A Field Manual for Fathers of Boys 2–12
If your boy is between 2 and 12, you are in the most formative window of his life. Base Camp 322 is a free 90-minute course that prepares fathers to be the steady, intentional presence their sons need and their wives are longing for.
90 minutes · Free access · No credit card required
A Word from David
Hey — before you dive in, here's what this is all about and what you can expect.
An Endorsement
"The internal work David guides fathers through—confronting the lies that hold us back, bringing purpose to chaos, and learning to truly be present—is exactly what we need during those formative years that shape our sons for a lifetime."
Todd W. Hall, PhD · Professor of Psychology, Biola · Author of The Connected Life
Chapter I
You show up. You provide. You coach the team and try to put your phone down at dinner. But your family feels more frazzled than formative.
The research is clear. Forming a secure attachment to a loving and authoritative father prepares boys for the future. Most men didn't come into fatherhood with a healthy blend of affection and authority. But you don't have to accept that as simply the way you are.
That voice telling you something is missing? It's right. You don't have to be perfect as a dad, but your son needs to see you wrestling your imperfections.
Chapter II — Why I Built This
I thought I was going to be a great dad. I committed my career to protecting women in childbirth — I helped a thousand babies into the world before I held one of my own — because I believed families are where people learn to flourish. Then I became a father, and discovered I wasn't.
I spent a decade becoming the kind of person who solves hard problems. I finished medical school, added a focus on public health, earned a Fulbright scholarship, and worked across continents on problems that mattered. None of it prepared me for fatherhood. In fact, fatherhood threatened the career I had built.
Becoming a dad broke me in a way that 80-hour weeks in medical training never did. Consistently loving my sons was the first problem I faced that I could not solve by working harder.
I had the discipline. I had the education. I had the desire. What I lacked was the courage to admit what was hindering me and the belief that life could be different if I faced my imperfections.
So I went deep into the research, sat under the best teachers I could find, and built a framework I could actually live. I trained under bestselling authors like John Townsend and Todd Hall. I studied attachment science, developmental psychology, and the theology of fatherhood. I condensed what I found into 90 minutes because I know your time is precious.
Chapter III — Why 322
I get it. Life feels like you're climbing a mountain with a smartphone in hand and a kid on your back. Men settle for good enough because they are waiting. For the next promotion, the next season, the next version of their life when things finally slow down. But next is an elusive taskmaster, and boys can't wait for their fathers to be ready.
Most of us are running on the wrong fuel. Fear burns hot. So does comparison and pressure and the need to prove something. But none of those fuels can carry a man across the long arc of fatherhood. They produce results that look like strength and crumble under pressure.
Men are made to run on love. Not expectations. Not passivity. The kind of love that is secure enough to walk a son through anything and honest enough to confront what gets in his way.
These men are free to give their families what they are desperately waiting for.
That is what Base Camp 322 is built for. It's not a long book to read or a podcast to consume. I'm not trying to help you get a six-pack or do my morning routine. I want to help you replace the fuel that's been driving you with something that actually holds. I want your wife to look at you like a man she respects. I want your kids to grow up with confidence. You were made to go on this journey. Don't settle for good enough.
Chapter IV — Why Base Camp?
Guys often think their role with boys is to toughen them up and get them ready for the real world. Boys need your strength, for sure, but strength cannot come before security.
Most fathers know how to help their sons get tough. Almost none of them know how to help their sons feel loved. I want to help you anchor that in your boy — before he wears himself out looking for it somewhere else.
When I lived in Tanzania, working in a teaching hospital, I journeyed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Everyone talks about the sunrise at the summit. That moment is breathtaking and it is worth it. But the sunrise is maybe 30 minutes of a seven-day journey after an arduous overnight hike.
Most of the trip involves getting to base camp. You spend days ascending and descending, moving slowly through different climate zones, letting your body adjust to the thinning air. Climbers who rush this process don't make the summit. The mountain turns them back. But the ones who respect the preparation — who do the unglamorous, incremental work of getting ready — earn everything the summit has to offer.
One day, your son will be a man. That is the summit. The ascent into manhood is coming whether you are ready or not. His years between 2 and 12 are about getting to base camp prepared for the climb of his teen years. This is where you come in.
The Framework
Stage One
Formation begins with confrontation.
I used to tell my boys that I'd wrestle an alligator for them, and I meant it. One day, God asked if I'd wrestle the beast inside me that was coming out in anger and competition. You'll learn about the reality of the false self and how to put it away.
Stage Two
Healthy families are formed on purpose.
Your family already has a culture. The question is whether it is the one you want. You will get on the same page with your wife to clarify your mission, messages, moments, and milestones.
Stage Three
Attachment forges confidence.
Strong boys are formed through a wholehearted commitment to comfort and challenge. You'll learn how attachment is more important than athletics and academics for young boys.
The course is 90 minutes of video across 14 sessions, designed to be done at your own pace alongside the people who matter most: your wife, a few trusted men, and your son. It comes with a Field Guide built for conversation, not solitary reading.
This course is shorter than a round of golf, but committing to the process will change your fatherhood forever.
But you can start here.
Field Reports
Base Camp 322 attacks the depths of what Christ-Centered fatherhood looks like and tailors to each individual. David does a spectacular job at attacking our inner beasts, setting up a direction to better lead your family, and how to better connect with your family to create a lasting impact on you and your family's life.
Jason
Project Manager, Father
Base Camp 322 has been a high-impact investment towards becoming a better leader for my family. As guys we often have clear roadmaps for our careers, finances, and/or gym routine; Base Camp 322 blazes a trail in areas more difficult to measure, and infinitely more important in the grand scheme. It'll help drive deeper connections with your spouse/kids and unlock more of that awesome dad potential we've all got inside of us.
Mike
Sales Analyst, Father
The Offer
For a limited time, BC322 is free to fathers. This is a passion project that I've been given the opportunity to create. I'm looking for a thousand fathers who change the course of their families because of the work in this course.
Claim Your Free Access →David is a lifelong learner who did the hard work for the sake of his family. He's a board-certified OB/GYN with a Masters in Public Health, where he focused on program planning and evaluation. After years in global health, he turned his attention to personal health and fatherhood. He also trained under best-selling author John Townsend in a rigorous coaching program — not content to just "wing it," but committed to drawing wisdom out of men through powerful questions and practical frameworks.
Yes. David is a committed follower of Jesus, and biblical wisdom is woven throughout. At the same time, the three stages — Stalk the Beast, Set Up Camp, and Stoke the Fire — are rooted in timeless psychological principles and practical tools you can adapt to your own worldview. Even if you don't share David's Christian convictions, you'll walk away with a clear plan for leading your son.
You can. The videos and field guide are designed for you to walk through on your own. But the greatest growth happens in conversation — with your wife, close friends, or a group of dads on the same path. That's why we emphasize "with your bride and your bros." Research and experience confirm that lasting change rarely happens in isolation.
Base Camp 322 sets the foundation. When your son is ready for adolescence, you'll have the tools to lead him into a fuller initiation journey, like Jon Tyson's Primal Path. The point is simple: finish Base Camp, and you and your son will be ready for the climb ahead.
No. Base Camp 322 doesn't load your calendar with new tasks. It helps you subtract the noise and shape the rhythms you already have. Early boyhood isn't about adding more — it's about living with intention in what you're already doing as a family.
No credit card · 90 minutes · Built to be done with your bride and your bros