The Good Enough Dad with Maggie Dent

For many years, Chadden’s work life consisted of travelling the world doing wild and adventurous things. Think swimming with belugas, sleeping next to volcanic lakes and close encounters with polar bears. He absolutely loved his life as a wildlife director, but when his wife fell pregnant with their second child, he knew it was time to make a big decision. Chadden talks to Maggie about how he ended up back in Australia, and the important process he had to go through to become the dad he wanted to be. 

LINKS: Chadden on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chaddenhunter/  

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Graham Long served an eclectic flock as the pastor at the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross for over 14 years before he retired in 2018. The Wayside Chapel was a place where homeless and struggling people found solace, and it’s also where Graham found a reason to keep going after his son James passed away unexpectedly at 30 years of age. Graham talks to Maggie about the wonder of love, and how an unwashed, unkept man reminded him of its power at Graham’s darkest moment. 

LINKS: Graham’s book is called Love over Hate, finding life by the wayside 

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Jeremy Hutchings grew up on a farm and has carried the lessons he learnt there into his own parenting experience. As a business coach and CEO of the Farm Owners Academy Jeremy is often talking to his community about resilience. It’s a trait he believes many kids develop through living and helping on a working farm – but there are also other skills he’s picked up along the way. He chats to Maggie about why he values the farming community so highly, and how it’s impacted the way he’s raised his kids. 

LINKS: The Farm Owners academy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/farmownersacademy/ and website https://www.farmownersacademy.com/  

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Founder and CEO of Rites of Passage Arne Rubinstein has spent over 20 years helping boys become men – but one of the most important decisions in his own life involved really embracing what it meant to step up as a man. Arne speaks to Maggie about when his family broke apart and why putting his kids first was the only path he could take.  

LINKS: Arne Rubinstein on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/arnerubinstein/  and Rites of Passage https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/  

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Sam’s mum worked several jobs to make ends meet when he was a child, they moved a lot, and money was tight. But Sam’s mum always made him feel like he had a say in their future. Sam tells Maggie why this was so important to him, and why he’s imparting it to his daughter today. 

LINKS: Sam Drummond on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samuelgdrummond/ and Sam’s book can be found at Affirm Press https://affirmpress.com.au/browse/book/Sam-Drummond-Broke-9781922848475/  

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Dr Richard Harris is most famous for his role in helping to save the Thai soccer team trapped in flooded caves in 2018. Harry (as he likes to be known) says he learnt something profound from the young boys in that team. Something he has shared with his own children, now young adults. Harry chats to Maggie about how he’s used that experience with his kids, and what he believes is the secret to raising resilient kids. 

LINKS: Harry’s podcast is called Real Risk https://realriskpodcast.com/ and his book is called The Art of Risk https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/The-Art-of-Risk/Richard-Harris/9781761106774 .  

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Children’s book author Scott Stuart wrote a book for his son called My Shadow is Pink all about his son’s love of dresses. He wrote the book to start conversations and allow greater acceptance of all the ways our children can express themselves. But walking the walk wasn’t always easy. Scott talks to Maggie about his own hang ups about gender identity and how he overcame them. 

LINKS: Scott Stuart on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/scottcreates/  You’ll find all of Scott’s books on his website. https://scottstuart.co/books/  

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Michael Ray was 50 when he became a first-time solo dad to his daughter Charlie, who was then a toddler. It turned out that the steep learning curve was the thing that woke him up to life. Now Charlie is 11 which means that Michael is navigating the tween years. He tells Maggie his approach to puberty and making sure that Charlie always knows he’s got her back. 

LINKS:Michael Ray on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michaelray_solodad/  and Michael’s website https://michaelray.com.au/  

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Matt Formston is not the kind of man you say no to. From a young age he was told he couldn’t do things – like rugby or surfing – because he lost 95 % of his vision when he was five. But ever since that age being told “no” has never stopped him. He’s been a professional surfer and cyclist, and today is an executive coach. Matt talks to Maggie about how he’s raising his kids to be experts in behaviour, and why that’s setting the up for life. 

LINKS: 

Matt’s website: https://www.mattformston.com/ and Matt Formston on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mattformston/  

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Brad Kearns (known online as @DadMum) is not a preachy kind of dad. But he does do fatherhood with heart and guts. Brad explains to Maggie how he moved from consciously incompetent to being a more competent dad, and the key values he shares with his family. 

LINKS: Brad Kearns on Instagram 

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Having been both a professional NRL player and boxer Joe Williams has had some tough gigs in life, but none have been as hard or as rewarding as being a dad. Joe talks to Maggie about the winding path that has brought him to the place he’s most proud of – being an aware and present dad. 

LINKS: Joe Williams on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joewilliams_tew/ and website The Enemy Within https://www.joewilliams.com.au/  

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Although most Australians would love to get a home-cooked meal from former Master Chef winner Adam Liaw, his three kids prefer his wife Asami’s cooking. From growing up quickly at the age of 14 to the unexpected turn his life took with Master Chef Australia Adam chats to Maggie about what has shaped him as a man and as a dad, and some of the biggest lessons he’s learnt about being a ‘good enough’ dad. 

LINKS:Adam Liawon Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/adamliaw/ 

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When Mitch Tambo appeared on Australia’s Got Talent he blew the audience away with his rendition of You’re the Voice in Gamilaraay language. But while Mitch was kicking goals on stage, his confidence did not extend to becoming a parent. Mitch was in love with a woman with three daughters he wasn’t sure he would be good enough. Fast forward to today and Mitch shares all he has learnt from becoming part of a family with three girls and the birth of his daughter Pheonix.  

LINKS:Mitch Tambo on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mitchtambo/  

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Osher Gunsberg has worked in radio, podcasting and TV. He’s helped love along its way on  The Bachelorand dialled up the fun on The Masked Singer.But with all his success Osher has had to contend with social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and psychosis. Osher talks to Maggie about falling in love, the joy of raising children and how he managed to do it all while navigating his mental health. 

LINKS: Osher’s website: https://linktr.ee/osher_gunsberg  

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Barry Du Bois is best known for his role as the carpenter who transforms pokey bathrooms into delightful boudoirs on Channel 10’s The Living Room.He’s loved for his easy-going ocker attitude, but his life has been full of adversity. Barry talks to Maggie about how he has come to view every day as a blessing, and some very surprising thoughts on how he’s raising his kids to be resilient. 

LINKS: Barry’s website http://barrydubois.com.au/ , Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/baz_dubois/ and Twitter @Baz_DuBois 

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Heading back to work, while  kids head back to school or day care can involve a fair bit of adjustment. Maggie gives some practical tips on how you can help the whole family ease back into the rat race of life. 

LINKS

Read Maggie’s article on transitions https://bit.ly/47N8JvY  or watch  this video https://bit.ly/3MXXTLn on separation anxiety.

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When you’re a kid the Christmas holidays feel like they stretch on forever. When you’re the parent of that kid it can feel the same, but for different reasons. In this episode, Maggie outlines how you can thrive through the holidays with your kids, making memories to last a lifetime. 

LINKS

Read Maggie’s article on finding calm amidst holiday chaos https://bit.ly/46Aho3S  and on making memories that matter https://bit.ly/3QLsRaK  or watch a video https://bit.ly/47BSIsy on the pressure to pack things into holidays.

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New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, and Maggie has some suggestions on goals that might be helpful for nailing it as a dad in 2024. 

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We’re well and truly in the silly season, but never fear, Maggie is here to help us through! In this episode Maggie gives us her top tips on how to manage the roller coaster that can be Christmas day with kids.

LINKS
Read Maggie’s articles on having a good enough Christmas https://bit.ly/3MS5RFZ  or a thrifty christmas https://bit.ly/47rEr1J or and watch her video on turning the volume down on Christmas https://bit.ly/47trEw2 

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Although Tristan MacManus is a TV Host and former Dancing with The Stars Judge he still struggles with feeling he’s “not enough”. Because of this the Irish dancing star tries to fill his children with confidence every day. In this conversation with Maggie Tristan talks about the miscarriages he and wife Tahnya went through, and how he makes his kids feel 10 feet tall. 

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Before he became a dad, Matt Okine thought that he could make music while hanging with his kid. Now his daughter is four Matt has changed his ideas a little. While the actor, author, comedian and podcast host still creates all kinds of things, he knows that when he’s with Sofia, he’s just focussed on her. That is, except this one time … Matt talks to Maggie about some of his slip ups and the challenges of dadding - including how much relationships can change once you throw a baby in the mix. 

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The path to fatherhood was not straight forward for Sean and his husband Josh, but it was something they both wanted, badly. After their twins were born through surrogacy the journey really began. With no traditional roles to fall into, the two dads had to find their own way through the fathering process. Sean chats to Maggie about how they found what worked for them, and why his biggest parenting fail involved some cough medicine on a long-haul flight.  

Sean Szeps is the author of Not Like Other Dads.https://www.booktopia.com.au/not-like-other-dads-sean-szeps/book/9780733342691.html  You can find him online at https://www.instagram.com/seanszeps/  

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Until he was 10 years old David believed his grandmother was his mother, and his mother was his sister. The unsettling revelation that Cold Chisel’s front man – Jimmy Barnes – was his dad threw David into a world of chaos and confusion. David shares with Maggie how he and Jimmy became close, and how those confusing years helped make him the dad he is today. 

The podcast that David talks about in this interview is LiSTNR’s The Secrets We Keephttps://play.listnr.com/podcast/secrets-we-keep  

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In 1993 Stephen Page became a dad in the most spectacular of ways. He says it was like something he and his partner had choreographed. Fast forward to today and after 30 years as the artistic director at Bangarra Dance Company Stephen is working on a children’s production with the son that was born that night - Hunter Lochard-Page. Stephen talks about the incredible kinship of family made and family born, and how being raised by women shaped the dad he became. 

Waru – journey of the small turtle https://www.bangarra.com.au/productions/waru-journey-of-the-small-turtle/  

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His posts may be hilarious but Jordan Watson – best known as How to Dad NZ – has some serious thoughts on parenting. After he shot to internet stardom with his first video (How to Hold a Baby) his three girls have grown and with time Jordan has learnt more about parenting - like why we all need to say “no” more. Maggie and Jordan bond over their shared country upbringing and what he finds most challenging about being a dad today. 

Jordan Watson has a podcast! It’s called The Parenting Hangover https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-parenting-hangover/id1687835857  

You can also find him at https://www.instagram.com/howtodadnz/ 

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Ben Hannant had a kid nearly every year of his professional NRL career. He retired in 2016 with six children (now he has eight!!). Ben is a dad who believes in grit, hard work and the value of family. He also may have lost a child on the way to MacDonalds. Don’t worry, the child was found! Ben and Maggie chat about the magic of big families and why Ben’s “old school” attitude works for them.  

Ben is a former Australian rugby league footballer and boxer.

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Musician John Butler says the “genetic psyche” of his family shattered the moment his grandfather died in a bush fire in 1958. John talks to Maggie about how the trauma from that event filtered through generations of his family and shows up in his own parenting. He also shares what it was like touring with his kids for the first decade of family life. 

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There was a time when Gus Worland considered himself an “old school dad”. Strict, tough and with high expectations of what his kids would achieve. But some great advice from his brother made Gus relax and, he says, become a better dad. Gus talks to Maggie about the powerful influence of one father-figure in his life and what he wants his legacy to be – to his kids and to the world. 

Gus Worland is a host on Triple M Sydney’s Rush Hourand the founder of Gotcha 4 Life. 

Gotcha 4 Life - https://www.gotcha4life.org/ 

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Hamish Blake has his own podcast on how to dad PLUS he won Father of The Year 2023, so he must have this fatherhood thing down pat right? Wrong! According to Hamish – he's stuffing up daily. Maggie and Hamish chat about why playing for groans is more fun than playing for laughs and the number one thing he thinks all dads need to remember in order to get this dadding gig right. 

Hamish’s podcast: https://www.listnr.com/podcasts/how-other-dads-dad  

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Aiming to be a GOOD dad is important. But you know what? Being a good ENOUGH Dad is how you ace it. 

The Good Enough Dad ishosted byMaggie Dent - parenting educator, author, and champion of boys and men.  Chatting to committed, funny and loving dads about their wins and fails –  Maggie offers awesome tips and insights into all the ways dads can feel good enough at this parenting gig.  

Like, follow or subscribe to keep up to date. New episode every week! 

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