Dads embracing the chaos with Patrick Gardner (ep 81)

With Father’s Day coming up on 1 September, we’re celebrating dads! And what better way to celebrate than by inviting a dad on the show to talk all things juggle with us.   We had lots of fun chatting to Patrick Gardner. Patrick is a father to two daughters and works as a Director of Deloitte Consulting. Patrick’s work mainly involves working with the public sector and health care clients. He has taken parental leave after the birth of each of his two children and works flexibly to be with his kids and also support his wife in her career.  Highlights from this episode include:  * An honest start – it’s ok not to love every moment of parenthood! * The reaction Patrick has received from being a hand’s on father and how the attitudes have softened in the years between taking leave with his first and second child * How Patrick’s own childhood has influenced his attitude to working parenthood * Balancing the concern that parental leave will have a detrimental impact on your career with the benefits of forming a bond with your children from an early age * Patrick’s advice when returning to work after parental leave – don’t overcommit! * Patrick acknowledges his position of privilege as a white male in a well-paying job in a large organisation, with two sets of grandparents who are actively involved in the family, but that he is using that position to try to support and mentor others * Building trust and empathy with clients and colleagues * How Patrick and his partner share the mental load and why that is so important for equality not only in the home, but in the workplace too – and listen to hear about the graph they have on the fridge!   * The need to acknowledge the grind that is life with young children, rather than make life appear Instagram-perfect at every step  Links mentioned in this episode:   * The Juggle Community, our online Facebook group * Subscribe to The Juggle Podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Android  * Find us on Instagram and Facebook * The Juggle website, where you can find all episodes of The Juggle and sign up to be notified when a new episode is released  Happy juggling!