Chet Garner isn’t just the Emmy-winning host of The Daytripper, he’s also the father of five kids, a former attorney who walked away from a “safe” life, and a guy who believes the most radical thing a dad can give his kids is presence. In this episode of World’s Greatest Dad, Chet opens up about leaving a downtown Austin law career to chase storytelling, the wild early days of making a PBS travel show with no money, and how becoming a father lit the fire to take that leap.Chet talks about raising five wildly different personalities, why he sets different expectations for each kid, and the delicate art of praising effort instead of achievement. The Daytripper gets real about envy between siblings, coaching vs. over-coaching, and how to help kids fail without letting them feel like failures. Plus: pool-noodle horror movies, Tom Sawyer childhoods, cottonmouth myths, the true story behind Simon Says You’re Dead, and the fatherhood moment Chet wants to freeze in time forever.Heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply grounded, this episode is a love letter to showing up, letting go, and savoring the chaotic gift of raising humans.

Arnold Myint’s path to fatherhood wasn’t easy. From visiting orphanages in Thailand to facing adoption roadblocks in Tennessee, Arnold always knew he wanted to be a dad. In this episode, he shares how surrogacy brought him his daughter Henley, how his parents’ restaurant shaped his identity, and how he balances being a chef, storyteller, and single father. A moving conversation about resilience, acceptance, and love.

When artist and dad Strider Patton first decided to braid his daughter’s hair, he didn’t expect to start a global movement. But that’s exactly what happened. A San Francisco muralist and cofounder of The Rabbit Hole Children’s Theater, Strider turned his morning bonding time into Dad Braids, a viral project inspiring millions of fathers to show up with patience, creativity, and love (and maybe a French braid or two).

In this conversation, Strider opens up about how fatherhood reshaped his art, marriage, and mindset: from running a children’s theater with his wife to waking up at 5 a.m. for quiet moments before the chaos hits. He talks about the early days of Dad Braids, how one playground compliment sparked a worldwide dad community, and why he believes in turning everyday “tasks” into moments of connection.

We get real about the pushback too — what it’s like to challenge old-school ideas of masculinity, the internet’s mixed reactions to a dad teaching hair tutorials, and why empathy (not ego) is the secret ingredient in every good braid.

Plus: the Scrunchie System that gamifies learning to braid, the “Dad Braids Toolbox” that belongs in every home, and what Strider hopes his kids and followers will remember most: that presence matters more than perfection.

Equal parts heartwarming and hopeful, this episode proves that the smallest gestures, a braid, a breakfast, a bedtime story, can be revolutionary.