In this special Startup Dad (and Mom) episode I interviewed husband and wife team Trae Stephens and Dr. Michelle Stephens. Trae is a partner at Founders Fund, and is also co-founder and Executive Chairman of Anduril Industries, a defense technology company focused on autonomous systems and a co-founder of Sol, a wearable e-reader. Prior to that he was an early employee at Palantir and was an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University.
Dr. Michelle Stephens is the co-founder and Chief Nursing Officer of Oath Care which aims to provide instant answers to all your parenting questions. She has practiced nursing with a focus on pediatrics in Philadelphia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. She has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and received her PhD at UCSF.
In this episode we discuss:
* Their professional background and a shared hobby
* What childhood was like (spoiler: very different for each of them)
* Their decision to start a family
* Navigating miscarriages
* Faith and religion in their childhood and family life now
* Helpful parenting frameworks
* How to take care of yourself and your relationship
* How they make it all work with busy careers and busy kids
Listen, watch and subscribe: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Overcast and Google.
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Where to find Trae Stephens
- Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/traestephens
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trae-stephens-485a811/
Where to find Dr. Michelle Stephens
- Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/mddstephens
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-stephens-oath-care/
Where to find Adam Fishman
- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com
- Newsletter: http://startupdadpod.substack.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
- Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
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In this episode, we cover:
[1:53] Welcome to the show![2:30] Professional backgrounds[8:34] Shared hobby[9:19] Childhood and growing up[13:25] How they met[17:40] All about their kids[18:56] Decision to start a family[21:47] Navigating miscarriages and support[23:29] Faith/religion[27:54] Having 2 kids vs. big family[30:57] Trae's earliest memory of being a dad[33:28] Most surprising thing about being a dad[38:05] Company as “kids” / non-traditional roles[42:15] Parenting frameworks[45:44] Where they don’t agree[47:30] Taking care of yourself/your relationship[51:28] Pet peeves[54:30] What a great sleep day looks like[57:14] Thoughts on hustle culture[59:30] Awe & wonder with your kids[1:00:58] How to reach them[1:01:33] Rapid fire
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Show references:
Trae Stephens Twitter - https://twitter.com/traestephens
Oath Care- https://www.oathcare.com/
Enneagram Type Eight - https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-8
Enneagram Type Three - https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-3
SNOO - https://www.happiestbaby.com/products/snoo-smart-bassinet
The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson - https://www.amazon.com/Intentional-Father-Practical-Courage-Character/dp/0801018684
Emily Oster - “Crib Sheet” and “Expecting Better” - https://emilyoster.net/
Magic: The Gathering - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering
Bluey - https://www.bluey.tv/
Angel's Landing - Zion National Park - https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/angels-landing-hiking-permits.htm
Hook - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102057/
Palantir - https://www.palantir.com/
Anduril - https://www.anduril.com/
Founders Fund - https://foundersfund.com/
Philadelphia Eagles - https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/
Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University - https://sfs.georgetown.edu/
Georgetown University - https://www.georgetown.edu/
UCSF - https://www.ucsf.edu/
Wedding Crashers - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396269/
Peter Thiel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
SpaceX - https://www.spacex.com/
PayPal - https://www.paypal.com/us/home
Taekwondo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail
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Bonus!
If you can figure out Trae's AIM screen name you can DM him for some Founders Fund Swag!
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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
