“What I Love About Being a Man”: Six Questions That Moved the Gathering
On the final morning of the National Men’s Health Gathering in Brisbane, participants came together for a heartfelt and revealin workshop on 'Narrative Around Men, Boys and Masculinity'.
Led by Glen Poole, CEO of the Australian Men’s Health Forum, Jason Bluett, men’s coach and founder of the Primal Men Project, and Ged Moriarty from The Man Cave, the conversation unfolded around six simple questions that opened the door to deep reflection, humour and some whopping big bear hugs.
Question 1: What Do You Love About Men?
It began with appreciation.
“I love the way that men connect through banter. I really do,” said Glen Poole. “I love the universal language of male banter.”
Jason Bluett followed: “My favourite thing about men is our range — the extraordinary capacity of men to love in an extraordinary way and to have such strength.”
For Ged Moriarty, who works with teenage boys through The Man Cave, the younger generation offers real hope. “Teenage boys, they give a shit about each other. It’s heartening to see the mateship teenage boys show in the schoolyard. Also, their ability to step into new things. Their capacity to step into difficult conversations, to tell their mates they are there for them.”
From around the room came other reflections: men’s curiosity, their risk-taking, and their instinct to help.
“I love the devotion dads have for their kids,” said John Rich from Men’s Health and Wellbeing WA.
“The dance between strength and care,” added The Men’s Tables’ David Pointon. “There’s beauty in that tension and that range.”
Tynan Narywonczyk spoke about the universality of men’s rituals: “No matter what country you’re in, men around a barbecue — whenever there is a line, men will step into it.”
And Marco Renai captured the quiet generosity that often goes unseen: “The generosity of men who helped us start a charity but helped us deliver… paying it forward. I watch this community now — there’s heartbeats in men we don’t know enough about.”
Even from a woman’s perspective, there was admiration. “Men say what they mean and mean what they say,” said Rebecca Taylor. “I love the trust I can put into my interactions with men.”
Ged Moriarty
Question 2: What Do You Hate About Men?
Then came the tougher question.
“I hate the shallow banter,” said Glen. “Can we not get down to the deep stuff?”
Jason spoke of “monomaniacal views on the world. They carry a judgement. It comes from the inability to see outside their narrow view.”
Ged reflected on the paradox in teenage boys: “We love the banter, but we’ve got to be able to swing the pendulum back. Teenage boys police one another.”
Others named ego, competitiveness, and emotional suppression.
“It can take hitting rock bottom before men reach out,” one delegate offered.
“Anger and holding it by not being able to show it safely,” said Brave Brothers’ David Facer. “We take a long time to show our vulnerability.”
And from another voice: “That competitive thing — that everything needs to be a pissing competition.”
Question 3: The Men in Our Lives
When asked to reflect on the men who shape them, the stories became intensely personal.
“I have 12 brothers that would take a bullet for me,” said Jason, referring to the Primal Men’s Project team. “You have changed the way that I see men forever.”
Glen paid tribute to the men in the room who supported him when his father died in the UK. “You held me,” he said simply. 
Jason Bluett
Question 4: What Frustrates You About Your Men?
The fourth question revealed how easily life pulls men apart.
“They don’t celebrate,” said Ged.
“Sometimes we can fail to challenge each other and call each other out,” added Men’s Resources Tasmania’s Jonathan Bedloe.
Another man agreed: “We don’t prioritise catching up. We should put it in the calendar. We get caught up in work — it slowly creeps in. How do we say no to someone else to give to ourselves?”
Question 5: What Do You Love About Being a Man?
The answers came with pride and tenderness.
“I love being part of a male lineage,” said Glen.
Jason added: “The experience I get of providing — that may be my partner, my son, my community. There is something that feels distinctly masculine about giving. I love the power that exists in a fierce man hug. To be met with the ferocity of man.”
And Ged concluded: “Nothing ever makes me less of a man. It doesn’t matter what I do, nothing makes me less than a man, less masculine.”
Question 6: What Do You Not Like — What Do You Hate?
The final question drew more contemplation and a sense that transformation is possible through awareness.
“Being part of a group that has a really bad press, rightly or wrongly,” said Glen.
“I hate the presumption that my intentions are not good,” said Jason.
Ged, 25, paused. “I struggled to reflect back; I’m always looking forward. I struggle to reflect on how far I’ve come. We can forget to reflect on how far we’ve come,” he said, scanning the room.
Others spoke of constantly having to justify themselves.
“I hated the role modelling I got as a younger kid of what a man was meant to be. I modelled my life on trying to make those people happy, not what a man really is.”
As the conversation drew to a close, Glen summed up a heartfelt morning activity: “I don’t think we’ve changed the narrative, but I think we’ve really explored it.”