The Man, Up! Public Speaker

How are you? My name is Lee but I am also known as The Man, Up!

 

It’s funny something so small can make such a big difference. Just like adding a little punctuation; the phrase “man up” is often thought of as such a harmful, toxic one. I have lived with depression for over 25 years and I often heard the phrase used so negatively. Feeling stressed, low mood, preoccupied by dark thoughts, lacking the motivation to even get out of bed in the morning? Well, just “man up and get over it”, right?

 

I am on a personal mission to reclaim the phrase for a more positive purpose. When you add a comma (representing the pause we take before embarking on a journey of recovery) and an exclamation mark (celebrating the moment that recovery has been achieved, an important milestone for anyone struggling with poor mental health), the phrase changes its meaning completely. Two words that have historically put people down can now be used as a beacon of hope, to lift people up again.

 

That’s my mission.