How to heal the wounded men: trauma, numbness & masculinity - Hugh Newton
Episode 525, released 6th November 2025.
In this week’s show Lian is joined by Hugh Newton. Hugh’s life began in the midst of a war in Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia). Growing up in such harsh conditions meant that he had to work hard to overcome his complex childhood trauma. Hugh began his self-development journey 30 years ago, and has been passionate about both supporting men to step into the fullest versions of themselves, and strengthening and uplifting the African continent that he loves so much.
Listen or watch on:
Transcript is here: episode525transcript
Hugh works as the lead male facilitator at Celebration of Being, and was a certified leader at A Band of Brothers for 7 years. He’s also a trained shadow work facilitator and coach. His body of work supports men to show up as their best selves in the world, overcome their wounding, and build rich, nourishing lives for themselves and those they love.
In this episode, Lian and Hugh explore men, trauma, and the long road back to wholeness. They touch Hugh’s childhood on a remote Rhodesian farm under civil war, the day a nine-year-old was trained and armed to protect his mother and sister, the years of numbness that followed, and the moment he named the predator within and chose to meet it.
They turn to what creates healing: men’s work that faces danger with love, simple daily honesty instead of performance, and steady boundaries that make intimacy possible.
Listen if you are or love a man who can’t feel, wondered why good men go numb, or wanted to understand how even the deepest wounds in men can become strength.
We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below.
What you’ll learn from this episode:
How men’s childhood survival strategies become adult numbness, and the concrete steps that begin to thaw it without collapsing into chaos and overwhelm
Why naming the predator within changes behaviour, desire, and trust in relationship, and the practices that keep it in the heart rather than the shadows
What happens when women respond to men’s early, imperfect vulnerability with steadiness and praise… and how that accelerates genuine masculine healing
Resources and stuff spoken about:
Join UNIO, The Community for Wild Sovereign Souls: This is for the old souls in this new world… Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth.
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Thank you!
Lian & Jonathan