EVEN THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Justin Brown is the proud father of 3 beautiful children, a competing natural bodybuilder, and a lover of sports and art. Their eldest and only daughter passed in her sleep at 11 months and this passing led Justin to a journey of transformation.

Justin talks about their lows during the passing of their first child and how much change and realization this brought about. He shares about experiencing adversity head-on and deciding to move with your own two feet past those challenges.
 

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Justin on what triggered transformation for him: "My story with my daughter, when she passed away, there was nothing I could do. When she passed away in the middle of the night I couldn't undo anything, I couldn't change anything. And when you're that helpless you have to be vulnerable and vulnerability is what triggers transformation"

Discipline can be rewarding when it's noticed by others - Justin: "I love words of affirmation but the most rewarding thing is when I come home and we're eating dinner and my son is saying 'Daddy, I'm going to eat all my dinner because I want to be big and strong like you.' Little compliments and little things like that is what spurs on discipline."

Connect with Justin: 

• Email

Watch the memorial address for their daughter: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm-zWyQv4Xw

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY TO MAINTAINING RESULTS.

Matt Hamill is the proud father of 3 beautiful children and was the founder of 3 F45 Fitness franchises. Due to COVID, he has temporarily parted ways with impacting others' lives through health and fitness, but today he shares the valuable insights he gained on the men who join F45 and their mindsets and practices for success.

How you motivate yourself is important. Matt observes that relying on internal motivations does not work all the time and that setting up your environment for success is just as critical. He gives tips to keep your workouts fun, as well as shares how a movement has immediate and tangible mental health benefits.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Motivation alone is not enough to succeed - Matt: "The number one rule is not to rely on motivation because the problem is that it's fickle, so it's never there when you are low and you really don't feel like going. Motivation is not something that you can rely on, so instead, you'd rather want to design your environment for success, so setting yourself up."

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying - Matt: "People underestimated themselves, really. And once they find out what they're capable of, it's like a switch goes off and they're a changed person mentally. And it will affect your whole life. It will affect your whole life and it will you in a positive because now you believe in yourself."

Connect with Matt:

• Instagram

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Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

RAISE YOUR CHILD WHILE BUILDING THEIR POTENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE

Being a resilient dad is not just about raising your kid right but also teaching them to build their future early on.

Nicholas Soldo, the founder of Fatherpreneur, is a shining example of a father who had the courage and determination to start his own business in order to spend more quality time with his daughter and teach her valuable entrepreneurial skills. 

Through Fatherpreneur, Nicholas offers a diverse range of courses, workshops, and classrooms that empower fathers and their children to develop their entrepreneurial skills and become more resilient in the face of challenges. Learn more about Nicholas and his mission to help fathers build stronger relationships with their kids and a more stable future for them.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Passionate to be a father and for work - Nicholas: “I woke up every day being passionate about what I wanted to do, I look forward to going to work, and I look forward to being a father every single day. I feel like there's a lot of pressure of waiting till five o'clock to be a father or waiting till Friday to spend time with your family. And I just have never been a fan of those time constraints, I always want to be available as a father and I always want to be available to my work.”

A message to all fathers out there - Nicholas: “It's never too late. Time is always ticking, and if you feel like it's too late, or that you already missed your chance, that's not the case. There are absolutely other fathers who have been through what you've been through, and I felt what you felt, and we're always here to share our story and be a support system for one another, and I think it's extremely important that we are aware of the powerful and impactful influence that we have on our kids in the next generation.”

Connect with Nicholas and learn more about Fatherpreneur Fundamentals:

• LinkedIn
• Fatherpreneur Fundamentals

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

BE THE CHANGE THAT TURNS BOYS INTO STRONG MEN. 

On this episode of The Resilient Dad Show, we speak with Darnell Fontenot, a husband, father of 3, and firefighter who served for 20 years. He talks about The Squire Program, a 12 to 15-hour course designed for fathers and sons to build a strong relationship together.

The Squire Program involves physical and emotional activities to help fathers and sons get to the root of the issues that separate them. Darnell shares how he was able to determine the trust issues he had with his son, as well as show up as a better father and husband to his family since then.

Pat and Darnell talk about fatherlessness and how this has a detrimental effect that lasts generations. Darnell shares how he now leads The Squire Program in Texas and has become a visible part of his son’s life, supporting his chess tournaments and having one-on-one bonding every week.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

The Squire Program helped reveal the trust issue with Darnell's son - Darnell: "I'm raising kids but if my son doesn't trust me to walk through this obstacle course, then what happens in life when I tell him don't date this girl, she's no good, or don't hang out with these friends, they're no good. Will he even trust me in guiding him in that direction?"

Fathers must hug their sons to affirm them - Darnell: "When's the last time did I actually hug my son, like a full frontal, chest-to-chest hug? Son, I love you. I appreciate you. You're doing a great job. Just hearing those words of affirmation really can inspire our sons to do better and to make better decisions. So the biggest takeaway from what I saw other fathers doing was actually hugging their sons."

Connect with Darnell and The Squire Program Texas:

Instagram | Darnell Fontenot

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Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

TIME, BALANCE, AND SELF-CARE

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we have a special Q&A episode with our guest host, Chris Decker, the CEO of Salescast. There are a lot of demands in a father's life that require us to have even more balance in our daily lives.

We discuss how to balance the demands of parenting with our careers and how to continue maintaining strong relationships with your children. This all comes down to prioritizing time and essentially becoming more mindful of how you spend each minute of your life.

We also talk about practicing self-care as a dad. When we have to juggle numerous different aspects and forget to have time for ourselves, we simply can't deliver as effectively towards our children and our family.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

You have more time in your hands than you think - Pat: "When you go to bed, for instance, that's the time you go to bed. In that way, you're more efficient in using your time as best as you can because we all get the same amount of time but why do some people get more done than others? It's because they're more efficient with their time."

Prioritize self-care as a dad - Pat: "I've realized that I can't pull from any empty cup. Self-care is actually caring for others. By taking care of myself, making sure that I get good sleep, and making sure I declutter my mind, I eliminate the things that aren't adding value to my life."

Connect with Chris and Salescast:

LinkedIn | Website

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

BE THE DAD YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we speak with Jeff Hamilton, a pastor, coach, and founder of Dad Academy. Becoming a father and being the best at it is something that many men do not have any training in at all.

Jeff shares some statistics: as high as 1 out of 4 men grow up without ever having a father in the house, a child who grew up with a father is 80% less likely to get incarcerated, drug addicted, and much more, and there are approximately 70 million men in the US who are dads, with 20 million of them having no role models.

Dad Academy was founded to serve thousands of men in their journey to become purposeful and intentional dads who are present in their children's lives. The program helps dads start a plan for the 3 things a dad does: help their children develop courage, competency, and confidence.

Jeff reminds dads that they must let kids be kids for as long as possible, to keep their innocence, affirm their identity that they are loved and cared for, and direct them to their destinies.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Having a dad present leads kids to a better path - Jeff: "If a child has a dad in his life, in his home specifically, he's 80% less likely to ever experience incarceration. So just having dad present in your life is one of the things, that is one of factors that help to keep a young person from going that path. Statistics will show it's reduced drug addiction, it's reduced unwanted pregnancies, it's a greater percentage of kids who will pursue higher education."

Dads must teach their kids courage, competency, and confidence - Jeff: "Look in the mirror at who you are so that you can start to implement a plan for the 3 things that a dad does, which helps children develop courage, help children develop competency, and help children develop confidence. And courage is really a heart issue. It's a character issue. And courage is about how children respond to risk."

Connect with Jeff and Dad Academy:

LinkedIn | TikTok | Instagram | Website

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Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

YOUR EGO GETS IN THE WAY OF YOUR HEALTH

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we speak with Juris Skribans, a proven sports nutritionist and performance specialist. Growing up in the Soviet Union, physical sciences come naturally to Juris as this was a matter of survival that had become ingrained in him.

He talks about the need to be physically active and how modern life is reducing testosterone levels in men. The pressures to survive caused men of previous generations to have a level of aggressiveness that is seen less and less today. 

Pat then shares his struggles with depression and they discuss how men’s mental health, along with our testosterone levels, have taken a further nosedive. Juris emphasizes that mental and physical health are interlinked and that movement, not ego, is what keeps us healthy all the way until old age. 

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Feeling good starts with seeing what is good - Juris: "So understanding that you need to train your brain to see what is good. There is always some kind of pattern how you get triggered to feel bad, and then how you like I was talking about stuck, everything else on top of it to feel even worse just to get that significance. Hey, look how bad I am."

"You can do completely opposite by feeling good. Just recognize something that happened good in your life and then stack it up. Well, hey, I'm still alive. I have these great memories about this thing. This led me to this kind of situation that led me to hooking up with this person or going on this adventure."

Take care of yourself now to have strength when you get older - Juris: "My goal is to kind of teach people that, hey, when you go to age of 50, 60, 70, 90, whatever, you won't be in a gym pushing those hard weights but you still want to pick up your grandkids, pick up your dog, or whatever, being able to do day-to-day things without anyone else's help. And if you don't look after that now you are just gonna have much harder way of life when you get older."

Connect with Juris:

Instagram | LinkedIn

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

RESILIENCE IS ALWAYS A CHOICE

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Resilient Dad Show. Today we speak with PJ, an award-winning authority on resilience and overcoming obstacles. In the context of survival, PJ shares how he overcame the limitations of his disability and his learning that commitment is what gives birth to resilience.

PJ talks about being free versus being a slave and how controlling your unconscious mind is what frees you. Pat then shares how his relationship with his former spouse and son has been tested by unconscious reactions, and how he learned to be gentle as an expression of true strength. 

PJ differentiates between leading with spite and leading with values and how to break this pattern that makes you feel stuck. He suggests moving in stages, from negative to neutral and then to positive, to avoid being reactive and having to clean up after the mess that the unconscious mind makes.

WORDS OF RESILIENCE

Resilience begins by choosing to commit to it - PJ: "You're only as resilient as you think, and then I always follow it up with because resilience is a choice. Now here's the thing, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking about what you're committed to? Or are you thinking about what you're resistant to? And the thing is that you're committed either way. You're committed to something that you want in the future."

A free person chooses how they respond instead of reacting - PJ: "I believe there are only 2 kinds of people in the world. There are free people and there are slaves. Free people operate from a conscious response. They consciously choose how they're going to respond to a situation. When you're in reaction mode, remember that reaction is a slave action."

Connect with PJ:

Website

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!

This episode of The Resilient Dad Show recaps some of the most defining moments of the show's first season. From Pat's own reflections to his guests' real-world wisdom, we uncover their golden nuggets on fatherhood, love, career, and overcoming obstacles. Sit back and enjoy the show!

SEASON 1 RESILIENT DADS:

• Lucas Marino, former Coast Guard and CEO of EAST Partnership
• Chris Decker, CEO of Salescast
• Ashley Cooke, Managing Director of Imperial Supplements
• Mathew Grace, former Navy rescue swimmer and author of Reclaim Your Hero

Connect with Pat:

Pat Di Domenico | About Resilient Dad

If you liked this episode and were inspired by the journeys it shares, or you have suggestions or your own stories to share, subscribe to the Resilient Dad podcast now and leave us a comment!