Hi, I’m David. Welcome to Fathers Rising.

It’s been a journey to get here. To be honest, I never expected to end up here.

When my wife was pregnant of my first son, James, there were moments where I felt so anxious and panicked to become a father. I did not feel ready for fatherhood.
What have I ever learned about fatherhood, really?
Was I going to be a good father?
How are you a good father?
What does that mean?
What does that even look like?

I did not feel ready at all!

But now, 9 years later, I am fathering, and so far so good. I’m learning every day.
And this learning mindset brought me here, to Fathers Rising. To feeling the need to share my experiences, my failures, my insecurities with other men so we can grow together and support each other to rise together into our fatherhood.

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Besides Fathers Rising I also started a men’s walking group, simply called, Men Walking. I noticed that many men don’t have many men friends, real buddies who they can share real things with. So I started to organise a weekly meetup for men to get out in nature, talk about men stuff, and feel connected with other men who understand the obstacles we face in life being men.

I’m also setting up a creative space for mentoring youth in building a healthy leadership mindset.

I am currently working as a freelance brand strategist and designer, and starting in September 2023, I will also be working part-time as a youth worker. At this point in my life, I am driven by a deep desire to follow my personal intuition. I want to not only create spaces for men, but also to actively channel my sense of responsibility for our youth into tangible action through my work.