What does it mean to truly connect with your daughter? In this heartfelt episode of The Dad and Daughter Connection, Dr. Christopher Lewis sits down with Joe Carlucci and his daughter, Valentina, to explore the depth of father-daughter relationships, the power of perseverance, and the joys (and trials) of building a business—and a life—side by side.

The Carlucci story is more than just a tale of pizza and world records; it’s a masterclass in showing up, learning together, and making family the center of everything you do. Joe, the owner of Valentina’s Pizzeria in Huntsville, Alabama, shares how having his daughter involved in the restaurant has changed everything about how he leads, listens, and loves.

“I want her to have a life, to experience everything,” Joe shares, emphasizing that legacy isn’t about business success but about the kind of father he is. Valentina, already a Guinness World Record holder for pizza tossing at just 12, brings her own flair and opinions to the family business, reminding listeners that kids don’t just follow in parents’ footsteps—they blaze their own trails.

Parenting, of course, isn’t without challenges. Joe’s candid stories of failure, resilience, and growth highlight the value of letting your kids see you struggle and rise again. The episode dives deep into co-parenting, stepfamily dynamics, and the importance of putting pride aside so kids can feel fully supported, no matter what.

What makes this episode truly special is the genuine banter and obvious affection between Joe and Valentina. Their shared laughter, friendly teasing, and mutual admiration are a testament to what’s possible when dads choose presence over perfection.

If you’re a dad looking to build a stronger relationship with your daughter—or anyone inspired by stories of resilience, family, and food—this episode is an absolute must-listen. You’ll walk away with practical advice, heartfelt wisdom (“If you fall down ten times, get up eleven”), and maybe even a craving for a slice of the world’s best pizza.

Ready to be inspired? Tune in to this episode of The Dad and Daughter Connection and discover how showing up, listening deeply, and making your child your priority can change everything—for both of you. Find all episodes and more at dadanddaughterconnection.com.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:02]: Welcome to the dad and daughter connection, the podcast for dads who want to build stronger bonds and raise confident independent daughters.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:12]: If you're looking to build a stronger bond with your daughter and help her grow into a confident, independent woman, you're in the right place. I'm doctor Christopher Lewis, and the dad and daughter connection is the podcast where we dive into real stories, expert advice, and practical tips to help you navigate the incredible journey of fatherhood. In every episode, we'll bring you conversations that inspire, challenge, and equip you to show up as the dad your daughter needs. So let's get started. Because being a great dad isn't just about being there, it's about truly connecting. Welcome back to the Dad and Daughter Connection, where every week we have a great opportunity to be able to meet and work together, to be able to build those bonds that we want to have with our daughters, one day at a time. And I love that you come back every week to be able for us to be able to work together and to be able to find new ways to be able to engage with our daughters and find ways to be able to build those stronger bonds. So I thank you for coming back every week.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:20]: That's why this podcast exists. It exists to help you and to be able to give you some tools for your toolbox that you can walk away from every episode with some different things to think about in regards to the relationship that you have with your daughter and that relationship that you want to have with your daughter. Every week, I love being able to bring you different guests with different experiences that are having these great relationships together, but also that you can grow from the relationships that you are hearing from them. Sometimes we have dads on, sometimes we have daughters on, Sometimes we have dads and daughters on. And today, we have just that. I'm really excited to be able to have Joe, Carlucci and his daughter, Valentina, on. And we're gonna be talking to them about the journey that they've been on in regards to some food, some world records, and a little bit more to be able to talk about the bond that they have in correlation to all of this. And I am really just really excited to have them here today.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:19]: Joe, Valentina, thanks so much for being here today.

Valentina Carlucci [00:02:21]: Thank you.

Joe Carlucci [00:02:22]: Thank you very much. It's an honor. We appreciate the opportunity.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:25]: Well, I am really excited to be able to have you here. We've been trying to make this work for a while, so I'm I'm really excited that we were able to find a time to be able to do this. I guess first and foremost, what I would love to do is talk to me about your relationship and what makes your bond so special.

Joe Carlucci [00:02:42]: Because she's my air, my breath, my world. Like, she's my everything. She's a smart ass, but she's amazing and, she's my heartbeat. She's the reason, I get up to be a better person, father, boss, son, and friend every day, every week, every month, every minute, every second of my life.

Joe Carlucci [00:02:58]: And, Valentina, what's the best part? I know that you work alongside your dad at the restaurant. And I guess as you think about that and the and the opportunity that you have to work with your dad, what's the best part about working alongside your dad in the pizza business?

Valentina Carlucci [00:03:13]: Getting to correct Tim because he makes a lot of mistakes, and I have to end up being the boss and taking care of everyone because he doesn't always know what to do when he's working. He can be a little. So

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:03:27]: So for you that are listening, Valentina just kind of twirled her finger around her around her ear saying that he's a little crazy. So I don't know, Joe. I mean, you said she's opinionated, but she definitely has her opinions here. And where does she get that from? Definitely not you. Right?

Joe Carlucci [00:03:45]: No. I'm not very opinionated. I keep my comments to myself. I'm very low key. I'm low spoken. I don't ever put gas on the fire. I usually put water. She likes to, which is okay sometimes, make make dinner for the staff, make desserts, give everybody a break, give them raises.

Joe Carlucci [00:04:01]: She's, all for the inmates and and not for the 40 sometimes. But when she has to throw the hammer down, she'll throw it down to anybody. So I give her that.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:04:11]: I guess, Joe, seeing it, like you said, that, you know, Valentina is your heir. You said that, you know, she is following in your footsteps here. When did you first notice that Valentina shared your passion for pizza?

Joe Carlucci [00:04:22]: Man, she's been every step of the way at every restaurant I've had, food truck. I mean, since she was in diapers and strollers, she's always been inside the pizzeria restaurant business. When she got old enough to stand up, to wash dishes, to wipe tables down and sweep, like, I never thought anything of it. And when I launched Valentina's four and a half years ago, I had called her mother and said, hey. I'm gonna open a pizzeria again, and, I wanna name it after Valentina. She's like, let me ask her because, you know, she's kind of quiet sometimes. And I'm like, yeah. I don't know how she feel.

Joe Carlucci [00:04:51]: And she asked her, and she was like, absolutely. One thing only is no pineapple on pizza. And we end up having And we end up putting pineapple on pizza. And then when she came to work a lot more with me, she asked me about my records and did she get one? And I just thought it was a kid wanting to do what her dad does or not every day. And then as she got older, I mean, she's 12. She's got a long way to go, and then she it's in her blood, and she loves it. And I told her it's not the easiest, but today's age, we have changed the way we do things in the industry. You know, we're only open twenty seven hours. I like to say we like the Chick fil A pizza. We're closed Sunday and Mondays.

Joe Carlucci [00:05:26]: We don't open for lunch. We only open for dinner. It is where the area we are, but, I want her to have a life too, and I don't want the the life to be inside this restaurant. I don't she gotta put the time in, but at the same time, I want her to experience other things as well. And she's right now adamant about taking it over.

Joe Carlucci [00:05:42]: So I guess for those that are listening that don't know you, Joe, and don't know your your your background and don't know the restaurant, give me a little bit of the history which led you to some world records so that someone that doesn't know you gets a better feel for not only what led you to starting Valentina's, but what led you to moving from New York to Alabama?

Joe Carlucci [00:06:05]: Sure. I'm a consultant. I used to be a consultant. Excuse me. And I came down to Alabama fifteen years to go to open a pizzeria, and I just fell in love with Huntsville, Alabama, where we are now at Valentina's. And I decided to come down and help the gentleman and move the consultant down here. The consulting thing was kinda hard in the South, and I ended up working for him. Along the way, I've had a couple restaurants and I failed at them, and they she was my passion to keep driving.

Joe Carlucci [00:06:29]: And when you get knocked down, you gotta get up 10 times harder and faster, and no one's gonna worry about you or cry about you, and you have to take care of yourself. And I taught her that. Like, one thing I could teach is you never give up. I did not, by the wildest dreams, think this restaurant, Valentina's Pizzeria, would ever blow up to what it is. We went from having 10 employees to having 47 employees. We have a full time life coach, a GM that, has a law background that runs the whole entire restaurant. She loves her. I have a manager that's, been with me ten years, and we're growing every day.

Joe Carlucci [00:07:01]: We just bought a food truck again to go do double dip, and I love the area of Huntsville, Alabama. I mean, people think Alabama. I think my cousin Vinny, and I probably look like my cousin Vinny. But it's just been a great experience. We went from a 1,500 square foot to buying our own land and having a 5,000 square foot with 190 seats. I was actually kidding around with her the other day and I said, you know, someone offered me millions of dollars to sell. She's like, you can't sell. To my restaurant.

Joe Carlucci [00:07:25]: I said, what about 10,000,000? I said, no. 20. She said, no. We're not selling. I said, what do you mean we can't sell? She goes, the restaurant's for me. I said, yeah. But that's a lot of money. We can go to Disney.

Joe Carlucci [00:07:35]: We can have some I'm a system. The reason why we have this restaurant and all this money is because of me, because we wouldn't have this amazing place without me. So you have to put that factor into. You can go on that.

Joe Carlucci [00:07:50]: So I need them. I said, well, I was just kidding, but she goes, good. You can get all you want, but it's mine. So it is everything that we're doing is for her to build the brand, and she's gonna have to, put the hair back, put the apron on, and firstly in those pizzas.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:08:03]: Now, Joe, you mentioned that you strive to be a strong role model for Valentina. What are the most important qualities that you try to demonstrate for her?

Joe Carlucci [00:08:11]: Have a backbone, have a voice, have empathy for people, care, but believe in yourself and love yourself more than anybody loves you. And don't listen to the critics or the keyboard warriors or the haters. Like you can do anything you put your mind to. Listen. I'm probably the dumbest guy you ever speak to on your podcast. I can't screw a light bulb in. Okay? And I put my head down and described. Hard work beats talent every day and twice on Sundays.

Joe Carlucci [00:08:35]: And you can outwork anybody any day, any week, any month. And that's the hardest lesson to teach her because sometimes she can be a little lazy, but I still love her. Yeah. You know? But it's the youth, but we're getting we're getting it out of you. We're we're kicking it out of you. But I would, like, teach her that. Never give up on yourself and believe in others. Don't give up on others either.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:08:52]: Now, Valentina, based on what your dad just said and what he's taught you, what have you learned from your dad about hard work and dedication?

Valentina Carlucci [00:09:00]: Well, so for one, if you do a job, do it correctly and try to do it good. It's okay to make a mistake, but don't make the same mistake a million times. And then, of course, like, if you fall down 10 times, get up 11 times. So, like, overall, like, never give up and always try your hardest no matter what the job is.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:09:24]: I love that.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:09:24]: Now, Joe, parenting comes with challenges. It's not always easy. And I know that in the past you've spoken about letting your kids see you fail and grow. And you just mentioned that you have failed and you've had to pull yourself up and keep going. Can you share a moment where you learned an important lesson in front of Valentina that she had that you wanted her to learn even though it may have been hard for you?

Valentina Carlucci [00:09:46]: At one time, the quarantine family.

Joe Carlucci [00:09:50]: Chris, when we had the food truck during COVID, we'd go out in the beginning because it was a lockdown and sell, like, 200 pizzas. And as time got on and they lifted the the lockdown, she'd come out with me in a 20 degree weather. She'd be sweating on the food truck. She was, like, 78 years old. We sell four pizzas, literally. I had to throw all the dough away, all the ingredients. It was, like, week after week until I finally decided that the money I'd save from COVID during with the food truck is to make the transition to a brick and mortar again. But got life lesson just, why are we doing this? Can we go home? Like, no.

Joe Carlucci [00:10:23]: We're gonna stick it out, and we'd sell pizzas in five hours. It was just teaching her how to not give up. I did this political box over the course of last four months with the president on there, and we got a lot of backlash from it. And I'm not very political. I'm just controversial. I don't know a lot of it. I'm saying it's not controversial in my mouth. You can ask anybody my rep, but I've never brought up politics once before this election.

Joe Carlucci [00:10:45]: Never. Oh, never. I don't talk about it, but college football, as you know, where you are too is king, and I just had to think of a marketing scheme. Well, long story short, it has developed into an animal of its own. And it took on a whole new world here for the last two months. It's been insane. And we had a customer or a stalker not even a stalker, keyboard warrior come in on last Saturday who was already trashing us. And it was a little incident, and I had to be a little bit more professional around her and just put the water on the fire that time with her and her younger sister, who's always over at my house, her stepsister.

Joe Carlucci [00:11:21]: Didn't teach her, like, sometimes you have to control yourself because I had my staff. I had people there, and I had my daughter there. And I don't wanna, like, do what my what I really wanna do, but, you know, it's not professional and it's not teaching her anything. So I had to handle that situation a little different. Not saying I wouldn't if she wasn't there, but it would've been a lot easier to not handle the right way. But when my dog when you turn around and your daughter's looking at you, it's the older man that you don't wanna be fighting or screaming at people. So sometimes, like I told her, dads are not perfect. I never had a 12 year old.

Joe Carlucci [00:11:50]: I've never had a 13 year old. So guess what? I'm gonna mess up because I've never had a kid before. So I'm learning as she's learning. So I just let her know that I'm not perfect in any way, shape, or form and that no matter what, I'm always gonna love her even if she's burns pizza sometime.

Valentina Carlucci [00:12:05]: So I correct you when you burn pizzas, but I don't burn pizzas, and that's why my pizzas are better.

Joe Carlucci [00:12:11]: Well, maybe we'll ship them one if you tell us.

Valentina Carlucci [00:12:13]: Yeah. Well, no. It'll be bad. So we we freeze it. We can? Yeah. Okay.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:12:19]: That would be great. So, Valentina, you just heard your dad talk about some challenges that he's had and some struggles that he's gone through. And I guess as you think about that and you've seen your dad struggle with different things, how did that affect you and affect the way that you think about making mistakes?

Valentina Carlucci [00:12:39]: It made me wanna try harder. It made me wanna do the business more. It made me wanna make my dad proud. And it also, like, taught me some lessons on, like, whenever anyone comes into your electronic complaining, he didn't escalate it at all. But whatever you do, do not escalate it and make it worse because that's the one bad thing you could do. And then you could be in the wrong if, like, you do anything to them because the customer is always right.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:10]: And Valentina did put up her quotes because, you know

Joe Carlucci [00:13:13]: Yeah.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:14]: I get it. Now, Joe, I know that you mentioned the fact that Valentina's got step siblings, and you've talked in the past, I know about co parenting and co parenting can bring its own challenges. So you've talked about that in the past with step kids and half siblings. What has helped you to maintain a strong unified family dynamic?

Joe Carlucci [00:13:35]: Well, my pride, it's hard enough to be a kid in 02/2025. Her mother and I didn't have the best, and we didn't have the worst relationship. We didn't do anything to hurt each other. We just weren't the right fit. So why make your kids suffer for twenty, thirty years because you made a decision in thirty seconds when you went to bed. Right? So it wasn't always like this. I I had a a lot of, looking in the mirror like, who's the problem? Is the world the problem, or is Joe the problem? And I decided that I was the problem. And her stepdad is she's so lucky to have a dad like that.

Joe Carlucci [00:14:08]: I mean, I think he's one of the most amazing people. She has one of the best mothers that god has ever created in a very weird, people say, relationship. Her past sister is over my house. It's always my always my my Christmas. My my girlfriend gets her gifts, sends the gifts. She's over my house three weeks, four weeks out of summer. She sleeps over during the week. I mean, she's like my second kid, and we we're actually all a family, and it and it works.

Joe Carlucci [00:14:31]: I think it's sometimes under those situations, not every situation is like mine. You have to look in the mirror. And I just made a pact that I know it's gonna be a tough life for any kid growing up, and I'm not gonna make my daughter's life harder. And we're we're all friends. Like, her stepdad does pest control. He does my house. He does my restaurant. I have a problem.

Joe Carlucci [00:14:48]: He comes here. Her mom and I co parent very, very well together, respect each other. My girlfriend knows my situation, and she's open to it. And she loves Cadence just like she loves Valentina. So it worked. Everybody at the restaurant, my GM, my managers, like, they take Valentina. They sleep over her house. She sleeps over there.

Joe Carlucci [00:15:08]: I mean, it's a big family. It's one big family, and it all starts with knowing what to do, when to do it. And it's not always about me. Like, if it's better than my daughter's life to co parent and put our differences aside from fifteen years ago, then let's do it. I mean, if you saw her step sister here, do you think she's my daughter? She just bring drags her stuff in. We had a pizza named after her on the menu. So it works. You just had to do a lot of soul searching.

Joe Carlucci [00:15:33]: I think that's the hardest thing for people today is, like, look in the mirror. I'm not talking about situations where someone's died or cheated. My situation was nothing like that. We were just oil and water. She's an engineer. I'm a pizza guy with ADHD, but we're better off we are now because I told her she's got two dads instead of one. Right? So it worked on both hands.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:50]: And, Valentina, what's one thing your dad does that makes your whole family feel connected and supported?

Valentina Carlucci [00:15:55]: Well, he's always open for Cadence to come over here. He treats her like how he treats me. He's, like, best friends with my stepdad and my mom. He always invites him over to the restaurant. Whenever my mom drops Cadence off sometimes at the house, she'll even stay for a little longer and just talk to my dad. So it's not like how it would be for normal parents that are not together anymore. They're fine in a room together. They could talk normally like friends.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:16:26]: Joe, with the situation and the kind of the family dynamic that you have right now, what advice do you have for dads that are navigating co parenting challenges while keeping their child's best interests at heart?

Joe Carlucci [00:16:37]: Put your pride aside. Look through the lens as your child would. Put yourself in your child's shoes. Even if you can't get along, don't you know what I'm saying? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything. Not every situation is gonna be like mine. So the less said is the better. So it no matter what, that's gonna be your mother and that's you're gonna be the father for the rest of her life. So you have to figure out some way to at least respect each other as a parent, everything else, you know, under your situations, but say less.

Joe Carlucci [00:17:02]: I know because kids today don't wanna go back and forth and hear about the kids fighting or the parents saying this. This parent said death and step you know what I mean? It it's just hard enough for these kids. It's hard enough. So if if you can't get along, which is understandable in certain situations, don't say anything. Just don't comment on it, and then they don't have to feel that they have to stick up for that, parent. They don't have to defend that parent. It also makes you look worse, I think, as a parent because kids are not stupid. They're smart.

Joe Carlucci [00:17:27]: The older they get, they'll see. They'll feel it out, Whether their dad's absent, their mom's absent, or just whatever the situation is, they they'll they'll figure it out. You don't have to lead them to order. They're they're smarter than us.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:17:38]: Now I know, Joe, you've had a number of businesses that you've started that may have been successful, may have failed. What's the biggest lesson though that you've learned in business that has also helped you as a father?

Joe Carlucci [00:17:49]: Open minded. Take advice from people that have been there. Maybe people that are in their seventies. You know, as a father that had multiple kids or been in my situation and in the industry, I have, been blessed and lucky and honored to be, taught under Tony Geminiani. He has over 200 locations in the number of pizza in The US, and he's been, like, a mentor to me in every way. And looking up to other people that have kids or in my situation and that are good role models for their kids that I could take advice from moving forward.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:20]: And Valentina, I know you help your dad at the restaurant and you work hard. What's your ultimate dream in the pizza industry? I know you said you already cook and you're you're better than your dad. So how do you want to follow in your dad's footsteps or go beyond your dad in this industry?

Valentina Carlucci [00:18:35]: Well, I wanna be exactly like him or maybe even better when I grow up. I wanna have over a thousand stores.

Joe Carlucci [00:18:43]: Okay.

Valentina Carlucci [00:18:43]: No. I'm being for real. Like, I do wanna have over a thousand stores, and I want my pizza place to be number one in the whole world to where all these influencers are trying to come here saying how good our pizza is. And so, like, one day when my dad dies, I can just look up, no, I made him proud.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:00]: Joe, talk to me about what is having Valentina involved in the restaurant done or changed in the way that you run your business?

Joe Carlucci [00:19:10]: Oh, everything. Since she was born. My whole way I look at people and I treat people and I act when she's not here because I I always think, like, it's great you you do it when she's not when when she's here, but in anything you do when she's not here. It's just changed the way my perspective on life is on people and having empathy for my staff and caring for them and just I used to be a Gordon Ramsay of pizza that's yelling, screaming, throwing things in. They say you get more flies with honey. So I'm still working on that, but, you know, I hired a full time life coach to help navigate where I wanna go and help people understand my vision. My standard is extremely high the way I carry the restaurant, and I expect everybody to meet that standard, always there, but I wanna be better than yesterday. I don't care about today.

Joe Carlucci [00:19:56]: I don't care about tomorrow. So she has a big influence in that because if I could build the standard for Valentina's and the standard I wanna be as a man, then she'll know what kind of man she needs. And I don't care if she she'll always be open to telling me, hopefully, that she has a boyfriend because, like, since she was, like, six, I would open the door for her and tell her, if they don't open the door, they don't open the door, don't get in. So now when we go home tonight or we go to Korean barbecue or for pizza, I'm I'm in the car, and she's sitting outside standing outside. I'm like, what are you doing? She's like, I'm not getting until you open this door. And I'm like, oh my god. This is a little too much. And I said, what are you gonna do if you're on a date? She said, I'm gonna Uber.

Joe Carlucci [00:20:35]: I'm gonna call you. I said, okay. Good. I've been, I'm literally at six in the morning. I'm gonna take her to the school. She'll just stand outside. It'd be 30 degrees. She's like, I'm not getting in.

Joe Carlucci [00:20:43]: I'd get out of the car. I gotta go around. I gotta open the door. So she knows what she's doing on that end.

Joe Carlucci [00:20:49]: Now earlier, Valentina, I talked about the Guinness world record for pizza tossing. Congratulations.

Valentina Carlucci [00:20:55]: Thank you.

Joe Carlucci [00:20:56]: What was that experience like, and what did your dad teach you to help you get there?

Valentina Carlucci [00:21:01]: Well, so how my dad taught me was when I was at his house, at the time, I was only there Sunday, Monday, and then I left Tuesday morning. So both days, we practiced for, like, four hours. And then he gave me, like, this rubber dough, and I bring it to my mom's house with me and I practice every day. And so before I tried to get the, record, I, like, practiced a lot. And there was some tears because I, like, really wanted to win, and I did. But the process of it was really fun. My mom got to come, and we had this whole, like, little celebration.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:38]: And, Joe, seeing Valentina break a world record at such a young age must have been an incredible moment. How did that feel as a father?

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:45]: It was one of the greatest moments of my life to see her do it. And, actually, she was the one with the idea. It wasn't me throwing this on her. Like, I never want her to get in this industry. It's a tough industry, but, like, she keeps pushing that idea away. So when she wanted to do this, she was eight or nine.

Valentina Carlucci [00:22:00]: Four. No. You want four? When I wanna do

Joe Carlucci [00:22:03]: No. When you did the Guinness record.

Joe Carlucci [00:22:05]: Oh. She was eight or nine. She can't count. She's really bad at math.

Valentina Carlucci [00:22:07]: No. I'm good at math.

Joe Carlucci [00:22:08]: But just having her want to do it and then her actually accomplishing it, it was a goosebump feeling, kind of like one of those moments that were surreal.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:16]: Now, Joe, earlier in the conversation, you talked about that you invested in a life coach to help you grow as both a father and a business owner. What's been the biggest shift for you and your mindset since starting that journey?

Joe Carlucci [00:22:29]: The biggest shift has to be my attitude because as hard as it is and it's many layers I have on my back, whether it's the loans, the mortgage, like, everything starts and ends with me. And even the box, I put a bull's eye on my staff. Like, I knew that politics and religion, you don't bring into the restaurant, and I did both. And I did both. And learning how to understand and deal with that, but also 47 people do not work for me. I work for 47 people. I work for my staff. They don't work for me.

Joe Carlucci [00:22:57]: And he has taught me that and helped me with that. And understanding what that means is hearing people, letting them have a voice, understanding them, understanding, like, no one's perfect. No one has perfect life inside and outside of here. And it's just shifted my attitude of the perspective I I have on people.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:23:16]: And, Valentina, have you noticed any changes in your dad since he started working with a coach?

Valentina Carlucci [00:23:20]: Yes. So I will say before, he wasn't the best when with when people would start crying. Of course, he would, like, try to hug them and ask them what's wrong, but he wasn't the best with it. And now if you notice because we have a ton of girls that work for us, and girls can be emotional. And he's just gotten a lot better with it, like, with emotions, understanding, and dealing with them. And I think the life coach really helped with that.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:23:46]: Joe, I guess as we finish up, what legacy do you hope to leave for Valentina both as a father and as a businessman?

Joe Carlucci [00:23:53]: Well, it's just one. I don't care about the business. That was the best that I could make to her. That's my legacy. Like, I love pizza, some of my blood, but my legacy is is as a father. There's nothing second or close to it. I I can care less if she did this. Whatever she wants to do in life, she's gonna be super successful.

Joe Carlucci [00:24:10]: But my legacy is as a father, not as anything to do in this industry at all. There are so many more talented people in this industry than me. I've just been blessed to be around some great mentors like Tony. And at moments, I've captured those winning championships at that minute, that second, that hour, but nothing comes close to being a dad. That legacy is number one and the most important to me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:24:36]: And, Valentina, if you had to give your dad a best dad award, what would it be for?

Valentina Carlucci [00:24:40]: Being the best dad, everything he does is amazing. Of course, he'll make mistakes on the way of being the best dad, but to me, he's the best dad that there can ever be.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:24:49]: And we always finish our interviews with what I call the dad connection six. And a lot of times I have these just for dads, but with both of you here, I'm gonna ask both of you these questions and see see what you have to say. So, Valentina, I'm gonna start with you. What's one word that describes your relationship with your dad?

Valentina Carlucci [00:25:06]: Amazing.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:07]: And let's flip it. Joe, what's one word that describes your relationship with Valentina?

Joe Carlucci [00:25:11]: Princess.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:12]: Valentina, what's the best piece of advice your dad's ever given you?

Valentina Carlucci [00:25:15]: If it's all Valentine times, get up eleven.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:18]: And, Joe, what's the best piece of dad advice that you've ever received?

Joe Carlucci [00:25:22]: Listen to them, don't hear them. Or hear them, don't listen. You know when they say you you you're listening, but you're not hearing me? Hear them. A lot of parents don't hear their kids. They listen to their kids, but they don't hear what they're saying. It's a big difference. My employees do the same thing sometimes.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:34]: Valentina, what's one activity that you and your dad love to do together?

Valentina Carlucci [00:25:38]: Anything that includes having fun.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:40]: And Joe?

Joe Carlucci [00:25:41]: Cooking. She we've been going out for Korean barbecue on Sundays and, Italian on Mondays. And she said to me about six months ago, like, these meatballs are horrible. Just and she knows how to make our meatballs in the sauce. She's like, can you just can we just cook at home? Can you just teach me? I was like, yeah. So we stopped going out to eat. Then we started doing the Korean cooking at home and the Italian the next day. And that's probably the best way to describe the connection was cooking.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:06]: Now, Joe, I'm gonna follow-up with that. And if you could give Valentina one life lesson in a single sentence, what would it be?

Joe Carlucci [00:26:12]: It's not how hard you hit. It's how hard you hit back. Kinda like getting knocked down, get up, but, like, every life's gonna throw you a lot of curve balls. You gotta be able to swing them all over.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:20]: Valentina, what's one thing that your dad has taught you that you'll never forget?

Valentina Carlucci [00:26:25]: I'll say if you try anything, always try your best at it. Or again, like, no matter what you go through, no matter what happens, never have an excuse for it. Always do it.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:39]: And Joe, what's one thing you've learned about yourself since becoming a dad?

Joe Carlucci [00:26:43]: That I can't do this because I didn't think I could. Scary. As long as I'm on this earth, I have to lead by example and I didn't think I could do it. It's not an easy job for any of us. And just trust me, dealing with this one. I have Corrine in there. Let me tell you, you know where Draly is to all the girls. So

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:27:00]: Valentina, what advice would you give to other dads who want to build a lasting and meaningful relationship with their daughters? What would you say to them?

Valentina Carlucci [00:27:08]: Don't always nag your kids around. Meaning, like, say if you correct them once, that's okay, or a couple of times. But if all you do when you're with them is, oh, why does your hair look so bad? Or your room's a mess, or you've been a slob lately. And if you just keep on correcting them, they'll never come out of their room and they won't wanna talk to you because every time they talk to you, it's just them insulting you instead of saying, hey. Would you like some help or would you like want me to clean your room if you are do a deep clean or something? There's always a necessary way to say something.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:27:43]: And Joe, what would you say?

Joe Carlucci [00:27:44]: But you sell second time. You can't make up time in life, so make them your world because you don't have them for a long time. The older they get, the less they are. So make them your priority. Don't make other things your priority. My priorities are if I'm not working, I'm with her. If I'm not and if sometimes she's working with me and I'm with her outside of the year. But make them your priority.

Joe Carlucci [00:28:06]: Not a priority where it's it's a business and, you know, in the sense of, like, oh, I gotta take them to sports. I gotta spend quality time with them, whether it's with homework, watching a movie, listening to them, hearing them.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:17]: Well, Joe, Valentina, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for your time tonight and for sharing this journey that you're on. It's not over. It's definitely just the starting point and we'll continue throughout your lives together. And I know that I have loved to being able to see this dynamic play out in front of me, but I know that others will learn from this as well. And I truly wish you both the best.

Joe Carlucci [00:28:42]: Thank you.

Valentina Carlucci [00:28:43]: Thank you.

Joe Carlucci [00:28:44]: It was an honor to have a be with you today.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:45]: That's a wrap for this episode of the dad and daughter connection. Thanks for joining us on this journey to build stronger bonds and raise confident, independent daughters. Remember, being an engaged dad isn't about being perfect. It's about being present. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with a fellow dad. And don't forget, you can find all our episodes at dadanddaughterconnection.com. Until next time, keep showing up, keep connecting, and keep being the dad she needs.

Musical Performer [00:29:16]: We're all in the same boat, and it's full of tiny screaming passengers. We spend the time. We give the lessons. We make the meals. We buy them presents and bring your AK. Because those kids are growing fast. The time goes by just like a dynamite blast. Calling astronauts and firemen, carpenters and muscle men.

Musical Performer [00:29:56]: Get out and be the world to them. Be the best dad you can be. Be the best dad you can be.