Our first shoot was very cool as it was the first time in my TV life that I was able to film with some of my really good mates of 30 years: Clint Newcombe, Johnny Spencer (Spen) and Rob McGlynn. Four times a year we get together for what we call the Saxa weekend, to muck about, drink a few beers, play a bunch of competitive games and generally act like a bunch of kids. It’s also a time we get to talk to each other about the stuff that really matters.

But it turns out that me and the boys heading away for the weekend is one of the best things we can do for our mental health. Boys weekends are awesome, and we all need to do them more often.

After SAXA weekend, we flew to an outback cattle station in far north-west Australia in search of your classic outback bloke. Armed with my akubra and a pretty new looking drizabone, I landed at the station where they filmed “Australia”. I got to ride a motorbike and everyone was very friendly to this city slicker, but I gotta say out here the men, and even the women, pretty much keep to themselves. They’ve got a job to do and if they’ve got issues, they don’t talk about it, they just get on with it.

Back in in Sydney, in a ‘science’ experiment, I had to man hug as many blokes as I could find in 2 hours – with the action called by my mate, legendary league commentator Anthony Maroon, and man expert, Michael Flood. I thought they were a bit tough on me to be honest – pointing out all my rejects – but the crew thought it was hilarious!

So this first week I got to hang out with my best mates and hug a few blokes, but I also went to the far outback to see how guys handle stuff out there. Next week I’ll be heading to a barbershop to talk male grooming, then check out Mates in Construction and Mates 4 Mates, two organisations that help blokes in high-risk industries. Can’t wait!

Our second shoot started with a barbershop in inner-city Sydney, where Tommy runs the crew. I sat down with sociologist, Michael Flood, the guy who commentated on my Man Hugs experiment with Maroon. We chatted about masculinity and what changes there have been over the years – and the fact that young blokes are now walking around with full-on Ned Kelly beards!

Next up we went to see a guy called Steve on a huge construction site and talk to him about an organisation called Mates in Construction. They put me straight to work on the jackhammer to get a taste of how hard this job is. The construction industry has gotta be one of the most blokey environments and you can see that in this environment it’s gotta be hard to open up if they’re not coping. Mates in Construction gives construction workers someone to talk to when they are doing it tough.

This was probably the most emotional shoot for me. Steve looked a lot like my mate, Angus, and he is also a suicide survivor. I totally lost it in the lunch room after talking to him.

After that, I went to chat to Mates 4 Mates, another organisation helping men in a high-risk industry, in this case current and retired servicemen. One of the ways they do this is by bringing the guys together to do physical activities. We joined them on a yacht for the day to see how it works. It was a difficult shoot because I really don’t do well in the open sea. I had taken seasick tablets but …useless. In fact, as one of the guys was telling me a really important story about losing a friend in Afghanistan, I threw up all over his leg. Not a good look but he was totally cool about it. It was great talking to these blokes and hearing their stories even if I was feeling a bit ordinary.

A couple of massive days, no doubt about it, but I feel like we really nailed some big ones, and we’re on the right track.

For the next shoot, I’m going to GQ magazine to talk fashion, (yeah right), spend a shift at a Lifeline call centre, and then I’ll head to the pub to talk about how blokes can own their fuck ups. I’m excited!

GQ was probably the most fun shoot so far. I got to meet Nick Smith, the editor-in-chief of GQ and spoke to him about how men’s fashion and how it has changed over the years. I had my own photo-shoot dressing up in gender neutral, lumber-sexual, retro-sexual and metro-sexual outfits. Who knew these ‘looks’ even existed! I rather fancied myself in the beard and flanny as the lumber sexual – even though I wouldn’t have done more than 2 hours of hard labour in my life.

Our next shoot was at night at a Lifeline call centre. It was an intense experience and I am totally in awe of the volunteers. I met an amazing guy called Rocket – he won’t finish his calls until he feels the person’s in a better place than when they rang. He says, ‘how about you call me tomorrow, let’s get through another day.’ So simple but potentially life saving.

This young guy Nic got a life-threatening call that night. It’s not until you are there at the coal face that you can feel the weight of many people’s lives. And how inspiring that these amazing people turn up every week anonymously to help. I couldn’t help but think about Angus and whether, if he had phoned Lifeline, things might have been different. His family are now big supporters of Lifeline– I was so inspired myself that I’ve signed up for the volunteer training.

After Lifeline the crew suggested we go to the pub. I should have known they had plans to put me to work! A wonderful young fella named Will Smith-Stubbs of Spur Projects runs Fuck Up Night, where a bunch of people get together at local pubs or bars and tell stories about things that they’ve, well, fucked up. It’s the perfect way to say, ‘hey, look around this room, see how many people are really struggling and made mistakes. It doesn’t matter if you’re not perfect, you can always wake up the next day and start again.’

Next week I’ll be talking to Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys, dropping my guard trying out some Noga – naked yoga – and having a long awaited chat with Angus’s wife and daughter. Get ready for more laughs, tears and hugs.

First up this week, I went fishing with the amazing Steve Biddulph. Not only has he raised his own kids but he’s helped half of Australia raise theirs as the bestselling author of Raising Boys and Raising Girls. I’m not sure he’s much of a fisherman as we didn’t get a bite but I learned a heap about parenting boys. So…a good day at the office and a quick trip to the fish and chip shop on the way home to feed the family. Happy days.

From no fish to no clothes… ‘Noga’ as the crew were calling it – is naked yoga. I didn’t know it was nude until the day before. I have no problem being nude, but my family wouldn’t have it (Dad on national telly, naked – no thanks!). So in an effort to give the idea some honour, I did it in my undies.

Turns out, noga isn’t for me, but I loved the guys and I totally get why they’re doing it. I think in life we often have our guard up so this is one time where you are stripped of all that and it becomes almost normal.

Then on to do something I’ve put off for nine years. To have ‘the talk’ with my mate Angus’s wife Penny and her daughter Lucy. Angus’s death was such a shock to me; I wanted to find out if it had crept up on them as well, and to see how they’ve been coping. And if I’m to be honest, to see if they maybe had, after all these years, some answers. Both Penny and Lucy were so open and patient with all my questions. There were tears of course (mostly mine) and I came away with a much better understanding of Angus.

When I started this journey I thought Angus was the least likely man to take his own life but as I listened to the closest women in his life I started to understand that he experienced so many of these ‘stoic’ Aussie male traits that stopped him seeking help. It was painful to hear but made me even more determined to try and change things up for Aussie men.

Next week I’m heading out to the country to meet a sheep farmer who is getting country blokes to open up and the Temora Men’s Shed, where the old blokes are threatening to teach me a thing or two about DIY. This could get pretty ugly!

We’re halfway through shooting Man Up! It’s been a hell of a ride so far – I’ve been cattle mustering, nude yoga’ing, modelling, telling my fuck ups on stage and spewing my guts out on a boat with a bunch of soldiers.

We spent some time out in the country this week with John “China” Harper of Mate Helping Mate. China’s a genuine, smart bloke with a great sense of humour – I saw straight away why people listen to him. These are self reliant Aussie blokes who have a tough life out on the farm.

Many of the crowd he’s talking to would rather have their teeth pulled than be told to share their problems but China’s straight talking gets them sitting up and taking notice. And the barbecue after is just as important. Always good to put a feed on and give the blokes the chance for a catch up. As he says, put men in the right situation and they’ll talk. Just try and stop them!

Next up I got down and dirty in the shearing shed helping to shear one of China’s sheep, Marmaduke. Not something I’ve done a lot of … but after a few false starts and quite a bit of help young Marmaduke had his new hair do just ready for the summer. And I had seriously earned my lunch.

What’s the way to a man’s heart? Give him something useful to do … and of course doughnuts. The crew and I headed to the Temora Men’s Shed. Fred and Jack and the boys put me straight to work making a wire peg. Yeah well I thought it sounded easy too. Lets just say they are a patient lot and the doughnuts I brought for morning tea went a long way to make up for my lack of DIY skills.

If you said the Men’s Shed was about mental health, you might not get these blokes to go. But by creating a group where they can come along and make things, they feel connected to something and have a chat. You’re much more likely to look after yourself if you are part of a group that you enjoy. And these blokes are going great guns.

Next week I’m going to meet Tom Harkin, a young guy who is running a workshop on masculinity at my son Jack’s school; I’m also going to meet with a super talented ad guy Adam Ferrier and get started on a campaign that I hope will convince Aussie blokes that they don’t have to hold things in so much.

First up this week, one of the best school lessons I’ve ever had. Tom Harkin runs workshops for young men in schools all around the country, and he’s incredible. He challenges the boys to talk about masculinity and what it means to be a man. Frankly anyone who will take on a bunch of 16 year old boys has my vote.

At the beginning, the boys were mucking around and weren’t convinced about the workshop. But as Tom wove his magic, there were these incredibly honest responses from the boys, showing bravery they didn’t know they had. They all said they had cried recently but they knew ‘the rules’ were that they should hide their crying and “not get caught crying”.

I wish there were a thousand Tom Harkins going out and talking to our young blokes. His message is that men need to open up our emotions and maybe this is the age where we can really make a change. By the end of the day there were tears and the most utmost respect in the room. I was blown away and the most special thing of all for me was that my son Jack who (unlike his dad) is quite a reserved boy said he felt the day had changed his life. That’s a day to treasure.

Another man who has the power to change the way we think is ad man Adam Ferrier. He’s an advertising guru who’s written books, appears on the ABC’s Gruen Transfer and is partner at a big firm that works with big brands. I wanted to see if I could get his help with an ad campaign that would inspire blokes to open up about their emotions.

My elevator pitch sparked his interest, particularly after I made it in an actual elevator, but it took him a little while to wrap his head around how he could help. Especially after I told him we have no budget. What clinched it was when I showed him the Lifeline footage. Adam was really moved by it; like many of us, he has mates who have struggled with depression.

Adam gave me some homework so off I went, back to Man Up HQ to brainstorm. I put photos on the wall from all the shoots that I’ve done so far to see if that would give me some ideas. It was pretty cool to see everything I’ve done so far and all the amazing men I’ve met along the way put together like that, but after staring at the wall for a while, I knew I needed an outside opinion. So I phone a friend. Thank God for Tom Harkin.

Next week, I’m spending more time with Tom Harkin – this time doing a workshop with CEOs. And then it’ll be time to pitch my campaign idea to Adam. Wish me luck.

This week we shot at Triple M. It’s been great having Triple M involved because it means that I can talk to our listeners about a lot of the stuff I have been learning on the show – like how important it is to talk to a mate and reach out before things get out of hand. My Grill team co-hosts have been awesome because this stuff matters to all of us.

Then I dusted my suit off and headed to Melbourne to join another of Tom Harkin’s workshops – this time with a bunch of CEOs. Tom talked about how if a leader can change the way they behave, there’s a good chance that the people he’s leading will also change. A lot of the guys at the workshop realised how much they keep to themselves. One of the guys said, ‘I’ve talked more and shared more with this guy that I’ve never met before, than all the chats I had playing golf with the same blokes for the last twenty years.’

Back in Ad-land, I was pumped to show Adam Ferrier my big campaign idea including a t-shirt and two jingles I had come up with, but it all went downhill pretty quickly.

Adam thought I was taking the piss! It was a bit awkward for a couple minutes.
But I’m big and ugly enough to take it. I realised that I’ve given it a hell of a crack and at least Adam’ll be able to fix it. Or at least he knows someone who can help … Adam #2 to my rescue.

We were lucky to get Adam Hunt involved, because he’s retired from advertising to run a couple of first class bars – and you know I’m always happy to meet someone at a bar.

So the two Adams and I sat down, had a few beers and whiskeys. We got the butcher’s paper out and jotted a few ideas down. I do love a good think-tank, where no idea is a bad idea. It was a brilliant afternoon.

And how can you not be passionate about a topic like this? Everyone understands it; everyone’s been affected by it. Most people I meet know someone who has taken their own life. And it stays with you forever.

I’m really excited to see how the ad turns out. It’s kind of a journey within my overall Man Up journey. And we’re almost at the end of shooting. Next week is my last blog post!

I can’t believe it. This is my last blog post. It’s been a hell of a ride, and I’ve learnt so much about myself and all types of Aussie blokes.
This week we filmed meeting with Adam Hunt to hear the script he wrote for the ad. It’s bloody good. I was a bit shocked he included the f-word, but it does the job and we’re going to give it a shot.

We did some casting for the ad at Triple M, and one of the guys who makes our coffee, made the cut! But everyone we spoke to at the office could have been in it – everyone had a story.

With a cast, a script and a visual style, we were ready to get shooting. We brought in Ben to direct the ad and he was so great at bringing out the emotion. After watching the shoot for a bit from the side, I thought I’d give it a go. There’s no point throwing other people in there if you’re not gonna give it a crack. And of course I got emotional very quickly.

After shooting was done, we put a rough cut together to screen for some of the important men that I’ve met throughout this journey. They were all guys that had struck a nerve with me throughout this series. I was thrilled to have them all in the same room to meet each other, too.

There was Rocket from Lifeline, John Harper of Mate Helping Mate, Dave from Mates 4 Mates and Steve from Mates in Construction. I was a little nervous playing the ad to them because I wanted them to know that I’d taken their journey in, I’d learned things and I was trying to help.

I sat next to China and Steve was on my furthest right. It was dark so I didn’t understand how much it had affected them all until we hit the lights. I could see then that Steve was very emotional. They’ve all been through some stuff.

I’m really excited for the rest of Australia to see the ad and I’ll always be grateful for the input of these four special men.
That brings me to the end! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my journey behind the scenes, and I’ll see you when the show premieres.

Make sure you’re getting out there and telling everyone about the show and help get our important message out far and wide – to Man Up is to Speak Up.