June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month and to recognize this, I've recorded a special "HE" Starts Now edition of the She Starts Now podcast.   

If you have a boy, young man or adult man in your life or if you are one yourself, please listen to this intimate conversation with my friend Zak about the struggles men face when it comes to grief, shame, loneliness, addiction and vulnerability.

Zak is a tech and digital media entrepreneur based in Calgary, host of the CanadianPodcast and founder of a brand new initiative he recently launched with a team of men from across Canada.

This initiative is MenTell.ca  

Their aim is to end the stigma surrounding men's mental health and to encourage men from all walks of life to use their voice - either in person or online - by sharing strategies on what’s helped them on the path to mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Through storytelling, education and open conversations, the objective of MenTELL is to inspire at least one individual to realize they are not alone in this. 

Zak believes that when men share what’s real for them, they become a beacon of hope not only for themselves but for todays and for tomorrow’s generation.


In this episode Zak openly shares about his own struggles and what helped him climb out of a very dark hole (and what can help you too). 

In this episode:

• The harmful messages we send boys and men
• Why the stats on men and depression are all wrong
• How men cope with grief, shame and vulnerability
• Depression + Addiction: the importance of community and asking for support
• Zak's weekly ritual to grieve the passing of his mother and the message he wants to send to those that are struggling right now
• A study on loneliness and aging men (and what some countries are doing about it)
• The Compassion Prison Project: how unresolved trauma is hurting men and our world
• Toxic Ambition: masking pain through distraction and the pursuit of success
• The Mentell.ca movement: why it started and how you can get involved

Learn More & Get Involved:

www.mentell.ca 

https://www.instagram.com/mentell.ca/

"Step Into The Circle: The Compassion Prison Project

https://compassionprisonproject.org/