Durable Dad with Tommy Geary

Tommy Geary
  • 5.0 (35)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

The Durable Dad podcast gives men the skills and tools they need to be rock solid for their family, their work and their community.

  1. 6d ago

    130: A Framework For Life Transitions For Men

    Some life changes come with a party and a clean finish line, but most don't. Becoming a dad, watching your kids grow up, going from the guy you were in your twenties to the man your family needs now. Without a marker, part of you stays stuck in the old version. Craig Spear is back to talk about transitions and a simple framework for actually closing them out. In this episode: What the Yosemite hike taught us about becoming a teamWhy falling back on old habits under stress is a sign you haven’t transitioned fullyGrief as a tool, and how Marie Kondo can helpThe 5-minute family ritual that closes out summerShutting down the workday so you actually walk into the house as dadWhy hard challenges mark the shift from who you were to who you’re becomingTakeaways: If you don’t name the transition you’re in, you’ll keep living like the old version of yourself.Thank the immature you for what it gave you, then let it go.Resentment builds when you never let go of what you lost.A marker doesn’t have to be big. A slideshow at the dining room table counts.Decide who you are now, then build the habits to stay there.This isn’t linear. You’ll slip back. That’s why accountability matters.Every season ends whether you close it or not. Close it on purpose. To find out more about Craig head to his website - https://craigspearcoaching.com/ or follow him on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigspear/ Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  2. Oct 6

    129: How To Step In When Your Kids Talk Disrespects Your Wife

    Your kid is mouthing off to your wife. You hear it from the other room, and you come in hot to shut it down. Then somehow your wife turns on you. This episode breaks down why that happens and what to do instead when your kids disrespect their mom. In this episode: Why mom sides with the kids over dad, and why it isn't about loyaltyHow to control your masculine energyTending your fire before you walk into the roomTwo questions that change how you show up in a family argumentThe difference between parenting with patience and parenting from your stressTakeaways: If you come in angry, your wife will stop dealing with the kid and start dealing with you.Ask what your wife needs right now, then ask what your kid needs right now.The goal isn't to fix the situation. The goal is to not make it worse.Coming in hot builds fear in your kids and resentment in your wife.You get to decide how you parent. Make sure it's a decision and not a reaction. Also in this episode: The next adventure trip is live. Joshua Tree, February 2027, with daily hikes and a 10-mile summit of Quail Mountain. Nine spots are left; more details are on the website.  Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  3. Sep 22

    128: Stop Letting Sunday Scaries Run Your Weekend

    The Sunday Scaries can show up any day of the week. You're home with your family, but your brain is already in next week. You're there and not there - all at the same time. And it all comes at one: less patience, sneaking off to get work done, an easy conversation with your partner turning into an argument. This solo episode breaks down three steps to keep next week's to-do list from taking over your weekend with your family. In this episode: The words that signals you're more overwhelmed than you realizeHow unspoken stress shows up in conversations with your partnerWhy a solid plan doesn't always quiet the anxietyJoe Dispenza's Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and the idea of focusing on the feeling instead of the howThe difference between visualizing and daydreamingHow athletes rehearse what could go wrong, and why you should tooMentioned: Episode 56 (What's On Your Calendar) and Episode 96 (A Tool to Prioritize Your Day) Takeaways: When you keep calling your month "crazy," "busy," or "nuts," that's overwhelm talking.Get everything out of your head and onto paper.Picture what you have to do already finished, and feel what that's like.Rehearse how you'll handle the hard moments before they happen.Telling your partner what you're carrying can turn an argument back into a conversation.Don't just plan your month. Picture it finished, feel it, then go do the work. Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  4. Sep 8

    127: The Fastest Way To Start A Fight and How to Avoid It

    Your intent is almost always good. That doesn't mean it lands. You tell your partner to calm down because you want the tension gone. You point out the bright side because you want her to feel better. Neither one works, and you end up defending yourself instead of connecting. In this episode, we pull apart the gap between intent and impact and the uncomfortable thing beneath it. When you push your partner toward a calmer and more optimistic version of how they're feeling, the honest reason usually isn't for them. It's because their emotion is making you tense, and you want relief. Highlights: Why "calm down" makes things worseThe difference between wanting your partner to feel better and wanting to feel better yourselfWhy explaining your good intent leaves your partner more misunderstood than beforeWhat happens when you catch your own tension before you speakTwo ways to respond that don't ask your partner to change how they feelWhy the couples doing well are usually the ones talking about this stuff on purposePractical takeaways: Before you respond, notice what you're feeling. That's the whole first move.Ask who you're really trying to settle, them or you.Drop the case for your intent. It's not the thing that needs attention.Say the harder sentence: "I'm tense, and I want to tell you to calm down, but I know that's about me."Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  5. Aug 25

    126: Put The Phone Down

    Place the phone down and live your life. That's the final line of this episode. Tommy sits down with his friend, client, and fellow dad Greg Chambers in order to have a genuine discussion about the use of mobile phones, not just offering the superficial suggestion of 'put your phone away', but looking at the real mechanisms that draw us to the screen from the start and examining what is needed in order to develop a different relationship with it. In this episode: What COVID actually did to phone habits, and why "productive" screen time isn't the whole storyBoredom, and why avoiding it might be costing you more than you thinkAn Apple feature which very few people are aware of, and that can turn your smartphone into a dumb phone all at once. - https://www.facebook.com/reel/1071021452158246 What happens when a family does a full week with zero screensWhy physical separation beats every app-blocker and self-control strategy combinedTakeaways: Getting rid of an app is a decision, but physical separation, such as putting the phone in another room, taking it off your body, or getting it out of the bedroom, is a system, and systems prevail.A quick check when you're with your family seldom remains quick, and your children pick up on it more than you realize.Vacations, trips, and even ordinary evenings can all be used as chances to deliberately be unreachable.Take a survey of your family members and find out how present you really are; you could be surprised by the result, whether positive or negative.The phone isn't the problem; it's the effect it has on your attention.  Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  6. Aug 11

    125: How to Become an Expert

    Every skill worth having comes with a bill, and the currency is looking bad at it for a while. You block time to learn a new skill, get derailed by a small interruption, and call it a distraction when it's really an excuse. Underneath is a thought that sounds ambitious but functions as a threat: "I want to be an expert." That thought doesn't motivate; it triggers comparison, a sense of being behind, and makes starting feel unsafe. In this episode: Why the goal of "mastery now" turns a one-hour learning block into ten minutes of effort and fifty minutes of email and snacksThe real obstacle: it's not the interruption, it's the belief you should already be good.Why high performers specifically get stuck here when competence is wired to identityWhat "the tax of not knowing" actually costs, and why avoiding it freezes growth instead of protecting youWhy the same student mindset applies to delegation and scaling a businessThe identity-language swap that separates who you are from what you're still learningTakeaways: Drop "I'm behind" and "I'm not an expert"; replace with "this is a process" and "one rep at a time"Discomfort in learning isn't a signal to stop. It's the signal it's working.A visible growth mindset reads as confidence; pretending to know everything doesn'tStop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  7. Jul 28

    124: Let the Leash Out: Am I an Overprotective Parent?

    Kids are more capable than we give them credit for. Most parenting decisions in the moment aren't really about the moment; they're about our own fear of failure, embarrassment, or losing control. In this episode, we break down a parenting moment. We unpack three markers of overprotective parenting: being overly informed, overly involved, and overly comfortable, and dig into the emotions and old baggage that drive parents to step in before they need to. Highlights: The three markers of overprotective parenting, and how to spot them in yourselfWhy gathering too much information about your kid's life can backfireThe difference between supporting a kid through conflict and rescuing them from itWhy physical and emotional struggle are things kids need, not things to preventThe thought patterns underneath overprotective actions and where they actually come fromPractical takeaways: Before stepping in, ask whether you're protecting your kid or protecting yourself from discomfortLet conflicts between siblings or friends play out before interveningNotice when "helping" is actually taking away a chance for your kid to build confidenceParenting isn't about eliminating risk; it's about knowing which risks build resilience and which ones just make you feel better in the moment. Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

  8. Jul 14

    123: Stay Steady When Chaos Hits

    In this episode, we dive into a coaching moment with one dad who was having a hot week and falling back into an old pattern: trying to keep everyone else okay while draining himself in the process.  Highlights:  Why chaos makes your brain shrink its focus The old pattern many men fall into when stress picks up How “I need to do more” creates depleted motivation Why recent wins matter when you’re in a hard week The difference between scattered action and steady leadership A simple way to widen the window and get your head back Practical takeaways:  When you feel scattered, pause before adding more to your plate. Look back at the last few weeks, months, or year and name the wins. Let those wins create cleaner motivation before you move into action. This isn’t about avoiding chaos. It’s about remembering the kind of man you are while you’re in it. Listen to this episode and practice widening the window this week. Stop Losing Your Temper Road Map This roadmap will teach you how to have more patience. To give your kids more time and attention. Anger isn't your fault, but it is your responsibility. Learn how to manage it so it doesn't get the best of you. https://www.tommygcoaching.com/roadmap

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5
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

The Durable Dad podcast gives men the skills and tools they need to be rock solid for their family, their work and their community.

Information

  • Creator
    Tommy Geary
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    131
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Durable Dad with Tommy Geary
  • Show Website
    Durable Dad with Tommy Geary

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