The Dad Bod

The Dad Bod
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The Story Of What It Means To Be A Dad Today, One Dad At A Time Each episode, we interview one dad to get his story of being a dad. Over time, all of these stories will start to tell the bigger story of what it means to be a dad today. Hosted by Shawn, a dad living in NYC with his wife and their two young native New Yorkers. Visit ⁠⁠thedadbodpod.com⁠⁠ to stay in touch and tap the "refer a dad" button to recommend a guest for the show.

  1. Tony, Surreal Self-Love of Dad

    DEC 1

    Tony, Surreal Self-Love of Dad

    There's a good chance that you already know Tony from his work on Around the Horn, the primetime ESPN sports debate show that aired its final episode in May and that Tony hosted for nearly 5,000 episodes, a track record longer than Oprah's that began in 2004 when Tony, then just 25 years old, was called up as a temporary fill-in host the day after Super Bowl XXXVIII, which is remembered more for its halftime wardrobe malfunction than its game winning field goal. Rewatching this episode, I'm amazed by how natural Tony is at facilitating the debate between four seasoned sports journalists, bringing out their voices while still holding them accountable. It's the first day on the job that he's been dreaming of for 20 years and that he'll hold for 20 more.  Fast forward to today, Tony is raising three young kids with his wife, Samiya, while also navigating a major midlife career transition. As he settles into a spot on my living room sofa, Tony reflects on the waters of the East River, visible from his home in Brooklyn, and the waters of the Hudson River visible from my home on the Upper West Side. These rivers, as my ten year old recently taught me, are both estuaries, bodies of water where the river's freshwater current meets the ocean's saltwater tide to create a surreal environment where the steady state is constant change - much like life itself. It's a poetic prelude to our conversation, which covers Tony's reflections on his career and the vision for what he's building; perspective and advice from his experiences with anxiety and grief; life-changing discovery of self-love; present moment where being intentional and celebrating the surreal go hand-in-hand; and what youth sports teaches our kids. I'm grateful to be sharing this conversation with you. Special thanks to Andrew, Dim Sum Dad, for introducing me to Tony.

    1h 19m
  2. Alex, Rabbit Hole of Dad

    NOV 1

    Alex, Rabbit Hole of Dad

    Neighbors don't necessarily become friends, but Alex and I have gotten to know each other through family hangouts and working together on the board of our co-op building. I think of myself as someone who has a lot of energy, but from what I could tell, Alex is at another level. In addition to being a dad and working as a software engineering manager at Meta, Alex is the unofficial engineer-in-residence for our building; serves and was recently elected as Chair for Community Board 7, the community board that represents our portion of the Upper West Side; volunteers as a NYPD Auxiliary Police officer; and owns several side hustle businesses, including a direct to consumer shoe company, Skippies. And so I've wanted to have him on the show for a long time to ask him essentially one question: how do you do it? Where do you get the energy, motivation, mindset to do all the things that you're doing? And then more recently, Alex went through surgery for cancer. I was worried about him and his family, and then a week or so later, he was back, almost like nothing happened. Observing this from the great distance of the apartment next door, this gave me one more question to ask him: how are you really doing?

    1h 5m
  3. Fire - Reflecting on Edwin

    OCT 22

    Fire - Reflecting on Edwin

    This episode is my reflection on Edwin, Two for One Dad. The story of Edwin and his wife, Pat, moved me deeply. I hope the excerpt below leads entices you to listen to the whole reflection. "I’m imagining now a twenty-something Edwin arriving at work at 3 AM on a cold, dark winter morning to tend the invisible fire that warms the school. With a shovel in his hands and flames flickering in his eyes, Edwin’s thinking about the weekend: a much-needed haircut on Saturday so that he’s presentable on Sunday for a first date with Pat, whom he’s been getting to know through late night phone conversations over the past couple months. Although Edwin’s a new fireman, he’s well acquainted with the fires of life: raised by a tough-love single mom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a time when gangs, drugs, and violence were a daily reality, Edwin lit a fire in his heart to get out after seeing too many friends’ lives altered or cut short entirely.  If every stage in Edwin's life can be described by fire - be it the fire of tough circumstances in his youth, the fire of responsibility in early adulthood, or the fire of romance in dating Pat - then for this present moment, the fire in Edwin's life is Pat herself." Listen to my interview with Edwin from Season 1.

    12 min

  4. SEP 5

    Royce, Epiphanies of Dad

    At 16 years of age and in the middle of high school, Royce independently decides that he needs to leave St. Thomas for the mainland, landing in, of all places, Attleboro, a city in Massachusetts that is a suburb of Providence, RI. It doesn't make sense. "Why did you leave St. Thomas?" I ask. Royce shakes his head. "I can't explain it," he says. "I was at school one day and time literally stood still." Terms like "breakthrough" or "paradigm shift" come to my tech-oriented mind. But then Royce reaches for something else entirely, something more human and divine. "It was an epiphany," he says. The first of three epiphanies, in fact, in Royce's life, along with many other unexpected twists.

    1h 18m
  5. Reflecting on Andres

    AUG 16

    Reflecting on Andres

    An earnest dad starts a conversation with his friend about fatherhood only to find himself in a conversation about God. He wants to change the subject, but the kid inside won’t let him because he wants an answer to the question most dreaded by grown ups: why? This is my reflection on Andres, Sacred Reality of Dad.

    14 min

  6. JUL 23

    Jeff, Ambitious Dad

    Jeff is the creator of Ambitious Dads, a program designed to help dads thrive in all spheres of life through a lens that views personal and professional life integrated rather than separate. In many respects, the idea for Ambitious Dads came to Jeff through his 25 year career as an executive coach, and more broadly speaking, as someone who has a lifelong passion for teaching and personal growth. "Transform your mindset. Make the impossible goal your truth." These are the words at the top of Jeff's website. Yes, it's a message to executives and dads seeking to level up, but as you're about to hear, it's also the story of Jeff's own personal journey to fatherhood.

    43 min

  7. JUN 18

    Drew, Heart of Dad

    I'm really excited to be sharing this conversation with you because in addition to being a dad, Drew has made helping other dads his very work and mission, specifically through his role as the Director of Dad Central, an organization that serves and equips dads in their personal journeys to be better dads. Prior to joining Dad Central, Drew founded Connected Dads, an enterprise born from his own transformational journey in leadership coaching under the mentorship of John Maxwell, whose best selling books have inspired millions in corporate America and the general public with practical wisdom on leadership and personal growth.  When I visited The Dad Central website in preparation for my conversation with Drew, I saw a wealth of materials and programming crafted specifically to help dads. Materials like, "The 7 Step Guide to Stop Yelling," "The New Dad Starter Kit," and "The Role and Value of Being a Dad," as well as direct mentorship through a private Dad Central community. But when I spoke with Drew, I went from merely amazed by the content of Dad Central to being deeply moved by Drew's personal story and motivation for helping dads. As you'll hear, the key for Drew in serving dads is to emanate the honesty and empathy of someone who, as he puts it, is doing the work himself. Our conversation took us to some pretty heavy themes: forgiveness, divorce, and what it takes to support a friend through difficult times.

    49 min

  8. JUN 13

    HFD Tribute to the Dad Bod Dads of Season 1

    For Father's Day , a tribute to the 12 dads that changed my life with their personal stories in season 1 of The Dad Bod. Looking for a last minute, free, heartfelt father's day gift for a dad in your life? Check out last year's HFD episode, Top 5 Last Minute Free Father's Day Gifts. Email me any time at shawn@thedadbodpod.com. Thank you for supporting The Dad Bod!

    14 min
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

The Story Of What It Means To Be A Dad Today, One Dad At A Time Each episode, we interview one dad to get his story of being a dad. Over time, all of these stories will start to tell the bigger story of what it means to be a dad today. Hosted by Shawn, a dad living in NYC with his wife and their two young native New Yorkers. Visit ⁠⁠thedadbodpod.com⁠⁠ to stay in touch and tap the "refer a dad" button to recommend a guest for the show.

Information

  • Creator
    The Dad Bod
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Dad Bod
  • Show Website
    The Dad Bod