The Meaning of Men S3, Ep8: The Meaning of Building Up Boys | Teaching boys to trust their emotions
What if the key to raising healthier men starts with teaching boys to trust their emotions?
In this episode of The Meaning of Men, I speak with Kimmi Berlin, founder of Build Up Boys, an organisation dedicated to helping young boys retain and develop their innate emotional intelligence. We explore how boys, sometimes as young as five, begin trading pieces of their emotional wholeness for social acceptance and the long-term effects this has on mental health, relationships, and identity.
Kimmi shares practical strategies for parents, educators, and mentors, including how to replace phrases like “you’re okay” with curiosity, teach body autonomy, foster empathy, and build conflict resolution skills through play. These early interventions can help boys grow into men who are confident, emotionally aware, and capable of forming deeper connections.
In this episode you will learn:
-
Why supporting boys’ emotional intelligence is critical for long-term mental health
-
How societal pressures encourage emotional suppression and what parents can do to counter it
-
Tools and exercises to help boys develop empathy, self-awareness, and resilience
-
How early emotional education leads to healthier friendships, stronger families, and more connected men
-
The impact of nurturing vulnerability and emotional honesty on boys’ future wellbeing
This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in raising emotionally healthy boys, men’s mental health, and creating a generation of men who can connect authentically with themselves and others.
Hear more from Kimmi:
www.buildupboys.com https://youtube.com/@buildupboys7351?si=Wi9ObA8jXFE5z0tO https://motherwellmag.com/2025/04/09/adolescence-call-to-action-build-up-boys/amp/ https://www.popsugar.com/family/promising-young-woman-illustrates-need-to-teach-consent-48213626 Timestamps: 07:04: The Importance of Early Emotional Education 13:09: Navigating Emotions: Anger and Beyond 21:17: Consequences of Emotional Suppression in Adulthood 25:13: Building Emotional Awareness in Boys 30:22: Fostering Emotional Intelligence at Home 32:55: Small Changes for Big Impacts 37:25: Positive Changes Observed in Boys 42:26: The Power of Kindness in Raising Boys