Two of the most important men to Gus Worland departed his life in shocking and unexpected ways. Gus' grief led him to dig deeper into what it means to be a strong man and re-frame vulnerability as something powerful.

TV and radio host Gus Worland grew up with some deeply rooted ideas about what it meant to be a man and a good bloke.

When Gus was just 10 years old, his father left the family home for reasons Gus didn't understand or even know about until many years later.

Then, when Gus was an adult, the role model who had filled the gap left by his father also disappeared.

All the unresolved grief he felt prompted Gus to almost spontaneously open up one morning on his radio program on Triple M.

What began as an impulsive moment of vulnerability turned into a national conversation, and led Gus to dig deeper into his own understanding of what it means to be a strong man.

Content warning: this episode of Conversations discusses suicide and mental health issues.

If you or anyone you know needs help there is always someone available at:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

This episode of Conversations explores sexuality, fatherhood, parenting, love, homosexuality, male suicide epidemic, masculinity, vulnerability, honesty, origin stories, opening up, seeking help, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideations, speaking up, mateship, friendship, the Grill Team, mental fitness, coming out stories.

Further information

You can learn more about Gus' work in suicide prevention at the Gotcha4Life Foundation here.

Boys Do Cry is published by Penguin.

To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.