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Your kid leaves for college, and the garage gets quieter, but your mind gets louder. I sit down with Zach Hensley, VP& GM for the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, to talk about what that transition really feels like as a dad: pride, loss, and a deep need to stay connected without gripping too tight. Zach shares the joy of watching his daughter return to the soccer field at Gonzaga after a meniscus tear, plus the everyday laughs and big experiences he’s grateful to have with his 17-year-old son. 

We also get real about the pressure families carry in youth sports and the college recruiting process. Zach walks through what it’s like to email dozens of schools, plan visits, weigh Division I intensity, and still protect your kid’s happiness and identity. From injury recovery to turning 50 and rethinking health, the theme stays the same: show up, stay steady, and focus on the moments that won’t come back. 

Zach’s upbringing shaped his leadership style, too, from being raised by a hardworking single mom to learning responsibility early in restaurant jobs. We talk about patience, the trap of trying to solve all our kids’ problems, and why curiosity and better questions often do more than advice. If you’re looking for fatherhood guidance, parenting teens insights, and leadership lessons for the home, this one delivers. Subscribe, share with a dad friend, and leave a review if it helps you lead your household with more calm and connection.

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Cancer at 24 will either harden you or wake you up. When Mike Ferriter gets the call that he has testicular cancer, the “healthy young athlete” story disappears overnight, and gratitude stops being a nice idea and becomes a survival skill. We talk through what that season teaches him about time, empathy, and the quiet truth that everyone around you is fighting something, whether you can see it or not.

We also get into the foundations that shape Mike’s approach to fatherhood: growing up in Montana in a big, close family, learning discipline without fear, and hearing two words as a sixth grader that still hold up today: integrity and adversity. We connect those values to real parenting, like how we talk to our kids about failure, how we build resilience without coddling, and why being present sometimes looks like getting on the floor and playing even when you are tired.

Then we pivot to work and identity. Mike shares the fog of coaching life, the crossroads moment after a successful season, and why he chooses a new path at Central Washington University as Associate Director of Development supporting scholarships and student-athletes through fundraising. If you are a dad questioning your career, your availability at home, or what you want your legacy to be, this conversation offers a grounded way to think about it. 

If you enjoy thoughtful fatherhood stories and practical leadership at home, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more dads can find the show.

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Thank you, Shannon Steadman, for making today's episode possible!!!

Your kids won’t remember your job title, but they’ll remember whether you were there. That’s the heartbeat of this conversation with Josh Iadarola, a dad who has lived the hard parts of fatherhood and kept showing up anyway.

We start with gratitude and get honest about mental health, anxiety, and the quiet pressure so many dads carry. Josh shares what he’s most grateful for as a father, why mental well-being deserves as much attention as physical health, and how vulnerability can become a strength instead of a liability. We also talk about the values he learned growing up in a tight family routine: consistency, discipline, respect, and a work ethic modeled through sacrifice.

Then we go deeper into divorce, co-parenting, and the grit required to stay present when life gets complicated. Josh opens up about the commitment he made to his son, the emotional reality of Sunday drop-offs, and what it means to create a positive home even when you’re hurting. From there, we shift into blended family life and “bonus kids,” what helped him build trust quickly, and why he sees a bigger family as more love, not more problems. Along the way, we hit practical leadership lessons for the home: respond instead of react, apologize when you miss, and parent each child as an individual with their own needs.

We also spotlight Josh’s professional world at CoWorx Staffing Services and how they think about staffing, retention, safety, and employee engagement through a service-first model. If you’re a working dad trying to lead with humility, curiosity, and steadiness, you’ll get plenty to take back to your own household. Subscribe, share this with another dad who needs it, and please leave a review so more families can find these conversations.

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A dad can do a lot of things “right” and still miss the point. This conversation with Dave Welty hit me because he doesn’t talk about fatherhood like a performance; he talks about it like a practice: show up, mean what you say, and take a breath when your kid is having a rough day. 

Dave Welty is the CEO and founder of Avier Wealth Advisors, a long-running wealth advisory firm in Bellevue, Washington.  However, what stood out most was his honesty about the moments that shaped him as a parent, from growing up with serious financial stress to learning, in real time, how to connect with two sons who are wired completely differently.

We dig into what it looks like to support a kid without trying to control the story. Dave shares how his younger son, adopted from Guatemala, found joy and identity through live music, and how a simple daily routine during COVID turned into real trust and confidence. We also talk about youth sports and the pressure cooker it can become for families, including the moment Dave’s son called him out for sideline coaching. Instead of doubling down, Dave listened and changed, and that shift is a blueprint for any parent trying to lead with humility.

You’ll also hear Dave’s perspective on resilience and values: why your word matters, why presence matters more than perfection, and why opportunity is not evenly distributed. We even get into the leadership side of his work, including building a more diverse team on purpose and creating an environment where clients can feel seen and safe. 

If you care about fatherhood, parenting mindset, adoption, youth sports parenting, and leadership at home, this one stays with you. Subscribe to The Quarterback Dadcast, share this with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so more dads can find the show.

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A lot of dads want to be more patient, more present, and more consistent, but “try harder” is not a plan. 

Mark Krajnik brings something better: a repeatable mindset that starts with gratitude, grows through emotional intelligence, and shows up as real leadership at home. Mark is the CEO of Performance Mindset Associates and the author of The Transformation Tree, a story designed to help kids and adults recognize the “worry weeds” like doubt, envy, blame, jealousy, and negative self-talk, then replace them with curiosity, kindness, generosity, and a positive mental attitude. 

We also get into the kind of resilience you cannot fake. Mark shares a gripping story from his teenage years when a freak accident nearly cost him his arm and a doctor told him he would never play football again. The comeback is about persistence, humility, and poise under pressure, and it connects directly to fatherhood: how you respond when life punches first, how you ask for help, and how you stay part of the team even when your role changes. Casey adds his own injury story and the leadership lesson of vulnerability, purpose, and choosing growth over bitterness. 

From there, the conversation turns into practical parenting and marriage advice: showing up for your kids, building traditions that stick, listening instead of just hearing, and having the courage to ask your daughter for real feedback. We talk empty nest emotions, dating your spouse, and why the best “quarterback of the home” mindset is calm, coachable, and human. 

If this hits home, subscribe to the Quarterback Dadcast, share this with a dad who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these conversations. What is one worry weed you are ready to pull this week?

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The fastest way to miss your kids’ childhood is to keep telling yourself you’ll show up more “when work slows down.” Casey sits down with Korey Cutlip to talk about the moment Korey flipped the switch to become a “Yes Dad,” and what that actually looks like when you’re juggling a marriage, three kids in different life stages, and a demanding job. We get specific about time, trade-offs, and why those small “yes” decisions become the memories your kids carry into adulthood.

Korey opens up about the values he learned growing up, what he had to relearn as an adult, and why counseling can be one of the strongest moves a dad makes. We dig into humility, honesty, people-pleasing, and the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. If you’ve ever felt stuck in family dynamics or unsure how to lead at home without letting ego run the show, this conversation offers real fatherhood advice you can use right away.

We also follow Korey’s career change story from the service industry to construction to buying Regal Auto Care in Auburn, Washington. It’s a masterclass in belief, customer service, and telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. You’ll hear practical leadership takeaways, mindset anchors like “Best Day Ever,” and simple ways to build confident kids without letting comparison steal the joy.

If this helped you, subscribe, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share it with a dad who’s trying to get a little better every day.

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Thank you, Jule Salem, for referring our next amazing guest, Michael Osborne.

Fatherhood doesn’t come with a manual, and the hardest parts usually aren’t the big moments. They’re the small, everyday choices: how we react when we’re tired, how we repair after we snap, and whether we can slow down long enough to actually enjoy the people we’re working so hard for.

I sit down with Michael Osborne, who is a Signal & Webby Award-winning podcast host/producer and the founder of 14th Street Studios in Austin.  He is also the host of the Famous and Gravy podcast, and he sits down with me to talk about gratitude, marriage, and raising kids with curiosity. Michael shares what he’s most grateful for as a dad right now: a flexible schedule that gives him real, unstructured time with his kids, especially outdoors. We get into what it takes to build a strong partnership with your spouse, including learning how to fight in a healthier way and checking in often so you stay aligned on parenting.

Michael also takes us back to growing up in Austin, the pull of rebellion, and a turning point that reshaped his life: a gap year that included a three-month wilderness immersion in Patagonia. We connect that experience to parenting today, from building confidence and resilience to creating meaningful time without forcing our own expectations onto our kids. We also talk honestly about emotional reactions, self-judgment, fear that “loves to hide,” and why accountability and a simple apology can change the temperature in your home.

If you’re looking for a fatherhood podcast focused on leadership at home, parenting values, emotional regulation, curiosity, and raising resilient kids, you’ll take something practical from this conversation. Subscribe, share this with a fellow dad, and leave a review so more families can find the Quarterback Dadcast.

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A spouse looks you in the eye and says, “You’re not on vacation.” That line can sting, but it can also save you. Mark Boutin joins us to talk about what happens when a high-achieving dad realizes work has quietly taken over the moments that matter most, and what it actually looks like to change course without blowing up your values or your family.

Mark shares his path from a long career in accounting and finance to entrepreneurship, including the pressure of building multiple businesses at once and the chaos that followed. We get into the real-life fatherhood side too: raising four kids with a big age gap, keeping family dinner as a daily anchor, and learning patience when the “machine gun of requests” starts the second the little ones wake up. Along the way, we talk sports, resilience, and why kids copy what we do more than what we say.

Then we break down Mark’s practical coaching tool, the BOOM Morning framework: Body, Others First, Orientation, Meaningful Work. It’s a simple morning routine for busy dads and entrepreneurs who want better focus, better health, and better leadership at home, plus realistic baby steps if you feel overwhelmed. If you’re chasing “work-life balance,” fighting comparison, or trying to start over at 40 with confidence, this conversation will give you a clearer next move.

Subscribe for more honest dad-to-dad conversations, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more parents find the Quarterback Dadcast.

@markboutin

@The_Legacy_Lab

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The fastest way to lose your kid is to win every argument and miss every moment that mattered. We sit down with John Hearn, a Georgia Bulldog, dad of three, and COO and Atlanta president at IMA Financial Group, to talk about what real leadership looks like when the audience is your family and they are watching everything.

We start with gratitude and a grounded definition of success: not perfect grades, not constant trophies, but kids who grow into independent, good people with strong character and faith. John gives one of the most useful mindset shifts we have heard on parenting and resilience: happiness rises and falls with circumstances, but joy is a deeper perspective that can stay steady even when life gets hard. That difference changes how we coach our kids through setbacks, injuries, disappointment, and uncertainty.

From there we get highly practical: how to build EQ over IQ, why asking better questions at the dinner table forms confident communicators, and what “giving without keeping score” looks like in both family life and relationship-based business leadership. We also dig into AI, social media, and the pace of change, and why human connection, curiosity, and critical thinking will be the skills that still matter five years from now.

If you want parenting advice you can use tonight, you will love John’s approach to “safe struggle” and raising resilient kids without coddling them. Subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share this with a dad who wants to lead with more presence and purpose.

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A veterinary surgeon who also builds houses, runs companies, and hosts a podcast sounds like the definition of “always on,” but Jason Balara flips that story. He’s obsessed with being home for dinner, being there at bedtime, and building a family culture his kids can actually feel. If you’ve ever wondered whether work-life balance is real or just something people say online, this conversation gives you a grounded, honest look at what it takes.

We get into Jason’s path from growing up with a single mom and moving almost every year to creating the stable home he always wanted his kids to have. He breaks down how an uncle and a few key mentors shaped his work ethic, why getting paid “by the day” taught him to focus on outcomes, and how that same mindset carries into entrepreneurship and parenting. Along the way, we talk about belief as a parenting skill: protecting your kids’ curiosity, refusing to let “I can’t” become their identity, and modeling confidence without turning life into pressure.

We also go deep on patience and emotional control. Jason shares how he tries not to let outside stress spill over onto his kids, why kindness is a competitive advantage that no AI can replace, and the values he hopes his children will be known for when they’re grown. We wrap with a fun lightning round and ways to connect with Jason and his work.

If this hit home, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a dad who’s trying to show up better this week.

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