The Grandpa Channel: What Life Reveals About What Matters

In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Rivers talks with guest Ken Walters — a 61-year-old grandpa with 12 grandkids spread across the country. Ken shares how endurance events (Ironman, ultras, biking) taught him the power of persistence, how to stay connected with grandkids you don’t live near, and why small check-ins & little moments will always beat big gestures. You’ll hear stories about...

In this warm, laughter-filled episode, Rivers (Steve Harris) sits down with Jen Blosil — musician, thinker, and self-proclaimed “lover of people” — to explore what makes relationships between grandparents and grandkids truly meaningful. Jen shares stories about her three very different grandfathers: a quiet priest, a gruff smoker with a soft spot, and a good man who didn’t always show it. Through...

What does it really mean to show up as a grandparent to an autistic grandchild? In this deeply thoughtful and practical episode, Steve Harris (aka “Rivers”) talks with Jennifer Kaufman, author of Grandparenting on the Spectrum and longtime principal of an autism-focused school. Jennifer shares insights from both her professional life and her personal experience as the grandmother of a child on the...

Everyone’s got a flub they’ll never forget. In this solo episode, Rivers (aka Steve Harris) shares the time he thought he was major league-bound... until he airmailed a ball into right field and watched his coach hurl a mitt into the fence. It’s a story about confidence, embarrassment, and the kind of failures you don’t edit out—because they end up being the ones you remember. If you’ve ever wante...

What does it mean to build something that lasts—then teach your grandkids how to carry it? In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with long-time friend Steve Grigg, son of Nephi Grigg, one of the founders of Ore-Ida and the inventor of the Tater Tot. But this isn’t just a food history story. It’s a deeply personal look at family legacy preservation, the evolution of grandpa...

Guest: Jim McCrea Host: Steve “Rivers” Harris In this episode: – Why some grandfathers don’t share war stories, and why Jim’s dad did – The redemption inside a rocky childhood – What “I am what I am” really means for today’s grandpas – How to show up with love, not performance – What to say when your grandchild says, “I’m scared” – How legacy gets recorded (even with a little swearing) *Note: Cont...

Newly minted grandpa Scott Becker meets twins Jack and Iris and feels something he did not expect - not the weight of responsibility, but the joy of a new role. He calls it the moon role. Not center stage, always present. We talk long distance grandparenting that actually lands, why presence beats perfection, and how stories become the bridge when miles get in the way. Scott also shares the family...

What do you do when doctors give you six months to live? For Frank Malizia, a Bronx native and lifelong Yankee fan, the answer was simple: hold on to faith, fight with everything he had, and cling to the hope of seeing his grandchildren one day. Against staggering odds, Frank survived stage-4 esophageal cancer, endured years of chemo and experimental treatments, and walked away with the nickname “...

What does a lasting family legacy look like in real life? In this moving conversation, Lee Crayk shares grandpa stories that model Christ-centered grandparenting: from writing letters to grandkids at graduation, to creating safety and stability for kids, to letting kids fail safely so resilience can grow. Lee opens up about coping with the loss of a parent, the mentors who redirected his path, lon...

What makes a grandpa unforgettable? In this heartwarming episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with financial planner and devoted grandpa Dennis Bledsoe to explore the true legacy of grandparents. From passing down faith and resilience through family traditions to sharing pioneer stories that inspire gratitude, Dennis reveals how grandpas can build deep grandchildren connections t...

What if the moments your kids or grandkids remember most aren’t the big vacations, the perfect holidays, or the expensive gifts… but the goofy games you made up in the living room? In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris talks with Mollie Diamond about her dad, Wid — a grandpa who turned ordinary evenings into magic. From “Poison Pillow” battles to the game of “Duddo” to a pretend sno...

What does being a good grandparent really look like? In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, host Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with his longtime friend Kyle Winther to explore what it means to show up for your family. Kyle shares lessons from his 93-year-old father, the importance of being grandparents who create road trip memories, and the quiet legacy of his Norwegian grandfather. Y...

Grandparenting isn’t just about being there — it’s about how you show up. In this inspiring conversation with Lee Ann Meads, our first grandma guest on The Grandpa Channel, we dive into the big and small ways grandparents leave lasting impressions. From funny names for grandparents (yes, she explains how “Bampa” stuck) to meaningful one-on-one time, Lee Ann shows us how family traditions turn into...

What do you learn after nearly a century of living, loving, and laughing? Stanley Lear, our oldest guest yet on The Grandpa Channel, has the answer: keep smiling. Born in 1930, Stanley grew up during the Great Depression as the eldest of 10 children in a 20x12 tar-paper home. From delivering newspapers at age seven to serving in France during the Korean War, his stories trace a life built on resil...

Grief does not end love. It reorganizes it. In this Grandpa Channel episode, Dave Goates and Steve Harris talk about the grief process, the tender ways family connection endures, and the small guardian angel moments that make you pay attention. You will hear how one daughter’s 49 days reshaped a family, how a long marriage still mentors from the other side, and why recording family history in a si...

What happens when a story isn’t told? It risks disappearing — along with the wisdom, resilience, and warning it carries. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Art Brothers joins Steve Harris (aka “Rivers”) to share grandpa stories that bridge generations. From fearless dogs and childhood memories to his mother’s harrowing survival during World War 2 and the Dutch Hunger Winter, Art paints an unf...

What if the best mentorship doesn’t happen in classrooms or at podiums — but on bike trails, over milkshakes, and in car rides home? In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris welcomes his cousin Brian Golding for a conversation that brings mentorship and coaching to life through family connection. Brian shares how mountain biking with his granddaughter turned into an unexpecte...

The power of family connection isn’t always found in big gestures — sometimes it lives in a single question, a laugh, or the steady presence of someone who truly listens. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Rivers is joined by Mike Matthews, who shares the unforgettable story of his grandmother, Eileen. What began as seasonal holiday visits blossomed into a friendship when she moved in with fa...

In this inspiring episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with longtime friend and lawyer Doug Matsumori to explore the power of consistency in building strong family bonds. Doug shares stories of his Japanese-American heritage, his career, and raising seven children—while reflecting on the role of faith and family in creating a lasting legacy. From learning how to listen and unders...

Why honesty is important is a question that echoes through families, schools, and communities — and in this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Jack Peck offers heartfelt answers drawn from decades as a coach, father, and grandfather of 20. For Jack, honesty was more than a nice idea — it was the foundation of trust. He learned from his own father that integrity and morals were not negotiable, and he...

Fatherhood and grandparenting are more connected than we sometimes realize. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with his good friend and neighbor, Mark Hale, to reflect on the lessons passed down from fathers — and how they ripple forward into life as a grandparent. Mark shares heartfelt memories of his dad, who started the iconic Hires Big H and built a life ce...

Mentorship and coaching don’t just shape athletes — they shape lives. In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with Ty Yagi to remember his grandfather, Junior Yagi — a legendary baseball coach, disciplined farmer, and wisdom-filled mentor who quietly impacted generations. From dugout talks to life advice, Junior’s style of mentorship wasn’t about shouting orders —...

Family history lives in more than photographs — it thrives in the journals, libraries, and stories we choose to preserve. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with Dan Gibbons — a lawyer, judge, poet, and grandfather of 15 — to explore the art of quiet influence and the legacy of storytelling. Dan shares the fingerprints of two very different grandfathers: one a...

Step grandparenting is more than just a role — it’s a calling to love, listen, and show up with joy, even when the bond isn’t by blood. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Donald Wainwright opens his heart about stepping into grandfatherhood with integrity, intention, and a basement full of toys. Raised in Baltimore by teachers who taught him accountability and character, Donald shares how tho...

Life stories are more than dates and events — they’re the laughter in the kitchen, the quiet resilience of grandparents, and the simple memories that root us. In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris (aka Rivers) sits down with Ashtyn Salazar, founder of Planted Media, to talk about the beauty and urgency of recording stories before they’re lost. Ashtyn’s journey began after the loss o...