We started with stories. Now we're building
a community.
A microphone, and men willing to say things they'd never said out loud. Somebody has to go first.
How it began
The Dad Project started because silence has a cost, and most men are taught to pay it quietly.
Naroop Jhooti knew that weight first-hand. It began as an exhibition piece he made with his business partner, Amit Amin: portraits of single dads of colour, men carrying a stereotype they'd never earned. Naroop recorded short interviews alongside the photographs.
Nemash Patel saw one of those clips on Instagram and couldn't leave it alone. On their first call, he asked what Naroop was doing with the interviews, and pitched turning them into a podcast.
That conversation turned a photography project into The Dad Project as it is now, co-founded by Naroop and Nemash, with Amit alongside them as COO.
Footballers, chefs, singers, dads and men with no kids at all. They had one thing in common: they'd decided to talk. That's still all that matters here.
Somebody has to go first. After that, it gets easier for the next man.
How wedo it
Three words sit behind everything we do. Dialogue, Awareness, Direction. We talk. We understand. We move forward.
Nobody has to share. Plenty of men sit and listen for a while first, and that counts.
This isn't about fixing anyone. It's about showing up.
and then...
Others Took Notice
The episodes travelled. Men got in touch to say they'd heard themselves in someone else's story. Then the press picked it up.
Featured regularly on BBC Radio
Profiled in Asian Image
Covered by Luxurist Magazine
Highlighted on Asian CNCT
Why Maslow's
Same idea: give men room to say what's actually going on.
Maslow's gives us the room. No stage, no cameras rolling every second, just chairs and enough quiet that a man can say something he's never said out loud before. That's the whole point of the partnership.
What'snext?
More meet-up groups, in more places. More live nights. And research into loneliness in men, which we'll share later this year.
We're doing it slowly and carefully, the same way it started.
The work continues, one honest conversation at a time.
FAQs
No. The strapline says it best, you don't need to be a dad to be here. Plenty of guests and listeners are men working through identity, relationships or mental health with no children involved at all.
No. This is conversation, not treatment. We're not therapists and nothing here replaces professional support, it's a space where men talk honestly about things they don't usually say out loud.
Full episodes go up on YouTube first, then to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else you already listen. Shorter clips and moments live on Instagram, TikTok and the rest.
Live events run regularly in London at Maslow's, with tickets on Eventbrite. If you want something more regular, our weekly meet-up groups are smaller and quieter. Get in touch and we'll tell you when the next one is.
Still have questions?
Reach out if you have other questions or want to explore partnerships.
Contact us