Three Friends Created a Book and Podcast to Show Boys What It Takes to be a Real Man

3 friends launch a podcast and book to guide young boys into leading purpose-filled lives

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Both Gerard Droze and Michael Holoman have separately, while shopping, been approached by young men who recognized them. “It happened to me one time while I was in Walmart,” said Holoman. “He said, ‘I know you,’ and as he got closer, he adjusted his clothing, looked me in the eye, and gave me a proper handshake.”

While seemingly simplistic and basic, handshaking etiquette is not the only life skill that the two men—as well as their early counterpart Jabari Price—have taught underprivileged, struggling boys and young men over the years. Everything from how to speak clearly or tie a tie, to how to set goals and meet them has been instilled in upwards of 1,000 souls since the three business acquaintances-turned-friends collaborated on the book “The Makings of a Man.”

‘Someone Should ...’

When the three Columbia, South Carolina-based Blue Cross Blue Shield employees began spending time together over regular lunch breaks 14 years ago, conversations and observations increasingly centered on the blurring lines of male character development. They quipped about teenage boys’ baggy jeans; they fretted over young men of all races experiencing failure to launch; and they grieved when reading negative statistical information pertaining to the accountability of males. Despite their different backgrounds and upbringings, they worried over the growing culture of apathy and the lack of strong moral character in the boys and young men they encountered.