When a woman who’d written a bestseller for women called to ask for help reaching men, my first instinct was caution. But Dawn Williams is offering men something powerful, and her upcoming book, The Rebuilt Man, will help man rediscover the man they were created to be.

When you work at Dad4Kids, you get some very interesting phone calls. Just the other day I had a phone call from a lady named Dawn who was writing a book for men.

That sounded good except when she told me that she had written a book for women that was a number one best seller and that she wanted help to reach men.

The thought flashed across my mind. “Warwick, be careful, this woman could be a man-hating radical feminist. This plea for help could be some form of entrapment.”

Such women believe that masculinity is toxic. That men and manhood are the root of all evil and all men are just patriarchal oppressors. These women believe the only way that a man can help himself is to become more like a woman.

Introducing Dawn Williams

I needn’t have worried. Dawn Williams was the real deal and yes, she really wants to help men. Dawn wants men to not only find themselves, but to flourish as masculine men. She believes masculinity, like femininity, is a wonderful gift. The new book she is writing is called The Rebuilt Man.

The title reminded me of the Dads4Kids tagline: “Building Men, Growing Fathers, Changing Generations.” If you want to change the world you have to help rebuild men.

My gut tells me this could be another best seller. Why? Because she is getting men to help her write the book. Instead of telling them she is asking men — and that, my friends, is a world of difference.

What was really interesting is that she experienced domestic violence at the hands of a man. But she is not buying into the legacy media narrative that all men are abusers and all women are saints.

She knew that many men suffer from domestic violence from their wives or partners.

PASK (Partner Abuse State of Knowledge) findings, often cited by researchers like project director John Hamel, demonstrate near equal rates of perpetration between men and women across numerous samples. You can explore the Domestic Violence Research PASK Database to examine their comprehensive reviews.

Dawn was very aware of this research and believes it to be accurate. Through my personal experience watching my own mother’s occasional violence towards my father, I believe it to be true. It is worth noting that my father never once retaliated.

The Rebuilt Man Project

Dawn’s website tells the story well:

The Rebuilt Man Project is part of a broader movement and upcoming anthology that brings together real stories, research, and lived experiences from men who are willing to speak honestly about their journey of rebuilding.

This project explores the often-unspoken realities of men’s lives — from childhood dysfunction and formative experiences, through to relationships, personal struggles, identity, and emotional growth.

Alongside the research and case study component, selected contributors will also have the opportunity to be featured in The Rebuilt Man anthology as published authors, sharing their story in a powerful collective work of truth, resilience, and transformation.

Through honest insight and lived experience, the project aims to better understand the patterns that shape men’s behaviour, the challenges they face, and what true rebuilding looks like in real life.

The goal is to create deeper awareness for both men and women, bridge the gap in understanding, and offer pathways toward accountability, healing, and stronger, healthier relationships — while amplifying voices that are often unheard.

Dawn Williams is a woman on a mission. Her email of thanks to Dads4Kids is also a thank you to you as well, since together, we are helping her get her message out.

Dear Warwick & Dads4Kids,

Thank you for standing behind The Rebuilt Man — for believing in a project that gives men permission to tell the truth about their story, without shame and without needing to be “fully healed” first.

I know what it costs to speak honestly about the hard seasons. I’ve lived it myself, and I’ve watched hundreds of women find their way back to who they were before trauma, loss, and heartbreak tried to rewrite their story.

The Rebuilt Man is that same work, for men — a collection of real stories on breakdown, responsibility, and rebuilding, coming together as an anthology.

This project exists because every 40 seconds, somewhere in the world, a man takes his own life — often because he never had the language for his pain, or a safe enough space to speak it. We’re building that space.

[Watch Dawn share her vision to help men and give them a voice in this video.]

 

Here’s what’s happening right now:

We’re inviting men who’ve walked through hardship, addiction, trauma, or loss to apply as contributors and share their story

As part of the application, we’re asking every contributor to sit with and answer three questions:

1. What is a Rebuilt Man?
2. What does it mean to be a Rebuilt Man?
3. What’s missing for men to be able to heal and rebuild themselves?

These three questions are really the heart of the whole project. Maybe you can answer the questions yourself, then again, you may know a man who needs to sit with them or better still answer these questions. If you want to help you can apply or find out more here.

Please pass this information on to others. Thank you again for being part of this. It matters more than you know.

With gratitude,

Dawn Williams
Founder, The Rebuilt Movement

Lovework

I have done the Rebuilt Man Survey and you can too. We, as men, have all been through some hard times and most of us have some answers to share. Yes, you have to think but that is not a bad thing. Click the button below to start.

 

Yours for rebuilding men,

Warwick Marsh

PS: On behalf of Nat Marsh the new boss and the team at Dads4Kids I want to thank ALL the D4K Doners who help fund the important work of building men, growing fathers and changing generations. Together we can make a difference.

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Image via Adobe.