Stories from inside The Man Cave
This is where we share stories from in and around The Man Cave — what we’re seeing in schools, what we’re learning alongside boys, and the moments that remind us why this work matters.
Honest reflections, real voices, and a few practical takeaways along the way.
"That purpose I had is no longer."
Elijah Hollands inspiring statement on losing the only thing he ever wanted to do.
There's a lockbox in a Melbourne park full of poems.
Tommy Little put it there, and he has no idea who’s opening it.
They Changed The Rules For Jai
118 years of rivalry, set aside.
What he did next is worth showing your son.
The algorithm got there before you did.
Fix Our Feeds, the campaign from the team at Teach Us Consent, is asking for something very specific. They want the government to make an algorithm-free feed an actual opt-in choice, not something buried three menus deep. Not a ban on social media, not a lecture about screen time.
You need to talk to your boys about sex and porn
This isn’t the conversation any parent enjoys having but it’s one that can’t wait anymore.
One in five boys aged 15 to 19 watch porn every day, or most days. Higher exposure is linked to greater acceptance of non-consensual sex, and to higher rates of sexually coercive behaviour.
Boys can't be what they can't see.
Boys with a positive male role model are twice as likely to know when they’re making someone uncomfortable.
An apology is not accountability.
We sit down with boys to talk about control, entitlement and consent, because women and girls in this country deserve to feel safe, and we are not staying quiet.”
On the surface, everything looked fine.
Nathan O’Driscoll had everything that’s supposed to mean you’re doing okay: a spot on an AFL list, a locker room full of teammates, a whole state’s worth of fans who knew his name. Underneath it, he was fighting anxiety and depression he’d carried alone for four years. What he did next, and how his teammates responded, is the kind of story every boy needs to see.
"The bravest thing that you can do in life is ask for help."
At the premiere of his new film, Tom Holland said the bravest thing you can do in life is ask for help. He would know. He got sober, walked away from social media, and has spoken openly about what playing Spider-Man has cost him. This is why he’s exactly the kind of hero boys actually need.
The boy who hid his books
Canberra Raiders NRL player Luke Bateman grew up in western Queensland hiding the part of himself he’d been taught was weak: his love of books, his softness, his sensitivity. He spent years burying it. It nearly cost him everything. This is his story, and why it matters for every boy being told the same thing.
England's Best Player Wasn't the Reason England Won.
Jude Bellingham scored both goals as England beat Norway in the World Cup quarter final. When asked how he kept his composure, he didn’t credit his coaches. He credited his mum. This is her story, and a letter to every parent doing the same job with no crowd and no thank you.
"I'm So F*cking Lonely, and I Spend Every Day Pretending That I'm Not."
A young man from Sydney sat in his car and said something most men never say out loud. His TikTok went viral. Here’s why it hit so hard, what it tells us about the loneliness many young men are carrying, and what actually helps.
"I Had Three Goals in Life. Play NRL. Buy My Parents a House. And Then I Wanted to End It."
Kane Evans spent a decade as one of the NRL’s most feared forwards. He was also, from the age of 15, carrying something he told no one. Last week he became only the second male NRL player in history to come out as gay. This is his story, and why it matters for every boy watching.
Every Boy Deserves a Role Model Who Shows Up For Him
One in five teenage boys lacks a positive male role model. Our data from 110,000 boys shows that a single relationship with someone who believes in him changes everything. This is for the person in a boy’s life who hasn’t been asked yet.
Am I Doing Everything Wrong?
After we posted a video of men listening to the anonymous post-it notes teen boys write in our workshops, the comments from parents came flooding in. Underneath every message was the same question: am I doing enough? Here’s what we said back, and four things that actually help.
Your Son Has Probably Already Asked AI Something He Hasn't Asked You.
The Man Cave surveyed over 1,500 teenage boys about how they’re using AI. The results on homework and tutoring weren’t the surprise. The surprise was this: 1 in 4 boys is using AI for mental health support. Here’s what that tells us, and what to do about it.
Stop Asking Boys to Open Up
We’ve spent years telling boys it’s okay to talk. It’s on billboards, school corridors, t-shirts. It’s not a bad message. It’s just half of one. Here’s the other half, and why building the skill on both sides matters more than any campaign.
Open letter to the sector working with men and boys.
To the organisations, advocates, practitioners, researchers, activists, leaders, funders, policymakers, public servants, educators, health workers, fathers, men’s health leaders, women’s safety leaders, victim-survivor advocates, children’s advocates, and everyone who has given their life, labour, care and courage to this work.
I am writing this letter with deep respect, some frustration, and a great deal of hope.
Ged is doing their PhD with us.
Here's why that matters.
Ged Franzmann has been awarded a sponsored PhD in partnership between The Man Cave and Flinders University, funded through the Australian Government Department of Education’s National Industry PhD Program.
Their research will explore how school-based programs for adolescent boys and young men can promote mental health, healthy masculinities, and positive relationships. Here’s why that matters.
Asking for Help Didn't End His Career. It Saved It!
597 days after his last AFL game, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan ran out for Gold Coast. He didn’t leave because of injury or form. He left because he was fighting to stay alive, and brave enough to ask for help. This is why we’re calling him a role model.
We remember our ANZACs for courage, sacrifice and mateship.
Last year, a Man Cave facilitator walked the Kokoda Track with his Mum. He went to hold space for others. What he didn’t expect was to become the student. This is what he found out there, and why The Man Cave is returning to Kokoda in 2026.
Something is changing for men and boys in Victoria
Victoria now has its first ever Minister for Men and Boys. It was a recommendation The Man Cave put directly to Premier Jacinta Allan in 2025. Here’s what the appointment means, who else deserves recognition, and what we’re calling for next.
“I don’t want to live anymore.”
When Cal saw the early results from The Man Cave’s new Foundations program for Year 5 and 6 boys, he burst into tears. Not because he was surprised. Because he was thinking about the 11-year-old version of himself, locked in a bathroom, with no words for what he was feeling. This is his story, and why he believes preventative mental health workshops need to start in primary school.
What It Looks Like When Men Show Up for Each Other
On a recent episode of the Two Doting Dads podcast, Ash Wicks shared that he was nearly 100 days sober. He talked about the voice in his head, the guilt, the years he spent pushing it all down. And co-host Matty J did something most men never see modelled: he just sat with him. This is what real mateship looks like.
The Dads Who Are Showing Up
New research shows 97% of Australian dads enjoy caregiving and feel confident doing it. But the same report reveals nearly half are struggling to balance work and family, and 63% don’t feel like enough of a man unless they can provide financially.
This piece is for the dads doing the hard, quiet, irreplaceable work of showing up anyway.
Paddy Pimblett Lost the Fight. Then He Said Something More Important.
After his latest UFC loss, Paddy Pimblett stood in front of millions of people with a bruised face and said something that had nothing to do with fighting.
When will the AFL step up?
Bailey Smith walked off the Geelong win last Friday and skipped the footy chat.
Instead, he called for a men’s mental health round in the AFL. It wasn’t a PR moment. It was a player who’d nearly lost everything, saying out loud what a lot of people have been thinking.
A 20-Year-Old Nearly Died on Livestream.
When a popular influencer nearly died on livestream, millions of young boys watched it happen. This piece breaks down what they saw, why it matters, and how parents can use this moment to open a real conversation with their sons – not a lecture, but a genuine one.
The Third Space with AFL Play
The first space is home. The second is school or work. And then there’s the third space. For many young people, the footy club is that third space.
Everything that was missing from Inside the Manosphere.
If you’re looking for answers about how the manosphere is shaping teenage boys and wider society, you won’t find many here.
Inside the Manosphere follows a group of online influencers, pickup artists, streamers and self-appointed masculinity coaches who have built massive audiences talking about dating, masculinity and “escaping the matrix.”
You can't build equity without empathy.
Our COO shares why giving boys permission to be fully human is structural, not sentimental. Teaching emotional literacy, empathy and accountability does more than support individual wellbeing. It shifts culture. It is equity work.
We cannot balance the scales without changing the conditions that created them. And we cannot change culture without walking together.
Equality is not about advantage. It is about creating space for everyone to feel safe, be heard and grow, side by side.
1 in 5 teen boys have used AI companion chatbots
AI companion bots are becoming a new place where some boys turn for connection, raising important questions about loneliness, relationships, and what healthy connection should look like in the digital age.
Growing Up Where Support Is Miles Away
This is Lindsay’s story of growing up in rural Victoria and why we’re raising funds so boys don’t have to carry it alone.
Welcoming Andrew Wilson as Chair, and thanking Ian Ward-Ambler
Welcoming Andrew Wilson as Chair, and thanking Ian Ward-Ambler
The Man Cave and Bailey Smith helped turn my life around
Isaac, 17, shares how The Man Cave’s programs – and a Bailey Smith podcast – have changed his life for the better
A stranger’s hug and a conversation with a mate saved my life
Our Research and Evaluation Coordinator Ged Moriarty talks about their path to healing.
"I just is": TMC co-founder on what he's learnt from fatherhood
Our co-founder Al Green shares what he has learnt about himself through the joys and hardships of raising his son, Rhu.
Why Mitch Brown coming out matters – for everyone
Long before Ben Vasiliou started as the CEO of The Man Cave, he came out as a gay man. When he was 28, married to his wife, and with two children.
What do we want for our boys?
When Katie listen to the boys’ stories, she feels immense satisfaction informing their educators and parents that we have a program that sees and brings out the good in their young men.
How programs for boys can prevent violence
Joel Palmer is a men’s behaviour change specialist who, after observing a Man Cave workshop, says positive programs for boys can help to prevent violence.
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