Rethinking Modern Fatherhood, Mental Health, & Masculinity | Kevin Maguire (EP452)
Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips
Diane Boden
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 13 May 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fatherhood is changing - but many of the expectations around it haven’t.
Today I’m joined by Kevin Maguire, author of The New Fatherhood, for a conversation that challenges the traditional scripts many men are still trying to follow and why those scripts are no longer serving families.
Kevin’s work is rooted in both personal experience and research. After the birth of his second child, he experienced severe paternal postpartum depression - something rarely talked about, especially among men. In this episode, he shares how it showed up for him, why it often goes unrecognized, and what helped him begin to heal.
We also explore the “invisible load” fathers carry today - the pressure to provide, be present, succeed at work, and stay emotionally grounded - all while navigating identity shifts and often shrinking social circles.
More importantly, Kevin offers a hopeful path forward: a new model of fatherhood that makes room for vulnerability, connection, and sustainability.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
- Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
- Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
- Book: Mindfulness in Plain English
- Book: Waking Up by Sam Harris
- Kevin's Resource: On Being with Krista Tippett (Podcast)
- Connect with Kevin:
- Website
- Substack
- Podcast
- Book: The New Fatherhood: Why Everything They Told You About Being a Dad Is Wrong and How Embracing It Will Transform Your Life
About Kevin |
Kevin Maguire is the creator of The New Fatherhood newsletter, read by tens of thousands of dads in 150+ countries. His work has been featured in Esquire and Emily Oster’s ParentData, and he’s appeared on podcasts with Daniel Pink, Oliver Burkeman, Brad Stulberg, and Jon Klassen. As an executive coach, he works with leaders at Amazon, Netflix, Google, and other Fortune 500 companies on the collision of career, identity, and family. He lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I've seen so many dads through the years, Diane, that they have a child and they experience |
| 0:05.3 | what the author Pemeshodran calls groundlessness. |
| 0:08.7 | You know, you feel the ground, go beneath your feet, and you panic. |
| 0:12.0 | It's like something is different. |
| 0:13.3 | I don't know what to do here. |
| 0:14.8 | And you can learn to be comfortable in that discomfort and really interrogate on those feelings and understand |
| 0:24.1 | what comes next. Or you can just reach for any kind of solid ground that you know. And for so |
| 0:29.9 | many men, that solid ground becomes work. This is Diane Bowden and you're listening to the |
| 0:33.8 | minimalist moms podcast. Fatherhood is changing, but many of the expectations |
| 0:38.1 | around it haven't. Today, I'm joined by Kevin McGuire, author of The New Fatherhood. For a conversation |
| 0:44.5 | that challenges the traditional scripts, many men are still trying to follow and why those scripts |
| 0:49.3 | are no longer serving families. Kevin's work is rooted in both personal experience and research. After the |
| 0:55.6 | birth of his second child, he experienced severe paternal postpartum depression, something rarely |
| 1:01.1 | talked about, especially among men. In this episode, he shares how it showed up for him, why it |
| 1:06.3 | often goes unrecognized, and what helped him begin to heal. We also explore the invisible load that |
| 1:11.5 | many fathers carry today, all while navigating identity shifts and often shrinking social circles. |
| 1:16.8 | More importantly, Kevin offers a hopeful path forward, a new model of fatherhood that makes room |
| 1:22.1 | for vulnerability, connection, and sustainability. I did have an episode released just a couple of |
| 1:27.1 | weeks ago with my guest, |
| 1:28.4 | John Gustin, also known as the Tired Dad. Oddly enough, I booked these interviews around the same |
| 1:32.9 | time, but they were very different conversations. So even if you tuned into that one or shared it |
| 1:37.1 | with your spouse, this is another great enlightening conversation that may provide some insight |
... |
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