Sam Cunnington Waugh: Switching Up Support for Dads at Work

In this episode, we interview Sam Cunnington Waugh. Sam is a father to an almost 5 month old boy Felix, and a 5 year old daughter Rhea, who has recently started school. He is a Brit, married to a kiwi Bella and they moved over to Aotearoa from London in 2021, during the tail end of the pandemic. Sam works in government, currently at a crown entity, but has had a varied history in different government departments across the UK and now NZ. He is aspiring to middle management and not totally sure how he feels about that!He’s a keen musician (having played drums with the London based band Zola Blood) and is now teaching himself classical guitar. He also loves tennis and has been playing regularly with his club since moving here, although this has taken a bit of a backseat since Felix was born. Baking sourdough is his other hobby (acquired during the pandemic like so many others) that keeps him on a level, and literally puts bread on the table.They have a good support network, particularly through Bella’s mum who lives very close. Auntie Karen has a great relationship with Rhea and often does school pick ups and play dates. That with support from other school parents, both Bella and Sam would say it really does take a village. Our conversation was full of rich insights and reflections from Sam on his experience as a working dad and if you’ve lived in the UK, you will identify with many of his observations about arriving in NZ. Our conversation includes the topics of:How reasoning with a three-year-old helps your negotiation skills when working with the Exec Team.How time takes on a different meaning when you become a parent and you often lament where all the time goes.The importance of communicating with your partner on what you need. His experience of parental leave in the UK. The pressures in his career since becoming a parent and the importance of asking for help – even if it feels uncomfortable.Switching up the workplace so that more proactive conversations are had with returning Dads and making it easy for them to ask for what they need in terms of flexible working. Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded by Works for Everyone, a business based in NZ and operating globally that supports working parents to stay in the leadership pipeline through coaching, workshops, and keynote speaking.  Your host, Emma Mclean, is a mother of three teenagers, an Executive Coach and the Founder of Works for Everyone. Following a successful 25-year career in corporate marketing, Emma launched her business in 2019 to put a care wrap around working parents at the hardest time in their career. She launched the NZ Part Time Power List in 2024 as she wanted to shine a light on individuals that are building their career through part time roles, rather than side stepping it. She is alumni of the 2021 NZ Leadership Programme and a proud Swiftie (a lifelong Taylor Swift fan). To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nzhttps://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/