TheTinMen Podcast

After losing his childhood best friend, advertising veteran and film director Ben Akers co-founded ‘Talk Club’ an award-winning charity dedicated to mens mental fitness, that hosts hundreds of self-run talk groups for thousands of men, all over the country. And not just talk groups, but also football, yoga, tennis, paddle ball, hiking groups, online, ofline, you name it, however you want to do it, Talk Club is there for men.Based on the belief of asking “How are you feeling out of 10?” Talk Club is a space for compassion and care for men, not just a place for them to talk, but more importantly, a place for them to be heard.Here Ben Akers talks to TheTinMen about is journey, and how men talking can saves lives.Join or set up your own Talk Club at https://talkclub.org/ or follow them at @talkclubcharityChapters00:10 – How are you out of ten?01:00 – What is TalkClub?02:54 – Are men good at talking about their feelings?05:55 – What do men need to open up?10:11 – Being a role model to boys12:12 – Why don't men cry?13:12 – Steve: how losing a best friend changed Ben's life.18:18 – Why do so many men die by suicide?21:42 – How many people are impacted by each suicide? 22:17 – What would Steve say at TalkClub?23:42 – What are men saying at TalkClub?27:40 – How do we get men talking about suicide? 29:51 – Most men just need to be heard31:38 – TalkClub in prisons34:16 – How can we be better listeners?38:48 – How can we join or support TalkClub?Music – Art of Silence by Uniq

Dr James Nuzzo, is a writer within men's health; focusing on the disparities in funding and research between the sexes.Dr Nuzzo talks about how men and boys, unbeknownst to society, are falling through not only the cracks of health funding and research, but also those of public consciousness and compassion.Here we discuss gendered research around the world, why women were excluded from drug trials, the World Economic Forum's infamous Global Gender Gap Report, UNWomen, circumcision, and what the future looks like for men's health...Have a listen, and follow James at https://jameslnuzzo.substack.com/Chapters:00:19: What is the gender health gap?04:42: When was women's health underfunded?05:55: Why were women excluded from drug trials?10:10: Why are people so wrong about this?13:00: Why is "mens health" not a thing?14:30: How should we talk about "men's health"?17:00: Are we living in a patriarchy? 21:17: Are things changing?23:16: The World Economic Forums GGGR vs the BIGI29:11: UNWomen and the "Manosphere"31:53: We don't now anything.32:40: The double standard of circumcision35:56: Circumcision and FGM37:15: Circumcision around the world38:47: Are there any benefits to circumcision?42:37: Circumcision and trans affirming surgery 43:41: What's your experience been like in this space?45:41: What's next for James?Music – Uniq, Art of Science

Once again, the much misunderstood ‘incel’ phenomenon is back in the crucible of public discussion, following the release of the Netflix smash hit ‘Adolescence’. Public and politician alike have waded into the debate; heaping sympathy, outrage, fear, or distain at the feet of these lonely, deeply unwell, and sometimes violent young men. But behind the glossy production, fantastical screenwriting, and career defining performances, what is the truth about incels?Who are they? What do they want? Are they a terrorist threat? And how do we help them? Well, leading researcher into incels, William Costello, who remains the only researcher to work directly with this enigmatic group, is here to review the series, and separate the fact from the fiction…What do you think?~Chapters00:26: Who are incels? 03:23: Should Adolescence be shown in Westminster?06:50: Adolescence as a piece of art08:15: Adolescence as a piece of science12:14: Jamie and the clinical psychologist 16:13: Jamies, incels, and bullying21:32: Incels and suicidality22:20: The harm of using "incel" as an insult 25:07: Is incel a terrorist threat?30:58: What does a real life incel look like?33:39: Incels and autism36:41: Should we be more compassionate towarad incels?37:44: Why do boys like Andrew Tate, and how can we win them back?41:46: Is Andrew Tate an incel?45:25: What is the incel pipeline?47:23: What is the function of misogyny? 52:45: Red pill, blue pill, black pill, what are they?54:39: "The Manosphere": Incels, MGTOWs, MRAs and Jordan Peterson57:39: What do we say to our boys?01:02:19: What do politicians do for boys?01:03:58: Is this a "Reefer Madness" for online misogyny? 01:05:09: What comes next for society and incels?01:06:22: How to read William's research? ~Check out William.Costello's research at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William-Costello-3Or follow him at https://x.com/CostelloWilliamMusic – Uniq, Art of Science

Jonathanshouse.org.uk is one of the few organisations supporting male victims of abuse in England and Wales.Offering talk groups, a support line, and soon, hopefully a shelter; Jonathan's House started from humble beginnings, when its founder Jody, himself an abuse survivor, offered his phone number to men in abusive relationships. The phone wouldn't stop ringing.And several hundred calls later, in just the first few months, the lesson was clearly learnt – these men are out there, in no small number, and in need of urgent help. Just eighteen months later and here we are, speaking about the one in three victims of abuse in England and Wales who are male, all 750,000 of them. The men who are finally getting the voice, support, understanding, and safe space they've been crying out for. And thanks to those like Jody, and the others working in tireless partnership with him. ~Support Jonathan's House at jonathanshouse.org.ukOr follow at @jhm_uk

Suicide is the number one risk to a man's life, each and every day, until he is about 50.

Yet, it remains largely in the shadows of political and social advocacy, widely ignored by research, and left out of public debate; as an ugly, inconvenient blemish on the so-called "privileged" gender class of men.

It's not getting better.

With the latest suicide rates in the UK, being the worst this century, with no signs of slowing down.

The battle against this scourge, that robs so much from so many, is being fought, not in the halls of Westminster, or on the streets of our cities; but in quiet corners of the online world, through the diligence, and thankless hard work of a handful of grass roots charities, and brilliant researchers, such as those like Dr. Susie Bennett.

In this podcast, Dr. Bennett, recently receiving her PhD in male suicide, talks to George from TheTinMen about their work together, and what she's learnt; lending her impassioned voice to the men who have none, telling us what we needs to change, and revealing the unpopular truths that could finally turn the tide on the epidemic, that devastates the lives of so many men, and bereaved families around the world.

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

Or follow her at https://www.instagram.com/male_suicide_research

Music Art of Silence - UniqSource:

What might interrupt men's suicide? Results from an online survey of men https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4611172/

Dr. Warren Farrell is a man who wears two crowns. Those from the 70s know, in his time, Warren was considered to be the world's most famous male feminist, travelling the globe, advocating for women, opening women's groups, and becoming the first (and only) man to ever be elected three times to the board of directors, at the NY division of the National Organisation of Women – the world's biggest feminist group. He's done his time within the women's movement, a dozen times over, and has the credentials to prove it. And yet, what might surprise you, is that Warren is also credited by many as being the father of Men's Rights Movement itself. So what happened?How could a man so revered by women, be the founder of a movement that supposedly 'hates' them?Let's find out...~You can get hold of Warrens new book athttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Role-Mate-So...Footage credit Clorinda Kaminski 'Warren Farrell protest at University of Toronto - Full version'Music 'Art of Silence'.

With two and a half decades of senior level experience in public policy and public affairs, as well as working at director-level for two national charities; Mark Brooks OBE has been quietly steering the ship of men and boys advocacy, from one success to another.Playing a leading role in the popularisation of International Mens Day, bringing the crisis of boys education and male suicide to the attention of Westminster, and helping pioneer the recently announced Men's Health Strategy, Mark has always represented a hopeful, progressive and forward thinking approach of men and boys issues.When not pulling strings within Westminster, writing the words, or twisting the arm of our politicians, Mark also acts as Chair for the ManKind Initiative, the UK’s primary charity supporting male victims of abuse.Here is our conversation discussing the issues that continue to harm men and boys, how it’s changing for the better, and what we can expect to see next…~Follow Mark athttps://mark-brooks.co.uk/Music 'Art of Silence'.

Mary Curnock Cook has a lifetime of priceless career experience within education; that has seen her work across the school system, right to the very top, where she served as Chief Executive Officer of UCAS for several years, and remains one of the UK’s most respected independent advisors within education.

During this time, one thing became alarmingly clear to Curnock Cook: that young men and boys were not being adequately served, and are quietly falling behind in school, at every age, and in nearly every area of education. 

And perhaps more alarming was how so few people, if any, were talking about it. 

‘A deafening policy silence’, as Curnock Cook wrote herself, to describe the betrayal and continued erasure of “the boy girl gap” in school.

Here is my conversation with Mary, about why boys are behind, how this gap is different to others in education, the damage it causes, and what we can do to close it.

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Follow Mary on 

LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-curnock-cook-cbe-0107bb1/

Xhttps://x.com/marycurnockcook

Much of the political world is reeling from last weeks Presidential verdict, not necessarily by who won, but by how much he won by.

Chair of the Men and Boys Coalition, and co-founder of the UK Men's Day Committee; Ally Fogg is an iconoclastic journalist, writer, and Twitter troll, who has been working tirelessly behind the scenes of British men and boys advocacy for decades.