Dad Spotlight - Helping You Be The Best Dad, Father and Parent You Can!

This week in the Dad Spotlight we are bringing you Dr. Meg Meeker, a leading authority on parenting, teens and children’s health. Her new book Hero: Being the Strong Father Your Children Need celebrates and encourages the role of fatherhood. In this book Dr. Meg Meeker examines the true value of fathers and their relationships with their children, showing men how being a strong, active father can be their greatest triumph.

“There’s a misconception that mothers are the center of a child’s world. Moms are absolutely necessary, but so are dads…” – Dr. Meg Meeker

“Fathers need to see themselves the way their children see them,” writes Meeker. “You are, whether you know it or not, the center of their world, the hub of the wheel that is your family, the hero they depend on. If you’re not there or not engaged, they suffer.”   Citing academic research that supports her case for involved, active fathers, Meeker combines her years of wisdom gained during pediatric practice and family counseling with personal stories and practical advice to help fathers understand and embrace the weight of their role in the life of their child and empower them to wholeheartedly engage.

“There’s a misconception that mothers are the center of a child’s world…Moms are absolutely necessary, but so are dads, and to kids it is dads who are the center of the family. Mom might bend a sympathetic ear or bandage a scraped knee, but dad is the one they want to look up to as the hero who can meet any challenge thrown at the family.”

About Dr. Meg Meeker: Pediatrician, mother, and best-selling author of six books, Dr. Meg Meeker is the country’s leading authority on parenting, teens and children’s health. She has appeared on national programs including TODAY, FOX & Friends, Dateline, NPR, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, Oprah Radio, and more. Dr. Meeker is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, certified by The American Board of Pediatrics and serves on the Advisory Board of The Medical Institute. She is an active part of the NFL’s Fatherhood Initiative, and is a regular speaker at Dave Ramsey’s Smart Conferences.

Chris mentioned his new headshot and below you will see it. What do you think, professional enough?

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal. If you make a ButcherBox order for your family you will get $10 OFF your order and some Ribeyes (2 x 10oz). Sound good? Order Today!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

This week in the Dad Spotlight podcast we are bringing you Dr. Phil Carson who recently wrote a new book entitled: How to live until you die. Too many Americans are living as prisoners in their own bodies, held captive by bad habits that have drained them of their livelihood and sentenced them to a premature death. These harsh realities are what have kept Dr. Phil Carson passionate about practicing pharmacy since 1985. Afer encountering many patients who were seeking answers when their needs were not met by traditional medicine, Dr. Phil Carson founded Carson Natural Health in 2005 with the mission of helping patients find the best natural solutions to their health problems. Dr. Phil Carson is passionate about improving his patient’s quality of life and encouraging everyone he comes in contact with to live healthier lives and transform their overall health into a blessing, not a burden. Dr. Phil Carson knows how to help people get the most out of their life by working together with them to uncover the root cause of their health issues. Patients come to him with problems and leave with renewed hope that they can be healthy again. A practicing pharmacist in the Southeast, since 1985 he has not only consistently improved many patients quality of life, but also literally saved a few of them.

Does Eating Healthy Have to Take Bad?

Definitely not, make sure to try new foods and use spices to enhance the flavor of the food.

Drink Water

You should be drinking half of out body weight in water a day. You do not want to over hydrate either.

Exercise

This is extremely important. You can do some simple things such as desk exercises such as:

* Chair dips

* Squats

* Desk pushups

* Getting up and walking

We are too sedentary in our lives, we have to get moving and do something to get moving toward health. Walking alone is the first step. The most important thing you can do is just start. Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal. If you make a ButcherBox order for your family you will get $10 OFF your order and some Ribeyes (2 x 10oz). Sound good? Order Today!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a listener, please leave us a review as this helps other people find us too!

This week in the Dads Toolbox we are talking about making those close connections with your kids, and today’s episode is sponsored by our friends at BABYBJÖRN a great company that is focusing on just that, getting you to connect with your babies in special ways. Today, Don and I share some of our experiences with baby carriers.   BabyBjörn has an important mission – to develop good, functional and safe products for the littlest ones. They are creating products that allow parents to better connect with their kids and follow babies through their development all the way up to the age of three.

Don and I have had conversations with representatives from BabyBjörn and we have been continually impressed with the way that the company always is working to make everyday life easier for families with young children by developing innovative products for children up to the age of three years.

They also have a very cool #DADSTORIES campaign where they spoke to dads speaking straight from their hearts to create a #dadstories collection.

In the end it’s important to BabyBjörn, the Swedish family-owned company, that babies bond and have as much closeness with parents as possible. This is why BabyBjörn baby carriers have always been designed to fit both moms and dads. The ergonomic Baby Carrier One can be used from newborn to three years, with four carrying positions for optimal comfort for baby and parent.

* Read more about DadStories

* Read examples of #DadStories

* Product page (COTTON)

* Product page (MESH)

* BabyBjörn DadStories 2017 Campaign[1]

BABY CARRIER ONE 

* From the limited edition #DadStories Collection, our spring 2017 limited edition line – shades inspired by dads

* Ergonomic carrying with wide-leg position for baby

* Acknowledged as a hip-healthy baby carrier according to International Hip Dysplasia Institute

* 4-way front and back carrying incl. front-facing option

* Perfect from newborn to 3 years with a built-in infant position – no insert needed!

* Optimal carrying comfort, with sturdy waist belt and padded shoulder straps

BABYBJÖRN BACKGROUND:  BabyBjörn is a Swedish family-owned business started by Björn and Lillemor Jakobson in 1961. Our business concept was at the time, and still is: to make day-to-day life easier for families by developing safe and innovative products of the highest quality. BabyBjörn is celebrating 55 years of developing products for families with young babies, always with both mom and dad in mind. The importance of bonding and the closeness of both parents to their baby has always been a fundamental concept at BabyBjörn. Most of us who work here are parents, too. We are inspired by the idea that we are making a difference and helping families with small children in their everyday routines. We are curious, constantly see new opportunities and never compromise on our core values: safety, quality and design. Best known for our baby carriers, BABYBJÖRN has helped millions of families around the world safely and securely carry their young babies. In addition to our line of award-winning baby carriers, we also offer more than 20 products geared toward families, including bouncers, travel cribs, cradles, potty chairs, high chairs and kitchen products. To learn more about BABYBJÖRN products and history,

This week on the Dad Spotlight podcast we bring you Cliff Ravenscraft, of the Cliff Ravenscraft Show as well as being known as the Podcast Answer Man to talk to you about making changes to your life to put an emphasis on fitness. Cliff Ravenscraft has gone through a tremendous transformation within his life. Before he made substantive changes in his life he found that his weight was out of control, his blood pressure was too high, he was stressed and just not happy in his life. In 2009, he ended up in the hospital and the doctors stated that he had a high chance of not making it through the surgery, but he chose to have the surgery. This was a wake up call for him and he found that he needed to make changes.

He started to walk. He knew that he needed to do 10,000 steps. When he first started, he walked maybe 1000 steps and he felt that he was going to die. He started to look at his daily routines and found that the way that he was living, he was getting 270 steps a day in the work that he was doing. He set a goal for 2000 steps a day and increased this to 10,000 steps a day. He lost weight and started to find that he was able to hit goals that he wanted.

At one point he found that he hit a plateau. He was losing confidence and started to eat bad again and started to gain weight again. He would yo-yo on this journey and it took until 2014 for him to truly be able to get to a point where he could make some changes that really allowed him to move his life in the right direction. It took his mentors intervening to allow him to be able to make these changes.

He was told by a mentor to read: Fully Alive Book Younger Next Year He also was challenged to work out 6 days a week and to train for a triathlon in six months. At the point when we talked to Cliff Ravenscraft, he had been working out for six days a week for the past 19 months.

Cliff stated that it was a desire to change his identity, not motivation that allowed him to do this. He had to have the will power to go through this journey. With the eating habits that Cliff Ravenscraft and his wife had his kids were eating similar foods. They also were not exercising. In the past 19+ months, his family did not think at first that Cliff would be able to stay up with this. His wife was behind him and she even started to work out with him to be able to start changing her own identity too.

Will power is like a muscle, thus, everything that you do stretches this will power. You make choices all the time to push yourself further and to push your will power further too. Working out is a lifestyle habit and it takes will power to do this on a daily basis. People have started to follow Cliff Ravenscraft’s journey. He encourages people to tag their fitness journey with the same hashtag to provide encouragement to others.

Cliff Ravenscraft stated that there is s Podcastanswerman.com/fitness – allows you to follow Cliff Ravenscraft’s fitness journey Cliff Ravenscraft has continued to go beyond just working out to now include cycling long distances. Also, he has done additional races that have pushed him more than he ever thought that it would.

* Facebook

* Instagram

* Snapchat

* Twitter

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal.

This week on the Dad Spotlight podcast we are bringing you Ryan Wiesbrock, series creator of the new Buddy Thunderstruck series on Netflix. Buddy Thunderstruck is a brand-new stop-motion animation (from the talented crew behind ‘Robot Chicken’) television kids’ series. The series follows the adventures of this special semi-truck racing dog and his albino ferret mechanic, Darnell. Buddy’s the brashest, fastest race-truck driver you’ll ever see! Geared for ages 6-11, the show has humor and timing that will appeal to parents and older audiences too!

Ryan Wiesbrock stated that he works for American Greetings entertainment and it is through this compant that he has been able to create great entertainment in the past for such series’ like Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobby to name a few. Whenever his company comes up with something new they want to make sure that they come up with something unique and innovative. When his son was about to be born he wanted to create a show that he could watch with his own child. So he thought back to his own experiences watching

It took about a year and a half to create season one of Buddy Thunderstruck. It took a lot of time to create the scripts, the puppets, and more. This is almost more like live action as you have to shoot all of the same scenes at the same time. There was about 19-20 scenes in the studio for one segment.

Their brand is global, but they decided to keep production in the United States. They were excited to be able to work with Stupid Buddy Studios in the US to be able to bring the material and the creative side all together.

When he was a kid, Ryan Wiesbrock would watch cartoons with his own father. For his father to watch it had to be funny and have action. They would watch Looney Tunes, The Three Stooges, and as he got older it was movies with action like Smokey in the Bandit and Blues Brothers.

Ryan Wiesbrock has been working in animation for 20+ years, and from his past experiences he wanted to bring in a bit more humor with more of a Cartoon Network vibe.

When the series gets picks up season two, Ryan Wiesbrock is excited to continue to push the gauntlet and continue providing the fun from Season one, but also take some new chances too. He has a ton of ideas for new stories to come.

 

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal. If you make a ButcherBox order for your family you will get $10 OFF your order and some Ribeyes (2 x 10oz). Sound good? Order Today!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the podcast. Also, if you are on iTunes  and you are a list...

This week in the Dad Spotlight podcast we are bringing you Phil Morgese of the Dad Hair School. After separating from his wife, Phil Morgese was forced to learn new skills, like hairstyling, that defy gender roles for his daughter Emma. With a lot of patience and care, he finally mastered the art and recognized the need to pass along what he’d learned to other dads. Phil and Emma now regularly share their favorite styles, tips and tricks on their digitals series with parenting website Babble. Disney just recently launched a new episode of Dad Hair School featuring “Summer Hair Tips” from Phil Morgese (TODAY Show, CNN,

This week on the Dad Spotlight we have Jeff Bouwman, author of ‘Your Income, Your Life: How Modern Day Families Can Live Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy on Any Income.’ and the Blog: Your Income, Your Life.

Jeff Bouwman said that he has made all of the mistakes that families can make. For many years he made mistakes and did not want to admit this. As an accountant this was hard for him.

One of the biggest mistakes that we make with money is blaming others for the money issues that we have. If you can take a step back and look in the mirror and be honest about your own behaviors you can start to change things for the better. You may have to look beyond this into your own history to be able to unpack this for yourself.

Once you look at this, you will want to come up with money values. These money values will reflect your own values and will teach your kids a lot about you and your family too. Some ways to do this include

* Talk about what you will spend your money on before you spend it.

* Include everyone in your money conversations. This will teach your kids a lot about money and will demystify money for your kids as well.

* Reward yourself for progress.

As you talk about money, it opens up conversations about multiple areas. This can allow your marriage to thrive and survive and improve your relationship with your spouse and your kids.

Mentality that our kids deserve the best.

* This can be a dangerous thing to teach your kids as it can lead your kids to having greater anxiety. Providing your

We ask the wrong questions when it comes to money.

* How Can I vs Why can’t I questions

 

The book stems from Jeff’s own experiences as a man, father and more. He talks about his own career journey and his own spending. He found that he did not accumulate wealth and that he put in even more time to be able to keep up but was not getting ahead. He was feeling guilt and anxiety in his career and personal life and he explores this with his readers. He talked about making large changes by recognizing that the things that he really anted in his life were right in front of him. He now makes much less, but is making so much more in his life overall.

The book provides a methodology that looks at two areas:

* Separate the costs of your life from the income that you have coming in

* Why you should change and how?

* 3 levels of family finance

* Ways to accumulate and grow wealth

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal. If you make a ButcherBox order for your family you will get $10 OFF your order and some Ribeyes (2 x 10oz). Sound good? Order Today!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the most up-to-date happenings with the...

This week on the Dad Spotlight we are bringing you Benjamin Watson, tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, an ESPN and NFL Network commentator, a leading spokesman for All Pro Dad and NFL Father & Kids Experience, and the founder of One More, a foundation that helps to spread love and hope by meeting real needs, promoting education, and supporting local charities. Men like to have all the answers, so when it comes to first-time dads, it’s no surprise they have their fair share of anxiety about parenthood! NFL Super Bowl Champion Benjamin Watson found himself in the same boat when he and his wife were expecting their first child—unsure of how to emotionally support his pregnant wife, much less change a diaper or be a good father. He and his wife now have 5 children, all age 8 and under!   In his new book, The New Dad’s Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life (Baker Books, May 2017), Watson walks fathers through everything they need to know about parenthood, from pregnancy to childbirth to child-rearing.

About Benjamin Watson

Benjamin Watson is a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, an ESPN and NFL Network commentator, a leading spokesman for All Pro Dad and NFL Father & Kids Experience, and the founder of One More, a foundation that helps to spread love and hope by meeting real needs, promoting education, and supporting local charities. A finalist for Walter Payton Man of the Year, Watson is deeply engaged in the community through his work with the NFL, its organizations and his own, and he is one of the league’s most active members in both traditional and social media, with more than 300,000 Facebook fans.

He is the author of Under Our Skin and has appeared on “Dr. Phil,” “The Rachael Ray Show,” CNN, Fox News, and many more. USA Today has said that Watson “illustrates the power of the platform that many players possess, but few are prone to use to address social issues. He is a shining example of how to put resources that come from his status as an NFL player to good use.” He lives in Maryland with his wife, Kirsten, and their five kids.

In speaking with Benjamin Watson we loved hearing him talk about his five kids and how the family is the building block of our society. Two kids ago his wife said that he should write a playbook for new dads to help new dads to be better dads. In going through the process of writing he was able to share some great experiences that he has had as well as provide new dads with a true playbook with practical examples and advice for not only how to be a good dad, but also how to be a good husband and man.

Benjamin Watson stated that response to the book has been tremendous, people have shared their challenges and shared their feedback with him. Some of the people have said that even though they have multiple children that this guide has helped them reconnect their relationship with their significant other. Being a dad necessitates that you get out of your comfort zone. You need to get out of your comfort zone and do things that you may not want to do. To be a leader, you have to listen and not just be a fixer. This is especially important in your relationship with your significant other. Benjamin mentioned that you have to understand what are other people’s needs and be a servant to others. In the end being a dad and father is not about you but about both you and your significant other and the team that you are creating in your family.

Benjamin Watson has a lot going on both personally and professionally but through all of this he finds balance within his life. Balance to him is about being 100% in any role that you are playing. As he stated, “you can be 100% invested as a dad and 100% in your profession. The kids benefit from seeing dad connected to work but once home,

This week in the Dads  Toolbox we are having Trevor Crane, an entrepreneur, author, podcaster and speaker dedicated to helping you take your life and your business to the next level. Not only does he work to help entrepreneurs around the world re-design their businesses so they can have the time and money freedom they deserve, but he also has worked with her daughter, who is a nine time best selling author, to write the following books:

* The 3 Ninja Kitties: The Legend Begins

* Kitty Wars: The Revenge Of The 3 Ninja Kitties

* The 3 Ninja Kitties: Snowball And The Bullies

* The Adventures Of Ally And The Water Dragon

* The Magical Mermaid Saves The World

* The Magical Mermaid And The Poisoned Ice Cream

* You Can Write A Super Kids Book

* The Mirror: A Journey To Dimension 3.2

When Trevor was in his 20’s friends of his encouraged him to write a book about some of his travels. He would try and fail. He finally had a friend that had cancer and his friend wanted to leave a legacy, and his friend wrote a book. When he saw that his friend could write a book in this way, his barriers were lifted. He hired his friends as a mentor to teach him how to write a best selling book. He was inspired through these conversations and had a vision for what he wanted. He shared this vision with his wife and daughter and at first they did not know that they could do this. When his daughter was seven, he went to his daughter and said to her, “Honey, what are we going to write about” and she said “I want to write about the three ninja kitties.” This was a story based on their three cats. She started dictating the books on an iPhone, she got her book transcribed. The second book that she wrote became a best seller on her 8th birthday. At this time she said “I love Sta Wars” and she decided that the three ninja kitties would visit star wars. She said, she wanted to make a movie with this book. They did create a 20 minute video and you can see the full video by clicking here. As Trevor Crane mentioned “if your message matters, there is no better way to share your message than in writing a book.” You can write a book with your child too! Trevor Crane and his daughter developed a course that follows the same format that they have followed to create best selling books themselves. To find out more about this great resource, check out the Super Kids Books Website!   Trevor also shared an article that he wrote about what it means to have magnificent life. This was a powerful article where he shares some important take-aways from his life and is an article that we recommend that all of you read it too! Learn More!

* Trevor Crane’s Website

* Free Books from Trevor

* Super Kids Books

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before.

This week on the Dad Spotlight Podcast we are bringing you Brad Coleman of The Fatherhood Fraternity . Today we are talking to Brad Coleman about Legacy and what impact do you hope to have on this world?

Becoming a father in the last few years made him start thinking about legacy. When you have kids who you are helping will resonate into who your kids impact too. Thus, it is extremely important to show your kids about what it means to be a good human and a good leader.

Brad Coleman recently has noticed that his kids act and behave in ways that mimic things that he does. When it comes to acting more intentionally, Brad Coleman states that you need to be more mindful and training yourself to have more discipline in how you react to your kids. You also have to be present and aware of yourself to see yourself through an external perspective.

For his boys, Brad Coleman has started to explain to his kids the why for the things that we do instead of just saying do this because I said to do this. He finds that he is able to do this more as his son gets older. This is also important if you have multiple kids as your older child will then emulate and show their sibling how to do things and will treat them.

Brad Coleman said that he does not want his boys to grow up in a bubble. He wants his boys to see that there is a larger worldview and that they are privileged in the world that they live in. Some of this comes from a foundation in faith, but it also comes from conversations and actively participating in volunteer activities to show his kids the importance of giving back to others.

Through getting involved in these activities, he has had to start having some conversations with his boys about important topics of race, religion and difference. He has to think about what do you talk about when. You want to expose your kids at the right time, but there is a fine line and balance in this too. These conversations and actions help to form a worldview.

The Fatherhood Fraternity is a site that is not just about being a dad and not just about being a husband. The site is about being a man. There are many roles that we play as a man, and this site helps you regain your identity as a man. The best way to access the community and have some very candid conversations about maleness and fatherhood is to join the Facebook community.

Butcher Box is a company that gives you easy access to grass-fed beef, pork and chicken. Their goal is to make grass-fed beef, pork and chicken more accessible than ever before. We have tried this meat and it is simply amazing. Because of this we have partnered with them to offer you an amazing deal. If you make a ButcherBox order for your family you will get $10 OFF your order and some Ribeyes (2 x 10oz). Sound good? Order Today!

If you have not yet gotten your free guide: 15 Low Cost Ways To Engage With Your Kids – Pick it up today

As always, please swing by to visit us on iTunes and Stitcher to stay connected to the mo...