The Company of Dads Podcast

Interview with Jeffrey Forte / National Advocate for Families / Special Ed AttorneyHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANJeff Forte is special education attorney in Connecticut and advocate for parents and children. He runs one of the few law practices in the state dedicated entirely to helping families navigate the state’s special education laws to insure their children get an appropriate education. Sometimes this means negotiating with a school district to get more services for a child who may be struggling with reading or math; other times it means suing that district to pay for that child to be placed into a school that suits his or her educational and behavioral needs better. One thing that is essential, Jeff says, is for Dads and Moms to both be there in the educational negotiations. Without a united front, kids end often up with less than they require. Listen to his reasons for Dads participating more in their children’s education and becoming their advocate in school.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Stephanie Coontz / Expert on Contemporary Families and MarriageHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANHow have husbands and wives balanced working, parenting and being together throughout history? Stephanie Coontz, the director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families, says it’s generally not how most of think about it today. If anything, the past 50 or 60 years are an historical aberration – since it used to be more egalitarian. So now, employers assume when women become mothers they will be less committed to the job and therefore they’re more reluctant to promote them, while men who become fathers will be more committed – so those who want to take parental leave get penalized as not being a good worker. Listen to her discuss how working moms and Lead Dads can reset those expectations and allow a better working environment to come out of the pandemic.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Chris Bell / Musician, Lead Dad of Two, Guitar MasterHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANA New Hampshire guy originally, Chris Bell has called Austin, Texas, home for almost two decades. A classically trained musician, he used to teach but now he is, what he calls, a ‘stunt guitarist’! He and his wife knew each other since they were kids but they reconnected 20 years ago. He’s the Lead Dad to their two boys. Most recently, he’s made a reputation for himself as a ‘luthier’ – a word I’ve been dying to use in an introduction. And he’s got some serious thoughts on the challenges of being a Lead Dad when you have a passion that conflicts with family life. Listen to hear more on stunt guitaring, guitar making and a guitar guy’s guide to Lead Dadding.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Nick Brophy / Bakery Owner, Career Supporter, Wise ManHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANToday my guest is Nick Brophy, father of five children, ages 7 to 24. Nick played football at Princeton and the team won the Ivy League championship his junior year. Then he took a traditional path to Wall Street. He loved it and excelled at it for nearly 20 years. His wife Sarah was also enjoying a thriving career. Then they started having kids. In 2013, after adopting their third child, Nick’s wife found out she was pregnant. They were at crossroads. Nick put his hand up to be the Lead Dad and walked away from Wall Street, to the disbelief of friends. The past 9 years have taken him on a journey he hadn’t planned, one that has been rewarding but not without its challenges. Men, society still says, are supposed to be the breadwinners and nowhere is that more true than on Wall Street. Today, Nick is an owner of two bakeries, while his wife Sarah is in her dream job at Uber. Listen to hear how he’s adjusted and thrived.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Rob Kenney / Creator of "Dad, How Do I?"HOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANRob Kenney came up for the idea for “Dad, How Do I?” during the pandemic. He wanted to provide what he calls “Dadvice,” to kids who didn’t have a dad. He knew that role personally, growing up without a father – his mom died and his dad left the family when Rob was 14. Little did he know that his first video on how to tie a tie would strike a cord. In a little over two years, he’s gone from working in sales and being a loving dad to two grown children to being a wildly popular YouTube Dad who is sought out for advice, be it how to fix a toilet or understand the rules of football. Listen to how he came to this mission of helping kids with or without fathers – and dancing to the Monday Night Football Song!---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with JR Havlan / 8-Time Emmy Award-Winning Comedy Writer, Lead DadHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANA funny thing happened on the way to J.R. Havlan using his college degree to get a job on Wall Street: the stock market crash of 1987. With every offer evaporating, he did the next logical thing and went into comedy. While he surely would have been the funniest guy at the water cooler, he also was legit, All-Pro funny. After doing the rounds at New York’s comedy clubs – and faxing, yes, faxing, jokes into shows – he landed a writing gig on The Daily Show, when Craig Kilborn was the \host. Then a guy named Jon Stewart came along and the show took off. J.R., who has won eight Emmy Awards (but who’s counting), spent 18 years there. He had other writing jobs afterwards, including at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but as his kids became school aged, he opted to write for himself so he could be the Lead Dad to his son and daughter. This also allows his wife to go all in on her career in school nutrition. Listen to JR’s tips on shrugging off PTA slights, immersing himself in his kids schools and creating shelf space in a Manhattan apartment for his Emmys.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Lara Bazelon / Lawyer, Author, Honest Assessor of DadsHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANLara Bazelon is an attorney and author of the book Ambitious Like A Mother: Why Prioritizing Your Career is Good for Your Kids. Her book is about this moment in time, when we’ve come out of the pandemic where whole groups of people have been able to work from home, and that has allowed spouses to see exactly what the other one was doing and when. Listen to her thoughts on shaking off lingering stereotypes – like who’s the breadwinner and who’s the caregiver – to create better relationships and more dynamic families.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Franco Finstad / Jazz Trumpeter, City Dad, Quick-witted StorytellerHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANFranco Finstad is a dad-at-home in Manhattan, as he calls it on his LinkedIn profile. He has twins, a boy and a girl. Before they were born, he was a software engineer and a musician – trumpet being his instrument. But a funny thing happened on the way to being the Lead Dad to his twins. While he and his wife – a financial adviser – were in agreement that this was what worked for their family, it’s not been without its issues. What do you do when your wife introduces you to people at a work party and they walk away when you tell them you’re a dad-at-home? How do you adapt when you thought other caregivers would accept you in an open-minded city like New York? It’s all about how you describe what you do. And as Lead Dads know, words matter, so listen to what Franco has to say about his journey – and how he frames it to others.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Kamau High / Journalist / Kid Pickup Pro / Lead DadHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANKamau High is a senior editor at The Baltimore Sun, where he helps shape the news agenda and manages a team of reporters. It’s been an interesting path to get where he is. He married his high school sweetheart. They moved to New York, they had fun, they worked – she is a cardiologist, he was a reporter at the Financial Times. And then they had a daughter and a different life beckoned. Today, Kamau is the diversity, equity and inclusion editor as well as the education editor at one of America’s most storied city newspapers. (The creator of The Wire once worked there.) His wife works for an insurance company and their daughter is a teenager – about to enter high school! He’s happy to say that the new way we work has suited his family better, with a greater ability to work from home and go into the office for important meetings. That said, the car line for school pickup remains a constant. Listen to him talk about Lead Dadding a teenager, managing work deadlines and car line drama.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

Interview with Tony Maws / Award-Winning Chef, Restauranteur, Lead DadHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANFamed chef, Tony Maws was a central part of the Boston food scene for more than two decades. He won a slew of chef honors, including the highest – a James Beard Award. One of his restaurants, Craigie on Main, attracted a loyal foodie following who gathered around his famed chef’s table. (He also had a more casual burger joint because, well, who doesn’t love a good burger?) But being the chef-owner and being there for your family isn’t always compatible. The pandemic changed Maws’ thinking. He is embracing being a Lead Dad for his teenage son and wife, a public school teacher. Listen to him talk about restaurants, family and the greatness of a roasted chicken. (It’s on the menu at least once a week in his home.)---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/