Men at Work
Why is it that when we talk about men’s health, the conversation quickly turns to suicide, drug and alcohol use, and toxic masculinity?
This unhelpful start-point fails to take into account the vast numbers of successful and financially comfortable men who work in high-pressure environments but never contemplate suicide or abuse drugs and alcohol and who are courteous and respectful towards their female colleagues. All those men who just keep going.
That’s not to say they’ve got it all worked out and lead Pinterest-perfect lives. According to a recent survey by The Priory 77% of men polled suffered with symptoms of common mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress or depression. 32% put this down to work pressure with a further 31% citing their finances and 23% their health.
Experiences may vary but it makes you wonder how much better these men would perform, in all areas of their life, if they had some solid coping strategies in place so that they can stay strong and find peace when the pressure is on. Here are some non-invasive, productivity based solutions that can help men working in high pressure environments.
1. Eat - Drink - Move - Sleep
Mental faculty and sharpness of mind can be improved and sustained by making small changes to hydration, nutrition, exercise and sleep hygiene.
This is a workshop that addresses how to factor them into a day that is already full. It can can be delivered in an hour and half (longer if we have more time) and it might make a useful startpoint for people concerned about having to ‘open up’ about their mental health.
You can read more about it here
2. Seven Ways
Originally designed as a wellbeing programme for frontline NHS staff, this workshop shows participants how to leverage time spent outdoors for enhanced mental fitness. A study in Scientific American showed that spending twenty minutes outdoors each day can lead to significant reductions in the stress hormone cortisol. It can also significantly enhance memory retention and cognitive function.
I normally run this workshop in an outdoor setting but we can explore the principals of it as an in house or online workshop and also look at what I call ‘back-pocket mental fitness skills’. These are techniques for quickly re-setting your mental baseline during a long busy day.
You can read more about it here
3. At the Movies
Arranging the chairs in a circle and sitting everyone down to discuss their mental health isn't always popular. It's why we came up with At the Movies, where we look at the real life issues and scenarious of fictional or real life characters. It's a lot easier to talk about them!
You can read more about it At the movies
What men are saying
Customers reviews, as at Monday, the 10th of August 2026:
"Never experienced anything like this before.
Thoroughly enjoyed the night away and learned a bit about basic outdoor bushcraft.
Would recommend anyone interested give it a try.
Thanks for having me Tom 👍."
"Myself and my 3 children had a brilliant time with Tom, learning new skills and enjoying the great outdoors with Tom. Highly recommended."
"I spent the weekend beside Loch Lomond.
Cold water, chopping firewood, the campfire conversations, climbing (most of) Ben Lomond
That silence can be as valuable as speaking.
With all our devices, notifications, and virtual connections, nothing replaces a handful of good people beside you on a walk or around a fire.
The honesty of the whole experience. No roles. No labels. No Egos.
A massive thank you to Tom Gold, who created the space for all of this with no fuss and no pretence, just authenticity and a genuine belief that men need community, outdoors and in.
A brilliant weekend with some amazing men.
Highly recommended."
"Well-structured but far-from-bossy stint in the woods away from distractions. Sense of humour most important than initiative. Well worth a try. Thoroughly recommended. Tom puts much work in involving all. Glad I went."
"This was an enlightening and practical experience. Something I had wanted to do for some time and the Wilderness Reset under Tom’s guidance and professional guidance delivered a magical experience. There is nothing better than like minded guys sitting around a fire passing comments and views on anything they wish. The learning was excellent and I will certainly return to experience again."
"Tom is a great outdoors mentor, thoughtful listener and really cool to get along with. Being outdoors, standing around a fire, drinking coffee or eating some fire-cooked meal is unbeatable to wind down from the daily hustle. Highly recommended!"
"Wonderful weekend, just the break I needed after an intense period of life. Tom is a fantastic guide, what he doesn't know about the wilderness/outdoors isn't worth knowing. I will definitely be doing this again."
"What a tremendous retreat!
Fire torch marching, wild swimming, incredible food, mountain climbing and great conversation- hands down the best retreat I’ve ever been to and I’ve been to loads - Tom Gold = True Gentleman and Legend!!"