Fathering Through The Storm

Content warning: discussion of the topic of domestic abuse.

This episode includes a father sharing his experience of managing an abusive relationship whilst fathering two daughters.

Johnny sits down with Andrew Pain to explore his initial reaction to the abuse he was receiving from his wife and how this changed due to the intervention of another party.

As a professional speaker on the topic of mental health and masculinity, Andrew elaborates on how this experience changed his views on both masculinity and what it meant to be an authentic parent. He has now remarried and has gained custody of his two daughters.

The conversation gives an insight into how many victims protect their abusers in an effort to maintain a fragile peace and protect their children.

Content warning: discussion of the impact of processing an unexpected Down Syndrome diagnosis.

This episode includes a father sharing his experience of coming to terms with this and how his own perception of the world changes as he learns to love his son as he is, rather than he was expected to be.

In this episode, Johnny sits down with Brennan to explore how managed his initial reaction to the diagnosis, and the events that shifted his world view and approach to parenting.

Brennan shares, with confronting honesty, his own assumptions around how he saw the world, and how these assumptions were broken apart by his love for his son.

Content warning: discussion of Epilepsy and long term illness. This episode includes a father sharing his experience of parenting whilst he manages his own Epilepsy diagnosis.

In this episode, Johnny sits down with James to explore how he manages to raise his first child whilst dealing with the day to day challenges of Epilepsy.

James shares what it was like to be diagnosed with Epilepsy in his mid twenties, and then learning how to adjust to managing the condition, including severe side affects from medication, whilst parenting a young child with his partner.

We explore how the conventional view of masculinity can be challenged when a father is diagnosed with a sever and long term health condition which means they no longer feel 'indestructible'

Content warning: discussion of mental health and suicide. This episode includes a father sharing his experience of parenting whilst his partner experiences a continual mental health crisis. If this is tender for you right now, please take care as you read or listen.

In this episode, Johnny sits down with Howard Hill to explore how he manages to raise four young children when his wife is experiencing severe mental health challenges.

Howard shares, with honesty and courage, his journey through confusion, exhaustion and fear as he battles to raise his children whilst also caring for his partner.

He reflects on what this storm looked like, and felt like, at the very worst of times and also what helped him get through it all.

An inspiring and powerful conversation for anyone looking for hope in raising children with a partner who is experiencing acute and severe mental health challenges.

Content warning: discussion of grief and loss This episode includes a father sharing his experience of losing a child. If this is tender for you right now, please take care as you read or listen.

In this episode, Johnny sits down with Simon Fagg to explore one of the hardest storms a father can face—the loss of a child through stillbirth.

Simon shares, with honesty and emotion, his journey through grief, moments of peace, and the impact on his family and faith. Together, they reflect on what it means to live through something that reshapes everything—and how, even here, hope and connection can still be found.

A moving conversation for anyone navigating loss, or supporting someone who is.

Johnny Lympus introduces us to what 'Fathering Through The Storm' is all about, and the types of stories we can expect to hear in each episode.

Covering the topics of loss, mental health, relationships and parenting struggles, the podcast is all about real stories of hope for Dads who may be in the middle of it.