Forging Grit: some thoughts on fatherhood and brotherhood.
I grew up in Alaska. I live in California, now. raising three boys of my own. Our zip code may have changed, but the values I want to pass on haven’t: grit, humility, and a deep connection to the natural world.
These photos are from a trip to Alaska with my four-year-old so. But it’s also about a lifelong friend, and the quiet power of choosing a life that’s deliberate and raw.
I've known Chuck Casella for 15 years. We’ve trained jiu-jitsu together, got our brown belts side by side, and leaned on each other through the hard resets life sometimes demands. When Chuck was going through one of those resets, reimagining his priorities around jiu-jitsu, hunting, archery, and snowboarding,he was living at my house.
That’s where Grit Knives was born: not in a boardroom, but at my dining table. Chuck was sketching, dreaming, building, and mailing them out one by one. It started as an obsession with utility and minimalism and stripping things down to the details that matter.
I want my sons to grow up as grapplers, not bullies. Fishermen and hunters who understand life and death, but aren’t cruel. Carpenters and welders who build things with their hands, but don’t think of themselves as mere laborers. Pilots and mountain climbers, not because those are careers, but because they’re metaphors for courage and self-reliance.
This summer, I took my four-year-old to Alaska for the first time. He caught a wild salmon with his own hands. We landed a Super Cub on a gravel beach, cooked a rockfish over an open fire, and slept in a tent in bear country. I watched him learn what it means to be capable, curious, and calm when the wind shifts.
That’s how men are made. Not in a classroom. Not through screen time. But by learning to tie knots, gut fish, and listen to the woods.
Dr. G
Why Grit Matters
To me, “grit” isn’t just a company. It’s a character trait. It’s what Chuck was building when he started making knives instead of excuses. It’s what I hope my boys are learning, one scraped knee and fish spine at a time. And it’s what every Grit Knife is made to reflect: enduring sharpness, simple strength, and the discipline to do hard things well.
If you're holding a Grit Knife, you’re holding a piece of that journey. You’re buying into more than a blade,you’re buying into a way of life.