Daddies by Man of Many

Afleveringen

1. S1E9: The Purple Wiggle | Big Strong John (John Pearce)

   28 oktober 2026 · 34 min

   Afspelen
   John Pearce, best known as Big Strong John from The Wiggles, reveals the hilarious and humbling reality of parenting a toddler while touring the world. From finding moments of peace in hotel room showers to dealing with explosive nappies, the children's entertainer proves that no amount of stage experience prepares you for fatherhood. Lees meer

   Rob and Marcus sit down with John to discuss his accidental path to joining The Wiggles, how he balances his high energy persona with the exhaustion of raising his son Henry, and the unique challenges of touring with his family. The hosts also share their own chaotic parenting stories, including a particularly unforgettable travel cot incident in far north Queensland.

   The conversation explores how becoming a dad has actually changed John's approach to performing, the camaraderie among the parents at Hot Potato Studios, and the surreal experience of having your own child recognise you on television. Plus, a completely rigged arm wrestling match and some brutal dad jokes.

   Chapters

   00:19 Welcome to Daddies
   01:08 Introducing John Pearce
   02:18 Meeting The Wiggles in real life
   04:43 Who is John's favourite Wiggle?
   07:31 Maintaining high energy on stage
   08:46 The great arm wrestling match
   10:31 Touring the US and Canada with a toddler
   12:51 Preparing for fatherhood
   14:06 Shifting priorities after having a baby
   16:45 The pressure of being Big Strong John
   19:04 Having fun in the background of recordings
   21:48 The worst parenting poo stories
   25:24 How fatherhood made John a better Wiggle
   27:46 Transitioning out of pull ups
   29:46 When your child recognises you on TV
   31:26 Closing dad jokes

   Our guest

   John Pearce is an entertainer and former member of Justice Crew who now performs as Big Strong John in The Wiggles. He is a father to a 20 month old boy named Henry.

   TikTok: @johnadamopearce
   The Wiggles: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggles
   Justice Crew: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_Crew
   Hot Potato Studios: wiggles.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Potato_Stu…

2. S1E3: It Takes A Village

   21 oktober 2026 · 26 min

   Afspelen
   When a father takes his child out in public, he isn't babysitting and he certainly isn't giving his wife the day off. He is simply being a parent. Yet the persistent, well-meaning comments from strangers suggest society still has a long way to go in understanding modern fatherhood. Lees meer

   Marcus and Rob unpack the realities of solo parenting, from the exhaustion of long weekends without backup to the sudden disappearance of the afternoon nap. Rob shares his experience holding the fort while his husband took a much-needed retreat to Bali, highlighting the relentless nature of parenting without a moment to hit the gym or unwind. Meanwhile, Marcus navigates the logistics of scheduling family portraits and musical theatre auditions around his 50/50 custody arrangement.

   The conversation then turns to the age-old proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. With families spread across the globe, grandparents embracing the grey nomad lifestyle and the traditional community structures of the past evolving, the hosts explore what a modern village actually looks like. From overseas surrogates to the cool dads at daycare, they reflect on the intentional effort required to build a support network today.

   Chapters

   00:00 The privilege of solo parenting
   01:21 Assumptions about dads in public
   03:03 Shifting perceptions of fatherhood
   04:02 Accepting help as a single parent
   05:46 Winning family portrait competitions
   08:49 Holding the fort while your partner travels
   10:04 Surviving weekends without afternoon naps
   12:14 Auditioning for a musical theatre role
   13:26 Does it really take a village?
   16:26 When your babysitters become grey nomads
   18:12 Defining the modern parenting village
   20:25 Building a community takes intention
   21:41 An international network of surrogates
   22:55 What is missing from your village?
   24:32 Closing out with a dad joke

   What to listen to next

   Dads vs The Manosphere | Marc Fennell
   Surviving Dad Burnout

   Enjoying Daddies? Follow the show in your podcast app so…

3. S1E7: Dads vs The Manosphere | Marc Fennell

   14 oktober 2026 · 57 min

   Afspelen
   A simple parenting hack to keep kids entertained with Minecraft and Pokémon videos on the living room TV can take a dark turn in just twenty minutes. Left to its own devices, the YouTube autoplay algorithm can seamlessly pivot from innocent gaming streams to Joe Rogan lecturing on weak men, plunging young viewers into the depths of the manosphere without a single click. Lees meer

   Marc Fennell joins Rob and Marcus to unpack his new ABC documentary series, State of Man, which explores the inescapable and increasingly toxic online ecosystem targeting young men. Marc shares the terrifying results of a burner phone experiment that tracked how quickly social media algorithms serve up racist AI slop and misogynistic content to teenage boys looking for harmless fitness and dating advice.

   The dads also swap stories from the trenches of modern parenting. Rob recounts the traumatic dismemberment of his daughter's beloved stuffed rabbit, while Marc reveals his son's impressive but infuriating ability to crack the family's device lockbox and hack into Roblox. The conversation turns to the impossible task of policing screen time when parents are equally hooked, and how fathers can model healthy masculinity in a world obsessed with unattainable perfectionism.

   Chapters

   00:00 Hacking Roblox and stealing money
   00:51 Introducing Marc Fennell
   03:54 The tragic dismemberment of Baba the rabbit
   08:16 Safe crackers and iPad lockbox loopholes
   12:06 Parenting with screens and boundaries
   17:13 State of Man and defining the manosphere
   18:54 From Minecraft to Joe Rogan in 20 minutes
   20:23 The burner phone algorithm experiment
   24:22 Navigating the internet with your kids
   30:58 What fathers can do to guide their kids
   33:28 High schoolers and the obsession with weights
   36:03 What women actually want in a man
   41:47 Body image and unattainable perfectionism
   44:39 Emotional regulation and talking it out
   51:14 What makes a good man
   53:15 Impasta noodles and terrible dad jokes

   Our guest

   Marc Fennell is a …

4. S1E6: Surviving Dad Burnout

   7 oktober 2026 · 23 min

   Afspelen
   Every parent eventually creeps into their child's bedroom to check they are still breathing, but few are met with a toddler faking their own demise. A routine check on a motionless child turns into a minor heart attack, only for the little one to reveal a giant grin, knowing exactly how to mess with a tired father. Lees meer

   Rob and Marcus dive into the exhausting reality of back to back daycare illnesses, with Rob surviving a brutal month of flu, gastro and mystery rashes. The conversation shifts to the elusive concept of work life balance, exploring whether heading to the office is actually a break from parenting or just another demanding shift. Rob reflects on a rare three month stint of unemployment that offered a glimpse of true balance, while Marcus admits to slipping into a robotic routine during precious evening hours with his daughter.

   The realities of single fatherhood take centre stage as Marcus prepares for a holiday to Greece, battling the guilt of leaving his daughter behind. He confesses to falling into the trap of buying affection, dropping eye watering amounts at the toy store to overcompensate. Meanwhile, Rob shares the secret to his household's financial survival with a monthly budget date night, prompting a discussion on how to teach kids about money, the legacy of school banking programmes and the unexpected windfall of helping a stranger change a tyre.

   Chapters

   00:00 A brief moment of panic
   00:51 A month of back to back illnesses
   02:13 The daycare immune system build up
   04:09 Preparing for a holiday to Greece
   05:43 The guilt of travelling without your kid
   06:43 Dropping the ball on family time
   07:55 Exhaustion after a weekend of parenting
   08:53 Is work a holiday from being a parent
   10:43 The robotic routine of evening chores
   11:54 Becoming the stereotypical single dad
   13:31 The monthly budget date night
   15:37 Teaching kids about financial responsibility
   17:34 Setting up a bank account for the future
   18:49 The irrational fear of a silent child
   20:06 …

5. S1E5: From Gold Medalist to Dad | Ellia Green

   30 september 2026 · 35 min

   Afspelen
   Retiring from elite sport, transitioning and welcoming a newborn baby are three of life's most monumental shifts. Ellia Green tackled all of them in the space of three months. Facing a wave of global media attention, the Olympic gold medallist found clarity and courage in the simple act of holding his new daughter, realising he never wanted her to think he was too scared to tell the world he was her daddy. Lees meer

   Rob and Marcus sit down with Ellia to hear about his journey from dreaming of being Australia's fastest sprinter to winning gold with the Australian rugby sevens team, and ultimately finding his greatest role yet as a father. Ellia shares how the muscle memory of the rugby pitch surprisingly translated to holding a newborn and changing nappies, and reflects on the unique, beautiful bond he shares with his daughter.

   The dads also swap stories about the harsh realities of taking kids to highly anticipated events. From Marcus dropping eye watering amounts on theatre tickets only to leave fifteen minutes in, to Ellia's encounter with a terrifying eight foot Elmo in Philadelphia, it seems no amount of planning can predict what a toddler will actually enjoy. Throw in a butchered dad joke and a stiff pour of whiskey, and it is just another day of navigating life on the other side of kids.

   Chapters

   00:00 The rugby ball baby hold
   01:04 Introducing Ellia Green
   03:08 Chasing the 100 metre sprint dream
   04:29 Leaving the cinema at half time
   05:57 A terrifying eight foot Elmo
   07:42 Scary parades at Movie World
   09:12 The shared experience of being a dad
   10:26 Growing up adopted from Fiji
   12:57 Transitioning and becoming a father
   16:11 Navigating mental health and retirement
   19:58 Applying elite sports skills to parenting
   21:33 Breaking the baby news to the team
   22:48 Reconnecting with the rugby sevens family
   27:34 Living in the moment with your kids
   29:51 Finding a community of trans dads
   32:15 Butchering the lactose intolerant cow joke

   Our guest

   Ellia Green is an Olympic…

6. S1E4: One and Done

   23 september 2026 · 32 min

   Afspelen
   When a child throws a public tantrum, the most effective response might just be lying down next to them on the floor and whispering softly that everyone is looking at them. It is a bold strategy that leaves a lasting impression, even if it instils a lifetime of crippling insecurity. Lees meer

   Marcus and Rob tackle the complex realities of modern fatherhood, starting with the deeply personal choice to be a 'one and done' family. Rob opens up about the expensive and emotionally taxing surrogacy process that brought his daughter Billy into the world, and the annual subscription-like decision of whether to keep leftover embryos in storage. Marcus reflects on the financial and emotional bandwidth required to raise his daughter Sabrina, noting that dedicating 99 percent of his time to one child feels like the least selfish thing a parent can do.

   The conversation shifts to the inevitable and heavy questions children eventually ask. From explaining why parents live in different houses to navigating the reality of growing up with two dads, the hosts explore how they plan to tackle these complex truths. They also confront the daunting task of explaining death to a toddler, sharing stories of one-eyed pet fish and beloved family dogs shuffling off the mortal coil, all while debating the fine line between protecting their kids and being completely honest.

   Chapters

   00:00 The tantrum whisperer
   01:09 The anatomy of a dad joke
   04:12 Deciding to be one and done
   04:48 The human subscription of embryos
   06:21 Navigating only child stereotypes
   08:46 The Guardian on compassionate parenting
   11:09 The joy and pain of kids craft
   14:50 The true financial cost of parenting
   19:46 Explaining separate houses to kids
   21:04 Growing up with two dads
   23:02 Time magazine on questions dads want
   26:49 Explaining death through a pet fish
   30:08 The Finding Nemo parenting dilemma

   References

   ‘One and done’ parents are some of the most thoughtful and compassionate I have met, the Guardian, Rhiannon Lucy Cossle…

7. S1E3: Becoming a Grandpa at the Age of 37 | Matty Acton

   16 september 2026 · 31 min

   Afspelen
   A 50 cent piece, a kid jumping on a bed, and an 18 year old who had been left alone with someone else's son for the very first time. Matty got the coin out. Then the boy looked up at him with tears in his eyes and said: let's not tell mummy. Lees meer

   Matty Acton is one third of Stav, Abby & Matt on B105 Brisbane breakfast. He met his now wife when he was 18 and she was 22, with a three year old son. His original position was that he did not want a serious relationship with someone who had a child. He has now spent his entire adult life as a parent.

   That three year old is 24. He married at 20 and he is a father, which makes Matty a grandfather at 37. He talks about what that did to the way he sees himself, why he loves telling people about it, and the stigma that still lands on anyone who has children young. He also has a 12 year old son and a nine year old daughter, so the house now runs two sets of rules: one for his kids, and effectively none for his granddaughter.

   In between are the parts nobody puts on Instagram. A major crash out in front of his son's mate on a Sunday morning, over what time the bikes had to be home. Moving a kid to a new school every two years for a radio career, and the one move they decided not to make. Finding out your son is proposing while you are in line for your fourth bottle at a food and wine festival. And what he says he has actually learned across three kids and every one of his adult years, which is smaller and better than any of it: they just want to know that when they put their head on the pillow, someone is there who loves them.

   Plus the dad joke round, which Rob and Marcus handle badly.

   Chapters

   00:00 Cold open: a 50 cent piece and a secret
   00:45 Welcome, and a guest who is a granddaddy
   02:15 Pop, Papa or Bob: what the grandkids call you
   03:09 A major crash out in front of his mate
   05:15 Three kids, 24, 12 and nine, all different
   06:21 What every kid actually wants
   08:31 He was 18, she was 22, her son was three
   11:52 Meeting the…

8. S1E2: Gay Dad, Single Dad

   9 september 2026 · 36 min

   Afspelen
   Rob and Marcus have worked together for years and had never really told each other how they became dads. This is the episode where they do. Lees meer

   Rob Stott is raising a daughter, Billie, with his husband. She was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant the first time they met their surrogate in person was when they flew over for the birth. He explains why Australian law pushed them overseas, why it is the surrogate who chooses the parents rather than the other way round, what altruistic surrogacy actually means, and why Billie now has half siblings around the world and a girl in Melbourne born from the same womb.

   Marcus Hurley was married for five years, has a daughter he calls Beano, and instigated the separation. He describes how long it took before he could say the words "single dad", the fifty-fifty week he calls his bipolar life, the guilt that arrives folded into the relief of a night off, and the moment his daughter drew the family and wrote "daddy" twice.

   Between them they land on the thing nobody says out loud. Nearly one in three Australian children are not growing up in a conventional family household, and both these men did.

   Then the community questions, which are as blunt as you would expect. Did the two of you just do your business in a cup? What if the surrogate wants to keep the baby? And what happens to dating when you are only free every second week.

   Chapters
   00:00 Cold open: the turkey baster question
   00:08 Meet Rob and Marcus
   01:04 Rob's story: two dads, one daughter, Canada
   02:38 Meeting your surrogate for the first time
   04:06 "She chose us": how the matching works
   04:48 The woman who carried Billie
   05:55 Half siblings, and the girl from the same womb
   07:14 What altruistic surrogacy actually means
   08:10 Marcus's story: five years, then divorce
   09:14 How long it takes to say "single dad"
   10:49 The bipolar week, and guilt inside relief
   14:06 Nearly 1 in 3 kids are not "traditional"
   16:30 Two dads, no gender roles, splitting nights
   1…

9. S1E1: How Your Brain Changes When You Become A Dad

   5 september 2026 · 24 min

   Afspelen
   Rob swore at a driver in Newtown. Then he heard a small voice repeat it, word for word, from the back seat. That is roughly where this show begins. Lees meer

   In the first episode of Daddies, Rob Stott and Marcus Hurley take a BBC piece on "dad brain" and test it against their own experience. The research says fatherhood physically rewires you: testosterone drops, and drops further in dads doing more of the caring. Oxytocin rises, especially through play and physical contact.

   Rob's daughter Billie was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant meeting their surrogate over Zoom and watching every scan from the other side of the world. He then took eighteen months off work as the primary carer. The research says gay dads doing primary care show the same brain activation as mothers, and Rob has thoughts on whether that matches what he actually felt, and when.

   Marcus co-parents on a fifty-fifty split and describes the weekly switch between being a dad and being a single man, the morning his ex-wife held an engagement ring up to the camera while he was camping, and the mate who asked him how it made him feel.

   Plus the change nobody warns you about, which is not the nappies. It is your friendships.

   Chapters

   00:00 The word Billie wouldn't stop saying

   00:12 Meet Rob and Marcus

   01:12 TMI: Rob swears, Billie repeats it

   04:39 How a 50/50 fortnight actually works

   05:16 An engagement ring over FaceTime

   06:45 Meeting your daughter's stepdad

   08:04 Change: the BBC 'Dad Brain' article

   09:20 Testosterone drops, oxytocin spikes

   10:54 Surrogacy in Canada, over Zoom

   11:48 Gay dads and 18 months of primary care

   13:13 The change nobody warns you about

   15:56 What do you miss from before?

   18:24 What did you just say?

   20:23 The secret candle

   References
   Dad brains: How fatherhood rewires the male mind, BBC Future, 18 April 2026

   Enjoying Daddies? Follow the show in your podcast app so every new episode lands automatically, and leave a rating and a review. It is the diffe…

10. Daddies is Coming Soon - September 6

    24 augustus 2026 · 1 min

    Afspelen
    Two dads. Two completely different paths to fatherhood. And all the stuff nobody warns you about. Daddies is a new podcast from Man of Many, hosted by Rob Stott, Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many, raising a daughter with his husband via surrogacy, and Marcus Hurley, a single dad navigating co-parenting. This isn't a tips-and-tricks parenting show. Lees meer

    Nobody here is going to tell you how to raise your kids. Each episode takes a piece of modern life; fitness, friendships, work, money, identity, guilt, and asks what actually happens to it once a kid is in the picture.

    Daddies launches Sunday 6 September.

    Join the newsletter.: https://manofmany.com/newsletter

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.