19/06/2026
Becoming a dad changed how I lead, more than any course, book, or business challenge ever has.
When Cory was born in 2018, I was 26 and genuinely unprepared. Not for the love... But for what it actually meant to be responsible for someone who had no fallback if I got it wrong.
At the time, I was still operating with a lot of self-focus. My priorities were out of order in ways I couldn’t fully see yet. And the version of myself I was showing up as, in business and at home, had significant gaps.
Fatherhood closed those gaps fast. Not because it made things easier, but because it made my development non-optional.
You cannot be a mediocre version of yourself and be the parent your children deserve.
And here’s what I’ve realised since: the skills that make a good father are almost identical to the ones that make a good leader.
Regulate your own emotions so you can create safety in others, invest unconditionally, (not based on performance), repair openly when you fall short and model what you want to see reflected back.
Your team is watching the same things your kids are. How you handle pressure, how you treat people when it’s hard, and how your behaviour on the tough days matches what you say you stand for.
Both arenas demand the same version of you. The best version, not the convenient one.
