The conversation you didn't know you were both waiting to have.

Dads & Lads: Unmasked brings fathers and sons into the same room...to listen, reflect, and start talking about what actually matters.

Every young man is carrying something.

Pressure to perform.


Emotions they don't have words for.
A mask they've learned to wear to keep everyone else comfortable.

And dads? Often, they're wearing one too.

This evening is about what happens when both generations take it off.

THIS IS NOT A WELFARE TALK

It's not a program about mental health statistics.
It's not a presentation and discussion about resilience.

It's the real conversation most fathers and sons never get to have.

Raw, honest, and built entirely from lived experience.

When Brett stands in front of a room of lads and their dads...they know they're with someone who has genuinely been exactly where they are.

And found his way through.

WHAT THE EVENING COVERS

The ManMask

From a young age, boys are taught to hide what they feel. "Harden up." "Don't cry." "Be a man." By high school, most of them are experts at wearing a mask. And so are their dads. This evening is about what happens when both generations take it off.

The Volcano & the Emotional Backpack

What happens when emotions get packed down and never dealt with...and how to release the pressure before it blows.

Performing Under Pressure

Exams, sport, social comparison, family expectations. And the practical tools that actually change how you respond when it counts.

Overcoming Life's Challenges

Brett's own raw stories of adversity, depression, and the turning point that changed everything. Told without a filter (well…maybe a little filter when needed).

The Dad Moment

A direct, powerful beat where Brett speaks specifically to the fathers in the room about what their sons actually need from them. The part everyone talks about afterwards.

"Who Told You That?"

Unpacking the inherited beliefs about masculinity that hold both generations back. And choosing a different story.

THE FORMAT

Pre-event

Arrive & Connect

Nibbles and drinks. A relaxed arrival so no one walks cold into the room.

The Talk

45 minutes

Brett Dellar. Live, unscripted, and built for the room. Real stories. Real tools. Real conversation.

Open Floor

15 minutes

Nibbles and drinks. A relaxed arrival so no one walks cold into the room.

Mingle

30 to 60 minutes

The conversations that happen here…between dads and sons…are why this event exists.

WHAT CHANGES AFTER THIS EVENING

Boys leave with language for what they're feeling...and permission to use it.

Dads leave knowing what their sons actually need from them.

Both leave having had a conversation they wouldn't have had any other way.

The school community is strengthened — not just the students.

ALREADY GAINING MOMENTUM

Brett recently delivered this session for the fathers at Santa Maria College.

The response led directly to an invitation from Wesley College to bring Dads & Lads: Unmasked to their boarders and senior students.

A small number of Perth's leading independent schools are being offered this opportunity in 2026.

Is your school one of them?

Brett Dellar

TEDx Speaker | Author | Life Coach | Former Police Detective | Survivor

Brett Dellar spent thirty years fighting depression while wearing his own ManMask, performing and showing strength on the outside, while quietly drowning on the inside.

A former police detective who has seen what unprocessed emotion and broken leadership does to people. A man who built a successful business, faced cancer, and was forced to confront everything he thought he knew about being a man.

His TEDx talk "Fear Made Me The Man I Wasn't" has moved audiences across Australia and beyond.

His book “Soften the F#*k Up!: Being a better man in this world” is redefining the conversation around men, masculinity, and what real strength actually looks like.

When Brett stands in front of a room of lads and their dads...they know they're with someone who has been exactly where they are.

And found his way through.

"The conversations that matter most are the ones we keep not having. Tonight, we have them."

Dads & Lads: Unmasked

is available for Perth independent schools in 2026.

A small number of dates remain.

And remember…Today's Courage Shapes Your Tomorrow!

When life gets hard & pressure hits…everything is revealed. Your response changes everything.

Resources

© 2026 Brett Dellar. All rights reserved.