The Career Dad Show

In this episode

• Alexa! What is voice search and voice marketing?
• Are our phones listening to us?
• Is tech an aid to loneliness?
• The power of audio, and the ability to own focus
• The future of the workspace
• Managing balance

About this episode
James Poulter, CEO of Vixen Labs, joins me to talk about the future of voice marketing and how technology will impact the future for our children. James founded Vixen just over a year ago as a leading voice marketing and voice skills specialist, and already has some leading brands under his belt.

As well as building up a company from the ground up, being on the global speaker circuit and a fitness fanatic, he's also a father to two children. We talk about that age-old question: balance.

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We've all been there: staring down the barrel of another sleepless night whilst the kid(s) cry / scream / projectile vomit. 

This week's guest, Nicole Ratcliffe, not only experienced sleep deprivation with her own child - she then went on to start her own business (Baby2Sleep) helping parents figure out that elusive task: getting their child to sleep.

In this episode we take questions from fans looking for advice on their own situations. We also talk about co-sleeping, the cry-it-out method and FOMO babies.

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Key Topics

• Flexible working
• Technology and children
• The evolution of the workplace
• What the best employees are looking for
• What companies need to do to retain top talent

Episode Summary

Rowan is a recruitment consultant. He spends his entire day speaking with candidates and companies alike, matching people with jobs. It's traditionally not a 9-5 job: think about it... what times do you speak to recruiters? When his daughter Lyra was born (awesome name, #HisDarkMaterials), Rowan and his wife decided London was no longer the right place for them. So they moved to York.

Flexible working played a key role in their decision, so it's no surprise this is a focus of our conversation. We also talk about how the needs of employees is changing, and how salary is not as important as it once was. As Rowan articulates very clearly: companies that do not adapt their culture are going to lose their top talent over the next 10 years. And, it's already happening now.

I also ask Rowan: who are the 3 worst companies to work for in terms of employee satisfaction? Let's see if I can get him to spill the beans...


Chapter Contents

• 2m 02s: Introducing Rowan
• 4m 24s: Reasons for moving from London to York
• 7m 52s: Commuter talk
• 11m 41s: Balance: it’s a marathon, not a sprint
• 16m 01s: Technology and kids
• 19m 21s: Recruitment: the evolution of employee loyalty
• 22m 38s: Trust: it’s the wrong way round
• 29m 14s: Where are companies getting this right… and wrong
• 34m 05s: Purpose-driven businesses
• 36m 44s: Shared parental leave

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Jon has a fantastic job. He works with kids, bringing them from all over the world to learn about US politics and democracy. The emphasis is to give the next generation the tools to have debate, articulate opinions, and create more engaged citizens.

As you'd expect, the majority of Jon's time is spent in Washington DC. But Jon lives in Toronto. Even it your geography isn't great... that's a commute.

In this episode I talk to Jon about how he balances a job he loves with the desire to be at home with family. We talk about relationships, the importance of extended family, and how technology has played a huge role in enabling Jon to keep in touch with his family in the US... and how it keeps him connected to his wife, Lisa, and son Benjamin.

We also ask about the elephant in the room: is society ready for progressive parents?

Content

• 0m 51s: Welcome Jon Gerst
• 1m 49s: American summer camps
• 4m 41s: Jewish overnight camp as a non-Jew
• 8m 39s: Entrusting your kid’s safety to someone else
• 10m 00s: Close-up Foundation
• 13m 28s: Maternity and paternity - US vs Canada
• 17m 11s: Commuting countries
• 21m 57s: Appeasing both sets of parents
• 24m: 07s: Therapy talk, and utilising technology
• 25m 23s: Your job: an (extended) family decision
• 26m 30s: Is society ready for progressive fathers?
• 29m 28s: Would you have benefited from Shared Parental Leave?
• 31m 40s: Could companies be doing more?
• 34m 25s: Advice for moving your family away from home

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4 years ago, Andrew's wife Claire was overdue in her pregnancy and felt something wasn't right. There wasn't as much movement. A hospital visit turned into an emergency C-Section, and their daughter Alexandra was born. But she was very sick. The doctors needed Alexandra to rally through the night, but unfortunately she didn't. With just 40 hours of life, Alexandra passed away.

Andrew's paternity leave had turned into bereavement leave... but as I learned from speaking with Andrew, bereavement leave isn't a "thing". Listen to Andrew's story about dealing with loss, people's best and worst responses, and what we can do as a society to try and prevent future parents going through anything like this.

I'm not going to lie - this is a tough episode. But it's important. If you want to find out more:

Claire's blog: https://afteralexandra.co.uk
Martin House: https://www.martinhouse.org.uk
Sands: https://www.sands.org.uk
Tommy's: https://www.tommys.org

Contents

• 0m 48s: Welcome to Andrew
• 1m 42s: What happened with Alexandra?
• 8m 15s: Making the hardest phone call
• 10m 30s: The point of realisation
• 12m 42s: Vivid dreams
• 14m 04s: Support for bereaving dads
• 18m 02s: Going back to work
• 18m 46s: Supporting Claire
• 20m 27s: AfterAlexandra.co.uk
• 21m 06s: People reacting to your story
• 28m 59s: Different ways of dealing with grief
• 32m 05s: Deciding on organ donation
• 35m 55s: Having a second child
• 38m 25s: Has losing Alexandra changed how you parent Ophelia?
• 39m 58: Baby Loss Awareness Week (1 in 200)
• 42m 50s: What can we do to prevent this?
• 44m 09s: Did you blame anyone?
• 45m 34s: How people can help
• 46m 48s: What to do if you’re affected by this episode

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Meet James: a senior pilot with Emirates, who moved from the UK to Dubai with his wife and son 3 years ago. Since moving he's had another son, and spends his time flying all over the world in what he calls "his hobby". When he's not flying he's either at home with the family, or enjoying down time in the fantastic cities he finds himself in.

Sounds great, right? Yes... and no. Don't get me wrong: James loves his life. But it's hard to fully enjoy amazing experiences when you're by yourself, when all you really want is for your family to be there enjoying it with you.

Listen to James' story: from moving abroad and taking kids away from grandparents, to having children overseas, to having to cope with the least 9-5 job there is, to what we - passengers - are really like to deal with. Oh, and there may be some tips on how to get upgraded!

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This week I speak with David Chater, who swapped his Sheffield to London commute for 1 day a week travel and 4 days from home. Working through Economic Change as a Salesforce Super Dad, David has breakfast with his son, blasts through the day's activities during school hours, then gets to pick up as a family right where he left off.

In this episode, David explains what led him to this change, how he went about implementing it, and what tips he has for others who are thinking about a similar journey

Contents

• 1m 10s: What Is economic change?
• 2m: 49s: Managing balance
• 3m 42s: Taking work home
• 7m 07s: Time for change
• 10m 53s: Understanding the risks
• 13m 12s: The expectations of career progression
• 17m 39s: The positives of being forced into decisions
• 19m 00s: Becoming a Salesforce Super Dad
• 23m 26s: A whole new set-up
• 25m 15s: The ability to switch off…. sort of
• 26m 40s: Top tips for embracing change

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Welcome back to The Career Dad Show. This week I speak with Ashley Pierre, who shares his experience of what paternity leave can really be like... particularly when you turn up for a work event whilst on paternity leave!

We also talk about entitled kids, career progression for mums and dads, and how society is still geared to mothers taking the lion(esse)'s share of raising kids... and what impact that can have on a dad's feelings of guilt, anxiety and mental health.

Contents

• 3m 14s: Age gap between kids
• 6m 40s: Terrible 2s, or entitled kids?
• 8m 01s: All about Paternity Leave
• 11m 55s: Having a home birth?!
• 12m 43: Second time round…
• 14:49: Attending a work event whilst on paternity leave
• 19m 22s: Dealing with guilt as a modern-day man
• 23m 14s: One reason why women are put off from working in tech
• 24m 45: Progressing your career for you
• 26m 36s: Society is still geared towards women raising children
• 30m 53s: Our parents’ take on work-life balance
• 32m 48s: Shared Parental Leave
• 38m 35s: Mental health, guilt, anxiety and therapy

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Welcome to The Career Dad Show

Hi, I'm Dan Reed, and welcome to The Career Dad Show. If you haven't heard of The Career Dad Show... or Career Dad... you might be thinking "What the heck is this all about?" - and who'd blame you! This first episode answers that very question, so whilst you're more than welcome to read on... personally, I'd just hit play.
 
So you've decided to read on, eh? Fair enough. Well, The Career Dad Show is the podcast for www.careerdad.co.uk. What's that? Right... well, Career Dad is a community for dads who want to balance work with family. It's for dads who want to earn that promotion, but also want to take the kids to school. It's for dads who want a rewarding career, but not at the expense of their family.
 
It's probably for dads like you. It's definitely for dads like me. Since I started focussing on my career in my mid-20s, I understood that - one day - my family life may suffer as a consequence of me rising through the ranks. Then the day came when I actually had a family, and I realised I didn't want that previous scenario to become a reality. But I still wanted the career. That led to many an internal battle, feelings of guilt when I was away, and ultimately not giving my family - or my career - my all.
 
Now I'm in a space where I feel the balance is there. Mostly. Some days it's more "there" than others, but that's the whole point of balance, right? The one thing that's been able to help me the most is to talk about it. Shocker. So, whilst on paternity leave with my second child, I thought: why isn't there a space for guys to talk about wanting to succeed in their careers, but also wanting to be a modern-day family guy?
 
So I created it. Ta da! And in a nutshell, that's what you'll get from The Career Dad Show. Interviews with other dads about topics close to their hearts. You'll hear their stories, both good and bad. You'll hear their tips for success. You'll hear their worries and fears. But most importantly - you'll hear them!
 
So go on, have a listen and see what you think. Make sure to hit subscribe, too, as you won't want to miss the weekly episodes.
 
 Contents

• 0m 56s: Teaser for Episode 1 - Paternity leave
• 1m 19s: What to expect from The Career Dad Show
• 2m 31s: Intro to Dad Talk
• 3m 24s: What is Career Dad?
• 4m 59s: Why did I start Career Dad?
• 6m 22s: Who is Career Dad for?
• 6m 46s: Why should you care?

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