Newborns, standup comedy and a new definition of fatherhood | Will Rocklin (new father of 1, Google, Square, Safara)
Startup Dad
Dad Jokes and Diaper Disasters
Exploring the humor and challenges of fatherhood through experiences of changing diapers in unconventional places, bath time with a newborn, and the absurdity of calming a crying baby with salsa dancing. The chapter also includes insights on crib assembly woes, sleep deprivation, and a debate over Disney vs. Pixar movies.
Will Rocklin is a product advisor, the former Head of Product at Safara and former product leader at Square and Google. He is also an aspiring standup comic, having performed in New York and Los Angeles. He now helps climate tech startups go from zero to one. When he's not doing that he's busy gentrifying Los Angeles as a new father.
In this episode we discuss:
* A hilarious story about how he met his wife
* How compatible product management is with standup comedy
* His parents thoughts on his comedy aspirations
* How they chose their son's name
* The good and bad of IVF
* How marriage is a growth driver for self actualization
* His love of babywearing
* Will's evolved definition of what it means to be a husband and a father
* Parental leave policies and what they did after their son was born
* Frameworks for simplifying your life after your kid enters
* Parenting books, Google searches and ChatGPT
* Sacrifices and mistakes made as a Dad so far
* A rapid fire round including why Will is PRO minivan!
Listen, watch and subscribe: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Overcast and Google.
—
Where to find Will Rocklin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wrocklin/
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/willrocklin
Where to find Adam Fishman
- Newsletter: startupdadpod.substack.com
- Newsletter: fishmanafnewsletter.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/fishmanaf
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
—
In this episode, we cover:
[2:03] Welcome and introductions
[2:21] Will’s professional background
[4:08] Will’s childhood and his parents career
[5:30] Standup comedy
[9:28] Parent’s opinions of his standup
[11:28] Standup and Product Management
[14:09] How he met his partner
[16:33] Choosing his son’s name and his Mom’s reaction
[19:33] IVF
[22:42] Marriage as a growth driver for self actualization
[25:15] Their decision to start a family
[27:06] Earliest memories of being a dad
[28:26] Prepping for delivery
[30:57] Most surprising thing about being a dad
[32:00] Babywearing
[33:37] His evolved definition of a husband/father
[36:41] Parental leave polocies
[38:18] Frameworks for newborns
[40:38] Parenting books
[42:02] What he agrees and disagrees about with his partner
[45:51] Sacrifices he’s made
[49:11] Mistakes made as a dad
[50:11] Thoughts on hustle culture
[52:46] Rapid fire round
—
Show references:
Will Rocklin Standup Comedy - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMWHua2cAciWTpFK-AVloSQ?app=desktop&feature=applinks
Sarah Cooper - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Cooper
Square - https://squareup.com/
Lalabu - https://shop.lalabu.com
Burning Man - https://burningman.org/
Seinfeld - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/
Merengue - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merengue_(dance)
What To Expect The First Year - By Heidi Murkoff - https://www.amazon.com/What-Expect-First-Heidi-Murkoff/dp/0761181504
Your Baby Week By Week - By Dr. Caroline Fertleman and Simone Cave - https://www.amazon.com/Your-Baby-Week-Ultimate-Caring/dp/0091910552
The Montessori Book - https://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Book-Babies-Toddlers-Independence/dp/B0CHL7WS6R
ChatGPT - https://chat.openai.com
Doona - https://www.doona.com/en-us/car-seat-stroller/discover-doona
Friends - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends
The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com
Fellow Tea Kettle - https://fellowproducts.com/collections/kettles
Hatch Rest 2 - https://www.hatch.co/rest-second-gen
Asics - https://www.asics.com
Ipad - https://www.apple.com/ipad
Sonos Speaker - https://www.sonos.com
Spotify - http://www.spotify.com
IVF - https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/in-vitro-fertilization/about/pac-20384716
RMA - https://rmanetwork.com/
X (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/
Harville Hendrix - https://harvilleandhelen.com/
Acropolis - https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/404/
Doula - https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula-2/
—
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at
http://www.armaziproductions.com/
Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com
The AI-powered Podcast Player
