Booking Inspiring Dads for your Live Events

What does it look like when you engage me to deliver your live event?

Maybe you see this blog, or do a google search or get a recommendation from your network…

You’ll use my website ‘contact us’ form or send us an email - info@inspiringdads.co.uk and I’ll send you a link to my calendar scheduler (whose motto should be “never knowingly overbooked”) - you can then schedule a no obligation call at a time of your choosing. No toing and froing.

As part of the call confirmation you also get a bonus link to download my PDF 1 pager - “10 Reasons Why Supporting New Dads At Work REALLY Matters.”

The sort of things we’ll discuss on that first call will vary but typically include:

• Background to the event – why do you want to run an event?

• What problem are you looking to solve and what have you done so far?

• Discuss the key outcome(s) for the potential event.

• Do you want to include internal speakers during a potential ‘in conversation’ piece?

• You’ll help me understand the organisational environment around parents and dads in particular.

• We’ll discuss internal sponsorship dynamics - who is on board and what sort of influence do they have?

• Who do we want to attract to the event and initial recommendations about how.

• IT considerations and perhaps the supplier set up process.

It’s all part of a process that involves working closely with you and your stakeholders to create an event that delivers the core messages you need and that perhaps only an external speaker can do (!), influencing senior managers, engaging with colleagues and sowing the seeds for cultural change and engagement.

I’m a big believer in incorporating real stories - mini interview sections with internal speakers and I’ll spend the time creating storylines with your internal guests, prepping the conversation and putting them at ease in an environment where they might be sharing private information for the first time.

And if you want to be provocative, how about my all time favourite title : “Can Men Have it All, and Does it Even Matter?”

“Thanks Ian for a fantastic session with our team - thought provoking and engaging content and Ian is incredibly relatable, knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Our session, ‘Supporting Dads at Work’ has sparked some really great conversations and we hope to use the recommendations Ian provided to help us keep driving gender equality in our workplace.”

Event Credibility

If you’re investing your time and your organisation’s money in an external speaker, you need to feel confident that the audience are going to coming away feeling that it was worth THEIR time, after all, future attendance will often depend on it and your organisational credibility is always important.

Whether you are looking at an off the shelf solution or something more tailored to the internal dynamics you face, or the core message you want to promote, I can work with you to design something your colleagues will love.

Here’s a snapshot of my event attendee feedback:

“All of it was relevant – a webinar I could actually relate to and was nodding the whole way through!”

“Loved Ian’s case study….  If we can get to a place where flexibility with regards to childcare is a non-gender issue and therefore eliminate any bias on these grounds that would be amazing for everyone.”

“Thank you! this was fantastic! both my partner and I watched this and really found it useful.”

“Thank you for a really interesting session on a theme that isn't discussed often enough.”

“Fantastic session thanks so much and a few take aways for me certainly.”

“A truly wonderful session and much food for thought, I felt like I was a progressive father, but I have such a long way to go, I am still fighting societal expectations of men and women.”

“Thanks so much, great to know I'm not on my own with the struggles!”

“This has been really insightful for me and given me some good points to think about / put into practice! Thanks”

“Thank you, Ian. Your presentation was informative and has given me some key points to think on.”

“Ian delivered a one hour webinar on the subject of whether Working Dads can have it all.  Ian came across as being knowledgeable and very likeable.  The content and style of delivery was engaging and the interview he conducted with a member of our team was fantastic, really bringing the session to life.  There was a good balance of thought provoking stories and practical tips to take away. The feedback we have had from attendees has been great and has led to an increase in the number of fathers joining our Working Parents Crew at Clear Channel.  A real success!”

These are the organisations that we have delivered live events for:

The business case evidence for parental leave - massive PR wins.

How Parental Leave can be the ultimate PR opportunity.

It's been a busy week in my part of SE London, not least because we managed to get our Party Wall award sorted out before the builders ran out of things to do / smash inside the house. 'Excitingly' (as anyone I've spoken to this week will know lol) we discovered that the base of the foundations on one side of our house are 3m down - creating a literal money pit to pour concrete into! Fortuntately it's the other side from the party wall stuff - the joys of living on a hill!

Building delights aside it's been a really interesting week for Parental Leave announcements (if you are into that sort of thing, which I am.)

Like all good Marvel films, there's a couple of PS footnotes that I hope you'll stay for!

Let's dive into the detail of the offers from Marks and Spencer, Severn Trent Water and Molson Coors. Three very different offers - one is gold standard and at the other end of the scale - looking at my database it's the biggest gap between Paternity and Maternity Leave provision in the UK....

Marks and Spencer are first up.

Click here to join the conversation

"As of 1 April, Marks and Spencer will introduce six weeks of paternity leave at full pay and double its maternity and adoption leave to 26 weeks at full pay, equating to a £5 million investment."

Of course I'm greedy, I want 26 weeks full pay parental leave - treating all parents the same, regardless of how they become parents. But, that said, kudos to M&S for making changes in the right direction - every little helps as they say in some retail circles.

Positive that they describe it as an investment!

Severn Trent then lowered the tone a bit...

Click here to join the conversation

"We're super proud that we've made a big boost to our maternity and adoption leave, giving colleagues a whole year off fully paid, providing one of the leading maternity and adoption policies in the industry, FTSE 100 and UK."

So far so good...

In fact amazing, if you are taking Maternity or Adoption Leave at Severn Trent - They are offering an astounding 46 weeks full pay Maternity and Adoption leave.

But, when the direction of travel is companies equalising parental leave, I’m afraid Severn Trent have inadvertently created what I think it the most unequal parental leave policy in the country, because drumroll...

2 weeks full pay Paternity.

That's it. It's better than 2 week statutory but it's a bad bad thing for gender equality.

At Severn Trent Mums and Adopters take leave, most Dads won't be. I don't know what their Shared Parental Leave offer is but given they don't mention it in the article I'm not expecting much.

More to do for Dads at Severn Trent and I'll watching out for more news

Then boom... welcome to the party, Molson Coors...

Molson Coors

Click here to join the conversation

"Molson Coors Beverage Company has introduced an equal parental leave policy for its more than 2,200 employees across the UK. All new parents at the brewer of beer brands such as Carling, Coors and Madrí Excepcional will be entitled to up to 52 weeks’ leave regardless of gender or their path to parenthood, 26 weeks of which are fully paid."

Make no mistake this is gold standard.

There are approximately 80 companies offering equal parental leave - about 50 of them are offering 26 weeks plus - which gets you entry to this important club.

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Well paid, extended parental leave, really really matters for gender equality - as is so perfectly illustrated but this comment I saw this week

"... women work part time because taking long periods of parental leave and acting as the primary caregiver, means that their partners go on to win leadership roles and increased salaries."

Unequal parental leave within families AND business is a killer for gender equality at home and work.

Equalised parental leave is a vital foundation for parenting choice, creating equality at home and reframing our gendered associations about care giving. Equality at work is driven by equality at home, knowing my audience you know that's true too.

Happy Friday!

Ian

PS

If your business has great policies but a cultural challenge when it comes to Men taking up the opportunity, then can drop me message, like this firm did this week:

Q. "We've recently switched to a gender neutral parental leave, do you run any in-person/virtual one hour sessions for corporates? We want to encourage as many of our male colleagues to take their full parental leave."

A. This one might be exactly what you need "The Benefits of Extended Parental leave for Fathers and Families."

PPS

I mentioned the PR opportunity. I'm just the messenger and this is what the M&S post stats look like....

Marks and Spencer Post Analytics

Unsplash image by Kelly Sikkema @kellysikkema@kellysikkema

Everything You Need to Know About Our Private 1 to 1 Dad Coaching

One to one coaching can feel like a big investment, and I understand that if you’re going to invest your money you want to know if this is right for you. So before I give you the chance of setting up a 1 to 1 call to explore your options, I want you to take the time to understand more about what we offer and why.

Ian Dinwiddy

Founder of Inspiring Dads

An overview of our 1 to 1 coaching.

Inspiring Dads specialises in paternity coaching for businesses and organisations, supporting ‘first year fathers’ to process the emotional and practical upheaval of fatherhood, regardless of whether they are first time dads or more experienced / worn out (!)

It helps them understand and navigate their way through the immediate stress and worry, building solid foundations and high quality, equitable relationships for the future. But that’s not all we do - we work with dads throughout their dad journey.

At the heart of all our client work Is:

“how to be a great dad, without sacrificing a great career?”

Dads benefit from a judgment free environment which supports open and honest conversations, exploring the pressures of modern day fatherhood. With the NCT reporting that the number of men who become depressed in the first year after becoming a dad is double that of the general population and 1 in 10 dads-to-be will also become depressed during their partner’s pregnancy, it’s clear that supporting new dads is crucial to help them feel more confident, involved, and valued in their role as parents. This support contributes to healthier family dynamics, strengthens the bond between father and child, and fosters a more inclusive parenting culture, benefiting both the individual and the wider community.

We deliver coaching to organisations including:

What problems Can Our Coaching solve? 

✅ How to manage the emotional and practical impacts of fatherhood.

✅ How to build meaningful and balanced relationships at home.

✅ Coping with the childcare logistics of being part of a dual-income couple.

✅ How to be successful at work and at home.

✅ Defining and maintaining healthy workplace boundaries.

What’s included in Our 1 to 1 Coaching Packages?

• 3, 5 or 7 Private 1 to 1 Coaching sessions.

• Our ‘Identifying and Achieving Your Path’ - ‘Training’ course.

• The option to upgrade to ‘The New Dads Accelerator’ course

• DISC personality profile (s)

• WhatsApp support

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What does The Identifying and Achieving Your Path course Include? 

Click on the image to discover more

1. Wheel of Life.

2. Your Five Key People of Influence.

3. Identifying Your Values.

4. Create your 'Be, Do, Have' list.

5. 'Be, Do, Have' Meets 'Wheel of Life'

6. Digging Deeper Into Your Why.

7. Identify Your Top Five Objectives.

8. How Much Money Do Your Objectives Require?

9. Design Your Ideal Working Week.

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How does a DISC profile help you?

• Gain insight into your behavioural preferences.

• Learn how your approach changes under pressure.

• Discover HOW you like to do things and how this effects your relationships with those around you.

• Learn how to apply this knowledge to every day life, both in work and personal relationships.

• Platinum members receive a 2nd, ‘partners profile’ as part of their package.

• Silver and Gold Packages can add a 2nd DISC report for just £49

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How much do our Private coaching Packages cost?

*** Contact us to discuss our organisational pricing structure.

• upgrade to The New Dads Accelerator course content for just £39.

• Add a 2nd DISC report for just £49 and receive Key tips for better communicate in your relationship.

If you have a work Health and Wellbeing fund, your organisation might pay for your coaching like it did for my client Daniel

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If you have a work Health and Wellbeing fund, your organisation might pay for your coaching like it did for my client Daniel ~

Who is this for?

✅ You want to discover your values, priorities and authentic purpose.

✅ You are ready to develop your communication skills and nurture key relationships.

✅ You need to create a work life ‘balance’ that delivers the priorities that really matter to you.

✅ You need practical tips for juggling work / life balance within the family context.

But, it’s Time to be honest…

1 to 1 coaching isn’t going to be for everyone. You’ve got to be ready to make a change, to take action and you’ve also got to ready to be emotionally vulnerable, honest with yourself and honest with me.

If you can’t let go of your thoughts and let me in then it’s not going to work. In short you need to trust me and trust yourself.

That’s why we jump on a free call first, to discover if the chemistry is there.

Once we start - it’s not just about talking, it’s about taking action. I’ll be your guide but it can’t do it for you.

Your goals, your action, your success

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What could you use coaching for?

Taking Your leave…

• Reflecting on your hopes and fears of fatherhood.

• Strengthen relationships at work in preparation for taking leave and minimise impact on career.

• Creating and communicating a handover plan.

• Keeping in touch during leave to ensure continued visibility where appropriate.

• Setting up a support network and communication plan.

• Preparing for the parental leave ‘culture shock.’ Two long stints as a stay at home makes me particularly well qualified on this subject!

Returning from leave…

• ‘Reconnecting’ – sharing of experiences, highs and lows and key lessons.

• Assessing options for returning to work.

• Understanding any changes in personal and family values.

• Preparing ‘return to work’ meetings with managers.

• Preparing for the return to work – the practical considerations (childcare, contingency plans, time management)

• Working on relationships and visibility.

  Longer term objectives…

• Identifying the benefits and challenges of work to you and your family.

• Are all the factors that lead to a longer-term healthy work / family ‘balance’ in place?

• Assessing and understanding career direction (and changes to the plan).

• Assessing time management skills needed for managing work / family ‘balance’.

• Identifying and managing stress points.

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How do you access the ‘Identifying Your Path’ content?

Once you sign up, you will receive an email from us with your login information.

Then you’ll log into a learning platform, Thinkific, using the login instructions in the email.

Once you sign in, you’ll see the dashboard area, from where you can access all the videos and resources. 

What results can I expect?

Lots more testimonials here: https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/testimonials

How do I sign up?

Before I let you part with your hard earned cash, you need to book a free 30 min video call with me to talk about what keeps you awake at night.

• We’ll discover what you are hoping to achieve.

• How I can help you and whether we want to work together.

• We’ll dig into your thoughts and observations, your highs and your lows.

• I’ll challenge your inconsistencies.

• We notice the hidden subtext.

• We create some initial momentum.

• You reflect on your new found understanding and clarity.

• We work together to make progress towards the goals that really matter to you.

If you prefer to work things through on your own, at a pace that works for you - why not check out our course content here >>> https://courses.inspiringdads.co.uk/

Image courtesy of Heidi Fin @framesbyfin via Unsplash