
Joe Williams – After five kids I’ve finally learnt what it means to be a dad
The Good Enough Dad with Maggie DentShow Notes
Having been both a professional NRL player and boxer Joe Williams has had some tough gigs in life, but none have been as hard or as rewarding as being a dad. Joe talks to Maggie about the winding path that has brought him to the place he’s most proud of – being an aware and present dad. LINKS: Joe Williams on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joewilliams_tew/ and website The Enemy Within https://www.joewilliams.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Good Enough Dad with Maggie Dent
Former medical doctor and now CEO of The Rites of Passage Institute, Dr Arne Rubinstein has spent over 30 years facilitating transitions for boys and men. And yesterday, he was announced as Australian Father of the Year 2025 by The Fathering Project and Australian Fathers Day Council. Maggie chatted with Arne in Season 1 of The Good Enough Dad, so we thought it was timely to revisit their conversation, which explored not only what Arne has learnt from the many thousands of fathers and kids he's worked with over the years, but what he's learnt from his own experience of being a dad to his own two sons. Congratulations to Arne and to all the other dads, father figures and workplaces who were honoured at this year’s awards.
Trent Dalton is a two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and internationally bestselling author whose work has touched hearts around the world. But behind the accolades lies a childhood marked by immense hardship—substance abuse, domestic violence, parental separation and poverty.
Sean Abbott is part of Australia’s cricket team, which means he spends a LOT of his working life away from home.
It was three weeks before Tim Curtis met his first-born child, emerging from the jungle to discover his wife had gone into labour early. Tim is a former member of the Special Air Service Regiment or SAS, and was Australia’s first principal advisor to the government of Sierra Leone during their civil war when his son was born. Tim has also served in Afghanistan and Iraq. When he had three children under six, Tim was lead planner of the Afghan parliamentary elections. Balancing family life with such intense environments, Tim has learnt some valuable lessons about fatherhood and resilience.
When many people think of the Fremantle Dockers, one name often comes to mind—Shaun McManus. A cornerstone of the inaugural team in 1995, Shaun went on to play 228 games for the club, co-captain for a time, and became only the second player to reach 200 games in Dockers history. These days, he’s just as well known for his role behind the microphone as part of Perth’s beloved Nova breakfast show, Nathan, Nat and Shaun. Over his career Shaun and his wife Meegan had four children: three sons, Lachlan 23, Cooper 19, Oliver 17 and their daughter Sunny who’s 14. Shaun is honest about when he’s stuffed up raising his children but embraces the lessons he’s learnt along the way. Shaun refers to the Kai-Fella foundation in this interview. Find more about Kai-Fella at their website https://kaifella.com.au/