Father Figures Pod

Keith Oliver
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Monthly

I started Father Figures because I knew I needed community. I knew I couldn't be the only one so I struck out to create the space that I felt was needed. This place was started to build community by amplifying honest stories of fatherhood—its struggles, growth, and the presence that still matters—through conversation and storytelling.  This place was started for all fathers and father figures alike, to broaden the  community and bring in all contributors. Last this place was started to amplify the counter-narrative around fatherhood disinterest and absence. Not perfection. Presence. Follow Us on Social media IG: @father.figurespod Threads: @father.figurespodFB: Father.FiguresPodEmail:info@fathersfiguresmedia.com

Episodes

  1. Jun 21

    My Father, My First Example

    Recorded August 2025 For this episode, I sit down with the man who taught me what fatherhood looked like long before I became a father myself—my dad, Allen Oliver. Together, we explore our family history, the lessons passed down through generations, and the realities of growing up under fathers who expressed love differently than many do today. My father reflects on becoming a dad at 18, the values he learned from his own father and grandfather, and the sacrifices required to provide for a family. Through stories that are both humorous and heartfelt, we examine the legacy of hard work, the challenges of emotional expression, and the moments we wish we could get back. More importantly, this conversation helped me better understand my father's story and, in turn, gain a deeper understanding of my own. This is a conversation about grace, perspective, and the power of staying present. It's a reminder that fatherhood isn't about perfection—it's about showing up, learning as you go, and leaving something meaningful behind for the next generation. As a son, a father, and now a storyteller, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to close out Season One of Father Figures than by sitting across from the man who was my first example of fatherhood. #FatherFiguresPodcast #Fatherhood #BlackFathers #FamilyLegacy #GenerationalHealing #FatherAndSon #Parenting #Storytelling #FathersMatter Being fatherless leaves questions that don't always have easy answers. In Father, Father: An Ode to the Fatherless, Dr. Michael Woodward Jr. speaks to that experience with honesty, compassion, and hope—get your copy wherever books are sold, and stay tuned for his powerful conversation coming in Season 2 of Father Figures.

    36 min

  2. May 31

    Stepping Up: An Inheritance

    Cornell Black Thomas grew up without his biological father, but he never grew up without a dad. In this first installment of a two-part Father Figures conversation, Cornell reflects on the man who stepped into his life, the lessons he inherited about work, sacrifice, and responsibility, and how those lessons carried him through some of the most difficult seasons of his life—including incarceration. Years later, Cornell finds himself standing where his father once stood: helping raise children who don't share his blood but share his heart. This episode is about legacy, chosen family, and the inheritance of a father who showed up. Because sometimes fatherhood isn't passed down through bloodlines. Sometimes it's passed down through example.

    1h 4m

  3. Apr 30

    The Art of Fatherhood

    *Recorded 2025 This episode of Father Figures starts with a personal reflection on what it means to grow apart from something you once loved—and how fatherhood can reshape that relationship. Then I sit down with Dr. Jeremy L. George to really talk through what it looks like to balance being an artist and being a father in real life.  From touring stages to bedtime routines, Dr. George shares how fatherhood has reshaped his understanding of success, sacrifice, and legacy. This episode is for the father-artists—those learning, in real time, how to hold space for both their craft and their families. If you’ve ever tried to hold onto your passion while showing up fully for your kids, this one is for you.

    1h 2m

  4. Mar 31

    I Wonder What's He Telling His Son

    Recorded Oct 2025 On this episode of Father Figures, Keith is trying to figure out what it really means to father—after opening with a semi-autobiographical poem that reflects multiple father identities and a quiet moment of watching another dad “drop jewels” to his son. Through a conversation with Dr. Waldo Johnson, Vice Provost of Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Social Work in the Crowne School at University of Chicago about social fatherhood, masculinity, and the fear of raising a Black son in a world that may one day stop seeing him as “cute,” Keith begins to uncover why community might be the key to helping fathers not figure it all out alone.

    59 min

  5. Mar 1

    The Journey of a Thousand steps

    Season 1 of Father Figures starts where it has to: with Keith Oliver telling the truth about becoming a dad — the wins, the losses, the doubts, the growth — and everything it took to reach day one of fatherhood. No highlight reel. Just the real journey. Retractions: 1. We went to Chicago Feb 2020 for auditions 2. My wife had 3 rounds of IUI (intrauterine insemination). Not as many injections and much cheaper. IVF is an injection to make as many eggs at once. IUI is making the egg release to inseminate

    38 min
  • 5 Episodes

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

I started Father Figures because I knew I needed community. I knew I couldn't be the only one so I struck out to create the space that I felt was needed. This place was started to build community by amplifying honest stories of fatherhood—its struggles, growth, and the presence that still matters—through conversation and storytelling.  This place was started for all fathers and father figures alike, to broaden the  community and bring in all contributors. Last this place was started to amplify the counter-narrative around fatherhood disinterest and absence. Not perfection. Presence. Follow Us on Social media IG: @father.figurespod Threads: @father.figurespodFB: Father.FiguresPodEmail:info@fathersfiguresmedia.com

Information

  • Creator
    Keith Oliver
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Father Figures Pod
  • Show Website
    Father Figures Pod