Our Story

It began with a book, a personal transition and a question: What comes next?

In 2019, my wife gave me a copy of David Brooks’ book, The Second Mountain. Its premise immediately resonated with me: after our primary career, there is still an opportunity to find meaning, purpose, connection and a new way to flourish.

I was beginning to experience that transition myself.

After 35 years with Armstrong World Industries, including more than a decade as an executive, my position was eliminated as the company reduced businesses and geographies served. I went to work with several other companies, but by 2022 I knew I was searching for something different.

The idea behind The Second Mountain stayed with me. I began wondering whether my own "second mountain” might be helping other men navigate the transition from their primary careers into whatever comes next.

That transition can be harder than it looks. Careers provide structure, identity, relationships and a sense of relevance. And many men are not naturally inclined to talk openly about uncertainty, purpose, vulnerabilities or what they want the next chapter of life to look like.

So I decided to act on the idea.

My longtime friend Tom Baldrige and I began exploring how we might create something to help men approach this transition more intentionally and alongside others facing many of the same questions.

We soon realized that we needed help developing the content and structure. Through friends we were introduced to Steve Heisey. Steve joined Tom and me, and in May 2023 our equal partnership was formed.

From the beginning, we built a cohort model around commitment, openness, participation and relationships. Members would move through the experience together — discussing meaningful topics, sharing experiences and challenging one another to think differently about what comes next.

Our first cohort included 13 men, some already retired and others approaching retirement. Their encouragement and feedback shaped the program.

They continued for a second year in 2025. Then in 2026, the members chose to continue meeting in their 3rd year on their own — rotating responsibility for discussion topics and gathering for dinner afterward.

That may be the best evidence of what we hoped to create.

My2ndMountain started as a question about what comes next. It has grown into a community of men helping one another pursue the next chapter with greater purpose, connection, and intention.

And the story is still being written.