Dad Improvement

Hearing the words, "You're going to be a dad!" is one of the absolute highlights of your entire life.

After the excitement comes the questions. Now what? How do I prepare? Am I ready? What do I need to know? Am I going to screw this up?

I got you covered in this week's episode!

Improvement > Perfection

Having a 7 year old and a newborn is hard enough. Two very different stages of childhood that I have to manage my way through on a daily basis. What I did not expect was to be anxious about how my 7 year old interacts with my newborn!

Wanting to give my 7 year old trust, responsibility to help, and autonomy over how he does things has been more difficult than I thought it would be. It 100% is my own anxiety that is making things more difficult.

This week I chat about the steps I've been using to keep this anxiety in check!

Improvement > Perfection

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Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, Al Bundy, all very funny dad's to watch on TV, but maybe not what us men should be exactly striving for as the pinnacle of fatherhood and marriage.

This week I chat about what I have found to make sure my family is well cared for and what to look out for as you're raising these kids and trying to keep a happy, healthy and thriving marriage.

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No guest this week for the podcast. Matter of fact probably no guests for a while! We don't have a ton of extra time on our hands with our seven year old starting a new school year as a second grader and a newborn in the house taking up the remaining waking hours (which are many).

Don't get me wrong, there is nowhere we would rather be than in the midst of this chaos! It just doesn't allow for an hour or two chatting with people around the world about parenting. It does allow me 20 minutes to quickly explain some parenting thoughts that I have had over the last two weeks though.

So, for the next couple months, at least, expect shorter episodes starring yours truly. I'll try to keep them informative and hopefully some of what I have to say may help you or at least give you a bit of entertainment.

This week I just wanted to go over all the things that I forgot about the newborn stage. With Shea being seven, it has been quite a while since we had a newborn in the house. I thought I remembered what tired was, but I can confirm, I did not remember.

Hang in there everybody, keep showing up, we'll get through these trying times together.

Improvement > Perfection

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James Fawcett shares his transformative journey from personal struggles to building a purpose-driven life, emphasizing the importance of identity, faith, and intentionality in overcoming adversity.

The Rebuild

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04:43 James Fawcett's Journey: From Australia to Recovery

10:26 The Tipping Point: A Life-Altering Experience

16:36 Identity Crisis: Understanding Self-Worth

26:27 Rebuilding Relationships: The Path to Trust

29:45 Rebuilding Trust and Intentional Parenting

33:04 Creating Lasting Memories with Kids

36:00 The Importance of Intentionality in Parenting

39:37 Finding Purpose and Overcoming Fear

43:45 Living in Alignment with Your True Self

47:33 You Are Not Your Worst Season

Capacity: Parenting, Friction, and the Five Intelligences. I talk with Jon Strecker, head of a private school and author of Emergence, about what kids actually need to grow into resilient, self-directed adults. The conversation centers on why overprotecting children can slow development, and why social, emotional, ethical, and physical growth matter as much as academic achievement. Jon also explains how parents can build capacity at home through small, consistent challenges.

Key topics

• In this episode, Jon Strecker explains why he thinks education has been overly narrowed to math, reading, and writing, and why that misses how children actually learn and grow.
• Jon lays out his five intelligences framework: intellectual, social, emotional, ethical, and physical.
• Jon and I discuss how boredom, frustration, and sadness can become learning opportunities when parents do not rush to fix everything.
• Jon shares how the brain uses emotional friction to build neural pathways, especially when children are guided through conflict instead of rescued from it.
• The conversation contrasts “snowplow parenting” with a healthier balance of love, support, and capacity building.
• Jon gives examples from school and home, including playground conflict, sibling tension, and a Lego castle disagreement.
• He argues that self-esteem must come from internal validation, not constant praise or external approval.
• The episode also covers why convenience, social media, and constant entertainment may be weakening resilience across generations.
• Jon connects his parenting philosophy to his own life story, including being a struggling student, returning to college, and surviving stage four cancer.
• Jon and I close by discussing how the same small-step approach can help children make better decisions in adolescence and beyond.

• Let children experience age-appropriate frustration before stepping in.
• Ask questions that help them process conflict instead of fixing it instantly.
• Praise effort and decision-making, not just outcomes.
• Model your own mistakes and corrections out loud.
• Build capacity gradually through small, repeatable responsibilities.
• Focus on social, emotional, and ethical development alongside academics.

Get Emergence HERE

Jonathan's YouTube HERE

Jonathan's Website HERE

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03:02 Reimagining Education: The Role of Parents

05:59 Understanding Emotional Intelligence in Children

09:00 The Importance of Struggle and Resilience

11:55 Navigating Boundaries: Love and Capacity

14:58 The Neuroscience of Boredom and Learning

18:11 Modeling Behavior: Learning Through Mistakes

20:55 Finding Balance in Parenting

24:10 The Journey of Growth: Personal Stories and Lessons

34:42 The Power of Belief and Optimism

36:30 The Decline of Intelligence in Children

38:58 The Impact of Convenience on Development

42:01 Navigating Friction and Growth

44:45 Building Self-Esteem in Children

47:14 Redirecting Pathways to Self-Validation

49:35 The Importance of Small Victories

51:26 Emergence: A Guide for Parents

54:54 The Future of Parenting in an AI World

56:45 Parenting Moments: Lessons Learned

Steve Rolle shares insights on balancing entrepreneurship and fatherhood, building scalable businesses, and achieving control over your life and income. Learn practical strategies to create passive income, develop marketable skills, and design a life of freedom.

Get your copy of The Future You Choose HERE

Rolle With Steve Podcast HERE

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00:00 Balancing Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship

05:25 The Seasons of Life: Focus and Prioritization

08:26 Understanding Dependencies in the 9 to 5 World

11:40 Is Entrepreneurship for Everyone?

27:25 The Reality of Entrepreneurship Success Rates

28:23 Understanding Control in Career Choices

30:11 The Importance of Planning in Entrepreneurship

31:32 Balancing Entrepreneurship with a Day Job

32:58 The Intentionality Behind Business Ownership

35:20 Building a Scalable Business Model

36:16 The Four Engines of a Successful Business

39:28 The Importance of Customer Acquisition

41:51 Creating Optionality in Business Ownership

44:01 The Freedom of Intentional Business Ownership

44:31 Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Business Startups

47:50 The Focus on Customers and Revenue

49:14 The Journey of Entrepreneurship and Control

51:34 The Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Fatherhood

53:18 Outro

In this episode, Carol Ann Kates shares her extensive knowledge of grocery shopping, food storage, and cost-saving tips, especially during times of inflation and food price increases. Learn how to make smarter grocery decisions, reduce waste, and stretch your food budget effectively.

Carol's Website

Grocery Shopping Secrets Book

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00:00 Introduction to Grocery Savings and Inflation

05:45 Carol's Journey in the Grocery Business

08:28 Strategies for Reducing Food Waste

11:24 Understanding Grocery Store Sales and Promotions

14:01 Buying in Bulk vs. Store Promotions

16:51 Selecting Quality Produce and Meat

19:41 Choosing the Right Grocery Store

22:13 Freezing Foods for Longevity

25:00 Best Practices for Freezer Storage

25:55 The Cost of Convenience vs. Homemade

28:23 Understanding Food Storage and Shelf Life

30:36 Decoding Sell-By Dates and Food Safety

31:51 Choosing Quality Meat: Grades and What They Mean

33:51 Behind the Deli Counter: What You Should Know

39:06 The Impact of Store Management on Quality

42:19 Carol Ann's Grocery Shopping Secrets

45:23 Outro

No guest this week, you get me!

Which means that you get an inside look at what we've had going on in our day to day as a family. For us, we have been working on teaching our son how to learn. He turns 7 on Saturday and at this point in life he has something new thrown at him almost daily it seems, and if he can't learn then this part of life is going to be quite a damper!

Here are six steps that I have found to be helpful when trying to help my son with the learning process.

This week I got to sit down with Mike Thompson for a second time! Mike was the guest on episode 74 in which we talked about changing our identity.

This episode we got to talking about how to teach our children frustration tolerance and confidence. We chat about tactics we've used that helped and what hasn't. We talk about how to model this for our children and what should be expected of us when they are part of a sports team.

Mike is a personal trainer that would be glad to help you be the healthiest version of yourself for your family and children, and being a father himself knows what kind of obstacles you are dealing with.

To work with Mike or to just talk parenting with him (because he loves to talk parenting!) reach out to him on Instagram which you can find by clicking HERE

Please remember to leave a rating, review, or subscribe if you haven't yet, I truly appreciate it!

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Parenting Challenges in Sports

03:11 Building Frustration Tolerance in Children

06:01 The Balance of Support and Expectations

08:54 Modeling Learning and Growth for Kids

12:00 Teaching Emotional Intelligence and Self-Advocacy

14:58 The Importance of Trying and Participating

17:59 Learning Through Failure and Process

21:01 Involving Kids in New Experiences

24:00 Creating Positive Memories in Learning

27:03 The Journey of Learning Together

27:20 Navigating Academic Pressure and Personal Expectations

30:01 The Importance of Learning from Failure

32:53 Reframing Timeouts: A New Approach to Discipline

36:34 Modeling Emotional Regulation for Children

39:08 Overcoming Parental Anxiety in Social Settings

43:05 Embracing Imperfection in Parenting

46:32 Positive Reinforcement: Encouraging Growth in Kids