PODCAST · kids
Dad-ability
by Rob Hale
Dad-ability is dedicated to supporting, and empowering dads of all kids with disabilities by encouraging dads to be vulnerable, open up and share stories of success, struggle and everything in between. Have a story to share with other dads?Get in touch: [email protected] me a voice message using the link below:https://anchor.fm/rob-hale9/messageDad-ability is proudly brought to you by WeFlex, fitness for everybody. Connecting people living with a disability and unique needs with the health and fitness industry. Visit www.weflex.com.au to find out more information
Episodes
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Too Much To Ask?
Too Much to Ask? When you're a dad of a child with a disability, asking for support at work can feel like walking a tightrope. In this episode, I share a personal story and perspectives about disclosing my family's needs in the workplace and how one employer said all the right things… until it…
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Stuck in The Loop
Ever find yourself reacting before you even realise what you’re reacting to? In this episode, I unpack a moment where I defaulted back into an old emotional thinking pattern taking things personally, called personalisation. It’s a cognitive distortion that creates reactions like snapping when I...
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Invisible Progress
After a long hiatus, I’m back. Recorded in the car. No mic, no script, no polish. Just me, reflecting on the last 48 hours with Leo and the massive progress I didn’t know we’d made. In this episode I reflect on two surprising experiences with my son Leo that reminded me just how far he’s come.…
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Loneliness & Disability Parenting
As dads of children with disabilities, one of the hardest truths we need to face is the isolation and loneliness that comes with the territory of parenting a child with a disability. In many ways your life as a disability parent may mirror your child’s own experiences, such as less friends, less...
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Finding what works with Peter Fitzgerald
How can you try and be your best as a disability dad? Try starting by finding what works. For your child’s therapy, for their needs and most importantly for you as a dad. Living by the code is a mantra that many people have adopted to guide their lives, and something that works for Peter. It’s a...
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Perception is everything
There is the event itself and then there is the story we tell ourselves. Too often we exaggerate the story and get into unhealthy thinking patterns about our ability to stay calm and dela with challenges as das of kids with disabilities. Perception precedes action. The right action follows the...
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Routine Rollercoaster
On the season 3 opener I share my experiences about a very relatable challenge we all face as dads of kids with disabilities in terms of navigating whether we choose the path of least resistance of the predictable world of routine or whether we brave the unknown exploration of the new…
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Overwhelmed 🌊
I made a commitment when I started Dad-ability that I would openly talk about the struggles as well as the successes and practical strategies. This episode is me at my most vulnerable. It’s raw. It’s honest and it’s something every parent of a child with disability can relate to. What happens…
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Learning to Fly: An Adventure into Managing Grief
Coming to terms with grief of the life you thought they would have is an ongoing challenge for many parents of children with disabilities. What can we learn from our beautiful unique kids about how to deal with it better? I offer a personal perspective grounded in a ‘Peter Pan’ Mentality of...
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New Diagnosis. Who dis?
The most common question I get asked is what advice do I have for dads who has just received a new disability diagnosis for their kids. I have summarised my top 5 tips I have learned so far from my own experiences to help a dad come to terms with the diagnosis, how to handle it, and what to do to...
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The Small Wins with Ivan Baumgartner
On todays episode Ivan shares his unique journey in navigating and understanding the discovery of his daughter Naomi’s rare genetic condition SATB2 -associated syndrome and opens up about his struggles over the years of seeking and getting the info he needed which lead him and his wife to start a...
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Wrestling with Guilt
Somethings that unites everyone as a parent of a child with disability is the guilt we carry, and wrestle with each day. It can be heavy, draining and at times debilitating. Juggling work and caring responsibilities is one of the hardest challenges facing dads and can come with extremely intense...
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Radical Acceptance
How do you cope when you are confronted with a reality that is undesirable and not what you had hoped? Do you ever feel or say things aren’t fair? Why is this happening to me? On todays episode I discuss Radical Acceptance and how we can learn that everything has meaning and value we just need to...
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Support Series: Behaviours of Concern with Erika Gleeson
Does your son or daughter experience behaviour of concern? Do you wish you understand what’s causing their meltdowns and how you can help? I’m stoked to continue our support series and chat to friend and behaviour guru Erika Gleeson about behaviours of concern. Erika is a senior behavioural...
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Support Series: ‘Psyched Up’ with Sam Van Meurs
Welcome to the first episode of our support series where we chat with the experts who provide support to our children living with disabilities and also to us as dads and our families. On today’s episode I hat with clinically trained psychologist Sam Van Meurs who shares his insights as a dad and...
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Finding CALM in the Chaos
Life can be overwhelming parenting children with a disability, and any given day can quickly turn into chaos and challenging to deal with. On todays episode I share a personal framework that I developed for finding CALM in the chaos based on my experience and perspective. It is very practical and...
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Reclaiming Control
How do you cope when things fall apart? What happens when you fall short of your own expectation? Or you simply just lose it in a heated moment? Often the losses in life teach us far more than the wins. So often the answer is hardwork and the questuons is irrelevant. On this episode I share my...
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The Man in the Arena
Are you playing big or small? Are you leaning in or avoiding? What are you doing for you? We can all carry carers guilt and prioritise our kids above ourselves because of their higher and unique needs but how are you living your best life? When you look back at the book of your life, how good was...
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Turning Struggle into Strength
Being a dad of a child with a disability comes with a higher degree of difficulty and at times can feel like you are trying to execute a handstand inverted pike, triple somersault of the 10m platform. Life is full of challenges and it's totally normal, and understood that you will struggle from...
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You Are Enough with Earl Makayan
Do you ever feel like you could or should be doing more as a dad? Have you struggled with your mental health? Having a child with a disability increases the degree of difficulty in handling everyday stresses. On todays episode I chat with Earl who shares his experience in how his self awareness…
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Celebrating your Dad-ability
On this Father’s Day edition we are celebrating all things Dad-ability and I’m joined by 2 dads from the Whatability dad community in Jake and Campbell who offer different perspectives. Jake has worked in the disability sector for 10 years and in his current role at Whatability he uses his…
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Train Your Mind
Mind over mood. Change how you feel and act by changing the way you think. What might be a more helpful way to think about this situation? What would you advise a close friend with the same thought? Are you overestimating the likelihood of something bad happening? You are not alone. It’s totally...
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365 Days of Reflection
In this first season finale I reflect with pride 365 days after first checking myself into a mental health hospital on my learnings, progress and gratitude. I didn’t think I could change, felt out of control and felt hopeless and hopeful at the same time. A year on I’m now the strongest mentally…
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Practical Positivity with Dan Lawley
On this episode I have a very honest and refreshing chat with Dan Lawley, who shares his thoughts on the importance of acceptance and educating yourself as a dad. We discuss navigating social situations when your kids develop self awareness of autism by teaching strategies of focusing on respect...
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Get connected with Kindship
Do you ever feel isolated? Lonely? Wish you good connect with another dad that just gets it? I have an epic chat with the incredible team behind Kindship the first social networking app built by and exclusively for parents raising children with disabilities, delays, and neurodiversity. We talk...
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Personal Manifesto
A manifesto is defined as a declaration of one’s beliefs, opinions, motives, and intentions. It is simply a way for a company or person to write and declare what is important to them. I decided to write a personal manifesto in the form of a ‘Letter to Leo’ that serves also as a note to self and...
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Social Anxiety
On todays episode I share my struggle and experiences with social anxiety. Why do we struggle with social anxiety as dads of disability? Why is it so commonly experienced? What can we do to break the cycle of avoidance and make confronting our social encounters easier?
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Lightening the load
Just because someone carries it well, doesn’t mean it’s not heavy. There is a lot of heavy lifting going on by dads in juggling all of life’s demands everyday. On this episode I talk about what makes it so heavy for dads of children with disabilities, and then share some practical ways to lighten...
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Better than Yesterday with Mav Peri (Part 2)
On part 2 of my chat with single dad Mav, we get stuck into his thoughts on the value of happiness, he reveals his personal mission statement for navigating challenging times and the importance of modelling as a parent when things go wrong.
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Better than Yesterday with Mav Peri (Part 1)
We have an incredible double header episode with my friend and dad Mav Peri. Other than being a good human Mav is a single dad to 2 boys with disabilities and yes I know what you’re thinking? How does he do it? Mav and I chat about the answer to that question, his unique story and growth journey...
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Embracing Imperfection
If we can embrace the imperfection of our disabled kids then why can’t we do it for ourselves? Your self worth is not predicated on pleasing others, achievement or being perfect. In this episode I talk about the need to embrace being imperfect as a dad and why it’s important to stop caring about...
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Interpersonal Effectiveness
On todays episode I discuss the important topic for all disability parents in how to keep and maintain effective interpersonal relationships with your partner. Im no expert or relationship therapist but I wanted to share a valuable DBT skill called GIVE that I have learned that will 100% help...
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Hearing for the first time with Josh Byrne
What’s it like to see your profoundly deaf child hear for the first time? I have a heart to heart with Josh Byrne about the life changing moment his daughter got ‘switched on’ and could hear her mum and dads voice. We chat about celebrating milestones, and actively participating in the hearing...
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Everyday Resilience
On this episode I tackle the topic of everyday resilience, and share some practical ways to improve your positivity and mental health through the power of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. Special thanks and credit to The Resilience Project by Hugh Van Cuylenberg
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Mixtape “You’ve got this”
Here are some highlights from the episodes so far mashed up in a motivational mixtape to remind you that you can do this! To all the dads out there, we see you, you are not alone and you’re more capable than you think. Keep believing in yourself, and never underestimate your Dad-ability
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Be kind to yourself
We are all human and don't always get it right and can always find ways to be better, but you cant hang onto your mistakes you need to learn to let them go! I share my insights and tips on how to stop beating yourself up and reduce rumination by staying in the present and working on what is...
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Leaning into Acceptance (my story) with Steve Pettit
On this episode we flip the script as Steve (a friend and fellow dad) interviews me on my journey so far as a dad of disability in dealing with acceptance, and in adjusting to how life would be different.
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Ask for what you need
One of the hardest things to do in raising a child with a disability is to take care of yourself. On this episode I share my thoughts on the importance of communication, and how to balance getting your needs met as a parent.
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The Power of Sharing
To share or not to share? Where are the boundaries? For many this is a tough decision. People can’t help support you if they don’t know what you are going through. On this episode I offer up my perspective on why sharing can be so beneficial
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Redefining Success with Jarrad McCaskie
What does success look like as a dad to children with a disability? I chat with Jarrad McCaskie who opens up about how he manages raising 3 kids under 7 with ASD, the impact this has had on his career and what success looks like for him now as a professional, a dad and a husband.
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Meltdown Mindset
Adopting a high performance mentality may work in business and sport, but not when it comes to being a dad of a child with a disability. I share a breakthrough strategy that has changed my approach and ability to manage meltdowns
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Overcoming the difficulties of diagnosis with Jon Pickersgill
Autism diagnosis is a challenging, and emotional journey. In this heartfelt chat with Jon Pickersgill, dad to 9 yr old Max, he shares his experiences about the diagnosis of his sons autism, coming to terms with Max having a disability and how to get the support you need to deal with it
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Learning vulnerability with Russ Anderton
I chat with Russ Anderton, dad to 15 yr old Kaed, about his experiences getting comfortable to open up, learning how to be vulnerable and on tackling guilt
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Zero Judgement
I talk about the the power of mindfulness, how to not take it personally and share a CBT skill used to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns
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Opening Up
I share my own personal experience and battles with mental health in navigating the challenges of being a dad to my autistic son
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Dad-ability is dedicated to supporting, and empowering dads of all kids with disabilities by encouraging dads to be vulnerable, open up and share stories of success, struggle and everything in between. Have a story to share with other dads?Get in touch: [email protected] me a voice message using the link below:https://anchor.fm/rob-hale9/messageDad-ability is proudly brought to you by WeFlex, fitness for everybody. Connecting people living with a disability and unique needs with the health and fitness industry. Visit www.weflex.com.au to find out more information
HOSTED BY
Rob Hale
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Dad-ability have?
Dad-ability currently has 46 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Dad-ability about?
Dad-ability is dedicated to supporting, and empowering dads of all kids with disabilities by encouraging dads to be vulnerable, open up and share stories of success, struggle and everything in between. Have a story to share with other dads?Get in touch: [email protected] me a voice...
How often does Dad-ability release new episodes?
Dad-ability has 46 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Dad-ability?
You can listen to Dad-ability on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Dad-ability?
Dad-ability is created and hosted by Rob Hale.
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