Ask Dr Vincent: Two and a Half Mates

Winning at Work, Failing as Dads?

Dr Vincent — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 21:00:52 GMT

I had just returned from the United States after travelling 33 hours to Bentonville for my first in-person meeting with Walmart. It was a milestone I had dreamed about for years, yet every achievement came with the same uncomfortable truth: pursuing it meant being away from my daughter. I can now run most of my company from my phone, which means I can work almost anywhere, but it also means work can follow me everywhere. Olivia has started repeating phrases she hears from me, such as “in two minutes,” while Andrew recently heard his daughter say, “Papa’s busy,” even though he was sitting right beside her. Those small moments can cut deeper than any criticism. We work because we want to give our children security, opportunity and a better future, yet sometimes the very work we do for them takes us away from the childhood unfolding in front of us.

In this episode, Andrew and I speak honestly about working-parent guilt, the impossible arithmetic of school holidays and annual leave, the pressure to provide, and the fear that succeeding professionally means falling short at home. I do not believe being a good father requires abandoning ambition or being physically present every minute. Children also need parents who are fulfilled, emotionally healthy and honest about who they are. But they need our attention when we are with them. They need us to put down the phone, communicate, play, say “I love you” and occasionally see the world through their eyes. We will never achieve perfect balance, and many of the pressures parents face are systemic rather than personal failures. What we can do is keep returning to what matters: being present, being patient and allowing ourselves to become a little more childlike again.

Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.

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Work in life balance, is it a thing?

Dr Vincent — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:30:20 GMT

In this episode, Andrew and I tackle a question that divided the people I asked almost perfectly down the middle: does work–life balance actually exist? As a scientist, founder, husband and father, I have rarely experienced life as two neatly separated halves. When you love what you do, work can feel deeply fulfilling, but that does not mean it is easy. There are long hours, constant decisions, unexpected fires and unavoidable trade-offs. I have come to believe that balance is not about giving every part of life an equal number of hours. It is about having enough flexibility to respond to what matters most at that moment, without losing sight of why you are doing it all.

Andrew and I also explore the guilt created by rigid routines, why some people become sick the moment they finally go on holiday, and why exercise, sleep and looking after your health are essential parts of creating a sustainable life. My philosophy is simple: consistency beats perfection. You cannot always remove the sources of stress i.e. you cannot simply quit being a parent, abandon your responsibilities or walk away from a business you believe in. But you can strengthen your ability to manage them. Sometimes that means moving a task from Sunday to Monday. Sometimes it means asking your partner, colleague or friend for help. Real balance is not doing everything perfectly; it is building a life whose demands you can sustain and whose purpose you can still enjoy.

Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.

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🅾️ @askdrvincent @coachandrewv
📺 Full video episodes every Saturday

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Are We Getting Old or Just Getting Better?

Dr Vincent — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:30:36 GMT

From aching backs and slower recovery to greater confidence, parenthood and knowing what actually matters, Andrew and I ask what “ageing gracefully” really looks like.

Getting older is strange because you rarely notice it happening one day at a time. Then suddenly your friends are celebrating milestone birthdays, a big night out requires a little more planning, recovery takes longer, and things like sleep, mobility and looking after your body start to matter in ways they never did in your twenties. In this episode of Two and a Half Mates, Coach Andrew and I talk about what we imagined life would look like by this age, becoming parents later in life, and the trade-off that comes with getting older: perhaps we don’t bounce back physically quite as quickly, but we have more confidence, perspective and appreciation for where we are.

We also get into the practical side of ageing well: staying active, protecting mobility, prioritising sleep and recovery, managing screen time, understanding that supplements and skincare can’t replace a healthy lifestyle, and finding routines that actually work for the stage of life you’re in. But underneath all of that is a much bigger idea. Ageing isn’t something I think we should be frightened of or constantly try to reverse. Andrew and I both feel more confident and more comfortable with ourselves now than we did when we were younger—and, as we say at the end of the episode, growing older is actually a privilege that not everybody gets. That makes every birthday something worth celebrating.

Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.

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Episode 1 — So… How Did We End Up Here?

Dr Vincent — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 22:01:39 GMT

The introduction without doing a boring “welcome to our podcast” episode.

We start with who we are, what we do and why we decided to put microphones in front of the conversations we were already having. Then we let it drift into where we both are in life right now.

Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.

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🅾️ @askdrvincent @coachandrewv
📺 Full video episodes every Saturday

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Two and a half mates

Dr Vincent — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 06:30:30 GMT

Well let us explain! We both are dads, foudners, business owners and MATES!

We find it quite challenging to make time to catch up and have a proper chat, so we decided to commit to doing a podcast instead! Not really scripted, no agenda. Just two mates having real conversations that you happen to be listening to!

We won’t solve all the problems in the world, but hopefully the things we talk about are relatable and since you’re our half mate, feel free to drop in your questions, suggestions or feedback.

We can’t wait to record our first episode next week! We plan to record LIVE on Substack every Thursday and publish the full episode on Saturdays!

Casual chats, real conversations. We’re the two mates: Vincent and Andrew, and you’re the half, listening in.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
🅾️ @askdrvincent @coachandrewv
📺 Full video episodes every Saturday