In an effort to tackle these challenges, Men’s Health hosted our first ever #MHDad event this week in Sydney in conjunction with Parents At Work. The panel discussion accompanied the Aussie Dads Uncensored photographic exhibition by John Bävman, exploring the evolving nature of fatherhood and offering insights and advice on navigating the chaos. The panel, consisting of Alex Laguna, Tom Williams, Adam MacDougall and Dr. Vijay Roach chronicled the first-hand adventures of the new breed of fathers, proving you can have a great career and be a great dad without neglecting your personal health or the health of your family unit.
"Why we wanted to host this conversation is to have the discussion; how do we normalise men and women to be able to have the time we need to parent," summarised Emma Walsh, CEO and Founder of Parents At Work, while co-hosting the panel discussion with Men's Health Editor, Luke Benedictus.
"It’s the emotional side that doesn’t get talked about, especially in men,” echoed Alex Laguna of Better Dads. “We don’t talk about the things we are giving up. We all deal with the same thing, we just deal it differently."
Mental health was a huge focus of the evening, with each panelists touching on their own personal experiences. "There is no 'health' without 'mental health’," said Dr. Vijay Roach of the Gidget Foundation. His sentiments were echoed by Rugby League great Adam Macdougall; "You’re only the best parent, when you are the best version of yourself. There's no right or wrong way. Just do it your way."
The event was the first in hopefully a long string of #MHDad events, an initiative supported the magazines new fatherhood vertical.
A huge thank you to our partners: Parents At Work, The Swedish Chamber of Commerce, KPMG, Deloitte, Lendlease, Westpac, Macquarie, Karitane, The Gidget Foundation, Charles & Lee, Bodyscience, Blow Bar Co, Delorenzo Haircare, Kooee, NuZest, Swisse, and Hemp Oz.
