Dr. Michael Gurian: Why Boys Are Struggling — The Male Brain, Screens & What Parents Can Do

Why are so many boys growing up anxious, isolated and disconnected—and are we waiting too long to ask what went wrong?

Richard Taite sits down with Dr. Michael Gurian, who has spent decades studying how boys develop, learn and become men, for a candid conversation about what parents, schools, therapists and culture may be getting wrong about boys.

Gurian breaks down his brain-based approach to raising and educating boys, including why traditional talk therapy may not connect with some males, why fathers and male mentors matter, and how movement and side-by-side conversation can sometimes help boys open up in ways face-to-face questioning doesn't.

Richard and Dr. Gurian also tackle smartphones and social media, male isolation, discipline versus self-regulation, anxiety and depression, the relationship between childhood trauma and later addiction, and what parents can do before a struggling boy becomes a struggling young man.

Gurian shares his “three-family system” for raising boys and one simple piece of advice for parents: cut through the noise, understand the child in front of you, identify his gifts and challenges, and “nurture the nature.”

It’s a provocative conversation about boys, mental health and what it takes to help young men grow into connected, resilient adults.