Did I F*ck Up Already?” My First 24 Hours as a Dad | Zach Jaffe (Dad of 1, Create Music Group)

Zach Jaffe is an M&A professional at Create Music Group, where he focuses on independent record label acquisitions. After years in the LA music industry and startup world, Zach became the first in his friend group to have a child, which meant navigating early fatherhood without much of a roadmap or many people around him who could truly relate.

He’s also a dad to one three-year-old daughter and brings a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful perspective on parenting, work, attention, and what really matters when life gets chaotic. We discussed:

• The first six months are brutal: Why Zach believes the early stage of parenting is harder than most dads expect and why more honest conversations are needed.
• Being first in your friend group to have kids: How Zach navigated isolation, shifting friendships, and a totally new version of availability.
• Parenting through real emergencies: What Zach learned from driving through a storm with a baby and evacuating during the Pasadena and Altadena fires.
• Parenting with ADHD: The systems Zach uses to manage distraction, hyperfocus, reminders, and the everyday chaos of family life.
• Protecting attention at home: Why Zach is intentional about slow media, screen time, and keeping dopamine loops away from his daughter.
• Parenting makes you better at work: How fatherhood made Zach calmer, more empathetic, and more solution-oriented as a colleague and manager.

Where to find Zach Jaffe

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-scott-jaffe/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachscottjaffe/ 

Where to find Adam Fishman

• FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ 
• X: https://x.com/fishmanaf

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Welcoming Zach Jaffe, Create Music Group
(02:39) The first terrifying moments of becoming a dad
(04:13) Why the first months of parenting are brutally hard
(08:41) Losing your old social life after becoming a parent
(11:41) Building the village before you really need it
(14:10) How fatherhood builds patience and empathy at work
(19:13) Going into survival mode during the LA wildfires
(23:02) Why sleep matters more than startup culture admits
(30:19) Parenting with ADHD and building systems that work
(35:58) Why slow media matters in a fast dopamine world
(40:59) Why Zach keeps AI out of parenting
(42:25) Why creativity needs friction and struggle
(49:31) How parenting makes you better at work
(53:57) Why attention is everything
(01:08:40) Lightning round: butt spatulas, dark clothes, and sensible family cars

Resources From This Episode:

Create Music Group: http://www.createmusicgroup.com 

The Road (Book by Cormac McCarthy): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road 

Waking Up (Meditation App): https://www.wakingup.com/ 

Waking Up (Book by Sam Harris): https://www.samharris.org/books/waking-up 

Baby Diaper Spatula: https://a.co/d/04SZjxQc 

The Muppet Show (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074028/ 

My Neighbor Totoro (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

Spirited Away (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/ 

Star Wars (Films): https://www.imdb.com/list/ls070150896/ 

Alien (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/ 

Top Gun: Maverick (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/ 

Honda CR-V (Car): https://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v 

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