EP 17: What You Say When You’re Asked What You Do
Interview with Franco Finstad, Jazz Trumpeter, City Dad, Quick-witted Storyteller
Hosted by Paul Sullivan
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 his twins. While he and his wife – a financial adviser – were in agreement that this was what worked for their family, it’s not been without its issues. What do you do when your wife introduces you to people at a work party and they walk away when you tell them you’re a dad-at-home? How do you adapt when you thought other caregivers would accept you in an open-minded city like New York? It’s all about how you describe what you do. And as Lead Dads know, words matter, so listen to what Franco has to say about his journey – and how he frames it to others.
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, the …
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 gath …
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 de …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 becaus …
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 …
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 rest …
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 …
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, …
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. …
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 wher …
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 Lo …
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 h …
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 Geo …