Dan Castrigano chats with local stand-up comedian and dad Alex Duval about his experience with infertility and his journey to fatherhood.

Alex discusses his journey navigating infertility, his experience with IUI and IVF, and what it felt like to hold his son Robin for the first time. Alex also shares his experience participating in Dad Guild's New Dad Cohort IV, a monthly peer support group for first-time fathers.

If you are struggling with infertility, know that you are not alone. We love you.

Alex's Substack: https://alexcduval.substack.com/

Alex's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexcduval/

Marlon Fisher and Dan Castrigano chat with Tim Durney, Director of Mental Health Urgent Care in Burlington. Mental Health Urgent Care is a program of the Howard Center in collaboration with the University of Vermont Medical Center, Community Health Centers, and Pathways Vermont.

Tim discusses services provided at Mental Health Urgent Care, the intentional design of the space, and how it differs from other medical providers.

Marlon and Dan also share their stories about accessing services at Mental Health Urgent Care while they were struggling with their mental health.

As Tim says in the episode: "Asking for help is a strength."

Mental Health Urgent Care Website: https://howardcenter.org/mhuc/

Marlon Fisher's sons Percy and Malachai were recently sick, so they stayed home from school with their dad. Having some time on their hands, Marlon brought out the podcasting gear and recorded this episode with his boys.

The trio discuss how to take care of each other when someone is sick and how Marlon "cooks" on the basketball court at Dad Guild basketball on Tuesday nights. Percy and Malachi also share about their favorite Dad Guild activities, including the Toast and Jams concert series and going camping in the summer.

Enjoy this glimpse into fatherhood around the kitchen table.

Dan Castrigano chats about Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) with Bella Fearn. Bella is a member of the Vermont Harm Reduction Advocates and a community organizer with the BTV Clean Up Crew.

Dan and Bella discuss the current status of an Overdose Prevention Center in Vermont, services provided by OPCs, and the community impacts of OPCs. Dan and Bella also share age-appropriate language that Dads and all caregivers can use when talking about this topic with their children.

For more information and a full list of sources, check out this slideshow.

Dan Castrigano and Keegan Albaugh speak with Kate Mangino about equal partnership in the household. The conversation includes the concepts of physical, cognitive, and emotional labor; the difference between King of the Castle, Hands-on Husband, and Equal Partner; weaponized incompetence and the "buffoon husband"; gatekeeping; and benevolent sexism.

We are so grateful to Kate for visiting Vermont and sharing her wisdom with us.

Kate Mangino is a social scientist and expert in gender equality, healthy masculinity, and gender norms. Kate holds a Ph.D. in Human Rights and Social Development and is the author of the book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home. Kate also hosts the podcast Equal-ish with her co-host Rachel Collins.

You can learn more about Kate and her work on her website.

Dan Castrigano and Keegan Albaugh speak with Kate Mangino about raising boys. The conversation includes the concept of "performing masculinity," how algorithms on social media specifically target boys, what it means to be a man, and how young men are not regularly accessing health care.

We are so grateful to Kate for visiting Vermont and sharing her wisdom with us.

Kate Mangino is a social scientist and expert in gender equality, healthy masculinity, and gender norms. Kate holds a Ph.D. in Human Rights and Social Development and is the author of the book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home. Kate also hosts the podcast Equal-ish with her co-host Rachel Collins.

You can learn more about Kate and her work on her website.

Dan chats with Dave Greiner about moving to Vermont, finding Dad Guild, and working as Dad Guild's Franklin County Dad Fellow. Dan and Dave also discuss parenting tips for long road trips, Dave's Dungeons and Dragons character, and the best Dad Guild events out there.

Dave Greiner is the Franklin County Dad Fellow for Dad Guild. In his role, Dave organizes and facilitates Dad Guild events throughout Franklin County. Thank you Dave!

Dan speaks with preschool teachers Eden Hubert and Beck Morrow about consent and bodily autonomy. Their conversation includes the importance of teaching consent, strategies for introducing consent to toddlers and preschoolers, and how this work dismantles systems of harm and oppression in our society.

Eden Hubert (she/her) and Beck Morrow (they/them) are preschool teachers at The Schoolhouse Learning Center in South Burlington, VT.