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Links to past Mental Health Minutes are below.

 

Mental Health Minute: Chris Ray

Standing Together: Men’s Work and “Walking Each Other Home”

The valley is known for resilience, strength and fortitude. We witness the mountain loom over us with stoic wisdom. The river runs through town like a blade through perfectly cooked meat. We celebrate strength as if it is a solo feat. We envision the mountain or the river as their own entities creating marvelous landscapes despite constant threat from man and nature alike. We all aspire to be our own mountain — sturdy and constant. We long to be the river — flowing and life-giving. Then we look at the reality of these forces that we admire so much. They are surrounded by support networks that they depend on greatly. The roots of the trees and the bushes, the stones and dirt, the rain, snow, wind, animals and even the smallest fish or insect that inhabit our gorgeous valley — without all of these pieces of life, the largest and most prominent structures would collapse or dry up. No mountain exists alone, and no river gives life without the elements that compose its every molecule.

Men and women alike in the Yampa Valley want to see themselves as the strongest, fastest, most successful creatures, and we are taught that we have to do it alone — that it’s weak to ask for help, or to admit there are things we need others to support us with. We are taught to be teachers and leaders and forget that we are also students and followers.

Over the last number of years, through my own personal and professional journey of mental health and recovery, I have oscillated between the role of teacher and student, mentor and mentee. To say that the men’s work I witnessed this last summer — and that is still ongoing with the Steamboat Community Men’s Circle — is the most profound is an understatement. This group has lit a fire of inspiration in myself and so many others.

I needed this work — this space for myself and other men — to remind each other that we are not alone. We are not the mountain or the river; rather, we are part of the ecosystem that creates conditions for structures and systems to thrive with us and without us. Together, we are building something made up of all ages, backgrounds, incomes and cultures.

As a collective we made a first step: acknowledging that something vital is missing, something we need, something we see in others and want to learn. In my own journey I have leaned on 12-step programs, CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness), recovery partnerships through Soboat Steamboat, and peer support in the men’s health community. The Steamboat Community Men’s Circle, and Chris Ray Coaching, is the natural progression of that healing and action.

A few years ago, I stepped outside Steamboat to learn another way of doing this work. I joined a men’s circle in Costa Rica and learned from organizations such as the Mankind Project. I watched men with different faiths, political views, income levels and life experiences sit together and say: “We’re in this together.” It changed the way I thought about men’s support. When I returned to Steamboat, I asked a simple question: What do men here need? Not to lead a group, but to be part of a circle where every voice matters.

That is how the Steamboat Community Men’s Circle began — not with hierarchy, but with shared accountability. We found men who were passionate, who wanted to show up, who were willing to try, fail, listen and try again. As we enter the holiday season, I see clearly that men need each other — not only to feel understood, but to be supported by men who are walking a similar path.

We have men in our circle ranging from 22 to 75 years old. I fall somewhere in the middle. I learn just as much from a 22-year-old as I do from a 75-year-old, a 30-year-old, a 45-year-old or anyone else who pulls up a chair. As Ram Dass said, “We’re all just walking each other home.” That quote is at the heart of this work.

The Steamboat Community Men’s Circle has become a bright, grounding presence in my life and in the lives of many men in the Yampa Valley. From summer into fall, and now as I transition back to Costa Rica, the community continues to grow in ways I never expected. The activities we do inside and outside the circle, the camaraderie, the shared lessons, the space we hold for one another, and the intention to become better men for our partners, our families and our community — it’s unmatched.

We meet twice a month on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Out Here Yoga, which graciously provides space for both men’s and women’s circles. We also maintain a Steamboat Community Men’s Circle WhatsApp group and Instagram account for updates, connection and event information. Once a quarter, the men’s and women’s circles meet together to share ideas, learn from one another and discuss what we need from each other moving forward. These conversations are honest, rooted in respect and remind us that we are not adversaries. We are part of the same ecosystem, and if one of us is hurting we all feel it — and we can all heal together.

When you step into a circle, you aren’t just coming to receive; you’re coming to give, to show up and participate in change. Authentic men’s work is happening all over the world right now, but what we have in Steamboat is unique. It’s not performative. It’s real. It’s men searching for a new light in their lives — and finding one — and taking that light into their relationships, workplaces and communities.

This holiday season, if you’ve been looking for connection or wondering where to start, consider joining a circle. If ours is not the right fit, we will point you to others in town. The goal is the same: men helping men, which ultimately helps everyone. We are in this together.

• Meetings: Steamboat Community Men’s Circle: Bi-Monthly Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Out Here Yoga — Steamboat Springs
• Website: OutHereYoga.com
• WhatsApp: Steamboat Community Men’s Circle
• Instagram: @steamboat_mens_circle
• Email: Chris Ray Coaching — chrisraycoaching@gmail.com
• Quarterly collaboration: Joint circles with Out Here Yoga’s Women’s Circle

Author Bio: Chris Ray is a trauma and grief peer counselor, a person in long-term recovery, and the founder of Chris Ray Coaching. He works with families, couples, men and community organizations on mental health, recovery, connection and resilience in the Yampa Valley and internationally. Chris specializes in helping others find their spark again, guiding individuals toward their own truth and passion.

 

This is the continued Mental Health Minute, beginning July 7, 2025.

• Dec. 14, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Standing Together: Men’s Work and “Walking Each Other Home”
• Dec. 8, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — The Gut and Brain Connection
• Nov. 30, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Your Voice Matters
• Nov. 24, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Nov. 16, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Time Change Blues 
• Nov. 10, 2025 — Mental Health Minute – Navigating Changes in Midlife for Women
• Nov. 3, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Stress Management in Teens
• Oct. 28, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Day of the Dead
• Oct. 19, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Sacred Moments: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary 
• Oct. 13, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Talk Saves Lives: Empowering Our Community to Prevent Suicide
• Oct. 6, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE) comes to Northwest Colorado
• Sept. 29, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Get Immediate Support with the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line
• Sept. 22, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Theater as an Outlet
• Sept. 14, 2025 –Mental Health Minute — Connection in Times of Adversity
• Sept. 7. 2025 — Mental Health Minute – Sharing stories and building bridges at new event
• Aug. 31, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Message from Yampatika
• Aug. 25, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Mental Health After a Critical Incident: How to Help, What to Expect, and Taking Care of Yourself
• Aug. 17, 2025 — Mental Health Minute: Uncertainty Is Part of Life — But It’s Heavier for Some
• Aug. 11, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Re:generation: A Christ-Centered Path to Lasting Transformation
• Aug. 3, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Steps to Help Save A Life
• July 28, 2025 — Mental Health Minute — Steamboat Kids & Phones
• July 24-2025 — Mental Health Minute — Starting with the basics
• July 15, 2025 — Mental Health Minute – Helping Others through Peer Engagement and The HOPE Initiative
• LINK to all previous Mental Health Minutes — DECEMBER 1, 2024, THROUGH JUNE 23, 2025