Parents At Work Podcast Parents At Work Podcast

Menopause is a normal life event for women (trans gender and non-binary people too), and yet we very rarely talk about it, even amongst our friends and particularly not in the workplace – but why?
Given that women aged over 45 comprise 17% of the Australian workforce and menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 – you would think that conversations about such a natural event would be common place.

In this podcast, Parents At Work’s Customer Experience Director, Fiona Hitchiner, interviews Thea O’Connor to learn more about menopause, some of the signs and symptoms, what we can do to prepare for this phase of life, and even find joy in it. Thea O’Connor is a senior advisor on workplace wellbeing and productivity, helping leaders, teams and individuals improve their workplace engagement and effectiveness through body intelligence and better health. She draws on 30 years experience in health promotion including in the fields of nutrition (as a dietitian), body image, sleep science and workplace health.

Here are some useful resources to learn more about menopause:
https://www.thea.com.au/menopause/
https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause
https://www.menopause.org.au/

Improving the Quality of Our Relationships (and how this affects our wellbeing)

Do you feel you are being yourself in all your relationships? Are there any relationships you would like to change or improve that may currently be quite negative or destructive? Does how you relate to others impact on your health and wellbeing?

When we are free to be our real selves we connect more deeply with others and we enjoy life more - we feel more fulfilled in our jobs and we are naturally enriching as parents. Life doesn't feel hard and problems don͛t feel like big issues to tackle. Why isn͛t this a reality for most of us, most of the time? It comes down to our relationships. We have a relationship with every aspect of our life. We say, this is what my relationship is with my partner, my kids, my clothes, my dog, nature, our house– every aspect in life. Therefore, doesn't it make sense to stop and reflect on the quality of our relationships if, indeed, everything is about relationships? Yet most of us are not approaching life this way. This month Katie and Sam look at how we measure our relationships, whether we are holding back in any areas or have different versions of ourselves with different people? What happens

if we are and what impact does this have on our overall health and wellbeing? Most importantly, how can we work with any issues that arise so that we not only have fulfilling relationships with others but also ourselves.

This episode, the team talks to Aaron Williams about the challenges that arise within relationships when we become parents. Aaron Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Mindstar, a leading workplace wellbeing provider that works with some of the biggest companies across Australia on how to manage these challenges.

Aaron is a counsellor who has worked closely with many couples to help them adjust to this change in relationship dynamic. He has found that many people upon becoming parents, had difficulty balancing work and family and found that their personal wellbeing and relationships with their partners is what suffers the most.

Aaron states "to be that bloke you want to be it takes a lot of work and a lot of balance… it takes self discipline and self leadership”.

Join Aaron and the team at The Father Hood as they explore how we can keep a strong connection with our partners amongst family life with kids.

"It takes a village to raise a family and if you don’t feel accepted by that village, it’s a lonely place" - Ashley Scott

In this episode of The Father Hood podcast the team talks to Ashley Scott about his personal experience with being a gay dad and his interaction with other LGBTQI+ families through his work as Executive Officer at Rainbow Families. Rainbow Families aims to 'build a community which fosters resiliency by connecting, supporting and empowering' LGBTQI+ families.

Ashley talks about the challenges and opportunities he has experienced as a gay dad, especially how the freedom from traditional gender roles has allowed himself and his partner to divvy up the household and parenting work in a unique way that best suits each person. He also discusses his work at Rainbow Families and how his interactions with other LGBTQI+ families has allowed his two daughters to interact with children sharing similar family dynamics as well as have access to positive female role models, which he feels is important to provide.

Ashley feels that his work with Rainbow Families is helping LGBTQI+ families feel more accepted in their community and provides a unique support for parents outside the usual social circles.

As school holidays approach, most of us are thinking about re-connecting with family, taking some well-deserved time off as well as finding creative ways to engage the kids over the break.

In this podcast Fiona Hitchiner from Parents At Work interviews Adrian Rokman, co-founder of KidsCo, known for their award winning School holiday programs in the workplace and recently named as one of the most innovative companies in Australia by the Australian Financial Review. Together they will provide ideas and inspiration to families to provide fun and educational ways to keep the kids busy and entertained which will also create space for a bit of me-time for the grown ups! You will also get to take away practical resources for the kids.

In the 1970 U.S. census, only 6 men in the whole of America identified as a stay-at-home dad, but by 2014 this number had risen to 2 million people.

In this latest episode, The Father Hood team interview Rory Brown about his experience with being a stay-at-home dad in today's climate. They ask about the benefits of being a stay-at-home dad, if he has experienced any negative stigma surrounding his role, what his personal experience has been like, and what he has learned or gained from being a stay-at-home dad.

Rory talks about the opportunity to spend in depth time with your children as they grow right before your eyes. He also discusses the feeling of joint success when watching his wife strive for and meet her career goals, something that would have been harder to achieve without Rory being the stay-at-home parent. Through his role, Rory has also come to appreciate and understand the difficulties involved in managing a household, something that his wife had predominantly been in charge of early in their marriage. He feels it has been a massive learning experience for both partners gaining experience in their respective family roles and also in how today's society reacts to the idea of a dad being the primary carer.

Rory hopes that fathers continue to take on the role of the stay-at-home parent, that people will begin to understand the difficulties associated with the role, and that it starts to be viewed as a very accessible role for both mothers and fathers.