Jeff Brazier became emotional during a live recording of Pete Wicks' Man Made podcast, admitting he "wants to apologise" to his son Bobby after breaking down at a men's retreat. The 47-year-old, who lost his former partner Jade Goody in 2009, opened up about his mental health struggles and the importance of showing vulnerability.
A Vulnerable Moment at a Men's Retreat
Appearing on the podcast, Jeff recounted an incident on the final day of a men's retreat. While other attendees were "celebratory and jubilant," he felt "fake" and was "going through the motions" due to difficulties at home. During a circle exercise where participants rated their emotional state out of 10, everyone else scored an eight or nine. When it came to Jeff, he said: "Jeff, one, heavy." He then broke down in tears, allowing others to support him.
Jeff told Pete: "I want to apologise to Bob but I know that's not the right thing to do." When pressed, he explained: "Because he doesn't often see me upset. But I know what a valuable lesson I'm teaching him. I'm literally in front of 1,000 people or however many people are in here. But I don't care. I'm proud to be a man that can show emotion. I hope he feels that validation that if he ever needs to, he can to. And anyone listening."
A Lesson in Leadership Through Vulnerability
Jeff described how his breakdown led to others crying as they resonated with his reasons for being upset. He said: "That strength that you've given people an outlet. That's leadership. What if a leader is someone who allows themselves to feel as weak and vulnerable as they do in that moment? It's like the first time I've done it."
Jeff, a qualified life coach and certified grief counsellor, is a passionate advocate for men's mental health and hosts the Only Human podcast. Pete concluded the recording by saying: "I'm proud of you and everyone in this room should be too because this is a prime example of what it takes to be a man is vulnerability, it is weakness. Strength comes from within and you've got that in abundance and if I was your son, I'd be incredibly proud to have you as a father."
