Man vs Mind

What happens when your mind suddenly turns against you? In this powerful episode of Man vs Mind , Tim shares the story of the day his life changed and his mental health collapsed – the exact moment that sparked nearly a decade of anxiety, self-doubt, and (eventually) recovery. From a life-altering mental breakdown at work to months of fear, depression, medical confusion, and a lost identity – this...

Ahead of World Mental Health Day – 10 October , we sit down with Mark Rowland , CEO of the Mental Health Foundation, for an honest conversation about why men struggle to ask for help — and how we change that. Mark shares a deeply personal story that shaped his life’s work, and we dig into the cultural, generational and biological forces that keep men silent, the cost of staying on autopilot, and t...

We all need it — that little bit of personal space. Alone time. Breathing room. This week on Man vs Mind , Tim and J dive into the craving to just be left alone for a while. From panic attacks sparked by being constantly “on,” to carving out an hour to decompress after bedtime routines, they explore why personal space is essential — and what happens when you don’t get it. But can too much alone ti...

After a recent, explosive episode, we break down the anatomy of a panic attack. And, crucially, how to break out of one. What can set one off (stress, overstimulation, caffeine, loss of routine), what’s happening in your body and brain, and what it actually feels like in the moment. J shares a raw first-hand account of a huge attack that hit him during his recent travels – from racing heartbeat an...

Why does getting control of money feel like such a weight off your shoulders? In Part 3 of our Money mini-series, Tim takes you through the painstaking breakdown of his finances: line-by-line audits, subscription purges, disaster funds, bulk-buy planning, and the relief of finally having a monthly strategy. We dig into: Why a lack of control fuels money anxiety How systems and habits ease the stre...

Money is one of the biggest causes of stress in our lives — yet it’s the one thing we almost never talk about openly. In Part Two of the Man vs Money mini-series, Tim and J dig into the taboo of talking about finances, why we go silent when asked about money, and how cultural differences shape whether we’re open or closed about it. From social pressure to “keep up,” to the shame of saying “I can’t...

It's the start of a new mini-series, and this is a big, devisive, tabooish, and expensive one: money. The root of all evil today, or so they say. Today, J and Tim get stuck into our early perceptions of money: our younger years exposure to money, how it shaped out attitudes towards it, and what it means to have (or not to have...) the coin. Does not having money encourage you to graft, to work har...

You're not the only one who overthinks, who spirals, who obsesses over that argument or the funny look someone gave you after you cracked a "joke". Today, Tim & J go over the "Oh my god if only I said that..." or the "jeeeez, what did that look mean? Did I just say something terrible? What if I've mortally offended them? It was just a joke, I didn't mean anything by it – so why did they look a...

Why do we compare ourselves to others? And how can you stop feeling like everyone else is doing better than you?  Sometimes it’s hard to avoid feeling like everyone else is smashing life while you’re… well, just... existing. This week, Tim and J dive headfirst into the comparison trap: the ways we measure ourselves against friends, colleagues, influencers, and sometimes complete strangers – and ho...

The burnout is real, and Tim's therapist (and Alexa, apparently) warned him it might happen... Today, we're chatting all about what burnout actually is, how it feels, and how we're trying to combat the effect that burning out has on mental health. Feeling neither happy nor sad, going through the motions, getting a bit downtrodden, and feeling sort of meh. It's all part of it, and it can happen to...

We’ve pulled out all the stops for the final part of our Ageing mini‑series. This one’s a proper journey – funny, raw, honest and genuinely inspiring. Tim and J dive into the worst bits of getting older – the aches, the slowing down, back pain and that constant feeling of being more tired than you’d like. But then we flip it: wisdom, perspective, self‑assurance, joy in everyday life, and the privi...

Birthdays aren’t always cake and candles. Sometimes they’re a spotlight you never asked for – a reminder of another year gone by, a quiet tally of who still cares enough to show up, or just a day that sparks a rush of awkward gratitude when all you really want is a sofa and some peace. In this episode, Tim and J dive into how our relationship with birthdays changes as we get older, and how those y...

Is it just us, or is time absolutely sprinting lately? Like, seriously, chill out please Father Time. In Part Two of our ageing mini-series, Tim and J try to get their heads around the weird acceleration of life. Why do the years feel shorter the older we get? Is it all the responsibility? The anxiety? Or just the fact that school summers used to feel like forever ? We talk memory, mindfulness, th...

Who’s that old, tired man staring back from the bathroom mirror? Oh wait – it’s us. In the first part of our Man vs Ageing mini-series, Tim and J face the creeping signs of getting older – dodgy knees, deepening eye bags, shifting friendships, and the subtle emotional wobble that comes when your face starts to match how you feel. We talk about how our bodies have changed since becoming dads, how o...

It's tough for men to talk about what's really going on in our heads, but man alive it's so important. Here's an 86-second dramatic(ish) trailer telling you why and how Man vs Mind is smashing the silence on men's mental health. Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re enjoying the show PLEASE consider leaving us a 5* rating and a few words to review the show - the algorithm loves...

In this episode of Man vs Mind , we dive headfirst into our love/hate relationship with our phones. Are we addicted? Dependent? Or just trying to stay afloat in a digital tsunami of pings, pings, and more pings? Tim and J talk screen time shame, notification anxiety, and that weird little dopamine hit you get from absolutely nothing at all. We ask: what are we avoiding when we scroll? Can we even...

From grounded flights to forest poos, the lads regroup after a chaotic week of travel, jet lag, and existential creaks in the knees. In today's Man vs Mind , Tim checks in from the UK while J’s stuck in Dubai after a last-minute trip gets grounded. What follows is a catch-up of two knackered dads trying (and mostly failing) to switch off – featuring overheated bedrooms, eerie city roads, toddler t...

What actually is stress? Is it a full-blown anxiety spiral – or just the slow drip of life admin, wet socks, and toddler tantrums that wear you down? This week on Man vs Mind , Tim and J dig into the chaos. From the boiling point of financial pressure to work mistakes and coffee machines that just won’t shut up, they unpack how modern stress shows up – and why we’re all so bloody bad at talking ab...

Got distracted halfway through writing this description. Which is fitting, really – because this week, it’s Man vs Focus . From childhood ADHD and adult procrastination, to multitasking meltdowns, hyperfocus hijacks, and the fine art of not doing your coursework until the literal night before (or just… getting drunk instead) – Tim and J go deep into the mess of modern attention. They talk about gr...

This one was tough to record – so buckle in. In honour of Men’s Mental Health Month, we’re talking about what awareness really means – not just in the way people see you, but in the way you see yourself. We open up about the stuff we rarely say out loud – the grief that lingers for years, the anxiety attacks that hit like a truck, the everyday pressures that build quietly until they don’t. There a...

Fear. It creeps up in the dead of night, in dentist chairs, on balconies 65 floors up, and sometimes… in the form of your dad pranking you with a dead snake. In this episode, Tim and J dive headfirst into the irrational, the existential, and the unexpectedly hilarious world of fear – from man-made heights and dental trauma, to the call of the void **ominous music** and the terrifying thought of ra...

This week, we’re knackered – we’re documenting it in real time, and we're trying to hack our brains into thinking we're not actually tired. Is that a thing? Well, it's based on absolutely zero scientific evidence except our own self-inflicted guinea pig trials. So let's see. Armed with a week’s worth of voice notes, J and Tim set out to fake energy until we feel it for real… but what we uncovered...

Why do we drink? Is it fun? Habit? Celebration? Escape? Or just because saying no feels like social sabotage? In this episode of Man vs Mind , we take on alcohol – starting with the stupid (like Danger Can , a game involving a shaken can of beer and your forehead) and moving into the emotional. Tim shares stories of stress-fuelled nights that spiralled, including one that ended with crying, lost p...

This week, we wrap up our Body Image mini-series with a deep dive into the things we do to feel better about ourselves — the gym routines, the crash diets, the attempts to get back control when we feel like we've lost it. We ran a poll asking what your coping mechanisms are. Most of you said restrictive dieting. Some said intense workouts. And a glorious 20% just went “meh, not bothered.” You are...

We're wrapping up the mini series on Body Image this week, so we're ending on a bit of a high note. Here are a few clips from this week's showing, new episode arriving in your podcast player of choice first thing on Wednesday! If you’re enjoying the show PLEASE consider leaving us a 5* rating and a few words to review the show - the algorithm loves it and it’ll help more people find the show ❤️❤️...