In this final episode for Season One of The Good Enough Dad, Maggie is joined by good friend and leading light in the fatherhood space, Dr Bruce Robinson. Around 10 years ago Bruce founded The Fathering Project, after hearing from dying men that their biggest regret was not being better dads. Bruce himself is a dad and granddad, and he chats to Maggie about the many valuable lessons he’s picked up along the way, including the ones that have had the biggest impact on fathers across Australia. 

LINKS: The Fathering Project https://thefatheringproject.org/ , Bruce’s website https://www.brucerobinson.com.au/  

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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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