30/06/2026
Who Is Raising the Men We Hope to Work With Tomorrow?
As Men's Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on a question that I believe deserves far more attention than it receives.
Who is raising the men we hope to work with tomorrow?
As a single mother raising three sons, this question is deeply personal. Every decision I make today shapes the men they will become tomorrow. Like many single mothers, I have had to be the provider, the protector, the disciplinarian, the counsellor and, at times, the person who simply keeps everything together. While raising my sons, I have also been on my own healing journey because I know children learn more from what they see than from what they are told.
My goal has never been to raise perfect sons. My goal is to raise emotionally healthy men who understand that respect, accountability, kindness and empathy are strengths. I want them to become men who are present in their families, respectful in their relationships, responsible in the workplace and confident enough to ask for help when they need it.
That responsibility does not belong to parents alone. Families, teachers, coaches, mentors, employers, faith leaders and communities all influence the men our boys become. Leadership is not something that begins when a person receives a promotion. It begins much earlier through the values children are exposed to every day.
As parents, we can spend years teaching our sons that their emotions matter, that they should respect boundaries and treat others with dignity. However, I often wonder what happens when they leave home and enter environments where vulnerability is still viewed as weakness and silence is rewarded.
Every year, thousands of young men enter the workplace with excitement and optimism. They are eager to learn, contribute and build their careers. Yet not all of them find workplaces where they feel psychologically safe. Some experience behaviour that leaves them uncomfortable and uncertain. What concerns me most is that many hesitate to speak up because they fear it could affect their careers or future opportunities. It makes me wonder whether we are truly creating environments where men feel safe enough to speak about their experiences and their mental health without fear of being judged or overlooked.
Psychological safety should never be viewed as an optional workplace initiative. Every employee deserves to work in an environment where they are treated with respect, where their boundaries are honoured and where raising a concern does not place their career at risk. Creating that kind of culture is not only the responsibility of Human Resources. It is the responsibility of every leader.
This conversation also cannot ignore the reality that many boys grow up without the consistent presence of a father. Others are raised by fathers who were never given the opportunity to deal with their own emotional wounds. That does not mean every boy without a father will struggle or that every father has failed. It simply reminds us that unhealed pain can be passed from one generation to the next unless someone chooses to interrupt the cycle.
Single mothers should not have to carry that responsibility alone. We need fathers who are present, mentors who are intentional, schools that value emotional wellbeing and workplaces where men know they can ask for help without fear of being judged. We need leaders who understand that emotional intelligence is just as important as technical ability because people perform at their best when they feel safe, respected and valued.
As someone who advocates for mental health and works with families and communities, I have come to believe that healing is a choice. We may not be able to change where someone comes from, but together we can influence where they are going. Every conversation we have, every young person we mentor and every psychologically safe environment we create brings us one step closer to breaking generational cycles.
As Men's Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, I hope this conversation does not end with it. Supporting men's mental health is about much more than responding when someone reaches a crisis. It is about the way we raise our children, the cultures we build in our organisations and the example we set every day.
Every boy is someone's son. One day he will become someone's colleague, manager, husband, father or leader. The question we should all be asking ourselves is whether we are helping to prepare him for that responsibility.
I would love to hear your thoughts. What role do you think families, schools, workplaces and communities should play in raising emotionally healthy men?
