The positive male role models landscape has encountered a shift over the last 10 or 20 years. Where millennial males might’ve had posters of David Beckham or Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man on their bedroom walls, today’s young men tend to connect with their role models on social media.
Here, I wanted to outline nine popular male creators and influencers that focus on positive messages around mental health, fitness and wellness.
Russ Cook
If you’re looking for positive male influencers, look no further than Russ Cook, aka the Hardest Geezer.
At the time of writing Cook has ticked off running the entire length of Africa, and has run across Germany following the England national team at every football game at the Euros, and there’s still five months of the year to go.
Cook’s conquest of Africa is no small feat. He became the first person to run from the continent’s southernmost point to its northernmost – that’s 9,940 miles, 386 marathons, and 19.1 million steps. If the physical barriers weren’t enough, Cook encountered armed robberies, health concerns, and visa issues along the way, adding further mileage to the clock. Cook overcame all obstacles when he crossed the finish line in Tunisia, alongside fans who had flown out to cheer him over the final hurdle.
Completing the seemingly impossible is enough alone to include Cook as a positive male role model, but his sheer determination, grit, and willingness to achieve greatness is something that we can all admire.
Cook’s inspiration for running the length of Africa, simply to have no regrets when looking back at his life. At 27, following years of drinking, gambling, and mental health struggles, Cook recognised it was time for a change. While running across an entire continent steals the headlines, the underlying message is one of positive change, and seeing what’s possible when tackling life’s obstacles.
Josh Cavallo
While some of the others in this list have taken on the world’s toughest challenges, Josh Cavallo has shown tremendous bravery in other ways.
In 2021 the Australian became the first openly-gay football (soccer) player, ever. Football is a sport whose fandom can be, or at least has been in the past, quite toxic. If you’re a football fan in the UK, you’re probably aware of some of the abuse that is hurled at the players by fans during games. For a player to come out in such a hostile environment is an incredibly brave thing to do, and is something that will hopefully inspire others to express themselves more freely.
For the LGBTQ+ community, Cavallo is a symbol of pride, and is hopefully the first in breaking down these barriers that have impacted not just football, but the wider sporting landscape for generations.
Rob Kenney
Rob Kenney is the figure behind the popular social media handle Dad, How Do I?, a channel that shows other people, but mainly young men who haven’t had a leading male figure in life, how to do different things. For anyone looking how to fix a broken toilet, how to throw a football (the American kind) or just some simple dad jokes, Kenney is your man.
The social media landscape is as noisy as they come. There are a lot of different people preaching different messages, so it can be hard to identify when a content creator has their audience’s best interests in mind. With Kenney, you can tell this is a man who wants the best for his audience, someone who really is trying to make a positive impact on our younger generations.
Chris Williamson
Host of the Modern Wisdom podcast, Chris Williamson is a British YouTuber and former Love Islander – not your typical Love Islander might we add.
Chris has seemingly ditched the nightclub appearances and fast fashion deals for values that look to inspire the next generation of men to lead healthier lives. His content is centered around neuroscience, physical fitness, career advice, and pretty much anything that a young man might begin to question at some point during the tail end of his adolescence. Williamson is packaging modern wisdom up for people to divulge over on his podcast.
While certain male influencers preach false ideals about what it means to be a man, Chris is encouraging men to find their masculinity in all the ways that matter. His brand promotes positive mental health, tips for a more productive professional life, how to take care of your physicality, and much more.
Dr Alex George
Alex George is a British medical doctor and TV personality known for his mental health advocacy. Rising to fame on Love Island in 2018 (again, not your typical Love Islander) he has used his platform to promote mental health awareness, particularly among the younger generations. .
Appointed as the UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador in 2021, Dr. Alex advises on improving mental health services in the UK. His professional expertise as a doctor adds credibility to his advocacy. Alex educates the public on health topics through social media and public appearances. Despite personal tragedies, like losing his brother to suicide, he has shown resilience, turning his grief into a drive to help others.
Alex breaks all the stereotypes by combining his medical background with his reality TV appearances, demonstrating that you can be multifaceted and impactful. Dr. Alex George’s dedication to improving the nation’s mental health gives him a deserved spot on our list.
Rory Bradshaw
Rory Bradshaw is dedicated to making a positive change and improving the lives of men by inspiring and educating them about health and well-being.
Since 2014, Rory has supported marginalized young people and adults through his work and volunteering in prisons, schools, and communities. Rory has focused on driving awareness on Instagram and TikTok to equip men with the knowledge to better care for their minds and bodies. His viral videos, garnering millions of views, connect with men globally who seek a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Rory is also a yoga teacher, offering classes to prisons since 2019. He teaches both staff and incarcerated men, producing follow-along video and audio content broadcasted in cells. His vision is for every UK prisoner to have access to yoga, enhancing their overall health and making prisons safer and more effective.
Last year, Rory co-founded PILLA. This project combines over a decade of friendship and a passion for health and well-being, offering premium activewear, men’s yoga classes in Central London, and events blending live music with yoga.
Rory aims to redefine active living for men, which makes him one of the more commendable positive male influencers.
Jason Wilson
Jason Wilson has been training and mentoring young boys in martial arts for over 25 years. But beyond teaching young boys and teens how to defend themselves, Jason’s teachings are all about embracing emotions, treating people with respect, and confronting fears.
One of the most engaged posts on Wilson’s Instagram page is of a young boy who is afraid of defending himself. Wilson encourages the boy to confront his fear, but also comforts him by letting him know that it’s okay to be upset, before saying to him “I want you to respect me because you care for me, not because you scared of me” – a sentence strong enough to rock anyone to their core.
Wilson is a massive advocate for men’s mental wellbeing, and is looking to stamp that out by teaching men how to embrace their emotions. One of his biggest teachings is that it’s okay for men to cry, which is something that you’ll hear other “male role models” say men should not do.
There’s no one more deserving to feature in this list than Wilson. It’s one thing to preach a positive message, but another to be out there speaking to young men, teaching boys how to defend themselves, and encouraging grown men to embrace their emotions.
Faron Paul
Faron Alex Paul is a resilient advocate against knife crime and a compelling voice for social change, emerging from the depths of personal struggle to champion a cause greater than himself.
Paul uses Instagram, TikTok and YouTube as a platform to run campaigns to combat knife crime across London and the UK. in 2019, he launched a campaign where teens who handed in their knives would receive a free voucher, Paul would then hand the knives over to the police.
Knife crime is a poignant problem in the UK. We’ve seen high profile celebrities like Dave, Krept & Konan, and Idris Elba address the topic in some way shape or form. But none have been as dedicated to the cause as Paul.
Paul appeared on an episode of LadBible’s Minutes With a few years ago, and his story is nothing short of incredible, going from being stabbed to a full commitment to eradicating knife crime and violence among the UK’s youth.
Olly Bowman
On the surface, Olly Bowman fits the billing for your typical influencer. He’s a handsome chap, dresses well, and is always on the go, but his message is quite unique.
Bowman is sharing his story of personal growth. Where a lot of men will shy away from talking about their development, or avoiding things that embarrass them, Bowman is actively putting himself in situations where he’s forced to step out of his comfort zone. As he puts it, “Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself, fail, get rejected, worst case is you’ll be in the same place you were before, but most likely you’ll be better off for it.”
Olly is striking a positive chord for anyone watching. Throughout his content, you’ll see him dancing like nobody’s watching, working hard in the gym, and taking himself all but seriously in the exploration of becoming a better, or at least more true, version of himself.
His message is a positive one. For any young man who feels like they’re holding themselves back, whether that be from getting in shape, or just enjoying the simpler things that little bit more, Olly Bowman will give you that kick of confidence.
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That’s all for this one, do you follow any of these male influencers on social already? Don’t forget you can catch up on the latest news and developments from the social and influencer space over on our blog
