2025 International Men's Day program and discussion guide

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Executive summary

This International Men’s Day Catalyst invites organizations, ERG/BRGs, and associations to use this one-hour program and discussion guide to spark dialogue around men's wellbeing, inclusion, and gender partnership. Drawing from her forthcoming book, Men at Work: The Road to Gender Partnership, this program features Catalyst CEO, Jennifer McCollum's TedX talk and explores how supporting men's emotional safety at work benefits everyone.

This document includes a screening of the Tedx talk, discussion questions, and personal reflection questions.

“Men Don’t Cry at Work — But Maybe They Should…” by Jennifer McCollum 

This talk explores the hidden emotional rules that govern men’s behavior at work—why many men feel they must suppress vulnerability, and how those norms harm individuals, teams, and organizations. McCollum argues that when men are given the psychological space to express empathy, fear, or care, workplaces become more inclusive, resilient, and higher-performing. 

Opening (20 minutes)  

  • Ask participants to write one sentence summarizing what resonated with them.  (2 minutes)

Small-group discussion (15 minutes)  

Form groups of 3–4 and discuss:  

  • Which piece of the talk most resonated with you? 
  • Which part challenged your assumptions about men’s experience at work? 
  • In your workplace or community, where is there a gap in support for men (emotional safety, engagement, belonging)? 
  • What one action would your group suggest to help close that gap? 

Full-Group discussion (10 minutes)  

Reconvene and ask each group to share:  

  • A key insight or summary from their small-group discussion. 
  • One action they commit to bringing back to their team or organization. 

Personal reflection (5 minutes)  

Invite participants to reflect individually and write responses to the prompts below.  

Reflection prompts. Participants can select one.

  • What belief about men at work or masculinity did I hold before the talk, and has it shifted? 
  • In your experience, are men encouraged to share their emotions at work? 
  • Are you comfortable sharing information about your personal life with your colleagues? If not, why not? 
  • What positive outcomes might we see if we enabled men to share their emotions or personal lives at work? 
  • Which one of the 5B’s can I focus on?  Begin with you , Break down what’s not working , Build up what’s in it for men , Bridge the gender gaps , Bring humanity to work 
  • What barriers might I face in taking any of these steps—and who can I reach out to for support? 

Facilitator Tips  

  • Encourage openness: remind participants this is a space for exploration, not blame. 
  • Keep each segment time-boxed.
  • This program can be shortened by eliminating the small group discussions and posing the small group discussion questions to the full group. Keep in mind, it is sometimes more difficult to drive discussion in larger groups.
  • Capture shared ideas and follow up: distribute the summary and embed one action in team meetings. 

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