Why I Love Men

June 2025 newsletter feature story by Candice Storey (Clinic Therapist)

Gentle Warning: The following story includes mention of suicide. If this topic feels tender for you right now, please read with care or pause if you need to. You are not alone.

If you need immediate support, you can contact a crisis line such as Lifeline 13 11 14

In memory of Charlie Carbone

 I love men.

I love their vulnerable parts. Honestly nothing moves me more than a man expressing the tenderness of his heart.

And also, I deeply care about the wellness of men.

Being a ‘mother of boys’ I have a vested interest in this area, in regards to the legacy burdens my boys have inherited through their family lines. With some of these trauma’s including displacement from land, family and culture, war, poverty, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, domestic violence and suicide.

Unfortunately, these legacies aren’t uncommon. 

One of our families’ biggest legacies is the suicide of my father-in-law five years ago. Devastating and unexpected, as you can imagine, our entire world and reality shifted. I saw first-hand the impact his choice had on everyone around him, wishing so much that he could have witnessed the love people had for him and the hole he had left.

Mostly I just wished he had known how much he mattered, even in his imperfect messy human way. 

At that time a seed was planted in my heart, “How do we unburden our men?” And how do we heal together rather than alone. The seed in my heart grew tendrils, longing to support my family, friends and community to meet not just through the joys and celebrations, but also through the pains and struggles.

On some level we’re all traversing tender, wounded parts. Let’s meet there and deepen our relationships, lessening the burden for our children and future generations.

Men are sensitive.

We know this biologically to be true, with male fetuses having a much lower survival rate. What type of world would we live in if male vulnerability was protected and valued?

Maybe instead of masking their sensitivity with a tough veneer, shutting down, numbing out, self-harming, violent behaviour or self-isolation, men would feel safe to embody these tender parts. 

There is some amazing work already being done in this field to support this reclamation for men, but let’s keep it up in our homes and communities by encouraging men to share their deeper longings and fears, normalise therapy and support for men, and continue to reframe masculinity as multifaceted, where men can exist in a world where all their parts are welcome.

June is Men's Health Month at the Connection Culture Community Clinic. As always, we are open to all people, but we are also offering free 1:1 sessions for new men or male-identifying clients. Please sign up to our register if you would like to claim one of these sessions and one of our therapists will be in touch with you.