No Man's an Island

Welcome to Episode 32 of No Man’s An Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this episode, Chris Hemmings is joined by Duncan Craig OBE, CEO and founder of We Are Survivors, the UK’s largest male survivor organisation, supporting boys and men who have experienced sexual abuse, rape and exploitation.Duncan shares the personal story behind founding We Are Survivors, including his own experiences of childhood sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation, and the lack of support available to men when he first began looking for help. He reflects on growing up in working-class Manchester, the impact of shame, internalised homophobia, poor sex education and the silence that surrounded male victimhood.They explore why male-only spaces matter, what happens when men are finally able to sit alongside others with shared experiences and why the first step through the door is often the hardest part. Duncan also talks about how We Are Survivors works with men in practical, accessible ways, including community groups, gardening, peer spaces, therapy and their app We Are OK.The conversation also covers the cultural failure to properly name male survivors, the problem with caveating male victimhood under violence against women and girls.You can find We Are Survivors here: https://www.wearesurvivors.org.uk/You can find We Are Survivors on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/thisissurvivors/You can find Chris here: https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode page on Men's Therapy Hub: https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/male-survivors-sexual-abuse-shame-and-creating-space-for-men-with-duncan-craig-obe/

Welcome to Episode 31 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this conversation, Chris Hemmings speaks with Daniele Fiandaca, co-founder of Token Man, which challenges inequality in the workplace by engaging men in conversations about gender, power and inclusion.Daniele shares the moment that changed everything for him – walking into a women’s dinner as the only man in the room and, for the first time in his working life, feeling what it was like to be in the out-group. That experience led him to rethink masculinity, privilege and the role men need to play in building fairer and healthier cultures.They talk about why so many men are still reluctant to step into inclusion work, the risks men face when they challenge sexist or outdated norms in the workplace and the loneliness that can come from becoming “the only” man willing to speak up.The conversation also explores Daniele’s Hard As Nails campaign, which invites men to paint their nails and reflect on the stereotypes that shape how they are seen. Chris and Daniele discuss why something so simple can create such powerful shifts in empathy, self-awareness and men’s understanding of the pressures they live under.Along the way, they talk about male friendship, banter, compassion for men, redefining success and why healthier forms of masculinity need to be made more visible in culture, media and everyday life.You can find Daniele here:https://tokenman.orgYou can find Chris here:https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode page on Men’s Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/hard-as-nails-empathy-success-and-painting-your-nails-with-daniele-fiandaca/

Welcome to Episode 30 of No Man’s An Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this episode, Chris Hemmings is joined by Christian Chalfont, a counsellor and hypnotherapist whose work is increasingly focused on men’s mental health, identity and connection.Christian previously founded Men’s Retreats UK, creating male-only talks, workshops and retreats designed to help men reconnect with community and with themselves. He now runs Core 5 Coaching, delivering training and workshops for managers, high-performing teams and men navigating work, identity and pressure.They explore Christian’s journey into therapy, including how his early life shaped his relationship with masculinity, safety and belonging. Christian shares the moment he encountered a more nurturing form of masculinity in Australia and how it influenced his approach to men’s work, particularly the role of safe, non-sexual touch, presence and being properly heard.They also discuss high-achieving men who overwork as a coping strategy, the shame that keeps many stuck and how redefining success can open up a healthier life. Christian closes with the one change he would make with unlimited resources – overhauling sex and relationship education so young people learn how to build healthy intimacy, communication and connection from the start.You can find Christian here: https://christianchalfont.co.uk/You can find Core 5 Coaching here: https://corefivecoaching.com/You can find Chris here: https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode page on Men's Therapy Hub: https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/no-mans-an-island-episode-30-working-with-high-value-men-anger-belonging-and-navigating-shame-with-christian-chalfont/

Welcome to Episode 29 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this episode, Chris Hemmings speaks with critical theorist Louisa Toxvaerd Munch about the deeper social, political and emotional forces shaping the rise of the manosphere. Rather than reducing the issue to bad individuals or toxic online content alone, Louisa argues that men’s distress must be understood in the context of neoliberalism, patriarchy, loneliness, loss and the collapse of community.Drawing on her doctoral research into nostalgia, Louisa explains how many men are being pulled towards regressive ideologies because they are grieving a version of social identity that no longer feels available to them. As stable work, local institutions and collective spaces disappear, some men are left with anger, confusion and a longing for certainty. In that vacuum, figures like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump can appear powerful, even when they are only deepening the pain.Chris and Louisa explore why so many men are not simply resisting change but struggling to make sense of loss without the language, support or spaces to process it. They discuss loneliness as more than isolation, the psychological pull of patriarchal father figures, the role of football culture, the failure to speak to white working-class boys and why compassionate conversations matter more than shame.This is a powerful conversation about men’s mental health, class politics, emotional literacy and the urgent need to build something better than the systems currently failing us.You can find Louisa here:Instagram: @louisamunchtheoryTikTok: @louisamunchtheoryYou can find Chris here:https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode link on Men's Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/how-neoliberalism-fuels-the-manosphere-loneliness-class-anger-and-the-search-for-belonging-with-louisa-toxvaerd-monk/

Welcome to Episode 28 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this conversation, Chris Hemmings speaks with Philip Adlem, a psychodynamic psychotherapist whose path into therapy was shaped by years working in high-pressure emergency services environments, as well as roles within the NHS, bereavement support and the criminal justice system.Philip recently published a paper exploring what he calls gender-split social defences – a framework describing how unconscious beliefs about masculinity and femininity influence who is seen as vulnerable, who is believed and who is excluded from empathy and compassion in therapeutic spaces and training.Together they explore Philip’s personal story of trauma, homophobia and violence, his journey through therapy and the way these experiences shaped his research into men’s experiences in mental health systems.They discuss the psychology behind prejudice, why men’s suffering is often minimised, the cultural narratives that shape expectations of masculinity and how therapy training may unintentionally reproduce the very biases it seeks to challenge.This episode is a powerful conversation about vulnerability, bias and the importance of creating therapeutic spaces where every person’s experience is seen and understood.You can find Philip here:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/philip-adlem/You can find Chris here:https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode page on Men's Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/the-empathy-gap-men-bias-and-therapy-with-philip-adlem/

Welcome to Episode 27 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this episode, Dr Jett Stone speaks with Dr Audra Horney, a licensed psychologist and founder of Modern Therapy Arizona, who has become one of the most visible voices in men’s mental health on social media.Audra’s route into this work was not conventional. With an academic background that included women’s studies, she did not initially set out to specialise in men’s mental health. Instead, the focus emerged through clinical practice, where she discovered both a passion for working with men and a gap in how therapy training prepares clinicians to meet their needs.Together they explore why many men are not resistant to therapy so much as cautious about a system that does not feel designed for them. Audra explains the practical changes she makes in the therapy room, including dropping the traditional “soft therapist voice,” being more direct with clients and creating an environment where authenticity and honesty are prioritised over formality.The conversation also explores the importance of trust in therapy, why crying is not the only measure of emotional depth and how men often need clearer guidance about what therapy actually involves. Audra also shares how her social media presence has helped men build trust with a therapist before ever stepping into the room.Finally, they discuss the biggest barrier many men still face when seeking help – access. Even when men overcome the emotional hurdles of reaching out, the cost and availability of therapy can still stop them from getting support.You can find Audra here:https://www.instagram.com/dr.audra.horney/You can find Jett here:https://jettstonephd.comEpisode page on Men's Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/how-to-speak-to-men-emotion-trust-and-breaking-the-rules-with-dr-audra-horney/

Welcome to Episode 25 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this conversation, Chris Hemmings speaks with Dr Sophie King-Hill, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, whose research explores sexual behaviours in children and young people, youth voice and the wider cultural narratives shaping boys today.They discuss the growing blame culture around young men and boys, the impact of media narratives following high-profile cases and why demonising a gender shuts down the very dialogue we need. Sophie explains how boys are often framed as potential perpetrators rather than complex human beings with internal struggles that rarely get heard.The episode explores consent beyond stereotypes, why boys also struggle to say no, the dangers of ignoring pornography in public discourse and why relationships and sex education from an early age is one of the most powerful tools we have for harm reduction.You can find Dr Sophie King-Hill here:https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/social-policy/king-hill-sophieYou can find Chris here:https://chrishemmings.co.ukEpisode page on Men’s Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/no-mans-an-island-episode-24-stop-blaming-boys-sex-consent-and-culture-with-dr-sophie-king-hill/

Welcome to Episode 28 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.In this episode, Chris Hemmings and Dr Jett Stone sit down to discuss the growing influence of the Manosphere following the recent Louis Theroux documentary exploring the online world of male influencers.Rather than focusing on the personalities themselves, Chris and Jett look deeper at the psychological and cultural forces shaping this phenomenon. They explore how wounded men, unmet needs for belonging and the pressures of modern masculinity can combine with social media algorithms to create powerful echo chambers for young boys and teenagers.Drawing on their experience as therapists and educators, they unpack the appeal these spaces hold for young men searching for identity, competence and direction. The conversation explores the difference between belonging and fitting in, the role of shame and insecurity in performative masculinity and the ways misogyny and resentment can grow when young men feel excluded or powerless.Chris and Jett also discuss the responsibility of platforms and influencers, the impact this culture is having in schools and why community, mentorship and meaningful purpose may be the most important antidotes.Ultimately, this episode asks a bigger question: if these online spaces are filling a gap for young men, what is missing in the real world?You can find Chris here:https://chrishemmings.co.ukYou can find Jett here:https://jettstonephd.comEpisode page on Men's Therapy Hub:https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/the-manosphere-question-online-culture-boys-and-belonging-with-chris-hemmings-and-dr-jett-stone/