In this episode of The Black Country Blokes, Kev and Lee sit down for a proper honest chat about grief, health scares, fitness, discipline, and making changes before it’s too late.

After losing his brother to a heart attack and realising his granddad died at the same age, Kev opens up about the drastic lifestyle changes he’s made — cutting out booze, processed food, sugar and cigarettes, losing weight, and trying to take control of his health before it controls him.

Lee shares positive news about Dravet syndrome research, why raising awareness matters, and how running and training have helped both physically and mentally — even when motivation disappears.

This one is about more than weight loss.

It’s about:

• dealing with loss and perspective
• doing something before your body forces you to
• discipline vs motivation vs accountability
• building habits that actually stick
• getting healthier for your heart, your head, and your family
• why starting small still counts

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, get fitter, clear your mind, or just stop putting yourself last, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to be perfect — you just have to start.

If this episode hits home, subscribe, share it, and follow The Black Country Blokes across all socials.

#BlackCountryBlokes #MensMentalHealth #Grief #FitnessJourney #WeightLossJourney #DravetSyndrome #MentalHealthAwareness #Discipline #HealthMatters

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In this episode of The Black Country Blokes, Kev and Lee sit down with Paul Gough, the long-standing director and head coach of Priory Park Boxing Club in Dudley, who has spent 30 years using boxing to change lives.

What started as a boxing club on Priory Road has grown into a community hub supporting 300–400 people every week, offering training, mentorship, and opportunities for young people, veterans, emergency services and local families.

The club has produced Schoolboy, Golden Gloves and National Youth champions, but Paul’s proudest achievement might be what’s happening outside the ring.

Paul also founded Priory Park Community School, an alternative provision for young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties, or those at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream education.

Located in the Wren’s Nest area of Dudley, the school offers something unique — combining education with mentoring through sport, boxing, and outdoor learning.

Students benefit from:

🥊 Mentoring through Priory Park Boxing Club

🌿 Outdoor education in Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve — one of Britain’s most important geological sites

🎓 Qualifications including ABA Awards, ASDAN, BTEC and GCSEs

💬 Confidence building, resilience training and life skills

The aim is simple but powerful:

Give young people structure, belief and opportunity — and help them return to education, work, apprenticeships or training.

This episode explores:

• Paul’s 30-year journey running Priory Park Boxing Club
• Why boxing gyms often become lifelines for communities
• The reality of working with young people at risk of exclusion
• How sport can rebuild confidence and discipline
• The mission to reduce permanent exclusions in Dudley

Priory Park isn’t just building fighters —

it’s building futures.

📍 Priory Park Boxing Club

Priory Road, Dudley, West Midlands

DY1 4EU

#BlackCountryBlokes

#PaulGough

#PrioryParkBoxingClub

#Dudley

#AlternativeEducation

#BoxingChangesLives

#MensMentalHealth

#CommunityMatters

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In this episode of The Black Country Blokes, Kev and Lee are joined by long-time friend DR Emily Barney from Spartannn Brain Gym– back in the very room where she now runs her mental fitness sessions.

Together, they dive into a big question:

They get properly stuck into:

• Why saying “he should’ve talked” can sound a lot like blaming the bloke who’s died
• How men do ask for help – and how often nobody really listens
• The reality of trying to get support when services are underfunded and impossible to access
• Phones, doomscrolling, dopamine and whether we’re all addicted to constant stimulation
• The pressure to provide, being a dad, and that “messy middle” of life where everyone wants a piece of you
• Emily’s idea of “mental fitness” – training your brain like a muscle with “mental press-ups”, gratitude reps and tiny daily wins
• Why our brains are “Velcro for negatives, Teflon for positives” – and what you can actually do about it

They also talk about taking this work into prisons, rowing challenges to represent the number of men lost to suicide, and why treating people as humans not statistics might just be the start of real change.

If you’ve ever felt like you should be grateful but your head says otherwise, or you’re sick of being told to “man up” and “just talk”, this one’s for you.

👉 If you want to connect with Emily, look up Spartannn Brain Gym / Spartannn mental fitness training online.

👉 Follow, share and tag us to keep the conversation going: #MensMentalHealth #BlackCountryBlokes #MentalFitness #DadsSupportingDads

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