Inside the Cave: Recent Episodes
The Man Cave Global
This podcast explores the people, philosophy, method and mission of The Man Cave. Since 2014, The Man Cave has provided preventative mental health and emotional intelligence workshops for teenage boys. They've worked with over 20,000 young men across Australia, with 95% saying they would recommend to other young men.Each episode shares an authentic conversation with some of the people behind the organisation from mentors, donors, staff and facilitators. We share their stories, motivations, challenges and triumphs and gain an interesting insight into
In today’s episode my conversation is with Ben O’Toole Senior Facilitator and SpeakEasy Coordinator at The Man Cave and Jeremy Macvean aka JMac Project Manager at Movember. Late last year we formed a partnership arrangement with Movember to design and deliver SpeakEasy workshops in corporate and community settings. These workshops are designed to tackle Men’s mental health by providing tools to have more powerful conversations. In this conversation we chat about what drives us to do this work and give an insight into what SpeakEasy is all about.
In this episode I have a chat with Marshall Grosse, a member of our Board of Boys at the Man Cave. This inspiring young man is a podcaster and content creator whose top values are respect and kindness his purpose or why is to truly serve his community in any way he can all this and he is 17 years old and in his final year of school. This was a humbling and inspiring conversation. To find out more about Marshall you can find his podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/0JtrohTxeAVtwsorvg5GJI?si=ba0ca51e01c64a22 or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ladschatspodcast/?hl=en
In this episode I speak with Imogen Thomas the Head of Growth at the Man Cave. In this conversation we talk about the importance of understanding the why and the how when considering how to grow an organisation with a social purpose.
On today’s episode I have a conversation with Joshie and Nic two of The Man Cave facilitators that have been out delivering workshops in Term 1 of 2022. Joshie and Nic give us a small window into what they have observed is going on for teenage boys at the moment as they reflect on what the boys are describing and expressing in our workshops with them. This unique viewpoint is critical to understanding how we can best work with teenage boys, particularly after the past 2 years of challenge and change.
Today’s episode is a recording of the inaugural meeting of a working party that formed earlier this year with the intention of assisting The Man Cave to go through a Rainbow Tick Accreditation process. The Rainbow Tick is a quality framework that helps health and human services organisations show that they are safe, inclusive and affirming services and employers for the LGBTIQ community. The members of this working party are Opal, Linds, Richard, Claudia and Al. I hope you enjoy this open and honest conversation.
In today’s episode I chat with Senior Facilitator Narada Guzman. Narada has been steering the recruitment process for the latest round of facilitators in both Victoria and New South Wales in this conversation he describes not only his own journey into the Man Cave but also the rigorous and competitive selection process and gives us an insight into what we look for when we search for positive role models.
My conversation today is with Creator of Context, Josh Payne and Head of Digital Experience, Media & Innovation, Niro Yamunarajan about The Man Cave’s decision to double down on the digital platforms as a way of meeting the boys where they are at. We discuss how we are meeting boys in a digital environment through our Board of Boys and also using the gaming platform Twitch.
This episode is part 2 of a conversation that Al Green I had about being agile in a pandemic. In this episode we invited Hunter Johnson into the conversation to share his experience as CEO but we also discuss a pivotal values based decision that he made early in the pandemic that became an artefact of our organisational culture.
Lucy Barrat has worked in education for over 12 years, passionately supporting young people in becoming exceptional communicators, critical problem solvers and resilient individuals with a developing understanding of who they are and who they wish to be. In this episode we explore Lucy's wealth of experience in the education and wellbeing space and how she is using that to assist The Man Cave to develop some important resources for teachers.
For a lot of businesses and organisations the pandemic has been a time of uncertainty and change. In this episode, Al Green our Head of Community and I reflect back over the past 18 months to 2 years on some of the decisions the Man Cave has had to make as an organisation in order to navigate this unprecedented time in history.
Mitch is the current Facilitator Squad Captain at The Man Cave and lives for creating space for people of all ages and contexts to explore and experience their humanity together. With 5+ years of experience facilitating connected spaces for young people, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (International Studies) and Diploma of Languages (Spanish) from RMIT in his pocket, he now balances time on the court facilitating boys in our workshops with the training and development of our incredibly diverse group of facilitators. In today's conversation we discuss what it feels like to facilitate a group through and experience.
Jamin Heppell is a down to earth country boy, adventurist and passionate about helping people be extraordinary. He is also Co-Founder of The Man Cave, Founder of Game Changers Australia, Director of Head Quarters Australia, Co-Founder and Leadership Coach of Mountains and Marathons and is my guest for this episode. In our conversation Jamin shares his journey in creating The Man Cave and also discusses the importance of synchronous moments and positive role models in his life that have helped to create his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for helping others become the best they can be. Check out his current venture at https://mountainsandmarathons.world/
Daniel, or Pappy or Papi as he is also known, joined The Man Cave way back in 2018, when the organisation was growing rapidly and in need of new facilitators. He has been a facilitator ever since, continuing that role today. In early 2020 he took on the role of Comms Coordinator, following a series of persistent emails to The Man Cave’s brains trust. Pappy has a background in writing, journalism and PR, having worked across these industries since 2009. Pappy is driven by a desire to create a generation of more empowered, empathetic men, and now devotes most of his week to that cause, whether coordinating comms or facilitating workshops. In today's conversation we discuss how stories can create empathy and understanding. Pappy shares very generously some of his story and stories he has witnessed firsthand.
Andrew & Adrian are two of our senior facilitators and while delivering impactful workshops to teenage boys is their day job, they have recently launched MCTV play. Interacting with boys on an online platform called Twitch they get to continue the authentic conversations in a digital space. In this episode we discuss the new platform but also explore the concepts of belonging and authenticity and how they contribute to the building of community. MCTV Play - https://www.twitch.tv/mctvplay
David Verdugo is a Senior Facilitator and the Facilitation Squad Trainer at The Man Cave. He has a wealth of experience delivering life changing workshops to young people and he shares those skills and experience through training our world class facilitators growth and development. Through this conversation we explore some of the nuanced and sometimes subtle techniques required in the art of facilitation.
The following recording was taken from the Chief Executive Women’s Summit Session: WOMEN, MEN AND THE WHOLE DAMN THING with CEW President Sam Mostyn AO, Author and Journalist, David Leser, and our very own Founder and CEO of The Man Cave & STUFF, Hunter Johnson. In this session they share honest reflections and personal perspectives on why we need men to work flexibly and the push to make it happen now and in the future. Special thanks to CEW and David Leser for allowing us to share this important conversation. Find out more about CEW at https://cew.org.au/
Josh and Jarrah are two of our senior facilitators and have collectively worked with a few thousand teenage boys over the past few years. Both come from a background in drama and acting which are useful skills to draw upon in their current project Man Cave TV(MCTV)! MCTV is an online platform designed to meet boys where they are at...online! Creating playful and cheeky content provides an avenue to explore the real stuff as well. In this conversation we talk about the importance of friendship and also how they balance the fun playful aspect of the content they create with the 'real talk'. To find out more about MCTV: Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwvF_XIEx6rGaibc63mrAuQ/featured |Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mctv.au/?hl=en | Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/mctvplay | Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mctv.au?lang=en
Coming from a strong background in drama, Al values and focuses heavily on creative, experiential training to explore and understand the human condition. He honed his skills through 7 years at The Reach Foundation as a Facilitator, Trainer and Culture Leader, working with over 40,000 young people across Australia and creating and delivering hundreds of workshops. His experience also spans keynote presentations, MC’ing and facilitating workshops from graduate programs to CEOs in the corporate space exploring authentic leadership and positive organisational culture. In today's episode we explore the power of storytelling and how Al approaches his role of creating and maintaining organisational culture.
Katie has an extensive background in retail and the realities of delivering outcomes that genuinely meet customer needs. More recently Katie has applied those skills to the not-for-profit sector through her stakeholder engagement role at ShareGift Australia where she built strategic relationships with top ASX-listed companies and a number of major charities. Katie is a mother of two teenage boys. Originating from a family of all girls, Katie experiences every day of motherhood as a revelation. As a parent, Katie has direct experience helping her boys navigate the complexities of high school and adolescence. In this episode we explore the role of building relationships with schools and get some insights as to what’s happening out there for teenage boys and why schools are coming to The Man Cave. We also get the opportunity to explore Katie’s journey as a mother of her two boys.
Daniel is an energetic creative who loves to solve a good problem with a smile. He has a background directing brands in the music industry, covering communications, creative direction, design, operations and event management. When he’s not in the office, you can find him at home in the studio recharging his batteries and working on his next gig. Daniel feels a strong calling to the work of The Man Cave, openly acknowledging the positive impact such a program would have had on his own time at school. When The Man Cave put out the call for a Communications Manager in May 2019, Daniel saw the perfect opportunity to give back to others by combining his interests and experience for this value-driven cause. During his tenure as Communications Manager, Daniel discovered a passion for designing and creating data-driven systems that enhance the everyday functioning of our organisation. As of January 2020, Daniel shifted his focus to Operations, where he is responsible for developing the backend systems that facilitate our growth as we expand our work and impact more young men in Australia. In this episode we explore a little behind the scenes at The Man Cave and also his recent step into facilitation.
Growing up between adventures in the beaches, bush and suburbs of Victoria, Matt has been driven to seek out wholesome and challenging experiences from a young age. Inspired by endless trips skiing, scuba diving, hiking and traveling, Matt has always been driven to find the potential in himself and others and to create environments where people can flourish. Through The Man Cave, Matt now wants to give young men experiences that will expand their view of what is possible in life, for themselves and in their relationships with others. While Matt initially worked in corporate consulting, his desire to contribute directly to social change and lead a values-aligned life led Matt to throw in a promising business career and take up a full-time role at The Man Cave. Now a registered Psychologist (Organisation), Matt used his studies to gain knowledge and skills in ethical psychology practice, gender stereotypes, leadership, and how to create organisations and communities that bring out the best in people. In this episode we dive into some of the theory and research that goes into creating the impactful programs for teenage boys.
This episode I am joined by Hunter Johnson. Hunter Johnson is the Founder & CEO of two purpose-driven organisations. Hunter leads The Man Cave, an emotional intelligence charity that has impacted the lives of 20,000 young men across Australia. Hunter also leads STUFF™, a men’s personal care brand that champions healthy masculinity. Hunter’s work has led him to speak around the world including presenting at the United Nations, Government House, Human Rights Commission, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Town Hall, Graduation Ceremonies and various Universities. Hunter has been recognised as an Honouree for the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, a Finalist for the 2020 Young Australian of the Year Awards (VIC) and named a Queen’s Young Leader by Her Majesty The Queen. We explore the story of creation of The Man Cave, the importance of people and culture within the organisation, an insight into the role models that helped shape and influence Hunter's identity as the man he is today, we hear some stories of his experience running programs for teenage boys both rewarding and challenging. Finally we hear a little about the personal care brand for men, STUFF incidentally, this episode is brought to you by STUFF, find out more at www.websiteofstuff.com and use mancave10 for 10% off.
This brief introduction to the first series of "Inside the Cave" gives you an overview of the format and background to the purpose of this podcast. Each episode will start with a Check-In which is a tool we use culturally as an organisation to connect, land and be present to what it is that we are about to do. This is followed by an authentic, raw and sometimes vulnerable conversation with our special guest. Finally we finish with an honouring or an acknowledgement of the unique gift our guest brings to the world. Thanks for your interest we hope you enjoy "Inside the Cave"