TheTinMen Podcast

Founded at a kitchen table in Manchester in 2019, Mandem Meetup has grown into an award-winning charity supporting over 1,200 men a year across the UK.Unlike traditional mental health support, Mandem Meetup is non-clinical: meaning there is no chaise longue, no clipboard and pen, no textbooks or profound psychological frameworks, and, most importantly, no eye-wateringly high bill at the end of it.At Mandem, whilst finding none of that, you will instead see boys and men in talk circles, hiking, camping, learning bushcraft skills, whittling sticks, planting flowers, playing football and board games, going to the gym, helping the homeless or running litter picks.It is a new generation of mental health support that is entirely unfamiliar to everything that's come with it.And it works.In this podcast, TheTinMen meets Jamie Dennis, the founder and CEO of Mandem Meetup, from whose own experience of crisis the charity was born…Expect to hear Jamie's story, where it began, how he helps men from the forest to the mountain peaks, and how his new 5.5 acres of woodland has become the first nature space for men and boys' wellbeing in the country.Find Mandem Meetup here https://mandemmeetup.org/ and follow at @mandemmeetupChapters00:18 – What is Mandem Meetup?02:46 – The Five Pillars of Mandem Meetup03:19 – Working with incarcerated men04:14 – Man buns and men's circles: who are they really serving?06:58 – 'Incel national park', the UK's first outdoor space for men and boys10:41 – Why are men's spaces so important?13:59 – What is traditional therapy missing?17:37 – Do we overcomplicate men's mental health?22:14 – It's not easy, but it is simple25:03 – What would the Mandem men be doing, if not for you?29:23 – When did Mandem Meetup begin?37:34 – The importance of natural beauty and the outdoors39:25 – What do men tell you?41:02 – Men's trauma in prison46:12 – Politics vs the people49:32 – When will the men's health movement go mainstream?52:43 – What's next for Mandem Meetup?55:47 – How do men find and join Mandem Meetup?

Ally Fogg is one of a handful of veteran men and boys advocates in the UK, who for decades has been banging the drum for men's health and wellbeing, as a journalist, a campaigner, a chair, a public speaker, and a policy expert.He is one of the men behind the popularisation of International Men's Day, a co-founder of the Men and Boys Coalition, and the current chair of the newly formed Association for Men's Health and Wellbeing – the membership community for the UK's burgeoning men's health space.Whether it be pushing for political reform in Westminster, campaigning on behalf of his Association's members, or penning one of his infamous Twitter rants, Ally has been on the front lines from the very beginning.Here he talks with George at TheTinMen about his journey, where it began, where it is, and how it's changed.Expect to hear about the new Men's Health Strategy of England, how International Men's Day was brought to the UK, the intellectual sea change such things have brought with it, and most of all, the incredible, thankless, life-saving work that happens every day within the UK Men's Health space…Chapters:00:17 – Ally’s journey into the Men’s Sector02:44 - What is the state of boys education? 06:01 – The impacts of poor education 07:13 – “Lads Need Dads”10:19 – TheTinMen origin story and International Men’s Day17:54 – What is the UK Men’s Health space?24:38 – Men’s Sheds and Male Loneliness 25:16 – What’s changed politically for men and boys? 29:35 - Why do progressives not care about men’s issues?35:53 – Are men underrepresented? 44:21 – Do feminist slogans of “men” make sense in the real world?46:46 – The Men’s Health Strategy and Men’s Health48:38 – Is it true that “men don’t seek help?”52:14 – Paternal post natal depression in dads54:47 – Why do we need men’s spaces?59:55 – How to find the Association for Male Health and Wellbeing?Join the Association for Male Health and Wellbeing here www.amhw.org.uk/ or follow Ally at x.com/AllyFogg

Professor Nicola Graham-Kevan is a leading expert and researcher in the area of coercive control and domestic abuse, with decades of seminal research at the University of Lancashire.However, Nicola's experience of domestic abuse did not start with academia; it began with life experience, having been in a long term abusive relationship for many years. It was these traumatic experiences that started Nicola's journey, which soon became one of exhilarating discovery, personal challenge, and profound healing.In this podcast Nicola talks about how she had to relearn everything she thought she knew about domestic abuse, and her past, and how her controversial work often put her at loggerheads with other esteemed researchers such as professor Michael Johnson, as she swam against the mainstream feminist narrative of abuse...00:00 – Nicola's first hand experiences of abuse00:20 – Unlearning the feminist narrative of domestic abuse05:35 – What is bilateral abuse?08:41 – What's the difference between self defence, and bilateral abuse?09:44 – What is "coercive control"?12:02 – When does a relationship become coercive? 13:38 – "Walking on eggshells" Do you feel nervous presenting your work?16:47 – Why is it so important to take politics out of domestic abuse research? 17:32 – Why do so few want to admit the truth about domestic abuse19:53 – What happens to those who talk about male victims?21:57 – Does denying women's violence harm women too? 24:08 – "If you can't regulate your emotions, you regulate your environment instead"24:40 – Could ACES help us understand what shapes violence?29:33 – Could some instances of domestic violence be treated with couples therapy?32:33 – What do traditional domestic violence interventions look like?36:10 – What does a research backed intervention look like?37:30 – What motivates violence?40:25 – Michael Johnson's typology of violence44:34 – What is 'intimate terrorism'?49:50 – How do we handle the uncomfortable reality of domestic violence?52:59 – What is accountability?54:06 – Exploring they grey area of coercive control58:29 – Is the future bright?59:58 – What services do you recommend for men?01:00:22 – How can we change the culture for male victims of abuse?01:02:06 – Finding Professor Graham Kevan;s workFollow TheTinMen at instagram.com/thetinmenor visit thetinmen.blog

Mark Brooks OBE, is an award-winning policy advisor on men and boys.He is the Director of Policy and Communications at the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys, the Chair of the Mankind Initiative, a Trustee at the Association for Male Health and Wellbeing, advisor to the UK APPG on Men and Boys, and co-founder of UK Men’s Day.


When he’s not wearing one of these many hats, Mark is behind the scenes of Westminster influencing policy, writing speeches, and twisting arms of politicians, to help change society for the better; becoming one of the chief architects of the historic, world-first Men’s Health Strategy of England, as announced last November.

Such a roster of achievements, accolades, and awards, has taken decades of long, arduous, thankless work… which has finally started to bear fruit.

And so, after many years fighting in the trenches, Mark joins George from TheTinMen, to share his story, his wisdom, and his increasing number of successes…

What do you think?

(Please note, we recorded this in December 2025, in case anything sounds politically dated)

If you’re a man experiencing abuse, or know someone who needs help, please contact Mankind at mankind.org.uk/

~Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

00:55 – How the men and boys sector has changed

04:44 – Getting men back into eduction and work

06:48 – How male victims of abuse have been ignored

09:00 – Male victims of violence against women

13:11 – The Violence Against Men and Boys Strategy Bill

14:14 – Online harms against men and boys

17:18 – Does male suicide open the door to the more controversial issues in the men and boys space?

19:24 – How has domestic violence data changed?

24:21 – What is the Office for National Statistics?

26:15 – Is the "vast" majority of abuse victims, really women

27:51 – Bad data on domestic violence

29:44 – Why are abused men not accessing services?

32:10 – What is the Men's Health Strategy of England?

33:33 – Controversy around "Mens Health"

34:53 – Breaking down the Men's Health Strategy of England

38:26 – Less talk on patriarchy, and masculinity...

38:43 – What are the real issues impacting our boys?

39:32 – Half a million young men have missed out on higher education

42:25 – Is Westminster a "patriarchy"

43:57 – Boys in education, discussed in the media...

45:54 – Do young men hate women?

46:18 – Is the education system rigged against boys?

46:39 – What does the media say when boys fall behind?

49:54 – Do teachers mark boys down for the same work?

51:15 – The invisibilisation of Men and Boys issues?

54:40 – 100,000 men die every year in the global fishing industry

57:40 – What does the future look like for male victims of abuse?

59:28 – What does the future look like for Mark Brooks?

Jordan Stephens is a platinum selling musician, rapper, best-selling author, artist, and advocate, who has emerged onto the men and boys scene as one of the major faces to the movement. Known for his diplomatic, calm approach to discourse, Jordan is one of the few individuals who has managed to straddle the picket lines, with one foot in the men and boys advocacy camp, and another in the feminist camp.In this podcast, Jordan and George discuss love, loss, abuse, boys, prison, gangs, feminism, and “the patriarchy”, asking if and how we can meet in the middle, and work together for the betterment of all people.~Chapters00:15 – How did the journey begin in the space of men and boys issues.01:13 – Do men take longer to recover from heartbreak?03:39 – Alexithemia (without words for emotions)07:00 – What's behind anger?09:09 – What do we call this movement?12:31 – The crisis of masculinity15:27 – A brief history of tears15:59 – Are the experiences of gay men and lesbian women different?17:05 – A band of brothers, and mens groups20:24 – "The Work" A documentary about men in prison23:25 – Is crying good for mental health?25:42 – What is masculinity and femininity? 27:38 – How do we go upstream from "masculinity" talk?29:40 – Gangs and fatherlessness30:43 – The bullied boy, behind the angry man32:25 – No more youth clubs, sport centres or afterschool classes, where are boys supposed to go? 36:05 – The importance of fathers and positive male role models39:13 – How do we teach kids about relationships?41:01 – Discussing the ugly areas of mens advocacy 51:11 – Do we live in a patriarch? 01:14:34 – Has TheTinMen become more hardened over the years?01:18:55 – How do we talk to women about these issues?01:21:31 – Parrhesia, to speak openly and apologise for so speaking01:23:30 – Why its important for men to feel01:24:33 – Is our view of mental health centred on women?01:28:30 – How do we change our minds?01:33:37 – Stepping outside the hysteria of social media01:36:06 – Are Gen Z too politically engaged?Buy Jordans' latest Sunday Times Best-Seller 'Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak an Dogs', here

Eric Clopper is a jewish attorney and children's rights advocate, who has set himself the extraordinary goal of outlawing circumcision within the U.S. in the next 10-15 years. Initially getting him kicking out of Harvard, Eric's undying passion to ensure all children are protected equally under the law, has led him into initiating a multi-state set of lawsuits that asserts that circumcision of boys is unconstitutional and requires drastic legislative reform.In this podcast, Eric and George from TheTinMen discuss what it would take to outlaw circumcision in America, for good; what harms the procedures causes, where it began, and why circumcision is far from being "just a snip."For more info visit https://www.intactglobal.org/Chapters00:17 – If a non therapeutic procedure was performed, without consent, on a child's genitals, in any other context, how would the law respond?01:13 – Why is circumcision not "just a snip"04:13 – How painful is circumcision? 08:17 – Why is the right to bodily integrity not extended to all children?10:47 – The lawsuit that will start to end circumcision in America15:56 – How do we find more plaintiffs? 19:03 – Is this anti religion? 19:40 – What are the medical benefits to circumcision? 24:11 – Dr John Kellogg: The man who tortured children26:22 – What does success look like?28:23 – How is Intact Global causing social change too?30:27 – What would you say to a parent who's considering circumcising their baby boy?33:02 – Why did the CPS (almost) class circumcision as "child abuse"36:18 – Circumcision around the world38:13 – Debunking the myths of circumcision46:09 – What would you say to the men who have been circumcised?52:25 – How can we support you and Intact Global? Follow TheTinMen at insrtagram.com/thetinmen

Emeritus Professor, Dr Don Dutton has worked within family violence for 50 years, to become one of the world’s foremost experts on this issue.Dr Dutton has written nearly a dozen books and hundreds of peer reviewed papers on family violence; as a psychologist he's treated violent men for decades, co-founding the ‘Assaultive Husbands Project’, winning dozens of grants and awards, and acting as an expert witness in scores of legal trials, including the most infamous partner homicide trial in history – on the prosecution against O.J. Simpson. He is, simply put, 'the expert's expert'. What's more, Dr Dutton has been unafraid to challenge the male perpetrator, female victim paradigm of domestic violence, looking past the political ideology, and centreing his research on the evidence.Considering himself an "outsider" within family violence research, Dr Dutton has become a contentious character, often vilified for his hard hitting assertions, and reluctance to bow to the 'feminist agenda' that domestic violence is instrumental, and men enacting 'patriarchal power' onto women.Let's take a look – 00:00 – The paradox of gender equality and violence by women01:58 – The Millennial Shift04:18 – Why do people abuse power?05:59 – How do people respond to these unpopular findings?10:40 – The political agenda within domestic violence15:00 – How domestic violence surveys are flawed21:38 – Do feminist models of domestic violence harm women too?22:19 – Elastic measuring tapes; crime and health surveys24:15 – The Narcissists Prayer; debunking the myths35:22 – Do we normalise violence by women? 37:55 – The ugly truth about intimate partner homicides41:26 – What is "psych-ache"?42:20 – Partner homicide is more about suicide than murder45:42 – Suicide and relationship breakdown49:06 – Borderline personality disorder and abuse54:18 – Why do we ignore the mental health of men who kill their partner?55:10 – Dr Dutton an the OJ Simpson Trial58:45 – How researchers hide the truth01:01:55 – Setting the record straight on domestic abuse01:06:07 – Where to find Dr Duttons workRead Don's research at:https://drdondutton.com/

Suicide remains the number one cause of death for men under 50, with men being overrepresented in suicide deaths every year since records began, and across every country in the world.

And yet – Despite annually claiming the lives of more than 700,000 men globally, such a phenomenon remains grossly underfunded, and under researched.

Dr Susie Bennett, one of the most seminal, emerging male suicide researchers in the world, has begun to disentangle this so-often contentious, and under discussed phenomenon; to ask, once again... why do men die by suicide?

Asking –

Why are 94% of health professionals not trained on male suicide?

Is misandry the ignored scourge of the online world?

Why are suicide rates particularly high in farmers?

Is post natal depression in dads a laughing matter?

And what do suicidal men want from society?

Follow Dr Bennett's work at https://malesuicideresearch.com/

00:25: Does online misandry exist?

08:56: Why is the lived experience of suicidal men so important?

10:43: Why do men die by suicide?

13:55: What are the risk factors for male suicide?

15:44: Listening to the symphony of sorrow

16:46: Violence fantasies and unhealthy coping mechanisms

21:05: 'A man and his ba': History's first suicide note

23:24: What don't we understand about male suicide?

28:02: The cultural violence toward men

30:03: Is male suicide a 'mental health issue' or a 'societal issue'?

34:00: Male suicide is not slogans, hashtags, or days of awareness

35:57: The antidote to suicidal pain

35:38: Does soceity misread male distress?

42:05: The new 'Mens Health Strategy' in England

46:36: The power of community interventions

48:43:: The mental health of farmers

55:21: Suicide rates in the North of England and Scotland

57:06: Sad dads, post natal depression in fathers

01:01:56: The stigma of single, unemployed, white and disabled men

01:05:21: The worst story Dr Bennett ever heard in her research

01:07:31: How do we help suicidal men right now?

01:13:11: Where do you find hope?

01:14:41: What's next for Dr Bennett?

01:16:39: How do we support your work?

Duncan Craig OBE is the founder and CEO of We Are Survivors, a world leading charity supporting male survivors of sexual harms. Supporting everyone from male prisoners, to Ugandan men who experienced rape as a tool of war, and even providing care for the victims of Britain's most prolific rapist; Duncan's work has spanned the globe, touching thousands of lives, with fifteen years of passionate, and often thankless advocacy. His organisation, We are Survivors, has pioneered the world's first Violence against Men and Boys Strategy in Greater Manchester, and now he hopes to bring his ideas and insights to cities, towns and villages across the U.K., and into Westminster itself. So why are abused men still classed as 'male victims of violence against women'?Why is it legally impossible for a woman to commit rape?And are male survivors second class citizens?What do you think?Chapters:00:00: Introduction02:22: Are male victims second class citizens?03:48: Why do we classify men as 'male victims of violence against women'?07:26: How does 'male victims of violence against women' hurt men?12:23: How many male victims are out there?13:32: Men who are "forced to penetrate"15:03: Is society failing male victims?15:50: The "Lucky Boy" Phenomenon18:03: Why it's legally impossible for a woman to commit rape22:35: The double standard of "gendered issues"24:06: The Violence Against Men and Boys Strategy27:41: Reynhard Sinaga, Britains most prolific rapist31:30: Does the Sexual Offences Act need to be rewritten?34:20: Can we ask men to do more, when so little is done for them?35:20: The lived experiences of male victims39:19: What can we do to better support male victims of abuse?44:40: Male survivors in prison48:09: Vulnerable men in medical procedures53:18: The experiences of gay men57:01: Where do we go from here?https://www.wearesurvivors.org.uk/Follow TheTinMen at instagram.com/thetinmen

Do we really live in a patriarchy? What on earth is "Mankeeping"? Are homophobia and misandry interconnected? Who is really running UNWomen's socials? And what are some of the best charities worth supporting?George from TheTinMen talks to fathers and men's health advocate, Lisa Britton, about men and boy's issues across the UK and North America,.Follow Lisa at https://x.com/LisaBrittonFollow TheTinMen at instagram.com/thetinmen00:35 What are some men's health charities worth supporting?04:00 What are our thoughts on "mankeeping", "manspreading" and "mansplaining"?14:59 Talking about the UN and UNWomen22:22 Is denying the patriarchy's existence good for mens issues?30:42 Why can't men do this work, why do they need women to do it for them?36:18 How does this impact your mental health?44:13 Are U.S. stats better than U.K. stats?52:14 Why does TheTinMen not consider abortion to be 'murder'?01:04:54 Is misandry and homophobia related?