After seven years of blogging and Instagramming on fatherhood, mental health and my receding hairline, I’ve decided to jump to the other side of the Valencia-filtered desk, and have created my own talent agency, Principle. I will continue with occasional campaigns that match up authentically to my lifestyle, but if you’ve visited A Day In The Life Dad with plans to talk about a collaboration, may I point you in the direction of the exceptional talent I have at Principle instead. They’re a lot cool ..read more

A child’s bedroom can be a beautiful sanctuary, a place where they take their first few steps in life and form their earliest happy memories. As they grow up, it will become a safe haven for them and reflect their personality. But what makes a great children’s bedroom? What can you do to create the ideal environment for your child that caters to all their needs? Lights Children need less light than adults, especially at a younger age. Softer lights, around 400 lumens, will be comforting and allow for reading. If your child feels uncomfortable in the dark, night lights are a popular opti ..read more

Where have you been if you haven’t seen ‘Instagram vs Reality’ doing the rounds? In my online community, after years of families I follow posting filtered images promoting unattainable lifestyles, the realistic shots showing clothes-horses overloaded with sodden garms and kids necking sugary cereal straight from the box have come as a welcome respite. Pictures that are arguably over stylised can be seen across social media and often crop up when people share their travel snaps. With an unhealthy amount of my time spent scrolling over the last few years (RSI of the thumb is real people!), it’s ..read more

Ah, Christmas; a time when we rush around faster than an airborne sleigh, going from nativity play to late night shopping, from work drinks to er, falling asleep on the train and ending up in Norwich late on a Tuesday night. That’s happened to all of us, right? Nope, just me then. What with so many commitments, it’s inevitable that we’re often late home in the evenings during December and thus dinner might struggle to hit the healthy heights of quieter months, and whilst it’s sometimes tempting to revert to dining habits of simpler, less responsible times (bowl of cereal anyone?), it’s still p ..read more

What would you tell your younger self? This year, Calne’s YE team has written a book. Our company, Perspective, aims to help other young people who are struggling with the same issues that we’ve come across. Essentially, our book, ‘Note to Self’, is what we would want to tell our younger selves – it’s anecdotes, insights and advice from people who’ve experienced first-hand what they’re talking about. We want to help destigmatise being open about mental health and to raise awareness about the social issues we feel passionately about, hopefully sparking debate and further research among our read ..read more

Whether you’ve been stuck in the same role for years, you’ve been consistently passed over for promotions or you just want to finally embark on the career you actually want. Progressing in your career can seem like a mountain to climb. Yet when you take the right steps, it can seem so much easier. Read on for 5 ways to progress in your career. Learn more to earn more! Take a look at the business people you admire, or those in your place of work who have climbed the ladder and consistently shine. They probably have one thing in common; that they don’t sit still for long. They frequently take o ..read more

Three things: 1 – THANK YOU so much for all the comments, DMs and shares for the new series of Man Talk. I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages. I’m so grateful for the support and if one person benefits from the show and it makes a positive change to their mental health, then job well and truly done. 2 – One message I received mentioned they didn’t know the @movember Foundation supported mental health initiatives, and I’ve got to be honest, until a couple of years ago, neither did I. Like most of us, I knew that they did incredible things to support men’s cancer projects and charities, but aft ..read more

It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay, so I thought today would be a fitting day to launch series 2 of my podcast, Man Talk, and hopefully drum up even more awareness and noise around mental health. Anyone who has followed me for a while will know about my passion for making the mental health conversation easier and removing damaging and dated stigmas that are stopping men from seeking help. I hope Man Talk goes some way to ensuring mental health isn’t a taboo subject anymore.⁣ ⁣ S2 differs from S1 with experts taking the mic this time round and offering advice from the different areas they have experien ..read more

Since becoming a father back in 2012, I’ve used blogging, social media and podcasting to promote modern-day fatherhood and more recently raise mental health awareness. With multiple projects covering parenthood and mental health under my expanding dadbod belt, I’ve seen so many crossovers in the work I do and I believe, as parents, it’s paramount we do what we can to ensure our children are well placed to manage their developing emotions and mental wellness. A young mind is full of wonder, imagination and creativity, but it can also be stifled by worries that are difficult to process and expre ..read more

8 Tips for Creating a Child-Friendly Home Whether you are expecting your first or you have children already, you might be thinking about how you can keep them safe in your home. Once they are up and learning to walk and becoming inquisitive, it's definitely worth putting some of these quick and easy tips into action to prevent accidents. Fixed Cushion Sofas If you currently have a sofa without fixed cushions and a toddler running around you will know that one of the first things to go are the cushions on the sofa. Kids just love playing with soft and bouncy cushions, and they make great build ..read more