Kelowna organization supports men without the ‘alpha male’ stereotype

A new organization in Kelowna is trying to support men without turning to the alpha male stereotype.

Pierre Piche started a group called Guy Talks and he said the goal is to create a space where men can get support on any aspect of life, from emotional support to self defence.

“This is a place to come and just feel OK about who you are and where you’re at and connect with other guys,” Piche said. “Here’s my story. You could have a similar one, you’re going to get through this. To the point of, there’s nothing dramatic to talk about, and they’re just going to talk about who’s going boating over the weekend.”

The internet seems filled with content encouraging men to be more assertive, but he said that isn’t his goal.

“We’re not trying to create alpha males or something like that. We’re not talking about how to be assertive and own the room or anything,” Piche said. “We’re just talking about life. You need to think about emotional intelligence… how to navigate the world in a more balanced way.”

He said there’s already enough emphasis on being a tough guy.

“The hardcore and being the tough thing has always been known and also had a negative light on it. I don’t think that needs to be taught,” he said.

Piche said it’s an apolitical organization that isn’t trying to push an agenda. He wants to create a supportive space where there isn’t any judgement.

Guy Talks has organized talks on addiction, wilderness exploration and more with the next talk by John Kot, the president of Kot Auto Group, on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The group has also done extracurricular activities outside of the monthly meet-ups and lectures.

“We did a polar plunge, we did how to make a fire from scratch, did a weighted hike up Knox Mountain, where guys either were carrying a log, a cinder block, a big heavy vest, we all just hiked up together,” he said. “The idea was in life, sometimes men have to carry responsibility, it’s better to share the weight with a crew.”

The organization makes its events free to attend, but collects donations and has sponsors to help put on talks and meet-ups.

Piche said he started thinking about spaces for men to get together after he hit a rough patch.

“I went through a divorce… I didn’t expect that to happen, it did,” he said. “I realized when I was going through my season, that there wasn’t much for guys to plug into, you know, on a social level and sort of have an opportunity to unplug from some of those challenging moments in our life.”

He said he decided to start the organization when someone he knew in a networking group committed suicide.

“He came in once or twice and I knew him, and his business wasn’t doing well, and he was going through a divorce. Sadly, he took his life,” he said. “I was just like, ‘OK, enough sitting on the bench.’”

The first event was in January 2025, but Piche wants to grow the organization as much as possible.

“I could be really bold to say, if we could have a hundred chapters and reach a million men across Canada and actually make a dent,” he said.