Most men don’t go looking for something like After Straight.

They arrive here because something has quietly stopped working. Often, they’ve already done a lot of thinking on their own. What they haven’t had is a place to speak freely - without consequences, expectations, or assumptions attached.

That gap is the reason After Straight exists.

When I was going through my own process, what struck me most was how few realistic options there were. You either stayed silent, or you escalated straight into something clinical or pathologising. For men with families, responsibilities, and public lives, that jump often feels far too big.

I didn’t need diagnosing.
I didn’t need fixing.
I needed space.

Space to talk honestly without it going back to my partner, my children, my colleagues, or my wider life. Space to say things out loud without having to defend them or act on them immediately.

The absence of that space is what creates so much unnecessary strain. Men end up regulating themselves with alcohol, distraction, overwork, or withdrawal - not because they lack insight, but because they lack somewhere neutral to land.

After Straight is deliberately discreet. It’s not about pushing decisions or accelerating outcomes. It’s about giving men a confidential, adult environment where they can think clearly, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with themselves before making any major moves.

For many men, simply being able to speak openly to someone who understands the terrain - and has walked it - eases a great deal of pressure.

This isn’t therapy.
It isn’t secrecy either.

It’s a pause. And for a lot of men, that pause is the first real relief they’ve felt in years.