Part II of our 10th episode - a discussion around men’s romantic relationships.

We acknowledge that this conversation is coming from heterosexual experiences. This is in no way intended to minimise the experiences of other sexualities and any other gender identities.

Find support for men’s mental health: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk/find-support-for-mens-mental-health-in-leeds/⁠⁠⁠⁠

An introduction to the Being Men podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://touchstonesupport.org.uk/the-touchstone-being-men-podcast-introduction/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on Instagram: @being.men_podcast

In our 10th episode, we have a discussion around men’s romantic relationships.

We acknowledge that this conversation is coming from heterosexual experiences. This is in no way intended to minimise the experiences of other sexualities and any other gender identities.

Find support for men’s mental health: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk/find-support-for-mens-mental-health-in-leeds/⁠⁠⁠

An introduction to the Being Men podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://touchstonesupport.org.uk/the-touchstone-being-men-podcast-introduction/⁠⁠⁠

Follow us on Instagram: @being.men_podcast

In this episode of the Being Men podcast, we are exploring the question: how do men keep in touch?

Is it true that men only connect through shared hobbies and interests? As men, do we feel able to reach out to our friends, even when there's no plan or activity in mind beyond catching up? Are we still leaving it to our partners and family members to make sure we actually see people? And do men become more emotionally closed off from their friends as they get older?

This discussion aims to delve beyond the stereotypes to find out what male friendship looks like in 2026 — a time when social interactions and the ways in which we communicate are in constant flux. You could say that we've never been better connected, with a lifetime's worth of friends and contacts just a click away for many. And yet the problems of isolation, loneliness and social anxiety seem to get deeper and more widespread among men.

We'll share our experiences of the shifting pressures, structures and patterns that shape men's social lives, from technology, to the cost of living, to the decline of spaces like pubs, places of worship and city centres, and the rise of gym culture and working from home.

We'll ask: where are men really connecting in the era of social media? And when we do connect, are we showing up for each other in ways that help us all to feel better?

This episode will give voice to the way we talk to the men in our lives, where and how those conversations happen, and what keeping in touch does for our mental health.

We come together in this conversation as men working in mental health to check in on how we're checking in. We hope you find this discussion useful, and if you do please share it with your friends - wherever you connect with them.