Men & Social Connection

I’ll never underestimate men’s capacity to speak from the heart under the right conditions - or the power of connection.

I sat with a group of blokes recently, each carrying their own version of ‘life’s not great right now’. And then something shifted: they started talking. Really talking.

One rugged bloke opened up about the shame he felt being so unwell while his wife and two kids were at home. He was stuck - didn’t know how to explain any of it to his kids. Then another rugged bloke, who’d barely said a word all session, looked up and said, “Mate, I’ve been through my ups and downs… been through this place a few times. I tell my kids, Daddy’s got to go to the feelings hospital to work on feeling better.”

The first bloke teared up. Thanked him. The whole room softened. Quiet nods everywhere.

A bunch of men, strangers an hour earlier, suddenly seeing each other - and helping each other carry the load.

It was bloody beautiful.