Central Texas men gather for inaugural conference addressing mental health, emotional wellness
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Men from across Central Texas came together for a first-of-its-kind conference with a mission to give men a safe space to confront issues that often go unspoken.
“Mended” was held at the Marlin High School Auditorium and included a panel of respected and successful men with all types of life experiences.
The men discussed everything from emotional intelligence to childhood trauma, grief and loss, accountability and mental health.
Marlin resident George Stricklin, known as Minister Slugger, organized the event.
“Often times, we as men, we suppress our issues,” Stricklin said. “We really don’t talk about what we’re going through whether that’s because we’re afraid we’re going to be judged or whether we feel like we need to wear a Superman cape all the time, and today destroyed that narrative.”
The panel consisted of Stricklin, author and motivational speaker Chip Baker, and U.S. Navy veteran and nationally known cybersecurity expert Marcus Carey.
F.A. Green, who is owner of Robertson Funeral Home in Marlin and a Falls County commissioner, was also on stage, as was Dr. Gaylon Foreman, pastor of Carver Park Baptist Church in Waco.
“A lot of times, we’ve been taught to suppress and be this macho man — that it shows your weakness if you show your emotion when it actually shows strength, and I think it helps other men to be more relaxed that it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to heal. It’s OK to communicate and have someone to lean on together,” Green said.
Attendee Octavis Sanders said the event reminded him to not let life build up and tackle issues as they come along.
“It’s kind of like a rug. You just continue to sweep that stuff under the rug and eventually you walk over it. You trip over it and sometimes you just got to get that stuff off your chest,” Sanders said. “It was a great environment, great space and I believe everybody took something good from it.”
Stricklin hopes to make the men’s conference an annual event.
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