The Dad Edge Podcast
The Dad Edge Podcast is a movement. It is a strong community of Fathers who all share a set of values. Larry Hagner, founder of The Dad Edge, breaks down common challenges of fatherhood, making them easy to understand and overcome. Tackling the world of Fatherhood can be a daunting task when we try to do it alone. The mission of The Dad Edge Podcast is to help you become the best, strongest, and happiest version of yourself so that you can help guide your kids to the best version of themselves. Simple as that. Everything you need and all of our resources can be found at thedadedge.com/podcast
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How We Make Our Marriage Work With Four Kids and a Business featuring Larry & Jessica Hagner
08/21/2026
How We Make Our Marriage Work With Four Kids and a Business featuring Larry & Jessica Hagner
Larry is back with his wife Jessica for the third installment of their Friday couples series, and this one tackles the quiet killer of long marriages: the drift. That slow slide where you get so buried in kids, sports, work, and the house that you look up years later and realize you lost each other somewhere along the way. Married 22 years, they're honest that they've hit those valleys too, and this episode is about how they catch it and climb back out. Larry opens up about being the avoidant one early on, walking away from hard conversations because it felt selfless when it was actually disconnecting. From there he and Jessica map the exact tools that interrupt the drift: telling your partner what's in your head so they don't assume it's them, the six-second hug that resets everything, the safety that lets you give hard feedback, and the certainty of saying "I need an hour, but I'll be back." If your marriage feels more like two ships passing in the night, this is a practical way back to each other. Timeline Summary [1:01] – Spinning in different orbits and what it means to interrupt the drift [2:03] – Jessica's first solo episode goes live and the nerves around it [3:47] – How couples drift: five years pass and the connection is just gone [5:05] – Larry owning that he was the avoidant one who'd walk away or sleep downstairs [6:32] – Why walking away felt selfless but was actually selfish and disconnecting [6:50] – Jessica's ask: take your space, but tell me it's not about me and you'll be back [7:39] – The neighbor at the fire pit and the garage door scam that sent him inward [9:49] – What's really happening in a man's head: the shoulds that make it worse [11:01] – The real-world date day where Larry chose to say "actually, that's a lie, I'm challenged" [12:45] – The stories men tell themselves: it's stupid, it'll go away, I'll burden her [14:15] – Wanting connection but doing the one thing that disconnects [14:58] – Jessica's gift: reading people and diffusing tension with a hug [17:23] – Letting women off the hook on nagging, and how to poke with love not gaslighting [18:17] – The six-second hug, oxytocin, and being found out when she hugs him [22:12] – What Jessica needs as a stay-at-home mom: reassurance and connection [24:08] – The certainty of a repair: 30 minutes versus a whole sucky day [24:30] – Last fall's drift, Larry's most impatient season, and asking for feedback [26:25] – The three breadcrumbs: safety, certainty, and repair [27:28] – Why Jessica felt safe enough to give feedback that would land rough [28:14] – Choosing words wisely and avoiding always and never [30:32] – Young and green on relationship dynamics in the early years [31:01] – Marriage as the stock market: valleys and peaks with no tolerance to stay down [33:15] – Honesty and ownership celebrated, not punished, for kids and spouses alike [35:11] – Being held to a higher standard in your worst moments and feeling safe [37:18] – The certainty of "I'll be back in an hour" versus being forced to hash it out now [41:00] – Jessica on why she'd rather cool off than fight in a heated moment [42:38] – Taking pause and the 24-hour rule before responding when triggered [44:22] – Love languages and approaching each kid differently [45:04] – The coaching example: "why did you do X" versus "tell me about that" [47:28] – Meeting each other with compassion and curiosity, not accusation [47:50] – The power of we, plus the Colton-in-pajamas assumption Larry got wrong [49:37] – How they make time for the marriage with four kids and a business [52:26] – Zero tolerance for mediocre and refusing to just exist [53:22] – Why kids feel warm and safe when the marriage is a priority [55:03] – Setting the standard for how their sons should treat a partner [1:02:37] – A teaser for next week: intimacy and finances, the two big resentment topics 5 Key Takeaways Name What's In Your Head — When you go quiet and inward, your partner and kids often assume they're the problem. Telling them what's actually going on, even when it feels stupid or burdensome, is the difference between connection and drift. Take Space, But Give Certainty — Walking away without a word breeds anxiety and uncertainty. Saying "I need an hour to process, but I'll be back to talk about this" lets you cool off while promising your partner the conversation isn't over. The Six-Second Hug Resets Everything — A real, drawn-out hug, not a quick pat, releases the oxytocin that brings peace and diffuses tension. Learning to read when your partner needs that connection is a gift you can give daily. Make Feedback Safe — People only give honest feedback when they trust it won't be met with defensiveness or explosion. Choosing words carefully, avoiding always and never, and holding your partner to a higher standard in their worst moments keeps that safety intact. Have Zero Tolerance for the Valley — Every marriage has peaks and valleys like the stock market. What keeps it strong isn't avoiding the dips, it's refusing to accept staying there, and proactively cultivating connection even in the busy, exhausted seasons. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Roommates to Soulmates (cohort 3, eight-week program, starts September 16, free preview calls September 8 and 9): 25 Intimate Conversation Starters (free PDF and video training): Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Enjoyed This Episode? If "spinning in different orbits" describes where you and your spouse are right now, pick one tool from this episode and use it this week. Tell your partner what's actually in your head instead of saying "I'm fine," or give them a real six-second hug the next time you can feel the tension. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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How to Bring Up Sex Without Making Her Feel Like She Failed featuring Cailtin V
08/19/2026
How to Bring Up Sex Without Making Her Feel Like She Failed featuring Cailtin V
Caitlin V is a sexologist, relationship coach, and host of Good Sex on HBO Max who has built a YouTube channel with nearly a million subscribers and over 170 million views, working primarily with men on erectile dysfunction, performance anxiety, premature ejaculation, and the isolation that comes with all three. She started as a sexual health researcher and policy analyst before deciding that change happens in conversations with real people, not in research papers. This is a live Dad Edge Alliance Q&A where Caitlin takes real questions from married men about a sexless stretch, shame carried into the marriage bed, sex used as leverage, and a marriage that has gone completely touchless. If you have been avoiding the conversation with your wife because the last time you brought it up it went badly, this one gives you the actual script. Timeline Summary [4:12] – Caitlin's path from sexual health researcher and policy analyst to sexologist and coach [6:14] – First question, a husband who pushed too hard once and has been gun shy ever since [9:06] – Why a multi year backlog of unsaid things lands on one conversation and crushes it [11:01] – The cracked foundation, why repair has to come before any talk about frequency [13:35] – Reading her green lights and lobbing the flirtation back without adding pressure [16:33] – Naming the dynamic out loud as an act of leadership instead of a confession [23:58] – Why "the talk" is the wrong model for sex, with your kids and with your wife [27:39] – Nature abhors a vacuum, if she doesn't know what sex means to you she fills it in [31:25] – Anonymous question, premarital sex, religious shame, and less sex after the wedding [36:51] – The taboo factor, why sanctioned sex can lose the charge that breaking the rule provided [40:04] – Shame hates light, why you can't clean it out of her and what you can do instead [47:00] – Anonymous question, sex promised as a thank you that almost never arrives [53:09] – Why nobody can pre consent, and taking penetration off the required list [56:09] – What's underneath sex used as leverage, and how to rewrite that agreement together [59:11] – Anonymous question, a touchless marriage after years of backing off out of respect [1:03:25] – Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent and the Three Minute Game as the road back to touch 5 Key Takeaways Repair Before Frequency — Asking for more sex when years of unsaid things are still sitting there is like redecorating a living room on a cracked foundation. Go back and own what you didn't say first, then build. Name the Dynamic Out Loud — Leadership here is not initiating harder, it's surfacing the pattern so you're both looking at the same thing. Say "I haven't been lobbing these back because I'm afraid" instead of waiting for her to move first. She's Filling In Your Blanks — If your wife doesn't know the texture of what sex actually means to you, she fills that vacuum with social media, her friends, and her parents' marriage. "All you think about is sex" is usually a response to something that was never you. Warmth With an Invoice — If your past kisses and shoulder rubs came with a hidden price tag, she felt it, and that's why affection now reads as a bid. Own it plainly, then rebuild non-sexual touch on purpose. Nobody Can Pre Consent — Agreeing to sex tomorrow is like agreeing to salmon for dinner, the appetite can legitimately change. Keep more than intercourse on the table so a shift in the moment isn't a broken promise. Links & Resources Episode page — Roommates to Soulmates, Larry's 8 week program, cohort three starts September 16 — Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals, November 15 at State Farm Stadium — Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent and the Three Minute Game — Caitlin V's courses, 20% off with code DADEDGE, including Yoni Massage, Come When You Want, Hard As You Want, and Legendary Lover Enjoyed This Episode? If the "warmth with an invoice" idea landed the way it lands for most guys, you already know which conversation you've been putting off. Send this to a brother who's been quietly telling himself that not bringing it up counts as respecting her. Follow the show, leave a rating and review, and grab the full show notes at
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The Guardrails That Keep Our Disagreements From Becoming Fights featuring Larry & Jessica Hagner
08/17/2026
The Guardrails That Keep Our Disagreements From Becoming Fights featuring Larry & Jessica Hagner
Larry is back in studio with his wife Jessica for part two of their conversation, recorded the week of their 22nd anniversary. Last week they covered how they met and the crucibles that shaped them. This week they get practical about the daily mechanics of a marriage that works: how they got aligned on parenting, how they resolve conflict, and how they back each other up in front of the kids whether they agree or not. They're candid that none of it came naturally at first. They walk through the parenting classes that helped early on, a hard season with one of their sons that turned out to be driven by a medication reaction, and why setting ego aside to get outside help was the move that saved them repeatedly. Jessica shares what it means to never be emasculated or called a name in thirty years together, and Larry breaks down the guardrails that keep their disagreements calm: no yelling, no name calling, real listening, and a willingness to eat humble pie. If your marriage feels more like managing a household than sharing a life, this one is a window into the operating system of a couple who clearly still like each other. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Why part two matters, and Jessica joins for parenting and conflict resolution [4:39] – A new season with an adult son and the land of uncertainty it brings [6:39] – Bringing the first baby home to a tornado, and every season being new territory [9:07] – The one thing they nailed early: alignment on parenting styles [10:21] – Love and Logic, 1-2-3 Magic, and the classes that gave them a shared playbook [11:34] – A hard season with Mason at 11 and refusing to let ego stop them from getting help [13:15] – Communication gap: Larry not seeing how bad the mornings really were [16:39] – Owning that "I have to work" wasn't the support Jessica needed [17:23] – The real catalyst turned out to be a medication, and the game-changing fix [18:43] – Having each other's back in front of the kids, no public disagreement [19:47] – The quiet aside instead of the public callout, coming back as a combined unit [21:39] – The over-punishment story: stacking consequences on Ethan's grades [22:54] – Why never being emasculated or disrespected publicly matters so much to a man [25:44] – The non-negotiable guardrails: no name calling, ever, even joking [27:15] – Listening without interrupting and keeping voices calm [30:09] – Tonality, ownership, and a family that apologizes well [34:32] – Why these habits are their operating system but not most people's [35:10] – The waterfall of peace: how Jessica's affection quiets Larry's chaos [36:33] – Not gaslighting a partner who's having a hard day, and giving space to process [37:30] – The "what did you do all day" mistake and never globalizing with always and never [40:43] – The deck argument Ethan witnessed and asked if they were divorcing [42:22] – Ethan's three observations: no yelling, real listening, no name calling [42:40] – Asking "is there truth to this" to sidestep the ego and defensiveness [45:02] – The trash story: coming in guns blazing and eating humble pie [49:11] – Covering for each other's hard seasons with the kids instead of piling on [50:04] – Favorite memories: the simple stuff, laughter under their own roof [52:16] – Valuing experiences over stuff, and how that alignment happened [55:19] – Closing out Mason's last year at home with a bang [56:53] – The 25 intimate conversation starters that keep them connected 5 Key Takeaways Get Aligned and Get Help Without Ego — The couples who struggle most are often fighting over whose parenting style wins. Larry and Jessica treated hard seasons as problems to solve together, bringing in classes and counselors rather than letting pride keep them stuck. Have Each Other's Back in Front of the Kids — Never publicly override your spouse's discipline. Handle disagreements privately, then return to the kids as a combined unit. Kids who can't split their parents feel more secure, not less. Set Guardrails for Conflict — No name calling, no yelling, and real listening while the other person talks. These simple, non-negotiable rules keep disagreements from escalating into damage, and kids notice and absorb them. Ask "Is There Truth to This" — When your partner brings a criticism, the instinct is to defend. Pausing to genuinely ask whether there's truth in it disarms your ego and turns a potential fight into a conversation. And when you're wrong, apologize fast. Protect Each Other's Hard Seasons — When one parent is short-tempered or struggling, the other explains it to the kids with grace instead of piling on. Give your partner room to process a bad day rather than gaslighting or nagging them out of it. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: 25 Intimate Conversation Starters (free PDF and video training): Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Enjoyed This Episode? If watching Larry and Jessica lay out the guardrails of their marriage gave you something to aim at, pick one and try it this week. Ask "is there truth to this" the next time you feel defensive, or take your spouse through a couple of good questions on your next date night. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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The Situational Awareness Skills Every Dad Should Teach His Family featuring Sam Rosenberg
08/14/2026
The Situational Awareness Skills Every Dad Should Teach His Family featuring Sam Rosenberg
Sam Rosenberg has spent his career protecting some of the most recognized people on the planet, heads of state, CEOs, and celebrities including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Tom Cruise. A former Marine Corps officer who moved into close protection in 1996, he's since shifted his focus to teaching ordinary people the same skills he used to guard public figures, through his company Live Ready and his bestselling book of the same name. He's trained tens of thousands of people to recognize threats before they become emergencies. This one is a genuine masterclass in personal safety, and Sam's philosophy anchors it: it's good to have a lifeguard, but you should know how to swim. He and Larry get into why violence is never actually random, how to read a parking lot, the acronym TIME that maps how attackers operate, the normalcy bias that keeps good people from trusting their gut, and persuasion predators, the charming, manipulative threats every dad with a daughter needs to understand. If you want to protect the people who matter most without living in fear, this episode delivers the tools. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Protecting Netanyahu, the chess match, and embedding covert protection in a crowd [4:35] – Tom Cruise in Pittsburgh and why he was one of the best to work with [6:23] – How you even land a gig protecting someone at that level [8:12] – Protecting Terry Bradshaw at the NFL draft, and why it's all word of mouth [12:36] – The core philosophy: it's good to have a lifeguard, but you should know how to swim [14:51] – Sam's full bio, the Marine Corps, Live Ready, and the book [16:34] – Situational awareness starts with our wives in parking lots [20:04] – The myth of helplessness and the myth of randomness [21:44] – Why violence is a process as predictable as boiling water [22:38] – Attacks happen on arrival and departure, and every environment has a purpose [24:10] – Watching for the watchers, and the New York City looking up analogy [26:30] – The creepy guy vibe and why we hunt for evidence to dismiss it [27:42] – Social contracting, bias, and how it blinds us to real danger [30:13] – Normalcy bias: the brain's desire for everything to be normal [32:04] – Breaking down a real, sophisticated parking lot kidnapping on video [35:36] – The simple bow: trust your intuition even without all the evidence [37:12] – What that woman could have noticed, and the double-tap unlock habit [43:14] – The TIME acronym: target selection, intelligence, method of attack, escape [46:16] – Why street criminals run the same process as terrorists [49:17] – Can you avoid being targeted? You can influence it, not always prevent it [52:04] – Charlie Kirk, Butler, and why it has to be stopped in advance [53:27] – Recognizing the interview means you've already been selected [56:16] – Hard target versus soft target, and why gimmicks don't work [57:29] – The undercover story: why street-smart observers saw through his disguise [1:02:47] – Willingness and ability are all it takes to be a hard target [1:04:31] – What bad guys are truly afraid of: failure [1:08:55] – Persuasion predators, masters of charm and disguise [1:10:31] – Reframing charm: ask why is this person trying to charm me [1:11:56] – No is a complete sentence, and the veils of denial [1:13:54] – Sociopaths, the pity play, and the puppy law used on children 5 Key Takeaways Violence Is a Process, Not Random — Attacks follow an observable, predictable sequence. Learning to spot the pattern, especially during arrival and departure moments, is what lets you get ahead of danger instead of reacting to it. Watch for the Watchers — Every environment has a purpose. Scan left to right for anomalies, people not using the space for its intended purpose, and notice who's watching who's coming and going. That awareness alone makes you a harder target. Trust Your Radar Over Normalcy Bias — Good people talk themselves out of intuitive warnings because they can't find hard evidence or don't want to seem judgmental. When something feels off, that unease is data. Default to it and remove yourself from the situation. Recognize the Interview — When a stranger approaches you in an anomalous moment, that's an interview, and it means you've already been selected as a target. How you manage that interaction, with the right body language and enough force, often determines whether an attack proceeds. Reframe Charm and Hold the Line on No — Teach daughters to ask why is this person trying to charm me rather than being flattered. No is a complete sentence, and anyone who pushes past it is signaling they care only about what they want. A pity play after being caught in lies is a massive red flag. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Sam Rosenberg's company, LiveReady: Live Ready by Sam Rosenberg (the book): LiveReady on YouTube (situational awareness and attack breakdowns): LiveReady on Instagram: LiveReady on Facebook: LiveReady on LinkedIn: LiveReady personal training: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Roommates to soulmates Enjoyed This Episode? If Sam's breakdown of that parking lot attack made you look at your own routine differently, put one habit to work this week. Get your head up and off your phone during those arrival and departure moments, and have the charm and no conversation with your daughter. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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Small Pursuits That Rebuild a Disconnected Marriage featuring Joe Bailey
08/12/2026
Small Pursuits That Rebuild a Disconnected Marriage featuring Joe Bailey
This is a Wednesday Wins Q&A, with Larry joined by his longtime co-host Joe Bailey to tackle a question that lands for almost every married dad. Mike from Washington State wrote in about a marriage that isn't broken, no fighting, no affairs, but feels more like two coworkers running a small company called the family. He and his wife talk schedules, kids, and bills, physical intimacy has slowed, and as he puts it, he misses her even though she's only six feet away. Larry breaks down the four pillars of marriage from Lance and Brandi's work, individual, partnership, friends, and intimacy, and explains how couples get stuck in the partnership loop and skip straight to intimacy, which backfires. Joe follows with the idea of getting used to the light again after emotional disconnection, releasing resentment, and making small pursuits without attaching expectations. If your marriage feels more like a business partnership than a romance, this one is a practical roadmap back. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Setting up Mike's question about a marriage that feels like a business partnership [2:12] – Mike's full letter: coworkers running a company called our family [3:46] – Larry on his own first decade feeling exactly the same way [4:05] – The four pillars of marriage from Lance and Brandi's book [4:46] – Pillar one, individual: self-care and emotional check-ins by percentage [5:42] – Pillar two, partnership: the bills, roles, and chores, aka the partnership loop [5:59] – Pillar three, friends: shared interests and real alignment [6:21] – Pillar four, intimacy, and why it collapses when the others are neglected [6:47] – How couples skip friendship and self and jump straight to intimacy [7:26] – Disrupting the partnership loop by cultivating friendship first [7:49] – The walk-and-date boundary: be Larry and Jessica, not Mom and Dad [8:13] – Bookending conversations with appreciation so your partner feels seen [8:30] – Adventuring together and asking bucket-list questions [9:34] – Why men eradicate their own self-care and isolate [12:12] – Joe on living this exact dynamic in his own marriage [12:32] – The dark-theater analogy: getting used to the light again [13:35] – Step one, release resentment when reconnection feels uncomfortable [14:02] – Be persistent and stop attaching sex to every act of connection [14:27] – Small pursuits: flowers and a coffee dropped off at Ivy's work, just because [15:46] – Small investments compound like a financial portfolio [16:40] – Stop keeping score and get in the habit of just investing [16:59] – The car story: we love the things we invest in [20:07] – Loving your wife publicly and without agenda [20:44] – Loving her in front of the kids and her mother [21:48] – The Hitch analogy and winning over the people around her [22:14] – The marriage hack: your mother in law as your greatest ally 5 Key Takeaways Marriage Has Four Pillars — Individual, partnership, friends, and intimacy. When you neglect self-care, friendship, and quality time and jump straight to intimacy, it falls flat. Intimacy is the natural result of the other three working. Escape the Partnership Loop — If every conversation is about schedules, bills, and who needs to be where, you're stuck in the partnership loop. Break out by rebuilding the friendship: dates, walks, adventures, and conversations where you're a couple, not just co-parents. Get Used to the Light Again — After emotional disconnection, reconnecting feels awkward and uncomfortable for both people. Expect that, release resentment about it, and don't attach worst-case scenarios to the discomfort. Make Small Pursuits Without Agenda — Drop off flowers just because, and don't attach any expectation of sex, because she'll sniff that out instantly. Stop keeping score and keep making small investments, and the connection compounds over time. We Love What We Invest In — Don't wait to feel the love before you invest. As the car story shows, investment creates love, not the other way around. Love your wife publicly and without agenda, and let her people, especially her mother, become your allies. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Legendary Couple with Larry and Jessica: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Enjoyed This Episode? If Mike's letter read like a page out of your own marriage, pick one small pursuit and do it this week with zero agenda. Drop off her favorite coffee, take a walk where you're just the two of you again, and stop waiting to feel connected before you invest. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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Connection Before Correction With Your Wife & Your Kids
08/10/2026
Connection Before Correction With Your Wife & Your Kids
This is a special live Q&A recorded inside Apogee, where the hosts turned the tables and interviewed Larry alongside his wife Jessica for a rare joint conversation. Married 23 years with four sons, the two open up about what actually creates safety in a home, and their answer surprises the room: it starts with relentlessly prioritizing the marriage. From there they get honest about the early years when Larry admits he floundered and didn't lead well, how Jessica learned to call him forward without emasculating him, and why connection always has to come before correction. They talk repair as the true measure of a relationship, letting kids witness the full cycle of a disagreement, and Larry shares the hardest parts of his own story, an estranged mother and a father who left twice, and what forgiveness has and hasn't looked like. If you want a real look inside a marriage that leads, this one delivers. Timeline Summary [1:05] – Larry and Jessica join Apogee, and the watermelon splitter jokes begin [5:03] – The Freud quote on a child's need for protection, and Larry's book for his boys [6:19] – What's really happening in a home when a child feels deeply safe [7:01] – The frying pan on the back burner: how marriages slide after kids arrive [8:29] – Marriage as a skill, not just a feeling, and the tactical work it requires [9:09] – Telling his 12 year old he prioritizes mom, and why that creates safety [10:04] – The 18 year old who wants to be home because of how his parents love [11:05] – Jessica on kids modeling what they see, and her daughter wanting flowers [13:16] – Jessica's loving, family oriented upbringing versus Larry's chaotic one [15:08] – Jessica's honesty: he did not lead very well in the early years [15:51] – Calling him forward with love instead of a finger in his face [17:28] – Connection before correction, and picking one when forced to choose [20:55] – Why calling someone forward implies connection and trust already exist [22:08] – Without connection you have no influence, even with your own kids [23:14] – Having tough conversations through activity: walks, workouts, the range [23:38] – Hold On to Your Kids and why attachment precedes instruction [24:51] – Parenting across developmental stages and the two bigs, two littles dynamic [28:01] – Why Larry found the young years hardest and came alive in the teens [29:23] – Jessica as the boy mom of empathy, affection, and don't cross me [30:29] – What repair looks like after losing patience with the kids [32:22] – Figs O'Sullivan on harmony, disharmony, and quality living in the repair [33:05] – Growing up with parents who never apologized, and breaking that cycle [35:05] – Coach Whittle's house rule: if you see the collision, you see the repair [36:12] – The deck argument Ethan witnessed and the repair he described back [38:20] – Repairing with your own parents, and the letters Apogee members are writing [41:53] – Larry's estranged mother, the milk incident, and an unsafe environment [42:37] – A father who left twice and the Starbucks reunion 18 years later [43:36] – Mason at 15 asking how he could ever forgive him [44:34] – Forgive and co-create the future, or live in the past with a grudge [46:18] – Screen time boundaries, dumb phones, and earning time through fitness [49:37] – The three page contract for an adult son living at home rent free [50:28] – Why doom scrolling infuriates Larry, and his own guilt with the work phone [57:08] – The Apogee host thanks Larry, and an early zoom happy birthday 5 Key Takeaways Protecting Kids Starts With the Marriage — The deepest safety a child feels comes from parents who prioritize each other. It's a long tail game, not a short term action, and kids who see their parents love each other feel warm, safe, and want to be home. Call Each Other Forward, Don't Tear Down — Jessica changed Larry by naming what she saw with love and respect instead of criticism, which made him want to change. That same energy, connection before correction, is exactly how they lead their sons. Without Connection You Have No Influence — Kids tune out discipline from someone they don't feel attached to. Building connection first, often through shared activity, makes every hard conversation land far better. The Relationship Lives in the Repair — Every relationship cycles through harmony, disharmony, and repair, and the quality resides in how you repair. Letting kids witness the whole cycle, including your apology, teaches them it's safe to mess up and own it. Forgiveness Is a Choice About the Future — Larry's father owned his two abandonments completely and earned a 21 year relationship, while his mother's unsafe patterns went unrepaired. You can forgive and co-create the future, or live your whole life in the past with a grudge. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Connect with Jessica Hagner: Larry and Jessica interview each other (part one): Larry and Jessica interview each other (part two): Roommates to soulmates Enjoyed This Episode? If watching Larry and Jessica lead their marriage out loud gave you something to aim at, take one piece into your own home this week. Prioritize your spouse in front of your kids, or let them witness a full repair the next time you lose your patience. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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The Difference Between Sight and Vision featuring Harry Psaros
08/07/2026
The Difference Between Sight and Vision featuring Harry Psaros
Harry Psaros is an author, neuroscientist, health coach, and third degree black belt, known to Pittsburgh sports fans as the Pit Guru, but the title that matters most to him is dad. He and his wife Michelle have been married 24 years and raised two sons, and it was his journey raising Gus, who's on the autism spectrum, that led him to write his Amazon bestselling, award winning book From Struggle to Strength. He's one of the rare male voices in the autism space, and he doesn't shy away from calling other fathers forward. Harry and Larry, who's walked a similar road with his own oldest son, get into why so many dads resist an autism diagnosis, the devastating fall that erased years of Gus's progress, and the mindset that pulled the family through. Harry breaks down the two ideas from his book that have resonated worldwide: the 2% rule for cutting through overwhelm, and the difference between sight and vision. If you're a father facing a diagnosis you didn't expect, this one meets you where you are and refuses to let you stay there. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Two martial artists connect over a shared lifelong passion [7:13] – The fall down two flights of stairs and the concussion that changed everything [9:14] – Total regression: years of therapy and even the piano, gone [9:37] – Picking yourself off the mat because the endgame never changed [10:45] – Gus graduates Kent State and starts a physical therapy graduate program [12:16] – The full bio: author, neuroscientist, the Pit Guru, and a dad [14:51] – When Gus was diagnosed and why Harry was so stubborn at first [15:31] – The oddities Michelle saw that Harry couldn't accept [16:28] – The birthday party, the fan, and the teacher who said it out loud [17:57] – The two hour drive home and the moment he decided, game on [19:16] – The two types of dads, and why both need to hear this [22:26] – Gus at 22, the vision board, the degree, and the Ram truck [23:09] – The three levels of autism and why mild is never easy [24:19] – A nonverbal keynote speaker with two degrees and a full life [25:31] – Larry's own son: low muscle tone, food textures, and an IEP that led to drum major [29:33] – Larry's younger son, PANDAS, and the strep connection [31:47] – The 2% rule: one thing a day to silence the cacophony [41:58] – Sight versus vision: the daily grind and the long term picture [43:19] – Brain Balance, Dr. Robert Melillo, and lifting the autistic fog [45:21] – Why the vision piece includes estate planning for some families [47:33] – Filotimo and doing good for the sake of good, asking nothing in return [49:16] – Wanting to become a preeminent male voice in the autism space [51:10] – Your number one job as a dad is to be there for your kid [53:19] – Gus wins a National Courage Award and says yes to help one person [55:09] – Where to find the book and connect with Harry 5 Key Takeaways Control the Controllable — When a devastating setback erases years of progress, you can't change what happened. You can refocus on the endgame, pick yourself off the mat, and keep fighting toward the best version of your child. The 2% Rule — Parenting a child with extra needs floods you with everything that needs fixing at once. Pick one thing each day and make your child 2% better at it. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. Mild Doesn't Mean Easy — A level one diagnosis still means years of therapists, neurologists, and countless hours on the road. Improvement applies at every level, and no one should tell you what your child can't do. Sight and Vision Are Both Required — Sight is the daily grind of therapies and goals. Vision is the long term picture, and it can change dramatically as your child grows, so keep both in view and adjust the vision as gains come. A True Man Shows Up — Your number one job as a dad is to be there for your kid. Resisting the diagnosis or staying on the sidelines is doing the opposite of what fatherhood requires. Get your emotions out, then dive in. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Alex the Terrible scream video (referenced in episode, just for fun): Become a legendary couple: Roommates to soulmates Enjoyed This Episode? If Harry's message reached something in you, whether you're facing a diagnosis yourself or you know a dad who's still resisting one, pass it along. Send this episode to a father who needs to hear that showing up is the whole job, and pick one small thing to get 2% better at with your own kids this week. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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How to Actually Be There When You're With Your Kids featuring Joe Bailey
08/05/2026
How to Actually Be There When You're With Your Kids featuring Joe Bailey
This is a Wednesday Wins Q&A, with Larry joined by his longtime co-host and friend of nearly a decade, Joe Bailey. The two open up about the Bible study they've been doing together before digging into two listener questions that hit at the heart of hands-on fatherhood. First, Steve asks how to prepare his three year old daughter for a new baby sister arriving in a few weeks, and how to keep the first child feeling seen. Then Brad from Florida sends in a question that lands hard: his wife says that even when he's home, he's not really there, and his 11 year old recently cut off a story with "never mind, dad, you're not listening anyway." Larry and Joe get practical on capacity for love, protecting margin, and the exact tools they use to actually be present. If you've ever been physically home but mentally somewhere else, this one is for you. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Larry and Joe celebrate nearly a decade of friendship and their ongoing Bible study [3:09] – Steve's question: transitioning a three year old into big sister life [4:57] – The fear of not having enough love to go around, and why it's unfounded [5:19] – The Love and Logic lesson: what a new sibling feels like to a toddler [7:05] – Kids spell love T-I-M-E, and why one on one time matters most [9:36] – Joe on quality over quantity once you can't match the same hours [11:39] – Becoming a subject matter expert in whatever your kid is into [13:03] – Inviting the older child into the role of big sister without pressure [14:14] – Watching for behavioral cues before jealousy goes full fledged [14:34] – Being depth on the bench for your wife and beating the guilt monster [15:37] – Larry's chapter on raising daughters and leaning on Meg Meeker's work [16:26] – Chris Berry's daddy-daughter dates and setting the standard sky high [18:01] – Why three years old isn't too early to start dating your daughter [19:19] – Brad's question: present in body, absent in mind [21:03] – Why perception is reality when your family feels you're not there [22:16] – The name cue: teaching your family to signal when they need you fully [23:26] – Being relentless about creating margin and hard stops for work [25:24] – Larry on notifications as the window that steals your presence [25:43] – The Gary John Bishop river metaphor for the past, present, and future [28:28] – Larry's Full Presence Training and grounding through the five senses [31:07] – Joe on great expectancy with no expectations 5 Key Takeaways Your Capacity for Love Isn't Fixed — Every parent fears they can't love a second child as much as the first. Both hosts describe the same surprise each time: a fresh reserve of love shows up that you didn't know you had. Quality Beats Quantity — With more kids, you simply can't give each one the same number of hours. Get intentional instead: enter your child's world, learn what they love, and make the time you do have count. Perception Is Reality — You may feel like you're present and carrying the load, but if your wife and kids experience you as checked out, that's the reality you have to address. Validating their experience comes before defending your own. Protect Margin With Hard Stops — Decide when work starts and when it ends, and hold the line even when customers call at night. Give your family a simple cue, like saying your name, that signals you'll drop everything and give full attention. Ground Yourself in the Five Senses — When your mind drifts to the past or the future, you miss the present entirely. Deliberately noticing what you see, hear, feel, and smell in a moment with your kids pulls you fully into it. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Meg Meeker episode: Roommates to soulmates Enjoyed This Episode? If Brad's question hit a nerve, or if you've got a new sibling on the way like Steve, take one idea from this episode and put it to work this week. Set a hard stop on work tonight, or ground yourself in the five senses the next time your kid is talking to you. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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The 4 Survival Responses Hiding Inside Your ADHD featuring Jenna Free
08/03/2026
The 4 Survival Responses Hiding Inside Your ADHD featuring Jenna Free
Jenna Free is a counselor who specializes in ADHD, and she doesn't teach it from a textbook, she lives it, having been diagnosed herself at 32. Her work zeroes in on the piece she says the field keeps missing: dysregulation. Through her ADHD regulation groups and her training for mental health professionals, she teaches a method built around regulating the nervous system, thoughts, and behaviors, and she's put it all into her bestselling book The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation, a Toronto Star and Globe and Mail bestseller. The core idea here reframes almost everything men think they know about ADHD. Jenna argues that most of what gets labeled ADHD is actually an ADHD brain stuck in chronic fight or flight, and that it's fixable. She and Larry get into what's happening in the brain during dysregulation, the four survival responses, why potential keeps you stuck, and how simply refusing to fight with reality can change your whole day. If you or your kids have ever felt like putting on socks is a full body assignment, this one explains why. Timeline Summary [1:58] – Getting diagnosed at 32 and finally making sense to herself [3:28] – Four careers by 35, from marketing to modeling in South Africa to teaching [9:14] – Two kids under a year and a half apart and max fight or flight [9:57] – Your mess becomes your message [10:16] – The full bio: the ADHD regulation method and a bestselling book [13:16] – What's actually happening in an ADHD brain stuck in fight or flight [14:43] – Why the fight or flight symptom list looks almost identical to the ADHD one [15:49] – The socks story and how different life feels once you're regulated [18:58] – Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, and how each one shows up [20:39] – Why your body can't tell a to-do list from a bear [22:01] – Which survival response dominates, and whether gender or age matters [24:41] – Why this work is hard for kids and lands better with bought-in adults [25:28] – Hyperactive, inattentive, and combination types across the lifespan [26:28] – Where regulation actually starts, and why buy-in comes first [27:43] – Putting on your dysregulation goggles to see symptoms differently [29:26] – Giving yourself permission to regulate when survival mode resists it [32:44] – Physical regulation first: slowing down to signal safety to the body [35:14] – Potential versus reality and the shoulds that pull you back into panic [36:50] – The spilled box of gems and dropping the fight with reality in five seconds [38:27] – Larry's disputed parking charge and staying calm while everyone else panicked [43:12] – Do people with ADHD have less energy, or is it pouring onto the floor? [45:13] – Why Jenna's calming tone regulates her own body in real time [48:14] – How fawning and people pleasing trace back to the amygdala 5 Key Takeaways It's Often Fight or Flight, Not Just ADHD — Many of the symptoms people write off as permanent ADHD traits, the overwhelm, paralysis, and procrastination, are actually a nervous system stuck in survival mode. That part is treatable. Your Body Can't Tell a To-Do List From a Bear — Under chronic stress, blood flow leaves the prefrontal cortex so you can fight or run, which is exactly why you can't think clearly when you sit down to work. Buy-In Comes Before Any Technique — Regulation work is uncomfortable because your system thinks its old patterns are keeping you alive. You have to genuinely want the change to push through the resistance. Start by Physically Slowing Down — Walking instead of rushing, dropping your shoulders, and typing at a reasonable pace all signal safety to the body. Small shifts over time retrain the nervous system far better than fast, intense change. Stop Fighting With Reality — Shoulds, what-ifs, and "this shshouldn't have happened" throw you straight back into panic. Naming what is real and asking "now what" is one of the fastest ways to calm the system down. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals (November 15, Cardinals vs Rams, State Farm Stadium): Roommates to soulmates Enjoyed This Episode? If Jenna's reframing of dysregulation gave you a new way to understand your own brain or your kid's, put one piece of it to work. Catch yourself the next time you're rushing and physically slow down, and notice how quickly your body follows. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations. This episode discusses ADHD, disordered eating, and mental health. If any of it resonates personally, consider reaching out to a licensed professional who can offer support tailored to you.
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Why Willpower Never Beats Your Subconscious featuring Thais Gibson
07/31/2026
Why Willpower Never Beats Your Subconscious featuring Thais Gibson
Thais Gibson is the co-founder of the Personal Development School and the creator of Gibson Integrated Attachment Theory, whose work on attachment and subconscious rewiring has reached more than 75 million people. He holds a PhD, is certified in over 13 therapeutic modalities, and his research shows that 88% of the more than 70,000 people he's worked with developed a secure attachment style in just 90 days. He got there the hard way, through a six and a half year opioid addiction that only broke when he understood he wasn't running from his outside world, he was running from his inside one. This one gets unusually personal. Thais breaks down the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind, why willpower alone never sticks, and the exact rewiring exercise he uses, then Larry opens up about childhood bullying and body-image fear he says he's never shared in 1,500 episodes. If you've ever set a goal your behavior refused to follow, this conversation explains why and what to do about it. Timeline Summary [1:44] – Growing up in a tumultuous household and one of Canada's longest divorce cases [2:46] – A knee surgery, painkillers, and the start of a six and a half year spiral [4:00] – The idea that changed everything: you're numbing your internal reality, not your external one [5:52] – Why sobriety finally stuck the third time around [6:20] – The sentence in a psych class that began his recovery [8:04] – Finding God, meditation, and building a real support system [11:33] – The full bio: 75 million people reached and an 88% success rate in 90 days [13:09] – The actual difference between the conscious and subconscious mind [14:14] – The Freudian iceberg and where your conditioning is stored [16:03] – Why there's no such thing as self-sabotage [19:18] – The Monday drinker: a case study in wanting to quit but not quitting [20:36] – The three pillars of why we keep choosing what we say we don't want [24:05] – Upgrading the form: how Thais turned his own anger into vulnerability [28:55] – The red converse shoes and how we wire by emotional association [29:42] – The cost benefit rewiring exercise, step by step [32:37] – What's actually happening in the brain when you reflect, write, and repeat [36:09] – Larry shares being a bullied, overweight kid and the dance that changed him [41:05] – Why body image got wired to so much pain, and what it's really about [48:34] – The three step exercise for rewiring a core wound [50:37] – Building confidence rooted in character instead of appearance [57:04] – The four attachment styles explained [1:00:14] – The fearful avoidant style and the unworthiness wound [1:04:17] – Why your attachment shows up most where you were most wounded 5 Key Takeaways Willpower Can't Beat Your Programming — Your conscious mind can't outwill your subconscious. When you keep repeating a pattern you swore you'd quit, that isn't weakness, it's your subconscious running a different program than the one you set. There's No Such Thing as Self-Sabotage — What feels like sabotage is your conscious intention and your subconscious conditioning pulling in opposite directions. Nobody wakes up planning to wreck their day. Upgrade the Form, Don't Just Kill the Habit — Every habit meets a real need. Instead of white-knuckling it away, identify what the behavior gives you and build a healthier way to get that same need met. Rewire Through Repetition, Emotion, and Imagery — The subconscious speaks in images and feelings, not logic. Recording your costs and benefits and listening back daily for 21 days builds new neural pathways while the old ones atrophy. Root Your Worth in Character, Not Appearance — Confidence based on your body or achievements can be taken away by an injury or a setback. Confidence built on evidence of who you are at your core can't be infringed. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central): The Personal Development School: Thais Gibson on YouTube: Thais Gibson Personal Development School The Personal Development School on Instagram: The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood by Larry Hagner: referenced in episode Enjoyed This Episode? If Thais naming the gap between what you intend and what you actually do landed for you, take it as the starting point. Send this episode to a man who keeps setting the same goal every Monday, and pick one core wound to run the 21 day rewiring exercise on this month. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations. This episode touches on addiction, bullying, and body image. If any of it hits close to home for you, it's worth talking with a licensed professional who can offer personalized support.
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Raising Daughters Who Hold Themselves to a Standard featuring Sterling Seizert
07/29/2026
Raising Daughters Who Hold Themselves to a Standard featuring Sterling Seizert
Sterling Seizert spent his career as a US Army Special Forces Green Beret, serving as a senior communications and intelligence sergeant in 10th Special Forces Group and as a Special Operations liaison at the US Embassy in Nigeria. When he transitioned out, he carried the same discipline into entrepreneurship, and today he's the founder of Patriot Capital and Legends Lodge, overseeing eight self storage facilities worth over 58 million dollars and serving 3,100 clients. He's also the author of the new book Buy Your Freedom. This one goes deeper than either man expected. Sterling opens with a harrowing 2013 combat story, then he and Larry get into how training builds calm under pressure, servant leadership in marriage, raising daughters who hold themselves to a standard, and why honesty in a home should be celebrated rather than punished. If you want a masterclass in staying grounded when the stakes are high, this is it. Timeline Summary [2:54] – The 2013 mission in northwest Africa and the firefight that changed everything [6:11] – Holding a soldier's heart and being told to keep the rhythm [8:11] – Did training take over, or was there disbelief in the moment? [10:26] – How repetition inoculates you to the sights, sounds, and smells of the battlefield [12:32] – Advice for the average man facing his own hard situation [14:25] – Why action creates clarity and keeps you out of rumination [15:11] – The full bio: Green Beret, Nigeria, and 58 million in self storage [17:36] – Growing up in small-town Wisconsin and a colder father [20:59] – The deep question: would he still eat Taco Bell knowing what he knows? [22:21] – Did quitting ever cross his mind in selection? It never did [26:07] – The frozen ambush in North Carolina and putting suffering in perspective [30:35] – Getting recycled through small unit tactics and choosing to be an asset [32:09] – The first responder divorce rate and how he and Rebecca stayed tight [32:36] – Marriage as service, and why keeping score never works [35:09] – Serving your wife without becoming the nice guy or the domineering man [38:33] – Servant leadership, apologizing, and holding a standard at the same time [39:03] – Larry and Sterling compare their household standards for conflict [41:07] – The one question that disarms almost any argument with someone close [43:44] – The plan for when his daughters start dating, sniper school included [45:10] – Raising strong daughters to look for ambition and a standard [48:14] – What this generation of young men is missing, from social media to porn [52:03] – Cultivating real connection with daughters in the teenage years [54:13] – The one hard rule he'll raise his voice over, and why honesty gets celebrated [57:29] – The two books that changed his life, plus his own new release 5 Key Takeaways Action Creates Clarity — When you're facing something hard, assess what needs to get done and execute in order. Movement keeps you out of the rumination loop and steadily reveals the next right step. Marriage Is Service, Not Score — Approach your marriage as the person there to serve, and assume your spouse will meet you halfway. Keeping score guarantees you'll always find a way to justify why you're winning. Serve Without Being a Doormat — Servant leadership isn't groveling and it isn't domineering. Hold a real standard for how you're treated, model that same standard yourself, and pick the battles that actually matter. Assume the Best Interest — In conflict with someone close, ask whether they truly lack your family's best interest at heart. Nine times out of ten they don't, which turns the fight into the two of you against the problem. Celebrate Honesty, Don't Punish It — Make ownership safe. When kids know honesty is welcomed rather than met with punishment, you can address the actual problem instead of untangling a lie on top of it. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central): Buy Your Freedom by Sterling Seizert: Enjoyed This Episode? If Sterling's line about action creating clarity gave you something to hold onto, put it to work this week. Send this episode to a man who's stuck ruminating instead of moving, and take one honest look at the standards you're actually modeling at home. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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How You're Stealing Time From Your Kids and Don't Even Know It featuring Joshua Becker
07/27/2026
How You're Stealing Time From Your Kids and Don't Even Know It featuring Joshua Becker
Joshua Becker is the founder of Becoming Minimalist, a New York Times bestselling author, and one of the leading voices in the world on intentional living. His work reaches more than 4 million followers across social media and over 1 million readers a month on his website. He spent 15 years as a pastor before discovering minimalism in his own driveway, and his newest book Uncluttered Faith makes the case that owning less isn't just practical, it's profoundly spiritual. The conversation starts with the Memorial Day garage cleanout where Joshua looked up and saw his five-year-old son swinging alone in the backyard, and goes into what he realized about Jesus' teachings on money, how he and his wife Kim navigated wanting to get rid of very different amounts, and the parable that showed him he wasn't the soil he thought he was. If you've ever spent a day off managing your possessions while your kids waited, this one will land. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Joshua on finally making the New York Times list with his fourth book [2:51] – The Memorial Day garage cleanout that started everything [4:40] – A neighbor named June changes his life in one sentence [5:23] – Seeing his son swinging alone and realizing possessions were taking him away [6:37] – Telling Kim, and starting Becoming Minimalist that Monday [7:02] – Why the very first thing he decluttered was the cars [8:57] – Starting with the easiest, most lived-in rooms instead of the garage [11:50] – Easier to clean, more money, more generosity: cataloging the benefits [13:11] – Owning fewer things means owning higher quality things [13:58] – Full introduction: 4 million followers, 1 million monthly readers, 15 years pastoring [16:32] – Realizing June wasn't the first person to tell him about minimalism, Jesus was [17:47] – Why Jesus wasn't inviting him to a boring life but a better one [20:56] – Knowing the verses for years without knowing how to actually live them out [22:39] – Five thousand advertisements a day and the world's definition of a good life [25:16] – Kim was on board, but she wanted to lose 40% and he wanted 80% [27:21] – It's always easier to see everyone else's clutter than your own [28:28] – Why men and women tend to accumulate differently [29:44] – The three moments it got hard, including "let me handle the children's clothes" [32:40] – Would he still be a minimalist if he weren't a Christian? [34:32] – Raising Salem and Alexa in it, and the test that comes with the first big paycheck [37:23] – The foundation kids can always come back to [41:03] – How minimalism forced him to redefine success [43:45] – The parable of the four soils and the weeds nobody names correctly [46:15] – Discovering he was the third soil, not the fourth 5 Key Takeaways Your Stuff Is Taking You From What Matters — It isn't just that possessions fail to make you happy. Managing, cleaning, and organizing them actively pulls you away from the people and purpose that do. Start With the Easy Rooms — Most people think decluttering means attacking the garage or the storage unit. Begin with the car and the most lived-in spaces, where you'll feel the benefit immediately and build momentum. Clean Up Your Own Clutter First — It's always easier to see your spouse's or your kids' excess than your own. You have little standing to ask anyone to let go of their things until you've dealt with yours. Owning Less Redefines Success — When you stop earning to accumulate, you're forced to answer what you're actually working for. That question reshapes your filter for nearly every decision. Worries, Riches, and Pleasures Choke Fruitfulness — In the parable of the four soils, Jesus names riches themselves, not merely the love of them. Many who assume they're the fourth soil are living as the third. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central): Uncluttered Faith by Joshua Becker: available everywhere books are sold, plus a six week small group Bible study Becoming Minimalist: Joshua Becker's personal site: Luke 8:14, the parable of the four soils: referenced in episode The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood by Larry Hagner: referenced in episode Enjoyed This Episode? If the image of Joshua's son swinging alone in the backyard while he sorted boxes stopped you cold, take that as the nudge. Send this episode to a dad who spends his days off managing his possessions, and go clean out one small space this week just to feel the difference. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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The Healed Version of You Versus the Broken One featuring Jon Gustin
07/24/2026
The Healed Version of You Versus the Broken One featuring Jon Gustin
Jon Gustin is the founder of Tired Dad, a community of more than 2 million followers built on one honest premise: parenting is only hard for good parents. A former personal trainer of 14 years who started making short videos during the sleepless newborn stretch of 2020, he became one of the first men online talking openly about the mental load of fatherhood. He co-hosts the Tired Dad and Tired Mom podcasts with his wife Jessica and released his book The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most in May. Larry and Jon get into the exhaustion that comes from doing the work right, both of their fathers coming home from Vietnam unable to talk about it, the rebellion and loss that followed Jon's parents' divorce, and the ego death that pulled his marriage out of the roommate phase. If you're tired in the best way possible and still wondering whether you're doing a good job, this conversation is for you. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Parenting is only hard for good parents, and why tired means invested [3:19] – Tired from parenting, not tired of parenting [6:23] – How the newborn stretch of 2020 accidentally birthed Tired Dad [8:10] – Nobody was talking about the mental load of fatherhood, so Jon did [12:16] – The Justin Gustin problem and Larry's own Hagman mixup [13:29] – Full introduction: 2 million followers, two podcasts, and the book [16:54] – Growing up the baby of the family with siblings seven and eight years older [20:18] – A Vietnam veteran father, a World War Two grandfather, and night terrors that never left [21:55] – Watching your dad go from Superman to human during the divorce [26:38] – Running from it: partying, drugs, theft, and total chaos at 14 [28:26] – Losing friends to overdoses and deciding to get out [29:48] – Moving to Tennessee, meeting Jessica, and marrying 11 months later [34:08] – The Gottman research and why only 12% of marriages truly thrive [36:27] – Marry the right person for the right reasons, because marriage fixes nothing [37:59] – Postpartum, the roommate phase, and the darkest stretch of their marriage [40:56] – Killing the ego and why keeping score breeds resentment [43:48] – Getting sober three and a half years ago and what changed [46:42] – Ego death without becoming a doormat or a nice guy [48:55] – Eliminate the guessing and learn what your wife actually needs [52:42] – Inside the book: the weight fathers carry and the mantra to keep showing up [54:47] – Wearing exhaustion as a badge of honor versus being the healed version of you [57:18] – Legacy, being a home worth coming back to, and the 3am call 5 Key Takeaways Tired Means You're Doing It Right — If parenting feels hard and exhausting, that's evidence you care enough to invest in it. You're tired from the work, not of it. Marriage Fixes Nothing — Your partner isn't responsible for healing your wounds and you aren't responsible for healing theirs. Two people can both do their own work and build something great, but expecting rescue guarantees misery. The Ego Is a Heavy Backpack — Keeping score is the breeding ground for resentment. Dropping the ego means asking how you can help the situation, not tallying what you're not getting. Ego Death Is Not Becoming a Doormat — Killing the ego doesn't mean happy wife, happy life, or becoming a yes man. It means eliminating the guessing, expressing your own needs clearly, and understanding hers. Be the Healed Version, Not the Broken One — Carrying exhaustion proudly while running on empty leaves you injured at the end of the road. The goal is showing up tired but well, in shape for the job. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance (July promo: signed book, two courses, 50 conversation starters): Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central): The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most by Jon Gustin: available wherever books are sold Tired Dad website: Enjoyed This Episode? If Jon's line about being tired from parenting rather than tired of it reframed something for you, pass it along. Send this episode to a dad who's running on empty and quietly wondering if he's cut out for this, and ask yourself whether you're carrying the weight well or just carrying it. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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Why You're Surrounded by People and Still Alone featuring Marc Hildebrand
07/22/2026
Why You're Surrounded by People and Still Alone featuring Marc Hildebrand
This episode flips the script. Instead of Larry hosting, Marc Hildebrand, one of the top coaches in the Dad Edge Business Brotherhood, a 20-year LAPD veteran, life coach, and founder of Modern Leadership, sits Larry down and interviews him. The jumping-off point is a hard statistic: most men are lonely, and the majority don't have a single friend they could call at 3am. Larry opens up about the mastermind that changed his life eleven years ago, the "cost of doing nothing" question that got him to say yes, the BRAVE MAN system his Boardroom runs on, and the August 2017 morning his wife told him he was losing her. If you're a man who's surrounded by people but still feels alone, or a business owner pouring everything into work while the rest of your life drifts, this one is a roadmap. Timeline Summary [1:02] – The loneliness statistic and why Larry isn't surprised it's that high [3:17] – Marc introduces Larry and the role-reversal format [7:04] – The first mastermind eleven years ago and mentor Aaron Walker [8:45] – Rusty relationships and why "fine, good, busy" keeps men shallow [10:03] – The $500-a-month invitation that sounded like snake oil [11:55] – The question that changed everything: the cost of doing nothing [13:45] – Sitting with the chills, imagining life a year out, and calling back in 12 minutes [16:24] – What pulled Larry to lean in instead of talking himself out of it [19:03] – "Show me your calendar and I'll show you what's important to you" [22:59] – Why it's never the business, it's the person running the business [25:41] – The BRAVE MAN system explained category by category [29:53] – Why the room, not just the strategies, is what gets men to change [30:52] – The black belt lesson: that's when the training actually begins [35:02] – Attracting your wife back to you instead of chasing [36:22] – The August 2017 morning Jessica said "you're losing me" [40:30] – Masculine and feminine energy, and helping your wife soften [44:11] – Inside the quarterly Goal Setting Intensive [47:19] – Why the Boardroom is only 20-25% about business [50:26] – Living an "and" life instead of an "or" life [52:36] – The Dad Edge core values, read in full for the first time [58:04] – Who the room is for, and how to join the intensive 5 Key Takeaways The Cost of Doing Nothing — When weighing an investment in yourself, the real question isn't the price. It's what your life looks like a year from now if you change nothing at all. It's Never the Business — Entrepreneurs blame the business for their disconnection, burnout, and lost health. The hidden truth is that it's the person running the business, and reactivity is the pattern to break. Attract, Don't Chase — Chasing your spouse reads as needy, desperate energy. Leading from a grounded, positive masculine presence lets her soften and pulls her back toward you. Set "And" Goals, Not "Or" Goals — You don't have to choose between growing your business and connecting with your family. The right question is how one could actually strengthen the other. The Room Is the Gold — Skills and strategies matter, but transformation happens in a room of trusted men who share wins in detail, hold public accountability, and call each other forward. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central, 10 guest spots): Enjoyed This Episode? If the "cost of doing nothing" question landed for you the way it landed for Larry, don't let it sit. Send this episode to a man who's surrounded by people but still feels alone, and ask yourself honestly who your own 3am call would be. If the show keeps showing up for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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How Childhood Trauma Quietly Runs Your Marriage featuring Stefanos Sifandos
07/20/2026
How Childhood Trauma Quietly Runs Your Marriage featuring Stefanos Sifandos
Stefanos Sifandos returns to the show six years after his first appearance, and this time the conversation goes straight to the bone. A behavioral scientist and relationship expert who's worked with Olympic gold medalists, world champion fighters, special forces operators, and high-performing couples, Stefanos helps successful people confront the emotional armor and old patterns that achievement can't hide. He's also the author of the new book Tuned In and Turned On. Larry and Stefanos both grew up with volatile, abusive fathers, and they open up about the exact moments they stood up to the men who terrorized them, the survival patterns that followed them into adulthood, and the slow inner work of forgiveness. If you're a man carrying more than you've ever said out loud, this conversation names it and points to a way through. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Stefanos returns after six years and revisits growing up in violence [3:09] – A gambler father, criminal company, and never knowing which version you'd get [4:39] – How the abuse shifted between two brothers over the years [6:24] – Leaving the country at 18 and the eldest-child savior role [7:40] – Larry shares his own story of standing up to his mom's abusive boyfriend [10:09] – Why a terrifying confrontation can be a painful gift with a long trajectory [12:40] – Stefanos on the night at the kitchen bench when he told his dad "I'm not small anymore" [18:46] – Stefanos' full background in behavioral science, performance, and embodiment [21:24] – The unconscious, fractured initiation from boyhood into manhood [23:44] – Larry on deliberately taking his sons through rites of passage [24:26] – Where the relationship with his father stands now, and the memoir project [27:15] – Forgiveness as an inside job and letting go without relying on the other person [29:37] – Scarcity, hypervigilance, and why the nervous system prepares for the worst [36:18] – Why 80% of healing is how others show up and meet you [38:41] – How children internalize abuse as proof they're unworthy [41:24] – The book's practices: get a friend, and why men are so isolated [46:20] – Deliberate solitude in nature and learning to slow down [48:55] – Seeking physical challenge as the path to real confidence 5 Key Takeaways Standing Up Is an Initiation — For many men, the shift from boyhood to manhood happens through a raw, unchosen confrontation rather than a healthy rite of passage. Naming that moment helps you understand who you became because of it. Forgiveness Is an Inside Job — Closure doesn't require the other person to change or even participate. Peace comes from your own diligent inner work, not from waiting on an apology. Your Survival Patterns Made Sense Once — Scarcity thinking and catastrophizing were hypervigilant survival tools in childhood. The work isn't to shame them away, but to notice them and stop feeding the beast. Healing Is Relational — Around 80% of transformation is being met with compassion and nonjudgment by someone who can relate to you. Insight matters, but connection is what actually changes you. Get a Friend, Then Get Alone — Men are epidemically lonely, so build real friendships despite the risk. Then balance that with deliberate solitude in nature and physical challenge that builds genuine confidence. Links & Resources Episode page and all links: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive: Tuned In and Turned On by Stefanos Sifandos: published by Hay House, February 2026 (audiobook includes bonus material) Stefanos Sifandos on Instagram: Stefanos Sifandos on YouTube: Follow Stefanos Sifandos on Facebook and TikTok: search "Stefanos Sifandos" The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood by Larry Hagner: referenced in episode Enjoyed This Episode? If Stefanos' line about men leaking their pain sideways into aggression and avoidance hit home, don't carry it alone. Send this episode to a man in your life who might be quietly isolated, and think about who your own 3am friend would be. If the show keeps showing up for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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What to do Before You Give Your Kids A Phone featuring Leslie Tyler
07/17/2026
What to do Before You Give Your Kids A Phone featuring Leslie Tyler
Leslie Tyler is the Director of Parent Education at Pinwheel, where she's also known as the Chief Mom, and the editor of Your Healthy Tech Playbook. She co-hosts the Technically Parenting podcast, collaborates with leading researchers to build practical tools for families, and previously took an edtech company from startup through acquisition by GoGuardian. She's also a mom of two teenagers doing this work in real time. This conversation gets into what most parents are missing: the body image and hyper-masculinity content quietly targeting boys, why the bully now follows your kid into his bedroom, what AI is actually doing to kids' thinking and relationships, and how to teach self-regulation without setting your kid up to fail. If you've ever thought "he's in his room, what could go wrong," this one's for you. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Why boys get lost in the conversation about social media risk [2:20] – Looksmaxxing, jawlines, and the body image content aimed squarely at boys [3:52] – What the Netflix series Adolescence revealed about hidden bullying [7:43] – Comparison versus inspiration and why kids can't tell the difference [9:17] – That photo wasn't their first take, and adults know it but kids don't [13:25] – How to interrupt the gut reaction when your son sees an idealized image [14:51] – The cupcake story and giving your kid grace [19:19] – Why exposing your own vulnerability opens the door to connection [20:24] – Middle school as the hardest age and where the filter disappears [22:48] – School used to end at the door, now the bully is in the bedroom [24:14] – Text monitoring as a window into your kid's friends' real character [29:22] – The story of a dad who said nothing and changed everything [31:25] – Leslie on losing her father and what her kids remembered about him [33:00] – The AI frontier: what's real, what isn't, and why critical thinking matters more [36:32] – AI is not your friend, it's a sycophant programmed to please [41:01] – Let kids fail when the stakes are low so they don't fail when they're high [42:42] – A practical path to self-regulation that starts with the parent [49:48] – The hallway phone is back, and why kids need a landline again 5 Key Takeaways Boys Are Being Targeted Too — Looksmaxxing and hyper-masculine content hits boys just as hard as thinspo hits girls, but there's no counter-message, so boys internalize it silently. The Bully Followed Them Home — Kids used to escape their tormentors when the school bell rang. Now the device sits in the bedroom and the bully is in there with them. Vulnerability Is the Doorway — When your kid feels inadequate, don't lecture. Admit you feel the same thing sometimes. That's the moment connection actually happens. AI Is Not a Friend — It's programmed to tell kids what they want to hear, and there's no give and take. That one-way sycophancy is the biggest AI risk facing children right now. Self-Regulation Is Taught, Not Assumed — Start with the parent setting limits and explaining why, then loosen them gradually. Kids will fail, and that failure is the actual lesson. Links & Resources Episode shownotes: Join the Dad Edge Alliance: Bark (Dad Edge listener discount, 10% off): Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive: Pinwheel: Enjoyed This Episode? If the line about the bully sitting in your kid's bedroom stopped you cold, don't let it end there. Send this episode to a parent who's still telling themselves their kid is safe because he's upstairs, and go have one honest conversation with your son this week about what he's actually seeing on that screen. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more parents can find it.
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How to Shut Work Off Before It Costs You Your Kids featuring Gary John Bishop
07/15/2026
How to Shut Work Off Before It Costs You Your Kids featuring Gary John Bishop
Gary John Bishop is the New York Times bestselling author behind Unfuk Yourself* and Stop Doing That Sht*, with seven books and millions of copies sold, and his new release Now What out this month. In this episode Larry opens the doors to an exclusive Q&A Gary did inside the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood, where business owners brought him their real, unfiltered questions. Three men bring their hardest challenges to the table: grief and a 20-year marriage at a crossroads, the daily collapse between what you plan and what you actually do, and the fear of losing a business that follows you home to your kids. If you're a business owner who says one thing and does another, or who's been quietly sacrificing family for a fear you haven't named, this conversation will hit you where you live. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Larry introduces this exclusive Boardroom Q&A and why he brings in high level guests monthly [3:30] – Gary is introduced as the bestselling author of seven books and a friend since 2018 [5:38] – Slade opens with losing his father, rebuilding a career, and a 20-year marriage at a crossroads [8:20] – Gary challenges the idea that you lose anything when someone dies [8:57] – Your life as a conversational domain and why your father still exists inside it [13:12] – The question that changes a marriage: what are the conversations actually about? [16:02] – Why calling his dad a "degenerate gambler" was costing Slade more than he knew [18:35] – Alan asks how to stay focused when the day falls apart by 10am [20:39] – The real issue is integrity: you say and then you don't do [21:23] – Would you trust a man who never keeps his word? You're doing it to yourself [24:17] – Gary doubles his revenue target for no reason other than he said he would [29:26] – You're not detaching from emotion, you're recognizing you're attached to it [31:14] – Blake on the fear that not answering the phone will cost him his business [33:26] – Every company is organized around the fears of its founder [37:39] – "This is not appropriate to this space" and how to shut work off at home [45:05] – Ciprian asks how to stop building the present on a broken past [49:01] – Nobody cut you off in traffic: how automatic language creates your world [53:04] – Husserl's bracketing: set the story aside and be in wonder of what's there 5 Key Takeaways Your Life Is a Conversational Domain — The people you've lost still exist in the conversations you have and the way you speak about them. Locate them somewhere that nurtures you instead of somewhere labeled loss. Integrity Is Honoring Your Word — Integrity isn't morality, it's treating what you say like it matters. If you routinely say and then don't do, you've trained yourself to be unreliable to yourself. Your Business Runs On Your Fear — Every company is organized around the fears of its founder. If you're taking calls at the dinner table, look at what you're actually committed to versus what you say you're committed to. The Language Is Creating the World — Calling something a struggle instead of a challenge, or your father a degenerate instead of a man who gambled, isn't description. It's construction, and you'll live inside whatever you build. Bracket the Story and Declare Something New — You don't have to fix the past. Set it aside, declare who you are right now, and ask what that person would obviously do next. Links & Resources Episode shownotes — Join the Dad Edge Alliance — Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive — Enjoyed This Episode? If Gary's line about every company being organized around the fears of its founder made you sit up, sit with it a while. Send this to a business owner who's been sacrificing his family for a fear he hasn't named yet, and ask yourself where you say one thing and do another. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more men can find these conversations.
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How Your Old Solutions Became Your Current Problems featuring Gary John Bishop
07/13/2026
How Your Old Solutions Became Your Current Problems featuring Gary John Bishop
Gary John Bishop is the New York Times bestselling author behind Unfuk Yourself* and Stop Doing That Sht*, whose books have sold over 4.5 million copies and whose audiobooks alone have topped 2 million. Making his sixth appearance on the show, the Scottish philosopher and personal development author joins Larry to break down his newest book, Now What, and challenge the entire premise of self-help. This conversation gets into why chasing the next fix keeps you stuck, how your old solutions quietly become your current problems, and why self-invention beats self-improvement for good. If you're a dad who's done all the work, read all the books, and still catches himself asking why life feels the same, this one will reframe how you see time, identity, and being present with your kids. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Gary returns for his sixth appearance and the "Larry and Gary Show" reunion [3:13] – The line that started it all: solving your life instead of living in it [5:23] – Why the book slapped Gary around as he wrote it and questioned everything he knew [6:38] – Realizing most of what we call fulfillment is actually just relief [8:03] – Now is not a time, now is a place, and now is eternal, but you're not [11:28] – How Gary scrapped a finished manuscript and rewrote the guts in 30 days [14:20] – The difference between having knowledge of something and truly knowing it [22:12] – How old solutions become current problems: work ethic turning into workaholism [27:03] – Larry on his son's graduation and why he felt joy instead of regret [29:52] – The meerkat in the cathedral and why context is your one true superpower [32:16] – Alan Watts on standing in a river with the past and future always here [36:13] – Self-invention over self-improvement and why the "self" isn't broken [41:20] – Declaring who you are as accomplished and letting it call you forward [48:00] – What to do when the people closest to you resist the new version of you [53:03] – Why we prefer the certainty of misery over the uncertainty of joy [1:00:26] – The simplest way to teach kids this thinking through better questions 5 Key Takeaways Stop Solving, Start Living — Most people spend their whole lives fixing the problem in front of their face, then wonder why relief never comes. A life you create still has problems, but they're the right ones. Old Solutions Become New Problems — The job, the relationship, the work ethic you built to fix an old pain often becomes the very thing troubling you now. Recognizing that pattern is how you stop repeating it. Context Is Your Superpower — You can't always change what's happening, but you can shift the context you hold it in. Mandela sat in the same cell for years and chose to experience it as a life of service. Self-Invention Beats Self-Improvement — You aren't a broken, fixed thing that needs better habits. Through language you can declare who you are right now and let that identity call new actions out of you. Teach Kids to Question, Not to Comply — Instead of correcting kids, ask them where they heard that, what they're making it mean, and what else it could mean. "Now what?" asked honestly and repeatedly shifts any story. Links & Resources Episode page and all links — Join the Dad Edge Alliance — Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive — Now What by Gary John Bishop — available wherever books are sold Gary John Bishop's website — Follow Gary John Bishop on Instagram — Follow Gary John Bishop on TikTok — Enjoyed This Episode? If Gary's idea that "now is a place, not a time" cracked something open for you, don't let it stop at a listen. Send this episode to a dad who's done all the work and still feels stuck, and try asking your kids one of Gary's questions this week. If the show keeps delivering for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.
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Why Big Goals Keep You Stuck & Small Ones Set You Free featuring Rock Thomas
07/10/2026
Why Big Goals Keep You Stuck & Small Ones Set You Free featuring Rock Thomas
Rock Thomas is a serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and personal development teacher whose 7.5-minute story about his father has been viewed by over 125 million people and credited with changing thousands of lives. The youngest of seven kids raised on a farm by a cold, duty-bound father, he channeled that pain into decades of overachievement before spending over $2 million on his own healing and building a body of work on breaking generational trauma. This episode gets into what happens when a boy grows up chasing a father's approval that never comes, and how that wound quietly shapes marriage, friendship, and the way you show up as a dad. If you are a father wrestling with your own childhood, questioning whether you're doing a good job, or trying to break a cycle you inherited, this conversation will hit home. Timeline Summary [1:02] – Larry shares how a coach showed him Rock's video at the Dad Edge Summit and it moved him to tears [2:14] – Rock explains how his 7.5-minute story with Goal Cast reached 125 million people and stopped people from taking their lives [3:00] – The origin of the wound: a young boy craving a distant German father's approval [4:20] – Broken arm, "suck it up," and the trauma that drove decades of overworking [5:16] – Why Rock reframes the David Goggins "stay hard" model as pain in disguise [6:08] – The empty, hollow heart behind the boats, cars, and houses [7:07] – Rock's mission to be the one who breaks the generational cycle [7:28] – The football day: waking up excited, and the moment his spirit broke [9:53] – Larry describes his own absent father and running into him in a coffee shop at 30 [12:06] – Larry's vow to play with his kids 300 days a year after watching Rock's video [18:22] – How the father wound showed up in Rock's friendships and marriages through self-sabotage [23:00] – The hockey parking lot: leaving before the other kids to please his father [24:14] – Why Rock spent over $2 million on therapy, mentors, and personal development [28:52] – The real win isn't the home run, it's a dad in the stands saying "that's my boy" [30:25] – Larry shows a video of his 17-year-old son and the dad he's becoming [33:12] – Rock on the ego, the amygdala, and the voice of doubt keeping men stuck [35:07] – The "I used to... but now" method for rewiring your identity one small shift at a time [42:26] – Why big hairy goals backfire and how tiny wins harness dopamine and the RAS 5 Key Takeaways Kids Want Connection, Not Trophies — Overachievement can look like success while masking an empty heart. What children actually crave is to be seen, felt, and heard, not provided for from a distance. The Wound Shapes Every Relationship — An unhealed father wound quietly leaks into marriage and friendship through self-sabotage and distrust. Naming the pattern is the first step to stopping it. Break the Cycle On Purpose — You can be the one person in your family line who chooses differently. Doing the work now means your kids inherit the healing instead of the wound. Change Your Identity One "I Used To" At a Time — When a negative thought surfaces, catch it and say "I used to... but now" followed by a tiny new action. Small wins trigger dopamine and reprogram your subconscious over time. Small Goals Beat Big Hairy Goals — Massive goals trip your survival brain into fear of failure. Micro-commitments slip past that alarm and let your reticular activating system pull you toward the person you want to be. Links & Resources Podcast Shownotes — The Dad Edge Alliance — The Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood — Enjoyed This Episode? If Rock's story about that one football morning hit you the way it hit Larry, don't keep it to yourself. Text this episode to a dad who's carrying his own father wound, or to a friend who's chasing approval he'll never get. And if this show keeps showing up for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find it.
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Stop Fighting the Past & Build a Vision Together In Marriage
07/08/2026
Stop Fighting the Past & Build a Vision Together In Marriage
Larry Hagner and Joe sit down for a Wednesday Q&A the day after Larry's 51st birthday, and this one goes deep on marriage repair. Nick brought a raw, real question to the room: his wife has finally said she's willing to try to fix things and go to counseling, and he's scared. Scared to hope. Scared she doesn't mean it. Scared he'll lose himself in the process of trying to save the relationship. What follows is one of those conversations that only happens when the guys in the room have actually lived it. Joe opens up about being what he calls a three-time marriage loser and a one-time marriage big winner, and he doesn't dress it up. He blew up three marriages before he learned the thing that changed everything: when you take your wife as your bride, you inherit all of her wounds, even the ones her father put there, even the ones you didn't create. Your job isn't to fix only the damage you did. Your job is to become sensitive to all of it, so she finally feels safe enough to lower the shields. Then Larry brings in two tools that shift the whole frame. The first is vision, fast-forwarding the tape to a year from now and asking your spouse what you'd both be celebrating, because whatever we focus on grows and whatever we resist persists. The second is forgiveness, and here Larry shares the framework Father Stephen Gadberry gave him: forgiveness isn't a single conversation, it's a plant. You water it, you don't overwater it, and as it grows you keep pruning it. You forgive but you never fully forget, so you keep coming back to the conversation with curiosity instead of an attack. If you're a man trying to rebuild trust in a marriage that's been hard for years, or you're carrying resentment you don't know how to put down, this episode gives you a real place to start. It's about consistency when you don't feel like it, owning wounds you didn't cause, and building a vision worth walking toward together. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry opens the Wednesday Q&A the day after turning 51, and shares why his 50s beat his 40s [1:19] The July birthday promotion breakdown: signed book, patience course, marriage course, and 50 conversation starters [2:34] Joe comes on and speaks from the heart about getting a front row seat to Larry's last decade [3:43] Nick asks his question after his wife agreed to try repairing the relationship and start counseling [4:26] Larry points Nick back to the consistency and brotherhood that softened his wife in the first place [5:30] Why real repair takes years not months, and why you keep going even without visible results [6:19] Joe introduces himself as a three time marriage loser and one time big winner [7:12] Nick admits he's responsible for about 90% of his wife's wounds, and Joe says he owns all of them [8:11] The wisdom Joe was given: you inherit the wounds her father and others put in her heart [9:01] Why women go into self preservation mode and how shields only drop when they feel safe [10:02] Joe shares how his tone of voice was unknowingly triggering Ivy's father wounds [10:54] Larry names Nick's real fear, that his wife is only saying the words to keep things civil [15:00] Joe offers to talk with Nick personally about forgiveness and what it is and isn't [16:06] Larry sets up the Father Stephen Gadberry forgiveness episode and who Gadberry is [17:07] The vision exercise: fast forward to July 7th next year and ask what you'd be celebrating [19:25] The forgiveness-as-a-plant framework: plant the seed, water it right, and keep pruning it [23:49] Larry drops the line that lands hardest: what you criticize metastasizes, what you affirm multiplies [24:38] Larry's real example of praising his oldest son over text and watching the good behavior grow Five Key Takeaways When you marry someone, you inherit all of their wounds, even the ones you didn't cause and the ones their parents left behind. Your job isn't to address only the damage you're responsible for. It's to become sensitive to all of it so she feels safe. Real repair is built on consistency, not intensity. If things have been hard for three years, they won't turn around in three months, so you keep showing up and doing the work even when you don't feel like it and even when you don't see the softening yet. Women stay guarded when they're in self preservation mode. The shields only come down when they feel safe with you around all of their wounds, so lead differently around the walls even when you didn't build them. Stop fighting over the past and build a shared vision instead. Ask your spouse what you'd both be celebrating a year from now, because whatever you resist persists and whatever you focus on grows. Forgiveness is a process, not a single conversation. Think of it like a plant you water, protect, and prune over time. You forgive but you never fully forget, so keep returning to the conversation with curiosity instead of an attack. Links & Resources Shownotes for this episode — Join the Dad Edge Alliance (July promotion: signed book, patience course, marriage course, 50 conversation starters) — How to Forgive Someone Without Letting Them Off the Hook featuring Father Stephen Gadberry — Closing Nick came into this call scared to hope, and by the end he'd shown he was already doing the work: leading with vision, talking about letting old habits die, thinking in terms of pruning the plant instead of tearing it down. That's the whole thing right there. You don't rebuild a marriage by beating down the resentment. You build it by owning the wounds, staying consistent when it's hard, and affirming the good things you want to see multiply. If your marriage has been in a hard season, take Joe's challenge to heart, own all of it, and take Larry's, cast a vision worth walking toward together. Go out and live legendary.
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Why Asking for More Sex Pushes Her Further Away featuring Caitlin V
07/06/2026
Why Asking for More Sex Pushes Her Further Away featuring Caitlin V
My guest is Caitlin V, a sexologist and relationship coach who started out as a sexual health researcher and policy analyst before realizing that real change doesn't happen in research papers. It happens in honest conversations between real people. She's the host of Good Sex on HBO Max, her YouTube channel has reached hundreds of millions of people, and she's become one of the leading voices in men's sexual health, helping guys overcome erectile dysfunction, performance anxiety, premature ejaculation, and the isolation that comes with those struggles. This conversation went places I didn't expect. Caitlin explains why the biggest roadblock in a couple's sex life isn't your partner, it's the gap between your expectations and reality. She breaks down why "why can't we have more sex" is almost never about sex, what women are actually attracted to in a man (the Indiana University smell study blew my mind), and why the way you do anything is the way you do everything. I also got personal about my own marriage, including why I quit porn years ago and the one question I asked my wife in our mudroom three months ago that changed how we think about intimacy. If you and your wife have slipped into roommate mode, if the conversation about sex feels impossible to start, or if you want to rebuild attraction and connection after years of kids, schedules, and busyness, this episode is your roadmap back. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry opens with an adult content disclaimer and celebrates episode 1500 landing on his 51st birthday after 11 years [3:00] The single biggest roadblock in couples' sex lives, the painful gap between expectations and lived experience [5:16] The performance expectations men carry into the bedroom, from lasting longer to frequency to technical skill [10:11] Caitlin's first piece of advice for every man, start with your own relationship to sexuality before approaching your wife [11:37] Why "why can't we have more sex" is really a request for closeness, connection, and feeling loved [16:33] Caitlin's story, from sexual health researcher to sexologist and host of Good Sex on HBO Max [20:13] Fact checking the viral claim that 50% of couples married three plus years haven't had sex in a year [21:55] Why Gen Z is having less sex, porn access, dating app algorithms designed to keep you single, and Covid [28:49] The Indiana University t-shirt study, why smell predicts attraction and how birth control changes desire [36:37] What women actually find attractive in a man's body, hands, forearms, posture, and capability over six packs [44:40] Why your solo sex life shapes your marriage, and Caitlin's snack versus whole meal analogy [49:49] Larry opens up about quitting porn years ago and how it fixed his arousal issues and transformed intimacy [53:37] Retraining your body without porn, why orgasm may take weeks to return, and why nobody fails to get there [57:00] Escaping roommate syndrome, why sex was never actually spontaneous, and reclaiming the effort of courtship [59:35] The intimacy spectrum beyond penetration, and Caitlin's personal story of healing pain through yoni massage [1:06:09] The mudroom moment, how one question changed the way Larry and his wife connect after 23 years of marriage Five Key Takeaways The biggest obstacle in your sex life isn't your wife. It's the unspoken gap between what you expected sex to be and what it actually is, and the shame that keeps both of you from talking about it. Never bring the conversation to her when it's burning hot. Do your own untangling first, figure out what you actually need underneath the request, and come with self-awareness and accountability instead of a demand. How you care for your body is a proxy for how you care for everything. Your grooming, your hygiene, and your posture tell her more about who you are than a six pack ever will. Don't show up to your wife starving. If she's the only source of meeting your needs, every approach carries desperation. Take care of yourself first and you'll come to her with something to give instead of something to take. Sex is one point on a wide spectrum of intimacy. A shoulder massage, a hand in hand walk, or a deep conversation on the couch can keep you insanely connected without needing to lead anywhere. Links & Resources Caitlin V on YouTube — Caitlin V's website with free yoni massage guide and courses — Erotic Blueprints playlist — search "Caitlin V blueprints" on YouTube Join The Dad Edge Alliance in July to get a signed copy of The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood, both courses, and the 50 Intimate Conversation Starters PDF — This episode — Closing Fifteen hundred episodes, and this might be one of the most important conversations I've ever had on this show. When I stood in my mudroom and asked my wife "what type of intimacy would you be up for today," everything about how we connect shifted, and that's available to you too. Don't wait until it's burning hot to have this conversation, and don't settle for being roommates with the woman you married. Share this one with a brother who needs it. Go out and live legendary.
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The Masculine Blueprint That Fixes 80% of Marriage Problems featuring G.S. Youngblood
07/03/2026
The Masculine Blueprint That Fixes 80% of Marriage Problems featuring G.S. Youngblood
If you're trying to put the puzzle pieces of your marriage back together, or you're stuck in that roommate syndrome that drains the life out of a home, this replay is for you. I'm bringing back G.S. Youngblood, author of two bestselling books, The Masculine in Relationship and The Art of Embodiment for Men, because over the past couple of months I've gotten so many emails from men who are really, really struggling in their marriages. His work has come up again and again in our community, and he's even helped me with my own clients. What I love about G.S. is that he lives in neither of the two extremes most men swing between. There's the ultimate nice guy who's disrespected, unappreciated, and quietly filled with resentment because his needs never get met, and there's the toxic, controlling, domineering guy on the other end. Neither one is attractive, and neither one leads. G.S. teaches what he calls relational masculinity, staying grounded in your masculine core while being deeply connected to your partner, and he lays out a three part blueprint any man can actually follow. This was one of our top shows of the past year, and we get into the stuff that changes marriages. We talk about firm but loving parenting and why ruling by fear breaks down the relationship you'll want with your kids later. We talk about grounding your nervous system before you ever try to fix anything, and G.S. even walks me through a live embodiment exercise right there in my chair. And we get honest about sex, rejection, and the little hurt boy that shows up when we feel shut down. G.S. was one of our speakers at the Men's Forge this past April, and he blew the doors off. I've read his book three times now. If you've been banging your head against the wall in your marriage, or you just want to understand why your wife can sniff out an agenda from a mile away, this conversation is going to give you clarity and probably piss you off a little at the same time, in the best way. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry sets up the replay and why he's bringing G.S. Youngblood back for men struggling in their marriages [3:00] The July promotion for the Alliance and Boardroom, with a hard stop on July 31st [5:05] G.S. on his intense but loving childhood and how it polarized him into the good boy role [7:36] Firm but loving parenting, and why he went the opposite direction with his own kids [10:06] The energetic difference between "no" with an iron fist and "I love you, but no" [11:15] Why ruling by fear gets compliance but breaks the free flowing relationship you want later [14:05] Inner clarity comes first, and why nice guys chase external validation instead [16:01] The daily embodiment practice G.S. installs with every man before anything else [20:03] A day in the life of his grounding routine: ground connection, breathwork, movement, meditation [22:41] Why embodiment sticks better than meditation, and a live exercise Larry does in his chair [26:36] Curiosity, agenda, and how women sense the energetic plane men usually ignore [31:21] The frozen "data file" picture men keep of their wives, and why the feminine is always changing [34:31] Emotional safety as the foundation of sexual chemistry, and going for the cause not the symptom [39:38] The Masculine Blueprint: respond versus react, provide structure, and create safety [41:07] What to tell the man who says "I stay calm and she still pushes back" [45:59] Provide structure without domination, and the clarity plus inclusion principle [50:18] Larry's story of owning his need for sex without getting pissy, and how it landed for his wife [53:02] Why sexual rejection feels like kryptonite, and owning your sexuality with power or humor [58:02] The gift of reassurance from Larry's wife, and reframing rejection that isn't about you [1:03:16] Leading your partner toward arousal by getting her back into her body [1:04:35] Where to find G.S.: his bootcamp, workshops, Instagram, and book Five Key Takeaways Lead your family with firmness and heart at the same time, not with an iron fist and not with a loose "anything goes" structure. You can be powerful, clear, and unyielding while staying in your heart, and that artful blend is what your kids and your wife actually need. Before you try to fix anything in your marriage, ground your nervous system with a daily embodiment practice. When you're triggered, you make regressed, reactive decisions, but when you bring your awareness back into your body and into the present moment, the fight in front of you isn't nearly as scary as your nervous system claims. Stop pounding on the symptoms and go find what's underneath. When a good woman is chronically prickly, critical, or shut down sexually, it's usually because a need isn't being met or a wound never got addressed, and your job as a man is to lead the way back to connection rather than blame her mood. You may or may not be the problem, but you are the solution. Stop trying to figure out who caused the fight and step up to be bigger than her mood, because taking ownership of the repair is what masculine leadership actually looks like. Rejection around sex feels like kryptonite, but going into your little hurt boy and pouting is deeply unattractive to your wife. Own your sexuality with calm power or playful humor, remember that a "no" often has nothing to do with you, and know that her desire can live just below the surface waiting for connection to bring it up. Links & Resources Episode 1499 show notes: Join The Dad Edge Alliance and Boardroom (July promotion): The Dad Edge Boardroom mastermind (apply and book a call): G.S. Youngblood's website and bootcamp: G.S. Youngblood on Instagram: Closing Go back to the moment in this episode where I told G.S. about my wife looking me dead in the eye and saying, "Larry, it's never you." I had spent years viewing every "not tonight" through a lens of personal rejection, and that one piece of reassurance changed how I show up. That's the whole point of this work. You are not the toxic iron fist guy and you are not the resentful nice guy, you're a man learning to lead with a straight spine and a big heart. If this episode shook something loose for you, share it with a brother who's been quietly banging his head against the wall in his own marriage, and go grab the July promotion at thedadedge.com before it's gone on July 31st. Go out and live legendary.
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Expectations Vs. Boundaries When Leading Your Family at Home
07/01/2026
Expectations Vs. Boundaries When Leading Your Family at Home
This is a marriage and fatherhood Q&A episode of The Dad Edge with Larry Hagner and Joe, recorded as Larry rolls his June birthday promotion into July ahead of his 51st. It's a quieter, more vulnerable episode than most. Two members brought real questions, and both answers turned into something close to a masterclass on leading at home without resentment. Rich opened up about a marriage that's been struggling for a couple of years. He and his wife have started reconnecting, but he feels the load is one-sided. He's carrying the household, the kids, two jobs, and the role of primary parent, while she's drawing a line on how much she's willing to change. Joe's answer reframed the whole problem. Stop compromising, he said, because compromise has regret baked into it. Lead instead. He shared how he and Ivy split their money, how he trained himself to notice the socks on the floor she'd notice, and why an underlying resentment will sabotage everything no matter how well you execute the plan. Then Larry delivered what Joe called a freaking masterclass on the difference between expectations and boundaries, the thing 95% of the men he coaches get backwards. An expectation is a clearly communicated request you then release because you don't control the other person. A boundary is the part you own and enforce on yourself. He walked Rich through actual language, leading with structure, owning specific responsibilities, and turning a fight into a collaboration. The line that landed: uncommunicated expectations breed resentment. The second half got personal fast. Jason Grace, a leader in the Alliance who runs the divorce group, asked about the gap between being ready for a new stage of fatherhood and being willing to step into it. His daughter just graduated and is leaving for an equestrian science program in Virginia. Both Larry and Joe are living the same thing right now. Larry's son leaves for the University of Arkansas on August 6th, and he choked up describing the 5.5-hour campfire conversation they shared on a recent trip. Joe read Psalm 127 and the picture of children as arrows, the archer deciding how he launches them into the world. If you've got a kid getting close to leaving, or a marriage where you feel like you're carrying it alone, this one is for you. Timeline Summary [1:01] Larry welcomes July, turns 51, and extends his birthday promotion with a hard stop on July 31st [3:06] Joe checks in from a new location mid-move, and the hosts set up the marriage and fatherhood themes [4:04] Rich asks for help with a marriage that feels one-sided on compromises, budgeting, and household responsibilities [7:23] Joe makes the case against compromising because regret is baked into it, and reframes the answer as leading [9:25] How Joe and Ivy handle money with separate accounts and real trust instead of monitoring every dollar [12:48] Joe on the socks he trained himself to notice and paying attention to what matters to your wife [14:39] Why underlying resentment is the biggest turnoff and will sabotage how you lead at home [16:24] Larry breaks down the difference between expectations and boundaries that 95% of men get backwards [18:38] The clean room example showing why clarity beats assuming people should just know [20:16] Larry gives Rich exact language to open the conversation without it landing as an attack [21:35] How to lead with structure by owning specific responsibilities and inviting your wife to collaborate [24:27] Joe warns against tying too much to one conversation and shares the expectancy versus expectations idea [27:17] Larry asks Jason Grace about the gap between readiness and willingness as kids hit new stages [29:06] Larry talks through his son leaving for Arkansas on August 6th and the 5.5-hour campfire conversation [36:14] Joe reads Psalm 127 and the picture of children as arrows the archer launches into the world [40:18] The real readiness question is whether you've made your kids ready, and why it's never too late Five Key Takeaways Stop compromising and start leading. Compromise has regret built into it, so instead of giving something up and quietly resenting it, decide what your household needs and choose to lead in that area. Resentment leaks out no matter how well you execute. Your wife can sense your discontent through your body language and energy, so address the underlying resentment before you ever try to change the dynamic at home. Expectations and boundaries are not the same thing. An expectation is a request you communicate clearly and then release because you don't control the other person, while a boundary is the part you own and enforce on yourself. Uncommunicated expectations breed resentment. Don't assume your partner should just see how much you're doing and step up, because adults need to hear things at least three times, and it's on you to communicate clearly and calmly. You'll never be fully willing to let your kids go, so focus on whether you've made them ready. The readiness that matters isn't yours, it's whether you've given your kids the tools, the faith, and the foundation to face the world and pick themselves back up when they fall. Links & Resources Join The Dad Edge Alliance (July promotion with signed book, two courses, and bonus PDF): 50 Intimate Conversation Starters PDF: Episode 1498 show notes: Closing If today hit home, it's probably because you're living one of these seasons right now, whether that's feeling like you're carrying your marriage alone or watching a kid get close to leaving the nest. Go back to the moment Larry described sitting at that campfire until 12:26 a.m., having the longest and best conversation he's ever had with his son, and ask yourself where you can create that kind of connection this month. Don't lose the battle for someone's heart just to win an argument, and don't wait until the last few years, because they fly by faster than anything. Share this episode with a dad or a husband who needs to hear it, and if the show keeps adding value to your life, follow, rate, and leave a review so more men can find it. Go out and live legendary.
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What a Dying Father Taught His Son About What Actually Matters in Life & Business featuring Charles Gaudet
06/29/2026
What a Dying Father Taught His Son About What Actually Matters in Life & Business featuring Charles Gaudet
Charles Gaudet built his first multi-million dollar business at 24 years old while battling severe learning disabilities, survived a hospitalization in his early twenties after working from 3:30am until midnight seven days a week, and has since helped clients across six, seven, eight, and nine figure businesses generate over $1 billion in combined revenue. Yahoo Finance nicknamed him the CEO Whisperer, his work has been featured in Forbes and Fox Business, and he hosts the Beyond Seven Figures podcast. But none of that is what makes this conversation worth your time. What makes this episode worth your time is Charles sitting down with Larry and being completely honest about the phone call his dad made in the final weeks of his life, offering to give up everything he had ever made just to spend more time with his kids and grandkids. That one moment reframed everything Charles thought he knew about success, hard work, and what a father is actually building toward. If you have ever worn your busyness like a badge, this one is going to hit you somewhere important. Charles is a husband of 24 years to his wife Heather, a father of three, a CEO coach to some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, and a man who learned the hard way that working harder is not the same as building something that lasts. This is Episode 1497 of the Dad Edge. Charles Gaudet went from a kid selling construction paper art door to door at age four to coaching billionaires in boardrooms, and the thread connecting all of it is the same lesson a neighbor named Mrs. Hersey gave him when he was mortified: always bring your best. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry opens with a June-only Alliance offer including a signed copy of his book, a patience course, and 50 intimate conversation starters [3:07] Charles explains how Yahoo Finance dubbed him the CEO Whisperer and why asking the questions nobody else will ask is his edge [4:40] The boardroom moment with the CEO of a $34 billion company and why Charles was the only person in the room willing to challenge him [8:03] Charles tells the story from the US Army War College: a five-star general who couldn't figure out why they kept losing a battle until he asked the lowest-ranking soldier on the ground [13:26] The phone call from his dad in the final weeks of his life: "I would give up everything I've ever made just to spend more time with you and the grandkids" [17:29] Growing up barely seeing his dad, the pillow and blankets by the front door, and starting his first business at age four just to get his dad's attention [20:29] Selling construction paper art door to door as a kid and the lesson Mrs. Hersey gave him that shaped every standard he has held himself to since [23:07] Charles teaching his son the difference between being an employee and owning a business using a lemonade stand, and watching his son at 19 reach a multi-million dollar valuation [28:16] Working 3:30am to midnight seven days a week, not eating, not sleeping, and landing in the emergency room at 22 with his organs shutting down [41:32] The diving board principle: the further it bends, the higher you spring, and why gratitude became Charles's superpower when resistance shows up [45:29] Charles's dad competing against him instead of cheering for him, and why Charles chose a completely different approach with his own kids [47:35] What it means to be the shoulders your kids stand on, matching his son dollar for dollar on a car, and why making it easier is not always making it better [52:55] How Charles and Heather built a marriage strong enough to last by having the hard conversation about honesty before they were even fully exclusive [1:02:26] The distinction between being rich and being wealthy, and the mic drop moment when Charles's son told him exactly why their family has the highest quality of life he knows [1:07:32] Why a loud house means happy kids and what it looks like to build a home people actually want to come back to Five Key Takeaways The people who give you the most honest feedback are the most valuable people in your life. Whether it is a 10-year assistant, a lowest-ranking soldier, or a neighbor who tells a four-year-old his artwork is not worth $0.50, the person willing to tell you the truth is the one who actually helps you grow. Hustle culture is using the wrong scorecard. Working hard and working until midnight are not goals. The question is what outcome you are actually working toward, and whether the sacrifices you are making are getting you closer to the life you want or further from it. Resistance is not a sign that something is going wrong. It is usually a sign you are about to break through to a new level. Charles uses gratitude as a tool to stay in his own power rather than giving it away to circumstances he cannot control. Your kids do not need you to make everything easy for them. They need you to build the shoulders they can stand on. The goal is to help them become healthier, wealthier, and happier than you, not to protect them from the lessons that would get them there. True wealth is not measured by the bank account. It is measured by the quality of your life. When Charles asked his son how he would rate their family's quality of life, his son said they had the highest of anyone he knew, because he actually wanted to spend time with his parents. Links & Resources Predictable Profits — Beyond Seven Figures Podcast — search "Beyond Seven Figures" on your podcast app Follow Charles Gaudet on Instagram and LinkedIn — @CharlesGaudet Dad Edge Episode 1497 Show Notes — Join the Dad Edge Alliance — Kid Questions Resource — Closing Charles Gaudet sat in a boardroom with the CEO of a $34 billion company and asked the question no one else in the room was willing to ask. He built companies, lost his health, nearly lost his mind, and then got a phone call from his dying father that reframed everything. And somehow, in the middle of all of it, he figured out how to be the kind of dad whose kids say they want to spend more time with him than anyone they know. That is the whole game right there. Share this episode with a man in your life who is still confusing busyness with progress. He needs to hear it. Subscribe, leave a review, and help other dads find the show. Go out and live legendary.
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Building Legacies That Outlast You By Being An Intentional Father featuring Marty Hofman
06/26/2026
Building Legacies That Outlast You By Being An Intentional Father featuring Marty Hofman
Marty Hofman built a multi-million dollar real estate operation from a single $5,000 duplex, but what he's really known for isn't the portfolio. He's the founder of OKC REIA, the host of the Kill Complacency podcast with over 180,000 downloads, and the author of "Complacency Kills: Stop Drifting and Start Living the Life God Designed You For." He's also a husband of 24 years to his wife Ginger, a father of six, and a man who has built his entire life around one relentless idea: complacency is always at the door. In this conversation, Marty and Larry get into the Seven F's framework, why "I want to be more intentional" is meaningless without specifics, how your environment will eventually defeat your willpower, and what it actually looks like to fight for your marriage and your kids at the same time. If you've ever felt like you're living on autopilot and you can't quite put your finger on why, this episode was made for you. Marty is a husband, father of six, real estate investor, podcast host, and author who has given his life to helping men kill complacency before it kills everything they care about. This is Episode 1496 of the Dad Edge. Marty's book just dropped in May and this conversation is everything you'd hope for from a man who doesn't just talk about living with intention, he's built an entire framework to help you do it every single day. Timeline Summary [1:02] Marty joins the show and Larry kicks things off with a quote that anchors the whole episode: "The enemy of intention is complacency" [2:18] Why complacency isn't a one-time enemy you defeat — it keeps knocking, every single day, like Oreos on the kitchen counter [5:22] "Your environment will eventually trump your willpower" — Marty and Larry debate where willpower ends and environment takes over [8:46] Why saying "I want to be more intentional" is not enough — and what it actually takes to turn that into a real behavior change [10:43] The difference between a vague goal and a measurable one: phone away at the door, greet your wife by name, make it specific [12:34] Todd Herman's insight on the first 45 seconds of any interaction and why Marty puts it to work every time he walks through the front door [14:04] Larry introduces Marty's full background — the $5,000 duplex, the Kill Complacency podcast, the Seven F's framework, 24 years of marriage to Ginger [30:27] How intentional actions become identity over time — and why date night stops being a discipline and starts being just who you are [32:16] Why putting your marriage on the front burner is the best thing you can do for your kids, not despite them [36:50] Faith as a daily decision — how Marty grew up in a Christian home of 10 kids, went to Bible college at 18, and met Ginger there [43:16] Six kids, ages 9 to 22 — how Marty stays intentional across the board by protecting Friday family night like a funeral-level commitment [51:33] Parenting adult kids and the part nobody talks about — Marty tells the story of his son Ezekiel, video game addiction, homelessness, and what it means to show up when your kid can't have a conversation [57:54] Why we have to let our kids fail — and why praying for your child to hit rock bottom is one of the hardest, most loving things a parent can do [1:00:29] Where Ezekiel is now — working construction, up at 5am to read his Bible, completely transformed [1:02:04] Where to find Marty, the Kill Complacency assessment, and the book that just came out May 12th Five Key Takeaways Complacency is not something you defeat once. It comes back every day, in every area of your life, which is exactly why intentionality has to be a daily practice, not a one-time decision. "I want to be more intentional" means nothing without specifics. Put your phone in the car on date night, greet your wife by name when you walk in the door, and schedule one-on-ones with each of your kids. Vague goals produce vague results. Your environment will eventually beat your willpower. If you want to change a behavior, change what you're surrounded by first, whether that's removing the cookies from the counter or getting away from friends who make the habit harder to break. Prioritizing your marriage over your kids is not selfish, it's the most important thing you can do for them. When your kids feel the security of a strong, affectionate marriage, they feel safe. When that foundation cracks, they feel it at 9 and still feel it at 39. You have to let your kids fail. As painful as it is to watch, failure is where they learn best and sometimes the most loving thing a dad can do is stay in relationship, keep showing up, and pray for them to hit the bottom they need to hit to climb back up. Links & Resources Kill Complacency (book and website) — Kill Complacency Podcast — search "Kill Complacency" on your podcast app Complacency Assessment — available at killcomplacency.com Follow Marty Hofman on social media — @MartyHofman (1 F, 2 N's) Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy — available wherever books are sold The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman — available wherever books are sold Dad Edge Episode 1496 Show Notes — Join the Dad Edge Community — Kid Questions Resource — Closing Marty spent years watching complacency chip away at men who had everything going for them and he built an entire life and a framework to fight back against it. Whether it was the moment he described greeting Ginger by name when he walked through the door, the Friday night family tradition his kids now look forward to, or the raw honesty of watching his son Ezekiel hit rock bottom and praying for it to happen so he could finally come back, this conversation was a reminder that intentional living isn't a personality type. It's a daily decision. Share this one with a man in your life who you know is drifting. He needs to hear it. And if this episode moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and help other dads find the show. Go out and live legendary.
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Raising Kids Who Thrive with Purpose & Confidence featuring Lee Benson
06/24/2026
Raising Kids Who Thrive with Purpose & Confidence featuring Lee Benson
In this episode, Lee returned to the Dad Edge Alliance for an exclusive live Q&A with members asking real-time questions about raising kids to think like value creators. The conversation covers everything from how to engage a four-year-old in family finances to what to do when a capable adult son is drifting in a digital fog. If you've ever wanted to raise kids who don't just follow rules but genuinely understand why building a life of meaning matters, this one delivers. Most parenting conversations focus on values, the character traits we want our kids to have. Lee draws a sharp distinction: having a values list is fine, but the real work is teaching kids to create value, holistically, across three buckets: material (money and lifestyle), positive emotional energy (how alive you feel going through life), and spiritual connectedness (family, community, and purpose). That framework, combined with one simple question (how would you like to create value in the world?), is the thread that runs through every answer Lee gives, whether he's talking to a dad with four-year-old twins, a dad with checked-out teenagers, or a dad watching a 20-year-old spend six hours a day alone in his room. This is especially powerful for any dad who has felt the frustration of talking at his kids instead of being with them, who wants to make family meetings something his kids actually look forward to, or who is watching a young adult drift and wondering when to push harder versus when to change the environment instead. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry introduces Lee Benson: Wall Street Journal bestselling author, founder of Dinner Table (impacting 50,000-plus families), serial entrepreneur with eight companies and a nine-figure exit, back for a second exclusive Alliance Q&A [3:31] Lee's entrepreneurial origin story: pulling weeds at age 6 for $0.25 an hour, playing over 1,000 shows in a band in the early 80s, and launching his first actual business in 1993 after a lifetime of learning to trust the struggle [5:36] Coming home at 17 to find his clothes in paper grocery sacks on the porch and the locks changed, and why getting forced out of a toxic, dangerous home was one of the best things that ever happened to him [10:23] The Dinner Table framework: the critical difference between having a values list and intentionally creating holistic value across three buckets, material, positive emotional energy, and spiritual connectedness, and why keeping all three in balance is the whole game [12:41] How the monthly family meeting works: setting shared goals, defining what leadership looks like in the family, reviewing the household budget as a team sport, and why a six-year-old can absolutely have her own line item [16:19] Tommy's follow-up on his 23-year-old daughter who comes to him for financial advice but won't take it, and the one question Lee says works better than any advice you could give [19:18] Luke's question: his family used to have a dinner table culture, but phones and teenage independence have caused it to drift, what's the one actionable thing he can take into tomorrow? [21:23] The loneliness epidemic Lee witnessed firsthand: speaking to six groups of high school seniors in a single day, he watched every group melt when asked what it actually feels like to be more digitally connected and lonelier than ever [24:03] The statistic that stops the room: only 18% of American families are traditional nuclear families with two biological parents and kids under 18 at home, and why it means anyone can build the family culture they want, regardless of where they started [27:02] Larry's raw personal question: his 20-year-old son is a great kid headed for the fire academy, but right now he's spending five to six hours a day on screens, physically declining, and stuck in a liminal space with no clear purpose, and Larry doesn't know how to get through to him [32:49] Lee's answer: environment shapes human nature more reliably than any conversation, and the story of his own brother whose entire trajectory changed when the Marine Corps changed his surroundings, and reversed the moment it was gone [35:31] Lee pushes back hard on the "kids can't do it today" narrative: two grown men agree they would crush the exact same challenges facing young people right now, so why do adults keep having conversations that tell kids they can't? [39:36] The digital isolation question: why providing basic needs without accountability for how hours are spent creates the exact environment that enables drift, and what rules of engagement actually look like when you apply them clearly and without flinching [43:56] Lee flips the table and asks Larry a question: in his entire life, across thousands of leaders he has studied and worked with, only two people have ever been truly "with" him, not talking at, over, or down to him, and what does Larry think most dads are missing? [45:29] Larry's honest answer: 80% generative questions and psychological safety, 20% intense and emotion-driven lectures, and why that 20% probably feels like the majority of the experience for his son [48:42] Lee reframes the whole conversation: planting seeds takes time, and being frustrated that a 20-year-old hasn't learned what took you 30 years to figure out is a form of unfairness, the job is to keep planting, not to demand the harvest [53:06] Lee and Luke on using a hard childhood as rocket fuel: it took Lee 17 years to fully separate from a toxic family situation, and the shift that freed him was realizing it was never about him, it was about people who couldn't even raise themselves Five Key Takeaways There is a critical difference between having values and intentionally creating value. Values are character traits on a list. Value creation is an active, daily practice across three buckets: material (money and the lifestyle your family needs), positive emotional energy (how alive and energized you feel going through life), and spiritual connectedness (your bonds with family, community, and purpose). Families that confuse the two drift. Families that focus on all three build something that compounds over decades. The one question that works at every age is: how would you like to create value in the world? For a four-year-old it plants a seed. For a teenager it opens a door that lectures can't. For a 23-year-old in "I Know Everything Syndrome," it bypasses the defense wall entirely and invites her into a real conversation about who she wants to become. Lee uses it with 3-year-olds and 80-year-old CEOs because it is never about telling someone what to do, it is about making the conversation theirs. The environment shapes human nature more reliably than any conversation. If you make it easy to drift, human nature says they'll drift. Lee has seen this in a brother who became a model Marine the moment the Corps changed his surroundings, and unraveled the moment it was gone. For any dad watching a young adult spiral, the most powerful lever is not a harder talk. It is changing the rules of engagement in the home, clearly and without negotiation, so that moving forward becomes the path of least resistance. Only 18% of American families are traditional nuclear families, and households with two parents where one stays home represent just 7%. Lee's point is not that the numbers are discouraging, it is that they are liberating. The vast majority of families are navigating this in some non-traditional structure, which means there is no inherited blueprint you are obligated to follow. You can build exactly the family you want to lead, and you can start that process at any age. Most adults talk at, over, or down to kids. Almost no one is truly with them, with their potential, with their future self, with who they are still becoming. In Lee's entire life, across thousands of leaders he has studied, only two people showed up for him that way. The dads in this community have the chance to be that person. Getting curious, asking generative questions, and sitting beside a kid instead of facing off against him is not just a communication tactic. It is the whole relationship. Links & Resources Dinner Table Community: Execute to Win (CEO Mastermind Groups): Value Creation Family by Lee Benson: The Dad Edge Alliance: Episode Shownotes: Closing What Lee brought to this Q&A is not a framework you need a consultant to implement. It is one question, how would you like to create value in the world?, and the willingness to ask it and actually listen to the answer. Try it this week with one of your kids. And if Larry's raw honesty about talking at his son instead of being with him hit close to home, share this episode with a dad who needed to hear it. If you're not yet part of the Alliance where conversations like this happen live every month, head over to thedadedge.com. Follow the show, leave a rating and review, and help us get this in front of the dads who need it most. Go out and live legendary.
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Most Men Retire Into Emptiness Instead of Purpose featuring Michael F. Kay
06/22/2026
Most Men Retire Into Emptiness Instead of Purpose featuring Michael F. Kay
Most of us grow up thinking success means staying busy, staying strong, and never stopping. But what happens when the career that defined you is gone? Michael Kay spent decades as a financial planner and NYU instructor helping high achievers build wealth — until he realized the most important investments had nothing to do with portfolios. He's the host of the Chapter X Podcast and author of How to Craft Your Chapter X, and he's spent years guiding successful men through the emotional and psychological shift from career identity to a purposeful next chapter. He's been married to his college sweetheart Wendy since 1977, is a dad of two, and a grandfather of three. This conversation goes deep on the patterns we inherit from our fathers, what it actually means to listen instead of just waiting to respond, and why retirement without intention is a trap most men never see coming. If you've ever tied your worth to what you do instead of who you are, this one is for you. Timeline Summary [1:02] Larry introduces the June Alliance promo — signed copy of The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood plus three bonus courses for new members [3:01] Michael joins in studio, sharing what it means to be a dad and grandfather first [3:48] Larry invites Michael to describe growing up with a demanding, workaholic father who didn't spare physical discipline [5:29] Michael reflects on how watching his father — who had no model himself — taught him what he would never do with his own children [9:49] Michael shares what he learned from his father's dedication as a sixth-grade teacher who taught every student at their own reading level [10:42] Michael's musical upbringing — his uncle was good enough to play with Duke Ellington, and Michael took weekly lessons from a New York Philharmonic trumpeter at 14 [17:55] A butcher named Al Roth becomes a turning point — the first man Michael ever saw who loved his family openly, and what that lit up in him [22:31] Larry asks how Michael and Wendy have navigated 49 years of marriage, especially given the communication models neither of them grew up with [26:36] Michael breaks down how men and women process differently — and why creating space instead of rushing to solve is the real skill in marriage [29:47] What deep listening actually looks like in practice, and why a "yeah, but" response signals that no one was listening at all [34:26] The origin of "Chapter X" — and how an eighth-grade algebra class planted the idea that every next season of life is something to solve for [40:19] Why the book is not about money — it's about reclaiming the curious, unfinished person you were before your career became your identity [43:33] The eulogy exercise: Michael and Larry on why writing your own eulogy is one of the most powerful things a man can do to realign his actions with his values [47:37] The hard truth that 98% of daily activity often isn't in alignment with what you'd want said about you at the end [49:44] Michael tells his 50-years-younger self to stop taking himself so seriously, start listening better, and soften the edges Five Key Takeaways Nothing happens in a vacuum. The way your father treated you was shaped by everything that happened to him before you arrived. Understanding the roots of that behavior doesn't excuse it, but it changes how you carry it forward. You only break a cycle when something from outside enters your normal. For Michael, that was Al Roth — a marine turned butcher who loved his family loudly and openly. You can't change patterns you can't see, and sometimes it takes a single outside example to show you another way. Men and women don't process information the same way, and pretending otherwise is what creates most communication breakdowns. Allowing space, taking things in small chunks, and saying "let me think about that" are not signs of weakness — they're how you stop reacting and start responding. Retirement without intention is just drift. Most high-achieving men have never asked themselves who they are without the title. Chapter X isn't about winding down; it's about solving for what comes next before the career disappears and leaves a vacuum behind it. Your eulogy is your roadmap. What you want your spouse, your kids, your grandchildren to say about you at the end is the truest picture of what you actually value. The gap between that and how you spent last Tuesday is worth sitting with. Links & Resources The Dad Edge Alliance (June promo — signed book + bonus courses) — Episode show notes and links — Kid Questions resource — Michael Kay's website, blog, and podcast — Contact Michael directly — How to Craft Your Chapter X — available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at michaelfk.com Closing Michael Kay has been figuring out what matters most for a long time, and everything he shared in this conversation — from a demanding father who had no model of his own, to a butcher named Al who showed him what a loving man actually looks like — points to the same truth: the way we show up is almost always about where we came from, until we decide it isn't. If this episode hit close to home, send it to a man in your life who's chasing the next thing without knowing why. Rate and review the show so more dads find these conversations, and follow along so you don't miss what's coming next. Go out and live legendary.
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The Real Reason Most Men Avoid the Hard Conversations in Their Marriage featuring JoJo Simmons
06/19/2026
The Real Reason Most Men Avoid the Hard Conversations in Their Marriage featuring JoJo Simmons
I'll be honest with you — this conversation gave me chills more than once. JoJo Simmons grew up with one of the most recognizable names in music history, the son of Joseph "Run" Simmons, co-founder of Run-D.M.C. and a pioneer of hip hop culture. But what I've always respected about JoJo is that he's never coasted on that name. He's spent years carving out his own path in music, entertainment, and now podcasting, while quietly doing the harder work of becoming a present father and a committed husband. We went everywhere in this conversation. We talked about what it was like growing up under a microscope, making the kinds of mistakes every teenager makes except having them show up on TMZ. We talked about his parents, how they kept love intact through divorce, how his mother made one of the hardest decisions a parent can make to protect her son, and how his dad evolved from tough love to open communication in a way that shaped the father JoJo is today. This episode is filled with wisdom I didn't expect and moments that made me stop and think about my own home. JoJo has been married to his wife Denise for nearly seven years, together for 17. They're raising a ten-year-old daughter named Mia and a four-year-old son, Joseph, who is nonverbal and receiving occupational therapy. Watching JoJo talk about both of his kids, the way he's learning to hold space for his daughter as she grows into her own person, and the way he's modeling confidence and calm for his son, you can see a man who is fully in it. Not perfect. Fully in it. He's also building something. His podcast and media community, For Good, launched just a year ago and it's already growing fast. The name says everything: it represents forever, and it represents putting good into the world. JoJo's vision for it goes beyond episodes and downloads. He wants festivals. He wants a movement. He wants people from every walk of life sitting in a room together feeling heard and seen. After spending an hour with him, I believe he'll build it. Timeline Summary [1:02] Growing up as the son of Run from Run-D.M.C. — the good and the hard of a very public childhood [3:47] How JoJo's parents stayed committed to their kids' wellbeing despite divorce, and why he never felt an absence of love [5:07] The arrest that showed up in the New York Times and TMZ, and the moment JoJo knew he had gone too far [10:24] What his dad did specifically that shaped the father JoJo wants to be, including the shift from discipline to conversation [14:28] Dad Edge June offer — signed copy of The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood, the Patience course, and more at thedadedge.com/join [17:28] JoJo's mom: a single mother with a doctorate who ground every day, never spoke ill of his father, and made the hard call to send JoJo to live with his dad at 13 [22:23] How JoJo met Denise at McDonald's — two vegetarians, one bold move, and a phone call to her mother [28:38] Ten years of dating, a breakup, a promise ring, and why the time apart made the relationship real [32:21] How communication and being willing to ask "are we really this bad?" has kept their marriage intact through seven years [36:56] Raising a ten-year-old daughter — learning to listen instead of lead, and why how you treat her now shapes who she'll accept later [40:44] JoJo's morning routine: up at 5:30 a.m., candle lit, meditation music, 20–30 minutes of emotional regulation before the household wakes up [44:54] Raising his four-year-old son Joseph — teaching both kids that they are the value in every room they walk into [46:30] How JoJo thinks about raising kids in the public eye, protecting them from attaching their worth to fame [49:39] How the For Good podcast started, what the name means, and the community and movement JoJo is building [57:38] A ten-year dinner table visualization — what JoJo wants his wife and kids to say when they look back Five Key Takeaways Growing up in the spotlight teaches you fast that public mistakes carry a different weight — JoJo's arrest at a pivotal teenage moment became front-page news, and he now uses that experience to stay honest with his own kids about consequence and accountability without shame. The way your parents handle their relationship with each other after a split shapes your children more than you realize — JoJo's parents never let him see the turmoil between them, and that protection of the family unit became one of the greatest gifts they gave him. Marriage takes courage from both people — brushing arguments under the rug feels like peace in the short term but builds into the bigger blowups, and JoJo has learned to address issues in the moment rather than let them accumulate. As a father of a daughter, your emotional regulation sets the template for what she will tolerate and accept in her own relationships — staying calm, listening deeply, and being the safe place she can come to at 2 a.m. at age 20 is the whole job. You are the thermostat in your home, not the thermometer — JoJo wakes up at 5:30 every morning before the household starts because he knows the energy he brings into the day is the energy the whole family will operate in. Links & Resources Join the Dad Edge Alliance (June offer — signed book, Patience course, marriage course, and more) — Kid Questions resource — Full show notes for this episode — For Good Podcast website — JoJo Simmons on Instagram — For Good Podcast on Instagram — For Good Podcast on YouTube — Closing JoJo came into this conversation humble, honest, and more self-aware than I expected from someone who's been in the public eye since he was a teenager. That moment where he talked about looking back ten years from now at the dinner table — not asking for perfection, just asking that every person around that table felt seen, heard, and not forced into anything — that hit me. That's the goal. That's the whole thing. If this episode spoke to something you're working through in your own home, share it with another dad who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, please follow The Dad Edge, leave a rating, and drop a review. Go out and live legendary.
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The ADHD Regulation Method That Replaced Medication featuring Jenna Free
06/17/2026
The ADHD Regulation Method That Replaced Medication featuring Jenna Free
Jenna Free is a counselor specializing in ADHD regulation who discovered her own diagnosis while drowning in grad school with two babies 17 months apart. She has since developed a full certification program teaching other mental health professionals her ADHD regulation method, and she runs ADHD regulation groups for clients from her home base in Calgary, Alberta. In this episode, Jenna joined The Dad Edge Alliance for a live Q&A that goes far deeper than a typical ADHD conversation. The focus isn't the diagnosis itself — it's the nervous system, specifically how chronic fight-or-flight mode silently drives the impatience, compulsive behavior, crashes, and parenting struggles so many dads in this community experience. If you've ever wondered why you can't just logic your way into being calmer, this one's for you. Most of us assume ADHD is about the brain you were born with. Jenna reframes it completely — the real problem isn't the diagnosis, it's the dysregulated nervous system underneath it, and that part is something you can actually change. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the frantic-crash cycle, the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response, why pressure feels like performance, and what it looks like to function from a regulated baseline instead of white-knuckling through the day. This is especially powerful for any dad who has ever snapped at his kids in the morning, struggled to slow down, or quietly wondered whether go, go, go is actually working against him. Timeline Summary [1:02] Jenna's background: how her own ADHD diagnosis in grad school — with a six-month-old and an 18-month-old at home — led her to develop the ADHD regulation method [3:24] Why calendars and timers weren't enough: the frantic-crash cycle Jenna kept seeing in herself and every client she worked with [4:13] The nervous system root cause: why almost every neurodivergent person (and most parents) is running in a chronic state of fight-or-flight [6:36] Can you think your way out of it? Jenna explains why logic alone can't calm a dysregulated nervous system [9:16] Alliance member Jason's question: where to start with regulation for yourself and how to notice when your son is sliding into dysregulation [10:06] The first practical step — learning to physically feel dysregulation in your body: tight shoulders, rushing, impatience, holding your breath [11:49] The rushing reframe every parent needs: shifting from "let's go, let's go" to "let's focus" and why that small shift changes the whole morning [17:55] Breaking down all four modes: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — including why people-pleasing is a survival response, not a personality trait [25:26] Alliance member Chris's question: the "pressure to perform" cycle and why functioning in high-intensity fight-or-flight leads to hard crashes and compulsive avoidance [30:21] Why a formal diagnosis may not matter: Jenna's framework focuses on nervous system regulation regardless of whether you have a label [40:19] Dysregulation is contagious — but so is regulation: how Jenna's own internal work changed her husband without a single conversation about it [42:16] Joanne's question: how to help a high-achieving son who struggles at school, and why the most powerful thing parents can do happens before they drop the kids off [47:21] Jenna's upcoming book, Full Capacity, and why she believes regulation is the most ambitious thing a driven person can pursue [54:12] The dreamer-freeze type: why a low-motivation, avoidant kid is just as dysregulated as a hyperactive one — it just looks different [57:10] The host shares his own ADHD management tools — exercise and clean eating — and Jenna explains exactly why they work from a nervous system standpoint Five Key Takeaways You can't think your way out of fight-or-flight because it's not a thought problem — it's a nervous system problem. The primal part of your brain believes you're being chased by a bear, and no amount of self-talk will convince it otherwise until you address the physical and behavioral patterns keeping it on alert. The frantic-crash cycle isn't a productivity style — it's a symptom. When you require pressure to get things done and then collapse afterward, you're not built that way; you've been trained into it. The only way out is to consciously lower the intensity during the good stretches, not just manage the crashes. Rushing is one of the clearest signals your nervous system has flipped into survival mode. When you catch yourself rushing the kids in the morning, the fix isn't to push through faster — it's to physically slow down and shift from "let's go" to "let's focus," which calms everyone's system and actually gets you out the door more effectively. Your regulation — or lack of it — is setting the baseline for your whole family. Kids and partners co-regulate with the people around them. You can't force your kids to be calm, but becoming a regulated, grounded presence does more than any conversation about breathing ever will. Fight-or-flight doesn't always look like intensity. Freeze and avoidance are just as much a dysregulated state as frantic rushing — they're just the other end of the pendulum. A kid who looks unmotivated or a dad who procrastinates for two weeks is dealing with the same nervous system problem as the guy who can't slow down. Links & Resources The Dad Edge Alliance — Questions for the Car (free resource) — ADHD with Jenna Free (social media) — @adhdwithjennafree Full Capacity HQ (upcoming content on regulation for ambitious people) — @fullcapacityhq Episode Shownotes: Closing What Jenna laid out here isn't a quick fix — and she'd be the first one to tell you that. But there's something powerful in knowing that the part of you that snaps at your kids, crashes after a big push, or can't quite slow down no matter how much you want to — that part isn't a character flaw. It's a nervous system that's been running in survival mode, and it can be retrained. If this conversation hit close to home, share it with a dad you know who's quietly fighting the same battle. And if you're not yet part of the Alliance where conversations like this happen every month, head over to thedadedge.com/join. Follow the show, leave a rating and review, and help us get this in front of the dads who need it most. Go out and live legendary.
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Breaking Generational Cycles One Conversation at a Time featuring Jamie Kozub & Chris Carter
06/15/2026
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 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. The simplest girl dad advice is also the best: take your kids with you everywhere so they never believe a glass ceiling exists. 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. 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. 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 — Join the Dad Edge Alliance — Questions for the Car free download — 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.
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