Byron Cooke tackles men’s mental health and ‘stoic males’ in latest podcast

Former Fox FM anchor Byron Cooke has said men need to “man up” and speak about their feelings.

Cooke tackles the complex and delicate issue on his podcast, The Byron Cooke Show, and said the greatest show of strength can be asking for help. It’s time to tackle the stereotype of the stoic male for the sake of men’s mental health, he said.

The podcast episode features Gus Worland, who left Triple M Breakfast in Sydney in 2019. Worland is also the founder of Gotcha4Life, which aims to turn around the alarming suicide statistics in Australia. It has a ‘zero suicide’ vision.

Josh Kennedy, co-captain of the Sydney Swans and a father of two, is also on the episode.

“Let’s keep the conversation going about men speaking up and sharing their feelings, because it’s so, so important,” he said.

Jonny Coles, a social worker from Redkite, also has his say.

Redkite is a child cancer support organisation, which aims to break down the barriers between men and support via its Dads Connect program. The Swans has partnered with Redkite for over 20 yeas to raise awareness o the support on offer for families.

“We don’t have as many men coming through to access direct support than we do other family members. But at the Dads Connect group, they can get something from other dads that they can’t get from anyone else, no matter how well intentioned the people in their support network might be,” he said.

“We link dads with other dads who have a kid with cancer and who ‘just get it’. It’s an opportunity to break through some of those stereotypes of what it is to be a man – being strong and non-emotional – as it’s a non-threatening space connecting dads to have a chat about shared challenges.”.