The Dad Train

Will McMahon is an Australian comedian and radio personality. He co-hosts the KISS Network’s national drive time show ‘Woody and Will’ with his best-mate Woody Whitelaw.

On-air it’s mostly shits and giggles, as Will’s job is to entertain and make people laugh. But in his personal life, he continues to live with regular bouts of depression.

Depression is a mental illness that affects 1 in 7 people. And typically men are not very good ...

Craig Kessler is COO of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and entertainment companies. He’s also a father of three young boys. 

After realising he had a lot to learn about parenting, Craig reached out to his network and asked them to write him a letter on “how to be a good dad”. 

After receiving responses from a wide range of dads, including athletes, TV personalities, businessmen and civic leaders, Craig compiled the advice ...

The culture of fatherhood is undergoing a transformation. Dads today spend three times as many hours with their kids as they did in the 1960s. And traditional gender roles are being reinvented in incredible ways. 

Whilst this puts greater demands on fathers, it also presents a golden opportunity for dads to redefine the concept of a modern dad. 

Jeremy Macvean is co-founder of The-Father-Hood, an online business that offers support, ...

Have you ever found yourself thinking – ‘I wish I understood what women want’? 

If so, then this week’s guest could provide the answer. 

Shana James has a masters in psychology and over 20 years of experience working with men to help them find love, rekindle the spark and bring intimacy back into their relationships.

Her clients call her ‘the secret weapon’ because she helps men translate women’s needs and understand their attraction ...

Matis Miller is a licensed clinical social worker and certified cognitive-behavioural therapist. 

He specialises in treating children with emotional regulation issues such as ADHD, ODD and DMDD. He also helps parents learn how to manage their expectations and acceptance.

In this interview, Matis shares strategies from his new book: The Uncontrollable Child

As a father of six and a therapist with over 15 years of experience, Matis has ...

Many girls suffer from low self-esteem and negative self-image. This can cause them to date the wrong guys, be subjected to bullying and accept a life that is less than what they are worthy of. 

As dads, this is not what we want for our daughters. 

But as today’s guest explains, dads can play a vital role in helping our daughters grow up to be strong, confident and successful women.

The things we say and the example we set for them in...

Have you ever found yourself saying “there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done”?

If so, you are not alone. This is one of the most common complaints shared by many busy dads. 

And while it’s true fatherhood brings increased responsibilities, that just means you need to be even more productive with the time you do have available. 

For anyone who battles with procrastination, or would like to be more productive at...

Matthew Turner is a British author who interviewed 163 Succesful Entrepreneurs from all around the world to try and identify some common traits. 

One thing he discovered, that all these people had in common, was their attitude towards failure. 

In order to become successful, these people had all learned to embrace failure and learn from their mistakes. In fact, they viewed making mistakes as an essential part of achieving success. 

Th...

Have you ever considered taking a break from alcohol? 

Maybe you’ve tried and failed. Or maybe you’ve done a ‘Dry July or ‘Feb Fast’, only to immediately slip back into old habits. 

If so, you are not alone.

For many of us, myself included, our relationship with alcohol is on auto-pilot. We often drink out of habit, without stopping to think why. And sometimes we end up regretting it later. 

Ruari Fairbairns is the Co-Founder and CEO o...

Jamie Keeling is a father to seven children in a blended family (yes, he needs a bigger TV). 

He is also a successful entrepreneur, business coach and former world champion in the sport of Taekwando, who once dropped out of college to tour Europe as a long-haired wannabe rockstar. 

So, as you can see, he’s had a diverse life. And he’s learned a few things along the way.

In this interview, Jamie talks about the challenges of raising a ...

This is the third and final episode in a mini-series about life lessons. 

There are lessons to be learned from any experience. And in this episode, Scott shares some of the valuable life lessons he learned from running his first marathon. 

These lessons included:

• A goal without a plan is just a wish
• Small steps will get you there faster
• Taking a rest will improve your performance

These lessons come from an ar...

Eric Siu is a successful entrepreneur who has founded multiple businesses and worked with leading technology companies such as Amazon, Airbnb, Salesforce and Uber. 

In his youth, Eric was not academically or socially successful, but he was a serious high-level eSports and poker player. 

He ultimately found how to convert his focus and success in gaming into a very successful career in marketing. 

In this interview, Eric shares some of...

Life on a farm can be tough, but it also teaches you some valuable lessons about awareness, acceptance and resilience. 

These are all things that can be applied to other areas of life, including your role as a father. 

Today’s guest is Kane Brisco, a dairy farmer from Taranaki in New Zealand, who has founded a business called Farmfit, to help support the mental wellbeing of his local community. 

In the interview, Kane gives a first-ha...

Compared to previous generations, today’s children have more homework, more adult-led activities and less free time to just play. 

According to psychologist Dr Peter Gray, this is a worrying trend that is having a negative impact on society. 

Dr Gray’s research shows that free-play is an important part of child development. It’s where they learn things like courage, creativity and social skills. 

In this interview, Dr Gray explains wh...

“The warrior archetype is a strong, powerful, masculine archetype. He’s a great archetype for just getting shit done!”

Archetypes are universal, inborn personality traits that have been referenced throughout human history.

They were introduced to the field of psychology by Carl Jung, who identified twelve major archetypes, but also believed there was an infinite number of potential archetypes that could exist. 

An example of a masculi...

Did you know that at least 1 in 10 dads experience depression or anxiety related to the arrival of a new baby? 

It’s a condition known as PPND – Paternal Post Natal Depression and it’s much more common than most people realise. Unfortunately, many men suffer in silence and never seek help. 

Howard Todd-Collins  is a psychotherapist who helps men deal with the emotional changes that occur when they become fathers. 

In this interview, h...

Hugh van Cuylenburg is the founder of The Resilience Project, an organisation that provides mental health and wellbeing programs to schools, businesses and individuals. 

In this interview, Hugh explains how the key concepts of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (G.E.M.) can be applied to fatherhood and why being a parent is a great test of your resilience. 

Hugh also shares stories about his family, his relationship with his dad and ...

At the age of 18, Richard Maloney was recruited to play AFL for the St. Kilda Football Club. 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t mentally equipped to handle the pressure of being an elite sportsman and his AFL career was cut short.

However, this set Rich on a journey of personal development to understand how the human psyche worked and reprogram himself to be more resilient. 

In this interview, Rich shares his story of personal discovery and ex...

Dr Warren Farrell is a political scientist, activist and author of seven books including ‘The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It”

In this interview, we discuss some of the societal issues that are negatively impacting boys and contributing to what Dr Farrell calls The Boy Crisis. 

We also explore the important role that fathers play in the raising of children and why it’s so crucial for dads to be act...