Chef Jet Tila (Food Network, Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen) joins us for an unfiltered conversation about food, family, and fatherhood. Jet opens up about growing up in LA as the first U.S.-born child of Thai-Chinese immigrants, how his father’s choices forced him to restart life at 17, and why he ultimately walked away from a high-paying Vegas chef job to be present for his wife and kids. Jet shares how therapy, parenting with “firm but loving boundaries,” and resisting the pressure of smartphones for his 12-year-old have shaped his fatherhood journey. We also get Jet's hot take on authenticity in food, creating a family culture from scratch, and why he believes the best recipe he’s ever written is the one at home.

Ali and Neil sit down with Augustine Sedgewick, historian, dad, and author of Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power, to talk about the myths, stories, and struggles that shape what it means to be a dad. From ancient patriarchs to gentle parenting, Taylor Swift to the Founding Fathers, the dads cover it all this week and learn why the best fatherly advice might be: just listen.

Ali wears a red hat WITHOUT ANY WORDS ON IT. Neil gets roasted online by displeased TikTokkers. And together they unpack what it’s like to parent in the era of virality, cancellation, and preteens who correct your vocabulary. Plus: Gen X parenting guilt, and how to lose at chess without losing your kid’s respect. Don't miss our listener mailbag with questions on: grilling, DIY fails, kid anxiety, and family fart etiquette. Oh...and we talk about the Coldplay Affair because how could we not?

The World's Greatest Dads unpack the subjects other dad podcasts refuse to tackle: from composting blood clots to dying our gray hair to why carnitas may be the answer to everything. And the guys try to figure out if they’ve done anything right as dads. Spoiler: probably? PLUS: is it wrong to leave a toddler strapped to a bike outside a coffee shop? Neil and Ali consult the “Dad Ethicist” (aka themselves) in an episode full of truly questionable fatherly advice.

In this episode, Neil and Ali navigate the big stuff: kids, boredom, creativity, and letting go of perfection. Hear why bad singing isn’t the worst thing, how vintage sneakers might teach finance, and what How to Train Your Dragon says about fatherhood. We also cover: screen time battles, sarcastic six-year-olds, and what Pixar’s Elio taught us about shedding emotional armor. Plus, Neil does an Elmo voice. You’ve been warned.

Ali returns from Asia with stories of travel and family bonding. From Korean barbecue tours and craft beer in Kyoto to yogurt shaming and leftover strategy, Ali and Neil cover it all. This week: the weird intimacy of long-haul family travel, the honest truth about eating etiquette in a marriage, and a high schooler flipping Pokemon cards like Wall Street futures. Plus the dads explore what your area code reveals about your social class. Expect Entourage references, cell phone nostalgia, and surprisingly deep thoughts on fatherhood, anime, and French pastry chefs in Seoul. and that universal dad instinct to finish everyone’s leftovers. This episode is for anyone who's ever eaten crab too loudly...or used their finger as a bread knife on a date.

Accomplished podcast producer and dad of two, AJ Feliciano, joins Ali and Neil to talk about trading L.A. hustle for Texas balance, juggling cross-country business trips, and savoring every parenting moment no matter how fleeting. AJ opens up about screen-time limits, bonding with his boys what it means to raise kind, humble kids in a world of privilege and abundance. The guys chat about their own upbringings and how they influence their parenting today, ultimately landing on a simple truth: being a great dad isn’t about getting it perfect...it’s about trying your best, every single day.

Nick Holmquist is a dad on a mission to make parenting more fun, meaningful, and emotionally connected. In this episode of World’s Greatest Dad, we dive into Nick’s gamified approach to fatherhood combining elements of storytelling, role-playing games, and behavioral science to raise resilient, thoughtful kids. You’ll hear how he tackles real-life parenting challenges through fantasy characters Harper and Sloan, uses narrative to build emotional regulation, and brings his software engineering mindset into the world of toddler tantrums and bedtime routines.

Highlights:

• Nick's Three Pillars of Parenting: connection, emotional regulation, and growth mindset

• Nick's Five Guilds of ConnectionScience-backed parenting influences (including Dr. Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside)
• Real examples of how Nick turns meltdowns into magical learning moments

If you’re a parent looking to level up your connection and have more fun along the way, this episode is for you.

Ali is packing his bags for an epic family trip to Asia, but first, he and Neil tackle whether Neil is secretly an AI co-host sent from the future, and Neil clears up once and for all that he is, in fact, not a robot. The dads dive into the etiquette of destination weddings with no-kid policies, debate graphic novels versus traditional chapter books, and wonder if strip clubs really are the best place to get a good steak (spoiler: probably not). Plus, stories of the ultimate dad crew, NBA drama, and how to teach your kids about stranger danger without raising pint-sized conspiracy theorists.

Neil and Ali dig deep into what it means to be a dad in the modern age touching on everything from 90s music and trying to get on the Jumbotron at a Mets game moments to AI storytelling teddy bears and what is the absolute best and worst fast food joint. The guys debate whether Patrick Mahomes’ dad bod even matters, discover that children are having birthday parties at steakhouses. Plus, we discuss how technology is reshaping playtime and education.