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 have gained over the years. For more information on SATB2- associated syndrome you can head to the website https://satb2.org.au

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 you are not alone in this battle and whilst guilt may always be there and may sometimes win the battle we can be victorious in the war !

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 move forward

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 of behaviour and inclusion. On todays episode Erika unpacks why behaviours or concern are functional in nature, helps us understand the triggers, how we can improve our responses, and provides some super practical strategies to try if you are battling behaviours of concern with your children. If you are looking for a behavioural specialist to support your child and family then reach out to these organisations for help: Ability Options https://abilityconsultants.com.au/ or CPBS https://www.cpbs.com.au/ for more information and to find someone in your area.

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 why it’s okay to get help and why investing in your mindset and how you think can really have a profound impact on how you handle the challenging situations we find ourselves in as dads of children with disabilities who can’t pour from an empty cup.

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 nowhere (ie meltdown or behaviours of concern in a public setting) and also the long term macro view of when a series of events after the other seem to pile up into a feeling of chaos and being out of control.

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 reclaim some control back and move forward. By harnessing your rituals, anchoring in what has worked for you in the past and building your self belief wall you can bounce back to quickly shift your mindset into a place of being in control not letting the waves crash down around you and feeling helpless to stay afloat.

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 keep striving valiantly, and remember there is no effort without error or shortcoming. The credit belongs to those who play big and live your highest and best life knowing that in order to achieve success you must also accept defeat but at least if you fail, you fail while daring greatly not sitting on the sidelines watching the days go by.

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 look within yourself and stay present as a dad to how your child is progressing and developing from their struggles too. We all gain strength through practice and making efforts to learn from previous behaviours and mistakes. I share this honest and raw account of a recent struggle and the opportunity this adversity created to build strength for both me and my son.

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 practice self care and to be kind to himself when accepting the uncertainty and additional layers of life.