Startup Dad

Tobi Emonts-Holley, CEO of Tiphereth and father of six, shares his journey leaving home, parenting philosophy, and being present in fatherhood. He discusses instilling values in kids, lessons from social media, and a typical day with six kids. The episode touches on partnership dynamics, motivation, and the challenges of raising a large family.

CEO of Grindr, George Arison, discusses surrogacy, raising twiblings, and navigating fatherhood as a gay man. Topics include his Soviet upbringing, challenges of gay parenting, preparing kids for different family structures, and the importance of books in parenting.

Casey Woo, founder of Operators Guild and a father of 3, shares insights on balancing career ambitions with parenting duties. He discusses explaining his job to kids, parenting frameworks, favorite children's books, and the concept of Cash vs. Lotto tickets. The podcast also includes a rapid-fire Q&A session on parenting fun and challenges.

Husband and wife duo, Trae Stephens and Dr. Michelle, share their journey from starting companies to balancing family life. They discuss childhood differences, faith, helpful parenting frameworks, and self-care. Learn how they navigate busy careers, miscarriages, and family with four kids.

Award-winning National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey shares his journey balancing creativity and parenting, fostering creativity in kids, managing ADHD, internet fame, and societal pressures. From world travels to unique family dynamics, a mix of deep conversations and light-hearted reflections on raising children in the digital age.

Will Rocklin, former Head of Product at Safara and aspiring standup comic, discusses meeting his wife, balancing product management with comedy, IVF challenges, babywearing, and redefining fatherhood. They cover parental leave, simplifying life after kids, parenting books, sacrifices, and why Will is PRO minivan!

Tom Willerer, COO at Reforge and father of two teenagers, shares insights on parenting as a team sport, raising responsible teenagers, letting kids make their own decisions, and putting your partner's needs above your own. He discusses his journey into tech, starting a family, managing kids and career, and the challenges of having a limited support network.

Ryan Johson is the Chief Product Officer at CallRail a marketing and AI technology company. He was an early pioneer in the AI industry doing fascinating work on computer vision for anomaly detection in videos and images. Ryan is a husband and father of two kids and a fellow Midwesterner.In this episode we discuss:His Midwestern upbringing and the work ethic that instilled in himThe challenges of maintaining friendships with parents who have kids at different ages than yoursThe worst parenting advice he's ever receivedHow to foster interests in his kids without coming on too strongHow he and his wife navigated the decision for one of them to step back from the workforce during the pandemicMuckle-Wells Syndrome - his daughter's rare autoinflammatory disease and the process for figuring it out and getting her treatmentMistakes he's made as a dad and lessons learned—Where to find Ryan Johnson- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandjohnson/- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/rydavidjohnson Where to find Adam Fishman- Newsletter: https://www.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:[1:47] Ryan's professional background[5:56] Ryan's Midwestern childhood[8:54] His family's influence on his career[10:30] How he met wife and an introduction to his kids[11:45] Maintaining friendships with parents of different aged kids[14:20] Worst parenting advice he's ever received[16:05] About Becky, his wife[18:00] Why his wife stepped back from work during the pandemic and the conversation around that decision[23:00] Their decision to start a family[24:08] His earliest memory of being a dad[26:04] The most surprising parts of being a dad[27:46] Which of his kids are like him or his wife[28:23] Fostering kid’s interests in art, sports and other creative pursuits[32:08] His daughter’s auto inflammatory disease[41:44] Where he and his wife don’t align sometimes[43:44] Sacrifices he's made as a parent[46:12] His version of work/life balance[48:50] Mistakes made and lessons learned as a dad[51:00] Rapid fire round—Show references:Oracle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_CorporationChatGPT: https://chat.openai.comGeneral Motors: https://www.gm.com/University of Michigan: https://umich.edu/Albion College: https://www.albion.edu/Muckle-Wells Syndrom: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/muckle-wells-syndrome/Mario Kart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_KartCallRail: https://www.callrail.com/The NoseFrida: https://frida.com/products/nosefridaSaginaw, Michigan: https://www.saginaw-mi.com/—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

Ben Williams, VP Product at Snyk, discusses the stigma of therapy in the UK, his experiences with racism, meeting his wife on a dating app, the challenges and joys of being a dad, growing up in a strict household, the rollercoaster of fatherhood, and the differences in parenting between the UK and the States. Hilarious stories about birthing class are also shared.

In this special, 10th episode I interviewed husband and wife team Josh Herzig-Marx and Carla Naumburg, PhD. Josh is a product executive and coach, a former VP of Product, founder and ex-Googler. He is also the "default" parent to two teenagers having chosen to step back as Carla leaned more into the workforce as a best-selling parenting book author. Carla is a clinical social worker and mother. She’s the author of four non-fiction books, including her international bestseller, How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids (Workman, 2019), as well as You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent, and the forthcoming How to Stop Freaking Out, the (completely swear-free) middle-grade adaptation of How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids.  In this episode we discuss:Transition stages for kids and puberty during the pandemicThe argument that led to their decision to start a familyIVF and fertilityHow you can't learn to be a parent from a pamphletUnderstanding privilege and balance as a parentTheir decision for Josh to be the default parentWhether you're in Teen or Tween mode and what to doParenting FrameworksWhat it means to be a good parentRapid fire!—Where to find Josh Herzig-Marx- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/herzigma- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaherzigmarx/ Where to find Carla Naumburg- Carla's Website: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/- Carla's Books: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/ Where to find Adam Fishman- Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/- Twitter (aka X): https://twitter.com/fishmanaf- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@fishmanaf—In this episode, we cover:[2:10] Personal background[4:36] How did you meet?[6:54] Family/kids[8:12] Kid’s transition stages/puberty[11:46] Decision to start a family[15:30] IVF[19:04] Earliest memories of becoming a parent[24:04] Work/life balance[26:05] Privilege[31:50] Being the default parent[38:28] Teen vs. Tween mode[39:18] Parenting frameworks[48:20] What is a good parent/unconditional love[52:52] Rapid fire round—Show references:You're Not a Sh*tty Parent: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/youre-not-a-shtty-parent/ How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/how-to-stop-losing-your-sht-with-your-kids/ Ready, Set, Breathe: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/ready-set-breathe/ All of Carla's Books: https://www.carlanaumburg.com/books/ —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