Mike Duboe is a General Partner at Greylock, one of the most well-known venture firms in Silicon Valley. Prior to that he was a Growth leader at Stitch Fix through their IPO and Tilt which was acquired by AirBnB. He is a husband and the father of two kids. In this episode we discuss:

• Cultural influences from his grandparents and parents


• Getting into alignment on the right time to have kids


• Having your second kid 2 months into the pandemic!


• Building resiliency in your family


• The ongoing challenge of balancing with two working parents


• Creating constraints to prioritize your time


• How to make time for your spouse


• Being the social chair of your marriage


• What he'd do differently if they had a third kid

—

Where to find Mike Duboe

- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/mduboe

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduboe/

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:50] Mike’s Background 

[7:54] Key Differences Between Growth and Venture

[11:15] Mike’s childhood and upbringing  

[14:46] Mike’s wife and kids

[16:58] Aligning on the time to start a family 

[19:36] His earliest fatherhood memories

[21:31] Most surprising part about being a dad 

[24:08] The ongoing challenge of balancing the lives of two working parents

[28:25] Frameworks for parenting 

[30:30] Disagreements on parenting philosophy 

[33:22] Having your second kid at the start of the pandemic

[35:38] Biggest mistakes made as a father 

[37:15] Rapid fire round

[41:41] Parting words

—

Show references:

Bill Murray-Lost in translation: https://youtu.be/eNK7N3AwVFQ

Greylock: https://greylock.com/

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Darius Contractor is the Chief Growth Officer at Otter.ai, prior to that he was Chief Product and Technology Officer at Vendr, a Growth and Product leader at Airtable and Facebook, and an Engineering leader at Dropbox. He is also a fantastic angel investor and advisor, a husband and the father of two kids. In this episode we discuss:

• His parents influence on his career


• His earliest memories of being a Dad


• Freak out moments


• Watching your kids experience the world for the first time


• Frameworks for parenting


• Sacrifices you make when becoming a parent


• Acknowledging your mistakes

—

Where to find Darius Contractor

- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/dariusmc

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmc/

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:24] Darius introduction and professional background

[2:46] His personal background

[4:05] His parent’s influence on his life

[5:30] Info on his family

[6:50] Decision to start a family

[9:53] Parenting during the Pandemic

[12:41] Earliest memory of being a Dad

[15:06] A freak out moment

[17:22] Most surprising part of being a Dad

[21:40] Watching your kids experience the world the first time

[24:22] Parenting frameworks

[30:25] Disagreements with your partner

[34:16] Successes!

[35:31] Sacrifices made in becoming a parent

[39:12] Mistakes as a Dad

[42:17] Hustle culture vs. Parenting

[46:57] Rapid fire round

—

Show references:

Doona Stroller: https://www.doona.com/en-us/car-seat-stroller/discover-doona

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Brian Balfour is the founder and CEO of Reforge, former VP of Growth at Hubspot, and a venture partner at Long Journey Ventures. He is one of the foremost experts on Growth and also a husband and the father of two young kids. In this episode we discuss:

• His parents opinion of his profession


• Other family members' influence on his entrepreneurial spirit


• His decision to start a family and whether he took to fatherhood right away


• The tragedy of losing his first child at birth and challenges of conceiving


• How to protect your time as a CEO and a father


• Brian's frameworks for parenting


• How to align with your partner


• Life during the pandemic with a partner who is a nurse, young kids and a fast-growing startup

—

Where to find Brian Balfour

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bbalfour

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/

- Personal Website: https://www.brianbalfour.com

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:40] Intros

[2:06] Professional background

[3:28] Personal background

[6:38] Parents' opinion of his career

[9:33] Uncle’s influence on his entrepreneurial spirit

[11:59] About his family

[14:39] Decision to start a family

[18:07] Whether or not he took to Fatherhood right away

[18:30] Losing a child at birth

[21:29] The “Instagramification” of parenting

[22:52] Parenting reality check

[25:26] Most surprising thing about Fatherhood?

[28:08] How to protect your time as a parent and a CEO

[30:21] More discussion of losing a child and Brian's coping strategies

[37:09] Parenting frameworks

[41:34] Aligning as a couple

[45:11] Life during pandemic

[48:58] Rapid fire round

—

Show references

- www.reforge.com

- H.A.N.D. - Helping After Neonatal Death

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Fareed Mosavat is Chief Development Officer at Reforge, former Director of Product at Slack, Instacart, Zynga and more. He's a husband and father of two teenagers (!). In this episode we discuss:

• Lessons from being raised by his Mom


• His decision to start a family


• Earliest memories of being a Dad


• Regrets he's had as a father


• Tweens vs. Teens and which is worse


• Establishing family guard rails


• What he and his wife don't agree on


• Hilarious rapid-fire round

—

Where to find Fareed Mosavat

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/far33d

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fareed/

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:35] Introductions

[2:25] What is a CDO?

[5:19] Fareed’s career background

[8:19] Childhood

[11:04] Lessons from Mom

[13:49] How he met his partner

[16:36] Their decision to start a family

[20:51] More about his wife

[21:39] Earliest memories of being a Dad

[27:50] Work/life balance and a career story

[32:33] Regrets

[36:38] Tweens vs. Teens and which is worse

[39:46] Establishing family guard rails

[43:44] Where he and his partner don't agree

[46:23] Rapid fire round

—

Companies referenced: www.reforge.com

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Buster Benson is Principle Product Manager at Medium, the platform creating a new model for digital publishing. He a published author of the book Why Are We Yelling? The Art of Productive Disagreements, the founder of 750Words, and most importantly the father of two boys. In this episode we discuss:

• Joining and leaving companies in pursuit of being a better father


• Starting a family while being broke with no insurance


• Home birthing


• Having a kid who doesn't sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time


• Separation and divorce


• How to talk to your kids about divorce


• Maintaining an amicable relationship with your ex and connection to your kids

—

Where to find Buster Benson:

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/buster

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/busterbenson/

- 750 Words: https://750words.com/

- Amazon: Why Are We Yelling?

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:26] Introduction

[2:30] Background

[6:22] Decision to start a family

[7:49] Homebirth

[9:28] Homebirth community

[11:06] About Buster’s kids

[12:47] Why parenting is hard

[14:40] Buster’s earliest fatherhood memories

[17:53] Surprising fatherhood things

[19:45] External pressure

[21:45] Frameworks for parenting

[24:14] ADHD/Diagnosis

[25:13] The story of his separation and divorce

[28:43] Telling the kids about their separation

[31:04] Advice for separation

[34:46] Agreements in parenting

[36:42] Managing complex demands

[39:46] Mistakes in fatherhood

[43:33] Rapid fire round

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Alex Cohen is Sr. Director of Product at Carbon Health, a modern health clinic that provides urgent and primary care for easier everyday health. He is also a serial entrepreneur, investor, and one of the most prolific "shitposters" on Twitter. He's a loving husband and the father of 1 kid, born during the peak of the pandemic. In this episode we discuss:

Getting fired from Office Depot

Marrying his high school sweetheart and prom date

Being the youngest parent in your neighborhood

His wife's take on his internet celebrity

How "shitposting" has made her choice to not work outside the home easier

The difficulties of parenting without community, family, or friends

Bringing home a baby during the peak of the pandemic

—

Where to find Alex Cohen

- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/anothercohen

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-cohen/

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:30] Introductions [2:02] Professional background

[5:16] Angel investing

[7:51] Marrying your high school sweetheart

[12:26] Leaving California for Texas

[17:51] His wife's decision to stay home

[18:32] Her take on his internet fame

[20:22] Starting a family

[21:46] Earliest fatherhood memory

[22:53] Lack of support network

[23:53] Instagram VS. real life

[25:56] Most surprising about being a new Dad

[27:38] Frameworks for parenting

[29:26] Having a Pandemic kid

[31:05] What his kid's reaction to an internet famous Dad will be

[33:33] Establishing strong partnership with his wife

[35:42] What did you give up to be a Dad?

[38:08] Rapid fire round

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Adam Grenier is VP of Growth at Eventbrite, a ticketing company that is bringing the world together through live experiences. Prior to that he led growth for Masterclass and Lambda School, was an EIR at Reforge and was Head of Growth Marketing at Uber. He's also a loving husband and the father of 3 kids, including an autistic son. In this episode we discuss:

• Adam's humble upbringing in the Midwest


• How he got into improv and made his way to California


• Poop (of course)


• Raising a child with special needs


• How to communicate your capacity to your spouse


• Advocating for your children


• Some of the shame around parenting


• Setting up family guardrails and balance

—

Where to find Adam Grenier

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AKGrenier

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akgrenier

Where to find Adam Fishman:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:23] Introductions

[2:11] Adam’s Background

[7:12] Parents

[9:26] Discussing Role Models

[11:19] Arriving in California, Adam’s wife and kids

[20:08] Talk about Poop

[21:45] What it’s like with a special needs child

[24:15] Discussing capacity and Brene Brown

[26:06] How to advocate for your child

[31:55] Shame around parenting

[33:38] New parent support group anecdote

[34:06] Family guard rails

[37:12] Parenting disagreements

[39:03] How to balance work and family

[45:25] Rapid fire round

[51:21] Parting advice

—

Links we reference:

Second City 
https://www.secondcity.com/

SNL 
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live

Brene Brown 
https://brenebrown.com/

Butt Cream 
https://www.forbes.com/health/family/best-diaper-rash-cream/

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Nick Soman is the founder and CEO of Decent, a healthcare company that helps small businesses band together to get more affordable health insurance for their employees. Prior to that he led growth for Gusto, was a product manager on the Kindle at Amazon, and started a company that he sold to Napster! In this episode we discuss:

• How Nick's parents influenced his own parenting


• The challenging early times as a Dad and startup leader


• Discoveries he's had as a Dad


• The importance of partnership in your marriage and how to navigate conflict


• His "irrevocable guidelines" around family


• Silicon Valley hustle culture and incompatibility with family life


• Bringing his own values into his company


• Many mistakes he's made as a father and what they've taught him

—

Where to find Nick Soman:

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicksoman

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicksoman/

Where to find Adam:

- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf

—

In this episode, we cover:

[1:50] Introductions

[2:36] Nick and Decent Health

[4:28] Nick’s background

[7:08] His Parents

[8:58] Family life and Starting a family

[12:27] Challenging early times as a Dad

[16:00] Responsibility cape/choice vs. obligation

[17:12] Masculine energy/Nature vs. Nurture

[20:44] Dad discoveries/Do as I say, not as I do.

[24:41] Dissonance between partners

[25:32] Importance of partnership/conflict

[28:00] Marriage advice

[30:22] How do you and your wife recharge?

[32:46] “Irrevocable guidelines” around my family

[33:27] Silicon Valley “hustle culture”

[34:19] A trap he fell into/a walkabout

[37:44] Bringing values into his company

[40:46] Mistake he’s made as a father

[44:28] Rapid fire round

—

Links we reference:

Rivian
https://rivian.com/

“Hold Me Tight,” Dr. Sue Johnson 
https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Me-Tight-Conversations-Lifetime/dp/B084G9QFZY/ref=sr_1_2?crid=194BNQXYUKRWA&keywords=hold+me+tight+sue+johnson&qid=1680733560&sprefix=hold+me+tight+sue+%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-2

Nick's company, Decent
https://www.decent.com/

Andy Johns - How to Know When to Stop
https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-know-when-to-stop

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/

Welcome to the very first episode of Startup Dad!

Every week, Adam Fishman will interview entrepreneurs, leaders, founders, and many people you may have heard advice from before. This time it's different because they're also all fathers. Instead of talking about product development, the latest growth strategies, or fundraising we talk about balancing work with family life, parenting strategies, and the hard and hilarious parts about parenting.

Get full access to the FishmanAF Newsletter at www.fishmanafnewsletter.com/subscribe

—

Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/

Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/