Breaking Generational Cycles One Conversation at a Time featuring Jamie Kozub & Chris Carter

Jamie Kozub and Chris Carter are the yin and yang behind Shit My Dad Taught Me, a podcast that's exploded to over 2.5 million views every month in barely 18 months. Together they also co-founded Burlington Dads, a community of 7,200 fathers that has raised over $1 million for local families and charities. But what makes these two men worth an hour of your time isn't the numbers. It's the two completely different roads that brought them here.

Jamie has never met his biological father and grew up 40 minutes outside Thunder Bay in a house with no working toilet and a potbelly stove for heat. With his dad working construction hundreds of miles away Monday through Saturday, Jamie was cooking dinner and raising his little brother at 12. He moved out at 15, worked the Sony store from two till ten every day through high school, and was making $130K a year by 18. Then at 19, after blowing $60,000 at the casino, he walked back in, handed over his driver's license, and banned himself from every casino in Ontario.

Chris had the opposite upbringing: a ten-out-of-ten dad who fed every kid who walked through the door and modeled what it means to raise daughters. Now a girl dad of two, Chris shares his number one piece of advice, just take them with you, and the story of the letter that confronted him at 340 pounds. A year later, he's lost nearly 100 pounds and is preparing for his first bodybuilding show at 42.

We also go to some deep waters in this one: their friend Matt's story of losing his father and grandfather to suicide, and my own 33 days of insomnia in 2017 and the counselor's words that changed my perception forever. This is a conversation about fatherhood, brotherhood, and building the communities that keep men alive and thriving. Don't miss it.

 

Timeline Summary

[1:02] Larry welcomes Jamie Kozub and Chris Carter, the yin and yang behind Shit My Dad Taught Me

[1:56] Jamie on never meeting his biological father and why he feels no void to fill

[2:58] Growing up outside Thunder Bay with no working toilet, a potbelly stove, and a dad gone Monday to Saturday

[10:33] Chris's number one girl dad advice: just take them with you, from boardrooms to private jets

[17:56] Moving out at 15, couch surfing, and working the Sony store from two till ten every day

[19:39] Making $130K at 18 and turning down a University of Miami scholarship

[20:28] Walking into the casino at 19 to ban himself from every casino in Ontario for five years

[26:35] Chris's dad and the barbecue pizza rule: everyone who walks through the door gets fed

[33:02] How Shit My Dad Taught Me reached 2.5 million monthly views through radical authenticity

[37:16] The Lexie J letter story that confronted Chris at 340 pounds and sparked his transformation

[42:18] Their friend Matt's story of loss and his commitment to breaking a generational cycle

[45:18] Larry opens up about 33 days of insomnia and the counselor's words that changed everything

[48:14] Pits and peaks: Chris's daily traditions for getting his girls to open up

[51:46] A warrior on a farm: why the biggest guy in the room works hardest at being gentle

[54:30] Jamie on raising boys who respect women, learn from losing, and greet every guest at the door

[56:47] Inside Burlington Dads: 14 events, a $75K golf tournament, and a $77K Christmas toy drive

 

Five Key Takeaways

1. You don't need a void filled to move forward; Jamie chose to honor the dad who raised him while letting go of the one who didn't, and turned a hard childhood into fuel instead of an excuse.

2. The simplest girl dad advice is also the best: take your kids with you everywhere so they never believe a glass ceiling exists.

3. Make your home the place where every kid is fed, welcomed, and safe, because you'd rather your kids make their choices under your roof than somewhere else.

4. Find the thing that confronts you before your family has to write you the letter; Chris lost nearly 100 pounds because he refused to put his daughters in that position.

5. Whatever pain you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone; real communities of men exist, and guys like Jamie and Chris will always pick up the phone.

 

Links & Resources

• Shit My Dad Taught Me — available on all platforms, including Spotify and YouTube
• Follow Chris on Instagram — @chriscarterbd
• Follow Jamie on Instagram — @jamiekozub
• Burlington Dads on Facebook
• Episode resources — https://thedadedge.com/1491
• Join the Dad Edge Alliance — https://thedadedge.com/join
• Questions for the Car free download — https://thedadedge.com/kidquestions

Closing

There's a moment in this episode where a 19-year-old kid making six figures walks into a casino, hands over his driver's license, and bans himself for five years because he knew the life he wanted required a different man. That's what taking responsibility actually looks like, and it's the thread running through this entire conversation, from Chris's 100-pound transformation to two men building a community of 7,200 dads who refuse to do life alone. If this one hit home, send it to the brother in your life who needs to hear that good men come together. Go out and live legendary.