Dudes Without Dads Podcast

What do you do when your father gives you the keys to his brand new truck — and four days later takes his own life?

Cory was 30 years old, had just celebrated his birthday five days earlier, and had an 8-month-old daughter at home when his father died by suicide on May 15, 2010. In this raw and unforgettable episode, Joshua Brown sits down with his friend Cory for one of the most honest conversations the Dudes Without Dads podcast has ever had.

This isn't just a story about loss. It's a story about what happens to a son when his father was physically present his entire life — but never really there. And what it costs a man when that father disappears forever before the relationship could ever be repaired.

In this episode, Cory opens up about:

• Growing up with a dad who was in the house but emotionally absent
• Always feeling like a constant disappointment — even during baseball games his dad coached
• The moment he came home from a party to find out his dad had tried to take his life
• The lie that followed him for 15 years: "I'm not enough"
• How that lie showed up in his marriage, his fatherhood, and his pastoral ministry
• What his counselor finally told him that started to bring real healing
• Learning how to be a son to a Heavenly Father who loves you for who you are — not what you do
• The three roles every man needs: a spiritual father, brothers, and sons to pour into

This episode is for every man who lost his dad before the relationship was ever whole. It's for every man still trying to prove he's enough to someone who's no longer there. And it's for every man brave enough to finally name the pain out loud.

"Forgiveness is more for you than them. I had inner peace for the first time in my life. It's just Jesus — just Jesus."

🎙️ Subscribe to Dudes Without Dads → https://www.DudesWithoutDadsPodcast.com 📲 Join the Movement → https://www.dudeswithoutdads.com 👥 Apply to Be a Guest → https://www.DudesWithoutDadsPodcast.com

New episodes every Thursday. If this episode added value to your life — subscribe, share it, and get it into the hands of the man who needs it most.

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

What is a father wound? How do you heal it? And what does the Bible actually say a man is supposed to be?

In this episode, Joshua Brown sits down with Robert Lewis — founder of Men's Fraternity, author of the bestselling Raising a Modern Day Knight, and co-founder of BetterMan — for one of the most important conversations in the Dudes Without Dads catalog.

Robert has spent four decades in rooms full of men, opening the Bible and helping them figure out who they are. His work has reached over 5 million people across 80+ countries. And in this conversation, he brings all of it to five questions every man needs to answer.

You'll hear:

• A clear definition of the father wound — and why most men don't know they're carrying one
• How the wound hides as overperformance, anger, addiction, and depression
• The three-part blessing from Matthew 3:17 that every son needs to hear from his father
• What it looks like to "go get the blessing" from your dad — even now
• How to break the generational cycle and become the dad your kids need
• The Bible's four-pillar definition of manhood, straight from Genesis

Robert closes with a line that will stay with you: "You can't become what you can't define."

This episode is for the man who had a dad but grew up without one. It's for the dad who wants to do better but doesn't know how. And it's for every man who's ever wondered — what am I actually supposed to be?

🔗 Resources:

• BetterMan (free resources, videos, workbooks): https://www.betterman.com
• Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis: https://www.amazon.com
• Apply to be a guest: https://www.DudesWithoutDadsPodcast.com
• Dudes Without Dads: https://www.dudeswithoutdads.com

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, share, and help us get this conversation to the men who need it most.

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

What happens when broken men try to build healthy marriages?

In this powerful episode of Dudes Without Dads, Joshua Brown sits down with pastors, entrepreneurs, former gang members, ministry leaders, and restored husbands for an honest conversation about masculinity, marriage, emotional healing, fatherlessness, pride, insecurity, and spiritual leadership.

These men openly discuss the destructive behaviors, emotional immaturity, anger, and identity struggles they carried into marriage — and how the gospel transformed the way they lead, love, and serve their families today.

This episode speaks directly to men who are struggling with:

• anger in marriage
• emotional shutdown
• insecurity and pride
• communication problems
• father wounds
• spiritual leadership
• knowing how to love their wife well

From addiction and incarceration to restoration and redemption, this conversation reveals how Jesus rebuilds identity, covenant, leadership, and family from the inside out.

This isn’t fake perfection.
This is real discipleship.

If you’re searching for Christian marriage advice for men, biblical masculinity, emotional healing, or guidance on becoming a godly husband, this episode is for you.

“You can’t build a godly marriage with an unhealed identity.”

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

Some of the strongest men you'll ever meet didn't grow up strong — they grew up surviving.

Danny Spano grew up watching his Marine veteran father — a NASA engineer for Apollo 11 — come home from work in a rage. Locking himself in bedrooms in fear. Getting drop-kicked by the head of the hair. Watching his mother get beaten until he was big enough to step in and take the beatings himself. Visiting her in psychiatric wards after 16 electroshock treatments. Drinking and using drugs by age 11.

That set the stage for 31 years of drug and alcohol addiction — and a wreckage trail that should have killed him.

Then in 2005, his wife had a double-ruptured brain aneurysm. The surgeon — literally named Dr. Miracle — said he'd never seen anyone survive it. While she was in surgery, Danny was in the parking lot eating pills and smoking dope. The church wrapped around his family anyway.

What happened next is one of the most powerful redemption stories you'll hear: a Saturday baptism, a Sunday morning surrender on a shop floor, a knock at the door, a real estate call, and a Vanderbilt bill that should have buried his family. And then — slowly, faithfully — saying yes.

Today, Danny is a pastor at Long Hollow Church, a Celebrate Recovery leader, and a prison chaplain. He's trained over 2,200 pastors across Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. His goal? "To live longer for Jesus than I did for myself."

In this episode you'll hear:

• The generational trauma that started with his Italian grandfather slashing his grandmother's face
• Why his father refused to drink — and was still terrifying
• The night he beat his father unconscious at 14
• How anger became his drug of choice
• The double brain aneurysm that woke him up
• "You don't have to change to come to Christ. You come to Christ to change."
• Why forgiveness is more for you than for them
• The Rick Warren line that rewired his calling: "Out of your greatest mess will come your greatest ministry."
• His message to every dude without a dad

Episode Chapters: (00:00) The men who grew up surviving, not strong (02:00) Welcome to Dudes Without Dads — meet Danny (04:00) The Italian grandfather, the straight razor, the moment that shaped a family (07:00) Hearing him screaming before the car door opened (11:00) "Mama's intestines were falling out" — a 13-year-old's hospital run (13:00) Sister, weed at 11, and the start of 31 years (17:00) The night Danny beat his father unconscious (20:00) Anger as the drug that hurt nothing could touch (28:00) The double brain aneurysm and Dr. Miracle (34:00) "I came to Christ just as I was — pills, beer, and all" (40:00) The shop floor surrender (44:00) The 12 steps, the deeper inventory, and forgiving his father (50:00) Saying yes — prison, Haiti, ordination, pastorate (1:05:00) Forgiveness is for you (1:10:00) Verbal abuse, the wife who stayed, and breaking the cycle (1:20:00) "Hope has a name. It's Jesus." (1:30:00) Final word: out of your greatest mess comes your greatest ministry

Resources & Links:

• Find a Celebrate Recovery near you: celebraterecovery.com
• Apply to be a guest: https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com
• Subscribe so you never miss a Thursday drop

About the Show: Dudes Without Dads is the podcast that trains men how to become the dads they never had. Hosted by Joshua Brown — the Pressure Washing Pastor — every Thursday we sit down with men who have walked through father wounds, addiction, identity struggles, and brokenness, and come out on the other side as the kind of fathers their kids actually need.

If this episode hit you, do three things: subscribe, leave a review, and send it to a brother who needs to hear it. That's how generational curses

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

Most men aren't broken because they don't try hard enough — they're worn out trying to prove a worth that was never theirs to earn.

In this conversation, Joshua Brown sits down with Eric Manly (founder of The Intentional Dad) to unpack the core lie that quietly wrecks men, marriages, and fatherhood: "My worth is something I have to prove."

This isn't another how-to episode. It's an invitation to stop performing and start being fathered — by God first, so you can father your kids from overflow instead of from emptiness.

Whether you grew up without a dad, had a father who couldn't give what he didn't have, or you're a man doing all the right things but still feel disconnected on the inside — this conversation is for you.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The core lie every man carries into manhood, marriage, and fatherhood
• Why father wounds form even in "good" homes
• The 4 questions every human heart is asking — and where to actually find the answer
• What the "sacred gap" is and why it's the doorway to real healing
• Why pain is sacred, not a curse
• How to be faithful in suffering without faking it (Pollyanna theology will wreck you)
• Why your kids don't need a perfect dad — they need a fathered one

Episode Chapters: (00:00) Why so many men feel disconnected even when life looks good (01:15) Welcome back to Dudes Without Dads (02:30) The core lie: "My worth is something I have to prove" (05:45) Fatherlessness as a generational, biblical pattern (07:30) The 4 questions every heart is asking: Do you see me? Hear me? Know me? Understand me? (11:00) Living "for" people instead of "from" them (13:00) Lessons from The Way of the Shepherd (17:00) Crossing the "sacred gap" — the bridge between desire and freedom (19:30) Why comfort culture is sabotaging your healing (22:00) Edging God out as the author of our story (25:00) Faithfulness vs. Pollyanna theology (27:30) "Come as you are" — God has room for the ugly (30:00) As I father you, so you father your children (32:30) Practical challenge: stop chasing perfect, start being fathered (35:00) Your pain is sacred, not a curse (38:00) The Comforter is closer than you think (John 14) (40:00) How to connect with Eric Manly

Resources & Links:

• Connect with Eric Manly: https://www.theintentionaldad.org
• Apply to be a guest on the show: https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com
• Subscribe so you never miss a Thursday drop

About the Show: Dudes Without Dads is the podcast that trains men how to become the dads they never had. Hosted by Joshua Brown — the Pressure Washing Pastor — every Thursday we sit down with men who have walked through father wounds, addiction, identity struggles, and brokenness… and come out on the other side as the kind of fathers their kids actually need.

If this episode added value, do three things: hit subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a brother who needs to hear it. That's how generational curses get broken.

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

When Mark Koch"s father died at 26, he lost his moral compass. Without that anchor, everything spiraled into chaos.

As a Hollywood producer, Mark achieved the dream — million-dollar deals, Lost in Space, a film that knocked Titanic out of first place. On the outside: success. On the inside: a double life fueled by cocaine, alcohol, and constant fear of exposure.

This episode reveals what happens to a man when he loses his father in his most formative years without anyone to hold him accountable. The father wound doesn't just leave a void — it drives destructive behavior patterns that ripple through every relationship and decision.

Mark's story is essential listening for any man struggling with fatherlessness, addiction, success that feels empty, or the shame of living a double life. His journey from rock bottom to purpose shows what redemption looks like when you finally get honest about your wound.

**This is for the man who has everything and feels nothing.**

**Join the movement. Become the dad you never had.**

**Visit:** dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

**Guest:** Mark Cook, Hollywood Producer & Author of The First Hour

**Topics:** Fatherlessness, Father Wound, Addiction Recovery, Hollywood, Purpose, Double Life, Men's Discipleship

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

The affair happened. Now what?

Five men sat down to answer that question — not with polished answers, but from the wreckage of real decisions that almost cost them everything. This is a roundtable conversation with men who caused betrayal, survived it, and came out the other side with something hard and honest to say about it.

Antoine, Curtis, Gabriel, Mike, and Cody talked about what actually goes on inside a man's mind when he is destroying something he loves. They talked about the lie that feels completely rational in the middle of a destructive decision. They talked about what betrayal does to a person's identity — and what it actually looks like when a man stops making excuses and decides to own everything no matter the cost.

One man's brother was murdered. He talks about what that did to him and how he survived it.

If you are on the other side of an affair right now — whether you caused it or lived through it — this conversation was made for you.

What this episode covers: — Why men risk everything they love for something that doesn't last — The lie that feels true when you are in the middle of making a destructive decision — What betrayal does to a man's sense of identity — What real accountability looks like when a man decides he does not care what it costs — Why your lowest point is often right before everything changes — What it looks like to stop running and face what you have done

Dudes Without Dads is the podcast for men who grew up without a strong father — and who refuse to pass that wound to the next generation. New episodes every Thursday.

🌐 dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

Most men in America are still fatherless on the inside.
 And most won’t do the one thing that could change it.

This is a raw, unfiltered conversation with Brian Doyle (Iron Sharpens Iron) about why men stay stuck—and why showing up to a men’s conference might be the turning point.

If you’ve ever wondered:
 Do I really need a men’s conference?
 Is this just another church event?
 Why would I give up a Saturday?

This episode answers it straight.

Iron Sharpens Iron is NOT a rally.
 It’s NOT a feel-good event.
 It’s training for men who know they’re not where they need to be.

Most men:

•  Had absent, passive, or emotionally unavailable fathers 
•  Were never trained to lead, fight, or build 
•  Are now trying to wing it as husbands, dads, and men 

You don’t have a discipline problem.
 You have a father wound.

And if you don’t deal with it… you pass it on.

This conversation walks through the real path:

De-Formed – Wounded by what we didn’t get from our fathers
 Re-Formed – Meeting the Father we never had
 Con-Formed – Becoming the man God designed daily
 Trans-Formed – Leading your family, not just existing in it

This is not Sunday teaching. This is Saturday training.

You’ll get:

•  Real conversations about lust, anger, money, and pressure 
•  Training on marriage, fatherhood, and leadership 
•  Tools you can take home THAT DAY 
•  Brotherhood that actually sharpens you 

As Brian said:
 “Most men aren’t broken… they’re just dull.”

EVENT DETAILS

Iron Sharpens Iron – Indianapolis Area
 Saturday
 8:30 AM – 2:55 PM

Register here:
 https://ironsharpensiron.net

(Also happening nationwide—search your city)

This is for:

•  The dad who knows he’s coasting 
•  The husband who feels disconnected 
•  The man hiding behind work, distraction, or porn 
•  The guy who says “I’m fine” but knows he’s not 

You don’t need another podcast.
 You need a moment that marks you.

This Saturday could be that moment.

CALL TO ACTION

Subscribe to Dudes Without Dads on YouTube
 Join the brotherhood in our Mighty Networks community
 And most importantly… SHOW UP

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

What does it look like to trust God completely when everyone around you says stay put? Nick had 17 years with the United States Postal Service, a postmaster position in Gatlinburg Tennessee, full retirement benefits, and a large family counting on every dollar. He also had a calling he could not ignore.

When the COVID vaccine mandate threatened his job, Nick faced the decision that would define his family’s future — stay comfortable or go all in on God. He went all in. In this episode Nick sits down with Joshua Brown to talk about the leap of faith that changed everything, how Dave Ramsey helped his family pay off $84,000 in consumer debt in just 18 months, what it looks like to build a real estate business in 13 states while homeschooling nine children, and why your health is directly connected to your ability to lead the people you love. He also shares the one challenge he would give to any man who never had a father showing him the way.

In this episode:
— Why a federal postmaster with 17 years walked away from a safe government job
— How Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University changed their family’s financial life
— What it looks like to take a leap of faith with a large family depending on you
— The five pillars every man needs and why most men get the order exactly wrong
— Why health is directly connected to a man’s ability to lead his home
— His one challenge to every fatherless man who does not know where to begin
Resources mentioned:
— Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University — ramseysolutions.com
— NeoLife Supplements — neolife.com/funlife
— Nick on Instagram — @nickaverylove
— dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com — Apply to be a guest

Connect with Dudes Without Dads:
🎙️ New episodes every Thursday
🌐 dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com
📲 Follow on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok & Facebook

Dudes Without Dads is the podcast that trains men to become the dads they never had. If this episode added value to your life please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a man who needs it.

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence

What does a man do when he has been in charge of his own life and made a complete mess of it? For "Goose," a 20-year Air Force navigator, the answer involved infidelity, depression, and becoming a man he didn't recognize. On January 1st, 2015, he surrendered everything to God — and that moment started a process that eventually led him to build one of the most powerful men's movements in the country.

In this episode, Joshua Brown sits down with Goose, founder of Men's Alliance, to talk about what it actually takes to pull a man out of isolation and into brotherhood. Men's Alliance is not a Bible study. It's not a workout group. It's a band of brothers who meet outdoors, train hard, gather around a fire, and do what most men never do anywhere — tell the truth about what's actually going on in their lives.

Goose shares some of the most powerful nights he has witnessed around that fire — a veteran whose wife just left, a father who showed up days after losing his son, and a man who confessed he was thinking about killing the person who attacked his daughter. These are the conversations that happen when men stop isolating and start being real. This episode is for every man who is white-knuckling life alone, struggling in his marriage, or slowly descending without realizing it — and needs a band of brothers before it's too late.

In this episode: — Why a decorated Air Force veteran made every bad choice a married man could make — What radical honesty inside a men's group does that church small groups rarely accomplish — Why isolation is the enemy's most effective weapon against men — The aviation principle that explains why so many men are headed for a crash — What is at stake for your kids if you stay on the sideline another year — How to find or start a Men's Alliance tribe near you for free

Resources mentioned: — mensalliancetribe.com — Find or start a tribe near you — Carry The Fire discipleship training — rolling out nationwide in 2026 — James 1:5 — If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God — dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com — Apply to be a guest

Connect with Dudes Without Dads: 🎙️ New episodes every Thursday 🌐 dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com 📲 Follow on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok & Facebook

Dudes Without Dads is the podcast that trains men to become the dads they never had. If this episode added value to your life, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a man who needs it.

fatherhood, father wound, sonship, men's ministry, christian men, healing, identity, intentional fatherhood, dudes without dads, joshua brown, eric manly, the intentional dad, generational curses, masculinity, christian podcast, faith and fatherhood, becoming a better dad, father absence