In The Business of Healthy Masculinity Creating safe spaces for kids and men with Scott Leonard
Hi there,
When I planned the guests for this platform, I honestly did not realise I would coincide this powerful episode with Scott Leonard, with the recent Million Women Rise march that I attended in London (7th March 2026).
I attended alongside Hannah Litt (she/her) and others, in advance of International Women’s Day. Please consider donating to their work if you are able.
I cannot start this week's post without sharing a video from the amazing and powerful women that were leading the March (yesterday as I write).
Tackling men’s violence against women and girls was the major focus of the march, and is indeed a key theme of this episode around creating safe spaces for boys and men.
Consider leveraging Hannah’s services for safe spaces for boys and men also. You can find out more about her at https://hannahlitt.com/.
A bit more about Scott as we get going today:
Scott Leonard’s work is all about helping people, organisations and movements communicate better. As a disadvantaged young person, raised by a single parent on free school meals, he’s combined lived experience as a father with decades of purpose-led professional expertise to create Dads Kids Club CIC.
Dads Kids Club invites male parents and kids to create better life outcomes. Dads Kids Club connects dads and male carers at a critical time where suicide remains the biggest killer, and encourages pupil engagement in education at a critical time where 1 in 4 pupils disengage from school.
Scott’s also a facilitator at Andy’s Man Club the suicide prevention charity that believes #It’s Okay to Talk.
The Origin story of Dads Kid Clubs
“The head teacher said, can we men talk about this and what this is doing to our children. So he put out an open call for dads to join him on a chat about how we’re going to positively react or how can we positively react to some horrific examples of male violence. And there were only two of us and the head, that joined the call. But that’s all it took.” - Scott Leonard
What I love most about Scott’s comment here is that it took just three of them to get the ball rolling on Dads Kids Club.
I’m not sure about you, but so often, certainly in a workplace, changing direction or doing something new seems to be unnecessarily hyper-complex!
With a clear vision and shared intention, anything really is possible.
Do you have any examples of when just one or two people caused meaningful change, at home or at work?
The potential and plurality of masculinity
“We needed to bring them together in a space so children could see examples of masculinities. I’m being really plural in that sense. I’m not talking about one example of masculinity, because I genuinely don’t believe there is one. Give or take, there are four point one billion men men on the planet. And I think each one has their own Interpretation of what masculinity is.” - Scott Leonard
This was SUCH a powerful segment for me personally, and it really got me rethinking if the name of this platform was even correct! In discussion with some peers, we aligned that the title and energy of the platform is speaking to plural or multiple masculinities, but I wonder if you would agree or otherwise with that?
For more insight around imagining towards plural worlds, I invite you to check out my conversation with the amazing Sahana Chattopadhyay, who is a writer, speaker, and designer.
This segment also speaks to the fact that the world is NOT binary, despite the conditioning that we get to the contrary. There is pretty much always a yes/and, rather than an either/or response, to, well, anything!
If we want change, we've got to be prepared to change
“If we want change we’ve got to be prepared to change” - Scott Leonard
Not a lot to add here, except, if we want change, are we willing to be changed ourselves?
This reminds me of what my good friend Hannah challenges, often: "Where are the good guys? Not hurting women and girls is not enough to stop other men hurting women and girls.
For me, the most powerful and painful change has been going on a decolonisation journey since Oct 2020, and which still continues today. Understanding the depths and insidious nature of supremacy culture, seeing how it permeates every law, every financial decision, and every aspect of the supply chain, and having to reckon with my own coloniality!
That said, the freedom that one feels when not having to pretend that any of what we have been brought up on is ‘normal’ is oddly releasing.
In what ways did you allow yourself to be changed, and what was the impact? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Programming vs exploiting privilege
“These are really complex things to do with what we’ve been programmed in some way, but also what we’ve chosen to believe. We mustn’t forget that some of the privileges that we’ve been presented with, we choose to exploit” - Scott Leonard
It’s rare to hear some humidity and awareness around the fact that we are all navigating life with a mix of both conditioning, but also conscious privilege.
My biggest privilege is that I can, if I choose, to walk in the opposite direction of known harm, knowing that others do not have that luxury. Just look at what has happened over the past few years geopolitically as evidence of that.
What may be do and be different that we can challenge or leverage those privileges is another matter. One thing I am working on is trying to bring more supply chain transparency around certain countries’ harmful supply chains. What may an example near or far away be for you?
"The more we get involved, the better outcomes we create"
“The more we get involved the better outcomes we create” - Scott Leonard
Little to add to powerful insight from Scott.
What would you like to get more involved with at the moment, but are maybe holding yourself back, or even afraid to step into?
What possible outcomes could follow if you allowed yourself to feel the fear, but do it anyway?
I hope to update you very soon around a personal example of this. #WatchThisSpace
Until next time
We hope that you join us in this exploration, and please do feed back and share with your networks if you are getting value.
Finally, if any of the above questions have ignited curiosity within you, I am here if you are looking for a 1-1 Thinking Partner that can be in your corner by voice note, virtually, and in-person, I have found 5 x 60 minutes calls + unlimited voice note communication to work the best.
If you are ready to embrace the journey towards a healthier relationship with yourself and those around you, and the goodness that brings, at home and at work, drop me a line at garry.turner@radicality.co.uk.
Episode #22 of the podcast will be published next Mon 16th March 2026 with Rebel Leadership founder and Integral Coach Debbie Danon.
Here is a clip to whet your appetite in advance:
I am always interested in your reflections, challenges, and anything else that piques your curiosity with these updates.
Wishing you a safe, connected, and activated week ahead.
We can’t ignore the warmongering and harm being caused by a select few men on this beautiful blue orb. But we can call one another in when we see harm being caused, and lets re-imagine together.
This week of all weeks.
With love
Garry Turner
garry.turner@radicality.co.uk
+44 7928 979358
PS - I will be taking a break after episode #25 of this current iteration of the platform as a deeper and more intentional focus on reducing men’s violence, and helping to reduce that, feels like it is on it’s way through.
Get full access to In The Business of Healthy Masculinity at inbusinessofhealthymasculinity.substack.com/subscribe