Jonathan Jacobs, after relocating to Los Angeles during the pandemic, recognized a need for local male community bonding. The loss of his father and revelations about his life spurred Jacobs to create safe spaces for men to connect. He launched the LA chapter of Men Walking, Men Talking in 2025, inviting men to join him. Starting with a Reddit post, he garnered initial interest from 60 men, leading to the first awkward gathering where participants could share openly without the typical social barriers of politics or religion.
In the summer of 2020, right before I moved to LA, my father passed away. On his deathbed, I learned he was an alcoholic - a secret he'd kept from me for 31 years.
So, in 2025, I started the LA chapter. Craving connection, I posted a short description on an LA-based Reddit page describing how I envisioned the group.
The rules were simple: what was said in the group would be private, and we wouldn't talk about politics or religion so as not to isolate anyone.
I wanted men to explore why it was hard to be the first one to speak up.
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