How Fatherhood Forced Me to Grow the F* Up
I hit a breaking point a few months into fatherhood. I was running on fumes — launching a company, supporting my wife through postpartum recovery, taking care of a newborn, and still trying to pretend I was fine. Not only that, but I wasn’t. I found myself overwhelmed, depressed, and unsure of how to ask for help. That moment — that low — became the start of something deeper.
In this episode, I share how fatherhood cracked me open. I talk about parenting as a daily spiritual practice, the shock of realizing how much I still relied on my partner for emotional stability, and how I learned to parent myself while raising my daughter. I get into what postpartum looks like for dads (yes, it’s real), why building a support system is non-negotiable, and why the struggle is actually the point.
In this episode, we discuss:
What does postpartum depression in fathers really feel like?
How do you build emotional support when you're the one holding everything?
Why is asking for help a critical skill in early fatherhood?
How can fatherhood transform you — if you let it?
What does it mean to reparent your inner child as a dad?
Watch the Full Episode
Joe Carr is an entrepreneur, advocate, and passionate educator on fatherhood and partnership. Driven by a desire to provide high-quality, nutrient-dense baby food for his daughter Della, Joe and his wife founded Serenity Kids baby food brand after experiencing their own health transformations through clean eating. Now, alongside his work in revolutionizing baby nutrition, Joe is on a mission to help new dads navigate the transformational journey of fatherhood. Through his podcast and social media platform Dadicated Joe, he shares real, honest conversations about showing up for your children, supporting your partner, and embracing the identity shift that comes with becoming a dad.
