We want to normalize men, especially Black men, taking care of themselves and not viewing that as being weak.
Back in the day, men were made of stone: silent, strong and stoic.
“When I was young, I was told that men don’t cry,” said Wyllyam Holloway, an educator, consultant and advisor at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
“We were told men needed to keep going and to push through,” added Walter Cullin Jr., another MATC administrator.
But today, Holloway and Cullin believe it’s all right for men to weep, share their feelings and take time to breathe, reflect and heal.
Last year the two men collaborated on “I Just Need a Minute,” a book that offers insights and strategies to help men improve their mental health and manage work, family, stress, purpose, fatherhood and friendship.
The two MA
TC employees discussed their book and answered questions during a virtual session Wednesday, February 4, as part of the college’s celebration of Black History Month.
Holloway and Cullin previously collaborated on two other books and have informally checked in on each other over the years. They realized they often faced the same struggles, challenges and issues.
“We would bounce ideas and thoughts off each other,” Holloway said during Wednesday’s session. “We both often said we just needed a minute to breathe and to get our heads together. For us, that became a mantra.”
Cullin added: “We have found that men sometimes need more than a minute. But a lot of times, that 60 seconds can make a world of difference.”
Cullin discussed the concept of taking time out on a podcast he hosts called “What’s My Motive?” but both he and Holloway thought the topic needed something more than conversation, so they wrote a book.
“We thought about the things men were doing to clear their heads: walking, exercising, breathing, meditating, praying,” Holloway said. “We wanted to create a guidebook and a resource to help everyone get back to ground zero, to find that balance.
“We want to normalize men, especially Black men, taking care of themselves and not viewing that as being weak,” added Holloway, who along with working at MATC, has co-owned Integrated Community Education Consultants since 2021.
Cullin and Holloway cautioned that they are not mental health professionals; the book does not replace therapy or any clinical medical practices.
“We respect those experts,” said Cullin, who has served as MATC’s coordinator for credentialing and certification since January 2023 and also works with Integrated Community Education Consultants. “We view the book as a toolbox and as a starting point.”
Not everything in the book is going to work for everybody, Holloway said. “You need to find something that works that works for you and make it your own,” he said. “It’s OK if it’s something different than someone else.”
Wednesday’s virtual discussion was moderated by Kyle Hayden, an advisor in MATC’s Business and Management Academic and Career Pathway and chair of the Black Excellence Leadership Alliance (BELA), an employee resource group.
In the coming months, Cullin and Holloway plan to develop a curriculum based on the book that can be used to reach younger males.
“When I was 19 and 20 years old, I didn’t have an older person to guide me and walk me through the ups and downs of life,” Holloway said. “We want to reach those younger men.”
About MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.