Man Enough to Heal, Why This Panel Conversation Matters
I’ve spent a lot of years in rooms with men who are carrying more than they let on.
Men who function well on the outside, but internally feel guarded, tired, and disconnected from parts of themselves. Often, it’s not a lack of strength that’s holding them back. It’s the lack of safe places to put what they’re holding.
That’s why Man Enough to Heal matters to me.
On Wednesday, March 11, from 7–9 PM, I’ll be co-moderating a Man Enough to Heal panel discussion at Humber College Lakeshore Campus, hosted by The Gatehouse.
This is a facilitated panel conversation featuring male-identifying survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sharing lived experience, insight, and perspective from different points along the healing journey.
It isn’t a workshop.
It isn’t therapy.
And no one is asked to perform vulnerability on demand.
The panel format creates structure and safety, while still leaving room for honesty, nuance, and real human experience.
Why Men’s Voices Matter in This Conversation
For many men, there was never language for what happened, or permission to talk about how it shaped us.
We learned to manage.
To minimize.
To stay busy.
To keep going.
But unspoken experiences don’t disappear. They show up later, in our bodies, our relationships, our nervous systems, and our coping strategies.
When men hear other men speak plainly about these things, something shifts. The sense of isolation softens. Shame loosens its grip. The story that “it’s just me” begins to fall apart.
That’s the quiet power of this panel.
What This Panel Creates Space For
Man Enough to Heal centres men’s voices through a moderated panel discussion, while welcoming survivors of all gender identities who want to listen, learn, and bear witness.
The goals are simple, but not easy:
- Normalize conversations about childhood sexual abuse and its impact on men
- Challenge narrow ideas of masculinity that equate silence with strength
- Reduce shame and isolation through shared experience
- Increase awareness of supports available to survivors and their loved ones
Nothing is rushed. Nothing is forced. Listening is participation.
What I Hope People Take Away
I don’t expect anyone to leave with answers.
What I hope instead is that people leave feeling:
- less alone
- more understood
- more grounded in their own experience
- and a little less convinced they have to carry everything by themselves
Healing doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in moments of recognition, safety, and truth.
Sometimes it starts by hearing someone else say the thing you’ve never said out loud.
A Personal Note
Inside Out Healing for Men exists because I know how long it can take to find spaces where honesty feels possible.
Man Enough to Heal is one of those spaces.
If this resonates, I hope you’ll consider being there on March 11, whether you come to listen, reflect, or simply sit in the room.
You don’t have to explain yourself.
You don’t have to be ready.
You just have to show up.
