304: Breaking Down the Man Box: Nature, Walking and Vulnerability with Al Kennedy

In this final episode of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Al Kennedy, a coach who works exclusively with men navigating midlife. Al's own path from graphic designer and business owner to full-time coach grew out of his personal midlife questioning, and it's given him a grounded, deeply caring approach to holding space for other men. He talks about midlife not as a crisis to be fixed, but as a genuine threshold: a rite of passage that Western culture rarely marks or supports, even though many other cultures have rituals for exactly this kind of transition.

Al shares how he creates the safe, intentional spaces men so rarely get: three-day walking pilgrimages he calls "Long Walks," regular men's circles, and creative practices like journaling and poetry. Nature isn't just scenery for him — it's an active part of the work, slowing men down, reconnecting them to their bodies, and mirroring the internal shifts they're going through. He's also thoughtful about accessibility, adapting his methods for online coaching and for men with disabilities or health concerns, so the work stays open to more people, not fewer.

What comes through most in this conversation is Al's warmth toward the men he works with. He pushes back gently on the idea that men are naturally closed off, describing emotional armour as often "just a couple of millimetres deep" — meaning that with the right conditions, openness comes surprisingly fast. It's a fitting, hopeful note to end the series on: a reminder that community, care, and simply being asked "how are you, really?" can be quietly transformative.

You will learn:

· Midlife is a threshold, a rite of passage — approached with intention, it can lead to real renewal rather than just crisis.

· Safe, intentional spaces give men rare permission to slow down and explore without needing to "fix" anything.

· Men's emotional armour is often thin and nature, genuine connection and deep listening can unlock vulnerability faster than we assume.

"It's too easy just to say that men aren't showing up in the right way; we have to provide different types of spaces for men to be able to surface the things that they're really holding down."

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-nature-pilgramage-masculinity-midlife