Dad La Soul Sessions Podcast

Who better to ask how to up the dad joke game than Patrick Monahan, who has performed comedy all over the world. A well-respected stand-up comedian, Patrick gives us a glimpse into the comedy world, including what it's like to tour and how to deal with tough crowds.

TW: Sexual abuse

Chris Humphris talked to us about the Male Survivors Partnership and how it supports men and boys who have been the victim of abuse.

It's an important conversation about how we make it easier to talk about these subjects and what the partnership does to facilitate that.

Can you joke about mental health? Should you joke about mental health? Award-winning stand-up comedian Dave Chawner thinks you can and should.

He told us about his eating disorder and how he used comedy to express himself. He also supports people with experience of bad mental health learn comedy skills to help them build confidence, communication and connections with other people.

Find out more about Dave at https://www.davechawner.co.uk/stand-up

Ben Moorhouse is the first returning guest on the Dad La Soul Sessions. He's off on another huge extreme challenge to raise money to save babies' lives and he tells us why he's struggling to raise money.

Why won't people talk about stillbirth in the press? Do they think not mentioning it will make it go away? These are the issues that Ben faces, trying to raise money and trying to support dads who have been through a similar experience. One journalist sent him a shocking message. Find out about it in this episode.

Support Ben's challenge: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester206

James MacDonald is an author and has written a book for new dads called First Time Dad. It's all about looking after your mental health as you support your partner through the pregnancy. James talks about his own mental health struggles, his coping mechanisms and how dads can support each other. He also plays an amazing parody of the Proclaimers' 500 Miles about parenting, on the ukulele!

Get James' book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Time-Dad-Confident-Pregnancy-ebook/dp/B0BX4NSDD1

Jonnie Jensen from Team Super Dad understands what it is like to be at rock bottom because he has been there. He worked out how to lift himself back up and now he is dedicated to helping men do the same, be great dads, be happy humans and get to where they want to go. To find purpose. 

Find out more about Jonnie here:  https://www.teamsuperdad.com/

And find out more about Dad La Soul here: https://www.dadlasoul.com/ 

Sam Delaney is a journalist, broadcaster and podcaster who has written books, wrote for the lads mags back in the day and was editor of Heat. He's got some tales to tell from those early days, but also you need to hear what happened with his mental health. After becoming a dad, he tried to keep up his drinking and drug taking but it led to him spiralling. Find out how he battled through it, how he wish he'd battled through it and a load of other stories that are just a fraction of  the content for his new book Sort Your Head Out https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sort-Your-Head-Out-bollocks/dp/1408717085 

Criztoz is a Brighton-based DJ who founded 45 Day to celebrate the 7-inch single. He also hosts a live stream chatting to DJs about their mental health and relating it to the music that they are passionate about. This is an obvious parallel with what we are doing at Dad La Soul, so it was fascinating to find out more about him.

Find out more about Criztoz at https://fortyfiveday.com/ 

David Mullings is the founder and CEO of Father Figure (https://www.fatherfigure.org.uk/), an organisation that supports dads and families in court and through mediation and advocacy. He has also produced a documentary called 5 Black Fathers, which explores the lives of dads in different situations. In the Dad La Soul Sessions, he talks to Jim about the challenges for all dads, as well as for black dads. He also gives an excellent explanation of what white privilege means in his eyes. It's fascinating stuff, so have a listen!

Mum of ten, leadership guru, author and owner of a dog called Dickie Van Der Sausage, Danusia Malina-Derben has researched modern fatherhood, asked questions of dads of all ages and backgrounds and has collated the results. She talks about what she found out, which forms the basis of her book SPUNK: A Manifesto Modernising Fatherhood, which you can get here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SPUNK-Modernising-Fatherhood-Danusia-Malina-Derben/dp/1838209824/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OYMLMOAPF71Q&keywords=spunk+book&qid=1664921316&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjUwIiwicXNhIjoiMC40NyIsInFzcCI6IjEuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=spunk+book%2Caps%2C65&sr=8-1

Barrington Reeves has a long history of advocating for men and dads when it comes to family services. He has a fascinating tale about starting dads' groups when it was not the done thing, how men's roles in the family are starting to be better recognised and what needs to happen in the future. 

You can connect with Barrington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrington-reeves-08218a29/ 

Ben Moorhouse and his partner Gaynor were hit by tragedy four years ago, and as much as it still hurts, Ben is channeling his grief into trying to prevent what happened to them happening to other parents. Already used to raising money for charity through extreme challenges, Ben is taking on his toughest yet - walking 180 miles from London to Manchester NON-STOP. 

In this podcast, he talks to Jim Coulson about his story, the lack of support for dads after stillbirth, how he trains for his challenges and why the media won't touch his story and help him raise the money the research team so desperately need. 

DONATE TO BEN: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester2022

Find out more about us: https://www.dadlasoul.com/