The Starting Point – A Podcast Series

Episode 1: Jonny Murphy - Influence, Platform & Responsibility

Known as The Hungry Hooker, Jonny Murphy is a former professional rugby player who has built a social media platform reaching hundreds of thousands of people.

After playing for Ulster and Connacht, Jonny was forced to retire early on medical grounds at the age of 30 due to concussion. What followed was a challenging period of transition, where he openly faced struggles with identity and mental health. Returning to a lifelong passion for baking became a turning point, helping him rebuild purpose and direction.

Today, Jonny uses his platform to share his journey and connect with over 700,000 followers across social media.

In this opening episode, Jonny reflects on the responsibility that comes with influence, particularly for men in sport and media — and how public voices can challenge harmful norms, model positive behaviours, and lead by example.

This is a conversation about visibility, accountability, and using your voice for good.

Episode 2: Daryl Clarke - Shaping Young Men Through Sport

Daryl Clarke, from Carrickfergus, is a Project Coordinator with Monkstown Boxing Club and a passionate youth worker dedicated to supporting young people.

Drawing from his own lived experience, Daryl understands the transformative power of sport. Through initiatives such as In Your Corner, he supports disenfranchised young people to re-engage with education, complete Prince’s Trust programmes, and build positive futures. Notably, 90% of participants achieved five GCSEs or more in the past year.

Daryl highlights the role of boxing clubs and community spaces in teaching respect, discipline, and positive behaviours, not only for young men, but also as empowering environments for young women to build confidence and self-esteem.

This episode explores how coaches and community leaders can challenge harmful attitudes, promote respect for women and girls, and influence the next generation where it matters most.

Episode 3: Tahnee McCorry - Preventing Violence Before It Starts

Violence does not begin with physical harm, it starts with attitudes, language, and behaviours that are often normalised.

Tahnee McCorry, CEO of White Ribbon NI, is at the forefront of prevention work aimed at ending violence against women and girls. White Ribbon focuses on engaging men and boys to drive meaningful cultural change through programmes in schools, prisons, and sporting organisations.

Tahnee also developed the Listen, Learn and Lead programme, introducing the “pyramid of violence” framework to demonstrate how everyday sexism underpins more serious forms of harm.

This episode focuses on prevention, early intervention, and the critical role men and boys must play in creating lasting societal change.

Episode 4: David Jeffrey MBE - Masculinity, Vulnerability & Leadership

This episode explores leadership, resilience, and vulnerability in the context of masculinity.

David Jeffrey MBE – For services to Association Football and to Community Relations in Northern Ireland – was born in Newtownards in 1962 and had a distinguished football career, including time with Manchester United during his apprenticeship years and later playing for Linfield, Ards, and Larne.

He went on to become one of Northern Ireland’s most successful football managers, leading Linfield to multiple league titles and cup victories, including the Setanta Cup in 2005.

Alongside his sporting career, David worked as a social worker with a strong focus on youth and community development.

In this conversation, David reflects on leadership, the pressures faced by men, and the importance of vulnerability, role modelling, and resilience in shaping positive identities.

Episode 5: James Blake – The Manosphere Podcast

James Blake is a journalist and presenter known for his investigative work with the BBC, including documentaries such as Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang (2023), Hunting the Online Sex Predators (2025), and Men of the Manosphere.

In this episode, he explores the growing awareness around the “manosphere” following increased mainstream attention, including recent documentaries such as Louis Theroux’s Netflix film and wider coverage across television and media.

James discusses how his own documentary, aired on BBC One in November, helped open up difficult but necessary conversations about men, boys, and online influence — emphasising that men and boys must be part of the discussion, not excluded from it.

He explores how online spaces often fill a vacuum where support, identity, and guidance are missing, and how some communities can draw in vulnerable young men experiencing loneliness and low self-esteem. These spaces can be highly influential, shaping attitudes, language and behaviour.

The episode also examines how some online influencers generate significant revenue by being deliberately controversial, and how algorithms amplify this content in ways that are difficult to regulate or control.

James highlights the importance of offline connection, early education, and open conversations with trusted people, alongside the need for greater investment in prevention and awareness. He also discusses how young people are increasingly shaped by what they consume online, often without recognising its impact.

The conversation addresses how harmful content can hook young men by exploiting insecurity — showing them what they are “missing” and reinforcing feelings of inadequacy — while also considering how better signposting, education, and awareness of triggers can help reduce harm.

At its core, this episode asks difficult questions about responsibility, influence and what it will take to better support young men in an increasingly complex digital world.

Episode 6: Sonya McMullan – Prevention, Education & Cultural Change

Women's Aid NI is a key support service for women and children affected by domestic abuse, and Sonya McMullan works at the intersection of survivor support, prevention and cultural change.

In this episode, she explores the scale of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland, including cases such as the murder of Natalie McNally and highlights that 74 women have been killed in femicide cases since 2020.

Sonya discusses the importance of investing in young people through education on healthy relationships, respect, and consent, alongside the role of sport and youth work in shaping attitudes. Through her work with Rosario Youth Centre and the Fair Game Programme, she has used coaching environments and youth engagement to support behaviour change and early intervention.

She also reflects on positive masculinity, the role of coaches as role models and the importance of challenging harmful behaviours early.

The episode touches on wider societal challenges, including fear of speaking out, cultural conservatism, and the normalisation of pornography, as well as recent legal developments around non-fatal strangulation and the growing recognition of coercive control in the justice system.

At its core, this conversation is about prevention — investing in education, supporting communities and building safer, healthier relationships from an early age.