How Divorce Made This Man a Better Lead Dad – Elijah Mattox
Here’s one thing Elijah Mattox, a single Lead Dad of two from Orange County, Calif. who works in business operations, has learned: He’s a better dad today for having gone through a tough divorce when his daughters were young. “I had to step up,” he said. “I was scared to take them places when they […]
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How A High-Intensity Job Set a Lead Dad Up For Success – Andrew Pettit
Being a high-achiever with a perfectionist streak might not seem like the best training for the unpredictability of being a Lead Dad, but for Andrew Pettit, our Lead Dad of the Week from Darien, Conn., that background is serving him well. An Ivy League athlete, he’s had a career – from NBC and Viacom to […]
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Season 2 Episode 7: Degrees of Impact – How Education Benefits Transform Lives
What if your employee benefits could do more than support the day-to-day—they could shape someone’s entire future? In this episode, we hear from Chad Jones at Papa John’s, whose own journey from pizza maker to PhD candidate inspired a company-wide education initiative. “Dough & Degrees” is helping frontline workers earn diplomas, grow careers, and stay engaged—all while staying on the job. For employers, it’s a blueprint for retention and impact. For employees, it’s proof that the right support can unlock real opportunity. Tune in for a story that’s equal parts practical and powerful.
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Recalculating What a Meaningful Working Dad Life Is – Michael Trugman
Accounting would seem to be a profession about numbers and numbers alone, but at the highest level it’s about understanding people and what they’re trying to achieve. Build a business. Save the most possible for retirement. Leave something for your children. (And yes, pay the least in taxes!) For Michael Trugman, our Lead Dad of […]
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Why Honesty About Your Lead Dad Role Pays Dividends – Jason Daniel
From the outside, being a Lead Dad who devotes all of his time to his family can seem easy. But as a man taking up this role full-time – and leaving behind the work contacts that shaped you to that point – it can mean a loss of identity. And that’s before you find yourself […]
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Craig Coupe – How To Be a Team Player
A standout basketball player in college, Craig Coupe understands the importance of being a team player. It served him well on the court and in his career as a commercial real estate broker in Chicago. That team mindset helped him see a play many men miss: his skills could be better utilized if he helped […]
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Slowing Down to Go Forward – Will Greenblatt
Sometimes pulling back is what you need to move forward as a father, a husband and a man. Will Greenblatt, our Lead Dad of the Week from Toronto, had been speeding ahead for much of his life – as a successful child actor, as an entrepreneur running a language school in China, and after he […]
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Why This Is The Best Round of My Golf Year
If you’re going to succeed – and ultimately be happy – as a Lead Dad, you get one hobby. Event Dads can master more and dabble in many, from racquet sports and golf, to skiing and boating, to running or cycling with some occasional hunting and a fishing trips thrown in here or there. As […]
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Why Should You Be Proud to be a Lead Dad?
What does it mean to be a Lead Dad—and why is it time to proudly claim that role? On the Hello Monday podcast with Jessi Hempel, I break down why Lead Dads matter, what companies can do to support them (and working moms), and how rethinking gender roles at work drives retention and results.
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A Dad Fighting The Good Fight – To Be Called First By School
When the phone rang from my daughter’s elementary school, with just two days left to the year, I scrambled to answer it. By some iPhone quirk it went to voicemail after just a ring. I wasn’t overly worried. I figured there was a 90 percent chance that the school nurse was calling with a reminder […]
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Stepping Up And Embracing The Change – Elliot Haspel
Not a lot of guys grow up thinking they’re going to be Lead Dads. Athletes, Lawyers, Tech Bros, sure. But Lead Dads? Elliot Haspel, our Lead Dad of the Week from Denver, was no different. Coming out of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, he was revving to go. “I was one of those guys in […]
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From Helping Kids In Need To Being A Lead Dad – Jeremy Benton
Jeremy Benton had a knack for working with kids; he also enjoyed a single life that allowed him to work extra jobs to earn extra money to travel and see the country. He didn’t plan to have kids of his own and that was fine. He felt he was making a difference working with at-risk […]
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