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Underrated By Design
Underrated By Design is a creative platform dedicated to sharing the stories, perspectives, and life lessons that get overlooked in the noise. From honest conversations about fatherhood to reflections on mental health, creativity, relationships, personal growth, and everyday wisdom, we explore the quiet truths that actually matter.
Our goal is simple: to amplify the underrated. Whether it’s through podcasts like Underrated by Design, visual storytelling, or solo takes on culture and life, we create content with depth, intention, and real-world relevance.
This isn’t fast content. It’s content that sticks.
Underrated By Design
The Identity Shift: Who Am I Now That I’m a Dad? | The Dad Shift Podcast
Becoming a dad changes everything – but no one prepares you for how it changes YOU. That profound identity shift in early fatherhood often hits hardest during the first year or two, when you're caught between who you were and who you need to become.
As Lawrence Brown shares in this raw, honest conversation, the transition from spontaneous freedom to structured responsibility creates a genuine grief process many men experience but few discuss. That creative outlet, those late nights with friends, the ability to make impulsive decisions – they don't disappear overnight, but their absence leaves a void that can trigger frustration, stress, and sometimes a full-blown identity crisis.
"You're closing a whole book, your old self," Lawrence explains. "Right now you're starting a new book. We're building a family and a foundation. This is page one, chapter one." This perspective shift is crucial – seeing fatherhood not as the end of who you were, but as the beginning of something potentially more meaningful and impactful.
The episode explores practical approaches to navigating this transition: finding community with other dads who understand, consciously grieving aspects of your former life, integrating elements of your previous identity into your new role, and recognizing the evolutionary nature of personal growth. Lawrence offers a powerful reframe: "Like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, the process may feel restrictive and uncomfortable, but what emerges is something with greater capabilities and a broader perspective."
For new fathers struggling with who they are beyond "dad," this conversation offers both validation and hope. Your identity shift isn't a failure – it's a natural, necessary evolution toward becoming the man your family needs while still honoring the core of who you've always been. Subscribe, share with a fellow dad, and join the conversation about the real, unfiltered journey of modern fatherhood.