Dudes Without Dads Podcast

What happens when success, money, and achievement still leave you empty?

In this powerful episode of Dudes Without Dads, Mike Wiggin shares his raw journey through father wounds, addiction, anger, and performance-based identity—and how grace completely transformed his life, faith, and fatherhood.

Mike opens up about growing up with a performance-driven father, spiraling into drugs and rebellion, and the moment he realized he was becoming the very dad he never wanted to be. Through surrender, repentance, and grace, he learned how to break generational cycles and raise his sons differently.

In this episode, we cover:

• How father wounds shape anger and identity
• Why performance-based love leads to addiction and burnout
• The difference between punishment and godly discipline
• How grace changes the way we parent
• What true surrender to Jesus really looks like
• Breaking generational curses as a man and a father

If you’re struggling with anger, identity, or becoming the dad you never had, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

👉 Subscribe for weekly episodes helping men become the dads they never had
 👉 Apply to be a guest: https://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

Father wounds don’t just live in your mind—they live in your body.

In this powerful conversation, Joshua Brown sits down with Justin Early, author of The Body Teaches the Soul, to unpack how absent, distracted, or destructive fathers shape men’s mental health, habits, addictions, and even physical responses like anxiety, anger, and shutdown.

Justin explains why information alone doesn’t heal men—and how embodied practices like sleep, food, exercise, male friendship, and lament are essential for breaking generational cycles and becoming the dad you never had.

This episode is especially for men who feel:

• Spiritually saved but emotionally disconnected
• Stuck in anxiety, addiction, or shame
• Like they’re “half alive” and don’t know why

Healing doesn’t start in your head alone. It starts in your body.

🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why father wounds are stored in the body, not just the mind
• How habits shape your heart more than intentions
• The connection between mental health, addiction, and embodiment
• Why ignoring your body keeps men spiritually stuck
• How male friendship and physical presence restore safety
• What biblical lament is—and how it heals anger and grief
• How to break generational patterns and model wholeness for your kids

📘 Featured Resource

📖 The Body Teaches the Soul: How to Build Habits That Shape Your Head and Your Heart
By Justin Early

(Bible Study Guide + Streaming Video available)

🎧 About Dudes Without Dads

Dudes Without Dads exists to help men heal father wounds, break generational cycles, and become the dads they never had. Every episode offers real conversations, practical tools, and hope for men who want a different legacy.

👉 Apply to share your story: https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

👉 Subscribe & follow for weekly episodes
👉 Share this episode with a man who needs it

🕒 Chapters / Timestamps (YouTube)

00:00 Intro – Father Wounds & the Body
 02:00 Justin’s Mental Health Collapse
 05:00 Why Habits Shape the Heart
 07:30 Why God Cares About Bodies
 10:30 Father Wounds, Addiction & Anxiety
 14:00 Can You Be Spiritually Healthy but Physically Unhealthy?
 17:30 Eating as an Act of Worship
 21:00 Lower Brain vs Upper Brain
 27:00 The Healing Power of Male Friendship
 34:00 What Is Biblical Lament?
 38:00 Hope for the Man Who Feels Half Alive

📌 Pinned Comment (YouTube)

Start here → 21:00 (Why father wounds live in the body)

Key moments:

• 05:00 Habits shape your heart
• 14:00 Spiritual health & the body
• 27:00 Why men need male friendship
• 34:00 Lament explained
• 38:00 Hope for men who feel stuck

👉 Apply to share your story: https://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

This episode explores God’s original design for family, why modern Western culture broke it, and how men without father figures can rebuild strong, multi-generational legacies. Jeremy Pryor shares biblical first principles, practical rhythms like weekly family meals, and a compelling vision for family discipleship.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the modern Western idea of family is historically broken
• The biblical purpose of family from Genesis
• How hyper-individualism destroys fathers and communities
• Why men need identity clarity before leadership
• The power of weekly multi-generational family meals
• How to rebuild legacy even if you never had a dad
• What practical steps dads can take starting today

What if the family model you grew up with was never God’s design? In this episode, Jeremy Pryor explains why modern culture broke family—and how men can rebuild legacy even without a dad.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Western individualism is crushing families
• The 5-part biblical mission of family from Genesis
• How weekly family meals rebuild identity and legacy
• Why men must stop finding identity in work
• Practical steps to disciple your kids at home

Links & CTAs:
➡️ Apply to be a guest: https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

➡️ Learn more about Family Teams: https://familyteams.com

➡️ Subscribe for weekly episodes helping men become the dads they never had

#familydiscipleship #biblicalfatherhood #dudeswithoutdads

⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro – Why Family Is Broken
• 02:00 What Went Wrong With Family
• 06:00 Western Culture vs Biblical Design
• 10:00 God’s Original Purpose for Family
• 15:00 Why Individualism Destroys Meaning
• 20:00 Vision for a Biblical Family Legacy
• 25:00 What Dads Must Stop Doing
• 30:00 One Habit That Changes Everything (Family Meals)
• 37:00 Why the Church Lost This Practice
• 45:00 Rapid-Fire Dad Questions
• 52:00 Family Teams & Building Legacy

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

A candid roundtable discussion on demonic warfare, forgiveness, and spiritual authority. Spiritual warfare is real—and unforgiveness can keep you trapped. In this Dudes Without Dads roundtable, we unpack Luke 11, deliverance, and why demons “return” when a life is swept clean but not filled with the Holy Spirit.

In this episode:

• Luke 11: where demons go “seeking rest”
• Real stories: prison, overdose, church hurt, missions
• Forgiveness, repentance, and closing spiritual doors
• Prayer as the battle plan for dads who want freedom

Next steps
✅ Subscribe for weekly episodes (Every Thursday)
✅ Share this with a brother who needs it
✅ Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest:

Guest Application: dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

#forgiveness #spiritualwarfare #christianmen

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Intro: “He’s stronger than you… but God moves the pieces”
 00:01 The question: Where do demons go? (Luke 11)
 00:02 Jason’s story: salvation, unforgiveness, spiral
 00:05 “Swept clean” without the Holy Spirit (religion vs. renewal)
 00:06 Exorcism story: spirit returns with more
 00:08 Prison testimony: JD, mercy, then the warning
 00:09 Subscribe break: mission of Dudes Without Dads
 00:11 Years later: JD returns in chains—“I didn’t go to church…”
 00:14 Tim’s story: prayer, deliverance, power of Jesus’ name
 00:17 Sweden: “don’t get trapped in the veneer”
 00:22 Night attacks/sleep paralysis + the occult doorways
 00:27 Repentance, discipleship, and why we “toss people to wolves”
 00:28 Missions story: witchcraft mountain + downstream anxiety
 00:35 “The world lies in the sway of the wicked one”
 00:41 Forgiveness: the artery blockage / revival of prayer & forgiveness
 00:43 Prayer that stopped revenge and saved a future
 00:48 Final question: forgiving others + forgiving yourself
 00:50 Practical forgiveness: speak it out loud, start with Jesus
 00:56 Forgiveness & justice: release them to the Judge
 00:59 Church hurt story: forgiveness as a process
 01:03 Closing prayer (Ephesians)
 01:06 Guest invite: share your story

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 do you do when your dad is drunk, absent, and ruins your childhood—then you grow up and realize you’re becoming just like him?

In this raw conversation, Joshua Brown sits down with Gary Wilber to talk about growing up with an alcoholic father, the rage and embarrassment he carried for years, and the spiritual wake-up call that turned him from workaholic provider into a present, intentional dad. If you’re wrestling with father wounds, forgiveness, or feeling exhausted as a dad, this one is for you.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How growing up with an alcoholic dad shaped Gary’s childhood and identity
• The rock-bottom moment when his father embarrassed him in front of his friends
• Why his mom stayed in a hard marriage—and what Gary learned from her loyalty
• How Gary realized he was repeating his dad’s pattern through workaholism
• The men’s retreat that “slapped him awake” and changed his fatherhood forever
• What forgiveness really is (and why it’s more for you than for your dad)
• Practical advice for worn-out dads who have nothing left in the tank after work
• Simple spiritual habits to lead your family and keep your eyes on Jesus

👊 Ready to become the dad you never had?

 🔗 Learn more about Dudes Without Dads: https://www.dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/

If this helped you, share it with a man who needs to hear he’s not alone.

#DudesWithoutDads #ChristianMen #Fatherhood

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Cold open: “My dad was an alcoholic…”
 00:55 – Welcome to Dudes Without Dads + intro to Gary
 01:30 – Youngest of six: growing up with a weekend drunk dad
 02:20 – “Dad, will you play catch?” and the pain of broken promises
 03:10 – An always-driving mom and a house full of yelling
 03:55 – Escaping home through sports, student council, and busyness
 04:35 – Mom’s loyalty, marriage vows, and why she never left
 06:00 – Should you stay or leave a hard marriage? Gary’s perspective
 07:10 – From alcoholic dad to workaholic son: repeating the pattern
 08:10 – The spiritual “slap” that woke Gary up as a father
 09:30 – Want to share your story on Dudes Without Dads? (host CTA)
 10:35 – Teen years: no dad to ask about manhood, porn, and wrong turns
 11:40 – Meeting his wife’s steady farmer dad and learning real manhood
 12:50 – A teacher speaks leadership into him: “You’ll be president one day”
 14:00 – Leadership, mentors, and deciding who you want to become
 14:45 – Rock-bottom embarrassment: dad yelling at his friends in high school
 16:00 – “I refused to forgive him… until my wife called me out”
 17:10 – Telling his dad “I forgive you” before he died
 18:05 – The heart healing that came with forgiveness
 19:00 – Realizing his kids would remember him like he remembered his dad
 20:30 – Mid-episode giving + support invitation from Joshua
 21:40 – Selling the business and becoming a more present dad
 22:30 – Coaching, choir concerts, football games, and just being there
 23:15 – What is Cursillo? Gary explains the retreat that changed him
 24:20 – Why men need time, space, and silence with God
 25:20 – Exhausted dads of toddlers: “Your job starts when you get home”
 26:10 – It’s not 50/50—it’s 100/100 in marriage
 27:20 – Sex, serving your wife, and showing up at home
 28:15 – Men as spiritual leaders and the cost of absent fathers
 29:15 – Simple habits: Bible, prayer, and small daily faith steps
 31:10 – Depending on God when you have nothing left

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 a boy grows up fatherless, afraid, and surrounded by violence — and then God interrupts his story?

This is Christian Rasmussen’s raw and unfiltered testimony of healing, identity, and manhood restored.

In This Podcast:

• Growing up in chaos without a father
• Abuse, poverty, fear & generational brokenness
• The moment God showed up
• How Christian learned to walk as a man of integrity
• Breaking cycles for his future family
• The gospel in the simplest possible form
• Real hope for every man who grew up without a dad

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

Gabriel Neves grew up with an alcoholic, abusive stepdad, ran with gangs, and hit rock bottom facing a life sentence in prison—until Jesus met him in a jail cell and rewrote his story. In this episode of Dudes Without Dads, he shares how God broke addiction, healed father wounds, restored his relationship with his dad, and turned him into a husband, father, and pastor.

What You’ll Learn:

• How growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father shaped Gabriel’s view of manhood and identity.
• The moment gang life, drugs, and violence led him to a near life sentence in prison.
• How a simple, persistent gospel witness (and a Bible in jail) sparked a radical heart transformation.
• The difference between condemnation and conviction—and how to hear God’s voice over shame.
• How God restored his relationship with the man who once terrorized his home.
• Practical advice for dads who never had a dad and feel terrified of repeating the cycle.
• Why healing from father wounds is possible through Jesus, community, and honest repentance.

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 a fatherless boy meets pornography at eight years old, grows up angry, addicted, and suicidal—then hears a stranger say, “The heavens are open over you, God has called you to ministry”?

In this vulnerable conversation, Seth Watkins shares his journey from fatherlessness, porn addiction, and depression to freedom in Jesus, healing from abandonment, and a new legacy as a husband, soon-to-be dad, and minister of the gospel.

You’ll hear about:

• Growing up without a dad and feeling like “a menace to society”
• How early porn exposure created cycles of shame, lust, and loneliness
• Homelessness, anger, and the social anxiety porn produced in his life
• The rock-bottom moment when he considered ending it all
• The phone call and church encounter that literally saved his life
• How a prophetic word unlocked his calling into ministry
• Practical tools Seth still uses: accountability, software, community, and counseling
• How he plans to father differently and break generational curses

🔗 Links & Next Steps

• 🌐 Learn more about Dudes Without Dads: https://www.dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/
• 📩 Share Your Story or Apply to Be a Guest: https://www.dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/contact/

If this episode encouraged you, send it to a man who grew up without a dad. We’re breaking chains together.

#dudeswithoutdads #fatherless #christianmen

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 five men who grew up without fathers sit down to talk about forgiveness, healing, and becoming the dads they never had? You get one of the most powerful conversations we've ever recorded.

In this roundtable episode, you'll hear:

Antjuan's Story: Growing up in North Tulsa without a father, finding mentorship through a basketball coach, and discovering that community starts with the family.

Gabriel's Journey: From seeking validation in gang life to finding true identity and forgiveness in a prison cell. His story will challenge everything you think about redemption.

Curtis's Testimony: Adopted as a baby, he shares how his earthly father's unconditional love became a picture of God's adoption—and how he forgave his biological father after years of silence.

Coty's Breaking Point: The moment he confessed his addiction to his wife and experienced Christ's love through her grace: "It's not me against you—it's you and me against whatever this is."

The Power of Forgiveness: Curtis shares the heartbreaking story of his brother's murder and how God led him to forgive—not just others, but himself.

Key Insights:

• Why mentorship is the most critical investment for fatherless men
• How gang members become surrogate fathers in the absence of real ones
• The moment each man experienced personal forgiveness that changed everything
• Why forgiveness is the foundation of becoming the dad you never had
• How God shows up as Father when earthly fathers fail

This Episode is For You If:

• You grew up without a father and don't know where to start
• You're struggling to forgive someone who hurt you deeply
• You're a young dad trying to figure it out without a model
• You feel disqualified from God's love because of your past
• You want to break generational cycles but don't know how

Important Reminder: Nothing disqualifies you from God's love. Your past doesn't define your future. You can become the dad you never had.

Guest Invitation: Gabriel closes with a powerful invitation—if you've believed the lie that God doesn't love people like you, this episode is for you.

• Coaching / Speaking → https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/coaching

• Support the mission → https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com/give

• Subscribe → https://dudeswithoutdadspodcast.buzzsprout.com

• Connect with BetterMan → https://betterman.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

If you grew up without a dad—or with one who was distracted or destructive—this episode will hit home. Chris Harper from BetterMan joins Joshua Brown to talk about what happens when a man finally finds clarity, community, and calling.

Chris shares his story of chasing everything that didn’t satisfy, how God rebuilt him, and why the 4 W’s of manhood (Word, Woman, Work, World) are changing families across the country.

In This Episode:

• How father wounds shape your faith and identity
• Why holiness is the new happiness
• The 11-week path to biblical manhood
• The #1 reason men need other men
• How to bless your kids—starting today

Links:
• Learn more at dudeswithoutdadspodcast.com

• Join a BetterMan group → betterman.com

• Subscribe for more conversations that grow godly men

Keywords: father wounds, biblical manhood, BetterMan, discipleship, fatherhood, christian men, masculinity

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