Show Notes
What does it actually mean to be a strong man?
In this episode, I sit down with therapist Trey Tucker of Rugged Counseling to talk about men, masculinity, strength, shame, vulnerability, and the deep need many men have to know that they are valuable—not simply for what they accomplish, provide, or achieve, but for who they are.
Trey and I talk about the fear underneath so much male performance: *What if I'm not good enough?*
That belief can send men in opposite directions. Some spend their lives achieving, dominating, accumulating, and proving. Others withdraw, play it safe, and avoid the possibility of failure altogether. But underneath both can be the same wound.
We also explore what happens when a man begins to heal that wound. What does strength look like when there's nothing left to prove? What does safety mean to a man? Why can vulnerability require more courage than physical risk? And what happens when strength stops being something a man uses to protect himself and becomes something he can offer in service of others?
We talk about resilience, the importance of small tests of strength, why men sometimes shut down in relationships, and the difference between being needed for what you DO versus being valued for who you ARE.
Because real strength isn't the absence of fear, pain, failure, or vulnerability. It may be the ability to face all of them without losing your heart.
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessathetherapist/
Trey's website: https://www.ruggedcounseling.com/
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