Are Men OK? Exploring Men, Modern Masculinity & Silence
Why do so many men still struggle in silence?
Recorded live on Afternoons with Helen Farmer on Dubai Eye 103.8, this special roundtable asks a simple but urgent question: are men okay?
Helen Farmer is joined by Scott Armstrong, founder of mentl; Manny Djornor, founder of Mentality; and Mark Samways, Counselling Psychologist and Director of Well-being at Alkalma, for an honest conversation about men’s mental health, pressure, silence, community and what support can look like.
This episode explores the realities many men carry but do not always say out loud: work pressure, loneliness, financial stress, fatherhood, relationships, anger, identity, therapy, friendship and the difficulty of asking for help.
In this episode, we explore:
• The pressure to be the provider, protector and problem-solver
• How loneliness can show up in expat life and modern adulthood
• Why men may reach crisis point before asking for help
• How work, money, job security and family responsibility affect mental health
• The role of social media, comparison and modern masculinity
• Why depression in men may not always look like sadness
• How partners and families can begin difficult conversations
• What therapy can actually look like for men
• Why community, connection and workplace support matter
This conversation does not pretend to have all the answers. It opens the door to a question more men, families, workplaces and communities need to be asking.
If this episode makes you think of someone, share it with them. If you are struggling remember you are not alone, and please reach out to someone close or a professional.
Recorded live on Afternoons with Helen Farmer, Dubai Eye 103.8.
00:00 Are men okay? Why this conversation matters
01:05 Why this work is personal
03:21 Why the first step is still so hard
05:21 Identity, performance and the problem-solver role
08:29 Expat life, loneliness and finding safe spaces
11:13 Reaching breaking point and asking for help earlier
13:09 Job security, finances and modern masculinity
18:14 Boys, emotional literacy and parental shame
21:13 Anger, depression and supporting the men we love
30:22 Strength, therapy, community and workplace support
