Growing up in South West England's mystical countryside, I always felt a deep connection to the land. As a teenager, a solo canoe trip in the wilds of Canada sparked the adventurous spirit within me - a coming of age, and my call to the wild that I could never ignore. After graduation, I joined the environmental movement and earned titles like "the next eco-celebrity" and "Hunky The Hearthrob Eco Warrior" from the UK press. My passion for the outdoors led me to a career as an activity instructor and expedition leader, inspiring and connecting youth to nature. Driven by the allure of the wilds, I set up an adventure tourism company and moved to the wild west of Canada, living an idyllic Peter Pan lifestyle of guiding wilderness tours in the summer and skiing in the winter; enjoying the freedom of being an entrepreneur.

However, this idyllic Peter Pan lifestyle changed during a visit to England for Christmas, where I rekindled an old flame. This sparked a whirlwind romance in Canada, an unexpected pregnancy, and ultimately a shotgun wedding as we settled into my cabin in an eclectic little community nestled in the mountains. As we welcomed our baby, I found transitioning from Peter Pan to family man challenging, and struggled to adhere to traditional fatherhood blueprints. Things unraveled as we were unable to align our values, and the marriage broke down.

I abandoned adventure tourism and settled into an office job, creating a flexible work schedule so I could focus on being a present father to navigate life as a single parent, and shared equal parenting time to maintain a bond with my son. 

Two years later I fell in love again, but was dragged into an unpleasant divorce and a drawn out custody battle that became a well known family law case. Ultimately the trial judge could not see me as a worthy Father and my ex-wife was granted custody to move to England with our son. Despite my unwavering dedication, misconceptions labeled me as “living on the fringes” incapable of shouldering parental responsibilities, the judge declaring “he further compromises his earnings by devoting too much time to his son.” 

At the end of the trial, disillusioned, I realized that as a nurturing working father - a modern dad - I could never have won. Faced with losing everything, I wanted to prove that I was the worthy father that the courts could not see. So, instead of being bitter, I chose love. Instead of hiding in the shadows of shame, I wore the rebel image with pride, getting my first tattoos in my 40s and taking up skateboarding. I had built a life in Canada: I owned a property; had established a career; and now my fiancée was pregnant. So I remarried, had another child, worked full time and have dedicated my time to raising two boys (now three!) as an international blended family proving that distance cannot sever the bond with my son, defying the additional challenges presented by the covid pandemic. 

Inspired to support other fathers and enlighten mothers about the struggles and perspectives of dads, I set up a podcast to share my story, offer hope to dads who prioritize being present for their children, and champion the often voiceless fathers, reaffirming the profound impact they have in shaping their children's lives.