The Dad Edit

What happens to fatherhood when your kids start needing you less? In this heartfelt episode, Andrew Henry and Ryan dive deep into the emotional journey of navigating an emptying nest and redefining their roles as dads. If you’re a father facing this transition, you won’t want to miss the invaluable insights shared here.  As Andrew reflects on his son Link starting daycare, he and Ryan explore the...

Who checks in on dads after the baby arrives? In this heartfelt episode, Andrew Henry dives into the often-overlooked emotional landscape of new fathers, revealing the vital importance of community support. If you’re a new dad feeling overwhelmed or just curious about the emotional challenges during the transition to fatherhood, this episode is a must-listen. Andrew opens up about his journey and...

Are we really prepared to take parental leave when the option is available? In "The Dad Leave Trap: Present at Home or Penalized at Work," the Dad Edit dive deep into the complex feelings surrounding parental leave for fathers. They're not just discussing policy but sharing their personal experiences and the societal pressures that often prevent dads from taking the time they deserv...

Big Mike on Fatherhood, Belonging, Identity, and the Power of Community What happens when fatherhood, belonging, identity, and barbecue all collide? Andrew and Ryan sit down with Michael, better known as Big Mike , for a raw, funny, no-format conversation that turns into one of The Dad Edit’s deepest discussions yet. Mike is the creator behind Big Mike’s Backyard BBQ , but his story goes well beyo...

What happens when a father grapples with the delicate balance between protecting his child and allowing them the freedom to grow? In this heartfelt episode, Ryan and Andrew dive deep into the emotional landscape of fatherhood, exploring the pivotal moments that define our roles as protectors versus the importance of vulnerability.  Join them as they share a poignant story from a playground that un...

Growing up without a father leaves questions that can follow you long after childhood and becoming a dad yourself can bring those questions back in ways you never expected. For Episode 50 of The Dad Edit Podcast, Andrew and Ryan have one of their most personal conversations yet: If you could sit across from your father today, what would you say? Both grew up without their biological fathers being...

Episode 49: First-Time Dads - What Nobody Tells You About Becoming a Father Nobody is fully prepared for the moment they become a dad. You can read the parenting books, build the crib, install the car seat, pack the hospital bag, and ask every father you know for advice. Then someone places your baby in your arms and suddenly you realize that becoming a father is something you can’t completely pre...

Can you be an ambitious dad without missing your kids’ childhood? In Episode 48 of The Dad Edit Podcast , we have an honest conversation about one of the hardest challenges many fathers face: balancing career ambition, providing for your family, and actually being present for your kids. Dads are often told that being a good father means working hard, building financial security, chasing success, a...

Marriage after kids can slowly start to feel less like a relationship and more like managing a household. Who is handling daycare pickup? Did anyone order diapers? What is for dinner? Who is getting up with the baby tonight? You may still love each other, share a home and work well together as parents but, somewhere between work, exhaustion, chores, bills and the constant responsibilities of raisi...

Can you love your kids more than anything and still not love every part of being a dad? In Episode 46 of The Dad Edit, we have an honest conversation about dad burnout , parental guilt, resentment, exhaustion, and the parts of fatherhood that many men are afraid to admit they struggle with. Fatherhood can be meaningful, rewarding, and full of love. It can also feel repetitive, overwhelming, isolat...

Why is it so easy for dads to name every mistake they have made but so difficult to admit when they are doing a good job? In Episode 45 of The Dad Edit, Andrew, Ryan, and Jeff have a raw and honest conversation about accountability for fathers and why accountability should include more than owning our failures. Good dads also need to recognize their growth, effort, patience, consistency, and the q...

Fatherhood changes your priorities, routines, relationships, and sense of purpose. But what happens when being a dad becomes your entire identity and you begin to wonder where the rest of you went? In Episode 44 of The Dad Edit Podcast, we have an honest conversation about identity after becoming a father, why so many dads feel like they lose themselves in parenthood, and how men can continue grow...

When your kids will not listen, it can turn into frustration fast: repeated instructions, raised voices, tantrums, power struggles, and that feeling that you are losing control right alongside them. In Episode 43 of The Dad Edit Podcast, we talk honestly about listening and tantrums for dads. From toddler meltdowns over the small stuff to teenagers slamming doors and pushing boundaries, this conve...

Work-Life Balance for Dads: Stop Chasing Perfect Balance | The Dad Edit Podcast Episode 42 Is work-life balance actually possible for dads, or is chasing it making us feel like we are constantly failing? In Episode 42 of The Dad Edit Podcast , Andrew, Ryan, and Jeff get honest about the pressure modern fathers carry: providing for your family, being present with your kids, showing up for your part...

This is one from the archives. In this special Dad Edit Archives episode, Andrew, Ryan, and Jeff share one of their first ever attempts at recording the podcast - a raw, early trial conversation about the “dad toolbox” and the skills every modern father is still learning to build. The guys talk about the practical side of fatherhood, from being handy around the house to knowing when to ask for hel...

Before The Dad Edit became what it is today, there was this conversation. In this special archive episode, Andrew, Ryan, and Jeff share one of their first ever attempts at recording the podcast a raw, honest, and unpolished conversation about modern fatherhood, dad stereotypes, and what it really means to show up as a present father. The guys break down the familiar labels dads often get boxed int...

Episode 41: Growing Up Too Fast for Dads - Are We Letting Them Lose Their Childhood? When do kids actually “grow up”? Is it when they stop playing with toys, start caring what people think, take on responsibility, or lose the freedom to be fully themselves? In this episode of The Dad Edit , the guys have a real and honest conversation about childhood, growing up too fast, protecting innocence, and...

Episode 40 of The Dad Edit Podcast is one of our most honest conversations yet. We dive into the growing debate around “weaponized incompetence” in relationships and fatherhood, why so many dads get labeled as disconnected at home, where some of those frustrations come from, and what modern fatherhood actually requires from men today. This episode isn’t about attacking fathers. It’s about accounta...

Episode 39: Youth Sports for Dads - When Kids’ Sports Become a Money Trap Youth sports used to feel simple: sign up for a local team, practice a couple nights a week, play games on the weekend, and enjoy being part of something. But for a lot of families today, kids’ sports have become expensive, competitive, time-consuming, and stressful. In Episode 39 of The Dad Edit , Andrew, Ryan, and Jeff tal...

Episode 38: 90s TV Dads - The Sitcom Fathers Who Raised a Generation Growing up in the 90s, a lot of us learned about fatherhood from TV dads before we ever became dads ourselves. From Uncle Phil in Fresh Prince to Tim Taylor in Home Improvement , Danny Tanner in Full House , and Carl Winslow in Family Matters these sitcom fathers shaped how an entire generation viewed parenting, masculinity, fami...

Episode 37: FAFO Parenting for Dads - Natural Consequences vs Gentle Parenting As dads, how do we raise strong, respectful, emotionally aware kids without becoming too controlling… or too passive? In this episode, Andrew, Jeff, Ryan, and Brian have a real, unfiltered conversation about: Gentle parenting and emotional intelligence Natural consequences and accountability Why kids need discomfort to...

Episode 36: Messy Parenting for Dads — When You’re Just Trying to Keep Up What does real fatherhood actually look like? Because it’s not the version you see on Instagram. In this episode of The Dad Edit , we break down the truth about messy parenting the chaos, the pressure, and the constant feeling that you’re falling behind as a dad. From sleepless nights and shifting routines to the weight of p...

Episode 35: Trust for Dads - When Your Teen Stops Telling You Everything What happens when your child stops telling you everything? One day they’re sharing every detail school, friends, thoughts, feelings. Then suddenly… it’s “fine,” “nothing,” “I don’t know.” In this episode of The Dad Edit , we unpack one of the most difficult and confusing transitions in fatherhood when communication with your...

Episode 34: Raising Boys for Dads - Navigating the Manosphere What does it mean to raise a boy in today’s world? Dads today aren’t just raising sons they’re raising boys in the middle of a digital storm. Social media is louder than ever. Influencers are shaping what “being a man” looks like. Somewhere in that noise, young boys are trying to figure out who they’re supposed to become. In this episod...

Episode 33: Mental Health for Dads – When Anxiety & Depression Don’t Look Like Sadness Dads don’t always look “depressed.” We show up. We work. We provide. We keep moving. But what happens when anxiety and depression don’t look like sadness…  and instead show up as anger, silence, irritability, or constant distraction? In this episode of The Dad Edit , we break down a reality most fathers quie...