Equal-ish

In the final episode of the season (and year!), Kate and Rachel unpack three themes that surfaced in their conversation with Alex Trippier and reflect on what the past year of Equalish has taught us about navigating parenthood and partnership. The discussion explores why parenting demands a process-driven mindset, why being a strong parent doesn’t automatically make someone a strong partner, and how couples can move out of echo chambers and into real dialogue.

• Parenting Is a Process, Not a Results Game

• Being a Great Parent vs. Being a Great Partner 

• Getting Out of the Echo Chamber 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 
Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

Discovering concepts like mental load, matrescence, and motherhood ideals really can fundamentally reframe your understanding of parenting as a partnership.

In today’s conversation, Rachel, Kate talk to Alex Trippier, host of the Be a Happier Parent podcast about his fatherhood journey, the strain young children put on his relationship, and the turning point—from believing he was an “involved dad” to realising he had completely missed the invisible emotional, cognitive and cultural pressures shaping his wife’s experience. It’s time to redefine fulfillment as a father beyond achievement and into meaningful family connection.

Here are two of the Be a Happier Parent episodes that we referenced in our interview: 

The magic of caregiving with Elissa Straus 

What do dads do? With Steve Biddulph

These are the books Alex referenced:

• Matrescence by Lucy Jones

• Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

• Beyond Baby Talk by Rachel Childs

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs. 

Kate and Rachel dig into the interview with psychotherapist Sarah Fishburn-Roberts, turning a rather theoretical interview into practical actions. Why should we expect to change? How can we change together? How can we have these hard conversations with each other without playing the blame game and getting defensive?

1. You are both going to change. 

2. It’s not “you vs them.” Think of it as “us vs the pattern.” 

3. Empathy is everything. 

4. How to re-write your own script.

If you like Sarah, you can find her services here. 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

Today Kate and Rachel talk to psychotherapist Sarah Fishburn-Roberts to explore the distinctions and intersections between couples therapy, coaching and facilitation - and when to reach out for extra support.  

(Spoiler alert - we all need it. And the practitioner you find is as important as the process you choose). 

If you like Sarah, you can find her services here. 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs. 

Using father’s mental health as a starting point, Dr Fisher emphasized that it is really the “family system” that requires our attention. Kate & Rachel love this, and devote today’s coaching edit to go deeper into what family system caretaking looks like. 

1. He might not be fine, even if he says he is fine. 

2. Everyone can, and does, experience trauma. Fertility issues and difficult births affect all parents. 

3. It is not just about taking paternity leave, but HOW you take it. 

4. It is never too late to rebuild your team. If something isn’t working, don’t give up. Bring in a new offensive coach and swap out your talent.

5. Kids can reinforce sexism, too! We need to be intentional about combatting stereotypes even with our own kids. 

You can find more about Dr. Fisher’s work and practice here.

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

Pregnancy and birth should be all about mom, right? Well - no, not really. In this episode Kate and Rachel talk to Dr. Sheehan Fisher from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr Fisher is a paternal mental health specialist - and agrees that mom’s health needs to be at the core of the conversation. But it’s good for ALL of us when we ALSO take into account dad’s health needs. 

Dr Fisher is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. His research and clinical interests focus on father’s mental health during the perinatal period and their impact on the family dynamic and child outcomes. Dr Fisher’s research examines the hormonal and socio-environmental factors that contribute to the etiology of postpartum depression in fathers and mothers. In turn, the impact of paternal and maternal postpartum depression on parenting behaviors and infant/child outcomes is investigated. His clinical work specializes in behavioral therapies for fathers and couples during the perinatal period.

You can find more about Dr. Fisher’s work and practice here.

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 
Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

We’re told the UK has paternity leave, but the reality for families says otherwise. Kate and Rachel reflect on what George Gabriel, co-founder of the Dad Shift, shared about how outdated systems, mixed messages and cultural norms are holding dads back, and what that means for the emotional and practical load inside relationships. This is the truth behind paternity leave, and why change matters for every couple.

Here are some of the statistics we shared to help your personal business case for your paternity leave: 

• For organisations offering “paid family-leave” (which covers parental/paternity) more than 80% reported a positive impact on morale, and more than 70% reported increased productivity. Boston Consulting Group

• 80% of employees report they feel more committed to their employer when they have access to flexible family-friendly policies (including enhanced parental leave). Inspiring Dads

• 74% of employees said they were more likely to continue working for their employer.

• 43% of UK employers now offer enhanced parental leave and pay rates (i.e., above statutory minimums). Employee Benefits  

The Dad Shift is just one of a number of organisations campaigning for better parental leave rights. Find out more, and support the work that all these incredible campaigns are doing. If we’ve missed any, do tell us!

• The Dad Shift

• Pregnant then Screwed

• The Fatherhood Institute

• Working Families 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

Women are socialised throughout their lives to be a mother. Meanwhile most dads won’t hold a baby until it’s their own. 90% of dads want to be more involved in their children's lives but we’re still prioritising a mother’s relationship with their children over a dad’s. Insufficient paternity leave is having serious consequences for families, men’s mental health and our ability to feel like equal partnerships.  

In today’s conversation, Rachel and Kate speak with George Gabriel, CEO and co-founder of The Dadshift, about the importance of paternity leave and the changing landscape of fatherhood. We explore the challenges faced by new fathers, the need for supportive policies, and the cultural narratives surrounding masculinity and fatherhood. 

The Dad Shift is just one of a number of organisations campaigning for better parental leave rights. Find out more, and support the work that all these incredible campaigns are doing. If we’ve missed any, do tell us!

• The Dad Shift

• Pregnant then Screwed

• The Fatherhood Institute

• Working Families 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. 
Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

Kate & Rachel wallow in all the nuances around gate keeping… including personal reflection that we do it too! Many women have been socialized to believe that to be valuable, they must maintain power and knowledge of the home. But this isn’t a great receipt for equal-ish households. Instead, Kate & Rachel suggest…. 

1. There’s no pretty way to say this: gatekeepers need to do some self-reflection. 

2. Look at your family’s roots. Where did you learn your patterns? Do you need a reboot? 

3. We need to regularly and intentionally interrupt social patterns. Decide together what words will we use when we notice gatekeeping going on?

4. Remembering that your family is a system, which includes family, friends, providers, and neighbors. And they all might have a role in gatekeeping or gateopening. 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. And for just one more week, you can also be part of building Equal-ish! We have some great rewards for all levels of engagement, and multiple ways for you to get involved. Please help us grow Equal-ish and get this out to the thousands of parents that could benefit. Your support means the world to us, thank you: https://www.ifundwomen.com/projects/equal-ish-podcast
Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

If the outcome you are seeking is equal partnership, why do mothers subconsciously put barriers up to it? Today Kate and Rachel talk “all things maternal gatekeeping” with Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, who is a Professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on coparenting, father-child relationships, and the transition to parenthood. 

Interested in learning more about Dr. Schoppe-Sullivan’s work? Find out more here. 

Subscribe to Equal-ish on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to be the first to hear the coaching edit from our interview. And for one more week, you can also be part of building Equal-ish! Our crowdfunding campaign is live now! You've got 8 days left to grab yourself a pair of Equal-ish socks! Please help us grow Equal-ish and get this out to the thousands of parents that could benefit. Support today: https://www.ifundwomen.com/projects/equal-ish-podcast

Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.

In this episodes we tell you that that next we have Dr Sheehan Fisher talking about paternal mental health. That was the plan, but he's coming later in November now, first up we have George Gabriel from the Dad Shift.