Startup Dad Adam Fishman

Linus Ekenstam is a designer and serial entrepreneur who has founded and sold several companies. He has also been a design leader at Typeform, Bamboo Blockchain and Flodesk. He's currently building an AI-powered children's story generator at BedtimeStory.ai and a platform to track and improve mental health called Sensive. He is a partner and the father of two daughters. In today's conversation we discussed:
What it means to be an "AI Gardener"
Struggles with male infertility
Time and relativity
How to navigate the daily grind with two working parents and a 4 and 2 year old
A visit from his youngest daughter while recording
How he thinks technology will transform his daughter's lives
Optimism for the future with AI as a useful tool
—
Where to find Linus Ekenstam
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linusekenstam/
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/LinusEkenstam
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LinusEkenstam
Newsletter: https://insidemyhead.ai/
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:47] Welcome
[2:15] What do you do here?
[3:08] AI Gardener
[4:40] Childhood
[6:18] Fav US kid’s show
[7:32] Difference between his and his kid’s childhood
[10:44] kids/partner
[11:38] Pull to move back to Sweden during COVID
[13:07] Male infertility
[23:38] Advice
[25:52] Earliest memory of being a dad
[27:44] Manage daily grind/work/family
[30:25] What did you do w/kids before preschool?
[31:51] Most surprising thing about becoming a dad?
[36:17] Time & relativity
[42:24] Where do you and your partner not align?
[45:25] AI change kid’s relationship to tech/what are you working on?
[50:11] How do you recharge your batteries?
[51:37] What is a mistake you made as a dad?
[53:39] Follow along
[55:30] Rapid fire round
[58:33] Thank you
—
Show references:
Linus’ Tweet on Male Fertility: https://x.com/linusekenstam/status/1696424299773485380?s=46&t=_JjHRNFJidzXB5axbw2gmQ
Star Wars: https://www.starwars.com/
Encanto:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2953050/
Baby Bjorn:https://www.babybjorn.com/
TMNT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles
Power Rangers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers
TypeForm: https://www.typeform.com/
Bamboo BlockChain: https://www.bamboonetworks.com/
Flodesk: https://flodesk.com/
Bedtime Story: bedtimestory.ai
Sensive: https://www.sensive.co/
Ikigai:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Siqi Chen is co-founder and CEO of Runway, the finance platform you don't hate. He was also the president, chief product officer and CEO of Sandbox VR, the VP of Growth at Postmates and he sold his first company to Zynga in 2010. He is an angel investor who has invested in companies like Touch of Modern, Amplitude, Italic, and Clubhouse. He is a husband and the father of two daughters. In today's conversation we discussed:
His life moving back-and-forth to China as a kid
The realities and myth of work-life balance
Sharing the load with your spouse
How his parenting and leadership has evolved over time
How to exercise with your kids and incorporate them into your day
Teaching kids how to use technology as a tool for leverage
A fascinating story of how his daughter uses ChatGPT 
—
Where to find Siqi Chen
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siqic/
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/blader
Runway: https://runway.com/
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:34] Welcome
[2:27] Work/life balance
[6:49] His childhood
[10:52] All about his kids
[11:30] How did you meet your wife?
[13:37] Decision to start a family
[15:33] Load balancing parenting
[18:50] Earliest memory of being a dad
[21:04] Most surprising thing about becoming a dad
[23:13] Giving younger self advice
[25:52] Advice to ignore
[27:45] Favorite book to read to his kids
[29:10] Frameworks
[32:35] Any parenting evolutions?
[35:11] Kids’ dynamic
[35:42] Where do you and your partner not align?
[37:47] Kid’s relationship with tech
[40:45] Most interesting way kids used ChatGPT
[43:11] What did you give up to be a dad?
[45:30] How do you recharge your batteries?
[46:10] What is a mistake you made as a dad?
[49:16] Rapid fire round
[53:31] Thank you
—
Show references:
The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
Transformers: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/
Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
Talktastic: https://talktastic.com/
Amazing Panda Adventure: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112342/
Stanford: https://www.stanford.edu/
Bye Bye Baby: https://buybuybaby.com/
Dalian, China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian
Peter Thiell, Thiel Scholarship: https://thielfellowship.org/
Unity: https://unity.com/
Gundam: https://en.gundam.info/
Postmates: https://postmates.com/
Sandbox VR: https://sandboxvr.com/
ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/
"Blub Blub Fish" Book: https://www.amazon.com/Pout-Pout-Fish-Deborah-Diesen/dp/0374360979
Work-life Balance is Overrated: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/siqic_work-life-balance-is-overrated-implicitly-activity-7161735570757550081-8Yd4
Second Time Founders Podcast reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=257w17EkYn4&t=1s

—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Luke Millar is the SVP of product and engineering at Medium, where you can discover stories, thinking and expertise from writers on just about any topic. He joined there after the company he co-founded was acquired by them in 2021. He has been a technology leader at Shift, Twitter and Microsoft. He is a husband and the father of five kids. In today's conversation we discussed:
How to structure and take paternity leave as a startup founder
Building individual relationships with each of your kids when you have so many of them
How he handled the transition to working from home with a full household
His wife's recent and ongoing battle with cancer
How cancer has become a big part of their parenting lives and the support systems they've needed to navigate it
Mistakes he's made as a Dad
—
Where to find Luke Millar
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luketmillar/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ltm
- Medium: https://medium.com/@ltm
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:37] Welcome[2:52] A "typical" day with 5 kids[4:42] Luke's Childhood[5:29] All about Luke's wife[8:30] Building a pro-parent company[11:07] Insane flexibility[12:11] Paternity leave[16:59] Building relationships within a large family[20:14] Systems for working at home[23:42] Awkward work at home moment?[26:26] Advice for younger Luke[28:24] Ridiculous piece of advice to ignore[31:04] How has his parenting style evolved?[33:06] How do you go out in public with a large family?[35:44] How do you and your partner align?[38:47] Getting on the same page[40:04] His wife’s battle with cancer[46:17] Recharging your batteries[49:26] A mistake he made as a father[51:42] Where to follow along with Luke[52:58] Rapid fire[1:00:16] Thank you
—
Show references:
iPod Touch: https://support.apple.com/ipod-touch
Inside Out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/
Encanto: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2953050/
Lost: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/
Third Eye Blind: https://www.thirdeyeblind.com/
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Nir Eyal writes, consults and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology and business. He is the best-selling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Earlier in his career he co-founded and sold two tech companies. In addition to his books and his blog his writing has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology today. He is a husband of 23 years and the father of one teenager. In today's conversation we discussed: 
Lessons learned from both Hooked and Indistractable
What parents specifically can do to avoid distraction and build healthy habits in themselves and their kids
Examples from his life and books on building an indistractable household
Habit formation and the role of extrinsic vs. intrinsic rewards
Limit setting
Why kids reach for phones and technology today
Self-determination theory and the science of motivation
Actions you can take right now to reduce distraction in your family
—
Where to find Nir Eyal
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nireyal
- Website: https://www.nirandfar.com/
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:56]  Welcome
[2:33] Childhood
[5:16] Family now
[5:40] Lessons from Indistractable as parents
[19:19] How partners align on strategy
[23:44] Teaching kids how to make time for traction
[30:35] Self determination theory
[37:02] Age restrictions as protection for kids
[43:51] Rewards as a parent
[48:36] Most surprising thing as a dad
[51:49] What is your favorite thing to do with your daughter?
[53:06] Recharge batteries
[54:56] Follow along
[55:25] Rapid Fire
[59:14] Thank you
—
Show references:
Empire of the Sun: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092965/
Back to the Future: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Dungeons and Dragons: https://dnd.wizards.com/
Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com/
Nir’s book Indistractable: https://www.nirandfar.com/indistractable/
Nir’s book Hooked: https://www.nirandfar.com/hooked/
Hasso Plattner: https://engineering.stanford.edu/get-involved/support-engineering/funding-initiatives/hasso-plattner-institute-design-dschool
Fortnite: https://www.fortnite.com/
Minecraft: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us
World of Warcraft: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/
Fitbod: https://fitbod.me/
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Immad Akhund is the co-founder and CEO of Mercury, a business banking platform that has raised over $160M in funding and has over 100,000 customers. He has also founded two other companies – Clickpass and Heyzap; the latter of which was acquired in 2016. Immad is a husband and the father of two kids. In today's conversation we discussed: 
Starting a family at a very young age (by San Francisco standards)
Navigating founding and running several companies, including Mercury
The difference between finding more time and finding more energy
How to think about skill building with your kids
Dealing with disagreements with your spouse
The parallels between being the co-founder of a company and the co-founder of a family
—
Where to find Immad Akhund
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iakhund/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/immad
- Curiosity Podcast: https://curiositypodcast.substack.com/
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:31] Welcome
[1:46] Childhood
[2:44] Where does your extended family live now?
[3:19] Why keep doing startups?
[6:52] How did you meet your partner?
[7:56] Tell me about your kids
[8:42] Decision to start a family
[9:51] What does your wife do?
[10:59] Why did it feel like the right time to start a family?
[17:13] Earliest memory of being a dad?
[19:29] Advice for his younger self
[22:36] What is something you worked on after having kids?
[23:56] Skill building and teaching kids finance
[27:46] How has his parenting style evolved?
[30:29] What is an example of you getting out of balance w/kids
[31:29] Has being a dad changed how you run companies?
[34:36] Conflict/managing through disagreements
[39:10] Kids relationship w/tech
[42:07] Restore batteries
[44:08] What is a mistake you made as a dad?
[46:32] Follow along
[47:23] Rapid fire round
—
Show references:
Mercury: https://mercury.com/
Model X: https://www.tesla.com/modelx
The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
Union Square Ventures: https://www.usv.com/
Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/
ClickPass: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/clickpass
Hayzap: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heyzap-com/
Inside Out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/
Frozen: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/
Teen Titans: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/
Doona: https://www.doona.com/en-us
Juni Learning: https://junilearning.com/
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

David Lat is a lawyer turned legal writer who created Above The Law and his current, legal newsletter and podcast Original Jurisdiction, which is now his full-time job. Prior to writing he was a practicing attorney and worked as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice under Chris Christie. David is a husband and the father of two kids. In today's conversation we discussed: 
The transition from an in-house legal career to the world of writing and podcasting and what that has done for his family
Surrogacy
Important legal considerations for parents
Navigating feelings of parental guilt
How to talk to your kids about different family types and configurations
The fallacy of making logical appeals to children
His approach to interviewing for childcare
—
Where to find David Lat
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlat/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidLat
- Original Jurisdiction: https://davidlat.substack.com/ 
 
Where to find Adam Fishman
- FishmanAF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover
[1:47] Welcome
[2:04] Professional background
[2:53] The decision to go from practicing law to writing about law
[5:02] David's family now
[5:37] Their decision to start a family
[7:21] Surrogacy
[9:37] Family/work balance
[12:34] Was career choice influenced by becoming a dad?
[14:54] Legal considerations for parents
[17:32] What is a pre-birth order?
[19:11] Earliest memory of becoming a dad
[20:57] What emotions came up when you realized it was “real”?
[22:57] Most surprising thing about becoming a dad?
[25:15] Advice for younger self
[28:40] His interview approach for childcare
[30:17] Parental guilt
[34:56] Parenting Frameworks
[36:27] How has your parenting style changed over time?
[38:10] Area where David and his partner don’t align
[40:30] Logical appeals vs. children
[41:59] How do you recharge your batteries?
[43:38] What is a mistake you made as a dad?
[45:02] Talking to son about same-sex parenting
[48:27] Follow along
[49:23] Rapid fire
—
Show references:
Clueless: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697/
Carly Aroldi, Good Enough Parenting: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-enough-parenting/id1708282417
Creative Family Connections: https://www.creativefamilyconnections.com/
Chris Christie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Christie
Chris Christie on David's Podcast: https://davidlat.substack.com/p/chris-christie-podcast-interview-with-david-lat
Above The Law: https://abovethelaw.com/
BabyConnect: https://en.babyconnect.com/
My Two Dads and Me by Michael Joosten: https://www.amazon.com/My-Two-Dads-Michael-Joosten/dp/0525580107
Snoo: https://www.amazon.com/SNOO-Smart-Sleeper-Happiest-Baby/dp/B0716KN18Z
—
For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com 
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/