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Startup Dad

Adam Fishman

Adam Fishman (author of a top business newsletter on Substack with 11K+ subscribers) interviews executives, entrepreneurs, and company leaders in technology companies who are also fathers. They discuss the tough aspects of work, parenting, family, the mistakes made and lessons learned along the way. All episodes at www.startupdadpod.com.

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  • 34 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 6 min
  • English

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  • Tuesday · 1 hr 32 min

    Introducing: Startup Mom with Tamara Hinckley

    Introducing Startup Mom, the sister show to Startup Dad! In this first episode, Adam Fishman interviews Tamara Hinckley, the show’s host, about the idea behind Startup Mom and the experiences that led her to create it. We'll be publishing the first three episodes of Startup Mom here in the Startup Dad feed. Visit www.startupmompod.com for more information! Tamara moved to the U.S. from Ukraine at age seven, built a career in finance after college, and moved from Wall Street to product leadership at Pinterest. She was still climbing the ladder when she became a mother: she interviewed for her first manager role while pregnant, then earned a promotion to Director when she was seven months pregnant with her second daughter. Those milestones brought a new question into focus: how do you keep growing at work when motherhood changes your time, energy, and sense of what’s possible? Tamara describes feeling isolated without many moms around her in leadership, and how the transition to two children challenged the hustle that had carried her through earlier chapters. She and Adam discuss why sharing stories from women who have faced these choices can help others feel less alone, and how Startup Mom will make space for both career ambition and the realities of parenting. We discussed: Starting Startup Mom as the sister show to Startup Dad: How Adam and Tamara came together to create a show centered on moms in tech. Building a career from an immigrant upbringing: How Tamara’s move from Ukraine shaped her drive, and her path from Georgetown and Wall Street to Pinterest. Taking a manager role while pregnant: Why Tamara considered withdrawing from the interview process, and what it was like to take leave and return to work. Becoming a Director seven months pregnant: What it felt like to step into leadership while visibly pregnant and to look around for other moms in senior roles. Finding a new definition of ambition: How becoming a mother, navigating postpartum depression, and raising two children challenged Tamara’s reliance on hustle. Sharing the work of parenting: What Adam and Tamara have learned about different family arrangements, caregiving, and making room for dads to take on more at home. Where to find Tamara Hinckley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhinckley/ Half Moon Hustle: https://halfmoonhustle.substack.com/ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@startupmompod Where to find Adam Fishman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com/ Podcast: http://youtube.com/@startupdadpod In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introducing Startup Mom (01:00) How Adam started Startup Dad and why Startup Mom came next (08:00) Growing up in Ukraine and learning to hustle (11:00) From Wall Street to Pinterest (16:00) Becoming a mom in a male-dominated workplace (22:30) The vision behind Startup Mom (25:00) Postpartum depression and the transition to two kids (32:00) Redefining ambition after becoming a parent (39:30) The “Great Accounting” and sharing the work at home (48:30) Leaving Pinterest and rethinking career stability (52:00) The risks and rewards of working for yourself (55:00) What Adam has learned from Startup Dad guests (1:09:30) “Hurried mom syndrome” and learning to slow down (1:19:30) How Tamara is using AI at work and at home (1:24:30) Advice for women becoming moms or founders Resources from this episode Transitions by William Bridges - https://www.amazon.com/dp/073820904X The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXLZW2V The Hoffman Process - https://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/ The Zone of Genius by Gay Hendricks - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250246547

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  • November 5 · 1 hr 4 min

    Is A Growth Mindset Bad?! | Dan Beck (Dad of 9, 401GO)

    Dan Beck is the Co-Founder & CEO of 401GO, a company making retirement benefits more accessible to small businesses across America. He built the company alongside his brother and co-founder Nate, making entrepreneurship quite literally a family affair and continuing a working relationship that has spanned multiple businesses. He’s also a newly remarried dad of five biological kids and four “bonus” kids, navigating a blended family with kids ranging from seven to 23. Between building a fast-growing company, co-parenting, remarriage, and bringing two families together, Dan has had to rethink what success, presence, and leadership look like at home. We discussed: Why the founder (growth) mindset can fail at home: How conviction, speed, and problem-solving can become liabilities when your family needs patience and presence instead. Building a blended family with nine kids: What Dan is learning about remarriage, bonus kids, two households, and letting relationships develop at their own pace. Building a company with his brother: Why trust, vulnerability, and low ego let Dan and Nate disagree intensely without damaging their relationship. Watching his son become an entrepreneur: How Dan’s 17-year-old son took over a declining business and showed how much kids absorb by growing up around entrepreneurship. Being a provider versus being present: How financial success forced Dan to question whether providing had become an excuse for spending more time building businesses. Creating productive struggle for kids: Why Dan believes parents should help kids become capable of engineering their own lives instead of engineering every outcome. Where to find Dan Beck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielgbeck/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Dan Beck, Co-Founder & CEO of 401GO (02:28) Navigating a blended family with nine kids (04:27) Bringing two families together at Lake Powell (07:13) Building a company with his brother Nate (10:52) Why trust and low ego make founder relationships work (15:59) Watching his 17-year-old son revive a struggling business (19:46) Why the founder mindset doesn’t always work in marriage (23:43) Learning to listen instead of trying to fix everything (25:21) Bringing family values into startup culture (29:15) Letting go of the family story he thought he was building (35:46) Finding his role as a dad to four bonus kids (45:58) When being a provider becomes an excuse for being unavailable (51:09) Raising kids to engineer their own lives (53:37) Using productive struggle to build capable kids (01:02:28) Lightning round: minivans, race car driving, and dad stereotypes Resources From This Episode: 401GO: https://401go.com/ ChatGPT (Software): https://chatgpt.com/ Forseti Cutlery: https://forseticutlery.com/ Leadership & Self-Deception (Book): https://arbinger.com/bookstore/leadership-and-self-deception The Anatomy Of Peace (Book): https://arbinger.com/anatomy-of-peace Autodesk Fusion (Software): https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • October 29 · 1 hr 25 min

    What Is Maternal Gatekeeping? | Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan (Mom of 1, Ohio State)

    Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan is a Professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University and Director of the Children and Parents Lab. For nearly two decades, she has studied how couples become parents, how fathers develop confidence, and the subtle dynamics that can push one parent into the role of expert while the other becomes the backup. She’s also the lead researcher behind the New Parents Project, a longitudinal study that began with nearly 200 first-time parents during pregnancy and has followed their families into their children’s late teens. We talked about maternal gatekeeping, why even couples who want an equal partnership can fall into unequal roles, and what dads can do to become more confident and involved parents. We discussed: Understanding maternal gatekeeping: How parents can either close or open the gate, and why the dynamic is more complicated than moms simply shutting dads out. Breaking the expert and backup parent cycle: How one confident parent and one less confident parent can create a self-reinforcing imbalance at home. Building confidence as a dad: What Sarah learned from expectant parents using a faceless doll and why dads can grow into the role with practice. Why parenting gets less equal after kids: What time diary research revealed about childcare, housework, paid work, and leisure after becoming parents. Making parental leave work for dads: Why paid leave, workplace culture, and senior leaders modeling leave all matter. Getting out of the backup parent role: Why dads need to communicate, take ownership, and make their desire to be involved clear. Where to find Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjschoppesullivan/ X: https://x.com/schoppesullivan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjayneus/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, Professor at The Ohio State University (02:54) What a faceless doll revealed about expecting parents (06:03) Why intuitive parenting looks different for dads (07:35) What predicts how involved dads become (14:18) The two sides of maternal gatekeeping (22:32) What actually predicts gateclosing (27:06) What 18 studies reveal about maternal gatekeeping (32:20) Why dads are half of the gatekeeping equation (37:07) How masculinity shapes father involvement (40:51) What time diaries reveal about the parenting workload (46:52) Why weekends make the parenting gap even bigger (51:30) How parental leave can set dads up for involvement (55:30) How jealousy can shape the co-parenting relationship (01:15:04) How new dads can get out of the backup parent role (01:18:54) Lightning round: spelling bees, cat names, and station wagons Resources From This Episode: The Ohio State University: https://www.osu.edu/ New Parents Project: https://u.osu.edu/schoppesullivan/new-parents-project/ Allison Daminger’s Startup Dad episode: https://youtu.be/Bm0OVELl_yU American Time Use Survey: https://www.bls.gov/tus/ Darby Saxbe’s Research: https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/33/7/4156/6691667 Richard Pett’s Research: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.12476 Co-Parents Behaving Badly: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42441646/ Atari 2600 (Gaming Console): https://atari.com/collections/atari-2600-plus The Sound of Music (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/ The Wizard of Oz (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • October 22 · 1 hr 2 min

    I Quit My 7-Figure Job To Take Back My Time | Peter Yang (Dad of 2, Behind The Craft)

    Peter Yang is the creator of Behind the Craft, a 100k+ subscriber YouTube channel and 150k+ subscriber newsletter focused on product, AI, and building. Previously a product leader at Roblox, Peter spent years climbing the traditional career ladder before walking away from a seven figure tech career to bet on himself and build his creator business full-time. And he did it all so he could spend time on what mattered most… his family. He’s the dad of two daughters, ages eight and four, and his wife is an engineer at Microsoft. They’re figuring out how to raise curious, resilient kids while navigating careers, technology, and a rapidly changing, AI-fueled world. We discussed: Walking away from a seven figure tech career: Why Peter left Roblox to bet on himself, and how trying to juggle a demanding job with his creator business was hurting both. Being more present with his daughters: How walking his eight-year-old to school and putting his phone away helped Peter create more focused, meaningful time with his kids. Breaking out of the traditional career script: How Peter’s immigrant upbringing, Ivy League path, and years in consulting, banking, and tech shaped a definition of success he eventually started to question. Teaching kids to build with AI: How Peter’s eight-year-old used Codex and voice commands to build her own game from scratch, and what that taught him about creativity, communication, and the future of learning. Raising kids with agency and resilience: Why Peter wants his daughters to learn how to build, sell, fail, communicate clearly, and pursue the things they genuinely enjoy. Remembering that family matters more than the career ladder: Why Peter is spending more time with his aging parents, preserving their stories for his daughters, and rethinking what kind of legacy actually matters. Where to find Peter Yang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergyang/ X: https://x.com/petergyang YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PeterYangYT Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Peter Yang, creator of Behind The Craft (02:58) Why Peter walked away from Roblox (04:13) What Peter learned from walking his daughter to school (09:53) Breaking free from the Ivy League success script (11:46) Overcoming a scarcity mindset and redefining security (14:37) Peter’s principles for betting on yourself (17:49) How product management theater pushed Peter to make a change (22:16) Teaching his daughter to build with Codex (27:00) How AI is changing the way kids learn (34:10) Helping your kids find their zone of genius (37:10) Preparing kids for a world without a traditional career ladder (38:56) Creating vs. consuming and Peter’s rules for screen time (47:28) Why Peter only publishes things he’d want his kids to see (48:43) Raising kids while your parents are getting older (56:59) Lightning round and Peter’s parenting hacks Resources From This Episode: Behind The Craft: https://www.behindthecraft.com/ Behind The Craft (Substack): https://creatoreconomy.so/ Behind The Craft (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/@PeterYangYT Peter Yang on Github: https://github.com/petergyang No AI Slop (Github): https://github.com/petergyang/no-ai-slop Human Review (Github): https://github.com/petergyang/human-review Roblox (Video Game): https://www.roblox.com/ Being Mortal (Book by Atul Gawande): https://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/ Wait But Why’s The Tail End (Article): https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html Open AI Codex: https://openai.com/codex/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ Claude: https://claude.ai/ Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code Granola: https://www.granola.ai/ Linear: https://linear.app/ Blend: https://blend.com/ Magna-Tiles (Toy): https://www.magnatiles.com/ Lululemon (Apparel): https://shop.lululemon.com/ Ten Thousand (Apparel): https://www.tenthousand.cc/ StarCraft (Video Game): https://starcraft.blizzard.com/ Harry Potter (Book Series): https://www.goodreads.com/series/45175-harry-potter The Iron Giant (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129167/ Toy Story 3 (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/ Kiki’s Delivery Service (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/ My Neighbor Totoro (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/ Rocky (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075148/ Toyota Highlander (Car): https://www.toyota.com/highlander/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • October 15 · 1 hr 8 min

    Build an AI-Powered Parent OS | Aakash Gupta (Dad of 2, Author/Podcast Host)

    Aakash Gupta is a creator, product advisor, author, and the host of one of the most popular newsletters, podcasts, and social accounts for product managers and AI builders. He built a following of over 350,000 people on LinkedIn through six years of daily posting and now uses AI to create leverage across his work and family life. He’s also a dad of two who stepped away from a VP of Product role to build a career with more flexibility and be more present with his kids. Aakash joins Startup Dad to share how he built a Parent OS using Claude Code, AI agents, and automations to manage the invisible workload of parenting. We discussed: Building a Parent OS with AI: How Aakash created a personal operating system that combines context libraries, AI skills, and automations to manage family logistics, reminders, and everyday parenting tasks. Using AI to become a more present parent: Why Aakash believes AI’s biggest benefit is not more screen time, but reducing the amount of time parents spend on their phones handling tasks in front of their kids. Creating personalized AI storytelling: How Aakash built a storytelling system that remembers his kids’ preferences, previous stories, and family values to create better experiences for his children. Automating the invisible work of family life: How AI helps manage school applications, activity registrations, subscriptions, travel planning, and reminders that usually fall on parents to track manually. Turning AI into a family coordination system: How Aakash uses AI as a shared operating layer between him and his wife to keep everyone aligned without constant communication. Why parents should start building with AI now: Why Aakash believes every parent should learn how to use AI effectively, not just for productivity, but to prepare their families for a future where AI becomes part of everyday life. Aakash’s Open Source Parent OS https://github.com/aakashg/parenting-os Where to find Aakash Gupta Website: https://www.aakashg.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Newsletter: https://www.news.aakashg.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@growproduct Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Aakash Gupta, author and podcast host (04:55) Why Claude is the most powerful software ever built (07:11) Why AI is underused by families (10:42) Being a father first, creator second (12:29) Leaving a VP of Product role for his family (15:16) Advice for dads considering the creator path (17:44) Calendar non-negotiables and daily time blocking (21:51) Building AI-powered storytelling for his kids (26:22) Inside the Parent OS: a live demo (37:48) The automations his family uses most (43:39) Where AI automation fell short (46:39) How to build your own Parent OS from scratch (52:37) How AI scored a free museum day in Poland (1:01:19) Advice for builders about to become parents Resources From This Episode: Parent OS: https://github.com/aakashg/parenting-os Product Growth: https://www.news.aakashg.com/ The Growth Podcast: https://www.news.aakashg.com/s/product-growth-podcast Claude: https://claude.ai/ Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ Cursor: https://cursor.com/ Whisper Flow: https://whisperflow.ai/ MCP (Model Context Protocol): https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ GitHub: https://github.com/ Notion: https://www.notion.com/ Slack: https://slack.com/ Canva: https://www.canva.com/ Figma: https://www.figma.com/ Typefully: https://typefully.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ Claude Opus: https://claude.ai/ ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/ OpenAI: https://openai.com/ Codex: https://openai.com/codex/ Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/ Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights Air Zoo: https://www.airzoo.org/ Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: https://imaginationlibrary.com/ Alien (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/ Inside Out (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/ Kia Telluride (Car): https://www.kia.com/us/en/telluride Hyundai Palisade (Car): https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/palisade — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • October 8 · 1 hr 20 min

    Why I Stepped Down to Spend More Time With My Son | Ankit Gupta (Dad of 1, Founder of Bicycle Health)

    Ankit Gupta is the Founder of Bicycle Health, a company he built and led for nearly nine years before handing over the CEO role and becoming a stay-at-home dad. Before Bicycle, Ankit co-founded Pulse while at Stanford, a news app that caught the attention of Steve Jobs, was famously pulled from the App Store later that same day, and was eventually acquired by LinkedIn. He’s also a dad of one, with a two-year-old son, and the husband of a transplant nephrologist in the middle of a demanding fellowship. After years of being pulled toward building companies, Ankit found that pull shifting toward his family. He joins Startup Dad to talk about the 18-month process of stepping away from Bicycle, the turbulence and FOMO that came with trading founder life for full-time parenting, and why he believes some of the best things parents can give their kids are simply time, love, and room to be bored. We discussed: Choosing fatherhood over founder life: How Ankit spent 18 months deciding to step away from Bicycle Health and follow a new pull toward being more present with his son. The transition from CEO to stay-at-home dad: Why leaving startup life created unexpected challenges, from losing daily feedback loops to adjusting to a completely different pace. Why time and love matter most: How Ankit believes parents can get caught optimizing everything, when simply being present is what matters most. Rethinking modern parenting pressure: Why Ankit pushes back on overscheduling kids and the constant pursuit of efficiency, and what boredom can teach children. Using AI to understand parenting: How Ankit used Claude and ChatGPT to research parenting philosophies, map different approaches, and build his own framework. Building with AI for yourself: How a personal parenting experiment became a public tool and showed what is now possible with AI-powered creation. Where to find Ankit Gupta LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankitgupta00/ X: https://x.com/gankit Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Ankit Gupta, founder of Bicycle Health (02:50) The untold story behind stepping back from Bicycle Health (05:14) Becoming a full-time dad so his wife could focus on her fellowship (09:38) Preschool shuts down and Ankit becomes a solo dad (12:29) The "dopamine desert" of trading founder life for fatherhood (14:15) Why "time and love" is a contrarian parenting philosophy (17:49) Comparing overscheduled American childhoods to growing up in India (21:31) Addressing privilege and financial independence (26:55) Why parenting is tiring (32:02) Using Claude to map every parenting philosophy (42:54) Redesigning the home and moving the bed to the floor (46:17) Going screen-free and Montessori-inspired play (52:15) The Steve Jobs Pulse story: best and worst day (1:04:11) Why entrepreneurship pairs well with parenting Resources From This Episode: Bicycle Health: https://www.bicyclehealth.com/ Pulse: https://www.linkedin.com/ (acquired by LinkedIn) Fellow Parent: https://fellowparent.org/ Good Inside by Dr. Becky: https://www.goodinside.com/ Claude: https://claude.ai/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ Montessori Education: https://amshq.org/ Nanit Camera: https://www.nanit.com/ Inside Out (Film): https://www.pixar.com/inside-out The Lion King (Film): https://www.disney.com/movies/the-lion-king Pikler Triangle: https://www.piklertriangle.com/ Costco Car Seats: https://www.costco.com/car-seats-boosters.html — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • October 1 · 1 hr 23 min

    Why Dads Want to Do More at Home—but Still Don’t | Brad Harrington (Dad of 3, Work-Family Scholar)

    Brad Harrington is the former Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family and spent nearly two decades at Hewlett-Packard, earning his PhD along the way. He walked away from corporate America and took a 75% pay cut to become one of the leading researchers on fatherhood, caregiving, and work-family integration. Now retired, Brad is a happily married dad of three who has spent the last quarter-century studying why men struggle to escape work-family conflict. We discussed: The 3 Archetypes of Modern Fatherhood: Breaking down traditional, egalitarian, and conflicted fathers - and why the "conflicted" bucket is consistently the largest group. The Caregiving Gap: Why 70% of fathers report wanting a 50/50 caregiving split, yet only 35% actually live it. The Financial & Organizational Traps: The economic pressures and workplace cultures that keep men locked into primary breadwinner roles even when they want out. The Power of Early Paternity Leave: Why taking dedicated time off in the first few weeks of a child's life sets the trajectory for a dad's hands-on caregiving identity for decades. The Dual-Career Lifecycle: How couples navigate moving through stages from allies and acrobats to adversaries and accommodators. The Danger of Over-Scheduling Kids: Why competitive youth sports and hyper-structured childhoods are stripping kids of independence and unstructured play. Why Parenting Never Ends: Lessons from raising three adult children through career shifts, health struggles, and navigating relationship dynamics across decades. Where to find Brad Harrington LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradharrington/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Brad Harrington, former Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work and Family (02:26) Commuting 3,000 miles every other week while balancing family (06:00) Walking away from corporate America and taking a 75% pay cut (08:16) From personal conflict to a quarter-century of research (10:41) The three archetypes of fatherhood: traditional, egalitarian, and conflicted (16:16) Why conflicted fathers are the least satisfied men at work and home (24:32) Don't argue about who does more—focus on who does what (28:15) The mental load and the mindset of a partner versus an employee (32:26) Four reasons men stay locked in the breadwinner role (36:30) Paternity leave and the "train leaving the station" in those first few months (43:32) The four stages of couples: allies, acrobats, adversaries, and accommodators (48:19) Advice for startup founders on building parental leave policies (52:07) The stay-at-home dad study and societal double standards (57:52) The overscheduled child and the loss of unstructured play (1:04:36) Parenting never ends: navigating adulthood, health struggles, and advice (1:11:56) Lightning round: Minivans, pre-iPad travel, family chat, and dishwasher loading Resources From This Episode: Brad Harrington’s Profile at Boston College: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/office-of-university-communications/for-the-media/z_archive/brad-harrington.html Hewlett-Packard Enterprise: https://www.hpe.com/ Dr. Linda Haas: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Linda-Haas The Wizard of Oz (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/ The Sound of Music (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • September 24 · 1 hr 13 min

    He Trained a Trillion-Parameter Model on Dad Jokes for $200 | Adam Grenier (Dad of 3, AI Matey)

    Adam Grenier is the Founder of AI Matey, a growth and product advisor, longtime startup operator, and the creator of DadBench, an AI evaluation system built around one deceptively difficult challenge, teaching a model to write a good dad joke. He’s also a dad of three and one of the very first guests to appear on Startup Dad (#2 in fact!). Three years later, Adam is back to talk about what has changed in his family and how getting laid off from Eventbrite sent him deep into AI experimentation, model training, and reinforcement learning. We discussed: Advocating for neurodivergent kids at school: How Adam navigated two very different advocacy journeys, fighting for more support for his daughter with ADHD while deciding whether his autistic son was ready for less. Learning AI by actually building with it: Why Adam believes hands-on experimentation with new models and research can teach you things that traditional coursework might take years to reach. Training AI to tell dad jokes: How a funny side project became a crash course in reinforcement learning, model evaluation, reward design, and what actually makes a dad joke work. Getting reward hacked by your own AI: How Adam’s model learned to game his scoring system by cramming in more puns, and what Goodhart’s law teaches us about optimizing for the wrong metrics. Why getting to the point matters: How word economy became the strongest predictor of a better dad joke, and why teaching AI to commit to one idea proved more valuable than teaching it to be funny. Making model training accessible to product teams: Why Adam thinks reinforcement learning will move beyond AI researchers and into the hands of product managers and marketers who understand customers best. Where to find Adam Grenier Website: https://www.adamgrenier.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akgrenier/ Twitter: https://x.com/AKGrenier Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Adam Grenier, Founder of AI Matey (02:09) What changed in three years of parenting and startups (04:27) Advocating for two neurodivergent kids with different needs (08:45) How AI Matey led to training AI on dad jokes (13:33) Learning AI with goat screams and school photos (24:11) How anyone can start training AI models (29:17) What training on dad jokes actually taught the model (32:02) What actually makes a great dad joke (36:52) Putting the biggest AI models to the dad joke test (47:09) Getting reward hacked by your own AI model (51:05) Why the best dad jokes get straight to the point (53:41) Bringing humans and kids into the judging process (55:24) Why Adam fired an AI judge for being too slow (57:13) What dad jokes can teach us about building better AI (01:05:04) Can you actually teach a sense of humor? Resources From This Episode: AI Matey: https://aimatey.co/ DadBench: https://aimatey.co/dadbench/ GoatScreams: https://www.goatscreams.com/waitlist SmilePlease: https://smileplease.app/ ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io/ Thinking Machines Labs: https://thinkingmachines.ai/ Inkling: https://thinkingmachines.ai/inkling/ Tinker: https://thinkingmachines.ai/tinker/ Prime Intellect: https://www.primeintellect.ai/ Unsloth: https://unsloth.ai/ DeepSeek: https://www.deepseek.com/ Gemma: https://deepmind.google/models/gemma/ Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/app GLM: https://chat.z.ai/ Grok: https://grok.com/ Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ OpenAI: https://openai.com/ Claude: https://claude.ai/ The Book of Mormon (Musical): https://bookofmormonbroadway.com/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • September 17 · 1 hr 5 min

    Our Screen Time Fear Misses the Evidence | Jackie Nesi (Mom of 3, Brown Professor, Techno Sapiens)

    Jackie Nesi, PhD is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the creator of Techno Sapiens, a weekly Substack newsletter with over 50,000 subscribers dedicated to translating the latest research on kids, technology, and mental health into practical advice for parents. Beyond her academic work and her testimony before the U.S. Senate on social media safety, Jackie is a grounded voice in the parenting space who navigates the day-to-day balance of screen time in her own household. She is a mom of three young kids, married to a tech entrepreneur, and works to bridge the gap between complex psychological research and the practical demands of modern parenting. We discussed: The disconnect between screen time panic and actual research: Why the "all screen time is bad" narrative isn't supported by science, and how parents can let go of perfectionist guilt. The Transformation Framework: How specific features of social media (asynchrony, public reach, image focus, and permanency) fundamentally alter childhood friendships. Dialectics in parenting: Practicing dialectical thinking to hold two seemingly contradictory truths at once (e.g., deeply loving your child while feeling completely overwhelmed). Smart device staging: How to evaluate when a child is ready for a phone, running "tech experiments," and layering access from smartwatches and dumb phones up to full smartphones. School phone bans and Yondr pouches: What the latest research actually shows regarding school phone policies, distraction, test scores, and student mental health. AI as the next frontier: What parents and educators need to know right now to help kids navigate AI tools safely and responsibly. Where to find Jackie Nesi Website: https://www.jacquelinenesi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-nesi-phd-b070595b Substack: https://technosapiens.substack.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jacqueline_nesi/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Jacqueline Nesi, Associate Professor at Brown University and Techno Sapiens author (04:01) What teens in psychiatric care reveal about online safety (08:00) How social media transforms kids’ friendships (13:49) Why two opposite truths can coexist in parenting (19:20) Why screen time is about more than counting minutes (23:31) Treating new devices and screen rules as experiments (27:12) How to let go of screen time guilt (29:45) How to know when your child is ready for a phone (33:28) How to stage phones, smart devices, and social media (39:23) What school phone bans can and cannot solve (45:11) Why managing screens can be harder for neurodivergent kids (47:34) Where The Anxious Generation gets the research right and wrong (50:33) Having regular tech talks and putting people first (53:24) How to avoid repeating social media mistakes with AI (59:49) Lightning round: Toy baskets, existential nursery rhymes, and minivan temptation Resources From This Episode: Techno Sapiens: https://technosapiens.substack.com/ How to Let Go of Screen Time Guilt: https://technosapiens.substack.com/p/how-to-let-go-of-screen-time-guilt It Takes Two (PlayStation Game): https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/it-takes-two/ Lego Star Wars (PlayStation Game): https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga/ The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Book): https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book The Emperor’s New Groove (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120917/ Will Ferrell (Actor): https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • September 10 · 1 hr 1 min

    The Founder Habit That Backfires At Home | Harry Roegiers (Dad of 3, Founder of Stuntpony)

    Harry Roegiers is the founder of Stuntpony; a live call coach for B2B salespeople. He’s spent the last decade working in sales performance, growth, and revenue strategy, helping teams improve how they sell and scale. He’s also a father of three whose journey into parenthood started with a surprise. Just days after proposing to his wife Hannelore in Paris, they found out they were expecting their first child. That unexpected start helped shape his approach to parenting, staying adaptable when life doesn’t go according to plan. We discussed: Turning off founder mode at home: Why the instinct to analyze and fix problems works at a startup but can backfire when your partner or kids simply need you to listen. Breaking generational patterns: Why Harry wants his kids to talk openly about emotions while preserving something his own parents got right, giving kids the freedom to make mistakes. Thinking like a good ancestor: How fatherhood shifted Harry from quarter-to-quarter thinking toward decisions that could benefit his kids and future generations decades from now. Navigating neurodiversity without rushing to label: How Harry and Hannelore are learning to focus less on finding an answer and more on understanding what their daughter needs from them. Treating joy as an obligation: Why Harry believes bringing joy to others will become even more valuable in an AI-driven world, and how he practices it at home. Raising builders in the age of AI: How Harry’s eight-year-old built an app for turning leftovers into recipes, and why he wants his kids creating with AI instead of passively consuming it. Where to find Harry Roegiers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroldroegiers/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Harry Roegiers, Founder/Investor (03:39) A Paris proposal and surprise pregnancy (06:58) What tinnitus taught Harry about the mind-body connection (09:34) Why founder mode doesn’t work at home (13:59) Breaking generational patterns around emotions (19:40) Thinking like a good ancestor (24:08) Losing his mom and thinking about legacy (28:15) What his wife’s work taught him about real impact (30:39) Contrarian parenting rules around swearing (36:21) Noticing when your child may be wired differently (37:56) Supporting your child without rushing to find a label (41:14) Learning each kid’s different love language (44:53) Why sharing joy is an obligation (48:10) Vibe coding an app with his eight-year-old son (57:19) Lightning round: training wheels, dad jokes, IKEA, and minivans Resources From This Episode: The Good Ancestor (Book): https://www.romankrznaric.com/good-ancestor Lovable (Website): https://lovable.dev/ Gong (Website): https://www.gong.io/ Chorus (Website): https://chorus.com/ Car back seat organizer: https://a.co/d/0fKOLA0L Balance Bike: https://a.co/d/0gfvf8Bb Up (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10494

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  • September 3 · 56 min

    What Happens When Parents Stop Hovering | Dirk Doebler (Dad of 1, Parento Leave)

    Dirk Doebler is the Founder and CEO at Parento Leave, a company dedicated to helping organizations build better parental leave programs. He lives with his wife and 3-year-old son. Dirk and his wife spent serious time before becoming parents asking a fundamental question: Do we even want kids? And if so, how would we raise them without giving up our own dreams and lives? What emerged from that process is a 3-year-old raised with one of the most intentional, free-range, and contrarian parenting philosophies around. We discussed: The case for free-range parenting: Why hovering at the playground harms your child’s development, and why Dirk lets his three-year-old problem-solve on his own. Joining our life, not revolving around his: How Dirk and Kate built their parenting philosophy from scratch, choosing to bring their son along on their journey rather than putting their own dreams on hold. Navigating pediatric feeding disorders: The surprisingly underdiagnosed world of toddler anorexia and sensory feeding challenges, and what their family has learned on the journey. World traveling with a toddler: How taking 30 flights to 10 different countries by age three taught their son to embrace boredom, entertain himself, and love adventure. Intentional tech and zero screens: Why Dirk casts videos to the TV instead of handing over a phone, avoids fast-paced cartoons, and views AI as a lazy substitute for authentic parenting. Taking two paternity leaves: Why Dirk took a second, full-time parental leave when his son was 10 months old, and why showing up daily matters far more than just "banking" quality weekends. Where to find Dirk Doebler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddoebler/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Dirk Doebler, Founder & CEO at Parento Leave (03:06) What most parents get wrong: hovering and screens (05:19) Deciding if we wanted kids and building a parenting philosophy (08:05) Raising a child who joins your life instead of running it (09:16) Understanding pediatric feeding disorders in toddlers (14:12) Dividing household load and the "no quid pro quo" rule (19:45) Free-range parenting: building confidence and independence (24:45) Flying with a toddler: 30 flights and 10 countries by age three (34:06) Tech boundaries: Jitterbugs, window-style TV, and no phones (38:38) Why using AI for parenting is a lazy substitute (42:12) Taking two paternity leaves and showing up every single day (50:47) Lightning round: pilot dads, AI video fails, and minivans Resources From This Episode: Parento Leave: https://www.parentoleave.com/ Doona: https://www.doona.com/ Medicine Pacifier: https://frida.com/products/medifrida The Confident Parent: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/28953434-the-confident-parent Free Range Parenting: https://www.freerangekids.com/ Lilo & Stitch (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275847/ The Emperor’s New Groove (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120917/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • August 27 · 1 hr 8 min

    Your Kids Are Smarter Than You. Let Them Govern Themselves. | Matt Fairbanks (Dad of 4, CMO at Island)

    Matt Fairbanks is the Chief Marketing Officer of the enterprise browser and platform company, Island. He built a highly successful career as a tech executive in Silicon Valley, navigating the demanding, fast-paced culture of the tech industry before making the bold decision to pull up roots and relocate his family to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a much-needed reset. He’s married to Trish, and together they have raised four children and are now proud grandparents. His parenting journey has included walking away from the height of his Silicon Valley career to help his kids thrive, codifying his family values into a living family constitution, navigating a terrifying, cliff-diving car accident that deeply shifted his perspective on gratitude, and learning how to intentionally step back from being a people-pleaser to prioritize what truly matters. We discussed: The Silicon Valley exit: What it takes to walk away from a high-powered tech career when you realize the environment is living you, instead of the other way around. The Fairbanks Family Rules: The origin story behind codifying six core family values, starting with the non-negotiable rule to "be unoffendable," and how they emerged one dinner table conversation at a time. The power of environment: A humbling lesson in child development, how a school system can misjudge a child's potential, and the radical move that completely unlocked his son's academic future. The concept of "Type Two Fun": Why introducing kids to challenges that are miserable in the moment but rewarding in retrospect is a vital tool for instilling a lifelong craving for hard work. Radical gratitude in a crisis: The terrifying reality of learning your 13-year-old daughter was in a 200-foot cliff-side car crash while you are trapped on a tech business flight, and how a miracle survival reshaped their family perspective. Technology as a tool, not the master: Practical frameworks for embracing new tech like AI to advance your family mission without letting your kids become passive passengers to digital screens. Where to find Matt Fairbanks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattfairbanks/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Matt Fairbanks, Chief Marketing Officer at Island (03:22) When Silicon Valley is living you instead of the other way around (05:04) The radical decision to shift environments to unlock children’s potential (07:44) The origin story of the Fairbanks Family Constitution (08:44) Rule number one: Stopping generational family drama at the dinner table (11:04) Why trust must be earned every single day (13:58) Teaching kids how to add value (19:43) Introducing kids to the magic of "Type Two Fun" (24:26) Prioritizing the "big rocks" over endless hours (38:42) Finding radical gratitude in the wake of a family crisis (45:14) Unpacking marital alignment: Pink tasks, blue tasks, and windshield intimacy (01:01:38) Lightning round: Dishwasher throwing mechanics, Tupperware software, and super vans Resources From This Episode: Island: https://www.island.io/ Roth IRA: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/roth-iras The Fun Scale: https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale Mary Poppins (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/ Argo (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/ Moneyball (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/ The Big Short (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596363/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • August 20 · 1 hr 15 min

    The New Fatherhood: What Modern Dads Need Instead | Kevin Maguire (Dad of 2, Author)

    Kevin Maguire is the former Head of Strategy for Consumer Apps at Google and is now the author of The New Fatherhood and creator of the newsletter of the same name, a community read by over 23,000 dads. Before writing the book Kevin moved his family from the UK to San Francisco and eventually left the Bay Area for Barcelona, where he now lives with his wife, an and their two kids. He's also a coach who works with CEOs and CMOs at companies like Amazon and Netflix on the intersection of career and family. Together Kevin and his wife have built an intentional, rotating co-parenting structure at home while both pursuing careers outside the traditional nine-to-five. Kevin also runs a direct-action giving fund that covers therapy costs for dads struggling with paternal postpartum depression, something he experienced firsthand after the birth of his son. We discussed: Rewriting fatherhood: Why Kevin wrote a book arguing that fatherhood isn't something to endure, but the most enriching, joyful experience of his life. Retiring the three Ps: How protect, provide, and preside became outdated anchors, and what replaces them for modern dads raising kids in a different world. Managing yourself, not your kids: Why the real work of parenting is closing the gap between the dad you are and the dad you want to be. Building a Dadvisory Board: How Kevin coaches dads to find five men they admire, lean on the vulnerability loop, and build courage to ask for help. Surviving postpartum depression: Kevin's own descent into numbness after his son was born, and the Google search that finally gave his experience a name. Redefining success after Google: Why leaving the Bay Area rat race and moving to Barcelona helped Kevin trade validation for a life built around family. Where to find Kevin Maguire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevmaguire/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newfatherhood/ X: https://x.com/kevmaguire Substack: https://www.thenewfatherhood.org/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Kevin Maguire, Father-In-Chief at The New Fatherhood (03:29) Why the work is on you, not your kids (05:17) The old model: protect, provide, preside, and why it's busted (10:16) Managing your own feelings when mornings go sideways (13:35) The Dadvisory Board: treating fatherhood like a career (18:19) Building deeper friendships: courage and the vulnerability loop (21:36) Why dads struggle to ask for help (27:10) Paternal postpartum depression: Kevin's own story (34:37) Designing a life around family first (38:21) Work-life "fried egg" instead of work-life balance (44:09) Managing the mental load and the 80/20 co-parenting rule (49:39) Three eras of scarcity: money, time, and health (1:00:07) Shark Vader: using AI to spark kids' imagination (1:04:51) Lightning round: Yoto players, Home Alone, and minivans Resources From This Episode: The New Fatherhood: https://www.newfatherhood.com/ Bluey (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7846844/ Modern Family (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442437/ The Simpsons (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/ Little House on the Prairie (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071007/ Waking Up App (Sam Harris): https://www.wakingup.com/ Yoto Player: https://us.yotoplay.com/ Huckleberry App: https://huckleberrycare.com/ Star Wars: Rogue One (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/ Home Alone (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/ Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/ Avengers: Endgame (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • August 13 · 53 min

    AI Has Changed The Summer Job Playbook | Ghazi Masood (Dad of 2, CRO of Replit)

    Ghazi Masood is the Chief Revenue Officer at Replit, where he leads revenue for one of the fastest growing AI coding platforms in the world. He’s also a father of two teenage boys, a husband of nearly 25 years, and a pilot who spends much of his free time flying on nonprofit humanitarian missions. I reached out to Ghazi after a LinkedIn post he wrote about why teenagers should spend more time building with AI tools instead of defaulting to traditional summer jobs went viral. The post sparked a big reaction, and in this conversation we unpacked the nuance behind it that the internet doesn’t typically allow. We discussed: Work-life integration: Why Ghazi believes rigid boundaries create stress and how he blends work, family, travel, and flying. Raising teenagers in the AI era: What young people are building with tools like Replit and why this generation has new opportunities. Building as a compounding skill: How AI experimentation helps teens develop technical fluency, creativity, problem solving, and entrepreneurial instincts. Preparing kids for an uncertain job market: How Ghazi and his wife are helping their sons balance technology, communication, and human-centered skills. Marriage through different seasons: What nearly 25 years of marriage has taught Ghazi about partnership, adaptation, and support. Flying as service and meditation: How humanitarian flying helps Ghazi serve others while finding a rare sense of peace. Where to find Ghazi Masood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghazi-masood-09195a2/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Ghazi Masood, CRO of Replit (02:41) Why work-life integration beats balance (05:56) Why rigid boundaries can create more stress (09:18) Building a marriage across distance and seasons (11:48) Preparing for the college launch (15:59) How parenting shapes leadership (17:38) What kids are building with AI (21:40) Guiding kids through an uncertain career path (24:05) Why teenagers should start building (27:00) How tech skills compound over time (28:57) Why communication still wins (33:42) The AI debate happening inside schools (38:34) Flying humanitarian missions with Angel Flight West (46:24) Lightning round: baby swings, teeth in pockets, and no minivans Resources From This Episode: Replit: https://replit.com/ Angel Flight West: https://angelflightwest.org/ University of Washington: https://www.washington.edu/ WisprFlow: https://wisprflow.ai/ Stripe: https://stripe.com/ Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/ Cars (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/ Top Gun (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/ Volkswagen ID. Buzz (Vehicle): https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • August 6 · 1 hr 16 min

    We Drove Through the Night to Meet Our Daughter | Matt Korn (Dad of 4, Founder of Dad Esquire)

    Matt Korn is a Partner at Pierson Ferdinand LLP and the founder of Dad, Esquire, an online community dedicated to supporting fatherhood within the legal profession. He built the community after spending years in Big Law, navigating the demanding culture of corporate legal practice while striving to be an emotionally present father to his four children. He’s married to Haley, and together they are raising four kids; three biological sons and one adopted daughter. His parenting journey has included managing extreme sleep deprivation to build his practice, navigating a powerful wake-up call about work-life balance from his wife, expanding their definition of family through an emergency domestic adoption, and developing a deeply intentional approach to digital screen boundaries. We discussed: The isolation of the legal profession: Why law firm culture makes it particularly difficult for dads to build community and why Matt created Dad Esquire to ensure no father navigates law or parenthood alone. The cost of running on empty: How sleep deprivation became Matt's default strategy for balancing Big Law with a big family, and what that reactionary approach ultimately cost him over time. A marital crossroads: The exact moment Matt’s wife told him she felt like a single mom, and how that wake-up call forced him to radically renegotiate his career and prioritize his family. Physical presence vs. emotional presence: Humbling lessons on modern parenting, the reality of screen-time guilt, and how to stay truly engaged when your kids are competing for your attention. An unexpected adoption journey: The logistical, financial, and emotional realities of their family's short-notice domestic adoption, and what it taught them about bonding and loving unconditionally. Navigating the digital future at home: How Matt thinks about AI and technology as a tool for his kids' future success. Where to find Matthew Korn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewkorn/ Dad, Esquire: https://dadesq.com/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Matt Korn, Partner at Pierson Ferdinand LLP and Founder of Dad, Esquire (02:28) Raising four distinct personalities from the same DNA (03:39) The isolation crisis among lawyer fathers (06:22) The physical and mental toll of chronic sleep deprivation (09:58) The wake-up call: When your wife feels like a single mom (12:48) Inside Dad, Esquire: Why you shouldn't do law or fatherhood alone (19:07) The diverse and unexpected members showing up to community gatherings (21:46) Finding a safe space for raw, judgment-free dad chat (26:59) Expanding the definition of family: The adoption decision (35:39) How a baby girl shifted the all-boy pool dynamic (36:47) Navigating a finalized home dynamic, foster care questions, and future biology talks (42:24) Career pivots, autonomous big law models, and making it home for dinner (47:16) True emotional presence versus zoning out on Minecraft stories (51:27) Caleb’s shower confrontation: The phone box reality check (54:16) Opening up a child’s eyes to the creative endeavor of Claude and ChatGPT (01:01:15) Generational shifts in federal parental leave and providing beyond financial means (01:04:45) Rewinding the clock to zero-to-one transitions and ignoring conventional advice (01:08:55) Lightning round: Desitin, organized dishwashers, and the truth about minivans Resources From This Episode: Dad, Esquire: https://dadesq.com/ Dad, Esquire Merch: https://dadesq.square.site/ Lead Dad of the Week (Paul Sullivan on Matt Korn): https://thecompanyofdads.com/why-making-a-difference-at-work-and-in-your-community-matters-matthew-korn/ Matthew’s Blog Post about Adoption: https://dadesq.substack.com/p/im-pretty-im-smart-im-specialim-madison Desitin: https://www.desitin.com/ Heavyweights (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110006/ Like Mike (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308506/ Moana (2026 Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27419466/ The Goonies: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/ Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30825738/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • July 30 · 1 hr 16 min

    Did I F*ck Up Already?” My First 24 Hours as a Dad | Zach Jaffe (Dad of 1, Create Music Group)

    Zach Jaffe is an M&A professional at Create Music Group, where he focuses on independent record label acquisitions. After years in the LA music industry and startup world, Zach became the first in his friend group to have a child, which meant navigating early fatherhood without much of a roadmap or many people around him who could truly relate. He’s also a dad to one three-year-old daughter and brings a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful perspective on parenting, work, attention, and what really matters when life gets chaotic. We discussed: The first six months are brutal: Why Zach believes the early stage of parenting is harder than most dads expect and why more honest conversations are needed. Being first in your friend group to have kids: How Zach navigated isolation, shifting friendships, and a totally new version of availability. Parenting through real emergencies: What Zach learned from driving through a storm with a baby and evacuating during the Pasadena and Altadena fires. Parenting with ADHD: The systems Zach uses to manage distraction, hyperfocus, reminders, and the everyday chaos of family life. Protecting attention at home: Why Zach is intentional about slow media, screen time, and keeping dopamine loops away from his daughter. Parenting makes you better at work: How fatherhood made Zach calmer, more empathetic, and more solution-oriented as a colleague and manager. Where to find Zach Jaffe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-scott-jaffe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachscottjaffe/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Zach Jaffe, Create Music Group (02:39) The first terrifying moments of becoming a dad (04:13) Why the first months of parenting are brutally hard (08:41) Losing your old social life after becoming a parent (11:41) Building the village before you really need it (14:10) How fatherhood builds patience and empathy at work (19:13) Going into survival mode during the LA wildfires (23:02) Why sleep matters more than startup culture admits (30:19) Parenting with ADHD and building systems that work (35:58) Why slow media matters in a fast dopamine world (40:59) Why Zach keeps AI out of parenting (42:25) Why creativity needs friction and struggle (49:31) How parenting makes you better at work (53:57) Why attention is everything (01:08:40) Lightning round: butt spatulas, dark clothes, and sensible family cars Resources From This Episode: Create Music Group: http://www.createmusicgroup.com The Road (Book by Cormac McCarthy): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road Waking Up (Meditation App): https://www.wakingup.com/ Waking Up (Book by Sam Harris): https://www.samharris.org/books/waking-up Baby Diaper Spatula: https://a.co/d/04SZjxQc The Muppet Show (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074028/ My Neighbor Totoro (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/ Spirited Away (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/ Star Wars (Films): https://www.imdb.com/list/ls070150896/ Alien (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/ Top Gun: Maverick (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/ Honda CR-V (Car): https://automobiles.honda.com/cr-v — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • July 23 · 1 hr 20 min

    From TBS’s My Boys to Stay-at-Home Dad | Jamie Kaler (Dad of 2, Actor and Comedian)

    Jamie Kaler is a former Naval Officer turned actor, stand-up comedian and stay-at-home dad. He is best known for his role on TBS's "My Boys" and decades of work across television and commercials, from Friends and Will & Grace to How I Met Your Mother and The Family Stone. He spent five years as a U.S. Navy officer before moving to LA at 30 with no connections to pursue acting, eventually becoming one of those guys everyone vaguely recognizes but can't quite place. He's also the father of two daughters, ages 11 and almost 13. When "My Boys" wrapped and his wife's career took off, Jamie stepped back from the road to become the primary caregiver, cooking, driving, coaching soccer, and homeschooling two kids on iPads for 18 months during the pandemic. That experience became the foundation of his stand-up comeback, his viral Soccer Dad persona on Instagram and TikTok, and a whole new chapter in his career at 60. We discussed: Becoming a stay-at-home dad at 50: How Jamie walked away from touring after "My Boys" wrapped and became the primary caregiver for two daughters. Applying military structure to parenting: Why Jamie runs his household like a ship, schedules, reveille at 6:30, and uniforms during pandemic Zoom school. Going viral as Soccer Dad: How a spontaneous sideline rant at his daughter's first club game launched a brand, a T-shirt army, and a touring stand-up act at 60. Why sideline parents have lost the plot: Jamie's take on delusional sports parents, the reclassing phenomenon, and why he got red-carded as a coach. Stand-up as therapy: How Jamie uses comedy to process fatherhood, and why he now asks his daughters' permission before telling stories about them on stage. Raising kids who can talk to people: Why Jamie runs improv and public speaking drills at home, and why he believes verbal communication will be the most valuable skill of the next generation. Where to find Jamie Kaler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-kaler-b6143452/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamiekaler/ Web: https://jamiekaler.com/ Who Needs Podcast: https://jamiekaler.com/who-needs/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Jamie Kaler, Actor and Standup Comedian (02:50) Breaking down Jamie's wild resume: Navy, bartender, improv, and Hollywood (03:07) Why he pivoted from naval officer to stand-up comedy (09:22) Moving to LA at 30 with no connections to become an actor (10:13) What his military family thought about leaving the Navy (11:27) Becoming famous as "that guy you vaguely recognize" (15:38) Transitioning from red carpets to stay-at-home dad at 50 (20:04) How he became a stay-at-home dad (24:23) The most lost he's felt as a dad and his "survive and advance" philosophy (26:54) The origin story of Soccer Dad going viral (38:16) Why parents on the sidelines are delusional and the re-classing phenomenon (38:21) Getting red-carded as a coach and the walk of shame (42:05) What pulled him back to stand-up and touring again (01:00:33) Rewatching "My Boys" 20 years later what he remembers (nothing) (01:04:29) Advice for new dads: accept that you don't know everything (01:08:28) Lightning round: dishwashers, dad wardrobes, minivans, and Full House Resources From This Episode: Who Needs (Podcast by Jamie Kaler & Mike Bunin rewatching "My Boys"): https://jamiekaler.com/who-needs/ Flappers Comedy Club (Burbank, CA): https://www.flapperscomedy.com/ Punch Line San Francisco: https://www.punchlinecomedyclub.com/ Homeschooled (Album by Jamie Kaler): https://music.apple.com/us/album/homeschooled/1582539985 Bringing Up Bébé (Book by Pamela Druckerman): https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Up-Bebe-Pamela-Druckerman/dp/0143122967 Dad Is Fat (Book by Jim Gaffigan): https://www.amazon.com/Dad-Is-Fat-Jim-Gaffigan/dp/1451669747 My Boys (TBS Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758745/ The Family Stone (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356618/ Full House (Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092359/ American Housewife (Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5578850/ Tacoma FD (Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8242858/ Robot Chicken (Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437745/ The Loud House (Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4847782/ Olukai Slippers: https://www.olukai.com/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • July 9 · 48 min

    Cotopaxi Founder: How I Built A Values-First Company And Family | Davis Smith (Dad of 4)

    Davis Smith is the Founder and Chairman of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand built around fighting poverty and doing good in the world. Before stepping back as CEO after a decade of leading the company, Davis grew Cotopaxi at 85% CAGR into one of the most purpose-driven brands in the outdoor industry. He left and moved with his wife and four kids to be a mission president for his church in Brazil, leading nearly 500 young missionaries from 24 countries over three years. He's a dad of four, married to his wife who studied family science and served as a court-appointed special advocate for foster children, and together they've raised their kids across Latin America, Brazil, and the United States with a family culture built around service, faith, intellect, travel, and hard work. We discussed: Leaving a dream job to serve others: Why Davis walked away from the CEO role at Cotopaxi at the peak of its growth to lead 500 young missionaries in Brazil for three years. Building intentional family culture: How Davis and his wife created five core values tied to the letters S-M-I-T-H, complete with rituals, traditions, and a weekly family meeting. Values as a compass, not a club: Why family values should guide behavior rather than be used as a weapon when kids fall short. Unconditional positive regard: How loving your kids and missionaries no matter what gets better results than demands, disappointment, or conditional approval. Raising kids with financial discipline: The Bank of Smith Savings, the 50/40/10 rule, and why Davis matches whatever his kids save by age 16 for a car. Letting kids go through hard things: What Davis learned watching his daughter struggle through a mission in the Philippines and why he believes difficulty is essential for growth. Where to find Davis Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davismsmith/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Davis Smith, Founder & Chairman at Cotopaxi (02:37) Why Davis walked away from his dream job as CEO (05:12) Moving the whole family to Brazil for three years (07:23) What almost broke him in the first year (09:36) Why stepping away from comfort at a young age is transformative (13:53) Survival trips with his daughters and the origin story (16:18) How Davis built intentional family culture at home (21:03) Breaking down the SMITH family values (24:08) Unconditional positive regard and how to lead with love (28:19) The Bank of Smith Savings and the 50/40/10 rule (32:06) The most surprising things he's discovered as a dad (33:32) What the teen years and adult kids have taught him (38:59) Advice for parents who are building companies (41:04) Frog Mouse bedtime stories and using AI as a dad (43:18) Lightning round: smoothies, Back to the Future, and minivans Resources From This Episode: Cotopaxi: https://www.cotopaxi.com/ H2O: Just Add Water (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814976/ Back to the Future (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/ Peace Corps: https://www.peacecorps.gov/ Brigham Young University (BYU): https://www.byu.edu/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • July 2 · 1 hr 7 min

    Science of Reading: Teach Any Kid to Read | Matt Pasternack (Dad of 3, Once)

    Matt Pasternack is the co-founder and CEO of Once, a science of reading-based software that teaches children ages three to seven how to read. He built the company after watching his wife teach their daughter to read in just 15 minutes a day during the pandemic, and realizing every parent could do the same. He's also a father of three, with kids ages six, eight, and ten. His parenting journey has included launching a startup while raising young children alongside his wife Becca, an OB-GYN, navigating the demands of her residency with a newborn at home, and developing a deeply intentional approach to raising independent, curious kids. We discussed: Building a reading company as a parent: How Matt launched Once during the pandemic while homeschooling his daughter and became his own proof of concept. Fixing a broken system from the inside: How years of classroom teaching shaped Matt's belief that schools alone can't solve the reading crisis. Keeping startup stress in perspective: Why Matt believes that teaching a child to read matters more than any company milestone he'll ever hit. Taking an evidence-based approach at home: How Matt and his wife Becca stay aligned on parenting decisions, from sleep training to screen limits to raising independent kids. Letting kids own their own lives: Why Matt believes in giving children real responsibility early, from making their own lunches to managing their own social calendars. Choosing books over screens in a distracted world: Why Matt limits devices, teaches reading as a daily ritual, and believes literacy is the greatest gift of independence a parent can give. Where to find Matt Pasternack LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpasternack/ X: https://x.com/mattpasternack Web: https://tryonce.com/ Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming Matt Pasternack, Co-founder/CEO of Once (02:17) What Once is and how it teaches kids to read (03:00) Is having a doctor spouse a blessing or a curse (04:14) The three parenting books every new parent needs (04:49) The Happiest Baby on the Block and the five S’s (05:31) The Good Sleeper and teaching babies to sleep (06:10) Oh Crap Potty Training and the one-day method (08:02) Raising autonomous kids and the Montessori mindset (12:45) Why where you live is your biggest parenting decision (18:31) What is the science of reading (25:46) Why every parent can teach their child to read (34:00) The US reading crisis and why it hasn’t moved in 50 years (49:30) Advice for founders starting a family (52:16) Finding the screen time sweet spot for kids (01:02:57) Lightning round: diapers, the SNOO, and Magic Tree House Resources From This Episode: Once (Reading App): https://tryonce.com/ The Happiest Baby on the Block (Book/Video): https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/baby/happiest-baby-on-the-block The Good Sleeper (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Good-Sleeper-Essential-Guide-Healthy/dp/0761177582 Oh Crap! Potty Training (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Crap-Potty-Training-Everything/dp/1501122983 SNOO Smart Bassinet: https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet Tin Can Phone (Toy): https://tincan.kids/ Tin Can Founder on Startup Dad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MmdPkMhqe8 Skylight Calendar: https://www.skylightframe.com/ Sold a Story (Podcast): https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ The Magic Tree House (Book Series): https://www.magictreehouse.com/ Ramona (Book Series): https://www.amazon.com/Ramona-Complete-Collection-Beverly-Cleary/dp/0062228641 Batteries Not Included (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092494/ — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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  • June 25 · 1 hr 14 min

    40 Kid Emails a Week. So I Built a Bot | David Reich (Dad of 3, Founder/CEO of Fambot)

    David Reich is the Founder and CEO of Fambot, an AI-powered assistant built to help parents manage the overwhelming admin work that comes with modern family life. Previously, David was President at UnitedMasters, a Director at Uber, and the founder of Assured Labor, a marketplace for blue collar jobs across Latin America. He’s also a dad of three, married to an executive at Airbnb, and together they’re raising their kids in San Francisco after family chapters in New York and Mexico City. We discussed: AI for overwhelmed parents: How AI helps parents cut through the chaos of emails, calendars, newsletters, and family logistics. Becoming a parent while building companies: Why David believes you should build life around family instead of waiting for the “perfect” time. Making work more human: How bringing kids into the office can build empathy across teams and help children understand their parents’ work. Raising kids across cultures: What David learned from parenting in New York, Mexico City, and San Francisco. Optimizing for presence: The systems David and his wife use to manage three kids, two demanding careers, and very limited time. Raising tech-ready kids: Why David wants his kids to use technology as a tool while still building independence, empathy, and critical thinking. Where to find David Reich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidreich1/ X: https://x.com/David_Reich Where to find Adam Fishman FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ X: https://x.com/fishmanaf In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Welcoming David Reich, Founder/CEO of Fambot (02:28) Why David built Fambot (03:07) How parenting became an admin job (05:48) Why AI needs to be proactive for parents (08:23) Solving the two parent inbox problem (09:39) The chaos of school newsletters (13:20) What AI still cannot solve for families (15:11) The future of carpools and community coordination (17:37) Why life comes before work (21:21) Becoming a parent while building a company (25:23) Why kids should spend more time at work (28:09) Raising kids in New York, Mexico City, and San Francisco (34:56) Teaching kids global empathy (38:48) The systems that keep family life moving (01:04:45) Lightning round: coffee, dad jokes, SpongeBob, and minivans Resources From This Episode: Fambot: https://fambot.com/ Fambot on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fambotai/ Coffee Maker: https://a.co/d/0ia6XGaO SpongeBob SquarePants (TV Series): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206512/ Star Wars: A New Hope (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/ Percy Jackson & The Olympians (Book Series): https://rickriordan.com/series/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians/ The Lightning Thief (Audiobook): https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Lightning-Thief-Audiobook/B002V0JZOO — Support Startup Dad For sponsorship inquiries, email: podcast@fishmana.com For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com

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