Peer-led healing.
Pull-up, you’re one of us.

Owen Squires thought he understood hard work. Then he became a stay at home dad.

In this conversation on After the Anchor, I sit down with Owen to talk about what changed when he became the full-time caregiver for his two young daughters. From the constant mental load to feeling overwhelmed and losing his sense of identity, he opens up about the side of parenting that often goes unseen and why being the provider felt easier to him.

We also get into masculinity, sobriety, his experience in 12-step recovery, and how meditation helped him cope. Owen shares what it’s been like to confront his own childhood while trying to raise his children differently, including a moment with his daughter and father-in-law that brought the conversation about anger, boundaries, and apologies into real life.

What stayed with me was his willingness to admit that he still gets it wrong. He’s learning to recognize his reactions, take a breath, and come back to repair the relationship.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The reality of being a stay-at-home dad

• Parenting burnout and the need for a real break

• Masculinity, domestic labor, and the mental load

• Finding your identity outside of parenthood

• Sobriety, recovery, and meditation

• Breaking patterns from your own childhood

• Helping children feel safe during big emotions

• Taking accountability and reconnecting after conflict

What has parenting taught you that you didn’t understand before? Share your experience in the comments.

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