The Dad Train

Brandon Miller is an expert in Strengths-Based Organizational Development, who has helped businesses such as Bank of America and Tesla implement leadership and company culture programs. 

He is also a father of 7, who has co-authored two books about Strengths-Based Parenting.

Brandon believes there are skills we learn as fathers that can help make us better managers and leaders in the workplace. 

In this interview, Brandon shares his story and explains some of the key lessons he has learned along the way. 

What you will learn

• The story behind Brandon’s business, 34 Strong 
• How organisations can apply strengths-based principles
• The three categories of time
  • Grind time
  • Greatness
  • Genius
• Brandon’s fatherhood journey, with 7 kids and 4 grandchildren. 
• How to manage work-life balance at different stages in your career
• Three ways managers (and parents) can be perceived by staff (and kids)
  • Advocate 
  • Adversary
  • Ambivalent  
• Leadership skills we learn as dads, that can also be applied in the workplace
• Why he and his wife decided to write a book about parenting
• What is Strengths-Based Parenting 
• What are some of the strengths we can look for in our kids
• The difference between core and growth strengths
• Unique strengths Brandon identified in his children 
• About Brandon’s organisation: ‘incredible parents’

More information
Show notes and links to the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/56 

Will McMahon is an Australian comedian and radio personality. He co-hosts the KISS Network’s national drive time show ‘Woody and Will’ with his best-mate Woody Whitelaw.

On-air it’s mostly shits and giggles, as Will’s job is to entertain and make people laugh. But in his personal life, he continues to live with regular bouts of depression.

Depression is a mental illness that affects 1 in 7 people. And typically men are not very good at talking about it. 

This is something Will is trying to change.

Will understands how hard it is for men to let their friends and family know they are struggling, but he also believes it’s the most important thing you can do to help yourself. 

In this interview, Will shares his personal story of living with depression and explains why it’s so important to talk about it.

What you’ll learn

• The Catch-22 of depression – where the best thing you can do is to speak to someone, but it’s also the hardest thing to do
• Why he created the ‘share my mood’ app
• Some lessons from Roman Kemp’s documentary ‘Our silent Emergency’
• Two ways for society to tackle depression
  • Intervention
  • Prevention
• Tips to help guys talk to their mates about depression
  • Shoulder to shoulder activities
  • ‘The 2-okay rule’
• Things Will does to help maintain his mental health
  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Diet and lifestyle
• How the symptoms of depression show up in Will
• The power of vulnerability – why telling your friends about your depression is the best thing you can do to help yourself. 
• Resources men can use if they need to get help

More information
Links to resources mentioned in this interview, as well as further information about the guest, can be found at https://thedadtrain.com/55

Need help?
If this topic triggers anything and you need to speak to someone, please call LifeLine on 13 11 14 (in Australia) or an equivalent helpline in your local country. 

Craig Kessler is COO of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and entertainment companies. He’s also a father of three young boys. 

After realising he had a lot to learn about parenting, Craig reached out to his network and asked them to write him a letter on “how to be a good dad”. 

After receiving responses from a wide range of dads, including athletes, TV personalities, businessmen and civic leaders, Craig compiled the advice into a book, which became known as ‘The Dad Advice Project’

In this interview, Craig discusses some of the common themes he discovered and shares a few stories that had the biggest impact on his life as a dad. 

What you’ll learn

• About Craig’s career as COO of TopGolf
• His fatherhood story and what he has learned along the way
• What inspired him to launch ‘The Dad Advice Project’
• Some of the well-known names who contributed stories
• The three common pieces of parenting advice he learned from interviewing over 40 dads for the book
• Two parenting ideas that really stood out for Craig
• How other dads can get involved with The Dad Advice Project

More Information
Show notes and links to references mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/54

The culture of fatherhood is undergoing a transformation. Dads today spend three times as many hours with their kids as they did in the 1960s. And traditional gender roles are being reinvented in incredible ways. 

Whilst this puts greater demands on fathers, it also presents a golden opportunity for dads to redefine the concept of a modern dad. 

Jeremy Macvean is co-founder of The-Father-Hood, an online business that offers support, advice and inspiration for dads.

As a single father of three girls, Jeremy understands some of the unique challenges and opportunities of the modern dad. 

In this interview, he shares the story behind The-Father-Hood, discusses some key issues faced by dads and explains why the workplace is an important environment to harness the changing culture of fatherhood. 

What you’ll learn

• The story behind the-father-hood.com 
• How the culture of fatherhood has changed in one generation
• How Australia compares to the rest of the world
• How organisations can help support the changing landscape for fathers
• Reasons why men don’t take advantage of parental leave options
• Which topics are dads engaging with
• Jeremy’s experience raising three girls 
• The importance of self-care for dads
• How to manage separation and divorce as a father
• How Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth inspired The Father Hood book.

More information

Show notes and  links to the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/53

Have you ever found yourself thinking – ‘I wish I understood what women want’? 

If so, then this week’s guest could provide the answer. 

Shana James has a masters in psychology and over 20 years of experience working with men to help them find love, rekindle the spark and bring intimacy back into their relationships.

Her clients call her ‘the secret weapon’ because she helps men translate women’s needs and understand their attraction and motivations.

In this powerful interview, Shana shares some insightful and counter-intuitive tips that can help men find the love and intimacy they seek, whatever stage of their relationship they are at. 

What you’ll learn

• Common issues that Shana helps her male clients with
• Some powerful skills that will help you in the workplace and in the bedroom
• How to tap into what your body is telling you
• How men can be more vulnerable without appearing weak
• How to master your attention and focus
• How to reignite the spark and bring intimacy back into a relationship 
• What is Nice Guy Syndrome?
• How to communicate your desires without complaining
• How men can reinvent themselves after divorce 
• What inspired Shana’s Ted X Talk about male vulnerability

More information
Show notes and links to all the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/52 

Matis Miller is a licensed clinical social worker and certified cognitive-behavioural therapist. 

He specialises in treating children with emotional regulation issues such as ADHD, ODD and DMDD. He also helps parents learn how to manage their expectations and acceptance.

In this interview, Matis shares strategies from his new book: The Uncontrollable Child

As a father of six and a therapist with over 15 years of experience, Matis has plenty of experience working with strong-willed children from all walks of life. 

Whether your child has a diagnosis or is simply displaying normal developmental behaviour, we could all use some extra parenting skills to help manage the situation. And that’s exactly what this interview provides. 

What you’ll learn

• What are some of the common diagnoses, such as:
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
  • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
• How to differentiate a behavioural disorder from normal development behaviour
• What environmental issues are contributing to increased rates of behaviour disorders
• How to harness a ‘behavioural disorder’ and turn it into a superpower
• What percentage of children have ADHD
• Is ADHD more common in boys or girls
• What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Top tips for managing an emotionally sensitive child

More information
Show  notes and links to the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/51

Many girls suffer from low self-esteem and negative self-image. This can cause them to date the wrong guys, be subjected to bullying and accept a life that is less than what they are worthy of. 

As dads, this is not what we want for our daughters. 

But as today’s guest explains, dads can play a vital role in helping our daughters grow up to be strong, confident and successful women.

The things we say and the example we set for them in their early years helps form a program that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. 

Stefanie Fields is a trained hypnotherapist who understand the importance of words and actions. As someone who has suffered from low self-esteem and body image issues, she is on a mission to make sure other girls don’t have to go through the same thing. 

Stefanie now writes children’s books that help embed positive affirmations in young girls minds so they can grow up to be strong and confident women. 

For dads who want to raise confident daughters, this interview provides some practical advice on how you can help.

What you’ll learn

• Why children’s brains are open to suggestion right before sleep
• How all our beliefs stem from childhood
• Why the way we talk about ourselves affects how our children talk about themselves 
• What does the term ‘daddy issues’ refer to
• 6 tips for dads to help embed a positive self-image in their daughters
  • Mirror affirmations 
  • Play the “I’m Great Too” game
  • Good night gratitude 
  • Seeking beauty in actions  
  • Lead by example
  • Daddy-daughter dates 
• Why we search for evidence for what we believe
• How dads can help raise confident daughters
• The story behind Stefanie’s book ‘You’re Beautiful When’

More information

Show notes and links to all the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/50

Have you ever found yourself saying “there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done”?

If so, you are not alone. This is one of the most common complaints shared by many busy dads. 

And while it’s true fatherhood brings increased responsibilities, that just means you need to be even more productive with the time you do have available. 

For anyone who battles with procrastination, or would like to be more productive at work, home or other areas of their life….. this is the episode for you. 

Nick Wignall is a clinical psychologist by day and a blogger, course creator and author by night. He’s also a husband and busy father with three young girls. 

So he knows a thing or two about how to get stuff done.

In this interview, Nick shares his top tips from the field of psychology and his own experience about how to stop procrastinating and stay productive.

What you’ll learn

• The two key areas that contribute to productivity
  • Habits and routines
  • Mindset and values “the inner game”
• The four factors that lead to procrastination
  • Value – how valuable is the thing you are doing?
  • Confidence (Self-efficacy)  – how much confidence do you have in your ability to do that task well?
  • Impulsivity or Distractibility – are you or your environment prone to distraction? 
  • Delay – is there a deadline and how far off is it? 
• How to stop procrastinating
• How to create a productive environment
• The Seinfeld Strategy for productivity
• The 4:55 drill
• Why self-compassion is so important for being productive

More Information
Show notes and links to all the resources mentioned in this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/49

Matthew Turner is a British author who interviewed 163 Succesful Entrepreneurs from all around the world to try and identify some common traits. 

One thing he discovered, that all these people had in common, was their attitude towards failure. 

In order to become successful, these people had all learned to embrace failure and learn from their mistakes. In fact, they viewed making mistakes as an essential part of achieving success. 

This attitude is what’s known as a ‘Growth Mindset’ and it’s something that Matthew has spent a lot of time researching, reading and writing about. 

And it’s a mindset he tries to apply to his own life as an author, entrepreneur and father. 

In this interview, Matthew explains the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset and why we all have the choice to develop a growth mindset if we want to. 

What you’ll learn

• How Matthew discovered his love of writing and became a professional writer
• Matthew’s experience becoming a father
• What he learned from interviewing 163 successful entrepreneurs 
• The story of entrepreneur Dan Miller who overcome bankruptcy to build an online empire
• What is a growth mindset and a fixed mindset?
• How can parents help their children develop a growth mindset?
• Books he recommends on mindset
  • Mindset, by Carol Dweck
  • The Code Of The Extraordinary Mind, by Vishen Lakhiani
• Matthew’s new book – Beyond The Pale. “A modern version of The Alchemist”

More information
show notes and links to related resources from this interview are available at https://thedadtrain.com/48

Have you ever considered taking a break from alcohol? 

Maybe you’ve tried and failed. Or maybe you’ve done a ‘Dry July or ‘Feb Fast’, only to immediately slip back into old habits. 

If so, you are not alone.

For many of us, myself included, our relationship with alcohol is on auto-pilot. We often drink out of habit, without stopping to think why. And sometimes we end up regretting it later. 

Ruari Fairbairns is the Co-Founder and CEO of ‘One Year No Beer’, an organisation that has helped over 100,000 members change their relationship with alcohol. 

In this interview, Rauri shares the story and inspiration behind OYNB and explains some of the hidden benefits of taking a tactical break from alcohol. 

What You’ll Learn

• The story behind One Year No Beer
• Why Ruari decided to take a break from alcohol and what he discovered about himself
• How he inspired his wife to follow his lead
• How different countries have different cultural attitudes towards alcohol 
• How taking a break from alcohol can help make you a better dad
• Some of the other hidden benefits of taking a break, such as sleep, anxiety, weight loss, mental health and happiness.
• Behaviour change tips to help you succeed
• And… Listen to Rauri convince Scott to take the 90-day challenge (he’s a hard man to resist)

More information
Show notes and links to all the resources mentioned in this episode are available at https://thedadtrain.com/47