DadAwesome

Shame holds back many men from sharing their stories of redemption. Jeremy Morris once felt this. But he learned that the key to unlocking healing is to have the courage to be seen. In this episode, Jeremy shares his unfiltered testimony and demonstrates the power of vulnerability and wild courage. 

Key Takeaways

• Most men would rather go to the moon, climb Mount Everest, survive in the wilderness, or do other crazy things before being vulnerable. 
• The key to unlocking healing is to have the courage to be seen. 
• Are you using certain things to stuff down the unprocessed pain that’s trying to crawl up out of your soul? 
• If God can forgive you, that is enough to carry on.

Jeremy Morris

Jeremy Morris is a husband and father of four living in Boise, Idaho. He co-founded Wild Courage, a ministry that equips men to tell the stories born in the redemption of lives and souls. In his free time, Jeremy enjoys coaching football, camping with his family, and managing his ranch. 

Key Quotes

• 10:07 - "The most healing I've received, in a lot of areas, has been when I've had the courage to be vulnerable enough to share my deep, dark pain with someone and to be received with love back. Which, if you really knew me, there's no way you could like me, let alone love me. The courage part comes from us having the courage to be seen. Which, I think, God wired us to be seen and heard by others that we're in relationship with. Men will go to the moon, we'll climb Mount Everest, we'll jump off crazy things with parachutes, we'll ride bulls,  we'll survive in the wilderness. And we would rather do all of those things before being vulnerable. I've just found that it's the key to unlocking healing and to be what we're all created to be, which is to be seen and heard and not judged and loved where we're at in the mess of it all."
• 36:23 - "They put me in jail and something in me changed in my prayer. I don't know how to explain it, other than I asked God, from one father to another father, please take this for me. The dad I'm going to be, I can't do this anymore. And He took it. I don't know if it was because I wasn't praying to get out of my circumstances anymore, which I think looking back, my prayers to Him were always to get me out of the mess that I created. But there was something about me pulling on to heaven, as a dad and crying out to a dad that I think was the difference and His perfect timing."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Learn More About the DadAwesome Accelerator Group: Email awesome@dadawesome.org 
• Wild Courage
• The Wild Courage Podcast

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Chad Wallen helps teach fatherless young men practical tools that their dad could have taught them if he had been involved in their lives. It’s an active way of fighting against harrowing statistics and intervening in tangible, practical ways. Join us as Chad shares his thoughts on self-care, words of affirmation, and mentoring the next generation. 

Key Takeaways

• You can’t be a good dad if you’re not a healthy version of yourself. 
• Don’t make your wife translate your love to your children. 
• Nationally, 75% of men incarcerated are from a fatherless home. 
• What does it look like to mentor fatherless young men while providing opportunities to learn new skills, advance their careers, and build confidence?

Chad Wallen

Chad Wallen is a loving husband, foster parent, and dad to three girls and a son. He helped start Advance Camp in Oregon because he has such a huge heart for the fatherless. Now, Chad Wallen lives in the Dallas area and directs Advance Camp Texas. 

Key Quotes

• 7:42 - "That was a hard thing to learn is finding that happy medium between taking care of yourself and finding you as a priority and taking care of your family and finding them as a priority, realizing you can't be 100% dad if you're not 100% you."
• 17:52 - "My mom used to tell me all the time your dad loves you. He told me last night that he loves you and he's really proud of you. Well, I don't need my wife translating for me. These words need to come out of my mouth. And it's hard. Sometimes I have to pep talk myself but I know that's my role is to speak my words, not to have my wife speak my words for me. That's one thing I have constantly worked on with myself is making sure my words are my words and my wife is not my translator."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Advance Camp USA 
• Learn More About the DadAwesome Accelerator Group: Email awesome@dadawesome.org 
• Top 5 Podcast Moments of 2023 | Year in Review — The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

For Zack Blair, walking in unconditional love is the foundation of joyful fatherhood. In this episode, he shares personal experiences and practical examples to show why connecting with your kids matters more than trying to be perfect. And ultimately, how it leads to a parenting approach grounded in thankfulness and love. 

Key Takeaways

• Walking in unconditional love is the source of joy and thankfulness. 
• How can your children one day remember your heart if you are not intentional to connect with theirs? 
• Use your hands to express love, not produce pain. 
• You need other men in your corner—not just for you, but also for your kids.

Zack Blair

Zack Blair is an author and the founding pastor of Hill City Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Lauren, have been married for 17 years, have three children, and are foster parents. 

Key Quotes

• 35:00 - "An apology, it goes so far with [your children]., Hey, dad's imperfect, but he's trying, and he's taking ownership in the areas that that he missed it. I tell my kids, I'm not going to be a perfect father. I'm going to do some things great. You're going to look back and you're going to say, man, that wasn't so great. Whatever we did great, carry it on. But whatever we didn't do great, fix it and keep on getting better."

• 39:53 - "When you hold your child and you look at them and you feel the pain of, maybe I didn't receive this or I don't know that I received that unconditional love. In every man where we look back on our life with regret, that's an area that if we dig deep and we we allow the Lord to heal and we open up to the right people, that will change our family's trajectory forever. A lot of guys will get stuck in the normal things that society talks about to distract us, but there's a part of us that's unhealed. If we can focus on that part and with kindness and curiosity, just go there and ask the Lord, Lord,  when did I accept this lie? Or when did I develop this belief about myself? Or when did I experience this pain and God where were You in those moments? Even with help through counseling and and pastoral guidance, even when the Lord heals that it'll change everything and you will be set free to be the dad that you really want to be. So go there. Be brave enough to go there."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Learn More About the DadAwesome Accelerator Group 
• The Father Code: Codes of a Connected Father by Zack Blair
• Follow Zack Blair on Instagram
• The Father Code YouTube Playlist

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Phil Comer wasn’t raised with a faith background. So when his first son was born, he knew he had to get radically intentional if he was going to raise children who walk with God. In this episode, Phil shares the habits that helped him develop his newfound faith as a young father and launch his grown children into the world with success. 

Key Takeaways

• Men are designed and commanded to be tenderhearted, kind warriors. 
• No one can love their wife or be used by God as a father without the Holy Spirit. 
• Memorized Scripture carries with you through life, enables you to do battle, and brings you joy. 
• Even if all you do is quietly speak the Scripture out loud for several years, you will memorize it. 
• It’s not what you say to your kids that instructs them; it’s what they see from you.

Phil Comer

Phil Comer is a husband, father, and grandfather with 40 years of pastoral and counseling experience. After planting a church in 2004, Phil and his wife, Diane, went on to launch Intentional Parents International. The ministry focuses on equipping young parents and providing focused teaching in the spiritual training of children. 

Key Quotes

• 25:57 - "We need to teach this to our kids. We need to model it for our kids, and we need to realize that we need it. When it comes to the memorizing part, we're supposed to meditate on Scripture. Now, I can do that by reading it, but what about when I'm out on a walk and I don't have my Bible on me? Anything I do have, I'm able to bring back up and chew on. That's really what that verse means, that meditating is chewing on something and that's where God comes in."
• 38:02 - "You can't be saying one thing and be living another. That will destroy your kids, and it will lead them away from Christ so quickly. If you are modeling a genuine, authentic faith, if you are a passionate Jesus follower, your kids will pick that up because values are caught more than they're taught. We always have to look at our life every day, am I getting more lukewarm? Am I losing my passion or am I growing in my passion? As long as we're the growing side of Christianity and the growing side of Jesus, our kids are going to pick it up."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• 160 | Raising Passionate Jesus Followers (Phil Comer & Brook Mosser)
• Intentional Parents International
• A Practical Guide to Memorizing Scripture Together
• Raising Passionate Jesus Followers: The Power of Intentional Parenting by Phil & Diane Comer
• The Intentional Parents Podcast

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

For Jay Vallotton, the turning point in his marriage was learning to connect with his wife through her emotions rather than trying to fix them. Now, Jason urges men to reconsider their approach to emotions, both in marriage and parenting. Tune in as he shares practical advice for repairing mistakes, handling dysregulation in a child, and approaching conversations with the end in mind.

Key Takeaways

• To live wholeheartedly means addressing sin, being present, and fulfilling your God-given call instead of allowing fear to shrink you. 
• Your wife needs to feel seen, known, and heard. 
• Trust is not built through the absence of mistakes but by how you repair. 
• The #1 conversation hack is to start with the end in mind. 
• The right time to instruct and discipline is not when your child is emotionally dysregulated.

Jay Vallotton

Jay Vallotton is the founder of BraveCo, a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Bethel Church, and an overseer of the Bethel Transformation Center. He is passionate about helping people discover their God-given identity, find freedom, and walk out their true calling. Jason lives in Redding, California, with his wife, Lauren, and their five kids and daughter-in-law. 

Key Quotes

• 3:48 - "One of the prayers that David prays is, God, search me, know me, reveal to me what's going on in my life. Which honestly, is such a scary, dangerous prayer. But on the other side, I think that in order to live wholeheartedly we do have to address those areas in our life that aren't whole, that have cracks or have a little bit of brokenness or doubt, and that's a very challenging thing to do. But what that really means is when I come home and my wife confronts me on something and I dismiss her feelings, I'm not living wholeheartedly. When I come home and my kids want to play and I don't want to be present, I'm actually not living wholeheartedly. The practical application of being. The things that you write on your heart, the things that you write on your wrist, the truth, God's truth.. You have to live those out in your day to day life. And there's accountability inside of that."
• 17:05 - "Trust is not built through the absence of mistakes. Trust is built by how you clean up a mess. Your wife will trust you because she knows you can have a bad moment, you're going to go away, you're going to process through that in a healthy way and come back and give her what you wish you would've given her in the moment. That's more valuable than being able to nail it every time, because we innately know no one's going to nail it every time. But what we don't know is, I trust that you're going to come back and repair what has been damaged. If you can repair what you are messing up, you're adding so much more value than just trying to get it right, perfectly or expecting yourself to. You're not and your wife's not, more importantly, your whole environment, isn't. So, your kids are going to watch you do this process. Your wife's going to watch you do this process, and they're going to follow in this ecosystem that it's okay to fail. It's not okay to hurt each other but it's okay to fail because we can go back and clean up a mess."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• BraveCo
• BraveCo Conference 2024 (Redding, California - June 12-14, 2024)
• 131 | Winning The War Within (Jason Vallotton)
• 145 | Resilience, Servanthood & Showing Up For Others (Jason Vallotton)
• Follow Jason on Instagram
• Dates, Mates and Babies with the Vallottons Podcast
• Make a Donation to DadAwesome
• FATHERS FOR THE FATHERLESS Events

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Would you show love to a masked gunman who abducted you and your family? For Jamie Winship, the answer was yes. As he shares the details of this frightening experience, Jamie will inspire you to exchange fear for love as you seek God’s true identity for you. 

Key Takeaways

• Being in your true identity makes you more relational, take risks, and face reality. 
• The enemy is always in the hypothetical future, but God is in the present. 
• To identify false identities, ask God, “What are the things I believe about myself that hurt me?”
• Your true identity in God will be others-focused, self-emptying, and characterized by unconditional love for your enemies.

Jamie Winship

Jamie Winship is known for bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. His work in law enforcement and education led his family around the world, including South Asia and the Middle East. Jamie and his wife, Donna, are co-founders of Identity Exchange and have three adult sons.

Key Quotes

• 11:26 - "When you watch Jesus, Jesus never runs anywhere. He's never in a hurry. He's never freaked out. He not dramatic. He is intense. Like when He throws over the tables, but it's so tactically smart what He's doing, it's so well thought out. He's not just dramatically reacting to drama. So never participate, the enemy loves drama. The enemy loves drama because drama goes out of control.
• 15:36 - "You're in constant conflict. Either inside yourself or with people around you. Those are the signs of the false self. It's self-protection. Self-promotion. Separation is a sign of the false self. The false self will always move in separation, never in connection with others. It'll constantly separate out. The soul that sinneth, the soul that separates it will die. It's not about you did a bad thing, God's going to kill you. It's like human beings were made to live in connection with others and God. And when we separate it, it basically destroys us. Those are the symbols, the signs of the false self. But deeper than that, this is the exercise I would suggest is just sit alone with God and just breathe and relax and try and settle down and just say, God, search me right now. And would You help me to be able to say the things that I believe about myself that hurt me? What are the things I believe about myself that hurt me? And and just let them come to your mind."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• 314 | Tackling Fear in a War Zone, Modeling Courage, and Embracing Your True Identity (Jamie Winship: Part 1)
• Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God by Jamie Winship
• Identity Exchange: Online Courses, Individual Coaching, and More

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Jamie Winship is no stranger to conflict. From working as a police officer to living in international war zones, he learned how to tackle fear with faith—and he modeled it for his children, too. In this episode, Jamie details some of the dangerous situations his family faced as they followed God’s calling. Plus, he’ll inspire you to hang onto joy, even when fear tries to swallow you whole.  

Key Takeaways

• When living in a high-conflict area—whether a warzone or your home—you have to gamify preparedness with joy instead of fear. 
• There are times when you may need to pray to be invisible. 
• If you’re afraid to fail, you won’t be able to model courage in front of other people. 
• God cannot invite you into greater challenges in the future if your only goal is self-protection and self-promotion. 
• The greatest gift you can give your kids is the truth of who you are.

Jamie Winship

Jamie Winship is known for bringing peaceful solutions to some of the world’s highest conflict areas. His work in law enforcement and education led his family around the world, including South Asia and the Middle East. Jamie and his wife, Donna, are co-founders of Identity Exchange and have three adult sons. 

Key Quotes

• 20:13 - "Only the fear of falling and loud noises is is innate in us, but all other fear is learned.  I want to say to your listeners, what are you afraid of? That's the most important question, what am I afraid of? And this is a daily question. It's not a one off. It's even incident into incident. Why am I afraid right now? Fear is beautiful because it's a warner, it's a flashing warning light. It's an invitation to transformation. It's an invitation to a conversation that leads to transformation. God, why am I afraid right now? What am I afraid of?"
• 21:34 - "God wants me to know I can protect you in any situation. Though a thousand fall on my right and 10,000 fall on my left, yet will I stand? God says, I want you to know that I can protect you in this kind of situation. How would I know that? By staying. By staying. Why would you want me to know that? Because in the future are greater challenges than this that I want to invite you into, But I can't invite you into them, if the goal of your life is self-protection and self-promotion. Because that's how fear works. And if your goal is self-protection and self-promotion, it will become the goal of your kids. Let's teach them other than that worldview."
• 29:39 - "External conflict produced by internal conflict, produced by fear, produced by false identity. What's the shift? The shift is not in, stop the war, bring financial aid, change religions. None of that stuff has ever worked. It's a transformation of the human heart, which the whole Bible is telling us. And we're looking for some other solution. Spiritual transformation in your own heart. You're living in a false identity. It's a shift into the true identity, which can only be known in Christ. Shift into true identity moves you into courage. It encourages you, which moves you into internal peace, which makes you able to create external peace."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• DadAwesome Store
• Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God by Jamie Winship
• Identity Exchange: Online Courses, Individual Coaching, and More

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

After studying the prayer lives of extraordinary leaders around the world, Ryan Skoogs began to identify patterns. These patterns shifted not only the heart and mind of the leader but also the culture around them—in their home, organization, and beyond. As the leader of your home, you must create a culture of prayer that starts with you. In this episode, Ryan shares the practical steps to do just that. 

Key Takeaways

• Be willing to “waste time” with God. 
• To start an intentional prayer life, just walk and talk with the Lord. 
• Twenty minutes of prayer to Jesus each day for eight weeks will change your brain chemistry in ways that are visible on a brain scan. 
• Where is prayer a line item in your organization’s (or family’s) budget? 
• Don’t discount the little opportunities where you can be quick to pray.

Ryan Skoog

Ryan Skoog is an entrepreneur, ministry leader, author, world traveler, and adventure dad. He is co-founder and president of VENTURE, a church-planting and community development nonprofit that works in the toughest places of the world, serving war refugees, trafficked people, oppressed children, and the unreached. 

Key Quotes

• 30:06 - "20 minutes of prayer a day, for eight weeks, will change your brain neurons and chemistry so much that you can tell on a brain scan. There's an agnostic neuroscientist that started just measuring prayer and it had to be prayer to Jesus. It wasn't just meditation and mindfulness, sand is soft, no, it is God is love. God is gracious, that kind of focus and prayer. It can change your brain scan so it fires all the parts that are amazing."
• 39:26 - "Don't discount the little moments throughout the day of stopping and acknowledging God. A kid has a test, let's stop and pray. We have a phrase around here, we want to be quick to pray. I think in creating a culture in your family, being quick to pray about little things quickly, oh, hey, let's pray about that. And then taking 20 seconds to pray about it and making that normal in your family, making that normal that we just talked to God throughout the day has just been a really, really helpful culture."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders by Ryan Skoog and others

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

In the midst of a chaotic world, fathers need to know how to stay grounded, steady, and wild. Tim Bohlke brings years of wisdom and experience to equip dads to do just that. Through real-life examples and a spirit of encouragement, Tim unveils new ways to embrace joy, balance, and remembrance of what God has done. 

Key Takeaways

• The cumulative effect of carrying too much weight will break you down.
• Avoid isolation by inviting others in, asking for input, and allowing people to be honest with you.
• The key to being aware and alert to what God is doing today is remembering what he has done in the past. 
• Fight for the people, places, and experiences that bring you life.

Tim Bohlke

Founder and director of Harbor Ministries, Tim Bohlke has spent three decades investing in leaders and helping forge a new path that will serve leaders, their families, and their organizations well. He is a husband, father, grandfather, author, coach, and more. 

Key Quotes

• 14:05 - "That is the imagery that people all have strength waiting, as the difference making leaders have figured out that idea of harbor as it connects to mission. And no matter how critical your mission is, you got to have time in a harbor to resource, restore and get yourself ready."
• 29:27 - "When we remember what God's done, that's one of the values of quieting down, seeking solitude, is that only then do you take the time and find the time to really process and remember the ways God showed up in our story. That's what brings strength. And that's what brings courage and reminds us God is a God of promises, that He does show up and He will not only then, but going forward as well."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• 51 | Father Family Rhythms Part 1 (Tim Bohlke)
• 81 | Adjust the Pace, Live w/ SELF-CONTROL & Hear God's Voice (Tim Bohlke)
• Stay. Wild. : An Invitation to Pursue God in Fully Disrupted World by Tim Bohlke 
• Harbor Ministries 
• SPACE Podcast

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

The way you parent stems from how you were parented. That’s why understanding the stories and trauma of your past is essential if you want to provide a secure beginning for your children. In this episode, Dr. Dan Allender offers expert advice to help you own the past, share your stories with others, and find beauty along the parenting journey. 

Key Takeaways

• A child has a secure beginning if they have attunement, containment, and a parent who can repair ruptures. 
• The level of failure in parenting is higher than in marriage, friendships, or work. 
• When you’re triggered, take a 90-second pause to decrease emotional flooding. 
• There are two great callings in life that you must hold together at the same time: to grow in intimacy and to grow in independence. 
• Write down your thoughts and then share them with your wife, a group of men, and a story guide, such as a therapist or pastor.

Dr. Dan Allender

Dr. Dan Allender is an author, professor, and co-founder of The Allender Center and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. With a unique approach to trauma and abuse therapy, he presents on topics such as sexual abuse recovery, intimacy, marriage, and more. Dan and his wife, Becky, enjoy spending time with their three adult children and their grandchildren.

Key Quotes

• 4:58 - "It's really a sweet gift to be able to see our children parent in a way in which they have truly learned from our mistakes, and yet they've also developed their own way of being in the world. Having adult children, one of the realities that dawns on me virtually every year and that is you're never done. Some of the most complicated days are with adult children. And yet our children love us, and yet they are pretty clear and vocal about where they have felt like we have not done well, past and present, and with a deep invitation, with honor and forgiveness, but to grow. That's one of the things I would say it's just such a life giving presence when your children are taking in your life and growing, but when they have the ability to return that, to invite you to grow, that even with younger children has a level of mutuality that often [doesn't] get talked about in the parenting process."
• 37:36 - "The reality is, we live in a sinful world and a broken world as already with a proclivity to our own false independence. So, our task, is in some sense, to parent in a way that accentuates the giftedness, while also helping a child name and engage the parts of their own world that don't come as quickly or naturally.

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Become a DadAwesome Anchor Partner
• The Allender Center Podcast 
• “Parenting the Parent” — Dr. Dan Allender’s podcast episode featuring his two daughters
• Dr. Dan Allender’s Books
• StoryWork Conference and Master Class
• The Allender Center Upcoming Events and Workshops

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

As a rookie dad, Taylor Doolittle has endless encouragement for other dads in his shoes. In this episode, he emphasizes the value of running after God, pursuing your wife, and enjoying every season with your kids. His vivid analogies will inspire you to make intentional choices as a husband, father, and friend to create the life you want to live. 

Key Takeaways

• Every season with your kids is fleeting, so be gracious with yourself. 
• Passionately running after Jesus and pursuing your wife will leave a lasting impact on your kids. 
• Combine multiple activities—such as working out and being with friends—with intentional multitasking that keeps you whole and healthy without taking up too much time. 
• However difficult you think this is for you as a dad, it’s a thousand times harder for your wife, so suck it up, buttercup.
• Your daily decisions are single bricks that create the foundation for your life and family.

Taylor Doolittle

Taylor Doolittle is a passionate realtor in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. He and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters. 

Key Quotes

• 16:16 - "What I should have been focused on and what I still need to be focused on is my relationship with the Lord. That's absolutely number one, because you're not going to be a good leader for your family unless you are modeling yourself after the greatest leader. So that's number one. Number two, is absolutely pursuing your wife with as much passion as you can."
• 26:51 - "Not putting pressure on yourself and just realizing that, as a parent, it's less about what you teach and it's more about what you model to your kids. So, pursuing your relationship with the Lord and passionately loving your wife are the two things that you got to do that are going to make a lasting impact on your kids, whether you believe it or not."
• 35:15 - "Serve your wife, humble yourself, and don't place any expectations on your kids unless they're holy expectations."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Make an End-of-Year Donation
• Contact Taylor Doolittle
• Connect with Taylor Doolittle on Instagram

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

After spending 13 years climbing the corporate ladder, Kyle Depiesse was burnt out and knew he needed a change. He certainly didn’t have everything figured out, but he took a single step that the Lord used to guide him towards bigger and better experiences than he could have imagined. In this episode, Kyle shares the stories and advice that shaped his life—and his adventurous parenting style. 

Key Takeaways

• Take one step toward your goals and trust that God will bless your obedience and continue to direct you. 
• Slow down the fast pace of life with a simple question: “How am I experiencing God right now?” 
• Spark joy by doing things you’ve never done before as a family. 
• Society puts professional success on a pedestal, so you must play defense to protect your relationships, health, finances, and more.

Kyle Depiesse

Kyle Depiesse is the founder and CEO of Guys Trip, where he organizes adventurous trips and events to help men connect, have fun, and grow. Kyle is married to Lois, and they have one son, Cal. 

Key Quotes

• 6:41 - "It's really important to honor people in front of other people. Thank people and be grateful for people while they're around. Tomorrow's not guaranteed."
• 31:01 - "If you can just take a minute and maybe even have intentional questions to ask yourself, maybe that's the cheat code. Maybe that's the hack, what am I grateful for? How am I experiencing God right now? Just ask yourself some questions and reflect. I don't think we give ourself the gift of reflection and we don't give ourself the gift of solitude enough. And sometimes there's things that just bubble up to the surface And when you pause and you reflect and you're in solitude, you can allow those things that come up to the surface."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• DadAwesome Store
• Make an End-of-Year Donation
• Guys Trip
• Kyle Depiesse on Instagram
• Tough Mudder — Twin Cities

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

As a business owner and father to six, Jordan Stone has plenty of reasons to let busyness consume him. But he’s learned the power of slowing down, being present, and creating room in his agenda for how God wants to use him. With real-life examples and practical tips, Jordan Stone will inspire you to rethink the concepts of legacy, ownership, provision, and more. 

Key Takeaways

• God may have a calling for your family that extends for multiple generations. 
• A pioneer goes into uncharted territory and tries to establish something that doesn’t exist yet. 
• Make room in your schedule to be available for interruptions. 
• Avoid getting stuck in a singular definition of provision. 
• Parenting is gardening, not carpentry.

Jordan Stone

Jordan Stone and his wife, Elizabeth, live on the Oregon Coast with their six children. After relocating from Cincinnati, they moved into the home Jordan’s grandparents built and lived in for over 40 years before they both passed away. As a family, they own and run multiple businesses together. 

Key Quotes

• 13:47 - "The reason we start out with [with our family mission each day] is because what we're doing is very difficult. A pioneer is somebody who goes into uncharted territory and tries to establish something that doesn't already exist there. And that's how we see what what we're trying to bring Kingdom wise into this place."
• 40:08 - "What really happens, at least in my case, there are so many things that we suppress through busyness. The demons in our life, the baggage in our life, the things that are quite uncomfortable to face. Busyness provides us a very socially acceptable way to never confront those things. When you stop [the busyness] all of it has the opportunity to come to the surface and you don't have any more excuses not to deal with it."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• https://dadawesome.org/store  
• 305 | What an Awesome Ride. What a Wild Opportunity. (Jeff Zaugg)

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

As a husband and father, Ben Serpell has been tempted by passivity plenty of times. It was only after confronting certain fears that he was able to begin living with full power. In this episode, he shares practical examples of how to set a high standard of love in your home. Plus, you’ll learn why “winning vs losing” is the wrong mindset and how a learner’s approach will help you extract more wisdom from your parenting journey. 

Key Takeaways

• When you shift from a “winning vs losing” mindset to “winning vs learning,” you can continue to grow without having to start from the beginning. 
• Your job as a parent is not to rescue your children from hardship but to sit with them as they learn necessary lessons. 
• As a man, you should be setting the standard of love in your home through sacrifice. 
• Passivity is birthed from fear of failure and fear of rejection.

Ben Serpell

Ben Serpell moved from Australia to America at the age of 18 and married his wife, Brittney, one year later. They have been married for two decades and have three children. Ben and Brittney both serve on the leadership team at Loving On Purpose, where they provide marriage and family coaching through conferences, online workshops, and more. 

Key Quotes

• 4:33 - "If it's either winning or losing, then someone's losing and someone's winning. If you talk about an argument, if you talk about connection, if you talk about you and your kids and even you and yourself, which is the biggest one where we need to start, especially as dads. If I'm losing today, then I have to start over. If I'm learning then this is stuff I can use for tomorrow's victory."
• 15:33 - "It is hard to watch your child struggle. Oh, it's so hard. But, I think what we do if we're not managing our own insecurity on the inside is we try and rescue our kids from that trouble and then we take away again, well, we're back to the learning. We take away the learning. What the Holy Spirit does is He'll come sit with us and go, Oh, that looks heavy. Wow. What do you think happened? What do you need from me? How can I help? I have a whole slew of resources back here. It's just waiting for you. And it probably starts with peace. Let's get some joy back. Let's get some truth in there. And let's begin to walk together. But I'm going to sit with you and I'm fine if you feel it. I can handle you sitting in your mess for a minute, and I'm going to bring comfort to that person rather than rescue that person."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• https://dadawesome.org/store  
• 305 | What an Awesome Ride. What a Wild Opportunity. (Jeff Zaugg)
• Imperfect Parenting: Connection Over Perfection by Brittney Serpell
• Loving On Purpose
• KYLO University
• Life Academy
• Loving On Purpose Podcast Network

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Mike Gallagher’s life changed forever when he and his wife adopted a child. Already the parents of three biological children, they stepped out in faith to meet a need that many people try to ignore. Now, Mike shares how every dad can get involved in reaching the 100+ million children globally without a permanent place to call home.

Key Takeaways

• Help your children build dependency on Jesus by modeling sacrifice and adventurous faith. 
• To reverse the orphan crisis, we must focus on reunification when possible and adoption when necessary. 
• Children who have experienced trauma need true safety as well as felt safety. 
• If you’re overcommitted, you won’t have the capacity to be there for your children. 
• Make praying with your children a core aspect of your relationship.

Mike Gallagher

Mike Gallagher and his wife, Mandy, co-founded The Chosen & Dearly Loved Foundation in 2014. Their campaign, 1MILLIONHOME, focuses on shifting the model of orphan care to prioritize family support and reunification. Mike and Mandy have six children: three biological, one adopted domestically, and two adopted internationally. 

Key Quotes

• 8:16 - "We really believe the Lord was leading us to do specific things like adopt children or move or start things and they were glorious, but they required a lot of suffering and and a lot of cost. Honestly, we knew there was cost, but we didn't know the full costs going into a lot of these things. In that cost, it costs the children as well. It costs everybody in the family, these are family decisions, and yet that's the bad news. The good and greater news is it forged such a dependance on Jesus and dependance on guidance from the Lord where we were in situations so desperately needing His wisdom, His protection, His confirmed will, that they witnessed that over so long. That was one just key part of it that that they wanted that and needed that themselves. The other thing was, even though we were involved with pressing things, far reaching things, they were always number one. And they knew that."
• 12:57 - "[Our children] need to be legitimately safe, welcomed, comforted, supported with whatever they're bringing. And so it's, number one, that sense of felt safety and we can kind of take inventory of how safe are they really with us."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• 305 | What an Awesome Ride. What a Wild Opportunity. (Jeff Zaugg)
• 1MILLIONHOME Homepage 
• The Story of 1MILLIONHOME 
• How 1MILLIONHOME Works
• Everyday Church - The Future Is Family Event

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

In this special Thanksgiving episode, Jeff Zaugg shares powerful stories of God’s faithfulness to the DadAwesome community and ministry. From global impact to huge fundraising milestones and everything in between, Jeff focuses on gratitude and remembrance for all God has done in recent years. Plus, he shares the exciting vision for the next phase of DadAwesome. 

Key Takeaways

• When you lean into remembrance of what God has done, it goes beyond your family to all the world. (Joshua 4)
• 10 areas of massive gratitude
• Reflecting on 6 years of impact
• Entering the next phase of DadAwesome 
• Your invitation to support DadAwesome in two ways

Jeff Zaugg

Jeff Zaugg is a loving husband, intentional dad, and passionate advocate for the fatherless. With experience in nonprofit leadership and pastoring, Jeff founded DadAwesome in 2018 and Fathers for the Fatherless shortly thereafter. Jeff and his wife, Michelle, have been married for seventeen years and are parents to four daughters, ages two through nine.

Key Quotes

• 4:47 - "Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. And when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be to your people, to the people of Israel, a memorial forever. This is the set up, get the stones you're going to walk, you're experiencing a miracle, but get the stones so that your kids, when they ask, what do these stones mean to you?"
• 6:14 - "Our kids are going to ask us, we can answer them, but we can, like the Stones, the moment of giving thanks and remembrance, actually, it went beyond just the Jordan, that God expanded into. And they can remember that God did that same miracle 40 years earlier with the Red Sea. It's not just our kids, but it's all people of the world. So when we as dads live into remembrance and gratitude and telling stories and organizing moments for our kids to to see, look what God has done, it goes beyond our family to all the peoples of the world, that they will see and know that God is mighty and He takes care [of us]."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• Trusted Network
• Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team
• Resource Library
• Venture
• DadAwesome Store 
• Make an End-of-Year Donation
• Become an Anchor Partner

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

This episode revisits a profound conversation with Ken Helser. He shares timeless fatherhood wisdom about enjoying intimate time with God, making dreams a reality, and raising children who can become your best friends. 

Key Takeaways

• You’re most blessed when you’re most in need of God. 
• The enemy’s greatest strategy against you will always be miscommunication. 
• Focus on raising kids you can become best friends with. 
• The hardest thing in the Christian life is to let God love you, and the second hardest thing is to be still.
• God wants to speak to you more than you even want to listen.

Ken Helser

Ken Helser and his wife, Linda, co-lead A Place for the Heart with their son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Melissa Helser. Ken and Linda pour into the hearts of the students who come for the 18 Inch Journey. They are blessed with four adult children and several wonderful grandchildren. 

Key Quotes

• 4:14 - "God takes us a mountain top to give us a vision, but nothing is ever made reality on a mountaintop. There's rock up there, nothing grows and He always takes us in the valley for the dream and the vision to become reality."
• 13:39 - "What can I do for [my son] to love You and make You Lord of his life? And the Lord said, All you have to do is love your wife. I said, What? He says, if you love your wife in his presence, he will always trust you and believe you. But if he ever sees you abusing his mother, he will never trust anything you ever say to him. The most important thing you could do is love his mother, in his presence, always."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• A Place for the Heart
• Cageless Birds
• No Longer Slaves (Official Lyric Video) - Bethel Music, Jonathan & Melissa Helser | Peace
• 18 Inch Journey

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

What’s holding dads back from viewing fatherhood as a gift? In this episode, Banning Liebscher tackles some of the most complex obstacles dads face. With joyful reflection and practical advice, Banning will inspire you to approach parenting with a purpose. 

Key Takeaways

• Master being self-aware and others-aware. 
• The danger for dads is not a lack of activity; it’s activity that is not going anywhere because you have not defined success. 
• How you love your children will reveal God’s love to them. 
• The goal is not to work harder but to abide more.

Banning Liebscher

Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development. Together, they have three young adult children: Ellianna, Raya, and Lake.

Key Quotes

• 13:10 - "Can my wife give me feedback? Can people around me give me feedback? The biggest thing is people giving me feedback about how they were experiencing me and then me having to go do the work around, what's going on inside of me? I think the Enneagram, Disc test, strength finders, love languages, Myers-Briggs, they're all these different ones. Those helped go, this is how I'm wired. They're there for this is when I'm stressed, how I respond, when I'm overwhelmed, how I respond, when I'm scared, when I'm hurt. Those things actually helped me a ton."
• 24:19 - "God's going to ask you about your relationships. He's going to ask you about the people that He put in your life, the people that you're called to disciple, the people that you're called to pour your life out for."
• 33:59 - "The goal is not to work harder, it's to abide more. If you're like, I want to be a better dad, well, you're going to have to work at it. But the point is not, I'm going to work harder. No, I've got to make sure that I am positioning myself in the love of the Father myself, so that I can go be the best version for you."

Links from Today’s Conversation

• The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors That Hold You Back by Flip Flippen 
• Jesus Culture 
• Banning Liebscher’s Books

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Five years ago, Carlos Whittaker joined us on the DadAwesome podcast. A lot has changed since then. With a new perspective of launching his children into the world, Carlos is here to ask the hard-hitting questions. He’ll inspire you to become a father who knows how to be, see, and free. 

Key Takeaways

• No app can replace the love and connection you provide your child. 
• What are you using to medicate some of the inadequacies you feel in your parenting? 
• Lower the volume of life and be present. 
• See past the problems and behaviors to parent your child.
• You are set apart as a father to breathe life into your kids. 

Carlos Whittaker

Carlos Whittaker spreads hope and encouragement through his roles as an author, podcaster, and global speaker. He and his wife Heather live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three young adult children.

Key Quotes

• 14:03 - "Men were just addicted to, dads were just addicted to their work, before that, they were addicted to whatever it may have been. So, what is the medicator? The medicator that you're using to medicate some inadequacies that you feel in your parenting, break those things and be more present. What does it look like to lower the volume of life, slow the pace of life down?"
• 16:54 - "What are ways that you as a father are set apart and separated from the rest of all of humanity? All of the other individuals that are speaking into [your] lives, you as a father, you as a dad, you are set apart in a way that nobody else is. Just a look from their father, looking them in the eyes and saying, I love you and I'm proud of you. Just that is going to free your kids in ways that you probably can't even imagine."

Links from Today's Conversation

• Episode 300 Dad Notes
• Carlos' Website
• Parenting Podcast Series: Episode 121-125 of Human Hope with Carlos Whittaker
• Episode 122: Parenting Series - My Kids' AMAZING Therapists, David Thomas and Sissy Goff
• How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us by Carlos Whittaker
• All Carlos Whittaker Books

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Last week, Brian Stites went to be with the Lord. His life was a walking testament of how men can show up as engaged, front yard fathers. Despite facing some of the hardest challenges, Brian continued to trust God and walk in faith. In his memory, here are ten things that were true about Brian that every dad can strive toward. 

Key takeaways

• He was serving others.
• He joined other men around a mission.
• He was the first to give.
• He encountered hardship with faith.
• He helped support others.
• He kept serving others.
• He kept being generous.
• He worshiped and he laughed.
• He celebrated others.
• He finished his race with gladness.

Brian Stites

Brian Stites was a man who took front yard fatherhood seriously. For him, everyone was welcome. He showed up for countless other men as a mentor and father figure. Brian went home to Heaven on October 18, 2023. 

Key Quotes

• 3:26 - "I'm calling this episode Front Yard Fatherhood. If you think of a backyard of a house with a fence, it's kind of private, closed off, you're not welcome there unless you know the person. Front yard is, you're out on the street, you're out welcoming others. I felt a very front yard with Brian. Partially because Brian would have me come sit with him in his front yard, open to the whole neighborhood to see. We would sit and talk and cry, and we prayed together in his front yard. But his heart, him and Heather, their hearts were very front yard, everyone's welcome."
• 10:28 - "He finished his race with gladness. His posture was one of hope, faith, gladness. He's suffering. He was having a hard time speaking and keeping dialog going, yet he had gladness. "

Connect with dadAWESOME

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618