This episode, the team talks to Aaron Williams about the challenges that arise within relationships when we become parents. Aaron Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Mindstar, a leading workplace wellbeing provider that works with some of the biggest companies across Australia on how to manage these challenges.

Aaron is a counsellor who has worked closely with many couples to help them adjust to this change in relationship dynamic. He has found that many people upon becoming parents, had difficulty balancing work and family and found that their personal wellbeing and relationships with their partners is what suffers the most.

Aaron states "to be that bloke you want to be it takes a lot of work and a lot of balance… it takes self discipline and self leadership”. 

Join Aaron and the team at The Father Hood as they explore how we can keep a strong connection with our partners amongst family life with kids.

Relationships After Kids: with Aaron Williams - The Father Hood Podcast Episode 9

Improving the Quality of Our Relationships (and how this affects our wellbeing)

Do you feel you are being yourself in all your relationships? Are there any relationships you would like to change or improve that may currently be quite negative or destructive? Does how you relate to others impact on your health and wellbeing?

When we are free to be our real selves we connect more deeply with others and we enjoy life more - we feel more fulfilled in our jobs and we are naturally enriching as parents. Life doesn't feel hard and problems don͛t feel like big issues to tackle. Why isn͛t this a reality for most of us, most of the time? It comes down to our relationships. We have a relationship with every aspect of our life. We say, this is what my relationship is with my partner, my kids, my clothes, my dog, nature, our house– every aspect in life. Therefore, doesn't it make sense to stop and reflect on the quality of our relationships if, indeed, everything is about relationships? Yet most of us are not approaching life this way. This month Katie and Sam look at how we measure our relationships, whether we are holding back in any areas or have different versions of ourselves with different people? What happens

if we are and what impact does this have on our overall health and wellbeing? Most importantly, how can we work with any issues that arise so that we not only have fulfilling relationships with others but also ourselves.

Improving The Quality Of Our Relationships - Balance & Wellbeing Podcast

Menopause is a normal life event for women (trans gender and non-binary people too), and yet we very rarely talk about it, even amongst our friends and particularly not in the workplace – but why? 
Given that women aged over 45 comprise 17% of the Australian workforce and menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 – you would think that conversations about such a natural event would be common place.
 
In this podcast, Parents At Work’s Customer Experience Director, Fiona Hitchiner, interviews Thea O’Connor to learn more about menopause, some of the signs and symptoms, what we can do to prepare for this phase of life, and even find joy in it. Thea O’Connor is a senior advisor on workplace wellbeing and productivity, helping leaders, teams and individuals improve their workplace engagement and effectiveness through body intelligence and better health. She draws on 30 years experience in health promotion including in the fields of nutrition (as a dietitian), body image, sleep science and workplace health. 
  
Here are some useful resources to learn more about menopause:
https://www.thea.com.au/menopause/
https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause
https://www.menopause.org.au/

Menopause With Thea OConnor

In Meditation for Parents and Carers, Katie Walls – complimentary health and wellbeing practitioner and educator and experienced meditation facilitator – will take us through the simple yet highly effective Gentle Breathe Meditation.    

This 1-hour webinar will include: 
- Starting with a Gentle Breathe Meditation 
- What is meditation exactly? 
- Dispelling meditation myths – anyone can do it 
- Why meditation is so effective in developing self-care and improving vitality  
- How to find time to meditate in your every day – however busy you are - Finishing with a Gentle Breathe Meditation

Meditation For Parents And Carers

Listen to an interview with Sam Gow who is a working Dad who decided to take extended parental leave.  He shares his story with our CEO Emma Walsh.

Dads who take extended leave

Anxiety, Stress and Overwhelm – What’s normal, what’s not? 

Do you wake up thinking about your to-do list? 
Does your mind and heart race? 
Do others comment on how calm you are yet you still feel the pressures of modern day life? 
How can you support yourself when you feel overwhelmed, stressed and tired? 

Chances are you have experienced some level of anxiety or stress in your lifetime, and you are not alone. Over 2 million Australians a year suffer from anxiety, according to beyondblue... and that͛s only the people that have been diagnosed. 

Given the increasing demands of work and family responsibilities it͛s not surprising that every parent has experienced some level of anxiety. 

The question is – what is normal? And what is the flow on effect to our health? What are we role modelling to our children and colleagues? 

Katie and Sam address anxiety and overwhelm by helping us expose its root cause and discussing the effects of allowing it to accumulate (despite thinking we͛re getting away with it!) They will also help us assess where we are at with our anxiety, what sets us off and some practical ideas about how we can support ourselves in our every day.

2. Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm - Episode 2

Getting a Good Night's Sleep - For Working Parents of Children Young & Old

- How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you need caffeine to get you started?
- Are you staying up late just to have time with yourself but know you should be getting to bed? 
- How do you deal with outside interruptions to sleep?  

According to the Great British Sleep Survey (2015): “The worst effect of sleep isn’t how it affects us at night it is how it affects us during the day, on a physical level and emotionally.” Any parent can attest this to be true. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest challenges new parents face. And for some, this can carry on into the toddler years and beyond. Add a busy career in the mix and any relationship or health issues and you have the perfect set up for insomnia or simply just poor-quality sleep.

The common mistake many people make when it comes to sleep is focusing on whether they are getting enough. What really matters is the quality. It is absolutely possible to have four hours of quality sleep and feel better for it afterwards. In this podcast Katie and Sam take a deep dive into how parents can improve the quality of sleep including looking at how what you do in your day effects your evening sleep.

6. Getting a Good Night's Sleep - Episode 6

“Perfectionism is simply when we are striving for the impossible – wanting our ‘doing’ to always be ‘perfect’. Seeking perfectionism through what we do is fuelled by seeking acceptance from self and others based on our actions (our doing).” Behavioural specialist, Tanya Curtis describes perfectionism as a ‘hidden epidemic’ – an epidemic that is an easy go to – especially those with an already established career when their first baby arrives. More and more children are also showing signs of perfectionism.

In Episode 8, Katie and Sam explore how perfectionism and over doing it can affect our lives, our health and our relationships, plus the signs to look out for and – most importantly – what the antidote is!

8. Perfectionism and 'doing too much' - What's the antidote? - Episode 8

It has been said that self-doubt is a fallacy – something we make up to avoid being all that we can be – the shining light in the room, so to speak. This is simple enough to understand but have we really felt how debilitating it can be in our lives when we knock ourselves down – even a little? 

All our relationships are affected, including the one with ourselves. This can lead to a range of issues including pressure on our nervous system (which can lead to serious health issues later down the track), lack of intimacy with our partner, reduced ability to work at our optimum, lack of confidence in our parenting ability and a low sense of self-worth (even if seemingly confident on the outside). 

Katie and Sam will explore how you can crack self-doubt and nervous tension to support the restoration of your mojo – the real you that feels amazing no matter the circumstance you’re in.

10. Self-doubt and ‘nerves’ - how they kill your mojo and what to do about it - Episode 10

As modern parents, we're all struggling to stay on top of both our own, and our kids mental health. In this podcast, Gus Worland talks about dads and their relationships with expression.

He says it's time to get rid of outdated ideals of what masculinity looks like, and start letting boys and men know that it's ok to be vulnerable and emotional. And not just letting them know it's ok, showing them it's ok.

Gus is the founder of the a fantastic non-for-profit foundation, Gotcha4Life, which fundamentally works to save lives of males throughout Australia.

Dads, Emotions & Keeping it Real - Gus Worland Interview

What if every movement we made had an impact on our bodies, our mental health, our contribution to the world? What if the quality in which we moved made a lasting impression on our cellular memory? If, as Einstein proved - everything is energy - could it be that the effort or energy we put into caring for ourselves (and all the benefits that abound from this - including greater productivity at work, more connection in relationships, a healthier body etc), could it be that this has a significant impact on those around us, an impact we may not have fully appreciated yet?

Self-love is not a bad word. In fact, it's our number one job as role models to showcase a loving me for all it's worth. Katie and Sam look at why prioritising you is so important including what you get out of it but also how it supports in raising healthy and responsible kids, improving relationships and taking your work to the next level.

12. The Responsibility of Prioritising You: Why Self-love is not a dirty word - Episode 12

Self-doubt is a sure-fire way to kill off any career progression. The ‘should I’ ‘can I’ ‘what if’ thoughts all hamper our style when it comes to going for it with our work. 

This episode Emma Walsh and Gill McLaren address the big challenges both men and women face when it comes to taking a career to the next level. What do you really want your career to look like? What holds you back? Where can you bring more clarity to the direction your heading with work? Can you really do it? Yes is the simple answer. 

Join the latest Career Wellbeing Podcast episode for some great tips to take you there.

3. Career Confidence Killers - What does it take to bin the self-doubt and thrive at work?

They want to grow up, we want to keep them safe, how do we find a balance?

In the second episode of the Teen Clinic Podcast, youth advocate, teen expert and mother of 3 Lucy Dahill from Why Be You answers your questions about how to set fair, manageable boundaries.

Lucy says as a parent, being “consistent, predictable and reliable” will be your keys to successful boundaries and communication with your teen.

Boundaries for Teen Independence - Episode 2 Teen Clinic Podcast

There are times in a toddler’s life where they feel overwhelmed or out of control and may exhibit aggressive behaviour such as hitting, biting and kicking either towards you or others around them. As parents this can be very upsetting to see our toddler behave in this way but there is help. This week we talk to our Toddler Clinic Experts who help parent’s everyday experiencing this behaviour and discuss possible causes and strategies to help.

No Hurting- Managing aggression in your toddler - Toddler Clinic Podcast Episode 6

There’s never been a better time in history to be a dad – we all know how much society has changed when it comes to parenting in the last 50 years – expectations of fathers have grown and men want to embrace the role of ‘dad’ like never before.  But fathers often feel the pressure to conform to unhelpful stereotypes like the ‘fun dad’ or the ‘breadwinner dad’. It’s clear fatherhood needs a makeover. So, what does it mean to be a father today - what’s needed and what’s not?

There is a new generation of fathers redefining what it means to be a dad and combine work and family life. Join Parents At Work’s new ‘Dad Time’ team and The Father Hood in this one off ’special event’ live webinar as the guys offer personal insights, latest research and top tips from some ‘famous dads’ on what they’ve learnt on the road to being a modern, imperfectly awesome kind of dad.

A New Era of Fatherhood: Is this the best time in history to be a dad?

Sometimes as a dad it can feel like you’re never winning - leaving work at a time that feels too early, but when you get home it feels too late. We all know that mothers are familiar with huge amounts of guilt when they don’t feel like they’re meeting all of life’s demands - is it any different for dads, or is it similar? The Father Hood team talk to one of our favourite working dads - the honest as ever, Dr Vijay Roach - about his journey as a working dad, proving its never too late to be an awesome father whilst maintaining a successful career. The team also explore how dads can work out how to balance competing priorities as they manage the juggle of fatherhood and work.

Daddy Guilt - What trips dads up most when it comes to family - Father Hood Podcast Episode 1

Most of us are honest enough to recognise when we are speaking or acting without love – for example when we get angry at the kids when they abandon their chores for the umpteenth time OR get frustrated at a colleague for doing a task without care OR release our tension on a telecom provider (most of us know that one!). But does it really need to be like this? Sometimes we excuse behaviours or reactions that lack love by saying ‘we’re all human’ or ‘no one’s perfect’ and then hope it doesn’t catch up with us later on. It may be true that we are human and will never be perfect but what if our lofty dismissal is the groundwork for underlying judgement and blame in our relationships? And what if we could stop it in an instant simply by removing our need to be ‘right’? 

Join Katie and Sam for what’s sure to be an explorative and expansive discussion.

20. The Perils of Judgment and Blame – How to Let Go when You Feel Wronged - Episode 20

The 10th - 16th of November marks Perinatal Mental Health Week. This week aims to spread awareness about the mental health implications associated with entering parenthood. Nearly 50% of new parents experience adjustment disorders, and from that, 1 in 5 new mothers and 1 in 10 new fathers will suffer from perinatal anxiety and depression. According to an analysis done by PwC Australia, Perinatal Depression and Anxiety is costing Australia $877 million annually. In the first year, $643 million is lost as a result of productivity losses associated with increased workforce exit, absenteeism, presenteeism, and career requirements. Also included in the annual costs is $227 million associated with significant health costs, and $7 million in wellbeing impacts.
 
In this podcast Emma Walsh, CEO of Parents at Work, and Arabella Gibson, CEO of Gidget Foundation, discuss the impact of perinatal anxiety and depression on the workplace. Arabella emphasises the importance of employers identifying employees who are going through a tough time and supporting them by demonstrating understanding and allowing for more flexible working hours. She also recommends developing strong policies surrounding the support new  parents receive at their workplace, in particular setting up regular check-in points starting from when the employee announces they are pregnant. These suggestions aid in helping the employee feel supported and combat those feelings of isolation most people feel when they go on parental leave, making the transition back to work easier, and increasing the chance of spotting any mental health issues early on.

The Impact of Perinatal Depression & Anxiety on the Workplace

Relationships between parents and teens change considerably in the teen years. The good news is, this is a positive - “it’s supposed to change”. So why does it not feel or sound so great at the time?

What does a healthy relationship with your teens look like? Why is it important to support your teen with understanding how they relate to tension? How do you rebuild trust between you and your teen if the relationship hasn’t been what you’d like it to be?

In episode 7 of the Teen Clinic Podcast youth advocate, teen expert and mother of three teenagers – Lucy Dahill – discusses the changing relationships teens experience with their friends and family, more notably their parents, as they become more independent.
 
Lucy explores the correlation between the relationships parents have with the people around them and how that modelling of behaviour influences the way teens develop their own relationships during this crucial time. On top of this, she looks at how the digital world changes the dynamics of teen’s relationships and teen’s use of certain coping mechanisms, encouraging parents to target the source of these problems rather than the actual coping strategy. Lucy encourages you to support your teens to create new relationships and to set the standards of what is appropriate and respectful.

Relationships: How to Adapt to Changing Relationships - Episode 7 Teen Clinic Podcast

Do you feel like you're hiding behind a submissive or aggressive personality – even if it’s ever so slightly? Is it possible to be honest and forthright without retracting or being overbearing. What’s the harm if we don’t and what comes to life when we do? True expression isn’t tarnished with personality behaviours that have held us back from bringing all of our – quite natural - powerful selves. True power isn’t forceful, nor is it passive or dismissive. True expression and power bring a quality that holds the other equal. It also allows relationships and projects to unfold with greater wisdom and integrity as their foundation. This month Katie and Sam explore what’s getting in the way of living with more true authority as well as how we can start to embrace this more in our every day – both as a parent and in the workplace.

21. Assertiveness - The Power of Bringing True Authority to Work and Parenting - Episode 21

The Father Hood talks to Professor Richard Fletcher, who has been studying fatherhood in Australia for the past 20 years. Richard leads the Fathers and Families Research Program at the University of Newcastle, and also started the SMS4dads program. In this podcast he shares his insights into why father's mental health is so important and what men can do to look after themselves. Today, 1 in 10 new dads experience perinatal anxiety & depression (Beyond Blue), and Richard believes it's more important than ever to address these issues.

Dad Mental Health - How can dads of young kids be impacted? - Father Hood Podcast Episode 2

This webinar recording shares highlights of the National Working Families Report and discusses implications for the future of work and family in light of the challenges posed by Covid 19. The focus is on exploring the key recommendations for employers committed to creating family friendly, flexible workplaces.

Contributors include:
- Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
- Sarah McCann Bartlett, CEO, Australian Human Resources Institute
- Kellie-Ann McDade, Partner Employment Law, Baker McKenzie
- Grant Wardell-Johnson, Lead Tax Partner, KPMG
- Emma Walsh, CEO, Parents At Work
- Angela Priestley, Founder, Women's Agenda

Employers are key to revolutionising the way we design work and family policy and practices. To ensure Australia is both responsive and progressive in meeting the changing nature of caring needs in our society, we must advance the way we combine work and caring responsibilities. This means identifying and addressing the cultural, gender and economic barriers that prevent progress and result in poor health and wellbeing outcomes for Australian families.

This recording also explores recommendations for engaging the wider business community on what is needed to support both men and women manage work and caring responsibilities including:
- Key research findings on the work and family challenges that impact wellbeing and gender equality outcomes
- Insights from employees on what is needed to better manage work and care
- The business and community benefits of advancing work and family policies
- Key recommendations - how to progress employer-supported family friendly policies

About the Report
The 2019 National Working Families Report is a not-for-profit initiative undertaken by Parents At Work as an APLEN initiative in partnership with Karitane, HSBC, Baker McKenzie, Deloitte, KPMG, IKEA and QBE.
The report details the survey findings and considers how workplaces can better support women and men to effectively balance their work and caring commitments, giving employees equal opportunities to fulfil their work responsibilities and career goals while looking after their family and personal wellbeing. 6,289 parents and carers across Australia completed the survey. The results reveal that parents and carers across Australia are finding it difficult to balance work and family commitments and report their personal wellbeing and family relationships suffer as a result.

To read the full report with a summary of the key recommendations visit - parentsandcarersatwork.com/wpcontent/uploads/2019/12/National-Working-Families-Report-2019_1.pdf
For more information about the report and to read the Executive Summary visit - aplen.pages.ontraport.net/WorkingFamiliesReport2019

About APLEN
APLEN is a network of organisations established as part of a commitment to lead UN global gender equality efforts to advocate and advance parental leave equality in Australia. To find out more visit aplen.com.au

COVID-19 and The Future Of Work And Family - Join Kate Jenkins, Sarah McCann, KPMG, Baker McKenzie

In the latest The Father Hood Podcast we talk with Donte Palmer, who describes himself as a husband, a father of three boys, and dad advocate. Donte began the movement #squatforchange after he posted a photo showing the difficulty of changing his child without a changing station, a common thing for dads due to the lack of changing stations in male restrooms. #Squatforchange has now become an established organisation with a mission to "drive initiatives that result in the installation of appropriate diaper changing stations in all designated public restrooms".

Donte discusses how gender and parental roles have changed and that mothers aren't just the caretakers anymore, that "strong men with strong attitudes or strong personalities – can also be sensitive" to support and take care of their kids. He also talks about social media as a driver of change as fathers can use the platform to demonstrate them being active, speaking up as fathers, and working as a team with their partner so that both parents share responsibility and have that time for self-care.

To find out more visit squatforchange.com/ or follow him on Instagram: @3boys_1goal www.instagram.com/3boys_1goal/?hl=en

New Dad Definitions – What's Changing? Why is it Changing? - Father Hood Podcast Episode 4

How will work-life be re-imagined post COVID-19? 

Remote work is radically reshaping how we work and live. As organisations busily plan to welcome employees back to the office post COVID-19, they are fast re-imaging how and what 'working from the office' will actually mean in reality.  

Workplaces acknowledge we're still months away from having everyone back behind their desks as they used to be, prompting some employers to drastically rethink how and where their people will work.

In this well-worth-the-time webinar Parents At Work invited a number of experts to explore exactly this - the future of workplace design and flexibility in our organisations. 

Our panel included: 

• Shiona Watson, General Manager, Human Resources at QBE Insurance.
• Kristen Miller, Head of Workplace, Westpac Group.
• Stephen Barrow-Yu, Executive Director, People and Change, KPMG & Director, Diversity Council of Australia.
• Emma Walsh, CEO, Parents At Work

To keep up to date with all our free webinars and resources for HR professionals and leaders sign up to our Supporter Newsletter visit www.parentsandcarersatwork.com.au

To find out more on how to become an Employer Member contact info@parentsatwork.com.au

The Future Of Workplace Flexibility - Join QBE, Westpac, and KPMG

Over 80% of women are feeling anxious right now about birth during COVID-19 and over 40% are changing their birthing plans. What does giving birth during a pandemic mean? What are some of the restrictions? What can expecting parents do to still have a beautiful birth? 
In this podcast, Parents At Work talk to Nadine Richardson from She Births about what expecting parents should know at this time. Nadine is a childbirth educator, doula and prenatal yoga specialist. She is the director of The Birthing Institute and creator of She Births® (2008), the world’s only scientifically verified childbirth education program. 

Enjoy 10% off the She Births® Full Online Course with the code PAWPODCAST10. You and your partner can prepare together via desktop or app making learning as easy and comfortable as possible.

https://shebirths.com/full-online-birthing-class/

Image: Jerusha Sutton, www.jerusha.com.au

Pregnancy and Birth during COVID-19 - with She Births

Blake Woodward is a dad, management consultant and founder of suittiestroller.com - a website supporting corporate dads in finding work life balance while raising a family, as well as advocating for gender-equal parental leave and support policies. In this episode, Parents At Work talk to Blake about his Global Dad Survey on the impact of COVID-19 on fathers, and his views on empowering working parents to choose the best way to raise their families through gender neutral workplace policies. You can access the Global Dad Survey Report here: https://www.suittiestroller.com/dad-survey-report

Has COVID-19 changed Fatherhood? - A conversation with Blake Woodward

With all the events that have transpired this year, carers deserve recognition now more than ever. In this podcast, Emma Walsh, CEO of Parents At Work, interviews CEO of Carers Australia, Liz Callaghan, to discuss both the work of Carers Australia and National Carers Week.
 
National Carers Week aims to recognise the 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia and the work they provide for their loved ones. It aims to raise awareness of this crucial role and the incredibly impactful service they are providing for not only those they are caring for, but the community as a whole. 

Ultimately, Carers Australia wants to see unpaid care recognised as a shared responsibility between family, community businesses, and government especially as the role of unpaid carers seems to be invisible to many. 

The lack of recognition leads to insufficient support of carers, especially during this pandemic where this already isolating role has become even more distant from society and existing support networks shutting down. 

To put things into perspective, the replacement value of all unpaid care this year (prior to COVID-19) is nearly 78 billion dollars - that's nearly 1.5 billion dollars per week!
 
This Carers Week we aim to raise awareness to create more carer friendly options within employment and the general community.

Carers Week 2020 Focus - with Liz Callaghan

In this episode of The Father Hood Podcast, the team interviews Tom Docking, the founder of Dads Group. They discuss the unexpected ways that being a new dad can affect you, especially your mental health, and how social connection is so important as a form of support for dads. 

Tom opens up about why he started the Dads Group, stating that the opportunity to talk and listen to other dads is a very restorative experience and provides the chance to heal from the challenges involved in the transition to becoming a parent. He has found that dads retain information and pick up on parenting advice more efficiently when it is in the context of a dads group and that his aim is to make all the wonderful parenting content available to dads through this medium so that it is not just sitting there "collecting dust".

Tom hopes that through these dad groups that he can help encourage the perspective that fatherhood is more than just a responsibility, its an opportunity, and he believes that’s the direction that fatherhood is moving into the future.

Learn more about Dads Group:
www.dadsgroup.org
www.facebook.com/dadsgroupincorporated
www.instagram.com/dadsgroupinc
www.twitter.com/dadsgroupinc

Dad, You're Not A Man Island: Why Social Connection is so Important - Father Hood Podcast Episode 6

In the 1970 U.S. census, only 6 men in the whole of America identified as a stay-at-home dad, but by 2014 this number had risen to 2 million people.
 
In this latest episode, The Father Hood team interview Rory Brown about his experience with being a stay-at-home dad in today's climate. They ask about the benefits of being a stay-at-home dad, if he has experienced any negative stigma surrounding his role, what his personal experience has been like, and what he has learned or gained from being a stay-at-home dad.
 
Rory talks about the opportunity to spend in depth time with your children as they grow right before your eyes. He also discusses the feeling of joint success when watching his wife strive for and meet her career goals, something that would have been harder to achieve without Rory being the stay-at-home parent. Through his role, Rory has also come to appreciate and understand the difficulties involved in managing a household, something that his wife had predominantly been in charge of early in their marriage. He feels it has been a massive learning experience for both partners gaining experience in their respective family roles and also in how today's society reacts to the idea of a dad being the primary carer.
 
Rory hopes that fathers continue to take on the role of the stay-at-home parent, that people will begin to understand the difficulties associated with the role, and that it starts to be viewed as a very accessible role for both mothers and fathers.

Stay At Home Dads: What's the Reality? An Interview with Rory Brown - Father Hood Podcast Episode 7

"It takes a village to raise a family and if you don’t feel accepted by that village, it’s a lonely place" - Ashley Scott

In this episode of The Father Hood podcast the team talks to Ashley Scott about his personal experience with being a gay dad and his interaction with other LGBTQI+ families through his work as Executive Officer at Rainbow Families. Rainbow Families aims to 'build a community which fosters resiliency by connecting, supporting and empowering' LGBTQI+ families.

Ashley talks about the challenges and opportunities he has experienced as a gay dad, especially how the freedom from traditional gender roles has allowed himself and his partner to divvy up the household and parenting work in a unique way that best suits each person. He also discusses his work at Rainbow Families and how his interactions with other LGBTQI+ families has allowed his two daughters to interact with children sharing similar family dynamics as well as have access to positive female role models, which he feels is important to provide.

Ashley feels that his work with Rainbow Families is helping LGBTQI+ families feel more accepted in their community and provides a unique support for parents outside the usual social circles.

Life as a Gay Dad: with Ashley Scott - The Father Hood Podcast Episode 8

As school holidays approach, most of us are thinking about re-connecting with family, taking some well-deserved time off as well as finding creative ways to engage the kids over the break.

In this podcast Fiona Hitchiner from Parents At Work interviews Adrian Rokman, co-founder of KidsCo, known for their award winning School holiday programs in the workplace and recently named as one of the most innovative companies in Australia by the Australian Financial Review. Together they will provide ideas and inspiration to families to provide fun and educational ways to keep the kids busy and entertained which will also create space for a bit of me-time for the grown ups! You will also get to take away practical resources for the kids.

Fun Ways to Keep Kids Connected these School Holidays - with Adrian Rokman and Fiona Hitchiner

Parents at Work is a world leading provider of education and coaching services for workplaces, parents, carers and leaders. 

For over a decade, we have been providing expertise, advocacy and education programs to inform and empower parents, carers and their employers, to successfully balance the ongoing and interdependent demands of career, family and personal wellbeing.

We're on a mission to improve the lives of parents and carers by creating family friendly workplaces.

We collaborate with employers, policy makers and industry professionals to improve gender equality outcomes at work and at home by;

- creating and delivering best practice gender balanced parental leave, return to work programs 
- supporting and advocating for working families
- promoting family-friendly workplaces which support work-life balance and flexible working. 

We are a membership based organisation, together, working in partnership with progressive employers, we have provided over 100,000 families with access to vital parental leave and return to work transition programs, work life balance support, career management and other care services.

Our membership is made up of global and local organisations and we've been recognised by the Human Rights Commission for our work.

www.parentsandcarersatwork.com

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