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In this episode I'm joined by Chris Ippolito from Alberta, Canada. This was recorded around Christmas time of 2020, but it's still a hugely relevant conversation. Chris and I talk about working from home, becoming a new father, and taking on new work... all at the same time! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Hi guys I’m Dan Reed, and welcome back to The Career Dad Show It’s been a minute… or several months… and to be honest, I needed a bit of a break. If I can’t practice what I preach, then what good am I? Anyway, it’s great to be back, and let me introduce you to Amit. Amit realised his career in banking was impacting his mental health, and he was becoming someone he didn’t like. He decided to jack it all in and start a business - during lockdown - with a 2 and a 4 year old at home. Amit believed in plan B, and now helps others do the same.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Today I’m joined by father-of-3 Paul Tremain, better known on Instagram as the Multidad. We talk about Lockdown 3.0, balancing work and family, imposter syndrome, as well as reflecting on how Paul felt when he found out he was having twins. This is an amazing episode if you’re expecting twins, trying to balance work with family, or want some tips on dealing with imposter syndrome.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

So here we are - the end of 202 is upon us.I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support this year. Whether it's been listening to the podcast, watching the videos, interacting with the socials... I appreciate it all.Have a fantastic Christmas - and see you in 2021!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

How are angels made? When Bryson’s mom passed away, he thought about how to communicate this with his son. So he wrote a book. Following a successful Kickstarter, How Angels Are Made was published.  This isn’t Bryson’s job, though. He runs the back-office of his wife’s chiropractic clinic, and has been the main caregiver to his 3 kids during Covid. How does he find the time? By auditing his 24 hours…Contents 1m 02s: Atlanta, Georgia: The great melting pot 5m 34s: When the daughters came along… 10m 01s: Being an essential worker (with 3 kids) 15m 33s: How Angels Are Made: a book to help kids deal with group 20m 02s: Learning about Kickstarter 23m 42s: We all have 24 hours 27m 57s: I plan out the next 5 years 34m 25s: Every kid is different Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Starting a marketing agency just before Covid wasn’t part of the plan, but 12 months later and Yonder is going from strength to strength. Chris left his well-paid corporate gig to fulfil a decade-long dream, and also adopted two kids along the way. Chris shares his take on digital marketing and business, as well as the emotions around adopting. There never was the right time to do any of this, but at some point Chris realised that when he said 'I'll do it when...' was just another way of saying 'I'm afraid to'. So he did it.Contents 1m 21s: I grew up in a Southern Baptist Preacher’s house 6m 01s: Empathy has been the key to success 12m 21s: Turning down Disney was turning down a dream 15m 48s: That classic side-hustle 18m 26s: The decision to adopt 30m 18s: ‘Balance’ is a constant struggle, but golf helps 36m 11s: The future of Yonder 37m 48s: You don’t have to be perfect Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Ruben is known as The Luge Man. He’s the first person to compete in 4 Olympics over 4 different decades. He talks to me how had the dream - and the perseverance - to become an Olympian, and how finding mentors is the key to unlocking success. Ruben’s also homeschooled his kids (now 15 and 18) from Day 1, which gives us a lot to talk about with Covid…Contents 0m 45s: Who is The Luge Man? 5m 53s: Did you really pick the luge by process of elimination? 7m 40s: Finding a mentor, being shy, and food stamps 15m 35s: Would you change anything about your journey? 18m 30s: My kids on finding their own Olympics 24m 15s: Homeschooling 31m 33s: 90 minute chunks of time 33m 49s: Best advice for new parents Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

At 17, Joseph was beaten to within an inch of his life by 3 men because of the colour of his skin. The shame and self-loathing led to Joseph being homeless as a teenager, until a man gave him a book that changed his life. Joseph’s now a Doctor of Neuropsychology, a lecturer, a performance coach, and a father. Listen as Joseph explains why we all need to Shut The Freak Up.Contents 1m 03s: 3 grown men tried to take my life because of the colour of my skin 4m 03s: Homeless by 18 6m 01s: Luck and serendipity are manufactured  9m 41s: Covid: There’s no ‘New Normal’ 12m 24s: Is adversity the best teacher? 15m 07s: The ’S’ word: Scheduling 19m 48s: Feel, felt, found 22m 41s: Co-parenting as a single dad 27m 35s: There’s greatness in all of us 29m 12s: The Black Baby Doll Experiment 35m 32s: Shut The Freak Up Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Chris had a successful career in corporate sales, taking on the highs and lows that came with it. As he says, ‘I was operating from a place of low self esteem’.  He’s overcome addictions and now is happily married, and has a 13 year old son - who Chris is proud to be the father to that he didn’t have. Chris also started the EFA Movement: Empowered Fathers in Action, which helps good dads become great dads.Contents 1m 21s: The lifestyle of a sales person 3m 58s: Operating from a place of low self esteem 5m 45s: Becoming the dad that I wanted to have 8m 04s: My son and virtual learning 10m 15s: The Fortnite debate and staying safe online 13m 45s: Co-dependent vs inter-dependent 19m 42s: How do you map your future? 21m 36s: EFA: Empowered Fathers in Action 27m 47s: Given what you’ve been through… would you change any of it? 29m 56s: It all starts with Wellness (and the 8 pillars) 34m 15s: What are the hopes for your son? 37m 10s: Fatherly advice: Learn to relate and understand your children Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Despite being in his early 20s, Brendan has presented over 900 times. His participation in Case Competitions (as Brendan describes them: professional sport for nerds) landed him a role at IBM. But that’s not enough for him. Brendan started a YouTube channel called MasterTalk, where he teaches others how to unlearn the fear of public speaking. There’s so much advice packed into this episode - enjoy!Contents 0m 48s: Let’s talk about talking 3m 06s: Where the fear of public speaking comes from 6m 50s: Unlearning the fear 11m 27s: Reducing the fraud 14m 39s: Public speaking vs workplace presentations 17m 56s: This didn’t come naturally (nor did the language) 20m 40s: How Case Competitions work 23m 50s: What the future holds 26m 25s: Ask yourself one hard question about life every day 30m 31s: Giving away my best bits for free 35m 03s: The random word exercise Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Olympian Gymnast, American Ninja Warrior star and all-round nice guy Jonathan Horton joins me to share his story of getting to the Olympics, and why it's so important to set goals and visualise them.Jonathan Horton is a retired American gymnast who has 2 Olympic medals to his name. When Jonathan was just 4 years old his mum lost him in a department stores. He was found quickly, albeit 25 feet up a support beam he’d climbed up. The next day he was enrolled into a gymnastics class.Contents 1m 29s: An unconventional route to gymnastics 5m 54s: Patience and determination in parenthood 8m 16s: 12 years of losing (and what kept me going) 11m 58s: What holds us back? 15m 02s: Trying Brazilian JuJitsu 17m 03s: Path to the Olympics 21m 07s: The Pursuit of Perfection 25m 01s: Goal setting, and big picture goals 28m 15s: Why I believe in visualisation 32m 30s: 6 years of America Ninja Warrior 34m 50s: Being dad Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Greg Reid is a 32-time best selling author; film maker; founder of The Secret Knock, he runs 6 businesses… and he even has a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. But he’s also a proud dad. We talk about Greg’s upbringing and entrepreneurial spirit, the importance of seeking counsel, not opinion, and why the fear of judgement is holding us back.Contents 1m 06s: What was it like growing up? 3m 08s: 3 feet away from gold 5m 45s: Seek counsel, not opinion 8m 49s: Our dads spent 7 minutes of face-time with us 12m 50s: Kids and technology: It’s just different equipment  14m 58s: Thoughts are (not) things 18m 14s: Hire for your weaknesses 21m 14s: Win-win partnerships 25m 33s: Tapping the source 28m 40s: When COVID ends, will we all go back to what we did before? 31m 57s: Networking for non-networkers  34m 33s: Balance? It’s about inclusion Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Ross is the Performance Manager for Rotherham United Football Club; basically, he helps professional athletes to be at the top of their game. But it’s not just science; it’s empathy, too. There’s so much packed into this episode, including a look at performance anxiety and the impact fans can have on an athlete’s wellbeing.Ross' job sees him spending time away from his wife and kids, and as he puts it: 'I can't put the phone away in the bottom drawer... what if a player needs a medical first thing in the morning?'We talk about working through guilt and feeling pretty rubbish, which lead to Ross' mantra of whatever he is doing, it must be the most important thing at that time... or he wouldn't be doing it.Contents 1m 15s: Performance Manager for Rotherham Utd FC 4m 24s: A typical day 6m 19s: Transferable skills 9m 03s: Can you repeat the question? 10m 46: Hard science vs empathy 12m 52s: The impact of fans on athletes 16m 10s: Performance Anxiety in elite athletes  20m 43s: Fatherhood in lockdown 23m 50s: Struggling to make ‘meaningful time’ 26m 28s: Work can be more important than your family 29m 36s: One of the best jobs in the world 33m 06s: Best parental advice Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Arn Terry was an international headhunter earning a great 6-figure package when the 2008 recession hit. Work dried up overnight, meaning Arn had to hustle harder than ever before, whist also taking on a second job. He talks about making ends meet, being an absent father, and struggling with guilt and embarrassment. He rode the wave through, and since set up his own company. When Covid hit he was much more prepared.Contents 1m 03s: Recruiter by day, social media guy by night 2m 38s: Recruitment during the 2008 recession  5m 52s: Picking up a second job at Tesco 7m 55s: There was no time for family 9m 10s: Embarrassed about needing a second job 11m 38s: Work ethic 14m 01s: Light at the end of the tunnel 17m 38s: Setting out on my own 19m 02s: My life revolved around the school run 20m 34s: Kids’ reaction to stopping breakfast club 22m 37s: Going from six figures to nothing 28m 07s: Training recruiters to be social sellers 32m 28s: Instilling knowledge and wisdom into our kids 36m 01s: My kids have monetised their blogs 39m 17s: My best parenting advice Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

If you don’t know the name Frank Shankwitz, you’ll know the organisation he founded: The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Frank tells his story of how Make-A-Wish got started, his own troubled childhood, his time in England (where he was an Honour Guard at Winston Churchill’s funeral), and how everyone has the power to make a difference.Contents 1m 47s: The story behind Make-A-Wish 6m 25s: If I can do it, anyone can do it 8m 28s: Make-A-Wish: the ultimate side hustle 11m 33s: The Base Honour Guard at Churchill’s funeral  13m 32s: Working on the Atlas Missile Programme 16m 30s: An incredibly rough childhood 20m 17s: Good things that come from bad ones 21m 05s: Being awarded the President’s Service Award 22m 20s: The importance of family 25m 41s: Wishman: A feature film about my life 29m 04s: I’m a Wish Child! 32m 33s: What would 10 year old Frank’s wish be? 33m 54s: Creating positives from a bad start 35m 42s: Working on a TV show 38m 47s: Frank’s parenting advice Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Chris Bishop’s had 8 careers. Not jobs: careers. His band toured with The Eagles and ZZ Top, before Chris became a session musician playing with Robert Palmer and Chuck Berry. He then got into writing jingles - including KitKat’s first TV advert. Chris then discovered the World Wide Web, learned programming, and landed a job with IBM where he worked on Virtual Worlds. Chris now teaches people on how to prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist, and even has a course on LinkedIn Learning.Get ready for a fascinating episode!Contents 0m 54s: A non-linear, multi-modal careerist 4m 58s: The toughest career jump 6m 48s: Writing the KitKat’s first jingle 8m 45s: Getting my first ‘real’ job at 40 10m 56s: Moving from New York to raise our son 14m 55s: Starting Improvising Careers 17m 58s: If you don’t know what job you want to do 21m 53s: Can you replicate music gigs virtually? 23m 48s: The future of VR and airlines 25m 51s: Preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist 29m 04s: Astrophysics meets hospitality 30m 27s: The appropriate amount of time to focus on jobs that don’t exist 33m 30s: IBM and Virtual Worlds 39m 34s: How to answer ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ 40m 36s: My course on LinkedIn Learning Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Meet Tony: he’s a croupier at a casino in Mayfair, so as you might imagine Coronavirus has hit him hard… especially when you hear what his largest gratuity was! Tony’s also a dad… a dad who suffered with post natal depression, which caused the breakdown in his relationship. Tony talks incredibly openly about his experiences, and how he’s working hard to rebuild a relationship with the love of his life. Contents 0m 55s: Lockdown and casinos 1m 48s: Demonising people on Furlough 3m 36s: I miss feeling useful 4m 49s: Learning better money management 6m 18s: Do our spending habits mask our happiness? 7m 43s: Working nights in a casino 9m 17s: The most money you’ve seen one guy bring in 12m 44s: Is it all luck? 14m 47s: Super successful people trying to beat an unbeatable system  16m 30s: Do you gamble? 17m 20s: How I got into casinos 18m 25s: What’s the biggest gratuity you’ve ever received? 19m 59s: She’s no longer a waitress… 21m 25s: I struggled with becoming a dad 24m 58s: Post natal depression as a dad 29m 27s: I was too selfish to ‘have kids right now’ 31m 26s: Trading one set of likes for another 34m 22s: Is there a chance for you and your ex? Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Say hello to Mr Awesome, Erik Swanson. Erik’s an international speaker, 7x Number 1 bestseller, and creator of Habitude Warrior - one of the top 10 events in the US. Erik shares how you can harness success through habits and attitude; why we need to stop allowing other people to rent space in our mind; and how some of the world’s wealthiest people are also the most accessible. This episode is filled with laughs and lots of energy… enjoy!Contents 1m 39s: Success Attitude Coach and Habitude Warrior… what’s that? 5m 19s: It all started with me being a Sales Trainer 7m 05s: The Ripple Effect 10m 21s: Who to go to for positivity 12m 39s: Why the last resolution on the Top 10 was the most important 19m 25s: Where did Mr Awesome come from? 21m 27s: Being a giver 24m 30s: Building conferences out of fear 27m 46s: Junior Habitude Warrior 29m 51s: Cultural attitudes towards confidence 32m 06s: When did you know you’d made it? 35m 25s: What’s next for Dan Reed? 36m 51s: How to get into motivational speaking Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

This is a special one for me, as I sit down face-to-face with my Father-in-Law - and editor of The Career Dad Show - Ian. We look at Ian’s career of teaching abroad; and what it was like leaving the UK with a young child. I also ask Ian for his favourite Career Dad episode, how his family dynamic was so alien to me, and what it’s been like for him during lockdown as a Shielded person. You can also watch the interview over on YouTube.Contents 1m 56: Teaching abroad with the MOD 9m 29: French, Spanish, German and Greek 13m 05s: Moving abroad with a young kid 16m 16s: Paternity leave: Now and then 18m 10s: What’s your favourite Career Dad Show episode? 21m 31s: Biggest struggles of lockdown 22m 45s: My daughter moved away from home at 16 25m 49s: Retiring, and moving back to the UK 29m 12s: Gratitude for the supporting cast 32m 20s: Being shielded during lockdown 38m 27s: You’re just like The Borg Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)

Pick up your phone and put it in the palm of your hand. That’s the size - and weight - of Mike’s daughter when she was born at 24 weeks. She’s now 5 years old and doing great, but it was a really scary time for Mike and his wife Gaby… especially as first time parents. As if that wasn’t enough, Mike and Gaby also started their own digital consultancy company - Proofpoint Marketing - at the same time. The company was built upon flexible and remote working… so it’s no surprise that they were ready for COVID.Contents 0m 59s: My daughter was born at 24 weeks 5m 03s: Talking about Pre-eclampsia (spells) 7m 32s: Working from hospital (as a digital marketer) 09m 09s: A miracle baby 12m 04s: She lived in a hospital for the first 6 months of her life 15m 03s: The first signs of hope 17m 35s: Celebrating 3 birthdays 18m 35s: Putting positivity in our heads 22m 07s: Creating Proofpoint marketing… at the same time as all this 26m 22s: Measuring business output, not based on 9-5 28m 20s: Remote working: attracting better talent? 30m 49s: What’s it like working with ‘rigid’ corporates? 33m 29s: COVID, remote working and the future 37m 21s: Best parental advice Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/careerdad)