You Don’t Need to Be Fixed: Masculinity and Mental Health with VP of The Scooty Fund - Howard Cooke

Today’s episode is a minisode, where we highlight a current member of The Scooty Fund (TSF). We are thrilled to welcome Howard Cooke to the podcast, a board member and current Vice President of TSF. Howard shares his mental health journey and how TSF cultivated a bond between him and others facing similar struggles.

In his early 20s, Howard found himself in an emergency room with a nearly collapsed lung. A life of emotional disregard and a series of dangerous and unhealthy coping mechanisms ultimately led to a life-threatening situation. It wasn’t always this way; Howard lived without fear of anxiety until his first panic attack in high school. He shares with us his fixation on finding a “cure” for his anxiety and mental health struggles.

After this experience, Howard committed to consistent therapy and started listening to his emotions instead of hiding. He had a second chance for self-discovery and was determined to relearn his identity through reflection and various methods of meditation. Howard joined TSF in 2020 and found lifelong friends and meaningful connections because of his mental health journey. He shares how you can help a friend in need and how we can change the narrative of masculinity in mental health conversations.

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke