Dadvengers Podcast Episode 22 – Simon Hooper, AKA Father of Daughters

It’s Dadvengers Podcast Episode 22 – Simon Hooper, AKA Father of Daughters! This weeks guests describes himself as outnumbered by girls – and we have to agree with him! He is also an influencer, a fundraiser, and a mental health advocate – Simon is smashing it all!

Simon had a great relationship with his own dad as he grew up. He describes his dad as a “great role model” and he is someone Simon still looks up to today. Despite this, Simon was still nervous to tell his dad that he was going to become a father.

Simon faced a new and unexpected challenge in 2020. Simon’s eldest daughter was suddenly taken ill and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This was a huge challenge for Simon and his family to deal with. It had a huge impact on all their lives – and he’s been through a grieving process while adjusting to his daughter’s life-long condition. Simon uses his Instagram as an outlet to talk about mental health, as well as his family life. And he has also shared their diabetes journey with his Instagram community. He finds the community really helpful for managing his mental wellbeing.

We are really pleased Simon could join us, and send huge thanks to him for sharing his story.

Dadvengers Podcast Ep 22 - Simon Hooper (1920x1080)
Dadvengers Podcast Ep 22 – Simon Hooper AKA Father of Daughters

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Episode Time Stamps

1:26 – “I feel like the twins get a rougher deal… as long as everyone’s smiling you’re doing a good job”. – Simon tells us about being a dad of four girls – and the difference from number one, to number four.

3:24 – “Social media is not necessarily real life.” – Simon delves into why he started his Instagram page to show the real side of life and parenting.

5:07 – Becoming a dad at 23; and the up’s, down’s, and surprises of parenting!

7:38 – “I left my wife in a basement flat in London… with a baby who was 5 weeks old… and I was having a good time” – Simon on taking a secondment with work and being way from his newborn baby.

12:16 – “Girls aren’t that much different to boys – they’re as messy, as stressy, as complicated!” – Simon tells us how he bonded with his daughters and what it’s like parenting girls!

14:40 – “My dad is an inspirational role model…”. – Simon tell us about his parents

16:02 – “I thought my dad was going to punch me…” – Simon’s fear of telling his parents he was going to be a dad, and the great traits he has inherited from him!

20:53 – “She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes”. – Simon on his daughter’s diagnosis and the life changes this has led to.

24:55 – “I hadn’t acknowledged how it impacted me as a parent… I broke and was crying about it” – The impact of this diagnosis on Simon.

29:58 – Simon on how he has made changes in his life, looks after his mental health and has found his own outlets for looking after his mental wellbeing.

35:20 – Simon answers your questions!

Also on Dadvengers…

If you enjoyed this episode of the Dadvengers Podcast don’t forget to check out some of the others. We have dads from all sorts of backgrounds and industries talking about their journey’s through fatherhood. And more are being added all the time.

Whether you are male, female, and parent or a parenting professional there’s lots to be learned by listening to men tell their stories. We also have a comments box below if you’d like to leave your thoughts.

Another awesome guest that will hopefully inspire others to keep on learning as we parent. There is no one size fits all formula to being a dad we all have to adapt to whatever life throws at us.

If you want to hear more Dadvengers Podcast episodes the easiest way is to subscribe via your usual podcast provider. In addition you can always check back here on the website where all episodes are listed on the Podcast page.

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