When Nae first reached out, he didn’t try to frame his story with careful words. He told me directly: “Either I move to Prague, or I kill myself in France.”

This episode starts there — not in metaphor, not in hindsight — but with the blunt reality of what it means to be done. Done pretending, done staying silent, done trying to meet the idea of what a man is supposed to carry.

Nae speaks openly about living with bipolar disorder, how for years people only saw him as “high-functioning,” and the pressure that builds when you’re told that being a man means shutting up and pushing through. He shares what it felt like to stand on the edge — and what helped him take a step back.

Prague wasn’t just a city he moved to. It became a space where he could finally stop performing strength and start rebuilding from something real. Not healing overnight, not magically fixing everything — but choosing to stay. And speak.

📊 Globally, men account for nearly 75% of all suicides.(Source: WHO, World Mental Health Report 2022)

🎙 Topics we explore:

• The moment everything nearly ended
• The weight of silence, especially for men
• What it’s like living with bipolar disorder while being “high-functioning”
• How music helped
• Why Prague offered more than a home — it offered time

⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you are in crisis or need support, please reach out to a mental health professional or a local crisis service. You are not alone.

📍 Support in the Czech Republic:

• Linka Bezpečí (children & youth): 116 111
• Centrum krizové intervence: +420 284 016 666
• NÚDZ Mental Health Center: https://nudz.cz

📍 Europe-wide:

• 112 (emergency services)
• Mental Health Europe: https://www.mentalhealtheurope.org
• Samaritans/Befrienders Worldwide: 116 123 (EU-wide emotional support helpline)

Shenanigans ❤️