Maybe you're doing just fine.But you were meant for more than just fine.
A weekend retreat for men in the Southern Nevada Mountains where you face what you have been carrying, alongside men doing the same, and go home with less of it. Real men's work. Twenty-four men, Friday 2 p.m. to Sunday 5 p.m.
You have been carrying something a long time, alone. A habit you can't stop. Anger at the wrong people. A marriage gone quiet. A feeling that other men have something you missed.
You don't have to name it yet. You do have to be willing to say it out loud, with men who came to say theirs.
Men who have been through the weekend
I did not feel as if I belonged to the world of men until after my weekend.Stephen · Tennessee, USA
It taught me how to be aware of my emotions, what I'm feeling, and why. It helped diminish my shame.Isaac · New York, USA
The weekend has shown me that I am not alone in my struggles. That there is hope, but also hard work that I need to do.Voytek · Poland
What you go home with
Four things. Each within reach of a man willing to be honest for two days.
Peace with yourself
You are good and valuable as you are, right now, today. Most of what you carry is shame, and shame gets smaller when you say it out loud to men who don't flinch. You go home with less of it.
Your closest relationships
Old wounds show up in your closest relationships. Your wife, your kids, your father get anger and distance that belong to someone else. You learn to see it, and you go home with more to give them.
The world of men
Maybe you have always felt like other men belong to something you were never let into. Here you sit with men who see your weak places and stay. You find out what real strength looks like, and that you have some.
Your own choices
You know what you value. Your days don't always match it. Once you have dealt with what is underneath, getting your choices back in line with your values, your faith, and your goals stops being a fight. You go home with a direction you chose.
What you will face, and what you will find
Over two days you confront the fear, the old wounds, the patterns you keep repeating, and the things you have never told anyone. You do it with men beside you, not alone in your head. Nobody sits in rows taking notes.
Guided journaling. Anger and grief work, contained and safe. Naming shame and setting it down. Reconnecting with the younger parts of yourself that learned to stay guarded. Role-play that makes an inner conflict visible enough to work with.
Some of it is hard, and it is meant to be. To get to the other side you will be asked to open up, trust the men running it, and set your pride down for two days. Men who keep their guard up leave with what they came with.
You can decline any process, at any time, for any reason. Nobody pushes, and nothing you disclose is required. This is said at the start and it stands all weekend.
Why this works when willpower hasn't
You have probably tried willpower. It did not last, and not because you are weak. Something underneath is still driving: a need that never got met, or a wound nobody looked at. The weekend goes after that, with you. Once it has been seen, the behavior has less to feed on.
What this is not
Not a church retreat.
Men of every faith come, and men of no faith. Nobody will preach at you or tell you what to believe. We work inside whatever you already believe.
Not therapy.
The work can be deeply therapeutic. It is not clinical treatment, diagnosis, or ongoing counseling.
Not a lecture.
Nobody talks at you or tells you how to live.
Not a motivational seminar.
No hype. No cheerleading. No one telling you to push through with more willpower.
Who is in the room
The men who come
Ages 21 into the seventies, most in their thirties to fifties. Single, married, divorced, widowed. Christians of every denomination, Jews, Muslims, men of no faith. From across the country and overseas.
The men who run it
Peer-led. The fifteen to twenty volunteers who run each weekend have done their own, and keep doing their own work. They aren't paid, and they are not acting as therapists.
The shape of the weekend
- Friday, 2:00 p.m.We begin
Doors open at 1:30. Bring photo ID; phones stay in your car. Every man signs a confidentiality agreement, and it is read out loud in the room before anything starts.
- Friday to SundayTwo nights on site
Cabins or a dorm, bunk beds, six meals with the same men. Nobody comes and goes; being together the whole way through is part of how this works.
- Sunday, 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.We finish
Lunch is the last meal. If you're flying, leave room to get back to Las Vegas.
- The weeks afterThree follow-up sessions
Online or by phone, with the same men, so what you started does not stop when you get home.
Nobody here is paid. The fee covers the weekend.
That covers the camp, two nights, six meals, a journal and a take-home booklet, and the three follow-up sessions after you go home. Staff are unpaid volunteers. A $350 deposit reserves your spot, and it's fully refundable up to thirty days out.
Brothers & Friends discount. Come with a friend, a mentor, or a family member and the two of you pay $1,150, $575 each. Deposit for two is $580. It is easier to walk in beside a man you trust.
If the number is the thing in the way, say so. There is a sponsorship fund and there are payment plans. Submit the application anyway and someone will get in touch.
Questions men ask before they come.
Before you decide
Is it confidential?
Yes, and it is taken seriously. Every participant signs a strict confidentiality agreement. It is also said out loud, in person, at the start of the weekend and again at the end. Deep work is not possible without it.
Will my faith be respected?
Yes. A New Man is not a religious retreat, but it is a faith-affirming community. Christians of all denominations come, along with Jews (orthodox, conservative, reform, non-observant), Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others, as well as men who are agnostic or of no particular faith. We never intentionally challenge your beliefs, your lack of belief, your morals, or your values. We work inside the framework you already have. We do teach the spiritual principle of surrender to God and his divine will as part of a broader program of healing. We also make sincere efforts to accommodate Jewish Sabbath observance, and our senior staff are familiar with what that requires.
Is there a minimum age?
Yes. You must be at least 21 on the day the program starts. Bring photo ID.
What if I'm not sure I can handle it?
You can pass on any process, at any time, for any reason, and that choice is honored. You are never required to disclose anything. You can also leave the program altogether at any point. No one is kept anywhere they don't want to be.
What if I have physical limitations?
The weekend is not physically rigorous, and most of the work is indoors. We expect to accommodate limitations related to age, weight, fitness, health, or disability. Each man is responsible for taking care of himself physically and for telling staff what they need to know.
Getting there
Where exactly is it?
For security reasons the location is confidential to everyone except paid participants. Once you've paid at least a full deposit, you'll be sent the specific location. The nearest airports are listed on the registration form when you pay. The closest is Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas. The venue is chosen for privacy and for being genuinely set apart from ordinary life.
When does it start and end?
We start at 2:00 p.m. Friday. Do not arrive before 1:30 p.m., and do not arrive after 2:00 p.m. We finish between about 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Build your travel around that, and if you're flying, leave enough time between the airport and the site.
Is transportation provided?
No. We help coordinate carpools among men flying into the same airport or driving from the same direction, but getting yourself there and back is yours to arrange.
What are the accommodations like?
Not luxurious. Rooms are in cabins or a dorm setting, with bunk beds. Earplugs are strongly recommended in case of snoring.
Preparing
What should I bring?
Legal photo identification, such as a driver's license or passport. Layered indoor and outdoor clothing and shoes for a camp setting in the Southern Nevada Mountains in November; nights get cold. Any prescribed or over-the-counter medication you need, and an inhaler if you have any history of asthma. Toiletries, a towel, and soap. A refillable water bottle with your name on it. Earplugs.
What should I leave at home?
All electronic devices, including phones and watches, stay at home or in your car and aren't used at all during the program. The exception is health equipment such as a CPAP machine. No alcohol. No recreational or illegal drugs. Food isn't allowed in the residential rooms, so anything you bring, including kosher food, is kept in the site's kitchen. And nothing that would pull you or another man out of the work.
Can I call home during the weekend?
We ask you to agree not to make or take calls, and to leave your phone in your car for the whole weekend, so that everyone stays present rather than half-tracking what's happening at home or at work. You'll be given an emergency number to leave with your family. If your circumstances are unusual, talk to the weekend leader when you arrive.
What about food and dietary needs?
Registration asks about dietary requirements. The cooks accommodate most common restrictions, including vegetarian meals, though not kosher or halal. In unusual cases you may need to bring and prepare your own food and keep it in the kitchen.
Can I leave for part of the time?
We ask you to stay on site for the whole weekend, from Friday afternoon to Sunday late afternoon. Being together continuously is a real part of how this works. If you leave the premises, you won't be able to return. Leaving the program entirely is always your choice, at any time.
Leave Sunday a new man.
You have been carrying this a long time, and nobody showed you how to put it down. Come do it with men who have. The next weekend is November 6 to 8.
Questions? Call a man that has been through this before. 1-949-531-1325
Plenty of men thought about it for years first. Read the questions men ask before they come, or call and ask when the next weekend is. There is no email sequence behind that request.