Dad Tribes Podcast

When you have more than one child, “equal attention” sounds good — but it doesn’t survive real life. At different points in our kids’ lives, different kids need more from us. Academic struggles. Behavioral challenges. Mental or physical health issues. When that happens, focus shifts — not because we care more about one child, but because the need is heavier. The real tension for fathers isn’t unev...

Most men were taught that leadership looks like sacrifice.  Work longer. Carry more. Say less. And for a long time, that belief feels right. In this episode, we explore how many of us quietly replaced leadership with endurance — and why silent sacrifice can feel strong while slowly creating distance at home. This isn’t an argument against sacrifice.  And it’s not about doing less or putting everyt...

A lot of us are putting in the work…  but it still feels like we’re falling behind.  Bills get paid and something else replaces them.  Time opens up and immediately disappears.  One problem gets solved and another one shows up.  This episode isn’t about motivation or working harder.  It’s about why this season of fatherhood often erases visible progress — and how that can quietly mess with how we...

For a long time, “protect and provide” felt simple:  Pay the bills. Keep the family safe. And for many of us, that definition made complete sense — especially in homes where the man worked and the woman handled the home. But what if the tension a lot of families feel isn’t about roles…  it’s about the question we’re asking? In this episode, we unpack the quiet mindset many men carry: Why fairness...

Most dads don’t have an anger problem.  We have a patience problem — and most of our guilt lives there. In this episode, we talk about the moments that stick with us as fathers —  not the big blowups, but the short responses, the tone we didn’t mean, the patience that ran out. Patience isn’t about character.  It’s about capacity. We unpack why impatience at home is usually the last straw , not the...

When you’re responsible for a family, your mind never fully powers down. Not because you’re anxious—but because you’re accountable. Fatherhood creates background processes: tracking risk, income, health, schedules, and long-term outcomes. None of it feels intense. It just feels like the job. But even quiet systems consume energy when they run nonstop. In this episode, we explore: Why most fathers...

Most conversations about fathers frame struggle as emotional: stress, burnout, overwhelm.  But that’s not how it actually feels.  For most dads, the weight of fatherhood is practical. It lives in responsibility, systems, logistics, and long-term thinking. It’s the constant awareness that things depend on you—financially, structurally, and emotionally—even if it never registers as an “emotion.”  In...

When pressure builds in fatherhood, most of us respond the same way:  we tighten our grip.  We manage schedules.  We control outcomes.  We try to hold everything together.  Not out of ego — but out of fear of letting things fall apart.  In this episode, we explore how control quietly replaces presence,  why responsibility can turn into distance,  and how pressure inside us creates order around us...

Fatherhood doesn’t break men — it compresses them. In this episode, we talk about the part of fatherhood nobody warns men about:  the quiet pressure, the shrinking world, and the feeling that everything suddenly carries more weight. This isn’t regret.  It’s compression. Men don’t struggle because they don’t love their kids —  they struggle because this season demands discipline, restraint, and con...

Most of fatherhood doesn’t happen in the big moments. It happens on regular days.  Rushed mornings.  Long afternoons.  Tired conversations. In this episode, we sit with a simple but uncomfortable realization: our kids aren’t learning from our highlight reel — they’re learning from what repeats. Not our speeches.  Not our intentions.  Not our best days. Our patterns. This isn’t a conversation about...

I’ve never met a father of young kids who felt proud of himself. Not confident.  Not like he was “crushing it.” And I’ve met a lot of dads. What I have met are fathers of grown kids who light up when they talk about who their children became — not because they were perfect parents, but because the long work finally showed itself. In this episode, I talk about the uncomfortable gap nobody warns you...

  What does it really take to build a movement of dads in your own city? In this episode, Andrew and Isaac pull back the curtain on what it means to launch a Dad Tribes chapter — from the application process and investment, to the deeper mission behind it all: turning fatherhood into a brotherhood.  This isn’t another “men’s group.” It’s a family-first movement where leadership at home meets commu...

Most dads carry a silent guilt — feeling like they never spend enough time with their kids.  In this episode, Andrew O’Brien, founder of Dad Tribes , opens up about a moment with his 5-year-old daughter that completely changed how he views fatherhood. What started as an apology turned into a powerful reminder:  It’s not about how much time we spend with our kids — it’s about how present we are whe...

We’re launching the Dad Tribes Podcast and unveiling the Dad Tribes Foundation (501(c)(3) filing in progress). Isaac steps into the CEO role to lead our nonprofit mission: backing dads in real life —from attorney retainers and mediation to emergency needs (rent, utilities, food, temporary lodging) and Christmas giving for families in every chapter. How it works Use of funds: counseling-first → med...

 Mark Cuban joins Andrew O’Brien on the Dad Tribes Podcast to talk health, fatherhood, and why effort beats excuses every time.   Mark shares how becoming a dad later in life shaped his priorities, why he works out five days a week and logs every meal, and how he handles critics without wasting energy. He explains why there are no shortcuts in business or parenting — and what he’d do if he had to...

Most men drift into default relationships —familiar, convenient, and safe—but rarely transformative. Andrew and guest Ryan Michler (Order of Man; founder of the 1,100+ member Iron Council ; author of Sovereignty and The Masculinity Manifesto ) break down how to replace comfort with deliberate brotherhood that sharpens rather than shatters. They discuss the Order of Man framework— Protect, Provide,...

Welcome to the Dad Tribes Podcast — a show built for fathers who know they were meant for more than just a 9–5 grind. In this first episode, Andrew O’Brien shares his personal journey: from a $90K corporate job that left him miserable, to building a nationwide (soon global) movement of dads that creates freedom, purpose, and impact. You’ll hear the origin story of Dad Tribes, how a simple local gr...