Show Notes
From body image and the pressure to provide, to violence, vulnerability and viral masculinity myths—this episode dives deep into the challenges boys face and how we can support them. Elliott and Joeli chat with Dan Guinness and Ben Hurst from Beyond Equality about what it means to be a boy today. Expect wisdom, warmth, and a few laughs along the way.
More from To Be A Boy
Baby loss is often discussed through the experiences of mothers, but what about fathers? In this Baby Loss Awareness Week special, Joeli speaks with Peter Reeves, founder of Nod Is Not Enough, Errol Murray of Leeds Dads, and Vicki Robinson, CEO of Miscarriage UK, about the grief, trauma and isolation men can experience following miscarriage and baby loss. From devastating personal stories to practical advice on support, fatherhood and recovery, this is a powerful conversation about loss, masculinity and why men need space to grieve too. N.I.N.E (Nod Is Not Enough) https://www.nodisnotenough.com Ebony Bonds https://www.ebonybonds.org.uk Leeds Dads https://leedsdads.org Miscarriage UK https://www.miscarriageuk.org Tommy's https://www.tommys.org Sands https://www.sands.org.uk Five X More https://www.fivexmore.com
How do we stop boys being pulled into the manosphere, without making them feel blamed or shut out? In this episode, Elliott sits down with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to talk about online misogyny, positive masculinity and why listening to boys matters. The Mayor introduces City Hall’s “Ignore the noise. Trust your own voice” campaign and its practical N.O.I.S.E. check, designed to help young people question the content competing for their attention. The conversation also looks at the real-world role of fathers, teachers, youth workers and football coaches, as well as why better paternity leave could help create more present dads and healthier role models from the very beginning. We talking about raising thoughtful young men, and giving every boy the tools, relationships and opportunities to flourish.
Let them be bored! Six weeks, endless snacks and the nagging feeling that you should be running a children’s cruise ship from your kitchen. Playworker Amber joins Elliott to explain why parents can lower the bar and why boredom, messy play and a little independence can be brilliant for children. Packed with simple, low-cost ideas for toddlers to teens, inclusive advice for children with additional needs and a persuasive case for the adventure playground, this is a warm, reassuring guide to a summer with more connection, less pressure and far less forced fun.
Masculinities educator Lewis Wedlock joins Joeli and Elliott to talk boys, schools, online influence and why the best conversations start with curiosity rather than condemnation. From “borrowed phrases” on the internet to helping young men sit with discomfort, this is a sharp, hopeful and very human conversation about teaching boys HOW to think, not just WHAT to think.
In this wonderfully hopeful episode of To Be a Boy, Joeli speaks to Professor Seán Redmond about boys, belonging and how children can be drawn into criminal networks. Drawing on decades of youth justice experience and his landmark Greentown research, Seán explains why punishment alone rarely works — and why young people need accountability, safe spaces and trusted adults who believe nothing is ever too bad to talk about. He believes that things can always be fixed.