What drives me to help support others:
I spent my time hoping that someone would look beyond my behaviour and see the person ‘in trouble’ underneath — THE ME.”
My desire to help comes from my own tough experiences, especially during my school years. On the outside, I seemed confident and popular, but inside I struggled with fear, doubt, isolation, and shame. Those years were hard and painful.
What made these feelings worse was the belief that I was alone, perhaps the only one in the world who felt this way. I wanted to talk to someone about my feelings, but I was too scared to reveal my true self unless the situation was just right… It never happened!
As a result, the scars from those internal struggles remained hidden within me into adulthood.
By default I started working with young people who showed challenging behavior. I believed that, like me, their behaviour often masked their true feelings, sending a message of danger, while underneath they cried out for help.
I spent 10 years supporting young men aged 8 to 25 from various backgrounds, including those at risk of exclusion, young offenders, and students with special educational needs. I designed and led programs like the Exploration and Time Out Project, Summer Activities for Young People, and The Prince’s Trust Volunteers Programme.
The last two years were spent at a high school in special measures, working with students in years 10 and 11 who were considered unmanageable. It was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my career, surrounded by ‘Mini Me’s’ all wearing masks.
As my journey continued, two colleagues and I started a successful company that became an alternative provision school. I soon realized that working directly with young people is very different from running a school. For me, hands-on work allowed me to show much more authenticity and genuine care and therefore, to deepen my understanding, I trained in therapeutic practice for three years. This process helped me uncover “THE ME” behind the mask. The intense self-reflection during my training allowed me to confront and understand the childhood experiences that haunted me.
Today, with over 30 years of experience,
I support Young Men
I continue to assist young males (16 – 25 years) facing anxiety and social and emotional challenges.
I support Grown Men
Many men still carry a wounded inner child that affects their lives. These men often struggle to silence their inner child’s call for help and want to be seen without judgment.
I support Mums.
Sometimes the help is simply guiding Mums to understand the boundaries between themselves and their sons. Often, Mums lose themselves in the demanding task of raising a boy into a man, a “MEN2BE,” all by themselves. My role is to assist Mums in understanding their sons while helping them reconnect with their own identities.
I believe behavior signals something deeper. My approach is to create a safe, non-judgmental space to Reach and Relate, Challenge and Empower Men, Boys, and Mums. I believe this can be done through
- Men learning to listen to themselves.
- Men sharing insights with each other.
- Men supporting Boys – MEN2BE.
- Men offering guidance to single Mums trying to raise those Boys/MEN2BE.
If we want to help the next generation of men, we must be willing to look honestly at ourselves first.
Sometimes just being willing to remove the mask is the first st