In our first full episode of Och, Brothers! Where Art Thou?, we sit down with JJ Middleway for a deep, moving and often unexpected conversation about manhood, belonging and what we have quietly lost along the way.

JJ is a poet, musician, druid elder and mentor who has spent decades working with boys and men through rites of passage, outdoor ritual and community based work. He joins us fresh from a powerful weekend spent helping young men step towards adulthood in a world that rarely shows them how.

What unfolds is not a neat how to guide on masculinity, but something richer and more human. We talk about the hunger for male role models, the importance of men only spaces, vulnerability and strength existing side by side, and why discomfort can be just as necessary as safety. JJ shares stories of grief, initiation, nature, song and service, alongside reflections on fatherhood, responsibility and forgiveness.

We explore spirituality without dogma, tradition without nostalgia, and the idea that being a man is not about dominance or silence, but about courage, humility and showing up for others. From ancient wisdom and campfire songs to modern fatherhood and social media burnout, this is a conversation about slowing down, reconnecting and remembering what really matters.

A thoughtful, generous and challenging opening chapter for the podcast, and a reminder that becoming a man is not a moment, but a lifelong practice.