My passion for working with Men, Boys and Mums came from my own difficult school and life experiences. Although popular and academically able, those younger years were far from easy. I was haunted by a fear, isolation, and crushing shame.

That experience stayed with me. Later, after finding purpose through my faith, I began working with young people who exhibited challenging behavioural issues — young offenders, would-be offenders, and those who lacked general life and social skills.

I spent 10 years working for YMCA Training, supporting young people from many backgrounds, including those at risk of exclusion and those often considered difficult. Those were the people I felt most drawn to.

After the YMCA, I started my own company and developed a school for disaffected young people. I soon learned that working directly with young people and running a school are miles apart. Wanting to deepen my understanding, I trained in therapeutic practice for three years.

It was there that I discovered 'The ME' behind the mask. The self-reflection encouraged in studies helped me uncover parts of my childhood that still shaped me as a boy, man, father, and manager — that fear, that sense of isolation and shame — shaped in part by an absent father from the age of 2, and an overwhelmed single parent mother of 8 children who did her best.

Today, with more than 25 years' experience, I work with young men — including those with additional needs such as autism, OCD, anxiety, and social and emotional difficulties. I also support their mothers: helping them build understanding of their son, and at times helping them find where their son ends and they as individuals begin. Often they have lost themselves in the almighty task of raising a Man2Be single-handedly.

I believe behaviour communicates something underneath. So my approach is to create a safe, non-judgmental space — to listen, and gently challenge when trust is strong.

If we want to help the next generation of men we have to be willing and prepared to look honestly at ourselves first

Sometimes just being willing to take off the mask is that beginning.