Dad-ability

Too Much to Ask? When you're a dad of a child with a disability, asking for support at work can feel like walking a tightrope. In this episode, I share a personal story and perspectives about disclosing my family's needs in the workplace and how one employer said all the right things… until it got inconvenient. We’ll talk about: The silent stigma dads face in the workplace What happens when “suppo...

Ever find yourself reacting before you even realise what you’re reacting to? In this episode, I unpack a moment where I defaulted back into an old emotional thinking pattern taking things personally, called personalisation. It’s a cognitive distortion that creates reactions like snapping when I didn’t need to, and realising too late that it wasn’t about my wife… it was about me. I talk about how t...

After a long hiatus, I’m back. Recorded in the car. No mic, no script, no polish. Just me, reflecting on the last 48 hours with Leo and the massive progress I didn’t know we’d made. In this episode I reflect on two surprising experiences with my son Leo that reminded me just how far he’s come. From a night out at Sydney Zoo’s Glow event to a doctor’s appointment I was dreading, both moments showed...

As dads of children with disabilities, one of the hardest truths we need to face is the isolation and loneliness that comes with the territory of parenting a child with a disability. In many ways your life as a disability parent may mirror your child’s own experiences, such as less friends, less places you go, more social anxiety, more reasons to stick to routine. In this episode I confront the di...

How can you try and be your best as a disability dad? Try starting by finding what works. For your child’s therapy, for their needs and most importantly for you as a dad. Living by the code is a mantra that many people have adopted to guide their lives, and something that works for Peter. It’s a set of principles, values and beliefs that help him navigate through the man at challenges that come wi...

There is the event itself and then there is the story we tell ourselves. Too often we exaggerate the story and get into unhealthy thinking patterns about our ability to stay calm and dela with challenges as das of kids with disabilities. Perception precedes action. The right action follows the right perspective. It is so easy in the day to day challenges of juggling dad responsibilities to let our...

On the season 3 opener I share my experiences about a very relatable challenge we all face as dads of kids with disabilities in terms of navigating whether we choose the path of least resistance of the predictable world of routine or whether we brave the unknown exploration of the new unpredictable world to potetnially find other experiences our kids may enjoy just as much or even more.

I made a commitment when I started Dad-ability that I would openly talk about the struggles as well as the successes and practical strategies. This episode is me at my most vulnerable. It’s raw. It’s honest and it’s something every parent of a child with disability can relate to. What happens when everything becomes too much? What happens when you reach your limit? What happens when you don’t have...

Coming to terms with grief of the life you thought they would have is an ongoing challenge for many parents of children with disabilities. What can we learn from our beautiful unique kids about how to deal with it better? I offer a personal perspective grounded in a ‘Peter Pan’ Mentality of youthful adventure, freedom and innocence that knows no limits and the child like ability to beleive in the...

The most common question I get asked is what advice do I have for dads who has just received a new disability diagnosis for their kids. I have summarised my top 5 tips I have learned so far from my own experiences to help a dad come to terms with the diagnosis, how to handle it, and what to do to start getting into action and supporting your family

On todays episode Ivan shares his unique journey in navigating and understanding the discovery of his daughter Naomi’s rare genetic condition SATB2 -associated syndrome and opens up about his struggles over the years of seeking and getting the info he needed which lead him and his wife to start a not for profit (SATB2 Gene foundation Australia) to help other families and share the knowledge they h...

Somethings that unites everyone as a parent of a child with disability is the guilt we carry, and wrestle with each day. It can be heavy, draining and at times debilitating. Juggling work and caring responsibilities is one of the hardest challenges facing dads and can come with extremely intense guilt. On this episode I share my personal experiences wrestling with guilt to hopefully show you that...

How do you cope when you are confronted with a reality that is undesirable and not what you had hoped? Do you ever feel or say things aren’t fair? Why is this happening to me? On todays episode I discuss Radical Acceptance and how we can learn that everything has meaning and value we just need to have a willingness to experiences our lives just as they are and to squeeze the juice 🧃 to help us mo...

Does your son or daughter experience behaviour of concern? Do you wish you understand what’s causing their meltdowns and how you can help? I’m stoked to continue our support series and chat to friend and behaviour guru Erika Gleeson about behaviours of concern. Erika is a senior behavioural specialist, disability consultant, founder and CEO of autism swim and has dedicated her career to the world...

Welcome to the first episode of our support series where we chat with the experts who provide support to our children living with disabilities and also to us as dads and our families. On today’s episode I hat with clinically trained psychologist Sam Van Meurs who shares his insights as a dad and therapist with 15 yrs of clinical experience in psychology working with dads and families. We discuss w...

Life can be overwhelming parenting children with a disability, and any given day can quickly turn into chaos and challenging to deal with. On todays episode I share a personal framework that I developed for finding CALM in the chaos based on my experience and perspective. It is very practical and easy to remember and can be applied in both the immediate here and now situation that pops up from now...

How do you cope when things fall apart? What happens when you fall short of your own expectation? Or you simply just lose it in a heated moment? Often the losses in life teach us far more than the wins. So often the answer is hardwork and the questuons is irrelevant. On this episode I share my experience of shifting from a place of anger, sadness and disappointment ion yourself to being able to re...

Are you playing big or small? Are you leaning in or avoiding? What are you doing for you? We can all carry carers guilt and prioritise our kids above ourselves because of their higher and unique needs but how are you living your best life? When you look back at the book of your life, how good was the book? This episode is a call to action for all Dads in the arena to ask yourselves ‘why not?’, to...

Being a dad of a child with a disability comes with a higher degree of difficulty and at times can feel like you are trying to execute a handstand inverted pike, triple somersault of the 10m platform. Life is full of challenges and it's totally normal, and understood that you will struggle from time to time. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength, you need to loo...

Do you ever feel like you could or should be doing more as a dad? Have you struggled with your mental health? Having a child with a disability increases the degree of difficulty in handling everyday stresses. On todays episode I chat with Earl who shares his experience in how his self awareness has helped him to shift to healthy dad mode in challenging his negative thoughts. He has also learned to...

On this Father’s Day edition we are celebrating all things Dad-ability and I’m joined by 2 dads from the Whatability dad community in Jake and Campbell who offer different perspectives. Jake has worked in the disability sector for 10 years and in his current role at Whatability he uses his learned experience in supporting families and kids with high needs and disabilities to help him in his everyd...

Mind over mood. Change how you feel and act by changing the way you think. What might be a more helpful way to think about this situation? What would you advise a close friend with the same thought? Are you overestimating the likelihood of something bad happening? You are not alone. It’s totally normal to have automatic thoughts and let emotions drive how we think sometimes but we can train our mi...

In this first season finale I reflect with pride 365 days after first checking myself into a mental health hospital on my learnings, progress and gratitude. I didn’t think I could change, felt out of control and felt hopeless and hopeful at the same time. A year on I’m now the strongest mentally I have ever been and feel equipped with skills and knowledge I need to be the best dad I can be for my...

On this episode I have a very honest and refreshing chat with Dan Lawley, who shares his thoughts on the importance of acceptance and educating yourself as a dad. We discuss navigating social situations when your kids develop self awareness of autism by teaching strategies of focusing on respect and what they can do, and finally Dan shared why he is adopting a practical approach of engaging more o...

Do you ever feel isolated? Lonely? Wish you good connect with another dad that just gets it? I have an epic chat with the incredible team behind Kindship the first social networking app built by and exclusively for parents raising children with disabilities, delays, and neurodiversity. We talk about how to find positive and supportive connections so you don’t have to go or alone