It’s International Men’s Day – Here are 12 Intentional Men We’re Celebrating!

International Men’s Day is not just a day; it’s a call to action. 

Today, we are being totally intentional about celebrating the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. 

The International Men’s Day website (internationalmensday.com) states; “International Men’s Day encourages men to teach the boys in their lives the values, character and responsibilities of being a man.” It also emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about men’s well-being, and that is precisely what we aim to do here – share stories that inspire, uplift, and promote positive change.

Mahatma Gandhi said; “We must become the change we seek.” This sentiment embodies the essence of intentional living, a philosophy that urges everyone to lead by example and contribute. 

At Intentional Living Magazine, we have scoured the globe to bring you stories of 12 intentional men who epitomize positive role models, inspiring change through their actions and values. We are shining a spotlight on the stories that often go untold… 

The theme for this years International Men’s Day 2023 is “Zero Male Suicide”, so we are starting our list of 12 men, with Luke Ambler, Chairman and Co-Founder of ANDYSMANCLUB…

Luke Ambler

Luke is the Chairman & Co-Founder, ANDYSMANCLUB, a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. 

ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts, a man who sadly took his own life aged 23 in early 2016. Andy’s family had no inkling that he was suffering or struggling to the extent that he would do this, and as a result looked deeper into male suicide and men’s mental health. They soon discovered that male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50, with male mental health surrounded by well-ingrained cultural stigma in the UK.

Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler are Andy’s Mum and Brother-in-Law, together they came up with the idea of ANDYSMANCLUB, a group where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgement-free, non-clinical environment. Groups now operate nationwide across the UK and are completely volunteer-led, with the vast majority of group facilitators having first interacted with ANDYSMANCLUB when they came through the door as a service user.

With a service used on a weekly basis by over 3000 men, and an army of 900+ facilitators, the movement is always continuing to grow on a week-by-week basis.

To find out more, visit: www.andysmanclub.co.uk

Image courtesy of: Linkedin

Josh White, Co-Founder & Global Brand Director at CanO Water

Josh White is a next-generation entrepreneur and co-founder of the innovative water brand, CanO Water along with friends Ariel Booker and Perry Fielding. Having experienced the damage that single-use plastics can have on the environment first hand whilst travelling in Thailand with his friends, Josh took it on as his mission to take one step closer to making the food and drink industry more sustainable.

Making the Forbes 30 Under 30 List , he also managed to capture the attention of huge brands including Selfridges, Tesco and Amazon with an innovative way of making bottled water more environmentally friendly. CanO Water is the underdog fighting against the giants who produce tons upon tons of single use plastic. More recently Josh and his team acquired financial backing from British comedian Ricky Gervais which will be used to “further drive national and global penetration” for the brand.

The marketer behind the fastest-growing small organisation in the UK, Josh began his career with his own business in events, marketing and sales. Showing undeniable ability within the business world from a young age, he managed to direct and manage the London-based High Frequency Events for a total of four years before venturing into CanO Water.

As the marketing director of CanO Water, White has managed to capture the attention and parter up with London Fashion Week. With the product spreading across multiple social media platforms during the fashion event, he also managed to entice the likes of David Gandy, who currently has the resealable, aluminium cans of water available in his salon as well as The Oscars who they sponsored in 2017.

To view more, visit: www.canowater.com

Image courtesy of: fidelbeauhill.com

Fidel Beauhill, Coach and Founder of The Modern Man  

Fidel Beauhill is all about positivity and balance but his career and personal life have taken him through many life and death situations. Fidel is a keen boxer. A sport that has paved his way and contributes to his success in life, wellness and business. Forget the physical part of boxing, this sport really has helped discipline Fidel in his choices and thinking, which ultimately led him to understanding how any divides in society can cause an imbalance.

With a life of lessons, failures and successes behind him, he was able to build up a coaching and speaking career with facts and experience. A gent, that was raised by his Mother and Father and is now surrounded by strong independent women in the form of his Ex Wife and 3 Daughters, he really does know what it’s like to be a modern man. Fidel believes that now is the time for men to be confident in who they are and what they do.

To find our more about Fidel, visit: www.fidelbeauhill.com

Image courtesy of: www.booksnbros.com

Sidney Keys, Founder of Books n Bros Reading Club

His love for reading made him realise that many of his peers, especially boys, struggle with reading… so, to address this issue, Sidney Keys founded Books n Bros https://www.instagram.com/booksnbros/, a reading club that promotes African American literature and supports boys in their reading journey. Books n Bros is not only encouraging literacy within Black Culture and African American Literature, but also Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy and Endless Possibilities!

Image courtesy of: jayshetty.me

Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty is a #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author, Host Of #1 Health Podcast “On Purpose” and Go-To Purpose Coach. 

Meet the Former Monk who is now an award winning host, storyteller and viral content creator. Since launching his video channel in 2016, Jay’s viral wisdom videos have garnered over 4 billion views and gained over 20 million followers globally. This makes him one of the most viewed people on the internet internationally. Jay aims to share knowledge at the pace we want entertainment, something he likes to call “making wisdom go viral.”

He has created content for and partnered with Snapchat, Facebook, National Geographic, Nasdaq and HuffPost to name a few. Born and raised in London, Jay was a shy, introverted young boy who always strived to make a positive difference. As a child he was bullied for being overweight and a little nerdy but he never let these experiences affect him. Like any teenager, Jay spent most of those years experimenting with what the world had to offer.

Tired of being simply “good,” Jay’s thrill seeking ventures saw him get suspended from school on multiple occasions as he tried to find his identity. He lost two of his best friends when he was 16, one in a car accident and the other due to gang violence. These tragic events really made him reflect on what a blessing life is and he felt the need to find deeper purpose and meaning.

After meeting a monk when he was 18, Jay started redefining success for himself. He now wanted a life of service, impact and passion as opposed to money, fame and power. After graduating with a 1st class BSc (Hons) Degree in Behavioral Science from Cass Business School, inspired to make a difference in the world, at 22 he went to live as a monk across India and Europe. He traded his suits for robes, shaved his head and lived out of a gym locker for 3 years. Waking up at 4am, taking cold showers and eating simply was a daily routine. For 3 years, Jay helped build sustainable villages, food programs distributing over 1 million meals per day and coached millennials across the world about consciousness, wellbeing and success.

Moving on from monk life… Jay moved back in with his parents in London with no money to his name. Having committed career suicide he spent 9 months just updating himself on the world. Jay’s friends from business school began inviting him to speak at their companies as they were undergoing high amounts of pressure and stress. Jay began sharing insights on productivity and how what he had learnt as a monk could be applied to the workplace. Noticing the world was going digital, Jay simultaneously went on to become Accenture’s Social Media coach for executives online branding and digital strategy.

Jay’s vision is to Make Wisdom Go Viral. He wants to make timeless wisdom and behavioral science about life and the mind more accessible, relevant and practical for each and every single one of you. He now works with the biggest names and brands in the world, has a hugely popular podcast, On Purpose, and recently authored #1 New York Times Best-Seller, 8 Rules of Love.

To find out more, visit: www.jayshetty.me

Image courtesy of: SKY Sports

Kevin Sinfield

Kevin Sinfield has raised millions of pounds for motor neurone disease (MND) charities since his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate and great friend Rob Burrow was diagnosed in 2019. The 43-year-old, currently defence coach of the England men’s rugby union team, will start a new challenge in the UK in December. The 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge will see the former Leeds Rhino run an ultra-marathon every day for seven days in seven cities.

Each 7 in 7 in 7 run, in cities around Great Britain and Ireland, would be a full marathon with one added mile to signify the extra mile people could all go to help their friends in tough times, Sinfield said.

Sinfield and Burrow have written a book, With You Every Step, reflecting on their friendship and hope it can inspire others. Burrow said: “I wanted to do this book with Kevin to highlight the importance of friendship and show that there are many ways to be strong. I am hoping the book will appeal to young boys in particular to show that friendships can be based on love and vulnerability.”

To find our more about the MDN charities visit: www.mind.org.uk and www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk . You can also purchase With You Every Step via Amazon.

Steven Hesketh 

Steven Hesketh aka ‘The Hospitality Hero’ is a man on a mission to ‘revive the hospitality industry, with people, place and perception in mind.’ A big task…so what exactly is his plan? He has put his heart, soul and invested heavily in supporting an industry he’s been a part of for 30 years – one he fears won’t have a sustainable future if things don’t change – and is committing to being a leader of that change.

Driven by his belief that evolution and history must unite to ensure the industry has a strong and sustainable future, Steven is facilitating industry events, collaborations and conversations, as well as developing training and offering consultancy support – to proactively encourage growth – growth of the industry as a whole, and growth of the people working within it, supporting and training hospitality leaders globally.

Steven said;

“The pandemic has cast a serious and long lasting impact on the industry and the current state of play means that many restaurants and hotels around the world are simply putting ‘one step in front of the other’ as they try to survive. Many managers and staff have become monotonous, stuck on autopilot and have lost their mo-jo and we are seeing huge staff shortages and recruitment/retention difficulties – with huge generational gaps. Together with these issues, hospitality venues are also having to navigate rising inflation, including; energy bills and food prices… and alongside this, there is a dampening in consumer confidence. All of this is leading to hospitality businesses and upper management feeling they are on the brink – stretched, pressed and stressed!….and we cannot go on like this. It is my mission to help educate, inspire and collaborate with leaders and entrepreneurs to enhance transformational change in themselves and their business, through experiential learning that helps them fall back in love with the art of hospitality and supports them to not just survive, but to thrive.”

To find out more visit:  www.thehospitalityhero.com

Image courtesy of: www.dads4kids.org.au/about-us/founders-message

Warwick Marsh

Warwick is the Co-Founder of Dads4Kids, a harm prevention charity committed to excellence in fathering.

There’s a crisis in Australia according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 870,000 children, around 1 in 6, live without their biological father at home. The data shows that fatherlessness contributes to nearly all the social issues facing our nation today. The statistics are grim, but there is hope.

Since 2002, Dads4Kids has worked tirelessly to turn the tide of fatherlessness. Each year, we reach millions of people with messages of excellence in fathering through our Community Service Announcements on TV, Social Media, Radio, and Print Media. Dads4Kids has hosted hundreds of fatherhood success seminars, conferences and national summits, developed the online Courageous Fathering Course, and the high-level Good to Great Fathering Course.

Dads4Kids has campaigned against child sexual abuse, and in 2008 we helped pioneer a National Men’s Health Policy in government. Through our efforts, the lives of over 2,500 men have been saved. The tide is turning, but there is still so much more to do.

Their goal is to make excellence in fathering the norm of everyday life in Australia and be a fatherhood resource for the rest of the world. Dads4Kids believes that promoting excellence in fathering is the most cost effective way to reduce the risk of harm and abusive behaviours within the broader community.

Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation is the proud sponsor of The International Men’s Day website. To find out more, visit: www.dads4kids.org.au.

Image courtesy of: www.lewishowes.com

Lewis Howes

Lewis Howes is a New York Times Bestselling author of the hit book, ‘The School of Greatness’. Lewis said;

“Growing up in the small town of Delaware, Ohio, I overcame feeling dumb, feeling lonely, and being bullied for being in special needs classes by dedicating myself to becoming the best athlete I could be. By my side the whole way was my dad supporting me, coaching me, and cheering me on… he was my best friend and my greatest coach.” 

Lewis is now a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked podcast, The School of Greatness, which has over 100 million downloads and 1000 episodes since it launched in 2013.

Lewis was recognized by The White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details Magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s That Can Make You Rich.” Lewis is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur and has been featured on Ellen, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, and other major media outlets. 

To find out more visit: www.lewishowes.com

Image courtesy of: www.stevenbartlett.com/about

Steven Bartlett 

Steven Bartlett is one of the world’s most exciting entrepreneurs. Also a highly sought after speaker, investor, author and the host of UK’s No.1 podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’ – an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers.

Steven is an accomplished investor in the health and wellness space with notable investments including Huel – UK’s fastest growing e-commerce company internationally, and Zoe – the personalised nutrition programme created by the world’s top scientists. Previous investments include The Healing Company, atai Life Sciences, Alto Neuroscience and AbCellera. Steven’s other investments focus on blockchain technologies, biotech, space, Web 3 and social media.

Known for his innovative and disruptive approach to social media marketing, Steven co-founded Flight Story – a marketing and communications company that works with leading brands. He has also launched his own private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns. Steven co-founded thirdweb – a software platform, backed by Shopify and Coinbase, that makes it easy to build web3 applications.

Steven released his debut book ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire’, which made The Sunday Times best sellers list. He joined the UK BBC hit TV show Dragons’ Den, as the youngest ever Dragon in the show’s history.

Steven is particularly focused on inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs and creators from a BAME background and much of his work after winning the ‘British Black Entrepreneur of the year” award focused on disadvantaged schools and communities.

He has partnered with His Majesty’s Prison Service to distribute The Diary of a CEO podcast via their in-cell technology to educate and inspire young adults.

Steven has been listed on the Powerlist, which captures the most influential Black Britons and aims to celebrate the achievements of the most influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK.

The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life is Steven’s most recent book where he shares very heart of all the success and failure he’s been exposed to – through his own entrepreneurial journey and through the thousands of interviews he’s conducted on his chart-topping podcast.

To follow Steven, visit: www.stevenbartlett.com

Image courtesy of: www.alexstephany.com.

Alex Stephany, Founder and CEO of Beam.

Alex founded Beam, an online platform that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people, after becoming friends with a man sleeping rough outside his local tube station. He realised that small gestures like offering a hot drink wouldn’t make a significant difference, so he created Beam.

Beam is the world’s first online platform that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people. Beam is partnered with more than 10 charities and funded primarily by innovation grants from the Mayor of London and Nesta. Beam launched in September 2017. 

To find out more about Beam, visit: www.beam.org

Image courtesy of Dr. Joe Dispenza’s social media profile.

Dr Joe Dispenza

Dr. Joe Dispenza is an international speaker, researcher, author, and educator who is passionate about the findings from the fields of neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics to explore the science behind spontaneous remissions. He uses that knowledge to help people heal themselves of illness, chronic conditions, and even terminal diseases so they can enjoy a more fulfilled and happy life as well as evolve their consciousness.

Dr. Joe is the New York Times bestselling author of You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter, which explores our ability to heal without drugs or surgery, but rather by thought alone. His most recent book, Becoming Supernatural, talks about how we can intentionally change our brain chemistry to initiate profoundly mystical, transcendental experiences and develop a more healthy body, mind, and spiritual life.

Dr. Joe didn’t always work in the field of neuroscience. He started out as a chiropractor, earning his doctor of chiropractic degree from Life University in Atlanta, GA. He had a successful chiropractic practice, but one day he had a dangerous accident. In 1986, while cycling in a triathlon, Dr. Joe was hit by a truck. He broke six vertebrae in his spine, and his doctors told him he would never walk again. Dr. Joe asked four different surgeons what he should do, and all four of them prescribed a complicated surgery. The surgery would relieve some of his pain but nearly guarantee he would never walk again. But that wasn’t good enough. He refused to have the surgery and instead began to imagine himself totally healed. He visualized each vertebrae healing and reconstructed his spine in his mind. In just ten and a half weeks, Dr. Joe was back on his feet, and in twelve weeks, he was training again and back at work at his chiropractic clinic. He fully healed himself with just his mind. Dr. Joe has actionable advice that will transform your life! 

You can find out more about Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work by visiting: www.drjoedispenza.com

There were so, so, so many more men that we could have featured today, all doing incredible things that are changing lives and changing the world…  

International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all. 

Who will you celebrate today?