Why my next project is about mental health

Okay, I've been wanting to get all of my ideas around this topic into a single place for a few months now and here's my chance.

If you didn't see the announcement a few weeks ago, I launched a new writing project centered around men's mental health called Bending Pink Steel.

In so many ways, it's a culmination of my life's work. From my religious training to my love of comedy to my newsletter knowledge. But most importantly, it feels like it's needed. Like this is the right time/season to be writing about this stuff at all.

A true ikigai moment.

But for you, reading this, I'm hoping my thought process around creating BPS will help you with your current and future projects.

Let's begin.

A One-Chart Business

I first heard about the idea of one-chart businesses from the MFM podcast (the exact episode is linked below).

The idea is simple: look for obvious opportunities.

What businesses/projects can you start that will ride waves of immense growth? In this scenario, your product doesn't even need to be the best. You just have to take advantage of being in the right place at the right time.

Kids who launched TikTok growth courses are a perfect example. High schoolers made millions of dollars by combining what they saw worked on platforms like IG and Twitter, and bringing over those same techniques to TikTok when it was early and most "serious" folks weren't using the platform yet.

Mental health as a meta-topic has been steadily growing for years. COVID gave it a boost, just like it did for remote work. And just like remote work, I believe a more intentional focus on the mind's health was already underway. COVID accelerated an existing pattern.

What's even more interesting is that the sub-topic of men's mental health has seen a distinct spike in attention.

I believe we're at a tipping point. That we're at the start of a meaningful shift in attention around how men treat their mental health.

But why?

Toxic Strength

Alpha-male bootcamps, like MDK Project, and influencers, from the Liver King to Andrew Tate, have come to reliably dominate the social feeds of many men.

A big part of that is what some call the "fatherhood epidemic" — the social stat that somewhere between 31% and 40% of all males grow up without a father figure in their household.

Before the internet, that might have been solved (at least in part) by community participation, big brother programs, and extended family stepping up. These days, we rely on the scroll.

Male influencers understand that extremes go viral, and so they lean into that. This feeds their success. And that success is attractive, even to those who would otherwise never agree with their beliefs.

But there is a kinder way to be a man. Meanness is not a prerequisite for masculinity.

I had to learn this the hard way. Hopefully, my writing can help others learn easier.

I don't think I would have ever said I want to be the anti-Andrew Tate. But maybe that's what I'm getting at. Maybe that's what the internet needs.

The X Factor

So, why me? Why should I be the one to write this?

I think, at the beginning of any big project, this question comes up. I'm sure you've asked yourself it already. And if you haven't, it might be worth investigating why.

From my experience, how you answer this will either reinforce or weaken your grit when things get tough. If you know you're the right person for X and believe it in your gut, you'll figure out anything that comes your way.

But if you don't identify with some core part of what you're choosing to bring into the world, it won't take much to knock you off course.

For most of my life, I saw my mind as the enemy. As a problem to be solved or a wild animal to be reigned in. I stressed about my mental state, worrying that I would deteriorate in the same ways that led my uncle to commit suicide, and then a decade later, his son (my cousin), too.

Since working from home in 2019, I've never had so much time with my thoughts. And it's never been clearer how monumentally they impact every area of my life (work, money, sex, happiness, etc.).

For years, I've been learning how to cultivate a mind I love and now felt like the right time to invite others in. Not because I've mastered the work, but because I'm still in it. I'm still close. And that will allow me to write in a way others can't/won't.

Growing Uphill

Finally, it's worth mentioning my growth strategy around this project.

I want to do it 100% apart from social media.

That means getting creative with postcards (I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to share from this experiment), leaning heavily into word of mouth, and leveraging the organic growth of native platforms like Substack.

Yes, I'm using the orange newsletter tool for this project because it has all the makings of what I need for BPS to be a success. Not the least of which are the dozens of writers who have influenced me and have the potential to recommend my writing to their audiences directly on the platform.

If this project is going to succeed, then it needs to be honest.

That means choosing marketing activities that honor my mental health (i.e., not spending hours on social media every week). And it also means pacing my publishing and charging for my work and asking for help.

That's it.

In May, I'm attending a conference dedicated solely to newsletters. You'll never guess the name of it. 😅

If you're still reading this, I'm going to ask for one thing, and you can absolutely say no:

Will you become a paid subscriber of BPS?

I promise it will be the most fun you've ever gotten for $8/mo.

Talk soon.
—DR