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 commemorate Father's Day, BBVA México decided to do something unconventional.
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 talked about an idea many people have about parenthood: "guaranteeing them everything they want" is enough. For years he thought that working hard was the way to secure his son's future. But over time he noticed that his emotional presence was equally or more important than his job performance.
"I felt like I was wearing a mask," he shared. Today, presence takes priority over everything else.
Emiliano shared how fatherhood became an uncomfortable mirror that forced him to reevaluate his professional decisions.
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."
In the middle of a pandemic, Pablo was promoted to a high-level position. He accepted the challenge, but just then his family became ill with Covid.
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."
Mauricio shared that he has 28 years... of experience... being a dad, and made it clear that fatherhood is a task that never ends.
"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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