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December 11, 2022 56 mins

YOU CAN LET YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE YOUR LIFE, OR YOU CAN OVERCOME THEM—THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we welcome Ashley Cooke, an accomplished business manager and entrepreneur with roots as a competitive swimmer. While he achieved amazing success in his career, he found his relationship with his family deteriorating. 

He gets vulnerable and talks about his struggle with alcohol and how it nearly destroyed him. However, by channeling his energies into exercise, he was able to bounce back stronger than ever. Ashley also shares the difficulties of growing up without his biological father and the value of expressing your emotions through meaningful conversations.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Ashley: Alcohol as a way to cope was destroying his life

"We make a choice. So either that way, or we go that way. And at that day, my two choices were do I continue down this path of self-destruction where it was leading me to an early grave... actually that point in time it was do I jump off this hill that I'm standing on top of or do I choose to change my life... and understand that there's more to me than this."

Ashley: Dealing with depression required the help of others

"I found a way to either express it, deal with it, or process it. That was my 3 steps. So if I could talk about it, whether it be to my partner, whether it be to my mates, whether it was a stranger to a point."

Ashley: Masculinity has changed from toxicity to being present for others

"My grandfather's generation, masculinity was being a man, being the provider, the wife doesn't work, they should raise the kids, I'm the provider, I do the tough stuff. I don't cry. I don't show emotions. That's not masculinity anymore. Masculinity is being a bloody good day raising bloody good humans so that when we go, our kids know what makes a good person."

 

Connect with Ashley:

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Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

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