ManVsMood Ep 27: Mental Health, Teaching and Social Media with Brett ColleyManVsMood Ep 27: Mental Health, Teaching and Social Media with Brett Colley
The ManVsMood Podcast
Sixth grade teacher and viral TikTok creator Brett Colley talks with the ManVsMood team about teaching, social media, bullying and men’s mental health. The conversation mixes humour and honesty while focusing on kids’ wellbeing, safe classrooms, and the pressures adults and children face in a hyper-connected world.
1:32:18•15 Apr 2022
Viral Teacher, Digital Kids: Brett Colley on Classrooms, TikTok and Mental Health
Episode Overview
- Viral moments can be fun, but they don’t define a person; Brett still sees himself as “just mr. Colley” showing up for his students.
- Modern bullying often happens online, making it harder to spot and easier for kids to hide, which increases the pressure on their mental health.
- Teachers see their role as much broader than academics, offering protection, mentorship and a safe, non-judgemental space for kids.
- Parents can help by listening more, putting phones down, and being curious about what their children are doing and feeling online.
- Failure is framed as a vital part of growth, with “fail” described as a first attempt in learning rather than something to avoid.
“I’m not just teaching your kid. I’m protecting your kid.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober while also raising kids in a hyper-online world? This conversation on The ManVsMood Podcast brings in sixth grade teacher and TikTok viral creator Brett Colley to answer that from the classroom side of things. Brett talks through how a throwaway classroom clip of his students “acting like a whole bunch of uncaged zoo animals” turned into millions of views and tens of thousands of followers almost overnight.
He shares what it actually feels like to watch those numbers rocket up while still trying to mark homework and keep first period under control. The chat keeps its trademark mix of humour and honesty.
William, Mike and Gary swap stories about parenting, partners and gratitude, while Brett speaks openly about stress, internalising emotions and why being a teacher can batter your mental health: “I stress a lot… I’m an internaliser… I perseverate and let it just sit and brood and build.” For anyone raising kids, a big chunk of this will hit home.
Brett explains how pandemic teaching, online classes and masks affected trust with students, why today’s bullying has shifted from the playground to phones, and how phones can be “digital cocaine” for kids. He’s clear about his role: “I’m not just teaching your kid.
I’m protecting your kid… Being a teacher doesn’t stop at a book.” You’ll also hear practical ideas: building safe classrooms where kids know there’s “no judgment”, encouraging failure as “first attempt in learning”, and using tech both as a lifeline and something that sometimes needs to be taken away.
If you’re a parent, teacher, or someone in recovery wondering how to support kids’ mental health while working on your own, this episode might give you a few questions to ask at home tonight. How much of your child’s day is offline, and how much are they carrying silently?
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