Ep 115: Father's Day Special: Four Fathers on the E.P.I.C. Framework

Welcome to this Father’s Day special of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. This year, I decided to reach out to the husbands and life partners of incredible mothers I’ve interviewed on the podcast in the past, inviting four extraordinary fathers to share their reflections on living an E.P.I.C. life. 

E.P.I.C. is a metaphor for answering the call of our own hero’s journey and also an acronym mnemonic for the guideposts that help us live that life while we are raising our kids. E - Engaging mindfully with our children, P- Pursuing our passionate and purposeful impact, I - Investing in ourselves, and C- Connecting to a strong support network.

Each father offers a glimpse into what they’ve been on a quest for, insights into one of the guideposts from the E.P.I.C. framework, and an invitation to try something that will help us more fully live our E.P.I.C. lives.  Together, these four fathers bring perspectives shaped by different faith traditions, cultures, and lived experiences. And they all offer a masterclass on what it takes to parent and live life fully, with strength and humility.

Thank you Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, Iftikhar Ahmed, Franklin Hysten, and George Brian Sellner for entrusting us with your reflections, and for the love and intention you bring to fatherhood and to living your lives. And thank you Tricia, Saadia, Jenjii, and Jadah, the mothers whose voices have shaped this podcast over the last decade, and whose connection with me inspired this episode.

All of these contributions felt like a gift for me. Wherever you are listening, whether you are a father yourself, parenting alongside one, or maybe missing one, I hope this conversation is a gift for you too. Happy Father's Day.

This Episode Features:

Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, Chief Community Officer at Jewish Silicon Valley, who teaches and lectures on Jewish approaches to leadership, meditation, and parenting. Hugh, the husband of my recent podcast guest Tricia Creason-Valencia, reflects on Engaging mindfully with our children, the practice of stepping up and stepping back as a father, the Jewish humility teaching of how much space to take up in a relationship, and how a lifelong practice of martial arts informed his approach to parenting.

Iftikhar Ahmed, co-founder of Kaizen Financial Strategies and co-author with his wife Saadia of A Planning Guide for American Muslims. Iftikhar, who came to financial services after a first career in engineering and tech leadership, reflects on Pursuing our passionate and purposeful impact, the Kaizen philosophy of small steps leading to big results, drawing passion from those who find happiness through helping others, and being a role model for his children.

Franklin Hysten, founding partner of Blaze Consulting Group and a coach and facilitator of more than 20 years developing leaders in nonprofits and public sector organizations. Franklin, the husband of my Episode 7 guest Jenjii Hysten, reflects on Investing in ourselves, the solo three-week journey to London where he sat with himself and his journal, the courage to ask for support through therapy and men's groups, and the shift from a love language of service to what he calls "the ministry of presence."

George Brian Sellner, founder of One Heart Music and One Heart Men's Circle, whose work draws from Jungian archetypes, Internal Family Systems, somatic practices, mythology, and contemplative traditions. George, the husband of my Episode 95 guest Jadah Sellner, reflects on Connecting to a strong support network, the couples meeting practice he and Jadah have held for years, the daily blessing he sends his daughter Zoe, and creating safe spaces for men to show up emotionally.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Hugh on the practice of stepping up and stepping back as a father, and the Jewish humility teaching behind it

• "Be careful of what works" and the trap of imposing our will on our children

• How Tai Chi shapes Hugh's approach to redirecting energy rather than meeting force with force

• Iftikhar on the Kaizen philosophy of small steps leading to big results, applied to raising children

• Drawing passion from those who find happiness through helping others, not wealth or fame

• Why Iftikhar believes we cannot achieve significant goals alone, and the value of teaching children to work with others

• Franklin's solo three-week journey to London and the journal questions that changed him

• The courage to ask for support through therapy, men's groups, and coaching

• Shifting from a love language of service to what Franklin calls "the ministry of presence" with our children

• The couples meeting practice George and Jadah have held for years

• The daily blessing George sends his daughter, now as a voice memo since she left for college

• One Heart Men's Circle and why men need spaces to be held without being fixed

About Our Guests:

 

Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, Chief Community Officer, Jewish Silicon Valley

In his current role, Rabbi Hugh serves as a primary connector between Jewish Silicon Valley and the wider regional Jewish community’s professional and lay leadership, sparking a spirit of creativity and innovation, and helping establish a culture of collaboration. He  previously served as Jewish Community Liaison for VITAS Healthcare and prior to that, spent ten years teaching Jewish Studies at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, where he served most recently as Director of Israel and Jewish Studies Curricula. After studying at Deep Springs College, he earned a B.A. with Highest Honors in English Literature from UC Berkeley and received his rabbinical training from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He has completed both the Rabbinic Leadership Training Program and the Tikkun Middot Training Program of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality and is an alumnus of the Mandel Executive Leadership Program. He teaches and lectures on Jewish approaches to: leadership, meditation, parenting, perspectives on the afterlife, ethical dilemmas in extending life, and reading and writing ethical wills.

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hugh-seid-valencia-7244a899

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hseidvalencia

 

Iftikhar Ahmed

As a Co-founder, Managing Partner, and Principal Advisor, Iftikhar Ahmed serves as a financial advisor and investment professional who focuses on strategies that help clients pursue their goals and prepare for various market conditions. Prior to a career change to the financial services industry, Iftikhar worked for 20+ years in the high-tech sector in engineering, business, and leadership roles. 

 

Iftikhar’s experience spans working in the United States as well as internationally. His previous experience in the tech sector included roles at Cisco Systems, Mobilink (a Motorola venture), and ABM Data Systems. Prior to co-founding Kaizen Financial Strategies, Iftikhar served his clients as a Financial Advisor in affiliation with Waddell & Reed, Inc.

 

Iftikhar is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner and also holds the Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA™) designation. Iftikhar is current on his Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations and Life and Health insurance licenses from California department of insurance (CA License #0I63476). He has a BS in Electrical Engineering and a master’s in information systems management.

 

In 2026, Iftikhar and Saadia co-authored a book “Personal Finance & Inheritance in Islam: A Planning Guide for American Muslims” to address the recurring questions they received from Muslim clients, especially around aligning financial planning and inheritance decisions with their personal values. 

 

Iftikhar and his wife, Saadia Ahmed, live in the South Bay with their two children. He is actively engaged in the local community and various philanthropic endeavors, and is passionate about entrepreneurship, education, and technological and social innovations.

• Website: www.kfstrategies.us

• Book: www.kfstrategies.us/copy-resource-book

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/iftiahmed

 

Franklin Hysten

Franklin Hysten is the Founding Partner of Blaze Consulting Group focused on developing leaders and strengthening communities. He has worked with dozens of nonprofit and public sector organizations from across California to advance effective programming, leadership development, and systems change. With over 3 daccades of experience in coaching, facilitation, and strategic planning, and a deep commitment to youth and family empowerment, Franklin is driven by his belief in the power of community and collaboration. He is inspired by Oakland’s spirit of resilience and innovation. As a coach and facilitator, he helps any team or organization with clarity, communication, and connection to experience transformative growth, through utilizing his strategic vision, facilitation expertise, and heart-centered leadership. Franklin lives in the East Bay with his wife Jenjii, two sons and Goddaughter.  

• Website: hblazeconsulting.group/team

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/franklinhysten

 

George B. Sellner

George Brian Sellner is a musician, educator, and men's work facilitator dedicated to helping people live more connected, creative, and wholehearted lives. For over 17 years, he has worked with children and families through One Heart Music, using song, movement, and play to cultivate confidence, compassion, and community.

Alongside his work with families, George founded One Heart Men's Circle, where he guides men through practices of emotional awareness, embodiment, accountability, and authentic connection. Drawing from Jungian archetypes, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic practices, mythology, and contemplative traditions, he creates spaces where men can step out of isolation and into deeper relationships with themselves and others.

George believes that music, ritual, play, and honest conversation are essential medicines for our modern world. His work is rooted in a simple mission: to help children, families, and men remember who they are and bring more courage, creativity, and love into their communities.

He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family, where he continues to teach, sing, facilitate, and build community one heart at a time.

 

• Website: oneheartmusic.org

• Yelp Website:: YELP

• Facebook:  facebook.com/oneheartmusic

• Email: [e-mail]

 

This Episode’s Challenge:

Four fathers offering four invitations. Bring humility to your parenting this week. Take small steps toward the life you want to create. Invest in yourself with curiosity and get support. Reach out to someone this week and let them know you see them.

Related Episodes:

Inspired by these fathers? Listen next to the episodes with their life partners:

• Ep 114: Fierce Love, Grief and Showing Up Anyway with Tricia Creason-Valencia

• Ep 12: Breaking Bread and Building Bridges with Saadia Ahmed

• Encore: Living Out Loud with Jenjii Hysten

• Ep 95: An Anti-Hustle Guide To Living Your E.P.I.C. Life with She Build’s Jadah Sellner
  
  

Mom’s First American Motherhood Documentary Screening in S.F. Bay Area

This summer, the organization Mom's First released a groundbreaking documentary about American Motherhood, with screenings across the country. Mother’s Quest will  co-host a screening here in the San Francisco Bay Area, alongside Heather Anderson from The Mamahood and with Tricia Creason-Valencia of PowerHouse San Jose. I'll also be recording a podcast conversation with Mom's First founder Reshma Saujani, releasing the episode ahead of the screening. Stay tuned for all of these good things, and follow this link to sign up for the details. 

Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).

In celebration of passing our 100th episode, we invite you to help us spread the word by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Help us reach 100 + reviews to honor 100 + episodes of the Mother’s Quest Podcast!

You can also support the podcast by making a contribution. Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest