I Am Dad

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell travels to East New York, Brooklyn, for an on-location conversation with Bishop Ferguson, board chair of Fathers Incorporated and program director at the Liberty Avenue Men’s Shelter. This conversation asks a question we do not ask often enough: What does housing instability mean for men and fathers? Too often, conversations about homeless...

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Dr. Tova Walsh, Associate Professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for a deep and timely conversation about the evolving field of fatherhood research and the systems that still struggle to fully include fathers. Dr. Walsh began her career as a home visitor working with familie...

In this powerful Part 2 conversation on I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes back longtime friend, brother, faith leader, and community advocate Greg Owens for a deeper discussion on Black fatherhood, race, culture, leadership, and the work required to move from narrative to impact. After Part 1 explored fatherhood, faith, and the Black church, this episode shifts into a broader and mo...

This episode of I Am Dad Podcast opens a powerful conversation about fatherhood, faith, leadership, and the responsibility of the Black church to speak more intentionally to men and families. Host Kenneth Braswell sits down with longtime friend, brother, faith leader, and community advocate Greg Owens inside Macedonia Baptist Church in Albany, New York. Their relationship crosses many spaces: comm...

This episode of I Am Dad Podcast features a timely and important conversation from the Moynihan Institute for Fatherhood Research and Policy on how Black fathers are portrayed in television commercials and popular media. Guest host Dr. David Miller sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Shears and Dr. Janice Kelly to discuss their research study on the portrayal of Black fathers in TV commercials. The convers...

This episode of I Am Dad Podcast is part of the Moynihan Institute Takeover, featuring a powerful conversation between Dr. Jeff Shears and Dr. Conial Caldwell on Black fathers, daughters, identity, beauty, and racial socialization. Dr. Caldwell, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County School of Social Work and a proud girl dad, discusses his study, Preparing and Prot...

This episode of Sideline Dad, part of the I Am Dad Podcast Network, takes a powerful and refreshing turn by bringing a mother’s perspective into the conversation around youth sports, parenting, identity, and family. Host Javin Foreman welcomes Crystal Garrett, a storyteller, producer, former Division I track athlete, and mother of elite young athletes navigating the modern sports landscape. From g...

This episode of I Am Dad Podcast tackles one of the most urgent public health issues facing Black families today: the Black maternal health crisis. Hosted by Dr. David Miller, this important conversation features Dr. Jeffrey Shears, a nationally respected researcher focused on Black fathers, family systems, and community wellbeing. Together, they examine a question too often ignored in maternal he...

This special Mother’s Day episode of I Am Dad Podcast brings together humor, wisdom, fatherhood, motherhood, and the kind of seasoned truth only Griff can deliver. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes back Arlen “Griff” Griffin, co-host of the nationally syndicated gospel radio show Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell, comedian, husband, father, and author of the new book Cats and Puppies: This Is Not a...

This episode of the I Am Dad Podcast offers a rare and honest look at what it means to build a life, a family, and a creative career—all at the same time. Guest host Javin Foreman sits down with rising artist Ashton Stevens for a conversation that goes beyond music and into the heart of manhood. Originally from Florida and now building his career in Atlanta, Ashton shares his journey as a creative...

This episode of Sideline Dad, part of the I Am Dad Podcast network, delivers a powerful conversation about fatherhood, sports, discipline, and the real meaning of going pro. Host Javin Foreman is joined by former professional basketball player and elite trainer Derrek Hamilton, a father who has successfully raised two high-achieving sons—one an Ivy League athlete and scholar, the other an NFL Pro...

This episode of Sideline Dad, part of the I Am Dad Podcast network, is a powerful conversation about how sports shape character, leadership, and fatherhood. Host Javin Foreman sits down with Kevin Jones, a father, mentor, and author of Game Ready: Leadership, Legacy, and Winning the Game of Life, to explore how the lessons learned through sports extend far beyond the field. From becoming a father...

This episode of Sideline Dad, a featured series within the I Am Dad Podcast network, brings a real and necessary conversation about fatherhood, youth sports, and the responsibility of raising not just athletes—but whole people. Hosted by Javin Foreman, this episode features Rodney Kellam, a father of three navigating the journey of raising children through sports, life lessons, and intentional par...

This week on I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes scholar, author, and longtime advocate Dr. David Miller for a powerful conversation about mentorship, memory, and manhood. At the center of this episode is Dr. Miller’s new national writing project, Letters to My 13-Year-Old Self, an intergenerational reflection inviting Black men across the country to write a message to the boy they on...

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Mark Ludwig for a powerful conversation about fatherhood, family courts, and the legislative battle to keep children connected to both parents. Mark Ludwig shares his deeply personal story of going 204 days without seeing his son, a painful experience that ultimately led him into the world of fatherhood advocacy and policy reform....

This week on I Am Dad Podcast, guest host Dr. Matisa Wilbon of the Moynihan Institute for Fatherhood Research and Policy takes the host chair for a powerful conversation with fellow institute colleague Dr. David Miller, a researcher focused on the mental health and social development of Black men, fathers, and families. Drawing from his academic research and personal experience as a father of two...

This week on I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Javin Foreman, father of three and youth basketball dad living in the real-time rhythm of competitive sports parenting. From Chicago courts to suburban gyms, this conversation dives into what really happens on the sidelines—where love, fear, ego, and expectation often collide. Drawing from his own playing background and now coaching and...

Season 5 of I Am Dad Podcast continues its deep dive into the systems shaping modern fatherhood—and this conversation is one for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates alike. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Christopher Brown, longtime leader in the national fatherhood movement and president of National Fatherhood Initiative. Together, they discuss the groundbreaking report The $154 Billion Man,...

This episode of the I Am Dad Podcast is a powerful and necessary conversation about love, loss, and responsibility. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Charles Johnson, founder and CEO of 4Kira4Moms, for an unflinching discussion about fatherhood in the face of tragedy and purpose born from grief. Charles shares his deeply personal daddy story, including the loss of his wife Kira just days after the bi...

Fatherhood rarely arrives with a manual—and for many men, the earliest season is the most overwhelming. In this episode of the I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Joe Carr, creator of the Dadicated Joe platform and co-founder of Serenity Kids, for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about modern fatherhood. Joe shares his daddy story, the collision of launching a national baby food c...

This episode of the I Am Dad Podcast is a masterclass in perseverance, policy change, and purpose-driven fatherhood. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Bernard W.H. Jennings, Florida Supreme Court–certified mediator, public servant, and architect of the Good Dad Act, for an extraordinary conversation about how one father’s fight for access to his son reshaped state law. Dr. Jennings shares his deeply...

Fatherhood is not a role a man steps into when it is easy. It is a calling that demands clarity, responsibility, and presence. In this episode of the I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Jesse Anderson, a fatherhood coach, court-appointed monitor, and ministry leader whose work focuses on helping men lead their families with strength, faith, and emotional integrity. Jesse shares his de...

This episode of the I Am Dad Podcast is a masterclass in perspective, memory, and meaning. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes longtime friend and respected fatherhood practitioner Scott Leach for an expansive conversation rooted in New York City’s five boroughs and shaped by decades of work with fathers and families. Scott shares his personal daddy story, reflecting on early separation, childhood ange...

This episode of the I Am Dad Podcast is a powerful reminder that fatherhood is shaped not only by biology, but by community, responsibility, and purpose. Host Kenneth Braswell welcomes Greg Harris, Outreach Lead with Fathers Incorporated, for an honest, deeply reflective conversation rooted in Brooklyn streets and Atlanta impact. Greg shares his daddy’s story—marked by loss, trauma, and resilience...

Five seasons in, the I Am Dad Podcast continues to examine the foundations of responsible fatherhood—and this episode goes straight to the core question too few ask: So what? Host Kenneth Braswell, CEO of Fathers Incorporated, welcomes national thought leader Matthew Shepherd, founder of Midwest Evaluation and Research, for a wide-ranging and deeply reflective discussion on fatherhood, research in...