
Ep 4: Aggression and Masculinity in Parenting with Circling Founder Guy Sengstock
About this episode
What happens when a master of human connection realizes he's barely talked about his most important role?
Guy Sengstock, co-founder of Circling and dialogical practices expert, joins me to explore the implicit nature of fatherhood. With a 22-year-old son and a 4-year-old, Guy shares raw insights on the wonder of witnessing consciousness emerge, the profound regret of signing away proximity to his eldest, and why aggression needs socialization, not suppression. We discuss how fathers teach most powerfully when they're not trying, the cosmological significance of rough-and-tumble play, and what it means to midwife young beings into self-awareness.
Key Takeaways:
- Why parenting happens most powerfully in implicit, unplanned moments
- The respect and otherness experienced during childbirth
- How physical play socializes healthy masculine aggression
- The deep regret of allowing distance from your child
- What it means to be present with wonder as a father
- How perspective becomes a father's greatest gift
- Why ending generational trauma matters more than legacy
- The importance of being fully present at birth and beyond
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Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/
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