To Be A Boy

In this wonderfully hopeful episode of To Be a Boy, Joeli speaks to Professor Seán Redmond about boys, belonging and how children can be drawn into criminal networks. Drawing on decades of youth justice experience and his landmark Greentown research, Seán explains why punishment alone rarely works — and why young people need accountability, safe spaces and trusted adults who believe nothing is eve...

In this episode of To Be A Boy, Joeli and Elliott are joined by podcast BFF, couples coach, father of three and Be a Happier Parent host Alex Trippier for a raw (seriously, get your tissues READY), funny and deeply honest conversation about modern fatherhood. Together, they explore the mental load, anger, repair, school refusal, resilience, sensitive boys, the manosphere, porn, consent and what it...

In this episode of To Be A Boy, Joeli and Elliott unpack the newly announced social media ban for under-16s: from TikTok, YouTube and Roblox to VPNs, WhatsApp and the very real risk that teenagers are simply left to “stare at the wall”. They ask whether the ban is a necessary cultural reset, a blunt instrument, or both. They also look at what young people need instead: youth clubs, third spaces, s...

Joeli and Elliott are joined by Shuab Gamote, advocate for young people, strategic adviser to the NEETs Commission, and co-author of Inside the Mind of a 16-Year-Old . Shuab has spoken to more than 1,000 young people across the UK, and in this conversation he shares what they are really saying about school, work, confidence, social media, COVID, class, AI, safety, and the future. Together, they ex...

In a world of social media, body pressures, dating confusion and manosphere content that’s only getting louder, what does it mean to be a young man right now? In this episode, Elliott and Joeli speak to Ricardo Barcello, a 19-year-old student and member of the Movember Youth Advisory Board, about what life really feels like for young men today. From gym culture and skincare anxiety to friendship,...

This week, Elliott is joined by educator and campaigner Andrew “Bernie” Bernard, with Koru Kid's very own Rachel Carrell stepping in brilliantly as co-host. Hold tight for this one, the team are going deep on some big topics and have some genuinely thought-provoking questions to a big conversation about boys, masculinity and the world they’re growing up in. Together, they unpack everything fro...

Join Joeli and Elliott as we revisit our conversation with John Amaechi to talk all things sports, identity and masculinity, emphasising the importance of emotional intelligence and intimacy among men. John reflects on his experiences as a latecomer to basketball and how it shaped his understanding of masculinity. They also roll up their sleeves and delve into the societal pressures surrounding ma...

Meadhbh Park, author of Blackpilled and expert in countering violent extremism, joins Joeli and Elliott to unpack the ideologies pulling young men towards the darkest corners of the internet. From the nihilistic “black pill” philosophy and incel communities to the mainstream creep of looks-maxing culture and self-optimisation content, she maps the full landscape of the Manosphere and explains why...

Recorded live at Push 4 Paternity Leave, this super special episode captures the vibe that was that day. Consider it another chance to soak up the energy, humour and urgency behind the fight for better parental leave. Expect brilliant speeches, honest stories and a powerful case for why better paternity leave matters for dads, mums, children, relationships and society. In short: two weeks is a jok...

Be prepared for a warm heart: Elliott and Joeli are joined by Gavin Morgan, co-CEO of the Scottish charity Growing2gether, whose work pairs teenagers who are struggling with younger children in nurseries and primary schools. We’re exploring what happens when boys are trusted with something real to care about: how responsibility can soften the armour, build confidence, and open the door to connecti...

We’re joined by Professor Paul Galdas (University of York), chair of the Men’s Health Academic Network and a key architect of the UK’s men’s health strategy. We dig into why men delay seeking help and why the answer isn’t “men need to do better”, but services that fit how men actually live. From loneliness and deprivation to father-inclusive care, paternity leave, and the post-Manosphere search fo...

Joeli and Elliott sit down with the glorious author of 'Be A Man About It' and men’s health advocate, George Bell to unpack what “man up” really teaches boys and what it costs them later. From emotional literacy and male loneliness to the collapse of community “third spaces”, they explore how parents, schools and role models can help boys ask for help without shame and grow into men who ca...

Louis Theroux’s Manosphere documentary asked what is this? This episode asks what do we do now? Joined by NSPCC’s Ineke Houtenbos, we unpack how boys actually encounter Manosphere content, why algorithms reward rage, and what it’s really doing to boys’ mental health and girls’ safety. One for parents looking for what they can do when the internet is shouting louder than they are. Here with some si...

Day‑one parental rights. Stronger protections at work. An end to silence agreements hiding discrimination. And a serious rethink of how the UK supports parents to actually afford time with their kids. The Employment Rights Act is changing the rules of work and this conversation gets into what that really means for dads, mums, self‑employed parents, kinship carers and families trying to stay afloat...

Joe Wicks, is a GOOD MAN – the type we're glad to role model to our boys. And Hark! Lucky us, he joins To Be A Boy for a powerful conversation about boys, body image, gym culture, social media pressure and modern fatherhood. The man is home schooling his four children alongside his wife and we love that for them. From growing up without a male role model to becoming a PE teacher to millions, J...

Joeli and Elliott dive into the biology, psychology and sheer chaos of fatherhood with evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Anna Machin. They look at the wild hormonal rewiring, brain upgrades and instinctive nurturing behaviours that kick in when men become fathers. Spoiler: testosterone drops, oxytocin rises, and suddenly dad is biologically primed to bond, care and spot danger like a caffeinated mee...

The UK is deciding whether to ban under‑16s from social media, and we’ve got the Online Safety Minister in the hot seat but before that they chew the fat on THAT vote in parliament and who’s right in the knock ginger/knock-a-door run debate… Elliott and Joeli grill Kanishka Narayan on screen‑time addiction, bullying, harmful content, porn regulation, school‑wide phone bans, and whether often-times...

Join this lively debate with Joeli and Elliott, as experts Sonia Livingstone and Susie Davies tackle the hot topic of social media bans for under-16s in the UK. Discover the pros and cons of digital consent age, the impact on mental health, and the role of parents in navigating the digital landscape. The gloves are off! (No experts were harmed in the recording of this episode.) This episode is sup...

Rerelease alert! First aired on 10 June 2025, this episode with our favourite feels even more relevant now that the government is flirting with the idea of booting under 16s off social media entirely. So we’re revisiting our chat with 15 year old Josh Sargent — boy, book writer, manosphere decoder, and all round legend. Josh breaks down how teen boys get sucked into online masculinity culture, why...

Filmmaker, author and former rapper Fredi Nwaka joins Elliott and Joeli for a powerful, funny and deeply honest conversation about modern masculinity , fatherhood , vulnerability, identity, gang life and healing. From growing up as “the only Black boy in the world” to redefining what it means to be a strong man, Fredi shares lessons on softness, parenting, legacy and the boys we’re raising today....

In this episode of To Be A Boy , Elliott and Joeli bring together two seasoned secondary school teachers: Will in Newcastle and Machel in London to dig into pull back the curtain on what’s actually going on with boys today. From “TikTokified” worldviews and “bantified” misogyny to the quiet crises unfolding in the school corridors, they reveal a rapidly shifting landscape that teachers are somehow...

Comedian Darren Harriot joins us for a raw and unsurprisingly funny conversation about grief, masculinity and growing up after losing his dad at 11. From childhood depression to adult shame, from stand‑up as survival to the pressure men feel to “hold it all together,” Darren opens up with honesty and insight. We were really grateful to talk to him about his story. A powerful, hopeful episode for a...

We sit down with the absolutely delightful Gary Barker, CEO of Equimundo for an honest and hopeful conversation about why so many boys and men feel lonely, overwhelmed and disconnected. No small ask: we're asking him what the hell we can do about it. From friendships to (ye olde favourite,) screens to the pressure to “provide,” Gary talks Joeli and Elliott through the big picture, and has a si...

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Pomfrett, a martial‑arts‑instructor‑turned‑boy‑whisperer, to unpack why boys sometimes go from chatty little legends to mysterious, grunty teenagers who only communicate via Fortnite and side‑eye. Richard’s spent 25 years helping boys navigate the pressures of modern masculinity, from “must‑get‑six‑pack‑before-puberty” anxiety to the weird world of online...

What happens when you dig into unpaid labour and accidentally expose the entire wiring of modern family life? In this episode of To Be A Boy, Joeli and Elliott chat with the brilliant Melissa Hogenboom , author of Breadwinners , about why sharing the care still feels revolutionary, why breadwinning still clings to outdated gender scripts, and why so many men discover far too late that the nappy ba...