WTM FAQ

Men’s epidemic of loneliness is a significant danger to our physical and mental health. Cigna and other major organizations confirm that over 50% of people in the US feel “sometimes or always alone.” Such levels of isolation can have health impacts equal to smoking. Lonely people face higher levels of heart disease, neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, cancer and so on. Half of us struggle with loneliness even as we are busy working, caring for our kids, dealing with the daily demands of life. But research  shows that men with a robust circle of friendships live longer healthier lives, have better marriages/relationships, feel more optimistic and are more successful in our personal and professional lives. So, maybe have friends, yeah?
Cigna research: https://newsroom.thecignagroup.com/loneliness-in-america

Men on our walks report feeling more fully seen and heard. They report feeling able to show up more fully in their marriages and their professional relationships. They appreciate being able to talk on the walks about challenges they might normally “keep to themselves.” They also report feeling connected to their friends on the walks, feeling a sense of belonging.

We might but probably not. Check our walks page. Walking Talking Men is just getting started, but even if we had 500,000 walks there still might not be one in your own neighborhood. And here’s the deal, the goal is to have your walk happening in your neighborhood. Your walk would include men who live close by you, which creates a circle of friends in your own neighborhood. If there is a walk across town, feel free to join it as a way to try it out. But ultimately this is about creating friends in our own neighborhoods.

Usually about an hour.

Walking Talking Men was started by Mark Greene and Mark Wiedmann as a way to make friends in our neighborhood in New York City. We didn’t start an organization. We started a walk. One walk. We met guys we never would have met who live just blocks away. Now we have a crew we didn’t have before, guys we know, friends.

This is a question we get sometimes. No, we are not a cult. Furthermore, we aren’t doing therapy, or coaching, or men’s work. We aren’t fronting for any political party, religious group, or company. No one on our walks is the expert. We are each experts on our own lives. This is about men making friends in our own neighborhoods. That’s it. That’s the whole deal.

Not a penny. Ever.

Our walks have men from their late 20’s through their 60’s. This alone makes our walks a rare thing because most of us don’t get the chance to have open, meaningful conversations across generations. Our walks include all races, all religions, all sexual identities, all kinds of men. Also, on the often corrosive issue of men’s status. We’re looking for something different. We don’t want your power, your network, or your influence. We just want you. Men who are primary parents right alongside men who run companies. Friendship is the great leveler. And I can’t tell you how peaceful it is to let go of all that other stuff for an hour and just talk.

Check out our resources page. There is a lot of good information there about how to start a walk. If you do start a walk, let us know and we’ll add you to the walks page. That said, you’re probably going to have questions/doubts. We get that. We had them, too… until we actually did a walk. You can’t truly understand how powerful it is until you do it. So, have courage. Your initial instincts to start a walk are not wrong. Trust them. If you’d like to speak to us about starting your walk (what’s it actually like? Who shows up?), feel free to reach out to Mark Greene or Ben Trustman and we’ll set up a call. On a phone. Weird, huh? If things get too busy, we may have to do a group zoom but for now, phones.

We talk about movies, our kids, our work lives, what we’re happy about, our fears, whatever is going on for us. Sometimes guys go deep and other men hold space for them. I’m amazed at how ready men are to talk about what’s going on for us once we know that’s okay.

Each walk is owned by the men of that walk and sets its own rules though we broadly suggest each walk consider the following:
1) No politics 
2) Be yourself
3) Respect confidentiality
Note: Sometimes people ask, “why no politics?” Because there are plenty of places to have those conversations and in our experience, talking about politics shuts down more personal conversations about what’s going on for us in our own lives.

Nope. Attend as little or as often as you like. Honestly, we feel men are sick and tired of being signed up, encouraged to click, billed monthly and so on. Walking Talking Men isn’t a social media campaign. It’s not a set of techniques or a program. It’s each of us deciding we want more meaningful lasting friendships in our own towns and neighborhoods and then doing something about it.

Include your city and neighborhood. That will save us a step. You can reach us at walkingtalkingmen (at) google (dot) com.

Funny you should ask. Disclaimer: Walking Talking Men is not therapy and we are not therapists. We are not doing coaching. We are not doing men’s work. We’re not selling services of any kind. We are simply sharing information about how we created real, lasting, local friendships for men in our own neighborhoods.