Podcast Episode: Reimagining Child Support Through Fatherhood, Partnership, and Purpose

At Grays Peak Strategies, we believe meaningful systems change begins with listening — especially to the voices of practitioners who are doing the work every day with care, creativity, and conviction. In our newest podcast episode, we are honored to feature Guy Bowling, a nationally respected leader in child support and fatherhood engagement from the Ramsey County Minnesota Program.

Guy brings decades of experience where he has helped shape innovative, human-centered approaches to fatherhood and fatherhood within child support services. His work challenges traditional enforcement-only models and instead centers dignity, relationship-building, and long-term family stability.

From Compliance to Connection

In this conversation, Guy reflects on the evolution of his fatherhood work and how his passion for this work comes from his personal experiences. He talk abouts how fatherhood can be connected to child support work from systems designed primarily around compliance to models that recognize parents as whole people with complex lives, strengths, and aspirations. He shares how fatherhood programs, employment supports, and trauma-informed practices can transform outcomes not only for parents, but for children and communities as well.

Throughout the episode, Guy emphasizes a simple but powerful truth: when parents feel respected, supported, and seen, they are far more likely to engage meaningfully and sustainably.

Leadership That Shows Up Differently

This episode is also a conversation about leadership — the kind that listens deeply, adapts bravely, and builds trust across systems. Guy speaks candidly about what it takes to lead change inside public agencies, including the importance of partnerships, staff culture, and creating space for innovation even within rigid structures.

For leaders and practitioners alike, his insights offer both practical strategies and inspiration for doing this work with integrity and heart.

YOU CAN FIND THE PODCAST ON:

SPOTIFY (AND SPOTIFY FOR PODCASTERS), APPLE PODCASTS, GOOGLE PODCASTS, AND IHEART RADIO

Guy Bowling is the Program Manager of the FATHER Project at Goodwill/Easter Seals in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he oversees a major federally funded initiative focused on supporting low-income, noncustodial fathers and their families. With nearly 20 years of experience, Guy has dedicated his career to helping fathers overcome barriers to employment, child support engagement, and meaningful involvement in their children’s lives. A recipient of the Ronald F. Johnson Award and an inductee into the Spirit of Fatherhood Hall of Fame, he is also a National Practitioners Leadership Institute Fellow. Under his leadership, the FATHER Project integrates employment services, parenting support, education, and onsite child support collaboration to build trust, strengthen families, and promote child well-being.

🎧 Tune in to the latest episode of the Grays Peak Strategies podcast featuring Guy Bowling and join us in exploring what it looks like to build systems rooted in partnership, possibility, and hope.

At Grays Peak Strategies, we are grateful for leaders like Guy who continue to push the field forward — not just by changing processes, but by changing how we show up for families.