BBVA celebrated its dads with a Fuckup Nights event about failures and learnings in fatherhood. Honesty, humor and real connections.
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To celebrate Father's Day, BBVA Mexico stepped away from tradition.
We co-created a special edition of Fuckup Nights: a safe space for BBVA's collaborators and leaders—fathers at various stages of parenthood—to share their failures, lessons, and deeply human moments that have shaped their journey as dads.
That's how "Perfectly Imperfect Fatherhood by Fuckup Nights" was born—a private event for over 500 BBVA employees in Mexico City, hosted at Pinche Gringo BBQ.
We applied our classic Fuckup Nights format, adapted for BBVA's internal community. We focused on stories of resilience through the lens of fatherhood. It featured:
Ricardo Castañeda opened the night with a quote that set the tone:
"Shame dies and inspiration is born when stories are told in safe spaces."
And with that, the night unfolded into a journey of laughter, honesty, and raw truth.
Antoine challenged a common belief: that "providing everything a child wants" is enough. For years, he worked tirelessly, believing that it would secure his child's future. Over time, he realized that emotional presence mattered just as much—if not more—than professional performance.
"I felt like I was wearing a mask," he shared. Today, presence takes priority over everything else.
For Emiliano, fatherhood became an uncomfortable mirror, forcing him to reevaluate his professional choices.
During a hyper-demanding phase of working in government, where he was expected to be on call 24/7, burnout hit hard. One poorly timed tweet, while working for Claudia Sheinbaum (now Mexico's president), became his breaking point:
"If I keep working here, I'll burn out. And I'm not enjoying my kids."
His kids weren't just part of the story—they were his compass. As he said:
"To talk about the dad I am, I need to talk about the dads I had."
During the pandemic, Pablo was promoted to a high-level role. Just then, his family caught COVID-19.
In the middle of a business trip, carrying the weight of responsibility, he told his boss:
"I shouldn't be here with you. I should be home with my family."
To everyone present, he reminded what truly matters:
"It's not wisdom, it's lived experience from previous mistakes. Today, nothing beats singing in the car with my son on the way to school."
With 28 years of experience as a dad, Mauricio reminded us that parenthood is an ongoing process.
"Our children are not our property. They're not here to fulfill our dreams."
With honesty and grace, he spoke about letting go of expectations, accepting that our children are unique individuals, and embracing the fact that the role of fatherhood constantly evolves.
Because being a father also means getting things wrong.
When companies create vulnerable spaces like this, they strengthen empathy, belonging, and human connection across teams, helping to prevent burnout and fostering healthier dynamics.
"Perfectly Imperfect Fatherhood" served as a poignant reminder for BBVA's 500+ attendees that discussing the difficult aspects of life is one of the best ways to celebrate who we are today—and a step toward building genuine, human connections.
💡 Want to know how BBVA also celebrated Mother's Day with an open and vulnerable conversation on motherhood? Don't miss:
👉 Perfectly imperfect motherhood with BBVA
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At Fuckup Nights, we design spaces where the personal and professional intersect—to build connection, spark learning, and foster cultures of psychological safety.
If you'd like to co-create an experience as authentic and powerful as this one…
Reach out and let's design your next unforgettable team experience... Learn more here
Edited by
Karla Ferreira
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Let's transform our perception of failure and use it as a catalyst for growth.
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