What does leadership look like when the mission is your family and the stakes are emotional, not tactical?

Brad Leeman is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, combat aviator, and F-35 test pilot who spent nearly two decades leading in environments where preparation, clarity, and execution were non-negotiable. After transitioning out of the military, Brad became an entrepreneur and founder of SwingSesh, a company built around a simple belief: parents should not be spectators in their kids’ lives.

This conversation explores how elite performance principles translate and sometimes fail to translate into fatherhood. Brad shares why presence matters, how small daily rituals create connection, and why modeling behavior shapes a child’s inner voice far more than lectures ever could.

Brad walks through how he and his wife intentionally design family rhythms, why play is a serious leadership skill, and how dads can rethink fitness, work, and ambition.

Brad shares how to:

• Build daily rituals that anchor presence and connection with kids
• Use play as a tool for bonding, modeling health, and emotional regulation
• Shape a child’s inner monologue through actions, not instructions
• Recognize when to lead and when to follow inside a partnership
• Rethink comfort, resilience, and decision making during hard seasons

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F-35

U.S. Marine Corps

Ball State University

Harvard Graduate School of Design

How to Build Extreme Willpower | David Goggins & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Hood’s Gardens

Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock

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How do you communicate in a way that builds trust, connection, and confidence with your kids, your partner, and the people you work with every day?

Danny Brassell has spent decades teaching, coaching, and speaking around the world about storytelling, reading, and communication. This conversation explores how communication is not about polish or performance, but about meeting people where they are and staying present in the moments that matter most.

Danny shares how to:

• Use storytelling to build trust instead of trying to impress
• Become a stronger communicator by focusing on failures, not just wins
• Create daily habits that strengthen presence at home
• Help kids love reading without turning it into a battle
• Model curiosity, learning, and humility for your children

Danny’s insights are practical, honest, and immediately usable for dads who want to communicate more clearly, lead more effectively, and show up better for the people who matter most.

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Do What Matters Most

Becoming Your Best

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lyon

Real Dads Read

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

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On his website: https://www.wellcraftedstoryworkshop.com

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Get your free well crafted story blueprint:  www.freestoryguide.com

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Jon Merlin is a longtime designer who left agency life to start his own creative studio while raising two young daughters. Instead of letting work bleed into every hour, Jon drew a hard line around family time and rebuilt his business around clarity, intention, and values.

This conversation explores what it really looks like to pursue entrepreneurship without losing presence at home, and how letting go of perfection can unlock both better work and better parenting.

Jon shares how to:

• Protect daily family time without derailing client work
• Set non-negotiables in seasons where work pressure is real
• Build a focused business by saying no to the wrong projects
• Navigate the anxiety and ambiguity of starting something new
• Replace perfection with progress at work and at home
• Use small moments with kids to stay connected during busy days
• Model emotional regulation, repair, and growth for children
• Choose work that aligns with values, not just revenue
• Reframe career gaps as runways instead of setbacks
• Define success through legacy, not titles or output

Jon’s perspective is thoughtful, grounded, and deeply practical for dads who want to build something meaningful without missing what matters most.

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One Club for Creatives (San Diego)

Creative Mornings

Lava Chicken

Dookie by Green Day

Basket Case by Green Day

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Website: https://jonmerlin.com/

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Why does work keep crowding out family time even when no one is explicitly asking it to?

Doug Fleener is an author, coach, and former corporate executive who has lived both sides of the work equation. After years of leadership roles and constant pressure, he intentionally redesigned his work around presence, health, and family. As a dad to grown daughters and a teenager, Doug brings rare perspective on how seasons of fatherhood change what presence really looks like.

Doug shares how to:

• Shift from chasing balance to making clear work and life choices
• Recognize when work is crowding out presence without anyone noticing
• Build daily intention through future focused journaling
• Use physical cues like closing a laptop or putting down a phone to signal presence
• Pause before reacting when pressure spills into family moments
• Find meaningful connection in small, ordinary moments

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Bose Corporation

Day One

Start With What If by Doug Fleener

Draft Day

Arthur theme song

Turn Style

Piano Man

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Website: https://www.dougfleener.com

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What do you do when your career looks successful on paper, but something quietly feels off?

Stephanie Cordes is a career ownership coach who works with people at the exact moment when professional success and the life they want to live stop pointing in the same direction. She knows this moment personally. After building a successful corporate career, Stephanie realized that checking all the boxes did not automatically mean she was building the right life.

Stephanie shares how to:

• Recognize quiet misalignment before it turns into burnout

• Reevaluate work and life goals as seasons and family needs change

• Think beyond job titles and focus on lifestyle, income, and long term direction

• Create a personal North Star that guides decisions without locking you into one path

• Let go of the belief that every career change means failure

• Explore new options while keeping stability for your family

• Involve your partner in career decisions as a true team effort

• Redefine what providing really means beyond a paycheck

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Ring Camera

Jamie Siminoff, Founder of Ring Camera

Kim Possible

Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock

Aquaphor

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Website: https://stephahead.com

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Why do anxiety and depression feel heavier during the long winter season, even when nothing is technically “wrong”?

Kristian Leavell, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, returns to talk about the emotional weight winter can bring, especially for fathers carrying responsibility at work and at home. The focus here is awareness, regulation, and small, realistic ways to stay steady when energy is low and motivation fades.

Kristian shares how to:

• Notice early signs of anxiety and depression by watching patterns, not isolated moments

• Treat emotions as useful signals rather than problems to eliminate

• Separate thoughts from facts and step out of spirals

• Use small, practical actions to interrupt anxiety before it builds

• Apply opposite action when motivation disappears

• Practice mindfulness in real life, not perfect conditions

• Talk with kids about emotions in ways that create trust and safety

• Redefine strength as presence, not endurance

• Check in on other dads without feeling the need to fix them

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ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

Cognitive Fusion

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

The Jetsons

How to turn crayons into candles

Crash the Gates by Yellowcard

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DistinctApproachCounseling.com

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What does it mean to succeed at work without missing the moments you never get back?

Eddie Torba has spent decades in retail execution and operations, helping major brands adapt, rebuild, and evolve through massive industry change. Along the way, he made intentional career decisions to stay present for his family, from working nights and weekends early on, to shifting into remote corporate roles, to building a small consulting practice on the side.

Eddie shares how to:

• Design a career around family instead of fitting family into leftover time

• Choose flexibility and stability without treating them as opposites

• Build trust at work by delivering results, not logging hours

• Protect family dinners, school events, and everyday moments that matter

• Set boundaries that prevent burnout and protect mental energy

• Create morning and weekly routines that support focus and balance

• Explore a side path without overwhelming yourself or your family

• Be honest about capacity before taking on extra work

• Help kids understand the human effort behind convenience and consumption

• Teach responsibility, work ethic, and perspective by example

• Measure success by presence, not titles or constant availability

Eddie’s story is a reminder that careers evolve, seasons change, and showing up consistently for your family is a choice you make again and again. His approach is practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in the belief that work should support life, not replace it.

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Ad Populum

EWS Consulting

Party City

Duck Tales

Duck Tales theme song

Knee Deep by Zach Brown Band

Jimmy Buffett

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What does it actually take to feel grounded, confident, and present as a dad when anxiety is rising, expectations are shifting, and the world feels louder than ever?

AJ Rich is a licensed marriage and family therapist, practice owner, and doctoral candidate who works almost exclusively with men. After nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, AJ transitioned into clinical work and now helps dads navigate identity, emotional intelligence, anxiety, and growth without losing themselves or their families in the process.

In this conversation, AJ shares how men can move beyond coping and toward real psychological wellbeing, even while juggling work pressure, parenting, and constant change.

You will hear AJ break down how to:

• Understand anxiety as a signal, not a failure

• Build emotional intelligence without losing strength or credibility

• Develop the language to describe what you are actually feeling

• Shift from survival mode into sustainable growth

• Redefine success beyond titles, income, or external validation

• Identify what is holding you back when you feel stuck

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Feelings wheel

Brené Brown

Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart on HBO Max

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown (book)

PERMA Theory of Well-Being

Doc McStuffins

Sofia the First

Subway Sandwich Artist

Food Avenue in Target

This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan

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AJ Family Therapy, Inc.

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