Young men’s mental health can get tangled up in a search for belonging. Calvin Fernandez, a UBC men’s health researcher, helps identify the pressures behind an online promise: change yourself, and connection will follow.

What does being a provider mean when finding a job already feels uncertain? Add a feed full of ideal bodies and financial success, and an ordinary day can become a comparison nobody seems to win. Calvin identifies a mismatch between the expectations young men inherit and the world they’re trying to enter.

Where does someone turn when needing help feels embarrassing? The pressure to manage alone reaches beyond the screen. Understanding what keeps young men from support starts with looking more closely at the version of strength they’ve been offered.

Topics: young men’s mental health, masculinity, provider pressure, social isolation, mental health support

GUEST: Calvin Fernandez

Originally aired on 2026-10-26