Talking about Depression with Your Children with Alex Egeler | Dad of 4

Jun 26, 2025

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Alex Egeler is a former engineering executive turned parent career coach. He’s also a father of four boys, a husband, and a stay-at-home dad who helps other working parents navigate meaningful careers that support, not strain their families.

In this episode, Alex opens up about the unpredictable reality of parenting, the generational mental health patterns he’s determined to break, and how becoming a dad transformed how he views success. We discussed:

Letting go of the career script: How Alex’s first paternity leave revealed the emptiness of his “perfect job” and led him to walk away, and how each child helped him rewrite what meaningful work really looks like.
Undoing generational pressure: Why the deaths of Alex’s father and grandfather pushed him to question everything he believed about work, identity, and what it means to be a good dad.
Parenting with emotional honesty: Alex shares how he learned to show all emotions and not just the “good” ones, and how that shift helped his kids build trust, empathy, and resilience.
Supporting a child with bipolar disorder: Why Alex and his wife approach parenting as a tag team, how they talk openly about mental health with their 12-year-old son, and what they’ve learned about showing up differently in crisis vs. calm.
Building flexible careers for parents: How Alex coaches other working parents to question old assumptions, set realistic job goals, and own their value in the job market — especially in roles that support both career and caregiving.

Where to find Alex Egeler