Many times when the latter part year starts to wind down, and the new year is coming upon us, people tend to focus on the major holidays approaching and start making intentional time to relax with family and friends.
Not so much Cuts and Coaching President Baron Warren, however.
The 36-year-old Detroit native found himself in a local Starbucks nearly every day during these holiday months in 2019 (and early 2020) working on what became his first publication, The 5 Steps to Manhood.
Now, Warren, also a mentor, is adding the title of best-selling author to his canvas of work alongside national speaker and life coach. However, the road was not always easy for Warren, especially at a young age.
“Coming up in the inner city, I had a tough time academically and went to jail one time when I was an adolescent,” Warren said. “I didn’t know some of those do’s and don’ts and what it took to be a man of integrity. I had a lot of male examples around me, but they were poor examples. They were using drugs and alcohol, going to prison, womanizing, and I honestly thought that’s what being a man is all about, until I joined the military.”
Although the Detroit native was in jail for a short period, he knew it was time to change his life course. Warren then joined and served in the Navy, cultivating him into a man of integrity, cleaning his life up, and working as a barber. He described it as the best move he has ever made.
“Those guys [Navy] showed me how to be a man, showed me how to be a gentleman, showed me how to groom myself properly, helped me value education,” Warren said. “There’s a lot of guys, just like me, in Detroit and all of them can’t join the military so who’s going to take them by the hand? So that’s what fueled me, I said I got to go back home and help those other males in need, help them cross the finish line into manhood.”
After eight years of service, Warren worked in various positions in the community, like as a correctional officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Overtime, Warren’s positive influence expanded to the national level. Around four years ago, he quit his job and committed fully to taking his multifaceted show on the road as a motivational speaker and coach across the country. Ranging from youthful children to middle aged adults, Warren only wants to help those in need, all his motto in mind, “Helping males cross the finish line.”
“I’m in the school system trying to stop the boys from going, and I’m in the prison system to help them stay out,” the servant leader said. “You don’t become a man on your 18th birthday, you don’t become a man when you get a girl pregnant, you don’t become a man when you use drugs and alcohol, no, you become a man when you decide to live a life of integrity.”
Alongside the importance of honor, Warren emphasized that the definition of a man must rest on what he calls the three P’s: pastor, protector and provider of the household. Garnering this understanding and philosophy towards manhood, not only did it translate over to his talks inside schools and prisons, but it allowed him to form his own five steps for others.
“I’m giving those steps by telling my life story,” Warren said. “I remember when I was 13, and 14, and 15 kind of clueless on what it meant to be a man. So, that’s where my passion comes from because I love them, and I’m scared for them because one wrong turn could send them on a path to destruction.”
The book’s final touches were finished around January 2020 and was released in February. Through this, the new author was able to organize a book signing a few weeks before the pandemic, boosting the product’s success.
Not only do locals appreciate the book’s guidance, but Warren received endorsements from celebrities such as Cedric The Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Lisa Leslie, Charlamagne Tha God and Taye Diggs.
Stemming from book’s his five-step series idea, Warren has created 5 Minutes to Manhood, a YouTube series providing tips and guidance for males.
“You aren’t living unless you’re being of service to someone,” Warren said. “I don’t care if it’s at a prison yard or at the local Coney Island in Detroit, if there’s a male in need I want to talk to him.”
For more information or to purchase the book visit https://baronwarren.com/.