When you push your limits and things get a little uncomfortable, you often learn something about yourself. When you repeatedly do it for years, we reckon you must learn some universal truths about humans and how we tick. As a professional adventure racer, Nathan has spent much of his adult life pushing his physical and mental boundaries and helping…

HODD overseas adventure time! We headed to Wellington to chat with Kiwi comedy and music legend, and one half of Flight of the Conchords, Bret McKenzie and he gave us a masterclass on playing with our kids. Bret makes up silly stuff for a day job (he even won an Oscar for it!) and as a dad he’s focused his gift for absurdity and daftness into creat…

He’s been on our screens making us laugh for years, most recently in Colin From Accounts, but in this chat Patrick Brammall unpacks one of his more meaty roles to date… Being a first time dad! Patty’s path to parenthood is a little unique with him and his wife Harriet Dyer adopting a baby girl in 2021 (Harriet is also co-creator/co-star of Colin Fr…

“I wasn’t going to miss the podcast just because I was slightly paralysed” - It’s one of the better quotes we’ve had on the show! But it neatly sums up the unassuming yet unflappable nature of Dr Harry, who unless you were on a 12 month silent retreat in 2018, you’d know was the cave diving anaesthetist who helped in the against all odds rescue of …

He’s helped create some of Australia’s most memorable comedic characters, battled tirelessly to elevate Football (the proper round ball kind!) to the upper echelons of Australian sport, and most importantly, he’s the father to 2 (now adult) sons. But before looking at his own dadding, Santo takes us back to Melbourne in the 1960s and 70s, painting …

As one of Australia’s great contemporary artists, Ben’s compassion and humanity is evident in all his work, and so is his willingness to self-examine. So perhaps unsurprisingly in his chat with Hamish, Ben opens up about what shaped him in his own childhood, his thoughts on masculinity, the shockwave of sadness that hit him recently when his adult …

As a prolific co-creator of Australian comedy classics like Upper Middle Bogan, Wayne is probably more comfortable bringing to life hilarious, and hilariously flawed characters, rather than reflecting on his own life. But we know Wayne to be so thoroughly kind, thoughtful and wise that we really put the screws on him to come and have a chat. Thankf…

Finally, after waaaaaay too long, Season 3 of HODD is here. Well, actually… not just yet. It’s here next Friday, September 13. But boy, is it close!! To wet your appetite, here is a little taste of what’s to come this season. We’ve been lucky to chat with some absolutely wonderful guest dads who will make you laugh, reflect, reminisce and maybe eve…

It’s back! The episode where Hamish tears up the HODD rule book, by going over an hour AND talking to an expert. And not just any expert, but leading behavioural paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Dr Billy Garvey. Wild, right? In the sequel to his awesome Season 1 Episode, Dr Billy has been beyond generous with his time and has picked …

Mindset coach to some of the world’s finest athletes, Ben Crowe reflects on his dadding journey so far. Given Ben is used to helping other people discover their story rather than delving into and analysing his own, we are really grateful to him for his openness and honesty, in what was a fascinating chat with Hame. Ben is the first to admit, like a…

Craig Foster - former Socceroo captain, legendary sports broadcaster, social justice champion… but his most important job? You guessed it… Good 'ol Dad! As a compassionate and thoughtful leader who spends much of his time helping those who don't have a voice, Craig talks about why justice and fairness are core tenets of his and how this informs his…

Russel Howcroft has been talking to Australians about how they are sold things for years on the much loved TV show Gruen - Now he lets us in on the secret of how he sells things to his kids! (Hint: like any good client pitch, it’s more guiding, less telling In a free ranging chat that follows the whims of Russ’s very active mind, he explores with H…

Health and fitness industry expert and entrepreneur Sam Wood has a beautifully honest chat with Hame about his dadding journey. From what’s like to begin your dadding with a 9 year old step daughter, to then only eight short years later having 4 daughters, Sam shares with Hame the struggles he’s had learning on the job with a teenager, how he tries…

Scott Pape, or perhaps as he’s better known The Barefoot Investor, has been teaching Australians about finances for almost 20 years. These days he’s also investing heavily in his 4 kids - and he’s got some great advice for all of us. Scott tells Hame about his mantra that “These are the good ‘ol days” and explains how it helps him stay focused on w…

Hold on, it’s another Wild Rule Breaking Episode, this time with an EXPERT MUM! The legendary Maggie Dent, one of Australia's most trusted voices on raising kids and helping families. Last season, Hamish made some bold statements about not having experts on this pod, unless it’s ones he really likes, like Maggie Dent for example. Well, blow me down…

Adventurer, filmmaker, outdoor education specialist, dad… Beau Miles has got lots of cool descriptors. He’s also infectiously positive and creative, and he put all these things to amazing use in this very different, very outdoorsy and very wet episode. Exactly 345 km from their respective houses, on a little island in the middle of a giant hydro la…

We all know Scott Cam from The Block, but a few years ago, some words of wisdom from Scott Cam The Dad provided Hamish with some of the inspiration to create this pod. So, we advise you to Tools Down and listen in to a dad that takes his fathering trade really seriously… especially if it involves being a bit silly. And even more so if it means blow…

He may have played 350 games of AFL - but as Eddie’s wife always reminds him - his job is only just beginning… for his kids, and for his people. Eddie, with his wife Anna, have 5 young children, so pre-season training pales in comparison to the high contact sport of dadding that many kids. His lunch box game is elite! But as Hame learns in this fas…

An old friend of Hame, and according to his daughters an old dad, Christian O’Connell is a bona fide legend of radio broadcasting. And really, he’s not even old! In this super funny, yet super heartfelt episode, Christian uses all 19 years of his dadding experience to distil down for us some really amazing insights and advice. He’s thought about th…

Tim Minchin has created the most amazing, diverse and groundbreaking body of work. Significant to this episode is that he also co-created 2 kids with his wife, Sarah. Tim was extremely generous to sit down with Hame and share some of his 17 years or so of dadding experiences and learnings. He explains how he tries to shepherd his kids rather than c…

Former teacher and assistant principal, current powerhouse of enthusiasm and expertise, Martin Heppell, or just Rac as he is known to friends, blows Hame away in this episode. Yes, there are some crazy stories, but also some amazing insights that can only be gained from spending thousands of hours helping kids to be their best. Oh, and having 3 kid…

Season 2 kicks off with our top requested guest, Joe Brumm, creator of the global smash show Bluey & perhaps Australia’s favourite dad, Bandit Healer. More importantly, he’s also father to two children in real life. Whether your kids are young, or now approaching adulthood themselves, the themes of Bluey are universal and timeless to us all, and Jo…

We’ve finally got our act together, and we’re back, baby! Episode 1 of Season 2 drops next Friday, 25th August. But while we get the finishing touches on a few things, here is a little taste of what’s to come in Season 2. Spoiler: It’s chock full of wonderful dads, and as an extra special treat, one mega expert mum. Next week, episode 1 kicks off w…

In a double rule breaking season finale, Hamish goes over his 1 hour & 3 minute episode time limit AND talks to an expert! Our special guest is Dr Billy Garvey, a Behavioural Paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne) and leading expert on childhood development. (And he’s also a dad). As a wonderful surprise to us, it turns out Dr. …

Decorated soldier, Mark Donaldson VC kindly joins Hame on the HODD couch to share tales from his dadding journey so far. Mark shares his experience of trying to be available to his kids and playing and existing in their world, even if he’d just returned from a deployment. The guys discuss the idea that all kids have “their version of trying” and th…

Creativity and dadding combine in a fascinating chat with prolific singer songwriter, Ben Lee. After a chance meeting between Hame and Ben, where the chat quickly turned to their kids, Hame had the good sense to ask Ben if he’d like to slightly formalise the conversation and record it. And thanks to Ben’s generosity, we’ve got Episode 10 as a resul…

Australian Test Cricket Captain, Pat Cummins was rated the world's best bowler in March 2022. But at the very same time, he was a brand new parent trying to figure out how this dadding thing works. Pat very kindly sat down with Hame to chat about his first year of being a dad. The pain of extended time apart from family, the challenge of making tim…

A legend of Australian comedy, Hughesy is used to dealing with a tough crowd at times. But it seems his three kids provide the best heckles! Hamish was backstage at Rove many years ago when Hughesy and his wife Holly brought their very fresh newborn baby in, and it all seemed very grown up…especially for Hughesy! Since then, Dave has had two more k…

Fresh off winning the AFL Grand final in 2021, Max Gawn hit the jackpot again three weeks later with the birth of his first child. Captain of the Melbourne Football Club, five time All Australian Ruckman, and all round good guy, Max first became friends with Hame because they liked riding bikes up big hills. Now they share stories about their other…

Nazeem Hussain is stand-up royalty in Australia and a perennial headliner of festivals at home and abroad. But perhaps his biggest gig is being a dad to two young kids. Naz and Hame laugh a lot in this episode, but Naz also generously shares stories from his childhood, which largely saw him and his sister raised solo by their Mum. He talks about se…

With his famed restaurant Attica, Ben Shewry is a guy that has made an indelible mark on the culinary world through his creativity, dedication & undoubtedly some really deep thought. As a mate, Hamish has been lucky enough to see Ben apply this same thoughtful approach to his Dadding over the years, and in this episode he really does get some golde…

As founder of The Resilience Project, a program that reaches 500,000 kids around Australia every year, Hugh van Cuylenburg has been talking to parents for ages. However, he’s the first to admit being a parent is a whole different story! In this episode, Hugh shares with Hame some bloody funny stories, but also some really raw reflections on Dadding…

Proud Wiradjuri man, father of 4 and icon of Australian journalism, Stan Grant goes deep with Hame in this episode with his philosophies on Dadding. He shares brutal stories about the Australia that his father was forced to endure, and for which he was preparing Stan to live in. He describes the pain of a relationship ending and how protecting the …

Adam Hills talks to Hame about everything from the art of negotiating with kids who won't stay in bed, to his subconscious fears of becoming a father. He shares stories from his own childhood that only now, as a dad, are beginning to make sense, and he & Hame discuss the amazing power of telling your kids you are sorry and that you stuffed up. Adam…

Rob Sitch is not only a prolific creator of some of Australia's most beloved comedy characters, TV shows and films, he is also one of the very first friends that Hamish got to see dadding up close. Many years ago, backstage on Thank God You Are Here, and well before his own dadding journey started, Hamish started talking to Rob about his philosophi…

Hamish has been working on a little passion project, and it’s all about dadding. Keenly aware that his own dadding playbook was made up from the tips, tricks and hacks he had nabbed from friends and colleagues - Hamish decided it might be time to formalise his acquisition of wisdom, so that it might be shared (and helpfully add to the 1 billion pod…