Podcast for Men - Inspiring change/ Changing Lives

Help passionate podcaster Stuart Dixon complete his project “The Ignited Man Podcast". A podcast dedicated specifically to positively transform the lives of men who are struggling - so they may thrive and live with purpose, vitality, and fulfillment. The show will include news, stories and insightful conversations with the world's best authors, health professionals, entrepreneurs, coaches and more to provide a rich source of inspirational and educational content offering the very best tactics, resources and advice to set a course for an extraordinary life.  

The show will celebrate and focus on the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. It will showcase inspiring role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being. It will also help those impacted by the COVID-19 as they cope with uncertainty, anxiety, and isolation. Our mission is to “Positively transform the lives of men and their families”.

WHY THIS PODCAST MATTERS

The timing of this podcast couldn't be more apt. The statistics as to the well-being of men are very worrying. Some of the key headlines include:

• UK men are three times as likely to die by suicide than women with middle-aged men at greatest risk of suicide overall. A statistic which sadly is mirrored across the world. (Samaritans 2018).
• Men report significantly lower life satisfaction than women in the Government’s national well-being survey – with those aged 45 to 59 reporting the lowest levels of life satisfaction (Reference: ONS).
• 73% of adults who ‘go missing’ are men (Reference: University of York).
• 87% of rough sleepers are men (Reference: Crisis).
• Men are nearly three times more likely than women to become alcohol dependent (8.7% of men are alcohol dependent compared to 3.3% of women) (Reference: HSCIC).
• Men make up 95% of the prison population (Reference: House of Commons Library).
• Men commit 86% of violent crime (and are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime) (Reference: ONS).

These findings highlight a crisis. Men are struggling with the pressures and expectations of their personal and professional lives. This has a detrimental impact on us all.

Men are brought up to judge themselves in comparison with the success of their peers and to be physically strong and economically successful. For generations, many societies have encouraged men to be “strong” and not admit if they’re struggling or feel vulnerable, whether to themselves, their partners, friends, or a GP. Often starting in childhood, boys are conditioned to not express emotion, because to do so is to be 'weak'. It's clear that this is having negative consequences on their well-being.

Modern men are currently lost, wandering around without purpose. They are anxious and grieving for their lost sense of masculinity. The modern form of masculinity requires self-awareness, balance, emotional and spiritual fitness. To become the best versions of themselves men need to do the work.

With the help of support networks, structure, dialogue, openness, empathy, empowerment with equality for all, the 'new man' has the power to move mountains for their families and the rest of the world. We all have the power to positively change our lives at any given moment. The Ignited Man Podcast will be a positive force to help make this happen.

SPECIAL REWARDS FOR PLEDGING

Show your support for this #menswellbeingmatters project by becoming an #Ignitedman backer  - You’ll get some brilliant rewards to help us on our mission, and you’ll be one of the first people to learn about progress with behind the scenes progress and VIP content. Included in the rewards are ebooks, webinars, a VIP pass to the launch in April, a virtual coffee with me and other backers as well as access to men's coaches. Not only that I have secured some partnerships who are helping this great cause so...

The first 50 backers pledging over £10 will be entered into a raffle to win a copy of the awesome Five Minute Journal from Intelligent Change.

This is one of the simplest ways to consistently ensure improving your well being and happiness. It helps you focus on the positive and become more mindful. Thank you to Intelligent Change for their support.

Anyone pledging over £10 will be entered into a raffle to win one of three journals kindly donated by Daily Greatness. The three journals comprise of  2x Dailygreatness Original Yearly and 1xDailygreatness Business Yearly (undated). Two amazing tools for your mental health and planning.

The first 10 backers pledging £50 will be entered into a raffle for a Fitbit Versa 2 Health & Fitness Smartwatch (with Voice Control, Sleep Score & Music). This has been reviewed by T3 as the 'best fitness tracker overall'.

SO WHAT WILL YOUR PLEDGE PAY FOR?

To achieve my aim I will buy quality sound equipment to start strong and focus on producing high-quality and high-value content from the off.

The show is independently funded and your pledges make up the majority of the setup budget for the show and the production and marketing of 12 episodes. The total budget to set-up and create one season of the podcast (12 original episodes) is £2,500

For every 40 minute episode that is published, roughly five to eight hours are necessary to produce the show. This time is spent project managing schedules with guests before and post-interview, editing sound files, mixing each episode, transcribing the audio, designing and publishing all the content across multiple channels.

I have over 20 episodes lined up with some incredible people, all care deeply about men's well-being and have plenty of insights and stories to share. Such guests include: 

Dr Anthony Balduzzi (Fit Father Project)

Rowans Andrews (Certified men's coach and founder of No More Mr Nice Guy®, the UK-based men’s coaching and support group)

Mark Metry (TEDx Keynote Speaker & host of the Global Top 100 Humans 2.0 Podcast)

Jason Miller (Leadership coach)

Deron Essex (International spiritual life coach)

James Guildford (Leadership coach - 'The boss whisperer')

Luke Shaw (Host of the (im)perfect podcast).

To achieve my target I have crafted some great rewards for individuals who want to be a part of this project and advertising and sponsorship options for businesses who may wish to align themselves in supporting men's well-being. Please take a look at the options to the right and get your pledge in.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE PODCAST?

I am striving to make this podcast one of the best, most popular and respected podcasts in the UK. At the end of year one, I will aim to have over 1000+ subscribers and to feature in Apple's new and noteworthy podcast listing. This means an achievable growth of 80+ new subscribers a month. This is achievable with a strong launch, quality content, consistent publishing, and intelligent marketing.

With a strong start, these numbers can snowball and open more doors of opportunity, collaboration, and partnership. It will also enable higher profile guests, allow me to hold regular events, build a supportive community and most importantly help more people.

ABOUT ME, STUART

I am an experienced marketer and digital producer based in Poole, Dorset. I have over 18 years of experience in creating and producing valuable and purposeful content for key audiences. I have worked in publishing, at creative agencies, LUSH and the Dorset Chamber of Commerce as Head of Marketing and Communications and directed the Dorset Business Awards for 4 years.My podcast idea has been born out of a combination of experiences. My own personal journey - battles with trauma and depression. My love of self-education and personal development. Witnessing many of my male friends and colleagues painful struggles with the demands put on them through work, relationships, finances, health, and fatherhood. I have also been shocked and appalled by the overall state of men's well-being from my research and I am now compelled to create something that could make a real difference to people's lives.

So here I am, combining my skills and experience for something I care about. This podcast puts me in the chair as host as one of our listeners, as this is much my journey as it is theirs. Together with your support, we can be a major force for good!

Your pledge is a powerful step for men's well-being. We hope you can help me to make this project happen by pledging to one of the many fantastic options available. I can't wait to make you a part of this journey. Thank you for your support!

Photo credit for Stuart, dorsetbizawards.co.uk