“The beauty of podcasts is you feel like you're eavesdropping on a personal deep and meaningful conversation between people,” Hunter Johnson tells Broadsheet. Even better when it’s a fun, inspiring discussion between changemakers and Aussie role models.
That’s the idea behind Real Stuff, a new podcast hosted by Johnson that looks to answer questions like: What does modern masculinity look like? How do we embody this without losing our favourite masculine traits? And, importantly, how can we all support the next generation of boys to be better men, not just for themselves but for their relationships too?
The men’s mental health advocate has spent nearly a decade trying to spread a message of positive masculinity – first through education charity The Man Cave, which helps young men and teenage boys tackle issues such as toxic masculinity and domestic violence though workshops and programs at schools, then through men’s personal care brand Stuff, which aims to disrupt the traditional, outdated marketing of misogynistic macho men (remember those old Lynx ads?) through body wash, deo, facial cleanser and moisturisers, while also encouraging men to be their true, authentic selves.
But if you can’t attend a workshop and you’re not in the market for a new facial wash, there’s another – more accessible – way you can hear the message.
Real Stuff launched in February, with the first four episodes featuring guests such as Essendon Bombers captain Dyson Heppell talking about footy club culture and the pressure of high performance sports; youth human rights activist Yasmin Poole on gender equality, feminism, privilege and racism; ex-footy players and now List Cloggers hosts Daniel Gorringe and Dyl Buckley chatting about how they support each other’s mental health; and Client Liason’s Monte Morgan on finding inspiration and flipping the script of Aussie masculinity.
“We really cover the whole depth and breadth of – hopefully – that human experience, all the way to, ‘what's the role that men can play in creating more gender equality?’” Johnson says. “We want this to … bring really diverse voices into this conversation to just explore the different ways masculinity is evolving.”
And still to come: chats with sexual consent activist and Teach Us Consent founder Chanel Contos, former Wallabies rugby union player Dean Mumm, public speaker and author Holly Ransom, and more.
“We get to listen and get exposure to influencers, people in the public eye, really positive role models, athletes – whoever it may be – who we wouldn't normally get access to in a really intimate way via a podcast … whether it’s listening or viewing on Youtube, [listeners] get to see some of these diverse role models really start to open up and to express themselves, tell more about their personal story, the challenges that they went through and just provide positive role modeling,” he says.
Real Stuff is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Castboy and Youtube. New episodes are released fortnightly.
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