The Dad Bod

In New York City, the person charged with the care, maintenance, and repair of a building is known as a "super." Short for superintendent, it also describes the quality of Alen's work and the superhuman way he seems to be in multiple places at once in the neighborhood, helping dozens of people get things done in their homes every single day.  That's exactly what he was doing in my apartment a few...

A few years ago, Doug moved with his family from New York City to Taiwan to live a life that gives them the freedom to travel frequently, enjoy outdoorsy activities, and raise their kids as native Chinese speakers in an immersive Taiwanese cultural environment, all while still operating by the US-based e-commerce business that Doug started once upon a time as a side hustle to his data analytics ca...

John's wife says that he "looks like someone who used to work out" and John basically concurs, describing his dad bod shape as "oval." So if the shape of dad transformation is the oval, what is the shape of dad redemption? Episode page⁠ ⁠All episodes⁠ ⁠Home page

I met Andres more than 15 years ago, when he was dating my wife's childhood best friend and with whom he just celebrated 14 years of marriage.  At 60 years old, he is ahead of me in life and in parenting, and so even though we've never lived in the same city and our actual contact with each other is infrequent, I've looked up to him for a long time.  As you'll hear, Andres has a lot of deeply root...

Like me, Charlie is an American-born son of immigrant parents.  Although the facts of our lives and cultures differ greatly, I recognize a lot of the same truths, and even though I’m not yet at his stage in life, I approach Charlie’s story with a great deal of self interest: what can I learn from his experience about supporting a parent in the decline of old age and about ushering grown children i...

Many details in Thomas’ story remind me of the other Dad Bod dads. Like Brian, he's a girl dad. Like Carlton, he met one of his mentors through the Young Life Christian organization. Like Jeremy, his dad struggled as a small business owner.  Like TJ, sports was the backdrop for a pivotal moment in his life. Like John, his dad couldn't be counted on.  Like Carlton, Andrew, and Brian, he's grieved h...

Andrew described TJ to me as considerate, wise, thoughtful, and with an off-the-charts EQ.  But beyond these specific qualities, Andrew clearly regards TJ as simply one of the most high quality people that he's ever worked with.  I find this kind of recommendation - one regular, everyday guy who sees another regular, everyday guy being extraordinary with that very ordinary slice of life known as "...

I had a great time talking with Edwin, who was referred to the show by Charlie, Good Bad Ugly Dad from episode 7.  As we say on the Dad Bod, the show is here to reveal the hidden drama of modern day fatherhood, and so I appreciate Edwin for sharing his personal journey from growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, way back in the day as well as his career in education - not as a teacher, but as a "fi...

This reflection episode is dedicated to Carlton, Daddy's Boy Dad.  After listening to this episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to the full interview so that you can get a firsthand feel for who Carlton is and his story. Episode page⁠ ⁠All episodes⁠ ⁠Home page⁠

So my 20 year college reunion was a couple months ago.  I was on the fence about going until the last minute, but I'm so glad I did because I ended up reconnecting with my friend, fellow dad, and today's guest, John.  Even though John and I are the same age, I appreciate the wisdom he has to offer as a dad who, with three kids ages 15, 13, and 11, is several big stages ahead of me in the parenting...

The eldest of 4, TJ grew up in Western PA and currently lives in London with his wife, their 5-year old son, and 3-year old daughter.  Professionally, he works in finance as a trader, and it's through his career that he crossed paths and became good friends with Andrew who our longtime listeners know as Andrew, Dim Sum Dad. I'm very excited to be sharing this conversation with you.  Even though it...

My personal top 5 last minute free Father's Day gifts, perfect for any dad in your life. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Visit thedadbodpod.com or email me any time at shawn@thedadbodpod.com! Episode page⁠ ⁠All episodes⁠ ⁠Home page⁠

“Favorite comfort food?” I asked Andrew during the warm up to our interview. “Dim sum,” he said, noting some classic dishes as well as a modern innovation from Toronto, kalbi short ribs with maggi sauce.  When he said it, I thought it was simply a nice answer to one of several warm-up questions that I ask guests before we get into the actual interview. But after struggling to come up with a good t...

I met Charlie through Carlton, Daddy’s Boy Dad, which makes Charlie the first referred guest of The Dad Bod! Carlton gave me Charlie’s basic bio - devoted husband and father of 3 kids, two girls, ages 22 and 12, and a son age 19; professionally, he’s a branch manager at a commercial financial institution - as well as details he knows as a close friend of Charlie’s - the burdens and stresses of his...

We're 4 dads into season 1 of The Dad Bod! Brian, Coach Girl Dad. Jeremy, Ph. D-as-in-Dad. Andrew, Dim Sum Dad. Carlton, Daddys' Boy Dad. Sitting down with these guys to go deep into the hidden drama of fatherhood has been a very rewarding experience. And so, I want to give back some of what I've personally reaped from this experience by starting a series of reflection episodes to go with the inte...

Carlton and I became friends while Carlton was doing his job delivering the mail in my neighborhood - or maybe I should say that we became friends while I was living in his neighborhood, because even though he's Brooklyn born and raised, he's been operating from the Planetarium Post Office since before I ever even set foot in New York. Now, we New Yorkers have a reputation for being unfriendly. Th...

Not only is dim sum Andrew's favorite comfort food, it is also a great metaphor for his family story: a multigenerational family meal that gained full citizenship at the expansive culinary tables of Canada and the United states, and where values, lessons, and customs are passed with as much sincerity and fervor as the dishes themselves. Andrew and I have been friends for about as long as we've bot...

Jeremy and I became friends through our kids. Even though we live just a few blocks apart, our first conversation was actually over Facetime, back in February of 2020 as we were about to go into lockdown here in New York.  I've always appreciated Jeremy's perspective on things because he speaks thoughtfully and in a way that reflects his wide range of life experiences.  West coast kid.  East coast...

Here. We. GO! I am very excited to introduce the first ever guest of The Dad Bod, my childhood best friend, Brian. In our conversation, Brian shares some really great insights from his life as a girl dad, especially from his experience coaching his two girls' basketball teams. On this topic, I really appreciate how open and honest Brian was in evaluating his own performance as a coach.  Although h...

Welcome to the Dad Bod, the story of what it means to be a dad today! After years of thinking about this, I am very excited to be finally sharing The Dad Bod with you. In this introductory episode, I go behind the formula of "one dad per episode to get the story of what it means to be a dad today" to share a bit about the inspiration and vision for the show. Thank you for listening! Episode page⁠...