The turkey baster question

Meet Rob and Marcus

Two dads, one daughter, Canada

Meeting your surrogate, at the birth

"She chose us": how matching works

The woman who carried Billie

Half siblings, and the same womb

What altruistic surrogacy means

Five years married, then divorce

How long it takes to say "single dad"

The bipolar week, guilt inside relief

Nearly 1 in 3 kids are not traditional

Two dads, no gender roles

Dad, Pop, Papa and Bop

The stepdad, and two daddies

The cup and the paternity test

Dating, and being "custody aligned"

Your ex is engaged, over FaceTime

Rob and Marcus have worked together for years and had never really told each other how they became dads. This is the episode where they do.

Rob Stott is raising a daughter, Billie, with his husband. She was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant the first time they met their surrogate in person was when they flew over for the birth. He explains why Australian law pushed them overseas, why it is the surrogate who chooses the parents rather than the other way round, what altruistic surrogacy actually means, and why Billie now has half siblings around the world and a girl in Melbourne born from the same womb.

Marcus Hurley was married for five years, has a daughter he calls Beano, and instigated the separation. He describes how long it took before he could say the words "single dad", the fifty-fifty week he calls his bipolar life, the guilt that arrives folded into the relief of a night off, and the moment his daughter drew the family and wrote "daddy" twice.

Between them they land on the thing nobody says out loud. Nearly one in three Australian children are not growing up in a conventional family household, and both these men did.

Then the community questions, which are as blunt as you would expect. Did the two of you just do your business in a cup? What if the surrogate wants to keep the baby? And what happens to dating when you are only free every second week.

Chapters
00:00 Cold open: the turkey baster question
00:08 Meet Rob and Marcus
01:04 Rob's story: two dads, one daughter, Canada
02:38 Meeting your surrogate for the first time
04:06 "She chose us": how the matching works
04:48 The woman who carried Billie
05:55 Half siblings, and the girl from the same womb
07:14 What altruistic surrogacy actually means
08:10 Marcus's story: five years, then divorce
09:14 How long it takes to say "single dad"
10:49 The bipolar week, and guilt inside relief
14:06 Nearly 1 in 3 kids are not "traditional"
16:30 Two dads, no gender roles, splitting nights
17:47 Dad, Pop, Papa and Bop
19:07 The stepdad, and the drawing with two daddies
21:30 Community questions: the cup, the paternity test
26:27 Dating, and being "custody aligned"
32:33 Your ex is engaged, and you find out on FaceTime

References
Nearly one in three children growing up in non-conventional family households, UNSW Sydney, 20 August 2024, reporting the Uniting Families Report from UNSW's Social Policy Research Centre and Uniting NSW.ACT

What to listen to next
How Your Brain Changes When You Become A Dad

Support: If anything in this episode brought something up for you, help is available. Lifeline 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636. MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78. PANDA, for expecting and new parents, 1300 726 306. In an emergency call 000.

Enjoying Daddies? Follow the show in your podcast app so every new episode lands automatically, and leave a rating and a review. It is the difference between someone scrolling past and pressing play.

Find us
Instagram: @daddiespodcastau
TikTok: @daddiespodcastau
Facebook: @daddiespodcastau
Threads: @daddiespodcastau
X: @daddiespodau
Watch the full episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/@manofmany
Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/id6804513711
Find us on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4JqZSIBvqU33N5LGJ3b46S
Everything else: manofmany.com/podcasts/daddies

Credits
Hosts: Rob Stott and Marcus Hurley
Producer: Amelia Navascues
Videographer: Jordan Yankov
A Man of Many production. New episodes every Thursday.

Rob and Marcus have worked together for years and had never really told each other how they became dads. This is the episode where they do.
<a href="https://manofmany.com/author/robstott/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://manofmany.com/author/robstott/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2P1WrGbti_akQ32VwqS5Vp">Rob Stott</a>&nbsp;is raising a daughter, Billie, with his husband. She was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant the first time they met their surrogate in person was when they flew over for the birth. He explains why Australian law pushed them overseas, why it is the surrogate who chooses the parents rather than the other way round, what altruistic surrogacy actually means, and why Billie now has half siblings around the world and a girl in Melbourne born from the same womb.
Marcus Hurley was married for five years, has a daughter he calls Beano, and instigated the separation. He describes how long it took before he could say the words "single dad", the fifty-fifty week he calls his bipolar life, the guilt that arrives folded into the relief of a night off, and the moment his daughter drew the family and wrote "daddy" twice.
Between them they land on the thing nobody says out loud. Nearly one in three Australian children are not growing up in a conventional family household, and both these men did.
Then the community questions, which are as blunt as you would expect. Did the two of you just do your business in a cup? What if the surrogate wants to keep the baby? And what happens to dating when you are only free every second week.
Chapters 00:00 Cold open: the turkey baster question 00:08 Meet Rob and Marcus 01:04 Rob's story: two dads, one daughter, Canada 02:38 Meeting your surrogate for the first time 04:06 "She chose us": how the matching works 04:48 The woman who carried Billie 05:55 Half siblings, and the girl from the same womb 07:14 What altruistic surrogacy actually means 08:10 Marcus's story: five years, then divorce 09:14 How long it takes to say "single dad" 10:49 The bipolar week, and guilt inside relief 14:06 Nearly 1 in 3 kids are not "traditional" 16:30 Two dads, no gender roles, splitting nights 17:47 Dad, Pop, Papa and Bop 19:07 The stepdad, and the drawing with two daddies 21:30 Community questions: the cup, the paternity test 26:27 Dating, and being "custody aligned" 32:33 Your ex is engaged, and you find out on FaceTime
References <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/08/nearly-one-in-three-children-growing-up-in-non-conventional-family-households" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/08/nearly-one-in-three-children-growing-up-in-non-conventional-family-households&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1cJJ64fwRHGdqcThf1P7Kc">Nearly one in three children growing up in non-conventional family households</a>, UNSW Sydney, 20 August 2024, reporting the Uniting Families Report from UNSW's Social Policy Research Centre and Uniting NSW.ACT
What to listen to next <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/daddies/how-your-brain-changes-when-you-become-a-dad" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://omny.fm/shows/daddies/how-your-brain-changes-when-you-become-a-dad&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3RPXsGrdALfdX83oU2Uq-2">How Your Brain Changes When You Become A Dad</a>
Support: If anything in this episode brought something up for you, help is available. Lifeline 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636. MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78. PANDA, for expecting and new parents, 1300 726 306. In an emergency call 000.
Enjoying Daddies? Follow the show in your podcast app so every new episode lands automatically, and leave a rating and a review. It is the difference between someone scrolling past and pressing play.
Find us
<ul>
<li>Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/daddiespodcastau/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/daddiespodcastau/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1tEK_pQINAackVOJvia_3C">@daddiespodcastau</a></li>
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<li>Watch the full episodes on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@manofmany" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@manofmany&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1tSlz1aF24PQj4XFLIdyqA">youtube.com/@manofmany</a></li>
<li>Listen on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/daddies-by-man-of-many/id6804513711" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/daddies-by-man-of-many/id6804513711&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ev-PjRIVxqYmcR8KQzdmZ">podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/id6804513711</a></li>
<li>Find us on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4JqZSIBvqU33N5LGJ3b46S" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://open.spotify.com/show/4JqZSIBvqU33N5LGJ3b46S&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3TBwhPsMLNT5PWnSczpZdb">open.spotify.com/show/4JqZSIBvqU33N5LGJ3b46S</a></li>
<li>Everything else: <a href="https://manofmany.com/podcasts/daddies" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://manofmany.com/podcasts/daddies&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3YLo1iCQUPwNKvh5Y9cc__">manofmany.com/podcasts/daddies</a></li>
</ul>
Credits Hosts:&nbsp;<a href="https://manofmany.com/author/robstott/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://manofmany.com/author/robstott/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2P1WrGbti_akQ32VwqS5Vp">Rob Stott</a>&nbsp;and Marcus Hurley Producer: Amelia Navascues Videographer: Jordan Yankov A Man of Many production. New episodes every Thursday.

Two dads. Two completely different paths to fatherhood. And all the stuff nobody warns you about. Daddies is a new podcast from Man of Many, hosted by Rob Stott, Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many, raising a daughter with his husband via surrogacy, and Marcus Hurley, a single dad navigating co-parenting. This isn't a tips-and-tricks parenting show. Nobody here is going to tell you how to raise your kids. Each episode takes a piece of modern life; fitness, friendships, work, money, identity, guilt, and asks what actually happens to it once a kid is in the picture. Daddies launches Sunday 6 September.

Two dads. Two completely different paths to fatherhood. And all the stuff nobody warns you about. Daddies is a new podcast from Man of Many, hosted by Rob Stott, Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many, raising a daughter with his husband via surrogacy, and Marcus Hurley, a single dad navigating co-parenting. This isn't a tips-and-tricks parenting show. Nobody here is going to tell you how to raise your kids. Each episode takes a piece of modern life; fitness, friendships, work, money, identity, guilt, and asks what actually happens to it once a kid is in the picture. Daddies launches Sunday 6 September.

Daddies by Man of Many 

Two dads. Two completely different paths to fatherhood. And all the stuff nobody warns you about.

Daddies is a podcast from Man of Many, hosted by Rob Stott, Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many, raising a daughter with his husband via surrogacy, and Marcus Hurley, a single dad navigating co-parenting. This isn't a tips-and-tricks parenting show. Nobody here is going to tell you how to raise your kids. Each episode takes a piece of modern life; fitness, friendships, work, money, identity, guilt, and asks what actually happens to it once a kid is in the picture.

Honest, funny and unfiltered conversations about modern fatherhood from Man of Many, Australia's largest men's lifestyle site. For new dads, single dads, step dads, dads-to-be, and anyone raising kids alongside one.

New episodes every Thursday.

Follow Daddies in your podcast app so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating and a review to help other dads find the show.

Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Threads at @daddiespodcastau, and on X at @daddiespodau. More from Man of Many at manofmany.com

Two dads. Two completely different paths to fatherhood. And all the stuff nobody warns you about.
Daddies is a podcast from Man of Many, hosted by Rob Stott, Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many, raising a daughter with his husband via surrogacy, and Marcus Hurley, a single dad navigating co-parenting. This isn't a tips-and-tricks parenting show. Nobody here is going to tell you how to raise your kids. Each episode takes a piece of modern life; fitness, friendships, work, money, identity, guilt, and asks what actually happens to it once a kid is in the picture.
Honest, funny and unfiltered conversations about modern fatherhood from Man of Many, Australia's largest men's lifestyle site. For new dads, single dads, step dads, dads-to-be, and anyone raising kids alongside one.
New episodes every Thursday.
Follow Daddies in your podcast app so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating and a review to help other dads find the show.
Find us on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/daddiespodcastau/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/daddiespodcastau/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw26i2HBVQ__Dpg9T9bNuoXS">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@daddiespodcastau" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tiktok.com/@daddiespodcastau&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3qAzY0Tp4u9YrNS1Y1Y9Df">TikTok</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/daddiespodcastau" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/daddiespodcastau&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2NuxK5i2P_B0T8BYeTXMln">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.threads.com/@daddiespodcastau" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.threads.com/@daddiespodcastau&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_I4YEtylRuDMaDgXLkEVY">Threads</a>&nbsp;at @daddiespodcastau, and on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/daddiespodau" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://x.com/daddiespodau&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2et7P4am6n9wQyvMPLKt0n">X</a>&nbsp;at @daddiespodau. More from Man of Many at&nbsp;<a href="https://manofmany.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://manofmany.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788586437487000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ILcGoiw7xods2JR2m2Qo7">manofmany.com</a>

Daddies by Man of Many

Rob Stott and Marcus Hurley tell each other their stories properly for the first time: surrogacy in Canada during COVID, a marriage that ended after five years, and what a fifty-fifty co-parenting week actually feels like.

Gay Dad, Single Dad

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/49db3bda-4b54-4a69-a7b9-b39a00977424/clips/5e5bb90c-72e5-49d0-9c71-b4c000274f11/transcript