The Dad.Work Podcast

Today’s guest is Larry Hagner. We go deep talking about stepping intentionally into leadership, the turning point in Larry’s fatherhood journey when he knew something had to change, the importance of having a learner’s mindset, the power of psychological safety and helping your kids develop a growth mindset, how to parent your kids so they feel safe to talk to you about anything, finding your core values and helping your kids find theirs, how to have hard conversations with your kids, practical connection practices that Larry uses to build deep relationships with his wife and children, the importance of community, and the cost of inaction.

Today’s guest is Pierre Azzam. We go deep talking about when to seek therapy versus coaching to level up your life, and why seeking help is fundamental to healing and growth,
lessons learned from Pierre’s experience as a psychiatrist who worked in palliative care, depression in men, including postpartum depression in dads and how to get through it, a grounded approach to mindfulness and connection, how to support other men in your life who may be struggling, and emotional intelligence and how to improve your own.

Today’s guest is Ben Goresky. We go deep talking about addiction…what it means, what it is, and why it happens, the role of trauma and pain in the creation and continuation of addiction, using introspection to identify behaviours that are negatively affecting your life, Ben’s story through addiction, rehab, and recovery, shame and how to connect positively with your kids, Ben’s unconventional approach to talking to our kids about drugs, building trusting relationships with our kids so they listen when we speak into their lives, and Ben’s experience as a father and the emotional journey he undertook in an imperfect situation.

Today’s guest is David Stegman.

We go deep talking about:

How David invited and then navigated major upheaval in multiple areas of his life as he was becoming a father,
The importance of men’s work and men’s groups in David’s fatherhood journey,
Hold on to the rope – why these words from David’s mentor helped him get through the first two years of fatherhood,
Normalizing imperfect relationships and normalizing talking about all of this as men and fathers,
Figuring out what’s actually important in your life,
Why David wants all men to have the support of a group of men who are just one message away when you need some help,
How to build your own community of dads locally, and
This profound statement from David that men are craving to go deeper but rarely get an invitation.

Today’s guest is Ryan Walton. We go deep talking about the reality check of becoming a father, finding the courage to ask other men for help, the switch from controlling your own emotions and reactions instead of controlling the world around you, the power of therapy, men’s groups, and regulating your own nervous system, the convergence of personal and community healing and responsibility, awakening to your own story and the narratives that drive your life, practical tools to slow down and start doing the work in only 3 minutes, the importance of having guiding principles as a parent, showing up powerfully for your children in a way that there is NO doubt that they know you’re on their side, dealing with the devastation of a shattered identity and how to get curious and rebuild your life, and the power of taking responsibility for your life.

Today’s guest is Nicky Wilks. We go deep talking about making an intentional choice to be a present father, taking full responsibility for your life, doing “soul work” to create space to become a man and father, using the pressure cooker of doing hard things to grow and acquire wisdom, what young men need, and multiple actionable steps on how to provide it in modern society, the role of fathers and elders in our children’s lives, Initiatory rites of passage for men and boys, and Nicky’s organization Journeymen and the amazing work they’re doing.

My guest today is Christian Lopez. We go deep talking about the power of authenticity and self-awareness, developing vulnerable, deep relationships with other men in your life, the wound that can be created when you tell a young boy “don’t cry”, christian’s journey as a professional baseball player and how he dealt with the crushing blow of his career coming to an end, the trap of chasing fortune and fame, why you’re so much more than what you do, and how to shift your identity to who you are, grieving the loss of a childhood dream, gratitude and perspective, dealing with huge expectations you set for yourself, and Christian’s advice to “be the father that you want to be”.