In this episode (sponsored by Aviva), I speak to Andrew Cunningham. Andrew is a dad of four who works for Aviva. HIs youngest child was born last year and he took six, paid months off work to be with his family following the birth.

All Aviva employees in the UK are entitled to six months paid leave following the arrival of a child. Andrew explains how this benefited him and his family. 

Read more about Aviva's parental leave here and do visit my blog, Dadbloguk, to read more about the Aviva approach to parental leave. 

Matthew Wright is a well-known journalist and broadcaster. He and his wife have Amelia have an amazing daughter called Cassady. Becoming parents, however, involved a long, challenging IVF journey and I felt honoured that Matthew was happy to share it with me. 

As we chatted, we also discussed Matthew's mental health. Shortly before becoming a dad, Matthew was diagnosed with PTSD and he admits he at first struggled with the transition to fatherhood. 

This interview was a rollercoaster ride. There was a lot of laughter, but there were also tears (. . . and as we're both fans of Hawkwind, we had a chat about them at the end as well!).

Mark Williams has just had a film made about his life and what a life it is. He had his first panic attack as his son was being born. He went on to have a breakdown and was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. These experiences spurred Mark on to become a prolific mental health campaigner. 

We talk about the many mental health issues affecting dads: The lack of support, the lack of mental health screening, the damage caused by 'man up' culture and where men can get help. 

We also discuss Daddy Blues, the film that will shortly be released about Mark's mental health journey. This bio-pic will be released on Amazon Prime. 

I could listen to Mark talking all day. He's a very prolific mental health campaigner and knows this subject incredibly well.