Hey OrganicFamilyCEOs! If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know that we don’t shy away from the behind-the-scenes personal operations of being a parent entrepreneur that are just as important as the work we do on the business systems themselves.
When you prioritize your authentic wellness first + foremost, your return on investment skyrockets. You show up as a better person, partner, parent + professional. And no one knows this firsthand more than us.
While we were growing our businesses, we experienced some major personal hurdles that challenged our individual mindsets, our shared relationship + how we showed up as parents + entrepreneurs. Today, we’re beyond those challenges, but we’ll never forget those “oh man, we’re in the thick of it” seasons that tested how much we wanted our dreams to work. In this post, we’re sharing back to one of those times.
So, head’s up: this podcast feature that we are so proud to be sharing includes some detailed descriptions of childhood abuse.
We’ve mentioned in some of our previous podcasts + posts that Kevin has a traumatic past. By age 6, he had lost two of his brothers + by age 8, he was introduced to the concept of sex by an abusive family member who took advantage of his naïveté for years.
Without the knowledge + support one needs to handle such pain + confusion at a young age, Kevin resorted to unhealthy ways of coping with his trauma before stepping up to real healing that offered a next-level happiness he never thought possible before.
In a feature episode on The Dad Edge Podcast, Kevin details his experience dealing with his pain + what writing his book did for him in his quest to pacify his 8-year old self + move forward as a new man.
[Related: A Personal Story + The Importance of Writing Your Own]
The Dad Edge Podcast is a strong community of fathers who all share a set of values + aims to help you become the best, strongest + happiest version of yourself so that you can help guide your kids to the best version of themselves.
Listen to Kevin’s podcast feature:
About The Kid Upstairs
Becoming a father 3 years ago was the greatest accomplishment of my life. I was full of hope, happiness and gratitude that I was able to raise my daughter alongside my wife. This was the dream: to start a family.
It was soon after that the anxiety and depression hit — 27 years worth. Up until that point, I had pushed away dealing with my past: the loss of two brothers, sexual abuse before the age of 12 and coming to grips with my decisions thereafter.
I let these events dictate what happened next in life and it was time to face the music again. I had the choice to either face them head on or continue to live in my own shadows. I decided to finally face them, which is why this book exists.
The Kid Upstairs is my journey to re-write the narrative of the past from a negative to a positive. This is my own conscious reparenting to see the story from all angles, understand my part in it and then releasing the emotions attached to it. These chapters are my therapy sessions.
The book is not intended to be a self-help instruction manual for others to follow. Rather, it is a story of someone who felt like there were no answers left and — with the support of a few key people — was able to turn the table and step into a better future.
My goal in sharing this raw journal is to inspire other men to dig deep into their pasts and release the emotions tied to their own life-shaping events. Maybe there is healing to be found in writing a book, talking to a friend, seeing a therapist, all of the above or none of the above, but however you choose to acknowledge your story, you are not alone. Better days are possible. This book details how I came to realize mine.
Now, will you help us?
We’re on a mission to support all parents in building a life on their own terms. Often, that requires moving through the trauma that’s holding you back.
So, if Kevin’s story has resonated with you in any way, will you help us by leaving a rating + review specifically about the episode over on The Dad Edge Podcast?
When you mention Kevin Gilroy, The Kid Upstairs book title, the “From Trauma to Transformation” episode, or the OrganicFamilyCEO brand in The Dad Edge Podcast ratings + reviews, then you help thank The Dad Edge Podcast for highlighting this mission.
More than that, when you leave a review, you help us get this story featured again there + in more media outlets with bigger audience reach.
And that means we get to support even more people faster — all thanks to you.
Thank you for taking 3-minutes to share what this episode meant for you over at The Dad Edge Podcast + for doing this BIG entrepreneurial adventure with us,
Kevin + Courtney