<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms">Send us a text</a>Shoutout to you if you&apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated. In this episode we expand on a conversation we had with Tshegofatso Sephula on a mental health awareness campaign we did with John Craig to discuss some highlights from his book, Mental Decay. Tshegofatso talks about identity issues, navigating family dynamics with mental health challenges, the inspiration behind sharing his story and letting go of expectations. We also talk about the impact of family secrets and his openly honest relationship with his mother and details meeting his father for the first time which led to him accepting that he can no longer make excuses for his absent father.  Tshegofatso Sephula is the author of Mental Decay, a true story of a hidden battle and a life nearly lost. After a decade of failure and a suicide attempt, he feels the pull of God, and with it the chance to finally find peace, purpose and redemption. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love. Connect: Buy on Amazon: <a href='https://www.amazon.co.za/Mental-Decay-Tshegofatso-Tiyani-Sephula/dp/0796156344'>Mental Decay </a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/tshegofatsotiyani/'>@TshegofatsoTiyani</a>Related Episodes: SAFMH - <a href='https://www.safmh.org/ready-to-share-my-story-interview-with-tshegofatso-sephula/'>Ready to share my story</a> John Craig - Mind Matter Series: EP1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVTioqU4M2Q&amp;t=1838s EP2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFERWd1hK2o&amp;t=138sHope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&nbsp; Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&nbsp; Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support">Support the show</a>Sign up for Ain&apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on rituals4men@gmail.com. Donate To Our Campaign with <a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'>Love Your Nuts Foundation</a> To Raise <a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'>Testicular Cancer Awareness</a> Follow us &amp; share you comments on our work: Substack: <a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'>Manned Up Conversations Writes</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'>@MannedUpConvos</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'>Manned Up Conversations</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shoutout to you if you&amp;apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In this episode we expand on a conversation we had with Tshegofatso Sephula on a mental health awareness campaign we did with John Craig to discuss some highlights from his book, Mental Decay. &lt;br/&gt;Tshegofatso talks about identity issues, navigating family dynamics with mental health challenges, the inspiration behind sharing his story and letting go of expectations. We also talk about the impact of family secrets and his openly honest relationship with his mother and details meeting his father for the first time which led to him accepting that he can no longer make excuses for his absent father.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Tshegofatso Sephula is the author of Mental Decay, a true story of a hidden battle and a life nearly lost. After a decade of failure and a suicide attempt, he feels the pull of God, and with it the chance to finally find peace, purpose and redemption.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;Connect:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Buy on Amazon: &lt;a href='https://www.amazon.co.za/Mental-Decay-Tshegofatso-Tiyani-Sephula/dp/0796156344'&gt;Mental Decay&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Instagram:&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/tshegofatsotiyani/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@&lt;/b&gt;TshegofatsoTiyani&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Related Episodes:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;SAFMH - &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.safmh.org/ready-to-share-my-story-interview-with-tshegofatso-sephula/'&gt;Ready to share my story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;John Craig - Mind Matter Series:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;EP1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVTioqU4M2Q&amp;amp;t=1838s&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;EP2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFERWd1hK2o&amp;amp;t=138s&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for&lt;b&gt; Ain&amp;apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men &lt;/b&gt;on &lt;b&gt;rituals4men@gmail.com&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Donate To Our Campaign with &lt;a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Love Your Nuts Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; To Raise &lt;a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Testicular Cancer Awareness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;F&lt;b&gt;ollow us &amp;amp; share you comments on our work:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Substack: &lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations Writes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUpConvos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a textShoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.In this episode we expand on a conversation we had with Tshegofatso Sephula on a mental health awareness campaign we did with John Craig to discuss some highlights from his book, Mental Decay. Tshegofatso talks about identity issues, navigating family dynamics with mental health challenges, the inspiration behind sharing his story and letting go o...

Becoming Mentally Healthy with Tshegofatso Sephula

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms">Send us a text</a>Shoutout to you if you&apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.   We&apos;ve covered many conversations over the last three years, while going through some books, research and conversations with friends and listening to the online community, I&apos;ve been reflecting on the idea of male privilege or to be more specific, black male privilege.  I know this is an extremely contentious topic in the gender discourse but I want to offer an alternative argument against black male privilege leveraging the work of Dr Tommy J Curry and some research from South African gender experts to show some similarity in the lived experiences of black men in the United States of America and South Africa based on colonization and apartheid and Jim Crow laws in the respective countries.   The idea is not to defend privilege, but this episode questions our idea of privilege and share some insights on what I believe (and other researchers have shown) is a fundemental problem with how we perceive the distribution of power and privilege among men.   Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&nbsp; Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&nbsp; Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support">Support the show</a>Sign up for Ain&apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on rituals4men@gmail.com. Donate To Our Campaign with <a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'>Love Your Nuts Foundation</a> To Raise <a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'>Testicular Cancer Awareness</a> Follow us &amp; share you comments on our work: Substack: <a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'>Manned Up Conversations Writes</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'>@MannedUpConvos</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'>Manned Up Conversations</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shoutout to you if you&amp;apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We&amp;apos;ve covered many conversations over the last three years, while going through some books, research and conversations with friends and listening to the online community, I&amp;apos;ve been reflecting on the idea of male privilege or to be more specific, black male privilege. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I know this is an extremely contentious topic in the gender discourse but I want to offer an alternative argument against black male privilege leveraging the work of Dr Tommy J Curry and some research from South African gender experts to show some similarity in the lived experiences of black men in the United States of America and South Africa based on colonization and apartheid and Jim Crow laws in the respective countries.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The idea is not to defend privilege, but this episode questions our idea of privilege and share some insights on what I believe (and other researchers have shown) is a fundemental problem with how we perceive the distribution of power and privilege among men.   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for&lt;b&gt; Ain&amp;apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men &lt;/b&gt;on &lt;b&gt;rituals4men@gmail.com&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Donate To Our Campaign with &lt;a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Love Your Nuts Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; To Raise &lt;a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Testicular Cancer Awareness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;F&lt;b&gt;ollow us &amp;amp; share you comments on our work:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Substack: &lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations Writes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUpConvos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a textShoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.  We've covered many conversations over the last three years, while going through some books, research and conversations with friends and listening to the online community, I've been reflecting on the idea of male privilege or to be more specific, black male privilege. I know this is an extremely contentious topic in the gender discourse...

Reflections On Black Male Privilege

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms">Send us a text</a>Shoutout to you if you&apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated. I was intrigued by an article shared by <a href='https://groundup.org.za/article/battered-woman-syndrome-law-to-be-challenged/'>Ground Up</a> and the <a href='https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-29-battered-woman-syndrome-law-to-be-challanged/'>Daily Maverick</a> titled, “Battered woman syndrome”: law to be challenged.&quot; The Centre for Applied Legal Studies has laid out a strong argument for women who kill in self defence arguing that the courts don&apos;t empathise or consider the psychological effects of abuse when sentencing &quot;battered women.&quot;     CALS argued that “This case demonstrates that the current approach of providing courts with wide unfettered discretion when considering mitigation in relation to women who kill their intimate partners as a result of prolonged violence is insufficient in dealing with femicide in this country.”I realized that there was no mention of men or the &quot;battered man syndrome&quot; exepct the abusive husband but I was not surprised considering the prevailing narrative around men and reality of many women in South Africa. In this short episode, I question whether this attempt to justify the husband&apos;s killing as self defence adds to the gender empathy gap men experience in the legal system?  If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support">Support the show</a>Sign up for Ain&apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on rituals4men@gmail.com. Donate To Our Campaign with <a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'>Love Your Nuts Foundation</a> To Raise <a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'>Testicular Cancer Awareness</a> Follow us &amp; share you comments on our work: Substack: <a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'>Manned Up Conversations Writes</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'>@MannedUpConvos</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'>Manned Up Conversations</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shoutout to you if you&amp;apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;I was intrigued by an article shared by &lt;a href='https://groundup.org.za/article/battered-woman-syndrome-law-to-be-challenged/'&gt;Ground Up&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href='https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-29-battered-woman-syndrome-law-to-be-challanged/'&gt;Daily Maverick&lt;/a&gt; titled, “Battered woman syndrome”: law to be challenged.&amp;quot; The Centre for Applied Legal Studies has laid out a strong argument for women who kill in self defence arguing that the courts don&amp;apos;t empathise or consider the psychological effects of abuse when sentencing &amp;quot;battered women.&amp;quot;    &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;CALS argued that “This case demonstrates that the current approach of providing courts with wide unfettered discretion when considering mitigation in relation to women who kill their intimate partners as a result of prolonged violence is insufficient in dealing with femicide in this country.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I realized that there was no mention of men or the &amp;quot;battered man syndrome&amp;quot; exepct the abusive husband but I was not surprised considering the prevailing narrative around men and reality of many women in South Africa. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In this short episode, I question whether this attempt to justify the husband&amp;apos;s killing as self defence adds to the gender empathy gap men experience in the legal system?  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for&lt;b&gt; Ain&amp;apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men &lt;/b&gt;on &lt;b&gt;rituals4men@gmail.com&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Donate To Our Campaign with &lt;a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Love Your Nuts Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; To Raise &lt;a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Testicular Cancer Awareness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;F&lt;b&gt;ollow us &amp;amp; share you comments on our work:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Substack: &lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations Writes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUpConvos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a textShoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.I was intrigued by an article shared by Ground Up and the Daily Maverick titled, “Battered woman syndrome”: law to be challenged." The Centre for Applied Legal Studies has laid out a strong argument for women who kill in self defence arguing that the courts don't empathise or consider the psychological effects of abuse when sentencing "battered wo...

Reflections On The Gender Empathy Gap

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms">Send us a text</a><div>Shoutout to you if you&apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated. In this episode we explore an uncommon but interesting story of a US Army conscientious objector and social work graduate student, Kyle Toon to talk about his decision to leave the army after serving for 10 years where he enrolled at 17 years old. Kyle shares how going against family lineage caused an internal conflict and mental heath issues resulting from the dissonance he experienced when comparing what he was learning from African centered education versus the life he was leading including his work in the army. We also highlight issues around African identity, family health and ideas for connecting with the global African community.  Through work on Embrace Perfection Kyle Toon is striving and seeking to inculcate, promote, and provide access to MENTAL HEALTHINESS , wellness, and growth-inducing knowledge and resources for the Black parent, caregiver, every day survivor, and those aspiring to begin their own family. He is based in the United States and  If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love. Reach out to the South African Federation of Mental Health: Website: <a href='https://www.embraceourimperfection.com/home'>Embrace Perfection</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/always_gracefullyimperfect/'>always_gracefullyimperfect</a> Podcast: <a href='https://www.embraceourimperfection.com/home/podcast'>Gracefully Imperfect</a> Other podcasts and articles featuring Kyle Toon: </div><div><a href='https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-kyle-toon/'>I&apos;m requesting discharge not non combat status </a> </div><div><a href='https://centeronconscience.org/the-delicacy-and-fragility-of-life-hit-me-kyle-toons-journey-to-conscientious-objection/'>The deliacy and frigility of life hit me</a> <a href='https://centeronconscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Kyle-Toom-interview-edited.mp3'>Center on Conscience </a> </div><div> </div>Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&nbsp; Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&nbsp; Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support">Support the show</a>Sign up for Ain&apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on rituals4men@gmail.com. Donate To Our Campaign with <a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'>Love Your Nuts Foundation</a> To Raise <a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'>Testicular Cancer Awareness</a> Follow us &amp; share you comments on our work: Substack: <a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'>Manned Up Conversations Writes</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'>@MannedUpConvos</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'>Manned Up Conversations</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;Shoutout to you if you&amp;apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In this episode we explore an uncommon but interesting story of a US Army conscientious objector and social work graduate student, Kyle Toon to talk about his decision to leave the army after serving for 10 years where he enrolled at 17 years old. &lt;br/&gt;Kyle shares how going against family lineage caused an internal conflict and mental heath issues resulting from the dissonance he experienced when comparing what he was learning from African centered education versus the life he was leading including his work in the army.&lt;br/&gt;We also highlight issues around African identity, family health and ideas for connecting with the global African community.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Through work on Embrace Perfection Kyle Toon is striving and seeking to inculcate, promote, and provide access to &lt;strong&gt;MENTAL HEALTHINESS &lt;/strong&gt;, wellness, and growth-inducing knowledge and resources for the Black parent, caregiver, every day survivor, and those aspiring to begin their own family. He is based in the United States and  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reach out to the South African Federation of Mental Health:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Website: &lt;a href='https://www.embraceourimperfection.com/home'&gt;Embrace Perfection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Instagram:&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/always_gracefullyimperfect/'&gt;always_gracefullyimperfect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Podcast: &lt;a href='https://www.embraceourimperfection.com/home/podcast'&gt;Gracefully Imperfect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Other podcasts and articles featuring Kyle Toon:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href='https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-kyle-toon/'&gt;I&amp;apos;m requesting discharge not non combat status&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href='https://centeronconscience.org/the-delicacy-and-fragility-of-life-hit-me-kyle-toons-journey-to-conscientious-objection/'&gt;The deliacy and frigility of life hit me&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://centeronconscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Kyle-Toom-interview-edited.mp3'&gt;Center on Conscience&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for&lt;b&gt; Ain&amp;apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men &lt;/b&gt;on &lt;b&gt;rituals4men@gmail.com&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Donate To Our Campaign with &lt;a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Love Your Nuts Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; To Raise &lt;a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Testicular Cancer Awareness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;F&lt;b&gt;ollow us &amp;amp; share you comments on our work:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Substack: &lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations Writes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUpConvos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a textShoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.In this episode we explore an uncommon but interesting story of a US Army conscientious objector and social work graduate student, Kyle Toon to talk about his decision to leave the army after serving for 10 years where he enrolled at 17 years old. Kyle shares how going against family lineage caused an internal conflict and mental heath issues resu...

Exploring The Journey of a Conscientious Objector with Kyle Toon

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms">Send us a text</a>Shoutout to you if you&apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated. We talk about men&apos;s coping mechanisms and how seeking help—or not—can lead to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts in this courageous interview with Leon De Beer, the deputy director of the South African Federation of Mental Health. After his divorce, Leon experienced suicide ideation. By sharing his story, he emphasizes the value of reaching out and surrounding yourself with people who can support and understand you during difficult times. We additionally acknowledge the courage required to speak up in the face of adversity and the negative effects of substance abuse on our health. We also speak about generational trauma and the impact of apartheid and close off by sharing details of where men can go for help.      Leon De Beer&apos;s work is underpinned by a deep passion for human rights. He holds an Honours Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Social Policy and Development. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love. Reach out to the South African Federation of Mental Health: Website: <a href='https://www.safmh.org/'>South African Federation for Mental Health</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/SAMentalHealth/'>SA Mental Health</a> Twitter (X): <a href='https://twitter.com/safmh'>@safmh</a> LinkedIn: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-federation-for-mental-health/'>SA Federation for Mental Health</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/safmh_south_africa/'>SAFMH South Africa</a> Other links and books mentioned in the conversation: <a href='https://www.safmh.org/big-boys-do-in-fact-also-cry-men-and-suicide/'>BIG BOYS DO IN FACT ALSO CRY: MEN AND SUICIDE</a> <a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/13343656-cultural-silence-wounded-souls-with-mark-tuggle'>Cultural Silence Wounded Souls with Mark Tuggle</a> <a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/12961359-understanding-male-psychology-with-angelo-de-boni'>Understanding Male Psychology with Angelo De Boni</a> <a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/10437012-the-stigma-around-mental-health-and-male-suicide-with-nkini-phasha'></a>Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&nbsp; Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&nbsp; Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support">Support the show</a>Sign up for Ain&apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men on rituals4men@gmail.com. Donate To Our Campaign with <a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'>Love Your Nuts Foundation</a> To Raise <a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'>Testicular Cancer Awareness</a> Follow us &amp; share you comments on our work: Substack: <a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'>Manned Up Conversations Writes</a> Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'>@MannedUpConvos</a> Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'>@MannedUp_Convos</a> YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'>Manned Up Conversations</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1814138/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shoutout to you if you&amp;apos;re joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;We talk about men&amp;apos;s coping mechanisms and how seeking help—or not—can lead to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts in this courageous interview with Leon De Beer, the deputy director of the South African Federation of Mental Health. After his divorce, Leon experienced suicide ideation. By sharing his story, he emphasizes the value of reaching out and surrounding yourself with people who can support and understand you during difficult times. We additionally acknowledge the courage required to speak up in the face of adversity and the negative effects of substance abuse on our health. We also speak about generational trauma and the impact of apartheid and close off by sharing details of where men can go for help.      &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Leon De Beer&amp;apos;s work is underpinned by a deep passion for human rights. He holds an Honours Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Social Policy and Development.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and share. Peace and Love.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reach out to the South African Federation of Mental Health:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Website: &lt;a href='https://www.safmh.org/'&gt;South African Federation for Mental Health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/SAMentalHealth/'&gt;SA Mental Health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter (X): &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/safmh'&gt;@safmh&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;LinkedIn: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-federation-for-mental-health/'&gt;SA Federation for Mental Health&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Instagram:&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/safmh_south_africa/'&gt;SAFMH South Africa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Other links and books mentioned in the conversation:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.safmh.org/big-boys-do-in-fact-also-cry-men-and-suicide/'&gt;BIG BOYS DO IN FACT ALSO CRY: MEN AND SUICIDE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/13343656-cultural-silence-wounded-souls-with-mark-tuggle'&gt;Cultural Silence Wounded Souls with Mark Tuggle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/12961359-understanding-male-psychology-with-angelo-de-boni'&gt;Understanding Male Psychology with Angelo De Boni&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.buzzsprout.com/1814138/10437012-the-stigma-around-mental-health-and-male-suicide-with-nkini-phasha'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hope you are enjoying the conversation so far.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Remember to take note of things that stand out to you while listening and take a moment to reflect in your own time or discuss this with some friends over some drinks, a meal or relaxing activity of your choice.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;Thank you for tuning into Manned Up Conversations. Please subscribe to help grow the platform, you can also find us on YouTube if you prefer video and don't forget to share your comments, insights or questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1814138/support"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sign up for&lt;b&gt; Ain&amp;apos;t Heavy, My Brother - A Workshop in Support of Grieving Men &lt;/b&gt;on &lt;b&gt;rituals4men@gmail.com&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Donate To Our Campaign with &lt;a href='https://loveyournuts.org/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Love Your Nuts Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; To Raise &lt;a href='https://www.givengain.com/project/kgaugelo-habyane-raising-funds-for-love-your-nuts-foundation'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Testicular Cancer Awareness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;F&lt;b&gt;ollow us &amp;amp; share you comments on our work:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Substack: &lt;a href='https://mannedupconvos.substack.com/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations Writes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Facebook: &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.facebook.com/MannedUpConvos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUpConvos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram: &lt;a href='https://www.instagram.com/manned_up_conversations/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Twitter: &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/MannedUp_Convos'&gt;&lt;b&gt;@MannedUp_Convos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;YouTube: &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxju_Y0iTRT65t1Ak5uf7Vw'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manned Up Conversations&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a textShoutout to you if you're joining us for the first time, and thank you for coming back to listen; your support is greatly appreciated.We talk about men's coping mechanisms and how seeking help—or not—can lead to mental health issues and suicidal thoughts in this courageous interview with Leon De Beer, the deputy director of the South African Federation of Mental Health. After his divorce, Leon experienced suicide ideation. By sharing his story, he emphasizes the value of reachin...

Why Silence Isn't Always Golden with Leon De Beer

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