The Fatherly Podcast

In the final episode of the season, Joshua David Stein and Jason Gay talk guilt — what it is, where it comes from, and how to get rid of it — and its pleasant counterpart, pride, with Dr. Jessica Tracy, author of "Pride: The Secret to Success" and the director of the Emotion & Self Lab at the University of British Columbia. Plus, they look back fondly on their time together and say sweet things. 

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More than 500,000 men get vasectomies every year in the United States. On this very fertile episode of the podcast, Joshua David Stein and co-host Postell Pringle, both vasectomized men, talk to Dr. Joseph Alukal, professor of urology at the Columbia University Medical Center about why and how. He'll also explain what's up with the tufts of smoke commonly seen during the procedure.

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This week on the podcast, Joshua speaks with NPR's political editor Domenico Montanaro, father of one, on how the 2020 field looks for America's struggling middle-class families. Also, Fatherly's own Patrick Coleman swings by to explain how American families got into this mess in the first place. (Hint: neoliberalism, motherfuckers!)

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The American nuclear family exploded decades ago. The trend has been steadily towards more divorce and more complication — half-siblings and awkward introductions ("This is my ex-wife's husband"). There's nothing wrong with that, but it has forever changed what it means to be a family man. Interested in discussing this, Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein and co-host Postell Pringle reached out to Jeff Gordinier, globe-trotting food editor of "Esquire" and author of "Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All With the Greatest Chef in the World." Gordinier is on his second go-around and generous in his willingness to discuss what it means to get a second chance in a country with no second acts.

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Therapy can be massively helpful, but it can also feel ridiculous and obligatory. Eager to get a sense of how to make better use of expensive sessions, Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein and co-host Jason Gay reach out to Lori Gottlieb, the noted therapist and author of "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone." The ensuing session covers how to solicit help, what to do with it, and how not to feel ridiculous on that couch. Also, it was free for Joshua and Jason. So that's something.

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Children's books are part of the fabric of parenthood. We read them. Then we read them again. We come to know them as well as our kids' stuffed animals (and better than their friends). But what makes one of these deceptively simple tomes tick? Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein, a children's book author himself, and co-host Postell Pringle speak to editor Kate Harrison of Dial Books for Young Readers about what makes a good idea great and how a great idea can evolve into a class. Also, Joshua sings.

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Being a parent is costly. And that's just the money.... This week, Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein and co-host Postell Pringle go looking for peace of mind on all things money. Spoiler alert: They don't get it. Instead, they get schooled by Brookings Institute economist Richard Reeves, author of "Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust," and financial coach Jacquette Timmons, author of "Financial Intimacy: How to Create a Healthy Relationship With Your Money and Your Mate," on how families make money and keep it. Long book subtitles are also discussed.

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New babies don't come with tons of injection-modeled nonsense, but it tends to wash up in their wake. But why is the infant paraphenalia and playtime juvenalia so poorly designed? Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein put the question to architecture critic Alexanda Lange, author of "The Design of Childhood," Mark Riegelman, the world's most badass playground designer, and Ben Kaufman, CEO and founder of CAMP, the experiential toy store. The first Fatherly Podcast live show takes off from there!

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It's hard enough to feel centered in the dumpster fire that is modern life, but being a parent can make it even harder. How do we empathize with our kids without feeling all their pain? Can we help others without presuming weakness? How can we live by our values, or at least just be a little fucking nicer? It's both harder and easier than we think, as Joshua David Stein and co-host Postell Pringle learn from Zen Buddhist priest, author, activist, and pioneer in end-of-life care Roshi Joan Halifax. In this inspiring episode, she shares tips for how to find compassion through healthy boundaries, how to serve instead of fix others, and how to use meditation to be happier, prioritize what's important, and become better parents.

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In an intensely personal episode, Fatherly Podcast host Joshua David Stein speaks with his co-host, Jason Gay, and founder and president of Treatment and Research Advancements for Borderline Personality Disorder (TARA4BPD), Valerie Porr, about his struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder and his attempts to get help while trying to insulate his children from some of his worst behaviors. A remarkably honest look at what it takes to be a good dad while struggling with mental health issues, this episode speaks to the importance of looking for help and taking it.

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