Nearly at the end of the year... phew.
2021 is bound to be better eh?
I wrote about the feeling of crashing into a Covid Iceberg (which was a great opportunity to include a lot of Titanic references!)
For our family, it's not all been bad, we've stayed healthy and so have immediate and extended family, sometimes it's good to remember that basic measure of success.
Good things this year - family time (walks, movie nights & general time together)
Bad things - family time; in particular home school taking over my life and sucking time from the day, plus squabbling with my son about home school (my daughter is much easier!)
From a business perspective, it's been tough for paid coaching work but really rewarding in terms of helping people on free calls, making appearances in webinars and panel events and even chatting on national radio. https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/media
Lockdown Dads Podcast
In May, James Millar and I kicked off Lockdown Dads - the podcast we hoped would only be relevant for one season. Now we are booking guests for season 3 that will run until April. In the nicest possible way I sincerely hope that we can kill it off then!
The final episode (#27) is available to watch or listen here:
https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads
"A look back at 26 episodes of Lockdown Dads - the good, the bad and the ugly as we ponder the "annus horribilis" that was 2020. We talk guests and the tips that inspired us and the tips that shocked us, it's all here as we discuss what 2021 has instore for dads and their families and how as a show we can continue to bring you interesting and informative content onward into season 3 of a project we wanted to kill off. Too much lockdown...!"
Awesome People
Finally for this year I was very proud to see two friends recognised for their work
Rhian Mannings MBE received a Pride of Britain special recognition award from actor Michael Sheen for her charity work.
While Eb Mukhtar was recognised with an MBE for his role in organising PPE logistics for the NHS.
"The fact that no NHS hospital ever ran out of stock is largely due to improvements he made."
and onto now
Here in SE London we're in Tier 4; Christmas plans are cancelled and we wait again to see what the plans are for schooling. The eye opening stat is that in our immediate areas 1 in 100 of the population tested positive last week for Covd.
Not me though, I paid for a test so I could visit my Dad, safe in the knowledge that I wasn't going to infect him. Naturally, I got a negative result a few hours after discovering that Xmas was off and it was a waste of £120. Such is life.
Great news is that Caroline from his local pub The Ruishton Inn are going to deliver him a Christmas Dinner. Community is alive and well!
Looking ahead a bit to 2021
It's exciting to be bringing another set of awesome guests to the Lockdown Dads podcast in the spring, a couple of collaborations will be launched and I'll be rolling out "The Successful Dads Scorecard".
The scorecard will give dads the opportunity to answer some important questions and get simple actionable tips based on how they scored. I can't wait to share it with you!
If you want to be a beta tester? email me here info@inspiringdads.co.uk
Some final words
Sometimes all we can do is adapt and accept and keep going. As Rocky Balboa says in the film Creed "One step at a time. One punch at a time. One round at a time."
and keep talking
talk to your partner
talk to your kids
talk to your mates
because as Bob Hoskins once said "It's good to talk"
Merry Christmas
Ian, Lisa, Freya and Struan
Picture Credit: Volodymyr Hryshchenko via Unsplash @lunarts
How to navigate the Inspiring Dads' Parental Leave database
Read on to discover which organisations are joining the Database.
Photo credit - Dad Shift UK
What does it look like when you engage me to deliver your live event?
Well paid, extended parental leave, really matters for gender equality AND it’s a massive PR win
Interested in private 1 to 1 coaching with Inspiring Dads? All your questions answered here.
The Financial Times : Paternity leave in finance: ‘The more men do it, the less of a big deal it becomes’
Building new foundations and thought processes are crucial to driving gender equality at work and at home.
Plurastic Ignorance is the tendency of people to hold a particular opinion privately while mistakenly believing the majority of people disagree with that opinion…
Championing New Dads At Work - Edition 3.
This week I’m a guest on the Big Careers, Small Children Podcast from Leaders Plus and lots more
Championing New Dads At Work - Edition 2.
“Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability… “ and much more
Championing New Dads At Work - Edition 1 .
This weekly newsletter provides you with a range of resources, inspiration and topics related to fatherhood and equality.
This blog post walks you through 5 common practical impacts of fatherhood and gives you tips to navigate your way.
In common with so many couples, we experienced miscarriages. Psychotherapist Noel McDermott looks at the emotional impact of miscarriage and how we can improve support for men.
Discover why we pledge 1% to 2 Wish Upon A Star
I'm back,
We're all 'back'? Back in the office? Back to school?
Inspiring Dads founder, Ian Dinwiddy, was invited to contribute to a Dads at Work feature for Daddilife discusses the importance of culture over policy in creating a balanced future for dads...
Recorded on ‘freedom day’ we reflect on 18 months of pandemic podcast chat, the highs and lows and the fascinating guests we have been lucky enough to have on the show.
Cat’s in the Cradle is a well known song but have you ever paid attention to the words?
What dads do and role model at home is of vital significance to the chances of their daughter’s career success and to the health of their son’s future relationships.
Life lessons and observations from U8s football
Shared Parental Leave, what it is and why it creates benefits for businesses, dads and families.
Writing for Thriving Talent, I have a look at what dads want, the impact of Covid-19 on both men and women and look at why championing dads at work really does matter in 2021.
We look back at the guests, the stories and the tips that caught our eye since January.
In 2012 Rhian Mannings’ life suddenly and tragically changed when first her young son George died, followed 5 days later by her husband Paul. She then founded 2 Wish Upon A Star.
In 2019, former Naval Officer, James Edmondson, wrote a piece for The Homeworker magazine about working from home called Joining The Revolution. I went back to speak to him in 2021.
What it means to be good ally? How Brian’s own family were a prompt to volunteer in diversity and inclusion voluntary work and why men must be involved if we aren’t just creating inclusion echo chambers.
Nicki Seignot, Author of 'Mentoring New Parents at Work' and founder of The Parent Mentor talks to James and Ian in episode 36 of Lockdown Dads.
The musician who doesn’t read music, the drummer who didn’t play the drums and a calming, pragmatic influence in Coldplay.
Discover 4 key pillars to create a compelling business case for enhanced parental leave.