Who Knew? explores global issues around parenting past & present & how we must change our ideologies instead of conforming to a status quo I talk through my own experiences as a solo dad and how I have had to constantly challenge old values & stereotypes that are limiting us all

Blokes Psychology Podcast Episode #7 Solo Dad aka Micheal Ray michaelray.com.au/personal-b… @MichaelJRay4

Book Review: Who Knew! by Michael Ray Michael Ray’s Who Knew! is one of those rare books that reminds you just how endlessly fascinating the world can be. Packed with surprising insights, curious facts, and moments that make you pause and smile, it turns learning into a genuine pleasure. The title itself feels like a promise and page after page, Ray delivers on it. What makes Who Knew! particularly enjoyable is its sense of curiosity. Ray writes with the enthusiasm of someone who truly delights in discovery, and that enthusiasm is infectious. Each section invites the reader to look again at things they thought they understood, revealing unexpected details and clever connections. It’s the sort of book that makes you say, quite literally, “Who knew?” more than once. The writing style is clear, approachable, and refreshingly unpretentious. Ray manages to make complex or obscure ideas feel accessible without ever talking down to the reader. Instead, the tone feels like a knowledgeable friend sharing fascinating snippets over coffee, engaging, relaxed, and quietly witty. Another strength of the book is its pace. The structure makes it perfect for dipping in and out of; you can read a few pages at a time or settle in for longer stretches. Either way, you walk away having learned something new, and often something delightfully unexpected. In a world where so much information feels overwhelming or heavy, Who Knew! stands out as a celebration of curiosity. It reminds us that learning doesn’t have to be formal or difficult, it can simply be fun. For readers who enjoy trivia, surprising facts, or the simple joy of discovering something new, Michael Ray has created a thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting read. Who Knew! is informative, entertaining, and charmingly curious, exactly the sort of book that rekindles a love of learning. @MichaelJRay4 #BookReview

Every time headlines like these roll past, I end up doing the same thing: scanning for even one example of a single father. Nothing. Not a mention. This is despite the fact that 1 in 5 single parent households in Australia are led by fathers... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

Michael Ray: ‘Huge White Space’ For Brands To Speak To Modern Australian Fathers bandt.com.au/michael-ray-hug… via @B&T

Need help calming your baby to sleep? This dad knows an important secret: skin to skin contact. Watch what happens when he snuggles up with his little one, bringing their faces into direct contact. Baby’s eyes close, a sense of calm overtakes him, and in just seconds it appears he drifts off to sleep. Skin to skin contact has a number of benefits, not least of which is the release of oxytocin, sometimes known as the “love” or “cuddle hormone.” While this video may be an unusually speedy example - truly, it’s like dad flips a light switch - skin to skin contact is well documented in its calming benefits, especially with newborns. In most delivery rooms, skin to skin contact is part of the standard birthing process in the minutes and hours immediately after birth - when the unclothed baby is placed directly on mom and/or dad’s bare chest. It helps to promote bonding, regulate breathing, and creates warmth and a feeling of security. The skin to skin practice known as “kangaroo care” has also been shown to produce strong positive effects in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), producing better movements, improved sleep and earlier hospital discharges for premature babies. Next time your baby needs comfort - or that last little nudge to help them to sleep- try getting a little closer. You might be surprised by the result. 🎥 via the tinytreasure05 on IG

If we don’t respect fathers, we won’t support them — and if we don’t support them, they can’t show up. At ballet rehearsals, school morning teas, costume fittings — I’ve been the only dad more times than I can count. Not there to “help” or because mu... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

I’ve got to admit something. Lately, I’ve been struggling as a parent. When I became a first-time father at 50, the warnings came thick and fast from all the usual suspects. Sleepless nights. Career sacrifices. Loss of freedom. And then when I becam... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

The MAPP Study addresses a glaring under-representation of men in cohort studies that investigate mental health and well-being and how they affect and are affected by family life. Read the MAPP study cohort profile now published in @BMJ_Open bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/7…

What She’s Taught Me I’ve been the only dad in the room more times than I can count. At ballet rehearsals, school morning teas, costume fittings, and parent craft days. Sometimes treated like a hero for simply turning up, other times met with the qui... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

Thanks so much for the opportunity to add my voice to the conversation Leah Morris.🙏😊 "We’ve spent decades fighting for better representation of women and that matters. But when it comes to dads, we’re still telling the same joke. They’re either hope... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

They told me I wasn’t made for this. Culture, #advertising, old blokes at the pub, even my own mother pushed the same outdated bulls**t. That dads are the backup. That mums are the real deal. That we might have a crack, but we’ll never quite measure... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

What if the real act of leadership isn’t staying late but leaving early? Not sneaking out. Not slipping away with your head down. But standing tall, grabbing your bag, and saying, I’m off to be a dad. That’s the shift we need. The photo? My daught... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

Treasurer @JEChalmers, let me help you with this one in finance. Pass a law that says anyone providing financial advice may *only* receive revenue from the client, and must act in the best interest of the client. You could then junk the 'statement of advice' palaver. Easy.

While rising homelessness is a huge issue, the other side of the coin is people being stuck in living arrangements they don't want to be in. This isn't "I want to live in Bondi", it's at times I can't afford to move out my abusive partners house and retain my support network.

2026’s RATE CUTS WILL ADD $60,000 TO THE PRICE OF A TYPICAL SYDNEY HOUSE We’ve had two rate cuts this year, and there’ll be another two (or even three) by Christmas. And that’s great. But it will also come at a cost to those hoping to break into the money printing machine that is the Australian housing market. The last three years saw a huge natural experiment ... Was the worsening in Australian housing affordability because – (1) money was too cheap for too long (an interest rate story), or was it because (2) we haven’t approved enough, and what we do approve comes with costly rules and regulations attached (a housing supply story)? We now know the answer: housing prices survived the rapid rise in interest rates in recent years, meaning that affordability has tanked mainly because of the decades of dumb we’ve done in housing. (By the way, the rise in rates in recent years was the equivalent of abolishing negative gearing nine times over – both rates and negative gearing simply affect the after-tax cost of capital. So no, there’s no magic wand to wave in housing policies.) The politicians increasingly know all that, so they’re starting to do things about housing supply. But to date their measures are small and slow, and the recent federal election saw both sides promise more money faster for raising demand than for boosting supply. Even more challengingly, to say that a lack of housing supply has caused the most damage to affordability is not the same thing as saying interest rates don’t have an impact on prices. Rates still matter a lot. The pre-COVID rule of thumb was that every 1pp drop in mortgage rates added around 6 or 7% to housing prices. Given just how stretched the latter already are, today’s market may be less interest rate sensitive. Yet, even if that old rule of thumb has become a 1pp drop in mortgage rates adding ‘only’ 4% to housing prices, that says 2026’s rate cuts – likely to total 1pp or 1.25pp – will add at least $60,000 to the price of the typical Sydney home and $40,000 to the price of a typical Sydney apartment. That will be a reminder that, no matter how much you avoid smashed avocado, the pressures on younger Australians will continue to grind higher, and that Australian housing policies remain in desperate need of an overhaul.

𝙒𝙚 𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙧. 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚? Back in WWII, women were called into the workforce like it was a natio... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

The second sting is that after being smacked with the new tax, 93% of the revenue will go to EXISTING govt depts (inc public servant super & on-costs) while the already reduced pool for grants is opened up to more groups with CFA Brigades still having to fundraise 33% of the cost of new vehicles (that can only be purchased from the state govt). Any pollie claiming it is a ‘Volunteer Levy’ is is either poorly briefed or is deliberately being misleading

"𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙚. 𝙈𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙮."... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣-𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙢 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙙. Watching this dad care for his rec... linkedin.com/posts/michael-r…