The Dad Edge Podcast

In this episode, Larry and coach Marc sit down to talk about one of the most common and least-talked-about crises facing business owner dads — burnout. Not the dramatic kind. The quiet, grinding, everyday kind where you're doing 14-hour days, drinking to decompress, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor, and slowly losing the very people you're killing yourself to provide for.Featuring recorded clips from John — a real Boardroom member who came in on the brink of burnout — this episode is one of the most emotionally honest conversations we've had on this show. John's story will hit close to home for a lot of men. Working obsessively, drinking daily to escape, knowing something was wrong but believing the only answer was more action. His wife was losing her patience. He was losing himself. And then he stopped lone-wolfing it.Larry shares his own raw moment — telling his wife that if he's not providing, he doesn't know what value he brings to the family — and what his kids said when he and his wife actually asked them what they wanted most. Marc breaks down the BRAVE Man system, the tracker, and why busyness is not the same as results. And the episode closes with John getting so emotional he can't speak — and the silence that says everything.Timeline Summary[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities[1:02] The burnout that business owner dads don't talk about — grinding for your family while quietly losing them[2:44] Leaders usually starve — because they pour everything into everyone else but themselves[4:15] Introducing Marc Hildebrand — and what today's episode is really about[5:52] How Marc met John — on the brink of burnout, drinking daily, running 14-16 hour days[7:35] The shift Marc saw by weeks four and five — doing less, but achieving more[9:11] The GPS analogy — what life feels like without a system versus with one[10:37] Why we resist new tools even when they could save us — and the old-timer cops who threw out the Garmin[12:12] Wearing burnout as a badge of honor — and the people who love you who see it from a mile away[13:29] Your kids ask "Dad, are you okay?" and you think nobody noticed[14:45] John's first clip: what life looked like before he applied — work first, drinking to escape, lone-wolfing it[17:36] The heart behind the burnout — doing it all for your family, but missing what they actually need[19:20] What Marc saw in John — a man believing there was only one way to succeed[20:10] Larry's vulnerable moment: "If I'm not providing, what value do I bring this family?"[22:10] His kids' answer when asked what they wanted most — more time, not more money[22:29] The 13 Hours scene — a Navy SEAL on his 12th deployment finally hearing "the kids don't need more money, they need you"[24:37] Why being willing to have the vulnerable conversation is the game changer[25:10] John's second clip: getting a map, small goals, and what changed in his marriage[27:25] Breaking down the BRAVE Man system — Bond, Raise, Amplify, Vitality, Enjoy, Movement, Action, Network[28:04] Why joy is a tactical requirement — if you have no joy to give, you have nothing to give[28:50] Why motivation is a lie — and why action creates motivation, not the other way around[29:13] John's transformation from 15 points a week to 40-50 — and what the tracker actually measures[31:57] Busyness does not equal results — the most dangerous trap for burned-out business owners[32:18] John's final clip — the emotional moment that stopped everyone cold[35:28] What that moment meant — a man who saved his marriage and came back to himself[37:52] What it means to have a battle to fight, a beauty to love, and an adventure to be had — together[39:05] The call to every business owner who sees a piece of John in himselfFive Key Takeaways- Burnout doesn't always look dramatic. It looks like 14-hour days, drinking to unwind, and quietly drifting away from the people you're working so hard to provide for.- The people who love you most can see your burnout from a mile away — even when you think you're hiding it. Your kids see it. Your wife feels it.- Your family doesn't want more money. They want more of you. When Larry asked his boys, the answer was time — every single time.- The answer to burnout is not more action. It's better action, in the right areas, with a system that tells you what actually moves the needle.- You are not a liability because you need help. John thought he had nothing to give when he walked in — and became one of the most valuable men in the room.Links & Resources- Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind- The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com- Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1468): https://thedadedge.com/1468ClosingIf there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: the answer to burnout is never more action — it's a better system, a map, and men around you who won't let you disappear.John came in wearing his exhaustion like a badge, drinking every day to survive it, and believing the only way through was to grind harder. Six weeks later, he was lighter. His marriage was coming back. And when Larry asked him what it felt like to make his way back — he couldn't speak.That silence said everything.If there's a piece of John in you right now, this is your move.Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, I sit down with Thomas Caleel — former Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School, founder of Admittedly, and one of the most clear-eyed voices in the college admissions space. This one is personal — I've got an 18-year-old headed to University of Arkansas in four months, and a sixth grader whose decisions today will quietly shape where he ends up ten years from now.Thomas opens the black box of college admissions and explains what's actually changed, what most parents are getting wrong, and what admissions officers are really looking for. The shift from well-rounded candidates to "vertical spikes" of deep passion and genuine interest is one of those things that sounds simple but changes everything about how you should be thinking about your kid's path right now.We talk about the right time to start, why the seventh-grade math assessment quietly matters more than most parents realize, how doing fewer things with real intentionality is more powerful than stacking clubs and activities, and why your child's college essay should tell their story — not yours.We also get into the financial reality most parents aren't prepared for — new federal loan caps, how to negotiate financial aid after admission, what Juno is and why it matters, and why sending your kid to a low-tier private college that costs $50,000 a year is something Thomas calls criminal.And he gives a refreshingly honest answer to whether college is actually worth it.Timeline Summary[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities[1:02] Larry's 18-year-old is leaving for University of Arkansas — and Thomas's son is heading to NYU[2:45] When change goes according to plan — and why it hits harder than you expect[4:45] What most parents are missing — the pressure cooker, the doom race, and why more is not always more[5:56] Why admissions is a black box — and why bad information fills that vacuum[7:23] Thomas's background — former Director of MBA Admissions at Wharton, 20 years shaping admissions strategy globally[9:05] How college admissions has changed — from well-rounded candidates to vertical spikes of deep passion[10:49] Why schools now prioritize socioeconomic diversity — and what full ride programs actually look like[11:37] What the internet did to admissions — 50,000 applicants where there used to be 8,000, and rates under 3% at Yale[12:00] Do fewer things intentionally and well — the sneakerhead who got into Stanford[15:18] Why volunteering doesn't help anymore if your kid doesn't actually care about it[17:31] How grit, initiative, and unglamorous jobs stand out just as much as expensive summer programs[19:29] The most common question Thomas hears — when should we start?[19:51] The seventh-grade math assessment that quietly determines whether your kid can pursue STEM majors[22:41] Middle school is for exploration — you don't need to pick a direction, just stay warm on the fundamentals[24:11] What universities are really asking — not what do you want to do with your life, but what are you curious about right now[24:47] Why your kid won't tell you the truth — and why a neutral third party changes everything[29:47] How to have a real conversation with your kid about what they actually want[30:36] Listening without judgment — the parent who almost killed their child's essay by refusing to let them tell their real story[33:06] How to handle the "I want to study dance" conversation — without crushing them[35:45] Is college a scam? Thomas's honest, nuanced answer — and why the lottery ticket mentality is dangerous[37:20] Why low-tier private colleges charging $50,000 a year are, in his words, criminal[40:38] What's changed in the political arena — new federal loan caps and what they mean for families[41:51] Why the ROI conversation has to happen before you commit to a school[44:08] How to negotiate financial aid after you've been admitted — and why schools will sometimes find money[45:03] Juno — the collective bargaining platform that negotiates lower interest rates on student loans[48:01] What Admittedly is — former admissions officers, group coaching, weekly office hours, and accessible pricingFive Key Takeaways- Admissions has shifted from well-rounded to deeply interesting. A kid who does one thing with real passion and depth will stand out over a kid who stacks clubs and activities to check boxes.- The seventh-grade math assessment quietly shapes whether your kid can pursue the majors they want. Start paying attention earlier than you think you need to.- Your child's essay needs to tell their story — not your version of their story. Listen without judgment and let them lead.- The financial conversation has to happen early and honestly. With new federal loan caps and rising tuition, the ROI of each school choice matters more than ever.- College is not a binary decision. It can be great, but it's not the right path for everyone. Know your child, know their goals, and help them build the path that actually fits — not the one that looks right from the outside.Links & Resources- Dad Edge Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/boardroom- Admittedly website: https://admittedly.co- Admittedly on Instagram and TikTok: @admittedly.co- Juno student loan platform: https://joinjuno.com- Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1467): https://thedadedge.com/1467ClosingIf there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: the decisions your kid makes in middle school are already shaping where they'll end up — and most parents don't find that out until it's too late to do anything about it.Thomas Caleel has sat inside the room where these decisions get made. He knows what gets someone in and what gets them passed over. And the good news is that none of it requires privilege, expensive programs, or a perfect resume. It requires knowing your kid, helping them tell their real story, and starting the right conversations while there's still time to matter.If your kid is anywhere from sixth grade to senior year, this episode is required listening.Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, I sit down with Sol Kennedy — software developer, founder of the co-parenting app Best Interest, host of the Co-parenting Beyond Conflict podcast, and a man who built the thing he needed most during one of the hardest seasons of his life.Sol grew up watching a codependent father and a controlling mother, and spent years of his adult life repeating that dynamic — giving up his power in relationships, avoiding conflict at all costs, and calling the absence of fighting a good marriage. It took a divorce, his first therapy session at 38, and laying awake next to his girlfriend at 2am feeling that familiar anxiety spike when his phone pinged from his ex for Sol to finally build something different.We dig into the psychology behind why co-parenting is so emotionally explosive — the trapped emotions, the triggers, the courtroom-ready anger that destroys custody cases — and Sol walks us through exactly how the Best Interest app works. It acts as an AI-powered filter between you and your ex, stripping inflammatory language before it reaches you, flagging your own reactive messages before you send them, and letting you set communication boundaries without needing your co-parent's cooperation. It's essentially a bodyguard for your inbox — and for your peace of mind.We also get into the practical stuff: why you should start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney; why anger in the courtroom is the fastest way to lose custody; and why therapy isn't optional if you want to actually show up well for your kids on the other side of a divorce.Timeline Summary[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities[1:02] The moment that sparked Best Interest — lying in bed next to his girlfriend, anxiety spiking at every notification from his ex[2:23] What Our Family Wizard is and how co-parenting apps work[4:28] Why co-parenting is so hard — you're still in a relationship with someone you divorced[7:52] Sol's origin story — the codependent father, the controlling mother, and the name he chose for himself[9:22] Stepping into therapy at 38 for the first time — learning what "triggered" and "boundary" meant[13:05] Who Sol Kennedy is — founder of Best Interest, host of Co-parenting Beyond Conflict[14:30] How Sol's childhood shaped the relationships he sought out as an adult[19:47] The golden child, the scapegoat, and a marriage that never had real depth[23:29] How divorce changed what he was attracted to — and the intimacy he found on the other side[26:59] The catalyst for the divorce — a year and a half of therapy, a repetitive cycle, and his wife leaving just before the Covid lockdowns[29:26] How Best Interest differs from Our Family Wizard — shifting from a court-ready mindset to a conflict-prevention mindset[31:49] How the AI filter works in practice — stripping inflammatory language before it reaches you[33:29] How it protects you from yourself — reviewing your outgoing messages before you send something you'll regret[35:44] The only co-parenting app you can use solo — no co-parent buy-in required[36:46] Setting message frequency limits — Sol's solution to the 30-messages-a-day ex[38:25] The AI bodyguard — how Best Interest changes lives one filtered message at a time[41:14] Why men specifically get themselves in trouble — anger in the courtroom is the fastest way to lose custody[43:47] What newly separated men need to know — start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney[45:19] Get to therapy now — learning where you feel stress in your body is not soft, it's survival[46:41] Internal Family Systems and somatic work — why trapped emotions show up as physical sensationsFive Key Takeaways- Co-parenting is still a relationship — and without the right tools, the same patterns that broke the marriage will destroy the co-parenting dynamic too.- Anger in the courtroom costs men custody. If you haven't done the work to regulate your emotions before you walk in, all the advice in the world won't save you in that moment.- The best co-parenting boundaries are the ones you can enforce yourself — without needing your ex to cooperate or agree to anything.- Start with a divorce coach, not a bulldog attorney. A good divorce coach will save you money, reduce conflict, and help you avoid the court system altogether where possible.- Therapy is not optional. Learning where you feel stress in your body, understanding your triggers, and processing trapped emotions isn't soft — it's what lets you show up as the parent your kids need.Links & Resources- Dad Edge Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/boardroom- The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com- Best Interest Co-parenting App: Available on the App Store and Google Play — search "Best Interest"- Co-parenting Beyond Conflict Podcast with Sol Kennedy: Available wherever you get your podcasts- Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1466): https://thedadedge.com/1466ClosingIf there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: you don't have to let your ex's words reach you unfiltered — and you don't have to send your worst ones either.Sol Kennedy built the thing he needed most when he needed it most. And what he built is now changing the daily lives of co-parents who are trying to stay grounded, protect their kids from the fallout, and build a new chapter without letting the old one keep pulling them back under.If you're co-parenting right now, or you know someone who is, share this episode. It might be the most practical thing they hear all year.Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, Larry and Dad Edge coach Marc sit down to unpack one of the most common traps business owner dads fall into — hoping things will get better instead of building a strategy to make them better. Featuring recorded clips from Jaden, a real estate investor and five-year member of the Dad Edge Business Boardroom, this episode is a real, unfiltered look at what it actually feels like to be a high-performing business owner who has it dialed at work but is guessing at home.Jaden's story is one a lot of men will recognize — stressed, stretched, showing up for everything but not really present for anyone, and telling himself tomorrow would somehow be different without any real plan to make that true. Hope is not a strategy. And that one sentence — dropped by Larry's toughest sales mentor years ago — becomes the through-line for the whole episode.Marc and Larry break down why business owners specifically are so underserved when it comes to marriage and fatherhood, why the men around you shape who you become whether you're intentional about it or not, and what happens when you stop reacting and start running a new operating system. Not just in your family — in everything.If you're a business owner who's winning at work and guessing at home, this one was made for you.Timeline Summary[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities[1:02] What happens when we try our best but don't have the skills — and why winging it in marriage and fatherhood is a recipe for quiet misery[2:33] Why business owner dads are among the most underserved men out there[3:33] Starting a business is like having another kid — and most men are carrying both without the right support[5:45] Jaden's story: five-year Boardroom member, real estate investor, and a man who was just hoping tomorrow would be different[7:21] Hope is not a strategy — why hope without a plan turns against you over time[8:31] Marc's experience as a police officer and Larry's in sales — guessing in the early days and what changed when they found the right room[11:19] Hope is not a strategy — the mentor who stopped Larry cold and changed how he approached everything[13:58] What Jaden started learning inside the Boardroom — generative questions and the skill of processing in real time[15:04] Walking the cube: facts, story, emotions, action — and how it replaces emotional dumping with intentional response[16:39] It becomes your operating system — not a skill you have to work at, but how you fundamentally operate[18:18] These skills don't just change your family — they change your business too because you take your head everywhere[19:29] The tools that become part of your identity: emotional validation, generative questions, psychological safety, walking the cube[20:11] The software upgrade analogy — your marriage won't run optimally on an outdated operating system[21:39] Jaden's advice for men on the outside: you cannot do this work alone. It's a 12-foot ladder with only two rungs.[23:00] Larry asks Jaden where he'd be without the Boardroom — and the pause that said everything[24:21] Mark's insight: surround yourself with people who already have what you want — that's the cheat code[25:42] What Larry thought when he joined his first mastermind in 2015 — and why he called back 11 minutes later[28:27] What Larry found on that first Monday morning call — every question he was afraid to ask was suddenly welcomed[30:07] The call to action for every business owner dad listening right nowFive Key Takeaways- Hope is not a strategy. Hoping your marriage or your relationship with your kids gets better without a plan is not optimism — it's guessing. And guessing sucks.- You take your head everywhere. The skills you build at home show up in your business, and the chaos you carry from work shows up at home. Upgrading your operating system changes everything.- The men around you shape who you become — whether you're intentional about it or not. Surround yourself with men who already have what you want, and you'll take on their habits, beliefs, and results.- These skills don't take more time — they eliminate the time you waste reacting, apologizing, and cleaning up the mess of not having them.- You cannot do this work alone. A brotherhood that can name the next rung of the ladder for you is not a luxury — it's the difference between spinning in place and actually climbing.Links & Resources- Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind- The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com- Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1465): https://thedadedge.com/1465ClosingIf there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: stop hoping and start building.Every man listening to this has the same 24 hours. The difference between the man who looks up in ten years with the life he wanted and the man who wonders where it all went is not talent, not luck, and not harder work. It's strategy. It's skills. It's the room he chose to be in.If you're a business owner who's winning at work and guessing at home — this is your move.Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, I sit down with Doug Smith — award-winning author of The Path of Rocks and Thorns, policy expert, trauma-informed leadership coach, adjunct professor, and a man who spent six years in a Texas prison cell for four counts of robbery committed in the grip of crack cocaine addiction.This is not a redemption story wrapped in a tidy bow. It's a raw, honest, and deeply human conversation about what happens when a man loses everything — and what he discovers about leadership, recovery, and fatherhood in the process.Doug walks us through what crack addiction actually feels like — the all-encompassing high and the equal and opposite fall — and what it took to rebuild a life after prison, including a bipolar disorder diagnosis, years of therapy, and a spiritual practice pieced together inside a Texas prison cell. He also shares the extraordinary leadership work he did while incarcerated, helping build a sexual assault prevention program that led to a dramatic increase in reporting and prosecution inside Texas prisons — work that continues to have an impact to this day.But the heart of this conversation is fatherhood. Doug's daughter was five when he went in. She was almost eleven when he came home. He shares the terrifying day he was released, the first reunion with his daughter, and how they reconnected through play and letters rather than words. And then he shares the hardest part — what happened when his book came out and his daughter's buried anger finally surfaced, and the hike where he sat in that anger with her without defending himself.Larry meets him there with his own story of a father who left twice — and the dinner conversation twenty years ago where forgiveness finally had room to breathe.Timeline Summary[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities[1:02] Introducing Doug Smith — author, policy expert, trauma-informed coach, and formerly incarcerated for four counts of robbery[1:23] What prison was actually like — more boring than people imagine, and unexpectedly clarifying[2:31] The decline into crack addiction — what the high feels like and what the low does to your soul[5:14] The black spot on the soul — how crack takes you lower with every use and never lets you climb back up[6:50] What withdrawal from crack cocaine actually does to your brain and body[9:04] How Doug recalibrated inside prison — exercise, meditation, spiritual practice, and learning to feel good without drugs for the first time in his adult life[11:18] His mental health diagnosis — bipolar disorder, personality disorder, and how he eventually moved past treating a label[13:21] Who Doug is today — policy expert, adjunct professor at UT Austin, trauma-informed leadership coach, and author[15:28] What leadership actually means — it's not a business term, it's the relationship between the results you're creating and your contribution to them[16:18] The sexual assault prevention program Doug built inside a Texas prison — and the dramatic results it produced[22:47] How sexual assault in prison is always about power — and why staff are often the perpetrators[23:16] How old his daughter was when he went in — and his daily prayer to get home while she was still a child[24:51] The terrifying day he was released — why his brain wouldn't accept it as real[26:05] Flying down the stairs to hold his daughter — and sitting with her while she wept[26:49] How they reconnected on day one — spreading out her letters and going through them together[27:13] Larry's midroll reflection: you're home, but are you really there?[29:14] How his daughter responded after the initial reunion — the games, the capybara play, and Riley the racing rat[32:07] The years of building trust — and how his daughter's anger didn't surface until the book came out[33:10] His daughter's reaction to the book: everyone's celebrating his story, but nobody asked what she went through[34:48] The hike where everything came out — and how Doug received her anger without defending himself[37:14] How his daughter had organized her life around his incarceration — volunteering with kids of incarcerated parents, camp counseling, and a college essay that got her into UT Austin in three weeks[39:51] The unresolved trauma that was still there beneath the resilience — and what it took for her to finally be angry[40:17] Larry shares his own story — a father who left twice and the dinner conversation that changed everything[43:44] Larry's dad's ownership, humility, and apology — and how seeing a human being allowed forgiveness to begin[45:33] What Doug's relationship with his daughter looks like now — rebuilding on new terms as adults[47:41] His daughter's powerful message: I needed the encouragement before. Don't tie my worth to my grades.[48:13] The richer conversations that come when the old context for a relationship is gone[51:16] Larry's reflection: without the mess there is no message — and what Doug's story means to the men listening[52:18] The Dante's Inferno metaphor from Doug's prison book club — you have to go all the way through to climb back upFive Key Takeaways- Losing everything can be unexpectedly clarifying. When the things that were making your life miserable are stripped away, you get to learn who you are without them — and that can be the beginning of something real.- Leadership is not a business concept. It's the relationship between the results you're creating in the world and your contribution to those results. Everyone is always leading something.- You can be home and still not be present. A lot of men are physically in the house but emotionally absent — and their kids feel it. No prison cell required.- Resilience and unresolved trauma can coexist. Doug's daughter organized her whole life around his incarceration before she ever allowed herself to be angry about it. Healing isn't linear and it isn't always visible.- You have to go all the way through it. You can't go around pain, grief, or hard emotions. Like Dante — you have to travel through the deepest part before you can climb again.Links & Resources- Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind- The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com- The Path of Rocks and Thorns by Doug Smith: Available on Amazon- Doug Smith's website: https://the-degree.com- Email Doug directly: doug@the-degree.com- Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1464): https://thedadedge.com/1464ClosingIf there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: you have to go all the way through it.Doug Smith didn't get to skip the hard parts. He had to travel all the way through addiction, incarceration, and the anger of a daughter he had failed — before he could climb back up. And what he built on the other side of that is extraordinary: a career dedicated to the exact people he used to be, and a relationship with his daughter being rebuilt on honest, adult terms.The mess became the message. It always does.If this episode hit you where it needed to, share it with a man who is in the middle of his own darkest season and needs to know there's a way through.Go out and live legendary.