Broken Fathers Podcast

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Episode 34
Guest - Adrian Perez
In one of our most confronting and emotionally powerful episodes, Adrian Perez shares the unimaginable reality of being separated from his daughters through parental alienation. With remarkable honesty and vulnerability, he recounts the events that led to losing contact with his children and the profound grief that comes from missing years of their lives.
Adrian speaks openly about the emotional rollercoaster of navigating the family court system, the financial and psychological toll it has taken on him, and the heartbreaking moments of watching precious milestones pass by from a distance. He reflects on the feelings of helplessness, isolation, and despair that so many parents experience when they are denied meaningful contact with their children, while also discussing the importance of maintaining hope in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Throughout our conversation, Adrian highlights the long-term consequences that parental alienation and high-conflict family disputes can have—not only on parents but, more importantly, on children. He shares the coping strategies that have helped him continue moving forward, the lessons he has learned through his journey, and why he believes awareness, reform, and open conversations are essential to protecting families.
This episode isn't simply about one father's heartbreaking story. It's a conversation about resilience, unconditional love, mental health, and the enduring bond between a parent and child. Adrian's courage in sharing his experience sheds light on an issue that often remains hidden behind closed doors and offers hope to others who may be walking a similar path.
Whether you're a parent, grandparent, legal professional, mental health practitioner, or someone wanting to better understand the human impact of family separation, this episode is both thought-provoking and deeply moving. It serves as a powerful reminder that every family has a story, and every child deserves the opportunity to have healthy, loving relationships with the important people in their lives whenever it is safe to do so.
In this episode, we discuss:
Adrian's journey through parental alienation and family separation.
The emotional, financial, and psychological impact of prolonged court proceedings.
The devastating effects of losing contact with his daughters.
The importance of resilience, mental health, and finding purpose through adversity.
Why greater awareness and meaningful conversations around parental alienation matter.
Adrian's message of hope for parents facing similar challenges.
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Episode 33
Guest - Benson Tan & Collette Farron
For years, Benson stayed silent.

Not because he had nothing to say, but because he was silenced.

Now, after years of court battles, separation from his daughters, false allegations, legal proceedings, and a relentless fight to remain part of their lives, he is sharing his story publicly for the very first time.

From being best friends since the mid-90s, to creating two beautiful daughters together through IVF, life took a path no one could have imagined.

What started as an amicable co-parenting relationship after his wife had multiple affairs eventually turned into a nightmare. Following an incident where his ex-wife assaulted his partner, a DVO was put in place on him, communication was cut off, and a father was suddenly unable to see or speak to his children.

After years of fighting, consent orders were finally reached, offering hope that a meaningful relationship with his daughters could be rebuilt. But the battle didn’t end there. Constant allegations, ongoing court appearances, and repeated attempts to stop contact took their toll.

After years of emotional, financial, and legal exhaustion, he reached a point where he simply couldn’t keep fighting.

This is the story of a father who never wanted to walk away but was worn down by a system and a process that seemed determined to keep him away.

When the legal battles ended, the emotional impact remained.

This episode isn’t just about one father. It’s about the cost of family breakdown, the challenges of navigating complex legal systems, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up when every door seems closed.

After years of staying silent, he’s ready to share his experience.

This is his story.
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Episode 31
Guest - Leana Carter
In this week's episode, I speak with Leana Carter (a pseudonym used to protect her identity), who worked for DV Connect for over five years. With her voice altered for safety, Leana reveals the internal operations of the organization and discusses what she describes as a significant gender bias.
While DV Connect’s mission is to provide safety, transport, and crisis support for Queenslanders, Leana highlights several concerns regarding equality and workplace culture:
* Operational Discrepancies: The women’s crisis line operates 24/7, while the men’s line is only available from 9:00 AM to midnight.
* Training and Gender Lens: Leana discusses the employee training manual, which she claims focuses exclusively on a female-centric "gender lens." She explains that staff are trained from recognizing men as victims and that challenging this perspective can lead to termination.
* Internal Culture: The episode covers allegations of a "man-hating" culture, illegal "perp checks" on personal acquaintances, and high employee turnover.
* Funding and KPIs: We discuss how the organization meets specific quotas to maintain funding requirements.
* Triage and Procedures: Leana explains the three-tier system—from the initial 10-minute screening call to phone-based intake and finally shelter placement—and the challenges involving male children over the age of 12.
* System Manipulation and Misconduct: The conversation touches on how the system is exploited for payouts through Victims Assist QLD (VAQ), as well as allegations of a serious drug culture within the office. She references one case where one woman got paid $100,000 on year.
* Dug Culture: Leana talks about the bad Drug culture that happens in the office. There is a serious cocaine problem not only being used but also being dealt.
This episode offers a candid look at the government narrative that only women can be victims and the reality behind the scenes of the so called "Equality" of DV.
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Episode 31
Guest - Len Jessop & his partner Angela 
On this episode I am joined by author of A Lethal Phobia, Len Jessop, and his partner Angela — who wrote the foreword to the book.
Len is a father who has not seen his children in nearly three years. His love for them has never waned, his door remains open to them forever, and he is so proud of them both.
Shaped by a stoic father and a mother with a heart of gold, Len's personal story is one of sacrifice, resilience, and defiant endurance. We also find time to talk about rugby league.
In this conversation we cover the domestic violence industry and the uncomfortable truth that deaths are rising despite record funding. We discuss a peculiar and largely unknown Queensland law that Len believes represents a genuine risk to anyone accused under it.
We talk about how compliance, self preservation, and institutional preservation consistently appear to take precedence over uncomfortable facts — and why those who challenge the accepted narrative so rarely find institutional support for doing so.
We talk about the designed machine — Len's argument that the system is not broken but functioning exactly as intended. His criticism is directed at systems and institutions rather than individuals — and that distinction matters.
We discuss perception versus reality — and the framework Len developed for getting closer to truth. Base Reality plus Context plus Cui Bono.
He talks about choosing life when the darkness was at its deepest and why he believes nobody should throw away their ticket.
This is an honest, evidence based, and at times confronting conversation about a system that affects far more families than most Australians realise.
His book — A Lethal Phobia — is available now at alethophobia.com.
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Episode 30
Guest - Darren Caulfield & Lilly McEldowney
On today’s episode for the first time ever on BFP, I am joined with 54-year-old Father of three Darren and by his side is his 21 year old daughter Lilly. 
In 2016, Darren Caulfield, a single father of three beautiful children wanted to create a private, safe, and neutral environment for parents and families who are going through difficult times to spend time with their children.
Darren, together with his mother, Pamela Caulfield, an experienced Social Worker who has over 30 years of experience working in the Indigenous, migrant, and community services sector, established Lilly Pilly to meet this need.
Darren is a Nationally Accredited AMDRAS Mediator, Accredited with the Australian Mediation Association and a Parenting Coordinator with Parenting Coordination Australia.
The inspiration of Lilly Pilly is Lilly McEldowney (nee. Caulfield). Lilly’s mum and dad (yes, Darren) separated when she was very young. Lilly was the original child representative on the Lilly Pilly Board.
Lilly comes from a Child Care background and is currently completing her Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution to become a Registered FDRP with the Attorney-General’s Department.
Lilly most recently spoke at the “ Queensland Families and Children Commission 2026 Youth Summitt”. Both Darren and Lilly are Qualified Justices of the Peace, JP (Qual). Lilly Pilly is very proud to have a ‘child representative’ in their constitution who sits on the board that represents the children of separated families. 
Darren, a Brisbane native who moved to Townsville at 15. After working in the mines in New Guinea, Darren returned to Townsville to attend James Cook University, where he met his Lilly's mother at age 30.
Three years into that relationship, their daughter, Lily, was born. Darren recounts the day he returned home to find a note stating that his partner and Lily had left, leading him to reflect on whether his work schedule contributed to the separation.
Over the next two years, Darren fought to stay in Lily’s life, making 112 round-trip flights to Townsville in the first year and 144 in the second year. By age three, Lilly was a Qantas Gold member; the airline staff knew them so well they even gifted Lilly a Dora the Explorer doll for Christmas. We also discuss these events in the context of the Howard Government's family law reforms regarding shared parental responsibility.
Five years later, Darren met a teacher at Lily’s school, with whom he had two sons. Unfortunately, that relationship also ended, and in 2014, Darren began a two-year legal battle to secure a judgment regarding his boys.
Darren, who opened his own supervision contact centre in 2016 after navigating the challenges of the family court system. In this episode, we delve into the operations of supervision centres, covering essential topics such as: 
- Intake processes and initial risk assessments.
- Determining required supervision levels.
- Handling corrections and child safety matters (low-risk vs. high-risk).
- Protocol for Amber Alerts and non-returns.
- The differences between privately owned and government-funded centres.
- Managing reports, notes, and subpoenas.
- General policies and procedures. 
Darren emphasizes that their role is not to dictate parenting styles, but to provide a safe environment, supported by 26 cameras across the property. We also answer specific questions submitted by my followers.
Additionally, I speak with Lilly about her journey from law student to childcare professional. She shares her story of finding her calling in education and her personal life since high school.
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