111

EP 111: Want To Learn To Be a Better Husband?

Interview With Zach Watson / Fair Play Coach, Recovering Manchild

Hosted by Paul Sullivan

Two words could change your married life for the better: mental load. It’s a phrase coined by Eve Rodsky that has spawned a movement to rethink how work in the home is allocated. It’s not so much about what gets done as who thinks of that what. Zach Watson, a star dad creator on Instagram and Tik Tok, has so fully embraced the teachings of Fair Play that he recently left his tech sales job to go all in on coaching men in the Fair Play method of being a partner. At the crux of it is discussing who carries the mental load for which tasks. Listen to learn how to improve your communication and happiness in marriage.

110

EP 110: Would You Give Up Your Athletic Dream For Your Kids?

Interview with Todd Demsey / PGA Tour Player Who Walked Away From The Game

“Thirty weeks a year on the road – it’s not worth it.,” said Todd Dempsey who wasn’t a consultant or traveling salesman. He was a PGA…

109

EP 109: How To Maximize Productivity and Parenting

Interview with George Grombacher / Founder of the LifeBlood podcast, Father of Three

Success usually begets more obligations to fit on top of what you’re already doing – without more time to do them. That happened to…

February 20, 2024
108

EP 108: Change The Fatherhood Narrative You Learned As A Child

Interview with Sir Royce Briales / Founder of Welcome To Fatherhood

Welcome To Fatherhood began when Sir Royce Briales asked his childhood friend, Dr. Raheem Young for fatherhood advice. The two Chicago…

February 13, 2024
107

EP 107: How To Get What You Want At Work

Interview with David Landman / Goldman Sachs HR leader, Workplace Advocate

After a 20-year career as a human resources leader at Goldman Sachs, David Landman recently left and has launched a consultancy that is…

February 6, 2024
106

EP 106: Let’s Talk About Making Care Better In America

Interview with Katherine Goldstein / Community Leader, Care Fellow

Not to be cute, but how much does America care about care? We talk about it. We stress about it. We know we need it. But what steps can…

January 30, 2024
105

EP 105: What Men Get From Parental Leave

Interview with Jason Abrams / Dad of Two on His Company's Leave

Amtrak offers paid parental leave to mothers and fathers. Jason Abrams has taken his full allotment of leave twice now – a rarity among…

January 23, 2024
104

EP 104: What’s To Be Learned From One Dad’s Diaper Fame?

Interview with Barney Banks / Tik Tok's IAmMrBanks, Diaper Dude

Barney Banks’ fatherhood fame started humbly: he was trying to entertain his son while changing his diaper. He showed the video to his…

January 16, 2024
103

EP 103: The Workplace Is Disrupted. Here’s How To Navigate It

Interview with Nate Thompson and Alex Schwartz / Fathers and Workplace Thinkers

People want to work differently. We know this. So why are some companies so behind in adapting – not to mention those companies putting…

102

EP 102: What Do You Need To Restart Your Career?

Interview with Anna McKay / Back-to-Work Expert for Parents

Parents pause their careers all the time. They do it to devote all their time to their families. But at some point, they may want to…

101

EP 101: How Fatherhood Is Changing – From Our Team

Behind The Scenes Of The Company of Dads

This is our holiday episode and we’re sitting down with The Company of Dads itself – the people who make this possible: Helder, Emily…

December 26, 2023
100

EP 100: What Have We Learned In Two Years at Work and at Home

Interview with Kristen Shockley / Our First Guest, Professor at Auburn / Work-Life Expert

Welcome to our 100th Podcast! To celebrate, we’re talking to Kristen Shockley, our first guest almost two years ago. We talked back then…

December 19, 2023
99

EP 99: How Dads and Children Can Work Together

Interview with Kurt and Trent Long / Father-Son Entreprenuers

Kurt and Trent Long, father-son founders of a company called BUNKR that digitally encrypts your passwords and documents, have lessons…

December 12, 2023
98

EP 98: Why CEOs Fight Hybrid Work – Even When They’re Wrong

Interview with Nick Bloom / Hybrid Work Expert, Stanford Economist

The Five Day Office Week is Dead – so says Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and an expert on work-from-home…

December 5, 2023
97

EP 97: Why The Best Companies Treat Dads and Moms Equally

Interview with Brad Harrington / Boston College Center for Work and Family

Many companies still focus on working moms with their outreach and employee resource groups for parents. But research from Boston…

November 28, 2023
96

EP 96: How Did The Turkey Get On Your Table? This App Knows

Interview with Michael Perry / Creator of An App To Organize Families

Michael Perry was living the tech founder’s dream. He’d sold an app he created to Shopify, where he had a senior role. Then he and his…

November 21, 2023
95

EP 95: You May Be Telling The Story of Your Life Wrong

Interview with Jason Frishman / Narrative Therapist, Founder of JourneyMen

Can fathers journey through life with responsibility, meaning, intention and partnership? That’s Jason Frishman’s goal: A therapist…

November 14, 2023
94

EP 94: How A Politician Changed His Life To Be a Lead Dad

Interview with Michael Frerichs / Illinois Treasurer, Father of Three

Michael Frerichs was elected state treasurer in 2014 and has been reelected twice. For all that time he lived in a farming town in…

November 7, 2023
93

EP 93: How To Unleash What’s Holding Dads Back

Interview with Jeff Wickersham / Warrior Dad, Fatherhood Coach

Sometimes unexpected bad outcomes lead to great personal growth. A decade ago, Jeff Wickersham was let go from his job at American…

October 31, 2023
92

EP 92: What Does Care At Work Look Like?

Interview with Blessing Adesiyan / Workplace Challenger, Founder of MH WorkLife

Blessing Adesiyan is at the forefront of changing how workplaces think about care for workers. A chemical engineer by training who held…

October 24, 2023
91

EP 91: How To Turn Dadding Into a Team Sport

Interview with Ryan Carters / Pro Cricketeer, Dad Coach

At 18, Ryan Carters was a professional cricket player in Australia. He was a father in his early 20s. In his late 20s, after graduating…

October 16, 2023
90

EP 90: A Navy Seal’s Way To Reclaim His Role As Dad

Interview with Jimmy May / Navy Seal, Father of Three

Jimmy May is highly regarded in the world of Navy Seals, one of the most elite fighting groups in the world. For 22 years, he was often…

October 10, 2023
89

EP 89: How To Bust 13 Myths At Work That Hold Us Back

Interview with Mita Mallick / DEI Expert, Leading Voice for Change

Mita Mallick is challenging the lazy statements company leaders have made about diversity policies and laying out a plan to make…

88

EP 88: How A Dad Used His Divorce To Help Kids

Interview with Terry Smith / Author of See You Later

After going through his second divorce, Terry Smith got full custody of his daughter. Watching her come to terms with what happened…

September 26, 2023
87

EP 87: How To Raise A Child Who Becomes An Independent Adult

Interview with the Authors of Raising A Kid Who Can

A psychiatrist, a psychologist and a child therapist all walk into a parenting group, and… it’s a good set-up for a joke, but it’s the…

September 19, 2023
86

EP 86: How One Company Created Parenting Equity at Work

Interview with Deanne Aussem / Wellbeing Leader At PWC

Creating a wellbeing platform for a large, multinational company like PwC, the professional services firm, has been a decade in the..

September 12, 2023
85

EP 85: What Working At Summer Camp Taught This Dad

Interview with J.R. Havlan / Emmy Award Winner & First Time Camp Worker

J.R. Havlan got an offer he couldn’t refuse: come work as the communications director at sleepaway camp. The eight-time Emmy…

September 5, 2023
84

EP 84: Want Your Kids To Work In the Family Business?

Interview with Doug Patton / Inventor and Dad

Doug Patton is an inventor with over 200 products to his name, ranging from a biomedical device used worldwide for eye surgery to an…

83

EP 83: Want To Raise Smart, Resilient Kids? Don’t Do This

Interview with Jennifer Wallace / Author and Advocate for Adolescents

It’s all or nothing. Harvard or bust. A’s may not be enough. This is achievement culture and it’s hurting kids. Jennifer Wallace, …

82

EP 82: How a CEO’s Life Prepared Him For WFH Leadership

Interview with Chris Michalak / Healthcare CEO and Lead Dad

In one year, Chris Michalak lost his marriage, his job and his dog. He became a single Lead Dad with custody of his sons. He kept it…

81

EP 81: How Do You Measure Time As A Father?

Interview with Jay Rosenblatt / Filmmaker and Father

How do our kids change as they age? All fathers observe it in real time but Jay Rosenblatt recorded it. Starting when his daughter was…

80

EP 80: What Are The Three Cords Of Fatherhood?

Interview with Rocco Carreiro / Author and Financial Adviser

The three cords are work, family and self. And author Rocco Carreiro said all three need to be bound together for men to be happy and…

79

EP 79: Challenging Myths and Lies About Dads

Interview with Linda Nielsen / Professor and Expert on Fathers & Daughters

Do babies really bond better with moms? Do dads sacrifice less than moms? Are dads less empathetic, less compassionate, and less skilled…

78

EP 78: Lessons On Inclusive Leadership From a Naval Aviator

Interview with Professor David Smith / Naval Aviator, Gender Rights Expert

A Naval Academy graduate, David is an associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School where he focuses on inclusive…

77

EP 77: How To Be A Better Ally To Working Moms

Interview with Reshma Saujani / Advocate For Women and Girls

Reshma Saujani is an amazing force for working parents, an advocate for girls and a thinker on work today. She founded the nonprofit…

76

EP 76: What’s It Mean To Be DadAwesome?

Interview with Jeff Zaugg / Advocate For Fathers And The Fatherless

Jeff Zaugg is the founder of DadAwesome, a nonprofit that’s all about helping fathers embrace their role as dads and be more present….

75

EP 75: What Does An Epic Life Mean For Dads?

Interview with Justin Breen / Entrepreneur, Lead Dad, Date Night Pro

Justin Breen is a communications innovator from Chicago and the author of Epic Life: How To Build Collaborative Global Companies While…

74

EP 74: How To Get Clarity As a Dad

Interview with Brooks Barron / The Inheritance of Good Fatherhood Examples

Brooks Barron was destined for a high-achieving corporate life. He graduated from Princeton University as his father had and went on to…

73

EP 73: Fatherhood Is Funnier Than You Think

Interview with Todd Detwiler / Illustrator and Author of How To Dad

There is no shortage of books on parenting but they’re written for mothers – only to be read by the rare father. Todd Detwiler set out…

72

EP 72: How Two Baseball Dads United for Men’s Mental Health

Interview with Shawn Lesser and Brent Herd / Men's Mental Health Advocates

Shawn and Brent are fathers who have had professional success and family success. But like many men, they’ve also had mental health…

71

EP 71: How To Save Your Child

Interview with Kevin Olmsted / Author and Advocate for Anorexia Awareness

Kevin Olmsted wrote the book “Scared Dad Feeding: How My Daughter’s Anorexia Took Me To Hell and My Guidebook for How I Got Back” about…

70

EP 70: Smile More? How To Dismantle Gender Bias At Work

Interview With The Band of Sisters / Advocates For Change

The Band of Sisters are six senior female executives who have seen it all and not all that they’ve seen has been good. They’ve written…

69

EP 69: What Working Couples Need To Know To Make It Work

Interview with Jaclyn Wong / Expert on Career, Relationship & Family Decisions

Balancing the competing pressures of modern work and caregiving roles is hard for everyone. Professional couples fall into three…

68

EP 68: How Dads Get Support for Parental Burnout

Interview with Kelly McGinnis / President of the Working Parent Institute

Parental burnout is only recently a topic that is getting talked about openly. All parents can struggle with it but Lead Dads and…

67

EP 67: How To Be a Conscious Dad in 4 Steps

Interview with Jeff Siegel / Health and Wellness Coach for Men

Being a father is loaded with expectations – many stemming from how society pushes men into a certain way of being a father. Jeff…

66

EP 66: 3 Things Dads Can Do To Help Their Kids Learn

Interview with Charlie Rosier / Founder of Babbu, Childhood Learning Expert

What do you do when you want to entertain your toddler with something educational but you don’t know where to go or whether the resource…

65

EP 65: How Parents Can Maximize Work and Home

Interview with Sara Madera / Relationship Coach, Parent Thinker

What comes first: Gender equity at work or at home? In this week’s podcast, I discuss the issue with Sara Madera, founder of Plan…

64

EP 64: A Hollywood Hero’s Lessons On Being a Lead Dad

Interview With Brett Edwards / Hollywood Actor, Dallas Lead Dad

Brett Edwards plays tough guys on screen. He was in American Sniper, the film based on a Navy Seal’s life. He’s been in CSI, Narcos and…

63

EP 63: Why A Senior Tech Exec Gives Credit To Her Husband

Interview With Alison Graham, Global Exec, Lead Dad Advocate

Alison Graham, a native Australian, came to the States 25 years ago and has had a remarkable career in tech – Unisys. Computer…

62

EP 62: How To Work Smarter And Be Present As A Dad

Interview with Travis Perry / Efficiency Expert and Lead Dad

Work too much? Struggle alllocating time to home, work, your community, yourself? This was Travis Perry, a father of seven, who had a…

61

EP 61: What’s Fair Play Mean for Working Moms and Lead Dads

Interview with Eve Rodsky / Fair Play Advocate, Bestselling Author

Eve Rodsky is changing the way working couples coexist. Starting with her bestselling book “Fair Play: A Game Changing Solution for When…

60

EP 60: What Does Fathering Together Mean?

Interview with Brian Anderson and John Badalament / Change Makers

Fathering Together is a nonprofit that works to make fathers agents of positive change. One of its missions is to give dads the tools to…

59

EP 59: How To Combine Family and Career as A Working Dad

Interview with Roman Gaida / Business Leader Setting An Example

Lead Dads need examples at work. They need to see senior leaders being Full Parents at Work – not Event Dads who leave early for a game…

58

EP 58: How One Employer Understood A Lead Dad

Interview with Colin Haupt / Widowed Lead Dad Of Three

Colin Haupt was always a Lead Dad. When his children were young and he was a rising HR executive, he was the one to leave work when his…

February 28, 2023
57

EP 57: How To Find Work-Life Balance, from a B-School Professor

Interview with Stew Friedman / Director of The Wharton Work/Life Integration Project

When his first child was born, Stew Friedman, then a young professor, started researching how companies could think differently about…

February 21, 2023
56

EP 56: How a Hollywood Couple Made Parenting and Career Work

Interview with Bill Masters / Legendary Sitcom Writer and Creator, Lead Dad

Bill Masters is a comedy-writing legend. He parlayed stand-up into writing for “Seinfeld”. He created “Caroline in the City” and…

February 14, 2023
55

EP 55: Why Expectations Are The Key To Parenting Success

Interview With Sue Groner / The Parenting Mentor

All the myriad questions that parents have about their children can be boiled down into one, single issue: expectations, says Sue…

February 4, 2023
54

EP 54: What Divorced Lead Dads Need To Know

Interview With Drew Soleyn / Dad Coach and Founder of Connected Dads

Before coaching Dads, Drew Soleyn was a sports coach turned corporate coach. Coaching executives was important but what if the the…

January 31, 2023
53

EP 53: What a U.S. Congressman Can Do For Dads

Interview with Jimmy Gomez (& his infant son) / America's Most Famous Lead Dad

Congressman Jimmy Gomez, who represents Los Angeles in the House of Representatives, put his 4-month-old son Hodge into a baby sling and…

January 25, 2023
52

EP 52: Who Teaches You To Be a Dad at Work?

Interview With Rob Taylor / Corporate Dad Trainer

Companies are starting to give men paternity leave at work. It’s a start. But there’s still a macho culture that can make taking that…

January 17, 2023
51

EP 51: How To Mix Crime Fighting and Fatherhood

Interview With Trevor Kempner / Assistant District Attorney, Lead Dad

Trevor Kempner, assistant district attorney, a cappella singer, thirtysomething Lead Dad, is a fascinating study of human complexity. He…

January 10, 2023
50

EP 50: The 3C’s Working Parents Need To Have

Interview with Deborah Porter / Working Parent Coach

Deborah Porter is an influential voice on parenting. She runs Porter Systems and is a consultant to organizations and businesses to…

49

EP 49: Looking Back and Ahead

Paul Sullivan Talks About What He Learned as a First-Time Founder and What The Company of Dads Has Planned

We launched The Company of Dads in February, and our Paul Sullivan has told the story of how he came up with the idea many times. Now,…

December 29, 2022
48

EP 48: A Year of Fatherhood Experts

Highlights from Kirstin Shockley, Jamie Ladge, Kenneth Braswell, Dana Suskind, Jay Lauf & Jeff Forte

Welcome to The Company of Dads year-end review. The majority of our podcasts focused on Lead Dads and their stories. But we also sought…

December 27, 2022
47

EP 47: The Year In Lead Dads

Highlights from Mike McKee, Tony Maws, JR Havlan, Tino Ricci and Max Rivera

Welcome to The Company of Dads Christmas highlights from five podcasts this year – Mike McGee, husband of famous golfer Annika Sorenstam…

December 20, 2022
null

EP null: EP 46: Leading By Example – and Calendar – at Work

Interview with David Newson / Chief Marketing Officer, Working Parent Advocate

David Newson has risen to the upper echelons of the marketing world. He’s a leader in his field. As a husband and a father, he does…

December 13, 2022
45

EP 45: A Savvy Pig’s Lessons on Kids and Money

Interview with Michael Beacham / Co-Founder of Money Savvy Generation

Inflation may be tough on the family budget but it’s a remarkable time to talk to your kids about money. Take the grocery bill and show…

December 6, 2022
44

EP 44: Where is Your Chair? A Better Way for Dads to Work

Interview with Eric Arthrell / Researcher on The Changing Desires for Fathers At Work

Eric Arthrell, a long-time management consultant, was the lead author on Deloitte’s “The Design of Everyday Men Report” – a look at how…

November 27, 2022
null

EP null: EP 43: Lessons on Embracing The Role of Lead Dad

Interview with Mark Tamhane / International broadcast Journalist with Kids 4 to 24

Mark Tamhane is a father of six in Melbourne, Australia. His children are 24, 21, 18, 7, 5, and 4. Australia had one the world’s…

November 22, 2022
42

EP 42: How To Train a Dad for Work and Home

Interview with Ian Dinwiddy / Corporate Coach and Founder of Inspiring Dads

Businesses are starting to emphasize parental leave for fathers as well as mothers. No complaints there – as long as the corporate culture makes men feel that taking leave won’t be a penalty. But what many companies are not doing is helping fathers (an …

November 15, 2022
41

EP 41: How Far Would You Go To Be Your Child’s Dad? – Part 2

Interview with Marvin Avilez who Spent 7 Years Securing Fatherhood Rights

Marvin Avilez’s story to be a father to his daughter continues. The former counter-intel Marine turned technologist became a father in 2015…

November 8, 2022
40

EP 40: How Far Would You Go To Be Your Child’s Dad? – Part 1

Interview with Marvin Avilez who Spent 7 Years Securing Fatherhood Rights

Marvin Avilez has one of the most captivating stories about becoming a Lead Dad I’ve ever heard. A former counter-intel Marine turned…

November 1, 2022
39

EP 39: 7 Lessons You Need From An O.G. Lead Dad

Interview with Dan Kadlec / Early Remote Worker and 1990s Lead Dad

Dan Kadlec was a Lead Dad when silence about his role was the way to maintain his ability to work remotely and parent his children as his…

October 25, 2022
38

EP 38: What Working Dads Can Ask For: An Attorney’s Advice

Interview with Michael Cohen / Employment lawyer, Philly sports fan, Lead Dad

When Michael Cohen’s first daughter was born, some 20 years ago, he was afraid to take paternity leave. Not super shocking in the early…

October 18, 2022
37

EP 37: What Makes An Equal Partner?

Interview with Kate Mangino / Gender Expert, Researcher, Author

Splitting up work at home equally doesn’t mean you do the dishes and I take out the trash. It means both partners share the mental load of…

October 11, 2022
36

EP 36: A Frank Talk About Suicide and Fatherhood

Interview with Andrew Jensen / Pro Athlete, Mental Health Advocate, Suicide Survivor

Andrew Jensen was an elite athlete all through the junior and university ranks. Handsome, fit and charming, he nearly reached the pinnacle of his sport, falling just a few notches short of playing on the PGA Tour. Throughout it all, Andrew was struggli …

35

EP 35: Lead Dad or Modern Husband: Discuss

Interview with Brian Page / Founder of Modern Husbands, Financial Literacy Expert

For our first joint podcast, Paul Sullivan, founder of The Company of Dads, and Brian Page, founder of Modern Husbands, come together to…

September 27, 2022
34

EP 34: Parenting Allies Can Change the Workplace

Interview with Han-Son Lee / Founder of Daddilife, Leader in HR Change in the UK

Han-Son Lee, the founder of Daddilife, a parenting website for fathers in the United Kingdom, is working to change the way companies treat…

September 20, 2022
33

EP 33: Family Life with a World-Famous Athlete

Interview with Mike McGee / Marketing Guru, Lead Dad to Annika Sorenstam

Mike McGee was a sports marketing guru in his own right before going to work for Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest golfers of all time…

September 13, 2022
32

EP 32: The Emperor of All Lead Dads

Interview with Bruce Feiler / Creator of The Council of Dads, thinker on family and friends

Bruce Feiler is best-selling author, sought-after speaker and contemporary thinker on fatherhood, family and work. He may be best known as…

September 6, 2022
31

EP 31: How Men Can Advocate for Women at Work

Interview with Paula Ratliff / Tech Leader, Workplace Thinker, Kentucky Colonel

Men far outnumber women in tech, but Dads have the ability to even the playing field for working moms, says Paula Ratliff, president of…

30

EP 30: How Fathers Can Get Help Being Fathers

Interview with Kenneth Braswell / National Expert on Responsible Fatherhood

What’s a big lesson for fathers? Having patience – and the understanding that none of us can do it all, says Kenneth Braswell a leader in…

29

EP 29: Lessons from the Global Fatherhood Front

Interview with Gary Barker / Leader in the Global Men’s Movement / O.G. Lead Dad

Gary Barker is a leading global voice in engaging men and boys in advancing gender equality and creating a positive view of masculinity. He is the CEO and founder of Equimundo, which has worked for 20 years in more than 40 countries – starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He’s…

28

EP 28: Financial Wisdom Equals Family Harmony

Interview with Carrie Schwab Pomerantz / Expert in Family Finances

Carrie Schwab Pomerantz is an absolute expert in family finance. She has served two White House administrations. She advised the Council on Financial Literacy under President George W. Bush, and was later appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Advisory Council…

27

EP 27: Want Your Kids To Excel? Join The Parent Nation

Interview with Dana Suskind / Surgeon, Author, Force Behind A Parent Nation

Dana Suskind is an acclaimed pediatric surgeon at the University of Chicago and the author of “Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential, Fulfilling Society’s Promise.” What’s a parent nation? It’s a group that values and supports the labor and love of raising the next…

26

EP 26: Lessons from a Later-in-Life Lead Dad

Interview with Jay Lauf / Thinker on the Future of Work, Reformed Daily Commuter

Jay Lauf is the co-founder and president of Charter, a news site going deep on the future of work. He’s had a great career in magazines and media. He was the chairman and publisher of Quartz, the publisher of The Atlantic and the publisher of Wired. But for 20 years, the…

25

EP 25: Feeding Time – How To Make It Fun, Not Frustrating

Interview with Jill Castle / Expert on Feeding Kids For Maximum Health and Happiness

Parenting is some combination of exhausting and exhilarating. Making healthy meals can fall into the exhausting category. And it’s complicated: if Daddy is drinking a rum punch and attacking a basket of fried seafood, can he really tell his kids to skip the Shirley Temples and…

24

EP 24: The Role Dads Need To Play in a Kid’s Education

Interview with Jeffrey Forte / National Advocate for Families / Special Ed Attorney

Jeff Forte is special education attorney in Connecticut and advocate for parents and children. He runs one of the few law practices in the state dedicated entirely to helping families navigate the state’s special education laws to insure their children get an appropriate…

23

EP 23: A Real History of Lead Dads

Interview with Stephanie Coontz / Expert on Contemporary Families and Marriage

How have husbands and wives balanced working, parenting and being together throughout history? Stephanie Coontz, the director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families, says it’s generally not how most of think about it today. If anything, the…

22

EP 22: A ‘Stunt Guitarist’ Talks About Choices & Contentment

Interview with Chris Bell / Musician, Lead Dad of Two, Guitar Master

A New Hampshire guy originally, Chris Bell has called Austin, Texas, home for almost two decades. A classically trained musician, he used to teach but now he is, what he calls, a ‘stunt guitarist’! He and his wife knew each other since they were kids but they reconnected 20…

21

EP 21: When You Have Choices, Choose Wisely

Interview with Nick Brophy / Bakery Owner, Career Supporter, Wise Man

Today my guest is Nick Brophy, father of five children, ages 7 to 24. Nick played football at Princeton and the team won the Ivy League championship his junior year. Then he took a traditional path to Wall Street. He loved it and excelled at it for nearly 20 years. His wife…

20

EP 20: The Internet’s Dad Shares His Tips

Interview with Rob Kenney / Creator of "Dad, How Do I?"

Rob Kenney came up for the idea for “Dad, How Do I?” during the pandemic. He wanted to provide what he calls “Dadvice,” to kids who didn’t have a dad. He knew that role personally, growing up without a father – his mom died and his dad left the family when Rob was 14. Little…

19

EP 19: The Funniest Lead Dad in America Shares His Secrets

Interview with JR Havlan / 8-Time Emmy Award-Winning Comedy Writer, Lead Dad

A funny thing happened on the way to J.R. Havlan using his college degree to get a job on Wall Street: the stock market crash of 1987. With every offer evaporating, he did the next logical thing and went into comedy. While he surely would have been the funniest guy at the…

18

EP 18: How All Working Husbands Can Become Lead Dad Material

Interview with Lara Bazelon / Lawyer, Author, Honest Assessor of Dads

Lara Bazelon is an attorney and author of the book Ambitious Like A Mother: Why Prioritizing Your Career is Good for Your Kids. Her book is about this moment in time, when we’ve come out of the pandemic where whole groups of people have been able to work from home, and that…

17

EP 17: What You Say When You’re Asked What You Do

Interview with Franco Finstad / Jazz Trumpeter, City Dad, Quick-witted Storyteller

Franco Finstad is a dad-at-home in Manhattan, as he calls it on his LinkedIn profile. He has twins, a boy and a girl. Before they were born, he was a software engineer and a musician – trumpet being his instrument. But a funny thing happened on the way to being the Lead Dad to…

16

EP 16: Deadlines and Car Lines

Interview with Kamau High / Journalist, Kid Pickup Pro, Lead Dad

Kamau High is a senior editor at The Baltimore Sun, where he helps shape the news agenda and manages a team of reporters. It’s been an interesting path to get where he is. He married his high school sweetheart. They moved to New York, they had fun, they worked – she is a…

15

EP 15: Restaurant Life vs. Family Life

Interview with Tony Maws / Award-Winning Chef, Restauranteur, Lead Dad

Famed chef, Tony Maws was a central part of the Boston food scene for more than two decades. He won a slew of chef honors, including the highest – a James Beard Award. One of his restaurants, Craigie on Main, attracted a loyal foodie following who gathered around his famed…

14

EP 14: Wisdom from The Delivery Room

Interview with David Weinstein / Legendary Baby Doctor – At Nearly 11,000 Births

David Weinstein has delivered nearly 11,000 babies in the New York area—most at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. He’s one of the all-time greats. Stories of his grace and coolness under pressure are legion. High-risk pregnancies? No problem. Record deliveries in a day? 12…

13

EP 13: Firefighting, Fraternity and Family

Interview with Max Rivera / New York City Firefighter, Lead Dad

After the September 11 attacks, Max Rivera knew he wanted to be a New York City firefighter. It’s not an easy job to get but he was determined to do it. It took him over a decade to accomplish his goal. But he made it and was assigned to a storied fire house in Flatbush…

12

EP 12: Prepping Lead Dads To Be Ready From The Start

Interview with Keegan Albaugh / Founder of Dad Guild, Educator, Lead Dad

Keegan Albaugh readily admits that his wife, a grad student and stand-up comic, pushed him into starting what became Dad Guild. But after he gathered with a handful of other new fathers in Burlington, Vermont, he realized what he was striving to do was no joke. Normalizing…

11

EP 11: How To Balance Two Careers Without Resentment

Interview with Michael Teager / Jazz saxophonist, Early Remote Worker, Lead Dad

Michael Teager is a renown saxophone player with multiple recordings who was gigging several times a week before his son was born. His wife, a musician and teacher, needed to return to work fairly quickly, so he stepped up to take over childcare duties. He felt he could make it…

10

EP 10: Stepping Up For Your Family Doesn’t Mean Stepping Back From Work

Interview with Nikola Gasic / Newly minted C.F.A. Charterholder, Parent and Lead Dad

Nikola Gasic believed his employer when it offered him paternity leave when his son was born: take it, someone else will cover for you, your job will be here when you return. He took paternity leave to spend time with his son but he also took it because his wife’s job was more…

9

EP 9: Will The Pandemic Change Work and Parenting?

Interview with Dr. Jamie Ladge / Expert on The Trade-Offs Parents Make and How Work is Changing

Jamie Ladge, an associate professor of management and organizational development at Northeastern University, comes at the work-life debate with a lot of questions. Why is it hard to be both a good parent and a good worker? Can fathers be competent dads and professionals? Will…

8

EP 8: How Do Spouses Speak When Roles Change

Interview with Alex McKenzie / Emperor of Ice Cream, Sobriety Advocate, Lead Dad

Alex McKenzie was the Emperor of Ice Cream, a life-long food lover who created an ice cream business (named for a Wallace Stevens poem) that was thriving pre-pandemic. He’d done many other things in the food world. He’s worked in the fields and in restaurants. The fish…

7

EP 7: The Importance of Community for Single Lead Dads

Interview with Nathan Richardson / Entrepreneur, Florida transplant, Father of Twins

Nathan Richardson was a New Yorker, and the community in his neighborhood allowed him to be a single Lead Dad to twins, a boy and a girl, and still work at the top of his profession. He had time to volunteer and be with each of his kids alone, knowing his neighborhood network…

6

EP 6: Covid, Kids, and The Playground

Interview with Tino Ricci / Husband to an ER Nurse, Home Depot Associate, Lead Dad

When the pandemic began, Tino Ricci’s wife was an emergency room nurse outside of Ft. Worth, Texas. She was seeing first-hand how devastating the virus could be – and worried about bringing it home to her family. Tino stepped up, shifted his schedule, and took the lead on…

5

EP 5: Masculinity, Money and Parenting

Interview with Brad Klontz / Financial Psychologist, Tik Tok Influencer and Lead Dad

What holds some men back from becoming Lead Dads – or at least openly embracing the role? It starts with traditional perceptions of masculinity, of being the higher earner, of being the provider, of not engaging as much with parenting and family tasks. But it’s not something…

4

EP 4: Rethinking Career and Family Responsibilities

Interview with Dave Andrews / Air Force Officer, Commercial Pilot, Lead Dad

Flying was Dave Andrews’ dream. As an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he flew military operations and supported humanitarian aid missions; he also flew the prime minister under the call sign, CanForce One. He went on to fly for Air Canada where he was just as likely…

February 22, 2022
3

EP 3: Kids and Money – What You Do, Not What You Say

Interview with Steve Israel / Financial Adviser, Ex-NFL Player, Lead Dad of Four

Talking to kids about money and financial responsibility isn’t easy. What might matter more is what your kids see you doing, not what they hear you saying. “Whatever I preached, they had to see me doing it,” said Steve Israel, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and played…

February 15, 2022
2

EP 2: Fatherhood and Football With a Superbowl Champ

Interview with Najee Goode / Super Bowl Champion, Entrepreneur and Lead Dad

The former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles has sacked Tom Brady and intercepted him. He started a company, Veepio, that seeks to change the financial landscape for college athletes. Now living in Jacksonville, Florida, Najee is the lead dad to his two daughters, 5 and 4…

February 8, 2022
1

EP 1: What Pandemic Research Revealed About Dads

Interview with Kristen M. Shockley / Professor, University of Georgia

The pandemic changed parenting and relationships overnight. Kids were forced home from school. Parents were sent into remote work or forced to juggle shifts with parenting. Into this chaos, stepped Kristen Shockley, a professor at the University of Georgia, who wanted to know…

January 21, 2022