Authentic Parenting | Anna Seewald
Dad
Our guest today is Anna Seewald, M. Ed, a wife, a mom, an author, a speaker, a photographer, a podcaster, an educator, a lifelong learner and the founder of Authentic Parenting. Authentic Parenting is her business and podcast and it's all about parenting from the heart.
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Awesomeness Comes From Awesomeness | Robert Bullock
Dad
Our guest today is Robert Bullock. Robert grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi giving him his southern roots. At an early age, Robert possessed a strong interest in anything fashion related and with his drive and passion he became a successful designer, with an expertise in draping, pattern making, and sewing. His current company, Robert Bullock Bride, has been his most fulfilling business to date, both personally as well as professionally.
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We Turned Out Okay | Karen Lock Kolp
Dad
Our guest today is Karen Lock Kolp, a child development expert, and parent coach. Her podcast, We Turned Out Okay, has been downloaded more than 300,000 times by parents who just want to know that, really, everything is going to be alright. Jonathan and Karen talk about her upbringing and the role her father played in her life. They also talk about modern parenting and how we adopt some of the traits of our parents while simultaneously learning to trust our own instincts.
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Adventure, Amazement, and Unconditional Love | Jonathan Greene
Dad
This week we get an up close and personal glimpse into Jonathan’s life. He shares his background as a son and father, the passion behind this podcast, and why he wanted to pay homage to his own parents and open up the discussion to encompass all aspects of fatherhood, family life, and even difficult topics such as loss and grief. He shares how fatherhood compares to his expectations and visions of how it would be, and the differences between how he grew up and the way he is raising his own children.
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Balancing Needs, Staying Open, and Letting them Fly | Craig Johnson
Dad
Today’s guest is Craig Johnson, an old camp buddy of Jonathan’s. Craig has an extremely busy and full life; he and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and are both attorneys. Together they have three children — Ben, 16; Sam, 13; and Lucy, 8. Craig shares the lessons he has learned from coaching his own kids, how his career experience as an attorney, lobbyist, and State Senator has shaped his approach towards parenting, and the challenge of balance and enjoyment of his kids’ success.
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Rituals of Childhood and Raising Little Big Personalities | Rob Schiffmann
Dad
Rob Schiffmann - actor, improviser, musician and most importantly - father. Rob and Jonathan grew up together and reminisce about their Tuesday baseball games and what it taught them to be great fathers of their own. They also talk about the unique path Rob had growing up with two great parents and stepparents, and examine the relationship of weekend parenting. Rob now has two daughters and they examine the delicate balance between staying involved and letting your children have space to do their own thing.
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We’re In This Village Together | Lance Somerfeld
Dad
This week’s episode features father of two, husband, and City Dads co-founder Lance Somerfeld. Lance contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood and has appeared on local and national television, including CNN, Fox News, Today, and Katie. Lance talks about living in New York City as a father, how he went from public school teacher to a stay-at-home dad, the formation, growth, and purpose of City Dads and how they are helping thousands of men become more confident and involved fathers.
info_outline![Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 2] | Alison Donnelly show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/6358648?height=50&width=50)
Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 2] | Alison Donnelly
Dad
Today we jump back in with Part 2 of Jonathan’s conversation with Alison Donnelly. Alison is a stay-at-home mom living in Brooklyn and is married to one of Jonathan’s long-time best friends Dan. She and Jonathan talk about what it is like to lose a parent, compare end-of-life stories of their parents and any regrets they may still have, the mixed emotions of watching your children grow up and even slip in the best Barbie cake story you may ever hear!
info_outline![Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 1] | Alison Donnelly show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/6358626?height=50&width=50)
Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 1] | Alison Donnelly
Dad
Today Jonathan is joined by Alison Donnelly. Alison is a stay-at-home mom living in Brooklyn and is married to one of Jonathan’s long-time friends Dan. Alison talks about her blog Formerly Fat Mom, what it is like to lose a parent, give a eulogy, compare end-of-life stories of their parents and any regrets they may still have, the mixed emotions of watching your children grow up and even slip in the best Barbie cake story you may ever hear!
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Kids Will Always Come First | Benjamin King
Dad
Today’s guest is actor, writer and director Benjamin King, who you may know from his roles on shows such as Liv and Maddie, Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds. Jonathan and Benjamin started as childhood buddies at Camp Taconic before they reconnected on Facebook as adults and new dads. Benjamin now has two girls and shares what it is like to go from a “dad in waiting” to a real life father, and much more.
info_outlineThis week’s episode features father of two, husband, and City Dads co-founder Lance Somerfeld. Lance frequently contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood and has appeared on local and national television, including CNN, Fox News, Today, and Katie. Lance talks about living in New York City as a father, how he went from public school teacher to a stay-at-home dad, the formation, growth, and purpose of City Dads and how they are single-handedly helping thousands of men become more confident and involved fathers.
Key Takeaways:
[1:50] Lance Somerfeld shares the background of how he went from public school teacher to stay-at-home dad. He and co-founder Matt Schneider started City Dads in November 2008 and it has been going strong for 10 years with 34 cities in the U.S. and nearly 11,000 members. They wanted a place for dads to go to feel welcome and able to connect with other fathers and kids in a fun and meaningful way.
[18:02] City Dads works with brands in a long-lasting personal relationship on campaigns and products crafted from the perspective on dads. They have worked with Dove on the messaging for their March Madness NCAA Tournament ad and partnered with Britax to help dads learn all about using car seats correctly.
[24:34] Lance has been married for almost 14 years, and together they have a 9-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. City Dads not only provides great opportunities for the dads but gives the kids another great group of friends outside of their school.
[34:56] As both an active parent and son, Lance found it interesting to see his dad and stepdad as modern grandfathers as they learn and adapt to the times today.
[39:11] Lance found the biggest challenge of fatherhood early on was learning to navigate a life where you had to plan and saying goodbye to a lot of spontaneity and free personal time!
[43:16] One perk of City Dads is new fathers learning from those who have already been through it and made it out of the other side.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Quotes:
- “Everything I had done during the course of my life, like going to school and college, was preparing me for my career. Nothing that I had done previously ever really prepared me to be a dad.”
- “When I became a parent I couldn’t believe that I had to dictate orders to my parents on how to handle my own child.”
- “I think it’s a very exciting time to be a dad right now, on so many levels.”