How Walking and Talking is Changing Men’s Mental Health with Paddy Silke
How Walking and Talking is Changing Men’s Mental Health with Paddy Silke
Paddy Silke is a Midlands Football Broadcaster, commentator, and actor known for his engaging storytelling and deep connection with audiences. With over seven years as a simulation patient actor, he brings authenticity to his work. Beyond broadcasting, he founded a Men Walking and Talking group, creating a safe space for men to connect and support each other through open conversations about mental health. Follow him on Linkedin.
Men are far less likely to talk about their mental health—but that doesn’t mean they don’t need to. Sometimes, just getting outside, walking, and having a low-pressure space to talk can make all the difference.
In this episode, journalist, broadcaster, and mental health advocate Paddy Silke shares how his own struggles led him to create a Men Walking and Talking group in his community. We talk about why men don’t open up, what actually happens on these walks, and how simply talking has helped hundreds of men feel less alone.
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
✔ Why men often struggle to talk about mental health—and how to make it easier
✔ How walking and talking removes the pressure and creates a safe space
✔ The impact of having a regular, low-stakes place to connect
✔ Practical ways to support your own mental well-being (even if a group isn’t for you)
✔ How to find or start your own walking and talking group
Action Steps to Improve Your Mental Well-Being:
1️⃣ Reach out—send a message, call a friend, or just start a casual conversation.
2️⃣ Move your body—walk, exercise, or get outside, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
3️⃣ Find community—whether it’s a support group, a hobby, or just a regular check-in with mates.
4️⃣ Don’t wait for a crisis—talk about what’s on your mind before it becomes overwhelming.
Sometimes, the simplest things—walking and talking—make the biggest difference.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30-minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it Derailed and it's a fabulous place to begin a joy-at-work redesign.
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How Walking and Talking is Changing Men’s Mental Health with Paddy Silke
[00:00:00] Introduction: The Power of Walking and Talking for Mental Health
Lucia Knight: My next guest is Paddy Silke. He's got many strings to his bow. Journalist, broadcaster, football commentator, actor. He's someone that makes me laugh so much. He's someone I've known for years and hope to know for many more decades. He's also someone who struggles through mental health. He's also someone who's found a way to help other men who struggle through mental health by setting up the local division of a mental health group called Men Walking and Talking.
Let's dive in.
Paddy, what prompted you to set up the mental health walking and talking group in your community?
[00:00:50] How a Mental Health Crisis Led to a Movement
Paddy Silke: A mate of mine came to said, Paddy, this looks a really good group for you because you've been through a few issues of your own. And back at the end of November, it was prompted to me when I went through a really bad episode really bad to be fair, where I was very close to taking my own life to be fair.
And I said, Paddy, there's a group over in Solihull in Birmingham doing this mental health walking and talking. So I thought, you know what? That's a good idea. It's a brilliant idea. And I went along with them and I met them all. They're a great group. And I thought I haven't got it. I haven't got a group in my area.
So I thought, I'm going to set a group of my area and help fellows like myself going through issues or with their mental health or even getting out and talking to each other. That's the reason why I did what I did.
Lucia Knight: Tell me what happens on these walks.
[00:01:36] What Happens on a Men Walking and Talking Walk
Paddy Silke: Okay. We all meet and we all get together and we all, we basically go for a walk and we all talk within it. It's very simple to be fair. It really is the most simplest thing of just meeting up, introducing each other to each other. And we then go for a walk and we just start talking. And some people will be quiet.
And I go through each person. Why are you here? What are you doing? As we progress the walks, everybody starts to talk to each other about why we're doing it. Is everything okay? And what's your day been like today? And suddenly, before you know it, We start to talk to each other about our issues, could be personal, it could be about relationships, it could be about what's happened in the past, and everyone then starts to get on and start talking to each other.
And for one example last week, one of the lads who's coming tonight, said, you're the first person Paddy that I've spoken to for months, I thought, incredible, so that's the sort of thing, and that's the crux really of the whole, walking and talking to each other because men don't talk do they?
Lucia Knight: Not historically, but you do, and it sounds like you're spreading that superpower. How do you know that this is having an impact? Yeah.
Paddy Silke: Yeah. It's a good question. I think the feedback I've got since since we've done the one we've been for four weeks in is that it's a, I, some one fella said I'm socially inactive. I don't talk, but from being with all of you and walking with you all, I feel so much better.
I feel so much better. I feel as I'm part of a brotherhood. I feel all you guys have got, I can speak to you all and you can feel the vibe between all of them. They're all happy to talk and they're just from walking and talking to each of us. You can feel the vibe and you can feel that they're all part of something.
[00:03:29] Why Men Struggle to Open Up (And How to Make It Easier)
Paddy Silke: And they feel easy enough to speak to each other. Only men, I don't think I'd say, for example, no disrespect to women, but they came, the women came on, they wouldn't feel right speaking and to each other to men. And it's just, I don't think there's a lot of empathy. I think one of the last Billy has got the same issue with unloved child syndrome, which I have, which has had a big impact with me.
And I couldn't, and I always felt if I met somebody had the same issue as me going back for years and years. We spoke about this in the past Lucia, year suddenly we could chat about it all.
And we got empathy with each other and we can go through the issues together and he's been in care. It wasn't loved as a child and I'm like, yeah, okay.
I'd Irish parents. You already know Lucia and they couldn't show love. So there was that coming together so that I could feel the impact. Of that. And that's a really brilliant example. So it has, it is having a brilliant impact on each of us. Yeah.
Lucia Knight: And it fells like a very safe place and you can just walk and it doesn't need to have eye contact and it feels like it's growing. It's only four weeks old, did you say? But already there are more and
Paddy Silke: Four weeks old. Yeah.
Lucia Knight: more people. You know a bit about mental health and you've worked through all sorts of issues and we're all still holding mental health problems, aren't we?
So tell me some of the practical things that men might be able to do. Apart from joining your group to ease the burden of mental health stress.
[00:04:58] The Simple But Powerful Act of Talking
Paddy Silke: Do you know what? And I was thinking about this question when you sent it to me the other day, and I think it's just reach out to each other and that's not an easy thing to do. And the simplest thing is to talk. The simple thing is just talk. I've talked to some of the fellas in the gym the other day.
Weeks ago and one of the lads in the sauna, very quiet fella, Foxy went, men just don't talk to each other and that's it. And I, yeah, they don't talk to each other. So one of the things they can do is just talk, but that's such a difficult thing to do. It's a, it's just a really, I can talk because of my personality and after being Irish as well.
We don't have a problem talking over that. Don't you? So it's easy for me to do. And, but I know a lot of lads and they can't do that. And that's why this process and like the walk tonight was obviously we've got to walk at seven o'clock tonight, but they'll come and try and I'll make them, I'm gonna make them talk.
I'll talk to them. Going back to the initial question, just talk and reach out. Talk to your mate, talk to your mate, ring your mate. your friend or whatever and just talk to each other. And I think that's just, I think that's the most easy practical steps you can do, but it's a very difficult thing to do.
Lucia Knight: It sounds easy, doesn't it, but in practice, opening up to friends is really hard. So one of the things I love about your group when I heard about it and this movement almost is that the name tells you exactly what's going to happen. Mental health, walking and talking.
Everybody who joins knows they're going to be doing that.
And I wonder, this does feel like it is a movement or it could be a movement. So if there is a listener who's somehow intrigued by this idea of walking and talking, men only. Once, one evening a week and they might be interested in either joining one or even setting up one if there isn't one locally. How did you do that?
Where do they start? Where do they go?
[00:06:53] How to Find or Start a Walking & Talking Group Near You
Paddy Silke: I'll just give you a bit of background. There's 35 groups across the UK. Say someone has listened to this now. There's over 300 men over more than 300 men now attending on a weekly basis, but wherever they live, I'm hoping that wherever they live, they can find one of the groups in that area.
I think it's, and they're all welcome. I think that's the best thing to do to be fair. There wasn't one in my area. The area I live is Sutton Calfield and I think they could basically themselves Set them up. I know it's not an easy thing to do. It's a lot of work, that's what best thing to do is to just set something, find, and you go on the website, you look and you can find the, the walk, the men walking and talking group in that area.
And they usually is or somewhere closer to that area.
Lucia Knight: so then they can maybe go, try it,
Paddy Silke: Go there. Yeah. For example, in Worcester, they could live in just out in Bronze Grove. But it will still be the closest city so they can join there and connect there. So that's what they can do.
Lucia Knight: Fabulous. And what difference has it made to you being part of this group?
[00:07:58] The Impact of Community on Mental Health
Paddy Silke: It's a brilliant question. I'm glad you asked it. I live on my own. A lot of men and women, men in particular, live on their own and they have their own issues. There's no one to talk to at night or you've got lots of friends and the gym is fantastic. But it's made a big issue, a massive thing.
So I've got something to look forward to now on a Wednesday. I know I'm the organiser anyway. So I can Get all the lads together and I speak to one or two of them anyway, every week and say, check in with them and we've got our own WhatsApp group. So I'm always close now in connection with all the men, whoever joins and with the Facebook group.
So it's given me a bit of purpose. I think it's given me a bit of purpose. I think it's given me a bit something to live for. I suppose that's a big thing to, to hear, but I'll be absolutely honest with you on this conversation. It's given me a bit of purpose. It's given me something to live for.
And I can share the issues with somebody as well, so I'm not on my own. If it's confidential or it's something I'm not really keen on sharing because we're all, have a little bit of ego and a little bit of shyness. Even me. Can you believe that? That no, exactly. So I can share that with them.
And so it's, that's been the big change with me. So I can do that,
Lucia Knight: if you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it Derailed. It's a fabulous place to begin a joy at work redesign.
