 The word Billie wouldn't stop saying

Meet Rob and Marcus

TMI: Rob swears, Billie repeats it

How a 50/50 fortnight actually works

An engagement ring over FaceTime

 Meeting your daughter's stepdad

 Change: the BBC 'Dad Brain' article

 Testosterone drops, oxytocin spikes

 Surrogacy in Canada, over Zoom

 Gay dads and 18 months of primary care

 The change nobody warns you about

 What do you miss from before?

 What did you just say?

 The secret candle

Rob swore at a driver in Newtown. Then he heard a small voice repeat it, word for word, from the back seat. That is roughly where this show begins.

In the first episode of Daddies, Rob Stott and Marcus Hurley take a BBC piece on "dad brain" and test it against their own experience. The research says fatherhood physically rewires you: testosterone drops, and drops further in dads doing more of the caring. Oxytocin rises, especially through play and physical contact.

Rob's daughter Billie was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant meeting their surrogate over Zoom and watching every scan from the other side of the world. He then took eighteen months off work as the primary carer. The research says gay dads doing primary care show the same brain activation as mothers, and Rob has thoughts on whether that matches what he actually felt, and when.

Marcus co-parents on a fifty-fifty split and describes the weekly switch between being a dad and being a single man, the morning his ex-wife held an engagement ring up to the camera while he was camping, and the mate who asked him how it made him feel.

Plus the change nobody warns you about, which is not the nappies. It is your friendships.

Chapters
00:00 The word Billie wouldn't stop saying
00:12 Meet Rob and Marcus
01:12 TMI: Rob swears, Billie repeats it
04:39 How a 50/50 fortnight actually works
05:16 An engagement ring over FaceTime
06:45 Meeting your daughter's stepdad
08:04 Change: the BBC 'Dad Brain' article
09:20 Testosterone drops, oxytocin spikes
10:54 Surrogacy in Canada, over Zoom
11:48 Gay dads and 18 months of primary care
13:13 The change nobody warns you about
15:56 What do you miss from before?
18:24 What did you just say?
20:23 The secret candle

References
Dad brains: How fatherhood rewires the male mind, BBC Future, 18 April 2026

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 swore at a driver in Newtown. Then he heard a small voice repeat it, word for word, from the back seat. That is roughly where this show begins.
In the first episode of Daddies,&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=1788589020016000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3t5TBqxG4ilIrElfzWIzak">Rob Stott</a>&nbsp;and Marcus Hurley take a BBC piece on "dad brain" and test it against their own experience. The research says fatherhood physically rewires you: testosterone drops, and drops further in dads doing more of the caring. Oxytocin rises, especially through play and physical contact.
Rob's daughter Billie was born via surrogacy in Canada during COVID, which meant meeting their surrogate over Zoom and watching every scan from the other side of the world. He then took eighteen months off work as the primary carer. The research says gay dads doing primary care show the same brain activation as mothers, and Rob has thoughts on whether that matches what he actually felt, and when.
Marcus co-parents on a fifty-fifty split and describes the weekly switch between being a dad and being a single man, the morning his ex-wife held an engagement ring up to the camera while he was camping, and the mate who asked him how it made him feel.
Plus the change nobody warns you about, which is not the nappies. It is your friendships.
Chapters
<ul>
<li>00:00 The word Billie wouldn't stop saying</li>
<li>00:12 Meet Rob and Marcus</li>
<li>01:12 TMI: Rob swears, Billie repeats it</li>
<li>04:39 How a 50/50 fortnight actually works</li>
<li>05:16 An engagement ring over FaceTime</li>
<li>06:45 Meeting your daughter's stepdad</li>
<li>08:04 Change: the BBC 'Dad Brain' article</li>
<li>09:20 Testosterone drops, oxytocin spikes</li>
<li>10:54 Surrogacy in Canada, over Zoom</li>
<li>11:48 Gay dads and 18 months of primary care</li>
<li>13:13 The change nobody warns you about</li>
<li>15:56 What do you miss from before?</li>
<li>18:24 What did you just say?</li>
<li>20:23 The secret candle</li>
</ul>
References <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260417-fatherhood-how-the-male-brain-and-body-prepare-for-childcare" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260417-fatherhood-how-the-male-brain-and-body-prepare-for-childcare&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788589020016000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0bvY3qGI8PQVDFfr-7Bsy-">Dad brains: How fatherhood rewires the male mind</a>, BBC Future, 18 April 2026
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>
<li>TikTok: <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=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0eGQJkG4y3NHmQnOaNFlbJ">@daddiespodcastau</a></li>
<li>Facebook: <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=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw21FrtG1yyGCtzZUlaobk0B">@daddiespodcastau</a></li>
<li>Threads: <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=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3cvAVCdE7IgcT0ycJMvpFa">@daddiespodcastau</a></li>
<li>X: <a href="https://x.com/daddiespodau" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://x.com/daddiespodau&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1789032645052000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0fLUJZyLbRPPqdimYrFtTy">@daddiespodau</a></li>
<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 take a BBC report on how fatherhood physically rewires the male brain, and test it against surrogacy in Canada, eighteen months as a primary carer, and a fifty-fifty co-parenting split.

How Your Brain Changes When You Become A Dad

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/49db3bda-4b54-4a69-a7b9-b39a00977424/clips/3931a23a-e1f7-4bdd-8086-b4ba016e9860/transcript