Plant Power Men: Beyond Belief

Food, thought, connection and a whole new way of thinking about the mind

Men across Stockport and Greater Manchester are being invited to explore a different conversation about health, wellbeing, connection and what it means to thrive.

Our next Plant Power Men event takes place on 27 August in Marple, as part of the wider Manbassadors programme. Our Happiness Factor CIC has been commissioned to deliver this project, creating opportunities for men to come together, share food, explore ideas and discover new perspectives on mental and physical wellbeing.

Alongside the Plant Power Men events, the programme includes a six-week deep dive bringing together food, lifestyle, self-enquiry, deep listening and a fresh exploration of how the mind works.

The power of plants

Plant Power Men puts plant-based food at the centre of bringing men together.

A plant-based lifestyle can be about much more than changing what is on your plate. It can open up a wider conversation about energy, vitality, health, our relationship with food and the choices we make every day.

But this isn't about telling men what they should eat.

It's about curiosity.

What gives us energy? What helps us feel well? What choices support the kind of life we want to live?

Sharing food creates a natural opportunity to slow down, sit together and connect. Around a table, conversations can happen that might not otherwise take place.

As a simple expression of that intention, the Buddha offered the aspiration:

“May all beings be happy-minded.”

This reflects something important about the programme: wellbeing isn't only about the individual. It is also about how we relate to one another, how we listen and the kind of community we create.

Bringing personal experience to the table

One of the things we offer through this programme is personal experience.

We don't come to this work simply from books, theories or professional ideas about what men might be experiencing.

We know what it is like to feel lost.We know what it is like to feel fearful.We know what it is like to feel empty.We know what it is like to question where we are going and wonder whether there is another way.

That lived experience matters.

It means we can meet men where they are, without judgement and without pretending that we have all the answers.

Our Happiness Factor CIC brings together experience, curiosity and a willingness to explore what has helped us—and what might help others—to see life differently.

We're not offering a programme from a position of having somehow “figured life out”. We're offering an invitation to explore together.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can bring into a conversation isn't an answer.

It's the willingness to sit with another person in the questions.

Exploring the mind

The six-week Manbassadors deep dive is for men who want to explore how the mind works, the true nature of thought and a whole new way of thinking about anxiety.

This isn't about giving men another set of rules, techniques or answers.

Instead, we create space for self-enquiry—an opportunity to become genuinely curious about our own experience.

We explore how thought shapes our experience and what happens when we begin to notice the difference between what is actually happening and the stories our thinking creates around it.

As Ramana Maharshi put it:

“The mind consists of thoughts. The ‘I’ thought is the first to arise in the mind."

For us, this opens up a fascinating area of exploration: what happens when we become curious about the thoughts we take to be “me”, rather than automatically believing or following them?

The intention isn't to eliminate thought or anxiety, but to develop a deeper understanding of how our experience unfolds from moment to moment.

Self-enquiry and deep listening through dyads

A key part of the six-week programme is self-enquiry and deep listening through dyads.

A dyad is a simple structure in which two people take turns speaking and listening. One person speaks while the other listens—not to fix, advise, analyse or interrupt, but to give the speaker space to explore their own experience.

Then the roles change.

In a world where we are often quick to offer advice or solve problems, being deeply listened to can create a very different quality of conversation.

Dyads give men an opportunity to slow down, listen to themselves and listen to another person without needing to perform or have all the answers.

Through this process, participants can begin to notice patterns of thinking, assumptions and reactions, and explore them with greater curiosity.

Where Wu Wei fits in

The programme also introduces ideas such as Wu Wei, an ancient Taoist concept often translated as “effortless action” or “action without forcing.”

Wu Wei doesn't mean doing nothing or becoming passive. It describes a way of responding to life without unnecessary struggle or forcing—allowing action to arise from greater awareness rather than constantly trying to control everything.

This connects naturally with the enquiry into thought and anxiety.

As we become more aware of how thought works, we can begin to question whether everything needs to be pushed, fixed, controlled or resisted.

What happens when we listen more deeply?

What happens when we become curious rather than immediately trying to fix?

What happens when we recognise that some of our struggle may come from our relationship with our own thinking?

Wu Wei isn't presented as a formula or something participants are expected to adopt. It is simply another perspective that opens up a question:

How might we respond to life with less force and more awareness?

From the kitchen to the deeper conversation

The Plant Power Men Pop Up Kitchen offers an informal way for men to meet, eat and connect.

The 27 August event in Marple provides an opportunity to experience this for yourself and find out more about the wider Manbassadors programme.

You don't need to have an established interest in plant-based living. You don't need to be an expert in mindfulness or mental health. And you certainly don't need to have everything figured out.

Just come as you are.

A different kind of space for men

Across Stockport and Greater Manchester, men are navigating pressure, relationships, work, family, uncertainty, expectations and change.

Manbassadors creates spaces where men can meet without judgement, explore new ideas and have conversations that might not otherwise happen.

Food. Connection. Self-enquiry. Deep listening. The mind. Thought. Anxiety. Lifestyle.

Together, these offer an opportunity to explore what it means to live well—not by adding more pressure to our lives, but by becoming more curious about how we experience them.

Join us in Marple

All Detials can be found by clicking the link below:

Plant Power Men: Beyond Belief

Come along, share some plant-based food, meet other men and take part in a different kind of conversation about health, wellbeing and life.

The £5 suggested donation helps us create and sustain these events while keeping them accessible.

If the conversation sparks your curiosity, you can find out more about the six-week The Matrix deep dive, exploring self-enquiry, deep listening through dyads, the nature of thought, anxiety and perspectives such as Wu Wei.

For further information contact gary@ourhappinessfactor.co.uk