In a world where we can so easily share anything with the click of a button or the swipe of a finger, men are still holding back. For someone like myself that works in radio I have conversations with at least 12 people daily. Despite the confident persona required for the job, I recently acknowledged that when it’s time to talk about myself and my own mental health, I struggle.

I can’t quite put my finger on why it’s the case, but it’s always been this way. I hate putting myself in the spotlight which can be ironic for someone that works in radio and writes articles. Recently I started looking at getting help with my mental health and wellbeing, and I stumbled across Blokepedia.

I wish I found them earlier.

Josh Quarmby is the founder of Blokepedia. He started the organisation in January last year with the aim of getting men talking about issues that affect them, from mental and physical health through to relationships. What originally started as a simple blog site is now growing into a unique mix of online and face to face resources for men.

“One of the first articles I shared when it started as a blog site was a story about losing my father and the impact that had on my life as a young bloke growing up, and how bottling my emotions affected me and my relationships as I matured and entered manhood,” Quarmby said. “We’ve actually got really good engagement from men and women which I think is great. Guys from around the 20 to 25 mark up to around the 60 to 60 plus are using it and engaging and coming to our events. I really enjoy that women are involved in these conversations as well. I think conversations around men’s health and wellbeing are important for us all to engage in.”

This week Quarmby is bringing ‘Conversations that Matter’ to Canberra at the National Press Club to discuss men’s health and wellbeing.

“I’ve been looking at getting back to Canberra for a while now, I’m originally a Canberra boy, we’re also very fortunate to have the support of Huawei they’ve sponsored us to have this event at the National Press Club,” Quarmby said. “There are some fantastic speakers. Martin Fisk the CEO of Menslink which is a Canberra based organisation for young men. I love the work that Menslink is doing, so I really want to align with them.

“Gary Mills who has got his own lived experience dealing with depression, he’s a small business owner and a resilience coach so he is going to talk about communication and resilience and how that affects us. Then we’ve got Ben Alexander who’s a former Brumbies player that’s recently retired and also a small business owner.”

One of the benefits of the event, will be having conversations with men and women that are in a similar position.

“While it’s good to hear from people that have a real story. While it’s nice to hear from psychologists and doctors on this topic, who you can relate to makes it all that little bit easier,” Quarmby said.

With it being mental health week, there is no time like the present to start taking care of yourself.

Blokepedia: Conversations that Matter
Where: National Press Club, Canberra
When: 6:30pm, Thursday 11 October 2018
Cost: Tickets are $39, and you can buy them here.