Dads Club with Rob Garner

The Power of Dads, Community & Connection
With Rob from Davenham & Macclesfield Dads Club

What does it really mean to be a dad in 2026?

In this powerful and heartfelt episode, I’m joined by Rob, founder of Davenham Dads Club and Macclesfield Dads Club, to talk about modern fatherhood, male mental health, and why community matters more than ever.

This isn’t about criticising schools, families, or men.

It’s about recognising the quiet pressure many fathers carry — and why safe spaces to talk are no longer optional. They’re essential.

Drawing from lived experience, community work, and honest conversation, we explore what resilience really looks like for dads — and why confident, regulated adults raise confident, regulated children.

In this episode, we explore:

• The quiet loneliness many dads carry
• The stigma around men talking about emotions
• Miscarriage and dads being “left behind” in grief
• Why boys need love, time, and strong role models
• The power of roughhousing, play, and presence
• How dads build confidence differently
• Why regulated adults raise regulated children
• How a simple “safe space to talk” is quietly changing lives

Key Takeaway:

Resilience isn’t built in isolation.
It’s built in community.

And sometimes it starts with two hours, once a month.

Who This Episode Is For:

• Dads feeling isolated or overwhelmed
• Partners who want fathers to feel supported
• Parents raising boys who need emotionally healthy male role models
• School leaders thinking about community wellbeing
• Anyone who believes children deserve emotionally regulated adults around them

If This Episode Resonated

Please consider sharing this episode.

Your shares help these conversations reach the dads who may never ask for help — but deeply need it.

?? Share this episode with someone who quietly carries more than they show.

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gUva2IHO5cFYt95T5oYFo?si=Kfm8UIo9QTuDKTGDD69KbQ 

YouTube – https://youtu.be/mdxz4BQgOGA 

Time Stamps:

00:00 What does it mean to be a dad in 2026?
00:58 Meet Rob & The Dads Club Story
02:35 The Soup Pitch & Why Humility Matters
04:12 How Dads Club Started
06:20 The Safe Space in the Pub
08:45 Building a Support Network
11:30 Why Dads Stay Silent
14:02 Miscarriage, Grief & Men Being Left Behind
17:10 Rebuilding Community for Men
19:42 WhatsApp Community Wins
22:05 What Dads Bring to Confidence Building
25:30 Roughhousing, Feral Play & Boundaries
28:40 What Boys Need Most From Dads
32:55 What Rob Hopes His Sons Will Say One Day
35:10 Where to Find Dads Club
37:00 Final Reflections

Rob’s Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586925473953

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davenham_dads_club/

Email: robertvgarner@hotmail.com

Useful Links

Find out more & Links:

• An Educator's Guide to Raising Resilient Learners (Waitlist): https://theresilienthub.co.uk/educators-guide-waitlist

• The Resilient School training and consultancy: https://theresilientschool.co.uk/trs-services

• A Parents' Guide to Raising a Resilient Kid: https://amzn.eu/d/0196zmiI

• Newsletter sign-up: https://theresilienthub.co.uk/newsletter-signup

• Main website: https://theresilienthub.co.uk/

Follow us on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resilientkiduk

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilientkid

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/resilientkid

• Email: ashley@theresilientkid.co.uk

The Resilient Kid Podcast is produced by Chantelle Venter at maddatu.com on behalf of The Resilient People, trading as The Resilient Kid, The Resilient Teen and The Resilient School.