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In this episode, I reflect on a key tension in men's healing work: empathy vs. judgment, and whether my voice as an African man should only be directed toward African men. While firmly committed to centering African stories, I explores what it means to be a bridge—not an apologist—by creating space for honest conversations with men from all backgrounds.

From mental health and father wounds to shame and invisibility, these struggles don’t ask for skin tone or nationality. I had to pause and reflect around featuring a white U.S. police officer, Captain Adam Meyers, and how that moment forced me to reexamine the purpose of the platform.

This episode is a call to hold complexity—to uplift Black pain without essentializing it, and to recognize that healing insight can come from unexpected voices. 

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Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

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website: www.mannedupconvos.com

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Tune into this deeply personal conversation with Alex Abraham, author of Trauma and Ecstasy. 

Alex shares his deeply personal journey through repressed childhood trauma, including sexual abuse and its physical manifestations. He candidly discusses the limitations of traditional healing methods like talk therapy in addressing deep-seated issues and how guided experiences with psychedelics (MDMA and psilocybin) facilitated the uncovering of memories and a profound path toward healing and growth. 

This episode explores the untold aspects of men's pain and the search for effective healing from Alex's lived experience. 

Please note: this episode features discussion of psychedelics for therapeutic use but does not promote drug use Instead, it offers an honest and vulnerable account of personal transformation against the backdrop of a complex and evolving conversation around men's wellness and alternative therapies.

Connect with Alex Abraham:

Instagram: Alex.l.abraham

Website: www.traumaandecstacy.com

Mail: [email protected]

Buy: 

Trauma & Ecstacy: How Psychedelics Made My Life Worth Living

Resources:

Beyond The High: Exploring Psychedelics as Theraputic Tools

South African Depression and Anxiety Group

South African Federation For Mental Health

Psychedelic Society South Africa

South African National Counsil on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

In this deeply personal interview, Police Captain, Adam Meyers bravely shares his journey following a critical shooting incident in 2016, the subsequent struggles with trauma, depression, and unhealthy coping mechanisms, and his eventual path to recovery and mental health advocacy.

This powerful conversation cuts through the often stoic exterior of law enforcement to reveal the emotional and psychological toll that high-stress professions can take. Captain Meyers opens up about the silence and stigma surrounding mental health, particularly within the police force, and the challenges he faced in seeking help. He candidly discusses his experiences with substance abuse, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts, highlighting the desperate measures he took while suffering in silence.

Tune in to hear Captain Meyers's inspiring journey and his call to action for men, particularly those in uniform, to be honest with themselves and reach out for help when needed. This episode offers valuable insights into the human cost of trauma and the transformative power of s peaking openly about mental health.

Connect with Adam Meyers:

website: www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org

Facebook: Stop The Threat Stop The Stigma

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

In this episode Kgaugelo Habyane engages in an insightful discussion with Chelepe Mocwana. We explore the complexities of positive masculinities as a vital tool for achieving gender equity. Chelepe shares his experiences and perspectives on redefining masculinity beyond patriarchal norms, emphasising the importance of empathy, self-awareness, and accountability for men. Our conversation tackles challenging issues such as gender-based violence, consent, the impact of societal expectations on men and boys, and the need for a community-wide approach to foster healthier relationships and a more equitable society. This episode offers a refreshing and crucial perspective on evolving manhood in the pursuit of gender equality.

Chelepe Mocwana is a qualified lawyer and Senior Officer at the University of the Free State’s Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office, within the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice. With a strong foundation in human rights and labour law, he focuses on feminist strategies to combat gender-based violence, promote gender equity, and challenge heteronormative and patriarchal norms. Chelepe has collaborated with grassroots organisations across South Africa, advocating for inclusive health and social justice programmes. His work also involves queering feminist approaches to address homophobia and gender discrimination, aiming to foster healthier masculinities and more equitable communities.

Mentioned in the episode:

Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention

HRSC GBV Report

Employment Equity Act

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

Join Kgaugelo Habyane in this insightful conversation with Charles Achampong as they explore the importance of family time, the transformative power of travel, and the necessity of creating moments of pause in our busy lives. Charles shares his experiences from taking a year-long trip around the world with his family and the profound lessons he learned about presence, intentionality, and redefining success beyond traditional societal norms. Discover practical steps towards designing a more meaningful life and why pausing is not a reward but a crucial necessity for well-being.

Charles Achampong is a speaker, author, and leadership expert with over two decades of experience across multiple industries. 

He is the author of Around the World in Family Days: What We Learned When We Left It All Behind and Travelled the Globe, a powerful memoir about the lessons gained from stepping away from routine and embracing adventure, connection, and self-discovery. Charles’ work inspires individuals and families to rethink their priorities, challenge societal norms, and design a life of meaning.

Key Points Discussed:

• The significance of family time and shared experiences.
• How exploring different cultures expands worldviews.
• Pushing beyond comfort zones and embracing uncertainty.
• Charles's inspiration for the family trip.
• Strategic planning for long-term travel and financial considerations.
• The impact of cultural immersion on children.
• Redefining success beyond career milestones and financial compensation.
• The societal pressures on men to constantly be productive.
• The importance of pausing, reflecting, and realigning.
• Practical ways to incorporate moments of pause into daily life.
• The need to balance focus on the outer and inner self.
• Financial independence as the freedom to make choices.
• The biggest takeaway from the round-the-world trip: You don't need a passport to pause.

Reach out to Charles Achampong here:

Website: https://www.charlesachampong.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesachampong

Buy: Around The World in Family Days

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

"What are you trying to take care of?" – a simple yet powerful question that shifts the way we engage in conversations.

In a world where men are often told to suppress emotions, solve problems alone, and dominate rather than dialog, how do we create space for deeper, more meaningful connections?

Rooken Podesta is the perfect man to explore this question. A facilitator and expert in generative dialog, Rooken helps individuals and organizations transform the way they communicate. His work centers on psychological safety, emotional literacy, and relational intelligence—all crucial for navigating leadership, relationships, and personal growth.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why men struggle with emotional expression and connection
• The impact of rugged individualism and how it isolates us
• How Ubuntu and the I-Thou relationship can heal divides
• The power of language, nature, and safe dialogic spaces in reshaping how men relate to themselves and others

Now, more than ever, men need to listen, not just react. This episode is a call to step beyond surface-level conversations and into a new way of being, listening, and leading.

Tune in for a conversation that challenges the way we think, speak, and engage with the world.

Follow Rooken Podesta's work:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rookenpodesta/

Substack: https://rooken.substack.com/

website: https://thrivewiththefield.com/

Articles mentioned: 

Building bridges of understanding: embracing the power of the legitimate other, i-thou and positive regard for transformative relationships

From control to connection: The leadership connection we need to thrive together

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

In a world where violence, disconnection, and individualism seem to overshadow compassion, we ask: Where’s the love? In this episode of Manned Up Conversations, we explore the concept of communal love a love that affirms, nurtures, and holds space for men to express care, support, and connection.

We dive into African philosophies like Botho/Ubuntu, insights from thought leaders like Prof. Mogobe Ramose, Nyasha Mboti, and Kopano Ratele, and the realities that shape men’s ability to give and receive love. Why do so many men struggle with affection? How do societal norms shape how men express or suppress love? And most importantly, how do we rebuild a culture of love and belonging?

This is a conversation about healing, interconnectedness, and embracing love as a radical act of transformation. Tune in and let’s explore how we can lead with love.

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Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

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website: www.mannedupconvos.com

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Shoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.

The first episode for 2025 is inspired by Ms Lauryn Hill's Motives and Thoughts, The Trial of Socrates and some of Carl Jung's shadow work. As we go into this transition period (our last pefect square year was 89 years ago in 1939) with a sense of newness about ourselves and the world around us, it's important to check in with ourselves and explore through personal reflection and conversation with others whether our ways of being are still relevant and aligned to the people we are becoming.     

Socrates once said "the unexamined life is not worth living" which to me also translates to the well known saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" while i'm not encouraging anyone to abandon their comfortable life or spend days on end analysing every detail of their life, I do however share this as a call to action to remind myself and those on the journey that as we grow and our work and influence in the world grows we have to be mindful of our motives and live an authentic, generative and undivided life. 

Peace and love...

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Trial of Socrates

Ms Lauryn Hill - Motives and Thoughts  

The Essential Guide To Shadow Work

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

Shoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.

In this episode, I speak former 6x boxing champ Cassius Hitman Baloyi about his glory days in the ring. The name named after Muhammad Ali by his father after the classic, Rumble in Jumgle fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali shares stories of his upbringing in Manamulele, Limpopo in South Africa. We talk about his father's influence on his life, the passing of his mother and struggles of growing up with her sister.
We talk about the many setbacks he endured during and after his fighting career and how believing in God and being faithful are the reasons he rose to the level of world champion and lives a happy life surrounded by caring friends who cook for him and he can reach out to in times of need. He talks about the difficulty of not being with his two daughters after his wife left him and some financial irregularities with Boxing South Africa,  

Cassius also talks about how running, training people and punching a bag in the gym helps him copes with the loneliness of living lonely.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.

Connect:

Boxing Classes 
Cassius Baloyi Boxing Academy - 147 Webber Street, Sandown, Sandton.

Socials:

Facebook: Cassius "The Hitman" Baloyi 

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com

Send us a text

Shoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.

In this episode, I speak with artist extraordinaire Batsile "BOY Wonder" Ramasodi on his artistic path and growth as a man.
We talk about growing up in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, and how he pursued his creative talents and developed them into numerous careers. As a father of four, we also discuss his perspectives on fatherhood. and the complexities of co-parenting.

Batsile also discusses the impact of shifting social attitudes on boys and reflects on the void left by his father's passing on. We close by exploring his mental health, experiencing with impostor syndrome, writing for his recent album Omega, and some thoughts about what guys could try for themselves to be well.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.

Connect:

Website:

www.boywonder.co.za

Socials:

Insta: @B.O.YWonder
Facebook: Batsile Ramasodi 

Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far. 

Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice. 
Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.

Support the show

Sign up for Ain't Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on [email protected].

Donate To Our Campaign with Love Your Nuts Foundation To Raise Testicular Cancer Awareness

Visit our site to explore our work:

website: www.mannedupconvos.com