Bonus #001 - I asked the following question on Facebook, "Do you agree with this statement: "In order to grow you have to experience pain.'?”

I was amazed at the amount of responses I got from this question but even more at the insightful answers from a variety of people. In this bonus episode I respond to the comments and dig into them a little deeper. 

I can't believe that the first season of DADTalks has come to a conclusion.

Here's what I learned from Season #1:

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened!

#007 - In the first interview on DADTalks, JT talks to long-time friend and mentor, Toby McCarter. Toby and JT talk about growing up without a father present and the impact this has on a young man. The two also share some laughs from the crazy days of Toby's childhood as well as some insights on fatherhood. 

#006 - I think a lot of us dads live passively because we didn’t have a high standard set by our dads. Not saying all of our dads were bums but some our parents had the mindset of; you got the basics met, what more could you possibly need?

What if we lived with a different mindset? What if instead of just meeting the basic needs, we actively shaped the story our kids will tell their kids when we are gone?

#005 - Part of our job as dad’s is to leave a legacy. Or I should say we leave a legacy regardless, so it’s up to us whether that legacy is good or bad. So how do we work on legacy especially if we have been handed down a not so great legacy or we feel like we are failing at the moment?

In this episode, I try to answer the question, “What is legacy?” and how we can begin to lay a foundation for our kids to build their lives upon. 

#004  - I have come to believe, you have to break down all the walls and get back to a solid foundation before you can rebuild. It will never work to simply paint or remodel all the while you have a faulty foundation.

God had to break me so I would give up my pride and control and this false idea we men have, “I have it all together. I don’t need help.”

If I am defined by my past then there is no future for me. There’s no hope.

If the past defines who I am, then what’s the point?

There is no redemption then. No second chance.

We can either shame ourselves into inaction for failing or accept that we have failed and decide to take action and learn from it.

#003 What are your wounds? How do you even discover them? We as dads have to get healthy first so we can take care of our kids. In this episode, we talk about how to recognize our wounds and how to begin to heal from them. 

#002 Anybody else ever ask yourself, "Why do I act this way? Or where did that come from?" This is the idea of "legacy burden" which I will be discussing over the next several episodes starting by sharing my own personal legacy in Episode 2.

#001 Since this is a podcast all about dads, it only makes sense that we first come up with a definition for who or what is a dad. We can't get better at being dads if we don't even know what we are aiming for. We talk about how a dad is like a coach. 

“You have heard of Ted Talks, right? Well these are DadTalks. Unlike TedTalks where experts talk about how they have it all figured out, well these ain't that. DadTalks are just one dad talking about the issues dads face and how to respond to them so they can better love and lead their own kids.

Introducing the DadTalks podcast from JT Zahradnik, a dad trying to figure out what it means to be a dad, looking to help other and encourage other men in their roles as a dad. 

In this introductory episode, JT shares the heart behind DadTalks and what he hopes to accomplish with this podcast.