On 1st November 2023, PLOS Mental Health opened for submissions. About 8 months later we started to publish content and have consistently…
PLOS Mental Health Community Case Studies: Men’s Health Month 2025 with MoveMEN!
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PLOS
November is Men’s Health Month and this year the theme focuses on the importance of men supporting men. In honor of this, PLOS Mental Health spoke with Brian Henderson – founder of the ‘MoveMEN!’ community in Hong Kong, which specifically creates a safe space in which men support each other. We learn from Brian why and how MoveMEN! came to be and why initiatives such as this are vitally important for men’s mental health.
Please tell us about yourself.
[BH] My name is Brian Henderson. I was born and raised in Belfast during ‘the Troubles’ when violence and terror were daily occurrences. I qualified as a lawyer, transferring to law firm management and leadership roles in London, Paris and Hong Kong where I currently live. In 2019/20 I experienced anxiety and depression, insomnia and gastritis and felt so burned out that I quit my job as Chief Operating Officer of a leading international law firm. As I recovered, I started mental health peer support groups, established a corporate mental health and wellness training company, got certified as a yoga and meditation teacher and am working towards certification in Emotional Freedom Techniques, known as tapping. I call myself an ‘Inner Growth Mentor’, offering clients guidance and practices that empower them to find their path to holistic wellbeing and a more fulfilling future. In 2022, I created the MoveMEN! community.
What is MoveMEN and how did it come about?
[BH] MoveMEN! is a community for men to support each other through life’s ups and downs. It came about because I realised that many men lack a strong social and emotional support network. Men tend to be unlikely to seek help for relational, emotional and mental struggles. We may not be able to feel or articulate our emotions because we have been conditioned to suppress them for so long.
Our target community is men aged roughly 35-55 who are facing typical mid-life challenges and seeking support and reflective practices to help them find their way to a better place. We want to be better men for ourselves and everyone around us.
What do you do in a typical MoveMEN! session, and what sort of topics do you address?
[BH] Our aim is to create a community and safe spaces for men to explore vulnerability and emotional awareness, helping men to feel what they feel and turn towards rather than away from their challenges by reconnecting mind and body. That work enables us to connect with others in deeper and more meaningful ways and that also supports our wellbeing.
We chose the name MoveMEN! because we use movement, meditation and mindful dialogue to facilitate emotional exploration and vulnerability; and, of course, because we aspire to create a movement over time. Movement and breath work practices help us to relax, get grounded, settle into our bodies and quiet the mind a little so we can see more clearly and generate collective wisdom. We learn together, nobody does any teaching, lecturing, advising or fixing others.
Generally, we will work in pairs so we get to connect deeply with a new friend. In each session, we explore a specific topic such as relationship challenges, financial or career worries, anger, stress management, limiting beliefs, our triggers, parenting strains, addictions and compulsions or shadow parts work.
I guide a short meditation to help the guys feel into whatever the topic is, how it registers in their body and the emotions and stories that arise. We reflect on how our way of perceiving the issues affects our life and relationships. We try to bring as much compassion for ourselves and others as we can, which is often a challenge in itself!
Next, we work in our pairs using a separate speaker/listener format to share what we are experiencing when we are caught up in this challenge or situation, each person taking turns to share and to listen deeply to their partner. We finish with group sharing of the insights and learnings the session generated.
How has MoveMEN raised awareness and reduced the stigma of mental health difficulties among men?
[BH] In the MoveMEN! community, we do not talk directly about mental health or ‘toxic masculinities’ because that tends to turn men off. Most men are, however, willing to acknowledge that they have ups and downs and could use some support and an opportunity to share their struggles with other men. It’s all about meeting men where they are; nobody likes to be diagnosed, labelled, or told there is something wrong with them with the implication that they are weak. Stigma and social conditioning around mental health force us to take an indirect approach.
As we grow in confidence in the safety our community creates and our ability to face, be with and explore our struggles with vulnerability, honesty and compassion, people realise that this practice and this community directly support their mental, social, emotional, physical and even spiritual health.
We regularly share articles about mental health in our community chat group. For those who have got beyond the stigma, we share information about our mental health peer support group, where mental health is squarely front and centre. So we put the elephant in the room in a measured way that does not confront anyone or pressure them to admit that they personally need these things.
The heart-warming testimonials the guys willingly share about the impact of MoveMEN! speak for themselves:
It was lovely to let my mind slow down and feel comfortable in a setting where I could let myself be open and vulnerable with some like-minded individuals.
-‘Jace‘
[MoveMEN!] makes me a better father, husband and leader.
–Anon
Those moments of shared feelings dissolve isolation. This communal acknowledgment creates healing that self-reflection alone cannot provide.
–‘Ian’
Having not experienced breath work or meditation before and was amazed by how much of a positive impact it had on my mental, and perhaps more surprisingly, physical state
-‘Chris‘
Whether he’s [Brian] sharing his own journey or guiding you through a walking meditation that somehow makes all your stress melt away, he’s the kind of person who makes you feel like everything might just be okay after all. His work reminds us that being strong doesn’t mean carrying everything alone – it means letting others in and allowing yourself to feel.
-‘Rishi‘
Gave me some food for thought on how to deal with anxiety and anger/frustration. I certainly felt calmer and more aware of my own emotions and others.
– Anon
Why do you think men come sometimes find it so difficult to open up about their mental health?
[BH] Asking for help is a profound act of vulnerability. We must be willing to acknowledge that we are struggling and need help. Men are often conditioned not to be vulnerable, ever.
Men are also conditioned to be independent, which is why I find it very awkward to ask for directions even when I am hopelessly lost, which is often! Admitting that we need something from others is a failure to be independent and stoic; its just not manly, as socially defined in many cultures.
Men (and all genders) often struggle to offer ourselves compassion. Our inner critic can be very harsh. When we can’t embrace self-compassion, we generally find it difficult to open ourselves up to receive kindness and compassion from others. We feel we don’t deserve help; that we should be able to handle this ourselves; that we are imposing on others by sharing our problems.
If there is a man reading this who is struggling with their mental health but feels like they cannot open up, what would your advice be to them?
[BH] Find out what men’s groups there are in your community. You may be surprised how many have popped up in the last couple of years and how welcoming and unthreatening they are.
Ask yourself how your struggle is affecting your relationships, your career, your wellbeing and your ability to live the life you want. Consider this a cost/benefit analysis. When you can see more clearly the high cost of not seeking help, perhaps you will find the courage to reach out.
If someone opens the door by asking ‘how are you?’ please take the opportunity to say ‘actually, not great’, or something like that, and see where the conversation goes. You may be surprised how willing people are to listen.
PLOS Mental Health has published several articles that focus on men’s mental health since it launched. Some examples include: