PHOTO: Nik Raniga
ManTalks, a lecture series targeted at men looking to improve their lives, is expanding across Canada, thanks to its popularity.
The speaker series was started several years ago in Vancouver. Founder Connor Beaton, a former opera singer, was struggling with internal conflict at the height of his career. As things began slipping away – his relationship, his career – he hit rock bottom, which forced him to have real conversations with people in his life.
“When I started connecting with my guy friends, some of them were struggling with the same things,” Beaton tells Yahoo Canada News. “It woke me up that there were people in my life who were struggling…but didn’t feel like they had the resource to feel better.”
That’s what inspired Beaton, 32, to launch ManTalks, which he describes as a space for men to “connect and grow and get better.” What was initially started as a talk to raise money for charity and highlight men who were making difference in the community, soon turned into a regular event. It’s been taking place for the past two years, and has featured guest speakers that such as former Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit and the CEO of 1-800-Got-Junk. Beaton likens ManTalks to speaker series like TED and Creative Mornings, except where “people are first and ideas are second.” They now happen on a monthly basis. Most events are $30, though some are based on donation.
“Our goal is to create a space for men to connect and see what’s possible,” he says. “We want to show positive examples of men who’ve achieved success but are open and honest about the challenges they’ve faced doing that. Instead of babes, booze and blood sports, it’s real conversation.”
Each event is centred on a theme, which three guest speakers are meant to focus on and use to engage the audience. The first ManTalks event planned for Toronto in April, for example, will focus on the theme of purpose. (It is also expanding to Los Angeles.)
Beaton admits that the name of his event “can trigger” some people, who assume it’s a men’s rights or pickup artist group. He stresses that ManTalks events are open to everyone and that up to 40 per cent of attendees are women. Most events attract up to 180 people.
“Women see the necessity and desire for this,” he says. “Guys need and are looking for a space to grow and need to have these conversations that aren’t happening in the board room or locker room.”