The Responsible Man's Roundtable

You're the guy people count on.

At work, you're the one who keeps things moving—projects, teams, clients, deadlines. At home, you're the steady one—paying the bills, handling the logistics, showing up when it matters.

You did what you were told a "good man" is supposed to do: Work hard. Provide. Don't complain. Be steady.

And yet, somewhere in the middle of all that, something shifted.

You feel squeezed from every direction. From above by executives and shifting priorities. From below by your team's needs and issues. From home by your partner, kids, parents, and finances.

On top of the pressure, there's a quieter, harder-to-name feeling:

Like the rules changed halfway through the game. What used to be valued—loyalty, grinding, being the reliable one—is now taken for granted or criticized. You're hearing a lot about what men should stop doing, and not much curiosity about what's actually happening in your life while you're trying to keep everyone afloat.

You're not looking for a pity party. But you also don't have many places where you can say:

"I've spent years being the responsible one. I'm tired. And I'm not sure I want the next 10 years to look like the last 10."

The Responsible Man's Roundtable (Off the Record) is an 8-week, closed, confidential group for men who carry the weight—professionally and personally—and want one protected hour a week to finally tell the truth, hear the truth, and think clearly about what comes next.

It's not therapy. It's not a networking club. It's a room where you don't have to perform.

What This Is & What It Isn't

This is a live, 8-week small group (5–10 men) meeting once a week for 60 minutes.

It Is

A closed, off-the-record roundtable for men with real responsibility
A place to talk honestly about work, pressure, money, marriage, kids, aging, and regret
A space to sort through how the "rules" around men, work, and family have changed, without being shamed or put on trial
Facilitated, but not scripted—no slides, no workbook, no homework
A room where you're not automatically the bad guy, and you don't have to pre-edit everything you say

It Is Not

Therapy or clinical treatment
A "men's support group" with cheesy exercises
A networking club where you pitch each other and trade leads
A place to posture, polish your story, or perform
A space to complain about "the world today" instead of taking responsibility for what you actually do next

The energy is simple: serious men, serious lives, real talk.

Who This Is For

You don't have to be a CEO for this to fit you. This is for men who feel responsible—for people, results, and income—even if they don't sit in the corner office.

You're likely:

In your late 30s, 40s, 50s, or early 60s
In a role like manager, senior manager, director, VP, or senior individual contributor (lead engineer, senior sales, principal, etc.)
People look to you to keep things running: projects, teams, clients, operations
You're a primary or major earner for your household
You feel pressure from both directions:
- Above: leaders, metrics, deadlines, shifting priorities
- Below: your team's needs, performance issues, constant questions

In your personal life:

You're in a long-term relationship or marriage that's functional, but under strain or emotionally distant
You're a father to teens, college students, or adult children—or a key male figure to younger family members
You may also be starting to support aging parents or other relatives

Internally, you may recognize:

Constant pressure: "If I screw this up, I let a lot of people down."
Provider fear: Quiet anxiety about money, job security, or being pushed aside for younger, cheaper talent.
Stuck-in-the-middle fatigue: Getting beat up from both sides—senior leaders and frontline staff.
A sense that the playbook changed without warning. What used to make you a "good man" is now often dismissed, misunderstood, or criticized.
Feeling like you're often cast as "the problem", while very few people are interested in what's actually going on with you.
Numbing or coping: Staying later at work, scrolling, drinking, eating, "just one more email" instead of going to bed.
Low-grade regret: Missed time with kids, a relationship running on autopilot, health you keep promising to take seriously "after this next crunch."

If some part of you reads that and thinks, "Yeah, that's more me than I'd like to admit," this roundtable is for you.

What You'll Get From These 8 Weeks

No magic hacks. No miracle formulas. But very real outcomes:

One protected hour a week where you're not "on"
Language for things you've been feeling but haven't put into words
Perspective from other capable men in similar roles (not 23-year-old bros, not retired billionaires)
A room where you're not automatically the villain, and you don't have to pre-edit everything you say to avoid being misunderstood
Clearer thinking about the next 5–10 years of your life and work
A sharper sense of what you're no longer willing to tolerate
A small set of specific, realistic changes you choose for yourself

You won't leave with a 27-step workbook. You'll leave with something better: clarity, honesty, and a few concrete agreements with yourself.

The 8-Week Roundtable Themes

Each session is 60 minutes. There's a clear weekly theme, but the conversation is driven by what you bring.

Week 1

The Mask & The Load

Theme: What I carry that no one really knows

You'll map out what you're actually responsible for: team issues, projects, targets, family, bills, parents, everything. We'll talk about the difference between how your life looks on the outside and how it feels on the inside—and what it costs to play "the rock" all the time.

Week 2

Work, Status & The Provider Script

Theme: If I stop pushing, who am I?

We'll dig into work, career, money, and being "the responsible one." What happens—to your identity, your relationships, your ego—if you lose the job, get passed over, or stop saying yes to everything? We'll also look at the sense that the rules at work have changed mid-game. You grew up with one idea of being a good man and good employee. Now the culture, expectations, and language have shifted. We'll sort out what's genuinely changing for the better, what's just noise, and how you want to respond without losing yourself.

Week 3

Marriage/Partnership & Emotional Distance

Theme: We're fine... but we're not close

You'll have space to talk honestly about your relationship: the ways it works, the ways it doesn't, and the conversations you're not having at home. We'll explore emotional distance, low-grade resentment, conflict avoidance, and the ways work becomes easier than dealing with what's not working in your personal life.

Week 4

Fatherhood, Legacy & Regret

Theme: What am I actually leaving my kids?

We'll look at what you learned from your own father (or father figures), what you're repeating, and what you're trying to do differently. We'll talk about regrets and things you're proud of, and what your kids are actually learning from the way you work and live now. We'll also name a modern tension: you grew up with one model of manhood, and your kids are growing up in a completely different narrative. It's easy to feel like you're either stuck in the past or constantly being told you're doing it wrong. This is a place to say that out loud and decide what kind of man you actually want to be in their eyes.

Week 5

Anger, Numbness & Coping

Theme: What I do with what I feel

We'll talk about how you actually handle anger, stress, disappointment, and fear: snapping at people, shutting down, sarcasm, working later, drinking, eating, zoning out. This is the room where you can name what you do without being judged or labeled. Not so you can beat yourself up, but so you can decide whether those habits are helping you—or quietly wrecking the life you say you're working so hard to provide.

Week 6

Body, Aging & Health Fears

Theme: What happens if this machine breaks down?

You'll look at the body that's been carrying all this load—sleep, weight, blood pressure, aches, energy, family health history, ignored checkups. We'll name the quiet health fears and what's likely to happen if you keep living as if you're indestructible. The question isn't "How do I get my 25-year-old body back?" It's, "What do I want the next 10–20 years to feel like, and what has to change to make that even possible?"

Week 7

What's No Longer Acceptable

Theme: If nothing changes, where is this heading?

We'll fast-forward the tape. If you live this exact life, with no changes, for 5 more years... what breaks first? Your health? Your marriage? Your patience? Your sense of self? You'll identify what you're no longer willing to tolerate from your job, your schedule, your habits, or yourself. We'll separate two lists: what you're done apologizing for, and what you are willing to take responsibility for. Then we'll talk about "minimum viable change" that's realistic for you.

Week 8

The Next 5 Years & Agreements With Yourself

Theme: What I'm committing to—on my own terms

In the final session, you'll boil down what you've learned about yourself over the 8 weeks and draft one or two clear agreements with yourself for the next 12–24 months. No grand resolutions. No fantasy overhaul. Just specific commitments you actually intend to keep, on your own terms. The group will help you reality-check them before you leave.

Format, Schedule & Investment

Virtual

Live via Zoom

5–10

Men per group

60 min

Per session

8 weeks

Consecutive

Group type: Closed (once the group starts, no new members join)
Confidential: Off the record — everyone agrees to strict confidentiality

Next Cohort

Wednesdays, 7:00–8:00 PM ET

[Start Date] – [End Date]

$1,250 USD

Full 8-week roundtable (Payment plans available)

Ground Rules

So you know what you're walking into. To make this work, we'll keep a few simple agreements:

Off the record: Nothing said in the group gets repeated outside it with names attached.
No posturing: This is not a place to impress anyone. If you want to keep the mask on, you don't need this group.
No fixing unless invited: If someone wants advice, they'll ask. Otherwise, we listen first.
You choose your depth: You never have to share anything you're not ready to say. You can pass.
Respect different lives: Our marriages, jobs, money situations, and backgrounds may be very different. Curiosity over judgment.

This is not therapy. I'm not acting as your clinician. This is an off-the-record, facilitated roundtable and coaching-style space for men who carry a lot. If you're in therapy, great—this can sit alongside it, but it doesn't replace it.

About Your Facilitator

MM

Mark Murphy

New York Times Bestselling Author & Founder of Leadership IQ

I've spent more than three decades working with leaders, managers, and teams—from frontline supervisors to C-suite executives. My research has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, and I've led leadership and performance programs for organizations around the world.

Over and over, I see the same pattern:

There's a group of men in the middle of the org chart who are quietly holding everything together. They're getting squeezed from both sides—senior leaders above, frontline staff and customers below—and doing it while also trying to be good partners, good fathers, good sons, and good providers.

They've spent years playing by the rules they were given: work hard, provide, don't complain, be dependable. Now they're hearing a very different story about what men should be, often with very little interest in what they're actually going through.

They're the ones everyone leans on. They're also the ones who rarely have a room where they can say, "This is a lot. I'm not sure how long I want to live like this," without someone panicking, judging, or turning it into a slogan about men in general.

I created The Responsible Man's Roundtable to be that room: a small, confidential space where men with real responsibility can finally tell the truth, hear the truth, and think clearly about what they want the next chapter of their life to look like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this only for executives?

No. Titles matter less than responsibility. If people depend on you at work and at home—and you feel that weight—this is for you, whether your business card says Manager, Director, VP, or something else.

Is this therapy?

No. This is not psychotherapy or medical treatment. It's a facilitated roundtable and coaching-style space. We'll talk about real, personal things—but I'm not acting as your therapist.

What if I'm not great at sharing feelings?

You'll fit right in. Most men in this group aren't. You don't have to be eloquent or emotional. You just have to be willing to be honest—starting with, "I don't know what I feel, I just know this isn't working."

Will I have to share my deepest secrets?

No. You control your depth. You'll never be forced to share anything you don't want to. That said, you'll get more out of this if you're willing to talk about things that actually matter.

What if I miss a session?

Life happens. The group will still meet, and you'll be welcomed back the following week. For confidentiality reasons, sessions are not recorded.

What if I'm already burned out?

A lot of men who join are very close to the edge. This roundtable is designed for that. If you're in serious mental health crisis, you should also be working directly with a licensed professional—but this can be a powerful part of your support system.