Be tough. Be caring. Provide. Be mindful. The modern rule book for men seems to change with every swipe of your phone. This men-only session is fully funded by MANUP?, so there is no charge and you can join without sharing your full name.

Therapist James Elliott MSc starts by tracing where ideas of manhood come from: family messages, school locker rooms, social media hot-takes and the voices in your own head. You will see how clashing expectations can leave you stuck between bottling feelings and being labelled weak. The aim is not to give you yet another set of rules but to help you build a definition that fits your life.

The practical section covers:

• Values compass – a short exercise that pinpoints what genuinely matters to you

• Emotion as data – how feelings flag up needs rather than signal failure

• Strength versus vulnerability – ways to share truth without oversharing or shutting down

• Role-modelling in real time – small daily acts that show younger men balance, not bravado

Cameras can stay off and chat is optional. You will leave with a printable worksheet to refine your personal code, a list of podcasts and books that reinforce balanced masculinity and signposts to further support if old scripts prove hard to shake.