Quarterback DadCast | Intentional Fatherhood & Leadership at Home

Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to lose your kid is to win every argument and miss every moment that mattered. We sit down with John Hearn, a Georgia Bulldog, dad of three, and COO and Atlanta president at IMA Financial Group, to talk about what real leadership looks like when the audience is your family and they are watching everything. We start with gratitude and a grounded definition of succes...

Send us Fan Mail A veterinary surgeon who also builds houses, runs companies, and hosts a podcast sounds like the definition of “always on,” but Jason Balara flips that story. He’s obsessed with being home for dinner, being there at bedtime, and building a family culture his kids can actually feel. If you’ve ever wondered whether work-life balance is real or just something people say online, this...

Send us Fan Mail Your calendar is full, your phone won’t stop buzzing, and your kids are growing up right in front of you. I sit down with David Garson, VP at Advanced Partners and a dad of two, to get honest about what it takes to lead a household with intention when life is busy and work is demanding. We talk about the values David and his wife are trying to build into their family culture: kind...

Send us Fan Mail Your home doesn’t need a “perfect dad” to feel steady, but it does need a present one. Casey sits down again with Colin Henderson for 2nd time as a guest on the podcast.  Today, they have a very candid conversation that moves from co-parenting realities to the daily relationship habits that most of us ignore until things start to break. Colin shares what changed after a major life...

Send us Fan Mail Most dads do not need another hack. We need a standard we can actually live by when we are tired, stressed, and tempted to check out. That’s why this conversation with Tommy Short hits so hard. Tommy is a former NCAA Division I basketball referee and the author of The Call I Almost Missed, and he joins me to talk about what real leadership looks like at home, not under arena light...

Send us Fan Mail Time is the one resource fatherhood won’t let us fake. When Jacob Karnes tells the story of losing his dad suddenly, the conversation shifts from productivity tips to something heavier and more useful: how do you build a life where you’re actually there, not just technically “around”?  We talk honestly about what changes when you hold your first child and realize work can’t be the...

Send us Fan Mail One phone choice can shape a relationship, and one hard season can reshape an entire life. I’m joined by Jason “JD” Diliberry, a former Florida State lineman and lifelong leader who has lived through divorce, addiction, sobriety, and the kind of grief that stops you in your tracks. What comes through most is not polish. It’s honesty, accountability, and a deep commitment to showin...

Send us Fan Mail One sentence can change how your kid remembers sports forever, and it usually happens on the drive home. I sit down with Jim Steadman, an exec sales leader for YES, a dad of six, and a grandpa to a fast-growing crew of grandkids, to get honest about what he would do differently and what he is proud to see his kids doing better than he did. We talk about sports parenting with real...

Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to lose your kid after a game is to turn the car ride home into a performance review. That idea kicks off a real, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation with Griffin Reilly, a Bay Area dad of two and a strategic account executive at Relyance AI, who’s learning in real time how to lead with calm, curiosity, and a little less ego. Griffin also co-hosts The El...

Send us Fan Mail Your kids will teach you leadership faster than any book, if you let them. I sit down with Tom Mitchell, a coach, author, and performance psychologist who has spent decades helping athletes and leaders master the inner game, and we keep the spotlight where it belongs: on Tom as a husband and dad. We start with gratitude and what “success” looks like at home, from healthy adult chi...

Send us Fan Mail Today marks the 2nd guest we've invited back for another conversation, so thank you, Jed Collins for coming on to tell us what's changed since we last spoke and to also share more about your new book! In today's conversation, we explore that the hardest part of youth sports isn’t usually the practice or the game, it’s what happens right after. As you might recall, J...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of dads know how to win at work and still feel like they’re losing time at home. I sit down with Joe Hawn, CEO of Grandview Tech, to talk about what happens when a high-intensity, goal-driven life collides with bedtime books, bath time, and two little boys who just want you on the floor with them. Joe gets real about the inner shift that fatherhood forces, from chasing “I’ll...

Send us Fan Mail Today will be one of the most powerful episodes you will listen to in my seven-year journey as a podcaster.  We welcome Andy Speer, Head, Business Execution at Randstad Digital North America. Pain in his shoulder. A little shortness of breath. Then a monitor full of “hot spots” and a same-day referral to oncology. Andy Speer joins me on the Quarterback Dadcast and tells the story...

Send us Fan Mail Thank you, Steve Garraty, for making today's episode possible! Our next guest beat leukemia as a kid, got cut from a football team that “doesn’t cut anyone,” and still grew up believing the hard thing wasn’t a sign to quit, it was proof he was built for it. That’s why this conversation with Bishoy Tadros hits so deep for anyone thinking about fatherhood, resilience, and what...

Send us Fan Mail Thank you, Matt Brownlee, for making today's episode possible!! Today, we welcome former Pitt star QB and NFL player, Tyler Palko, to the podcast.  This episode allows two former quarterbacks to compare notes on what actually builds grit. That’s where our conversation with Tyler goes fast. Tyler played at Pitt, spent time in the NFL and in Montreal, and now helps companies gr...

Send us Fan Mail Thank you Steve Garraty for making today's episode possible! “Listen and don’t judge.” That’s the line Chuck Melendi drops that kept echoing in my head after we wrapped, because it’s the kind of advice that sounds obvious until you try to live it in a real home with real stress, real teen emotions, and real consequences. Chuck is an empty nester, a longtime healthcare industr...

Send us Fan Mail Good dads are present. Great dads are intentional. That single idea reshaped how we think about modern fatherhood after talking with Jeff Hittner, founder of Ambitious Dads, dad of two boys, and a former elite gymnast who knows what commitment feels like when it is done at full intensity.  Jeff joins us from Valencia, Spain, and the story behind that move quickly becomes a lesson...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we welcome Robert Paylor to the podcast with an amazing and inspiring story! A national championship match. A broken neck. In a few violent seconds, Robert  went from Cal rugby standout to a young man hearing he’d never walk or move his hands again.  What happened next wasn’t a neat comeback—it was a decision repeated every day: control the mindset, fight the fight, and bui...

Send us Fan Mail What if the fastest route to a meaningful life is slowing down for the people at home?  Today, we welcome the founder and CEO of Arena Staffing, Dave Kooiman. In our conversation, Dave opens up about small-town roots, a painful college cut, getting fired, and the surprising breakthroughs that followed. The result isn’t a hustle story; it’s a playbook for building a family culture...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best leadership training you’ll ever get happens at your kitchen table? We sit down with Michael Clark—CRO of Asymbl, former Salesforce leader, TEDx speaker, and proud dad of three—to unpack a practical, heart-forward playbook for leading a family with the same intention you’d bring to a high-performing team. Michael shares the simple structure that guides him: a perso...

Send us Fan Mail What if leading at home wasn’t about fixing every problem, but about showing up with curiosity, clear standards, and follow-through you can keep? We sit down with Thomas Miller—therapist, coach, and host of the Four Peaks Parent podcast—to explore how dads can guide teens through injury, identity shifts, and big feelings without swinging to extremes. Thomas shares the hard-won les...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most important leadership lessons don’t come from the boardroom but from late-night talks at the kitchen table?  A HUGE thank you goes out to Mark Krahe for making today's episode possible.  Today, we sat down with Sunbelt Golf CEO Mike Beverly—who leads the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail—to unpack the habits, values, and hard-won insights that guide him as a fathe...

Send us Fan Mail What if the fastest way to connect with your child wasn’t advice, but better questions? Casey Jacox sits down with Shelby Stephens—dad of three, AI founder of Snacker, and lifelong learner—to explore how curiosity, calibrated vulnerability, and learner-led education can transform family life. From swapping “How was school?” for targeted T.E.D. questions to telling honest stories t...

Send us Fan Mail The most honest leadership lessons rarely come from a boardroom—they happen in the kitchen, the carpool line, and the sideline before a fourth-grade basketball tryout. Casey sits down with Andy Hutsell to explore how a dad builds a resilient home through faith, kindness, and unapologetic intentionality.  From the joyful chaos of an open-concept house to the quiet courage required...

Send us Fan Mail What if the best ability as a dad is availability—and the fastest way to build it is with a circle of men who meet you at 5:30 a.m., rain or shine? Today, Casey Jacox sits down with sales leader and father of four, Matt Brownlee, for a conversation that blends vulnerability, practical habits, and a whole lot of heart. We talk about guiding kids through injury and adversity, why gr...