Growth-Driven Dad is a podcast designed to empower men to grow and improve as fathers and humans. We celebrate who we are and believe we’re good enough but also accept the challenge of personal growth as a way of enhancing our impact on those we love and care for.

We are Growth-Driven Dads. Each show will delve into some or all of the following topics:

• *A big story important to all of us seeking growth as fathers
• *A big idea to get your mind moving in a growth-driven direction
• *Thoughts, lessons-learned, and other witty remarks with a Growth-Driven tilt on: Parenting, Relationships, Fitness & Diet, and Finance
• *A deep dive into goal-setting & productivity [hey, we’re all trying to grow here, right?]
• *A hilarious dad joke because dad jokes are hilarious
• *Product(s) I love and think you’ll like, too
• *Recommendations to good reads I think fellow Growth-Driven Dads will get value from
• *A call-to-action. Think of this newsletter as your adorable, little accountability partner.

The best news? It's all free. You just gotta listen. Who the hell am I? Great question!

I’m Ben Larsen. I’m the founder and publisher of the First Time Father Project and host of the Dad Stories podcast. A former sportswriter turned content marketer turned website designer and developer turned marketing executive working on a few side projects, including a SaaS product, I'm good with the words. I’m also growth-driven Dad.

The First Time Father Project launched in 2013 and it’s always served as a great place for thoughtful takes on fatherhood. With this podcast, I’m excited to sharpen the focus and reach likeminded men exactly where they are and want to be.

Lift is tough. Let's simplify.

As Dads, we've got a lot on our plate. And, that doesn't even take into affect the personal growth-driven journeys we're all on. Whether you're seeking growth around a side hustle or business, weight loss and fitness, finance, or something special to you, it's easy to complicate unnecessarily. Today, we talk about the importance of simplicity and actually being OK with it.

Today on the show, Larry Hagner. He’s the founder of the Good Dad Project, a website, community, and movement near and dear to my heart — dedicated to moving fatherhood forward. Larry hosts the Dad Edge Podcast and is the creator and leader of the Dad Edge Alliance — a mastermind of likeminded fathers seeking to improve themselves as fathers, partners, and men. 

In this episode of “Dad Stories”, Larry shares with us:  

• His own experiences growing up without his father in the house 
• How those experiences have shaped him as a father, husband, and man 
• How having a growth-driven mindset is foundational to raising children 
• Why he looks at every decision as a Dad as a life and death(bed) decision 
• The one lesson that’s stuck with him since he started hosting his podcast 

[Producer’s note: This podcast was originally published in January 2016. It’s an important one though, so we’re re-airing it and will be recording an updated episode with Kyle in the very near future. Thanks, as always, for listening.] 

If I’m being completely honest, the story you’re about to hear is why this podcast exists. 

I am beyond excited to introduce you to Kyle Belanger and his very own Dad Story. 

As you’ll hear from him, Kyle is the father of three children — one deceased, one adopted, and one biological. The turn of tragic and incredible events that make up Kyle’s Dad Story are — simply incredible.  

Kyle, of course, co-founded the First Time Father Project with me and remains an extremely thoughtful contributor when his Dad duties allow him time. Of course, he’s also a great friend. I’m honored to share with you this rebroadcast of Kyle Belanger and his Dad Story. 

Today on the show, Evan Nimke. He’s the creator and curator of Viral Dads, an Instagram handle he made in September 2019 to help celebrate the hilarious and heartwarming things Dads are doing these days. He’s also a stay-at-home Dad and beyond proud of that fact. 

Serving as stay-at-home parent for two boys ages 5 and 4 sure has had its challenges — and Evan walks us through those, along with the circumstances that led him to take this all-important role. But it also has offered successes beyond Evan’s wildest imagination. 

With his boys a bit older now, Evan’s made the most of his “extra” time by authoring a children’s book, launching an apparel brand with his wife promoting kindness and compassion, and, of course, growing Viral Dads.  

Without any further adieu, here’s Evan Nimke and his Dad Story. 

Today on the show, a good friend of mine. I’m super excited to share with you Rob Levesque’s Dad Story. 

Rob is the father of three — girls — aging 10, 13, and 14. As the father of two daughters myself, I’ve bonded with Rob a bit over the trials and tribulations that come with being a “girl dad.” He’s smack dab in the early stage of the “teenage” years and shares his experiences — good, bad, or indifferent — with me often. Today on the show, he shares them with you.  

Rob's also a successful business owner. He shares with us the mindset he’s had in trying to balance family and business over the years — and how that mindset has evolved with his family’s trajectory. 

[Producer’s note: This podcast was originally published in 2016. It’s a good one though, so we’re re-airing it. Thanks, as always, for listening.] 

Today on the show, Michael Mitchell — a dad I’ll long remember as a sage of sorts. He’s the man behind the “Life to Her Years” blog and the author of Life Lessons For Dad - Tea Parties, Tutus and All Things Pink.  

I first came across Michael when my oldest daughter was a toddler…and his words connected with me so much. I remember how much perspective his short but powerful bursts of tear-inducing realizations gave me — ones like “Savor every moment you have together. Today she might be crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle.”

Today on the show…Bryan Richards, a friend I met in college and a Dad whose story I’m beyond excited to share with you. In the nearly 20 years I’ve known Bryan, we’ve shared a dorm room wall, a dugout bench and surely a few too many cases of beer.  

After talking with Bryan for this episode, though, what’s so abundantly clear to me is that despite being more than 15 years removed from our college days and so busy being Dads that we haven’t seen each other in about five years, we remain close because we continue to share in the way we both look at and go about fatherhood. 

Bryan's a high school guidance counselor, a longtime coach of several team sports, and the father of three — aged 3 to 10 -- along with his wife Kirsten. He’s got a genuine approach to parenting and isn’t afraid to use the experiences he’s gained in his profession to balance perspectives at home with his young family. 

Today on the show, Nick Matiash — the father of two-year-old Lucy, for whom he’s found only one way to describe — and that’s as a cartoon character, full of love and life. 

By day, Nick is a high school mathematics teacher. When he’s off duty as a molder of young minds, he’s serving a different age group as a men’s life coach. Nick works with men who seek to become better versions of themselves as husbands, fathers, and humans.  

We talk with Nick about the trends in mindset he sees in the men he’s coaching, along with the evolution of his very own mindset since becoming a parent. Nick walks us through the lessons he’s learned along the way and the importance of maintaining presence as a father and husband.

We all have stories. No matter where we came from, how we got there, or where we're going, we all have them — and they’re our own. They make us who we are and shed light on ourselves and the people around us more than we could ever know. And, for those of us who’ve become fathers, those stories have undoubtedly evolved and changed to include all the people we love and care for as the main characters.  

Welcome to Dad Stories from the First Time Father Project. I’m Ben Larsen and I’m honored to be your host.  

Each week, I sit down with a father and dive deep into what makes him, well, him.  

We learn about his upbringing, the story behind how he became a father, the challenges he faces as a Dad and how he's overcoming them. Our stories are unique and they all hold value for those that need to hear them. Our hope is that this podcast can connect these unique stories with the fathers that need them. 

As fathers, we all seek to grow and evolve as much as our own stories have. We do this because we want to be everything we need to be for the ones we love.  

Dad Stories shines a light into the stories of fathers just like you and me so that we may all share the wins and losses fatherhood deals us — and grow from them.