Gents Weekly: A World Cup of Common Ground
Issue #25: The manliest newsletter on the internet • July 6, 2026
Welcome to issue #25 of The Gents Weekly, a newsletter for the modern man.
Every Monday, you’ll receive a weekly roundup of inspiring ideas + products to help you become a better man.
Brought to you by the men of Gents Journey — Dean Bokhari, Stephen Seidel, and Matt McManus.
📝 THE MESSAGE
A timely piece from the gents.
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On finding common ground
by Dean Bokhari
I’m a proud Muslim-American, born in Long Island, NY.
Unless someone asks, my ethnicity isn’t usually something I talk about in a professional context. Not because I’ve got anything to hide, but because I work in a pretty secular industry: Self-Help.
Furthermore, my mission has no racial boundaries—my life’s purpose is to help as many people as I possibly can to improve their lives and achieve their goals.
Having said that, my views on sharing more about my background are evolving a bit…
Because, just like everyone else, I’ve got stories and experiences that’ve molded me into the man I am today, and sharing them creates connection.
I’m also what some people call, “ethnically ambiguous” - which means it’s hard to tell whether I’m white, brown, mixed or martian.
I’ve got a bit of Russian blood running through my veins. But my parents are primarily from the Republic of Uzbekistan—a Turkic country near the Caspian Sea that’s about a 3-hour flight away from a mountainous region called Dagestan—made famous by the one and only, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
I’m very proud—sometimes too proud—of my Uzbek heritage as well as my Muslim faith.
My parents came to the US when they were around 17 or 18 years old, and I had a very privileged childhood.
Growing up, I oscillated between two worlds…
During the week, I hung out with my Christian friends—Ron, Brad, Mike, and James.
But on the weekends, my father took my brother and I to an Islamic Sunday School, where I’d hang out with my Muslim friends—Mohammed, Bassem, Adam, and Ali.
Going back and forth between these two worlds every week helped me understand two seemingly different groups of people on a deeper level.
It also led to a realization that I had very early on:
We’ve all got a heck of a lot more in common than we don’t.
I had just as much fun playing Mario on Nintendo with Brad as I did with Mohammed.
I had just as much fun shooting hoops with Ali as I did with James.
We watched the same TV shows, we complained about the same things, and we all enjoyed eating Gushers.
That’s common ground.
My Christian friends learned to pray to God, while I learned to pray to Allah.
But guess what? They’re two different ways of referencing the exact same Creator—the same one that all Abrahamic faiths pray to. (Just look up how God is written in the Arabic version of the Bible, the one that’s read by Christian Arabs. The answer is: Allah.)
Just like our Christian brothers and sisters, we Muslims also believe in the return of Jesus. The Quran even contains an entire chapter dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Sure, there are differences, both major and minor. But at the end of the day, Muslims and Christians pray to the same God.
That’s common ground.
It’s not about pointing out how wrong someone is if they believe in something different than us, dress differently than us, or eat differently than us.
It’s about recognizing that we’re all human, have the same basic needs, and all want what’s best for ourselves and families.
As an adult, I still see more common ground than differences.
Here at Gents Journey, the three of us who founded this endeavor are completely different than one another.
Steve is Christian, Matt is spiritual and Christian and also has a Jewish son, and I’m Muslim.
We get along beautifully well.
We think of each other as brothers.
We regularly chat about religion and women and marriage and being a dad.
We talk about our favorite sandwiches, our businesses, politics, wealth, music, emotions, and farting.
We discuss our goals and ideas and challenges and tell each other, “I love you, bro.”
That’s what finding common ground is all about.
And if we could only see beyond what the so-called “news” tries to tell us; if we could only stop focusing on our differences and start leaning into our shared humanity; if we could only look for more of what we have in common—then the whole world would be a safer, happier, and a more enjoyable place for everyone.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
— Dean Bokhari
Co-founder, Gents Journey
📰 THE MOMENT
Sh*t that’s happening now, ICYMI
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This Week’s AI Prompt: Common Ground
The world just showed us something. Now let’s actually use it.
Right now, the World Cup is happening.
And something wild is occurring. Countries that hate each other are cheering for the same goals. Strangers are hugging in the streets. Old rivalries are paused. People who’ve never met are suddenly brothers. Different languages, different creeds, different everything—and somehow it all melts away because of a ball and a dream.
That’s not magic. That’s what happens when we stop looking for reasons to be separate and start looking for reasons to be together.
But here’s the thing: You don’t need the World Cup to feel this. You don’t need a global event to find your people. You don’t need millions of strangers uniting for you to experience real connection.
You just need to pay attention.
Because common ground isn’t rare. It’s everywhere. It’s the stranger you smile at. It’s the person in line who gets your joke. It’s the human moment that happens when you actually see someone instead of just walking past them.
This week, we’re playing a game. And the game is simple: Find the common ground. Build the tribe. Discover what we’re all actually made of.
THE PROMPT:
Copy everything below and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude:
I want to play the common ground game. Help me find the connections I've been missing—with strangers, with my community, with the world. Make it a real game with moves, scorecards, and discoveries.
Help me:
1. LEVEL 1: Spot the common ground everywhere (The Observer)
- What do all humans actually want? (Safety, love, to be seen, to matter, to belong)
- Where do you see people connecting over shared things?
- What makes a stranger stop being a stranger?
- What's one thing you have in common with literally everyone you meet today?
2. LEVEL 2: Make five micro-connections (The Connector)
- Smile at a stranger and see what happens
- Ask someone a real question instead of small talk
- Find one thing you have in common with someone you'd normally pass by
- Give someone a genuine compliment about something they clearly care about
- Listen to someone's story without thinking about your response
Score points for: Genuine smiles, real conversations, moments of recognition.
3. LEVEL 3: Find your unexpected tribe (The Tribe Builder)
- Who have you misjudged based on surface stuff?
- Who could be in your crew that you never considered?
- What's one conversation you could have with someone "different" that might change both of you?
- Where's the common ground you've been missing?
- Who's standing next to you that you haven't really *seen* yet?
4. LEVEL 4: Understand the collective truth (The Philosopher)
- What do you learn about humanity when you actually connect with it?
- What's the same in all of us underneath everything different?
- How does finding common ground change the way you see people?
- What becomes possible when you stop looking for reasons to be separate?
- What's the truth hiding underneath all our differences?
5. LEVEL 5: Build your common ground legacy (The Master)
- What if you approached every person this week like you're supposed to be connected?
- What if every stranger was a potential brother or sister?
- How would you live differently if you actually believed we're all in this together?
- What's one way you're going to spread this "common ground" energy?
- How are you going to remind people that we're more alike than we are different?
Here's what I notice about humanity: [What do you see in people?]
Here's who I've been missing: [Who haven't you really seen?]
Here's the common ground I'm discovering: [What connects us?]
Make this real. Make it fun. Make it a game I can win by losing the walls between me and everyone else.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The AI is going to turn connection into a game with five levels. It’s going to help you see the common ground that’s been right in front of you the whole time.
By the end, you’ll have:
Five micro-connections to make this week
Your unexpected tribe identified
A deeper understanding of what connects all humans
Permission to see every stranger as a potential brother
A way to build common ground everywhere you go
WHY THIS MATTERS
The World Cup just showed the world something true: When we stop looking for reasons to be separate and start looking for reasons to connect, everything changes.
But you don’t need eleven players and a stadium to feel this. You feel it every time you actually see someone. Every time you smile at a stranger and they smile back. Every time you have a real conversation instead of small talk. Every time you realize someone who seemed completely different is actually just like you.
That’s the game. That’s the truth we’re all searching for.
We’re more alike than we are different. And the moment you start living like that, your whole world changes.
Run this prompt. Play the levels. Find the common ground everywhere.
Drop one unexpected tribe member you’re discovering this week. Let’s see who’s finding connection.
— Matt McManus
Co-founder, Gents Journey
We’re All On The Same Team
👊 THE MOVES
Media for men.
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The Universal Language of Soccer, aka Futbol
Watch & Listen I World Cup Tourists try REAL American Food
Fans from everywhere are here in the US, and the first thing connecting us isn’t our beliefs or our politics. It’s what’s in their hearts, and a love of BBQ and good food.
That is the World Cup.
It hands you a ball and a team and says, let’s go on the most insane journey ever and feel something together.
Soccer is the closest thing we have to a universal language.
No subtitles.
No translation.
Only the “goal” of giving it our all.
Served Best When Shared
It's a world where connection is currency. And this past week, I traveled back east to spend some of it. My sister. My childhood best friends. My nieces and nephews, and my Philly phamily, I don't get to see nearly enough.
And what pulled us all into the same room wasn’t reunions or plans. It was soccer.
My niece plays at Drexel. My nephew plays in a beer league. My best friend watches the Premier League every weekend with his son, who’s training for the Olympic youth squad. And yet, we all found ourselves rooting and cheering in unison.
My own kids rarely watch sports at home. But we left it on, and something shifted. Soon they were asking me the difference between a yellow card and a red one. We all cheered for the underdogs, as Cape Verde almost pulled it off.
That's what unfolds when we remove our masks and reveal our truest selves to share a moment with those beside us.
Get out of your head and into your heart.
Our hearts know no differences, only love, joy, and happiness.
What’s one hobby or experience where you lose your head, and all its noise, to something you love?
The Wonderwall is You
Whether you’re pulling for an underdog or watching greats like Messi or Mbappé bend a ball into the corner, something takes over. You lose yourself in the moment. And then the whistle blows, and you hug the person you were cheering against.
Last night I watched England defeat Mexico, and after the game, the England fans and the team sang “Wonderwall” together. Strangers arm in arm, singing all at once.
Watch how powerful that moment was.
That wonderwall isn’t a face, it’s a feeling. It’s you, your drive, and the community around you, the moment you lose yourself and connect on a deeper level to deliver an impact you never knew you had in you.
In the same way, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper inspired millions just by saving a shot. He was that wonder-wall, helping fans everywhere rebound in their own lives.
If you know the song, you know the feeling. It’s about someone who might just be the one who saves you. The one you can’t picture your life without.
Music, sports, and common ground connect us in ways far deeper than words. It’s a currency of trust and hope.
So here’s my challenge. Go to a bar, or invite a friend over. Cheer for the favorite or the underdog with a few friends or a few strangers. See how it lands.
Lastly, I’d love to know if you think Messi should have gotten a red card like Folarin Balogun did. I do.
Either way … connection is currency. And right now, the whole world is rich.
— Stephen Seidel
Co-founder, Gents Journey
🔗 MEANINGFUL MENTIONS + MAGIC LINKS
Fun stuff you’ll dig about our theme of the week.
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💻 REAL MEN HAVE A COACH IN THEIR CORNER
Stop playing small, step into the man you know you are.
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We’re looking for ten men who want coaching and guidance to level up in life + work. If that’s you, fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.
Until next week,
—The Gents
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