look at mature masculinity, fatherhood, rites of passage, and the role men play in creating safety, stability, and leadership at home.
Jeddy is the founder of Rising Man and helps men step into deeper responsibility, purpose, and masculine presence. In this conversation, he and Jon Vroman explore the difference between containment and control, why masculine leadership is often about having "the lowest heart rate in the room," and how men can stop making everything about themselves — even when they think they are serving others.
A major theme of the episode is initiation. Jeddy explains why fathers may not be the ones to initiate their own sons, why boys need trusted men and "uncles" in their lives, and why modern men still need rites of passage to mark important transitions.
This conversation is especially relevant for fathers, husbands, and business owners who want to lead with more presence, emotional maturity, and strength — without bringing battle energy into the home.
In this interview:
What mature masculinity looks like in fatherhood, marriage, and leadership

The difference between containment and control in masculine energy

Why fathers may not be able to initiate their own sons into manhood

How rites of passage help boys and men mark major life transitions

The hidden cost of bringing warrior energy into the home

Why men need brotherhood to process emotions before they spill onto the family

How fathers can model courage by doing hard things themselves

This conversation is for you if:
You're a father who wants to raise strong, emotionally grounded sons

You're a husband trying to lead at home without controlling everyone around you

You're a business owner who carries pressure, intensity, and battle energy into family life

You're a man who knows he needs deeper brotherhood, challenge, and initiation

You want to become more present, steady, and mature for the people you love most

Next Step:
If you're a family man with a business and you want to become more intentional as a father, husband, and leader, Family First is the next step.
frontrowdads.com/familyfirst
Connect with Jeddy Azuma:
Website: risingman.org/compass
Instagram: @JeddyAzuma
#Fatherhood #RitesOfPassage #MatureMasculinity #MensWork #FrontRowDads

Kyle Cease is a New York Times bestselling author, former stand-up comedian, and creator of Evolving Out Loud. He's done over 15,000 one-on-one coaching sessions and spoken to crowds of thousands completely unscripted. He and Jon met 20 years ago at a Tony Robbins event and recently reconnected through their mutual friend Hal Elrod when Kyle moved to Austin.
What starts as a conversation about Kyle's work turns into a real-time coaching session where Jon opens up about patterns he's been carrying for years. This is not a polished interview. It's two men letting the conversation go wherever it needs to go.
What they get into:
→ Why your triggers are mirrors showing you something about yourself
→ The shadow of achievement and the wound of unworthiness underneath it
→ What happens when you stop needing your wife to hear you and start hearing yourself
→ The difference between agenda-driven living and soul-driven living
→ Why the patterns that made you successful are the ones ready to go → How Kyle lets his 8-year-old daughter lead their adventures by listening to her heart
→ The healing process: catch the pattern, stop feeding it, find the core wound, bring love to it
→ Why letting everything fall apart might be the most powerful thing you can do
→ Love liberates. It doesn't bind. What that actually means in a marriage.
If you've done years of personal growth work and still feel stuck in certain patterns, this conversation might crack something open.
🌐 kylecease.com
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You don't need another thing on your calendar. You need the one thing that makes everything else better. Family First is a live weekly call for dads who protect their priorities → https://frontrowdads.com/family-first/

FRD members Jason Lee and Taylor Frame sit down for a real conversation about what's actually working at home right now. Jason has a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old and is deep in the sleepless years. Taylor has a 10-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 3-year-old and has been through it. Different phases, same mission. Two dads comparing notes.
 
What they get into:
→ Why both of them filter all productivity and business advice through one question: do you have kids? 
→ Why every kid is a different project and you can't parent them the same way 
→ How Taylor built systems around outdoor living (e-bikes, outdoor showers, gear stations) because his family falls apart the minute they go inside 
→ Why Jason is learning to stop resenting the middle-of-the-night wake-ups and start seeing them as moments he'll miss 
→ The question Taylor asks instead of "be careful" that gives his kids room to think before they jump 
→ How Jason uses a harness to let his kids learn to run and fall without smashing their face 
→ Taylor gave his 10-year-old $100 at a mall and what she did with it surprised him 
→ Why a good life isn't a life without problems and why the hard parts are usually the best parts
 
If you're in the early years and feeling like you can't see straight, this one's for you. If you're past them, it'll remind you how far you've come.

FRD member Mike Green with a quick one for dads before Mother's Day. If you've ever scrambled at the last minute, grabbed flowers from Trader Joe's, and hoped for the best, this is for you.
Mike breaks down the Platinum Rule, which is not treat her the way you want to be treated, but treat her the way she wants to be treated. Sounds simple. But how do you actually know what she wants? Mike shares three curiosity tools that replace guessing with intention:
→ Ask — but ask thoughtfully and early, not the night before → Observe — watch for the patterns, what drains her, what lights her up, take notes months ahead → Empathy — step into her world and feel what this season of life actually feels like for her
Then he gives you a simple past, present, future filter to design a day that's actually about her experience, not just your effort. Short, practical, and worth 6 minutes of your time before Sunday.

FRD member Mike Green sits down with fellow FRD member Danny Mulvihill for a conversation every dad needs to hear. Danny is a father of two daughters (10 and 14) and has been married for 17.5 years. For most of his adult life, he was the master of "I'm sorry, but." The words were there but the energy was off.
Two years ago, after a heated argument with his older daughter, his wife pushed him to go upstairs and repair it before bed. He didn't want to. He climbed those stairs, fighting it every step. But what happened when he got there changed how he shows up as a father.
They get into:
→ How to name the specific thing you did wrong and then stop talking
→ Why you can be right or you can be connected, but rarely both at the same time
→ How the repair process actually shortens the gap between blowing up and catching yourself
→ Why proper repair is sometimes better than never having the rupture at all
→ The long-term stakes of how you apologize to your daughters and what it teaches them to accept in future relationships
→ How learning to repair opened the door to showing real emotion in front of his kids for the first time