Episodes

Why does work that once energized you start to feel like something you can’t turn off? Dr. David Shar studies what happens when people fall out of love with their work and why that shift often happens long before anyone notices. His research shows that for working dads, the challenge is not just workload. It is how work connects to identity, purpose, and the life you are trying to build at home. This conversation reframes passion in a way most people never consider. Not all passion is healthy....

What if the biggest gap between your work and your life is not your schedule, but how you define success? Alan Lazaros built what most people would call a successful life. High income, fast growth, and clear upward momentum. But after a near-fatal car accident at 26, he was forced to confront a harder question. Was any of it actually meaningful? For working dads trying to balance ambition, work-life balance, and presence at home, this conversation reframes what meaningful work really means and...

Why do so many working dads feel disconnected from their kids even when they are physically present? Modern fatherhood comes with pressures that did not exist a generation ago. Constant work demands, two-income households, packed schedules, and technology that never turns off have pushed many families into reactive mode. And when stress builds, connection is often the first thing to break. Dr. David Marcus, a clinical psychologist with over 40 years of experience working with families under st...

What happens when you realize the career you built doesn’t actually align with the life you want? Scott Maderer built a successful career in finance, checked the right boxes, and did the things ambitious professionals are supposed to do. But eventually he realized something important was missing. The work that once looked impressive on paper no longer felt connected to his values, his purpose, or the kind of impact he wanted to make. That realization led Scott to step away from corporate finan...

What happens when your self-worth quietly becomes tied to your output? After nearly two decades leading digital transformation work for major brands, Loren Silverman realized that success on paper didn’t equal fulfillment in real life. The titles, the grind, the constant responsibility all looked right from the outside. But underneath, something felt off. That realization didn’t lead to a dramatic overnight reinvention. It led to something much simpler and far more powerful: pause, awareness, ...

What does meaningful work actually look like once you become a parent? For many professionals, the answer changes. Priorities shift. Energy changes. The things that once felt exciting or important can suddenly feel disconnected from the life you want to build. Career strategist Julia Toothacre works with high-performing professionals who look successful on paper but quietly feel stuck, burned out, or misaligned. Her work focuses on helping people take ownership of their careers while navigatin...

What if the key to balance is not working less, but working with intention? Alex Tuck runs a remote-first consulting firm from a farm in Vermont while raising four young kids with his wife. His approach is simple but disciplined: block the time, protect the priorities, and design work to fit life, not the other way around. From quarterly OKRs to daily timeboxing, Alex has built both a company and a family rhythm around clarity and structure. But beneath the systems is something deepe...

What happens when the job you thought would carry you to the finish line disappears overnight? Two months into what she believed would be her final role, Merry Korn was let go. She was a single parent with two teenagers, college tuition looming, and no clear path forward. The fear was real. The pressure was immediate. Staying in bed was not an option. What followed was not an overnight success story. It was a series of hard conversations, informational interviews, small courageous steps, and a...

What happens when health scares, job loss, and family tragedy collide all at once? After having part of his lung removed, being laid off during the pandemic, and losing his father-in-law the same day he was discharged from the hospital, Tony Berardo was forced to confront a hard truth: work was taking up too much of the wrong space in his life. Instead of chasing security, status, and a bigger paycheck, Tony rebuilt his life around something far more valuable: time. Today, he’s the foun...

What does leadership look like when the mission is your family and the stakes are emotional, not tactical? Brad Leeman is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, combat aviator, and F-35 test pilot who spent nearly two decades leading in environments where preparation, clarity, and execution were non-negotiable. After transitioning out of the military, Brad became an entrepreneur and founder of SwingSesh, a company built around a simple belief: parents should not be spectators in thei...

How do you communicate in a way that builds trust, connection, and confidence with your kids, your partner, and the people you work with every day? Danny Brassell has spent decades teaching, coaching, and speaking around the world about storytelling, reading, and communication. This conversation explores how communication is not about polish or performance, but about meeting people where they are and staying present in the moments that matter most. Danny shares how to: Use storytelling to bui...

Jon Merlin is a longtime designer who left agency life to start his own creative studio while raising two young daughters. Instead of letting work bleed into every hour, Jon drew a hard line around family time and rebuilt his business around clarity, intention, and values. This conversation explores what it really looks like to pursue entrepreneurship without losing presence at home, and how letting go of perfection can unlock both better work and better parenting. Jon shares how to: Protect ...