René Carayol, Raising Two Children Alone, Twice
Twice a single father, and the coach FTSE 100 chief executives call at 3am
René Carayol became a single father before he'd finished university. His son's mother left when the boy was six months old, and from then on René raised him alone while two younger brothers lived with him in the same house. Years later, after remarrying, he lost his wife to cancer and found himself a single father again, this time to his teenage daughter.
Born in Gambia and raised in London, René went on to become an executive coach to FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 chief executives, work he insists on calling "CEO council" rather than coaching. He's the bestselling author of Spike, Corporate Voodoo and My Voodoo, was appointed MBE for his contribution to the business community, and now leads the Inspired Leaders Network. On The Dad Project, he traces a straight line between the community that got him through single fatherhood and the philosophy he now teaches leaders in boardrooms.
"Nothing is best done alone anymore," he says, and means it as much about parenting as about leadership.
Quotes
"Nothing is best done alone anymore."
This Episode Is About
René Carayol raised his son alone from the age of six months, then years later became a single father again after his wife died of cancer, leaving him to raise their teenage daughter too.
In this conversation with Naroop, the executive coach to FTSE 100 chief executives talks about the guilt of working while parenting alone, the football club of friends who became seventeen uncles to his son, and why he believes leadership and parenting run on the same fuel, community.
It turns from boardroom insight into something far more personal, about grief, faith kept quiet at work, and what it actually means to look out for the people around you.
Who This Episode Is For
- Single fathers raising children alone
- Men rebuilding after losing a partner
- Men of colour navigating dual expectations at work and at home
- Leaders who feel they always have to have it together
- Men who never talk about the loneliest parts of their week
What You'll Takeaway
- Mentors gain more from mentoring than mentees do
- Nothing worthwhile gets done completely alone
- Your children are the only audience that matters
- Guilt fades when you focus on your strengths
- Community keeps single parents from crumbling
- Vulnerability builds trust faster than authority does
- Being present matters more than being perfect
