Daddy Unscripted Podcast

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WHAT Gave Ashley Girres A Fierce Mind?

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 11:15:00 GMT

Episode 4 of "We're Here Alone Together" (W.H.A.T.) features Ashley Girres, an author and Mom very well known on Twitter as @aFierceMind. Just pause right now and get onto Twitter and go follow her. I'll wait for you to take care of that.

Good... you're back. Thanks for doing that. Actually: you're welcome for that. You'll thank me. Ashley has been making me LOL for quite some time now with her incredibly witty tweets. Not just that, but she is also immensely bold, honest, and real.

I started telling people over a decade ago that "I feel like I have lived many lives already" (in my lifetime... not a reference to reincarnation). I recently read one of Ashley's tweets with that same sentiment and it was just another way I felt connected to her. When I listened to a recent podcast that had Ashley on as a guest, I was taken aback by how much I felt right in line with her in so many different ways.

Ashley's Dad passed away when she was just 7 years old. She tells a little bit about that in our conversation because that led to her decision to write letters to her daughter when she was born a little over 7 years ago. Her drive to write couldn't be more exact with the reasons that Daddy Unscripted even exists. I almost felt dizzy when I heard all of this.

Is it just me, or is it incredibly cool that I started writing a book 11 years ago for my daughter called "Dear Delilah" and Ashley has a book out titled "Dear Siena: Letters To Every Daughter"? I know that writing a book for your daughter may lead to the title being "Dear _____" whatever your daughter's name may be. But, come on. That is pretty remarkable!

I enlightened Ashley on what the Disney movie Onward! is about and even as I was giving the tiniest synopsis, it struck me how deeply emotional that movie can be for adults like ourselves. Trust me. I watched it with my kids and we were ALL crying.

Ashley's graphic design job has allowed her to work from home since just before her daughter was born. So, as she put it, she has been training for the whole "shelter in place" life for over 7 years now; "however, I have never trained with... we've got the 3 months thing down, but you may want to check in with me at the 4 months mark..." she said, jokingly.

I spent a good amount of time working with Ashley to get her husband's social media accounts rolling. He teaches P.E. to 4th - 6th graders and I immediately worked on launching his ability to work that into also helping conquer Dad Bods around the world. We joked a lot about how great the @aFierceBody account would do, especially as Ashley directed her followers to that account. I will say, I did actually follow through with my work to her and you'll see there is actually a Twitter account with that name now.

Ashley talked about how the school system in Oregon works, and how it breaks up the grades into different schools in a way I'm not used to here in So Cal. She talked about how it actually brought some peace-of-mind to her as her daughter grows up, knowing what Ashley experienced in her youth and what she remembers about how "boys can be". Ashley has three older brothers, so she had the benefit of some protectors in her life as a young girl.

This all serves as a solid reminder to those of us raising boys: we do really need to put a lot of extra work and focus on raising young men that respect and treat young women properly. Read that sentence again, parents. And that does have a responsibility for us parents of girls, as well. Young women should have realistic, high expectations. I won't go too far down that road... but, this is just another big responsibility for parents that will help make the world a better place.

Ashley started up on social media just two years ago. It's really cool how she has grown over 65,000 followers on Twitter in that short amount of time, organically. Did I already tell any of you on Twitter to...

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Black Lives (More Than) Matter

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 11:15:00 GMT

Black Lives Matter. If you can't say that, or can't agree with it: this just may not be the episode for you.

I paused while typing these show notes right after those 2 sentences there. Like I was standing at a 4-way intersection, deciding which path to take. Do I go for simplicity and a bereft approach (unlike the actual episode itself) and just leave those sentences as the entirety of the notes? That would feel "cool" to do... kind of like a big mic drop. But, not a smart SEO move, right? Also, it would feel like I'm saying very demonstratively: "I'm right. Period. If you disagree, go suck an egg!" Which, A: I could say. It's my podcast. And, B: I mean... if we're being real, I completely do not understand if you can't agree with this idea. That Black lives matter.

If you're thrown off by my usage of the "Black Lives Matter" symbol and going to go down the road of theories behind the actual #BlackLivesMatter movement and what do they do with their finances and are they holding hands behind their own backs with this or that political side... whatever road you may go down just by seeing that phrase... don't get distracted. Don't get triggered. This is not about that. This episode and my conversation are not about that. This is about whether or not Black lives 'matter'. The answer should include no hesitation from any of us. It should be the easiest and unrelenting "YES".

I know it's not that simple for some. Not that cut and dry. And, in ways, it isn't. Because of where we are as a nation, as humans... there is undeniably a lot more to that. But, if we can all just get to the place where we agree on that one point: that's the first step. It's completely asinine to me that we even have to talk about that first step. Mind-boggling, upsetting... there are a lot of words to describe that for me. But, again... here we are.

So, this episode evolved from what started as a single tweet. After talking briefly with a friend/co-worker of mine about the documentary you can see on Netflix called 13th. This was written, produced, and directed by the great Ava DuVernay and it should absolutely be required viewing. Anyway, I was asked if I had seen it and that prompted me to literally have to pull over my car for a moment due to the emotions it stirred up for me. (Every single time I think or talk about this set of moments, my eyes start stinging with the onset of tears all over again.)

I typed a tweet as I was pulled over and saved it in my drafts folder. Later that night, I decided I would make that one tweet a multiple tweet thread instead. I started typing it in Twitter directly and got to about 6 tweets before I copied and pasted it all into my Notes app on my iPhone to rethink my format. Early that next morning, around 2:30 am, I woke up and could not keep myself from immediately thinking about what I had begun to write. So, I sat up and typed with my two thumbs into my phone for the next nearly 2 hours.

That became something I read in the middle of this podcast episode, and I will paste it below here in just a bit, as well. It included a lot of my minute-by-minute self-reflection and a lot of the things I had learned to that day on the issue of race and Black lives and racial equity. I took a very real look at myself in that writing, too. I talked about the acknowledgment of my white privilege and what that meant to me. Imagining my adult Black friends as kids, made me think back on my own childhood as a boy who was born white in the '70s and how that affected me (even in ways I never would have known at that time).

Let me just put that dialogue for you in its entirety right here for you:

A friend of mine just texted and asked me if I have watched 13th on Netflix yet? I told her my history of watching it, how much it affected me the first time I saw it and then I just started to cry. I fully recognize how emotional the subject of racism makes me, a lot of...

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WHAT Ofosu Thinks Of Racial Equality & Finding Balance

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:09:00 GMT

Ofosu of the Balance meditation app is my guest for Episode 85. Ofosu is also known in the music world as "Born I", and you can find his music basically everywhere (Soundcloud, Spotify, Youtube). This is the 3rd of the "We're Here, Alone Together" episodes; meaning we don't really get into the whole fatherhood side of things. We recorded this episode on June 6, 2020, just 12 days after the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.

I have been very outspoken about how much meditation via the Balance app has helped me from the onset of the new world we live in due to Covid-19. I reached out to Ofosu some time ago, after I saw that he's a Dad. I wanted to have him as part of the podcast to learn more about his own familial history and to, of course, thank him for his work with Balance. However, family history took a back seat when our country found itself in the middle of its own writing of history right now. With all of the protests and the surging battle for racial equality that we find ourselves in, I humbly asked Ofosu if he wouldn't mind turning the focus of our conversation on that.

5 years ago, he wrote a song called "I Can't Breathe" following the tragic deaths of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and so many other unarmed Black men, women and children. Sadly, five years later, this song is still incredibly relevant.

So, this is that conversation that is filled with a mutual hope. A white man in Southern California talking with a Black man in Maryland.

A larger transcript from the episode is available on www.daddyunscripted.com

Make sure you check out the Balance app on your devices. They do a lot of live meditations on Mondays on their Instagram account, so you should add @BalanceApp on Instagram and Twitter.

Find Born I on Spotify, SoundCloud and Youtube. You can follow his music accounts on Instagram and Twitter as well by finding @bornimusic

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can use my Google Voice Number at 872.444.6784.

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WHAT Is Life Like For Dr. Ana In Romania?

Tue, 26 May 2020 11:15:00 GMT

The 2nd Episode of my side series of the Daddy Unscripted podcast: We're Here Alone Together (W.H.A.T.) features my longtime friend Ana who is a doctor in Bucharest, Romania.

When I started this side project of my podcast, I immediately thought of Ana and a conversation I had with her a little over a month ago about how things got out of control quickly with the spread of the Corona Virus.

The stories she told were both fascinating and immensely troubling. Ana talked about a large number of Romanian citizens who were lying about their travels after returning to the country from Italy (where the virus had begun its massive rampage of the country).

I'm not pulling in a fact-checker here, because I am not a news source. So, let's just be clear on that. But some of what she told me is just so sensational. A Senator who was infected that refused to go into quarantine who continued to speak in public and meet with people. A policeman who was infected that, amongst other things, went to a club with 200 or more people in attendance. These people who lied about their travels from Italy. One of them was because he had been in Italy with his mistress and didn't want to get caught in the lie by his wife.

I've known Ana for close to 15 years now and when we started talking about how Romania was getting affected by Covid-19 when everything started happening, I became instantly concerned for her well-being. I, honestly and a bit selfishly was relieved when I learned that she wasn't being moved into any front line work at the hospital with Covid patients.

However, as you hear in her own words, the changes put into place as to what Ana's job would now entail may have kept her slightly safer, but it also crushed her morale a bit: keeping her from doing what she has spent so much of her life working toward: helping others. Essentially, this has all left Ana feeling very useless. And hearing Ana verbalize that made me incredibly sad.

We spent some time talking about how people all over are dealing with this same feeling of uselessness. The reality that this exists all over is important to recognize.

As I say in each episode: for anyone who may need help during any difficult times: the National Suicide Prevention hotline: (800) 273-8255. Also, I have a Google Voice Number for ANY of you to use: (872) 444-6784. Leave me a message there and I will get in touch with you... or you can even just use that as a safe place to vent or whatever it may be.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can use my Google Voice Number at 872.444.6784.

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Matt Darwin's Family Is Growing

Wed, 13 May 2020 11:15:00 GMT

Episode 83: Matt Darwin, listener of the podcast, becomes an important guest! Matt was so real, honest, and open in this conversation about the path for him and his wife from having an only child to adding a 4th to their little family of 3.

Matt normally would be making the commute to his law firm in Manhattan from his home in New Jersey on the daily. But, at the time we recorded this (April 8, 2020), shelter-in-place and quarantine life had been underway for close to a month. We spent some time talking about how things are on the east coast for him with the new world we find ourselves in currently.

Matt reached out to me with the proposition of being a guest with a story that he had not yet heard on the podcast: parents toiling with the decision to add another child to their family or not. We agreed it would be a great discussion to have for multiple reasons. It took us some time to nail everything down to record and, by the time we got everything settled, Matt reached back out to me with some news.

Life has its way, oftentimes, of making decisions for us. Matt's wife had recently told him that she was pregnant again. While our conversation was going to be more about "are we really going to do this?", it looked like we now were going to talk about "how are we going to do this?"

Matt's wife works as a psychotherapist. Matt details that she dealt with some level of postpartum depression after their first child was born. So, the discussions they have had about preparing for what may occur down the road with their second child are incredibly important. Not just for them and their future family, but for some of us all to hear, as well. The self-awareness is real!

I said it more than once in this episode: I am proud of the braveness and foresight that Matt and his wife have displayed and are still working through. I would give them both a huge award (if I had two of these) for doing the tough work of not only being real about who they are, but what they can to better that situation for themselves, their first-born and for their soon to be new-comer.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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What is WHAT?

Wed, 06 May 2020 11:15:00 GMT

The Introductory episode to the Daddy Unscripted side subset of episodes called We're Here Alone Together aka W.H.A.T.

As I was recording a Live Youtube video on April 11, a vague notion I had became a solid plan. I was talking about "how are we coping with this new world right now" with Aaron and Apple from the No Simple Road podcast and Mike Finoia from the Amigos podcast. You can watch that video on the Osiris Media youtube channel, by the way.

I had already completed my 2-part episodes called "Love In The Time Of Covid". As an "essential worker", and one who manages a staff of 40+ other essential workers, this time has been very impactful for me. I have really had to take on the task of being very mindful of my own emotions and mindset. Not only am I also responsible for my wife and two kids, but I feel the weight of that responsibility for all of the people at my work, as well.

I've talked with a lot of people during this time and I've heard a myriad of stories of how people's lives have changed and are being affected. I think it's important, now more than ever, for us to talk openly about things. Communication is so meaningful to us, as humans. And, now, that is being put to the test. Whether it's because we are in some semblance of quarantine or shelter-in-place in our homes... or because, when we are out in the world, for a lot of us, we are wearing masks.

So, I decided to explore what's going on in people's lives right now. All kinds of people, from a myriad of backgrounds and locations. And, quite exciting for me: this is opening up the podcast to my talking to ANYONE. Yep... not just Dads, but Moms too. And not just parents, really, either. So, don't be surprised if I take this opportunity to record with a lot more women than men for this little podcast side-road.

I hope you'll join all of us on this journey. I expect to learn a lot about the human spirit, new ways that some of us can cope and help our family members through this time as well as gaining some perspective on what some of us may be going through and locking arms with other lovely humans.

As I say in each episode: for anyone who may need help during any difficult times: the National Suicide Prevention hotline: (800) 273-8255. Also, I have a Google Voice Number for ANY of you to use: (872) 444-6784. Leave me a message there and I will get in touch with you... or you can even just use that as a safe place to vent or whatever it may be.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Media! You can check out the Osiris Media website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com. Osiris is partnered with JamBase and JamBase empowers music fans everywhere to go see live music. You should check them out at Jambase.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can use my Google Voice Number at 872.444.6784.

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WHAT Does Jose Rosado Do For Mental Health?

Wed, 06 May 2020 11:15:00 GMT

The official First Episode of my side series of the Daddy Unscripted podcast: We're Here Alone Together (W.H.A.T.) is here. My guest is Jose Rosado, who was on Daddy Unscripted Episodes 7 and 10. If you remember, Jose was instrumental in helping Daddy Unscripted become a podcast. A big part of that is because Jose had his own podcast going strong back then: The Angry Millenial Podcast.

Jose works in the Mental Health field and his family of four live in Maryland. His wife (Jess) and I have been friends for close to 15 years now. Jess is extremely talented and gifted in many ways and when the whole Corona Virus thing started sweeping through, she was one of the people who took it upon themselves to learn how to make masks. She quickly started working day in and out, making masks to donate to local hospitals and healthcare workers. She made quite a number of masks for the staff at the animal hospital I manage and you should check out all of her stuff at www.umecreative.com

In this episode, Jose and I talk about how the quarantine situation and sheltering-in-place can definitely mess with a person's mental health. He made it very clear that if you do need to work with a therapist at any level, but never locked in with one before this all started, you can still make that happen! He suggested going to https://www.psychologytoday.com/us and using the site to find a therapist.

I'm so glad we had this conversation just in time for the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, May of 2020. I mean: EVERY month in 2020 should absolutely continue to focus on our Mental Health. Right?

As I say in each episode: for anyone who may need help during any difficult times: the National Suicide Prevention hotline: (800) 273-8255. Also, I have a Google Voice Number for ANY of you to use: (872) 444-6784. Leave me a message there and I will get in touch with you... or you can even just use that as a safe place to vent or whatever it may be.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can use my Google Voice Number at 872.444.6784.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love In The Time Of Covid, Pt. 2

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 11:15:00 GMT

Episode 80 is another solo episode, sans guest, and the final half of my thoughts on the place we all find ourselves in currently: in the middle of this global pandemic of Covid-19 or the Corona Virus. I recorded this episode on Friday, April 3, 2020. I'm typing this on Sunday, April 5, and the current statistics are 1,266,614 cases, 69,169 deaths and 260,967 recoveries worldwide this afternoon. That means there were more than 200,000 new cases, 11,000 new deaths and 33,000 new recoveries over this weekend.

In the first half of this, from last week, I spent a lot of time talking about my feelings regarding our responsibilities, not only for a lot of us as parents but for all of us as humans and mostly... as adults.

With this episode, I still have an undercurrent of that just beneath the surface, but a lot of this episode is spent giving you more tangible and practical takeaways to your new everyday lives right now. Whatever that may be: I think nearly all of us are living in some form of a "new normal".

One of the positives that I hope comes out of this pandemic is our newfound understanding and respect for people in many different professions. The low-hanging fruit is, of course, people on the front lines in the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses... all of them. The risk they are putting themselves in right now is, at times, baffling how they can do it, day after day.

Some of the other people I have really felt a need to recognize: people working at restaurants, people at grocery stores. Let's also talk about teachers. Come on. If you haven't raised a glass to the people who are teaching all of our kids at school over the course of a school year, please do so now.

It's imperative that we do our best to consider how this all affects our children. Think about how upside-down their worlds have become. They have lost touch significantly (in some cases, they may have lost touch altogether) with their classmates. How many of you had one or more favorite teachers? Remember how great it was to see them every weekday and be in their class? Think about that giant hole in their lives now.

With that loss of the normal school day, also comes the loss of what that schedule brings to them in regards to their health. They no longer have whatever spacing out of their food intake, which also may have included your input if you were packing lunches for those younger kids. So, how much and how often are they eating now? And what, exactly, are they eating... that maybe wasn't in their day-to-day previously?

WHO and the CDC both recommend that children should perform at least 60 minutes' worth of moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity on a daily basis. Are you keeping that up for your kids right now? There are so many ways to accomplish this, even during whatever your community's current level of quarantine or shelter-in-place may be.

There's a website and an app called Go Noodle that is a free resource for kids to visit to be active and stay healthy. My kids love using that site, actually and I've done a few of the dances with them, too. Cosmic Kids is another great place, that even has yoga for kids.

You may not even know that the YMCA has something called YMCA360 (that they recently made free for people) that you can access for all of this, as well. It can be as simple, even, as looking things up on Youtube for your kids to do some activities at home.

Stress eating is not just an adult deal, everyone. So, remember that your kids may be picking up on your stress or even have their own about this crazy time right now. So, it's important and not at all mean of you to keep track of what your kids are eating throughout the day. It's important that we don't just let everything go by the wayside just because of the state of the world right now. I'm tempted to say: if you want to, yourselves, that is fine......

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Love in the Time of Covid, Pt. 1

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 11:15:00 GMT

Episode 79 is another solo episode, sans guest. As we find ourselves in the middle of this global pandemic, I felt compelled to speak a little in regards to how this affects all of us, whether it is us as parents, our children, our own parents. All humans are in some way having their lives changed by the existence of Covid-19 or the Corona Virus.

If you've been following along with your Daddy Unscripted handbook for a while, you know that I manage an animal hospital as my 9-5 job. Managing the staff there during this time of crisis has really raised the bar for me. I have had to work harder than ever to dig deep within myself, to basically tap into every single one of the tools in my emotional utility belt to assist the 40+ people at our hospital to help them work through having to continue to work during this time. Not only that, but to also help a great many of them deal with what all of this does to exacerbate what may already be their daily anxiety level with "normal life".

This also speaks to something I have definitely talked about numerous times: the example that we set for our children, as they soak up the things we do like sponges. Of course, the extreme on this is the people who drive me out of my mind. People who express unwarranted and unabashed anger and/or racism in front of their kids.

I feel like the current climate in the world is allowing us another one of those moments in our lives to rise to the occasion. I feel it's important for us to recognize that, as parents, we are currently responsible for raising the adults of what will be this new world. Like it or not, the world is changing. At times, it almost feels like Earth is trying to slough off its old skin right now and become a fresh planet.

To me, it feels like there is a lot of tightrope walking that we need to do right at this time. Walking on the edge of not losing sight of our responsibilities, while not allowing that to become a straightjacket that restricts us from being present for our kids.

I feel silly and like "that guy" by sort of making a plea on this episode for people to take this seriously and do their part right now to help us flatten the curve. I also feel silly that I have to type that last sentence. How is it that people can be apathetic about the state of humankind right now?

I alluded to the articles or the headlines I've seen more than once about statistics showing that men are either more susceptible to the Corona Virus or that their mortality rate is higher than women. I've yet to delve into that data, but, it's definitely solidified my already present desire to not get this!

What it can break down to is: what does it hurt for all of us to be extra cautious right now? Why is it so difficult for us to just shelter in place, stay home, try to do everything to minimize our contact with others and do what we can for a while to try and help cease the spread. Slow it down.

Acting responsibly and doing what appears to be the obvious and right thing right now is important. Also, as much as it may suck for your kids, I truly believe they will respect your decisions.

I started to go down a path that I basically stopped myself from ending. Instead, in this typed out version, I will just say: thank you to all of the people who are tirelessly working in healthcare. The people who are trying their best in the conditions they are dealing with to try and not only help people who need help in any other "every-day way" in their hospitals, but also to have to deal with all of the people coming in that are at such a bad level with Covid-19.

For me, personally, I want to thank people like Ana in Romania, Sarah in Las Vegas and even my niece Megan out here in So Cal. Thank you for doing all that you are doing right now.

While we are in shout-out zone, I also put out a big one in this episode to all of the...

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Matt Sienkiewicz: Breaking the Bad Dad

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:30:00 GMT

Episode 78 is an incredibly open, honest, deep and real conversation with associate professor and author Matt Sienkiewicz. This episode was recorded a year ago, I hate to say. Due to some significant technical issues, it's just now finally seeing the light of day.

I am not going to publicly flog myself too much for that. It is what it is at this point and I couldn't feel more guilty and apologetic about it to Matt. But, with that said: I didn't give up and it's here! Aged like a fine wine that just needed a little more time to go from "great" to "life-changing".

The episode actually started the way I thought it might: with us talking about Matt's work surrounding comedy. I was struck originally by everything he does surrounding the study of comedy. It truly fascinates me and I wish I had that experience with the little bit of college I did way back when.

We eventually did the norm and had Matt work his way back into his paternal history. And... goodness me. The game changed there. Whether he was talking about his Grandfather or his Dad, it was just ... not warm and fuzzy. I think that's safe to say.

I get that everyone does not have the greatest and most loving relationship with their parents. I truly do understand that and don't live in a fairy tale world of thinking that just doesn't exist. I did have a great relationship with my Dad, but I know that isn't just the way for all men.

That Matt was okay with openly discussing even the lows of his relationships really changed what I thought might be the course of our conversation. We really spent a lot of time on those relationships.

I learned a lot from this discussion. I gained a ton of respect for Matt and, as I said in the episode: the fact that he is not allowing himself to keep the pattern alive that he was raised into of men who didn't really show much love or interest in their children is tremendous.

You can follow Matt on Twitter: @mediastudied or even check out his website at www.mediastudied.com to see what he is up to and all of the books and projects he has worked on.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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Jason Ronk: How Struggles Can Shape A Beautiful Life Pt. 2

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Episode 77 is the second half of my conversation with fellow music fan, recovered alcoholic, remarkable stay-at-home Dad and future podcaster: Jason Ronk.

We pick up the conversation right where Part 1 left off (if you didn't hear that yet, take the time to go back... great stuff in there and, you know, it's part 1 of 2. Would you watch The Godfather II without devouring the original first?)

Jason takes us back into his mid-'90s history and what music really started to do for him at that time of his life. He traces directly back to a friend of his putting on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album and remembers that really driving him further in his desire to be a musician.

In 1994 and 1995, Jason was not only getting introduced to the Grateful Dead and Phish but his one and only time seeing Jerry Garcia on stage was the Grateful Dead's final official concert before Jerry's untimely and unfortunate death: the July 1995 show at Soldier Field in Chicago.

"...I found my people... I had no clue what it was, but I knew that I fit..."

That snippet of Jason's description of being around the community of Deadheads at Soldier Field, whether in the parking lot or in the actual show, I think resonates with a lot of us. It absolutely hit the mark for me... it all sounded incredibly familiar to my first time in a parking lot at a show back on New Year's Eve weekend in 1990. Drum circle, and all.

Jason walked through the most difficult times of his life, talking about all of the craziness that his struggle with alcoholism put him through. One of my favorite things Jason said during our entire conversation came soon after that: "...my life really began on July 4, 2015... when I met my wife..."

I mentioned this in my intro of the episode, but a big reason that we talked when we did for these episodes was that Jason was set to meet with Trey before one of his shows. His re-telling of that night and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding it gave me goosebumps. It's always refreshing when you hear about a celebrity or someone who spends some of their life "in the spotlight" and people talk about how humble or friendly or just overall cool that person is. Jason's meetup with Trey fell right in line with that. And this is the way it seems like all of the stories of people meeting Trey out and about are, of late.

I won't spell out the whole experience here... it won't do it justice. Truly. If for no other reason, you should check out the actual episode to hear Jason tell about this awesome experience.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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Jason Ronk: How Struggles Can Shape A Beautiful Life Pt. 1

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 12:00:04 GMT

Episode 76 is the first half of my conversation with fellow music fan, recovered alcoholic, remarkable stay-at-home Dad and future podcaster: Jason Ronk.

We started out the episode with some singing out the praises of the Moms out there. I did a little bit of the stay-at-home / work-from-home Dad situation with my first-born. Jason definitely is having a longer go at it than I did. Pretty much every SAHD I have talked about that job with has just gotten on their knees to bow in reverence to the work that Moms do.

Jason talked a little about some of the surprising things he has noticed during trips to the park for his kids to play. Both the other kids and the other parents can really be interesting to observe; I've notice this a lot, myself. How do parents at the park interact, if at all, with their children while there? It's almost like a personality test on a live, visual scale. Do they plop down and get right on their phones and ignore their kids? Do they sit and talk with other parents there? Do they play with their kids if they're asked to? It can be quite fascinating, really.

He talked a bit about what his older child's experience is like currently in school. We eventually got into talking about how much of a difference outdoor play can be for kids. This obviously isn't us being pioneers on the subject... this gets talked about a lot these days, with all of the electronics kids have access to and how easy that can be for us, as parents, to let them "do what they're going to do"... you know, the "electric babysitter".

As a kid of the '70s, this all resonates with me dramatically. I spent a lot of my childhood outdoors. Having the incredibly good fortune of being raised in Southern Orange County, and being able to walk about a mile to get to the beach, I took advantage of that a lot in my youth. There was a time, however, that changed a little for me. I did love video games and reading and even writing (I wrote a "book" -- it never went anywhere, so don't ask -- during the summer between my 8th and 9th-grade school years). But, I definitely benefitted from what was our locale.

Jason traces his move away from his childhood locale to the discovery of the Grateful Dead and that community of Deadheads in 1995. One of his first shows was actually the Grateful Dead's last show, in Chicago in the summer of '95, at the age of 19. (We get into this more in Part 2, by the way)

We went back into the childhoods and lives of both his Dad and his Mom... who both were raised in old farm families. Jason's Dad was in a band that toured with Dolly Parton, played the Grand Ole Opry and had some actual hits! I played a segment of one of their songs in the episode, that you can click here to check out on Youtube. Dick Ronk and the Revenuers and their tune: Let Me Kill The Bottle Bartender.

Jason is not afraid to talk openly and honestly about the battle he fought with drugs and alcohol. He also really said a lot of great things about passing on respect and understanding to our kids and helping them to become great men and women as adults.

Again, this is just the first half of our conversation and you won't want to miss the second half and Jason's story about meeting up with Trey Anastasio and a lot of what he has learned in the work he has done over years on himself.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com. Osiris is partnered with JamBase and JamBase...

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Amar Sastry: Anatomy Of A Man Who Jams Pt. 2

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 12:30:07 GMT

Episode 75 is the second half of my conversation with musician, podcaster, Youtuber, Dad and all-around awesome guy: Amar Sastry. You may know Amar from his Anatomy of a Jam series on Youtube or his tweets breaking down and playing portions of Phish songs on his acoustic guitar or his work on the Osiris Media podcast network's video version of The Drop (which is also done as a podcast). Amar is all over the map... in a very good way.

If you didn't somehow catch the first part of our conversation, you really must. This episode picks up immediately where the previous episode ended: with Amar walking us through what he remembers of his family's move from rural India to New York when he was just 5 or 6 years old.

His story is so refreshing. I know I don't speak for everyone, and I would never claim anything of the sort... but, hearing about what it's like for people to come from much humbler means to a new home with a far different situation and lifestyle. It's hard not to, but we really can so easily take so much for granted in our lives.

I know that not everyone has the opportunity in their lives to travel to different countries. I feel extremely fortunate to have visited multiple foreign countries in my lifetime. As odd as it may sound, I truly relish the time I've spent in places where people do not have the extravagances that are easily attainable where I live. Every time I have returned home from a place like that, it's like my eyes are opened anew to the reality of the world that we live in, rather than just the microcosm of where I have spent the majority of my life.

We leapfrogged rapidly to Amar's work that he does with regards to music... which is pretty widespread. We got right into how Amar decided to start creating videos for Youtube. I'll type some of my favorite quotes by Amar during this part of our conversation below:

"I think music theory has completely ruined an entire generation of guitar players". "Music is the one place where we should feel free... where we shouldn't have rules."

We talked about his work on his "Anatomy of a Jam" videos on Youtube and then I started to fanboy out and tell him how much I get out of the videos that he posts on Twitter, predominantly of him playing a section of a Phish song on his acoustic guitar. Near the beginning of this episode, I included a full version he shared with me of his take on "When The Circus Comes To Town", a Los Lobos tune that Phish covers.

You can find more about Amar at his website: www.amarguitar.com or by watching his Youtube channel, also named amarguitar and you can follow his Twitter at username @brahmin_noodles.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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Amar Sastry: Anatomy Of A Man Who Jams Pt. 1

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 12:30:01 GMT

Episode 74 is the first half of my conversation with musician, podcaster, Youtuber, Dad and all-around awesome guy: Amar Sastry. You may know Amar from his Anatomy of a Jam series on Youtube or his tweets breaking down and playing portions of Phish songs on his acoustic guitar or his work on the Osiris Media podcast network's video version of The Drop (which is also done as a podcast). Amar is all over the map... in a very good way.

We kicked off the episode talking about a lot of the "new parent stuff" that Amar and his wife are going through, being around a year and a half into the parental game with their little girl.

For anyone near my age, I mentioned a blast from the past phrase: "kids having kids". Or was it "babies having babies"? Either way, that section of our discussion ended with a rousing cheer by me of: "You go, Geriatrics!"

Eventually, we worked our way into the history of Amar through his father and his grandparents. It was very interesting to hear about some of their mindset and the ways that their surroundings shaped them, in many different ways than I'd reckon that happened for a lot of us.

Our conversation turned to us talking about some of the things that hold a lot of us back from taking on things in life. It rolled into a solid discussion about fear and behaviors and changing our mindset and patterns in order to take control of our lives a little more and basically raging against some of the ways we are wired as humans.

I was totally surprised when I told Amar about my time in India with a previous job that I was in the city of Bangalore, and that happens to be where Amar has spent a lot of his time, as well, since he has family there. I told Amar about the hilarity of my experience with the cultural phenomenon some may call the "Indian head wobble" or bobble. Don't believe me? Look it up. Part of Wikipedia's description will show you how confusing it can be... read this: "...a form of nonverbal communication, it may mean yes, good, maybe, ok, or I understand..."

It makes me laugh a little that this is pretty much where this first portion of our conversation ended. But, it just fit well and didn't break into the next chunk of our discussion at all. Not only will you have to check out Part 2 with Amar for that... you'll want to hear that. Take my word for it.

As I randomly decided to give kind of an advertisement/shout-out to this great product, I will remind you to check out www.WolfmanWhiskers.com for any of you men who need some fantastical beard balm and other products of that sort.

You can find more about Amar at his website: www.amarguitar.com or by watching his Youtube channel, also named amarguitar and you can follow his Twitter at username @brahmin_noodles.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments...

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Dave Goldstein: Beyond & Back in Pt. 2

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 12:30:05 GMT

Episode 73 features half of the tandem that puts together the "Beyond The Pond" podcast, Dave Goldstein. This is the 2nd and final part of my conversation with Dave, whose podcast is another from our glorious Osiris Media podcast network.

This episode picks up right where the 1st ended, with Dave starting to talk about him and his wife's decision to have a second child. His story starts off with the re-telling of the pregnancy that followed their oldest daughter. The very unfortunate and tragic direction that pregnancy took put Dave and his wife through something no parent should have to experience.

Following that difficult spring of 2018, by the fall of that year, Dave's wife was pregnant again, restoring their hope of having a little brother or sister for their firstborn daughter.

To their disbelief, during a routine ultrasound, yet again they were facing the news of another medical condition with the growing fetus. Doctors confirmed that their future child had ventricular septal defects, or a hole in the heart.

Dave and his wife got a lot of time with specialists and pediatric cardiologists during the course of the remainder of the pregnancy. Echocardiograms continued to confirm the presence of the hole and the cardiologist even stated there might be multiple holes, but couldn't say for sure.

Their second daughter was born in May of 2019, via scheduled c-section and all went well with the delivery. Her heart did, in fact, have multiple holes and the two holes they had been monitoring were actually larger than they had thought.

We talked about Dave's very real and understandable fear of getting attached to their newborn. He recalls the cardiologist telling them: "...she is not in heart failure now, but it's not so much a matter of 'if', it's really a matter of 'when'". Let that just sink in for a moment, will you? Hearing that your newborn is going to need heart surgery for survival.

In July, their daughter had a perfectly successful open-heart surgery. Following the surgery, she had a complete turn-around with a lot of the aspects of her daily life that are the things we all can take for granted as parents of a newborn.

Dave told some other stories about the bond that has already started to take shape between his two little girls. It's heart-warming to me to imagine the two sisters way down the road, when they are both mature enough to thoughtfully think about how much of a miracle they both are, truly, but for them to fully grasp how awesome and truly amazing life is and that they have one another. Let's hope, right?

One of the notable things during the entire conversation with Dave that gave me that smile of recognition was his pairing of days and events with either old concerts by bands he loves or with his beloved Mets baseball games. I admit, unfortunately, that part of my mind just does not store information the way that Dave does... but this still fully resonates with me.

I'm still so touched by this conversation with Dave. It was a bit of an eye-opener, touched on so many large issues and became just another solid reminder at how truly miraculous life really is, how beautiful it can be and just how (don't yell at me for using this word) blessed we, as parents are with the true gifts that our children represent.

The "Beyond the Pond" podcast can be found pretty much anywhere you find your podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, etc.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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A Thanksgiving Challenge Inspired By Mr. Rogers

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 12:30:23 GMT

Episode 72 is another of my solo Thanksgiving episodes. This one is very unique and heavily inspired by my having just seen the new movie focusing on the life of Mr. Rogers starring Tom Hanks titled "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood".

It was my birthday the night that I recorded this episode actually: Monday, November 25th. When my wife asked me the week before my birthday how I wanted to celebrate, I told her that beyond anything else, I wanted to go and see this new Mr. Rogers movie with her.

Mr. Rogers was an enormous part of my childhood and immensely meaningful and inspirational to me. I have always maintained a very special place in my heart for Mr. Rogers, and I am all for and all about the continued spotlight on the man and his legacy.

In this episode, I focused on two of the things that really seemed to be two of the biggest themes for my year: 1) opening up about my suicide attempt 25 years ago, and 2) re-acquainting myself with the life and the work of Mr. Rogers and the epiphany of how much so many of his theories and practices align with what I try to do with my life.

During the course of this episode, I was talking about one of my personal pet peeves of the "I'm not going to smile at you but I will press my lips together instead and that is the 'smile' you'll get..." that I think a lot of us do, myself absolutely included. That evolved into my challenging myself (and any others of you) to make a point every single day for the rest of this year to give a big, genuine smile to 5 people I don't know during the course of each day.

Maybe we can start some kind of chain of humankindness and love to others just by starting off with those smiles. Who's with me?!

I am not sure if I need to say this after what you may have already read here, and after you listen to this actual episode... but I can not encourage you enough to go see "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood". Also: go see it in the theater. I would love for Hollywood to see success from this film and for that to possibly greenlight some similar projects that may just be good movies that help people, while entertaining.

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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Dave Goldstein Goes Beyond Pt. 1

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 12:30:08 GMT

Episode 71 features half of the tandem that puts together the "Beyond The Pond" podcast, Dave Goldstein. Dave adds to my list of guests that come from our glorious Osiris Media podcast network.

I was thrilled when Dave reached out to me about being on the podcast. I had his partner from the BtP podcast, Brian Brinkman, on the podcast a little over a year ago for Episodes 50 & 51. They do such a great job with their podcast and, honestly, I have always dug Dave's voice from their episodes that I was happy to have a long conversation with him for Daddy Unscripted.

And, a long conversation is exactly what we had. We talked and recorded for over 3 hours. I really toiled with the editing of this episode. For way too long. And then it dawned on me: two-parter!

So, this is the first half of our conversation. We talk about his family history, stories about his Dad and how he and his Mom met. Did someone say "met"? We also go into how the New York Mets became a major part of his family history.

We went through a bit of the story of how Dave became a Dad for the first time some 4 plus years ago. Just as we started to get into their journey to bring a second child into being, it seemed like the best place to split our conversation into two halves and post this section as Part 1.

The "Beyond the Pond" podcast can be found pretty much anywhere you find your podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, etc.

Beyond the Pond has a page on Medium at medium.com/beyond-the-pond

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com and you can always use my Google Voice number for comments, questions, etc.: (872) 444-6784.

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Griffin House - Family Man & Rising Star

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 11:30:06 GMT

Episode 70 features singer-songwriter Griffin House. Griffin has been making music for over 15 years now and he is still working hard and remaining incredibly true to himself and who he wants to be as an artist.

When Griffin's management contacted me about having him on the podcast, quite frankly, I had to rush to the internet to see who this guy was. I spent the next ten minutes or so reading various bios and snippets of interviews and album reviews and my interest was open to the idea. Then, I clicked play on a preview of his coming documentary "Rising Star" and I couldn't reply to the original email quickly and enthusiastically enough.

We worked out some specifics and I went home that night and started picking my way through some of Griffin's older albums. Wow. Man, oh, man... I sure did want to talk with this guy! I truly did become an instant fan that first day.

In our conversation, Griffin spins some great histories about his family, his youth and his intense connections with his paternal line, as well as to his Mother's Father. It was really cool to hear about strong the connection was (and still is) between the men in their families.

Griffin details the path that led him to music back in High School. He talks about some of the crossroads of his life that he passed up or diverted from to see where music would take him instead. I'd say he made a pretty fantastic choice in doing that.

It sometimes seems cliché to think about musicians dealing with or even battling addiction. So, I wasn't completely floored or taken aback when Griffin started to talk about his personal struggle with alcohol as a touring musician. But, how forthcoming he was and humble in talking about how it was something that affected others, including, at that time, his new wife, was really refreshing.

I am so happy I got to have this conversation with Griffin. We really connected on a number of things and, with my last episode and some of the current suicide crisis that is affecting musicians and artists, it was really meaningful to hear him talk about, even briefly, how he had his own suicidal thoughts that he had to overcome.

With that, I will remind you all how important it is that we ALL TALK. We talk about any struggles we may be having... we talk with those around us and offer ourselves up as safe people to our friends and family and loved ones; people that are capable of *just listening*, without the added pressure of feeling like we have to *fix* things for others.

So... with *that* said, I will, again, give you all these two phone numbers: My Google Voice Number for *ANYONE* to use: (872) 444-6784. And the National Suicide Prevention hotline: (800) 273-8255.

You can find all things Griffin House by going to his website: https://griffinhousemusic.com/

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee. Check them out at www.Umphreys.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to

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My Suicide Story

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:00:07 GMT

The "guest" in Episode 69 is actually me. It's me talking about suicide, including the story about the night I tried to kill myself a little over 25 years ago.

I've touched on this topic with a few of my guests, at all different levels. Most significantly, perhaps, back in Episode 62 with Bill Protzmann, where he shares the story of the night music saved him from trying to take his own life some years ago. It's been something other guests have discussed: having suicidal thoughts at times of their lives.

This is not a new problem for mankind. However, the numbers are increasing. The age range seems to also be expanding. It's astonishing. It's deeply troubling. It's nearly paralyzing.

But, we cannot be paralyzed. We absolutely cannot allow ourselves to sit and do nothing. To back away and not deal with it. To be afraid of reaching out to help. That goes on both sides of this, I think. If you need help, you need to reach out... even if (or especially) you do so before your toes inch closer to that proverbial edge. And to everyone else, we need to talk to people. Talk to your friends, to your family, to your co-workers. The list goes on and on.

I'll put this right here before I dig into the heart of the episode. I have a Google Voice Number for ANY of you to use: (872) 444-6784. Leave me a message there and I will get in touch with you... or you can even just use that as a safe place to vent or whatever it may be. And, the other number you need is the National Suicide Prevention hotline: (800) 273-8255.

I have been thinking... maybe knowing this episode would eventually happen. When it struck me that this September is Suicide Prevention Month, I felt a giant push to just sit down and finally get this out. So, this is another "guest-less" episode of the podcast. Just me and a microphone.

You can listen to the episode to hear the full story, but, as I mentioned before: at the age of 21, I felt like my life was going nowhere and I was hopeless. Hopeless of having an ability to make anything positive of my life, of ever being in a place to have a productive, adult life. Kind of what I have now, ironically. I'm really nutshelling this... but, I decided to end my life.

I took well over 100 pills one night and eventually slipped into a coma for 3+ days. I know that I should have died. I shocked the doctors by coming out of my coma and living. They were beyond shocked that I didn't sustain massive organ damage, either. And yet, here I am. My life was not just saved: it was given back to me.

I talked about how this seems to be a significant issue within the world of music, of late. This isn't the full list, but: Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, David Berman, and most recently: Neal Casal. It's daunting to think about. And I don't claim to know their situations or their reasons. But, I do believe that they didn't seek help. Nobody has stepped forward telling us that they had a conversation with Robin Williams and they knew he was going to commit suicide. That just isn't a thing with so many of those who take their own lives.

In this episode, I really run the gamut. Blame that on it being Daddy *Unscripted*, possibly. But, I talk about how devastating it is to me that we even are having conversations about kids attempting and committing suicide. Devastating. It's difficult for me to even fathom the reality of that discussion these days.

This easily led to me talking about social media. I don't lay all of these things at its feet, but with social media and bullying and the time we spend on social media, not only being inundated and flooded with the pressures that can create for many people, but the time that it takes away from our relationships of those around us can be extremely hurtful and negatively impactful.

I will always be very specific about the fact that my experience is *my* experience. I don't...

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Chris Illuminati: More Than A Message With A Bottle

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 12:00:06 GMT

Episode 68 features Chris Illuminati. Chris is an author, blogger, superstar on Instagram (that’s totally a thing), former stand-up comedian and a father of two. I was following Chris on his Instagram account (@messagewithabottle) for a while when one of our mutual friends reached out to me, dumbstruck that they had never suggested a collaboration between us for Daddy Unscripted. So, big shout-out to Jessica and Jose for paving the road for this to happen.

Let’s start this post with where we started our conversation: his name. Yes. His last name really is Illuminati. We spent some time talking about peoples’ names and how that has changed over the years.

We then jumped back into Chris’ family history. He has some really interesting stories about the age difference between his Dad and his brothers and the trickle-down effect of that from his Dad’s siblings and Chris as a child. Chris’ family came to the east coast originally, and he has spent nearly the entirety of his lifetime in New Jersey. He discussed the unique melding of New Jersey and how a lot of its influence comes from both Philadelphia and New York.

This ended up becoming a very odd segue into us talking about my having seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High at the way-too-young age of 10. As the youngest of 8 kids in my family, I definitely got exposed to some things I never should have at the time I was. As parents now, Chris and I talked about some of the things that we cannot imagine our kids being involved in that we were during the ’70s and ’80s in our childhoods.

Chris talks about how his Dad owning a bar during his youth ended up really working well to keep Chris from being interested in drinking when he was much younger. We talked about the lack of “romanticism” of alcohol that Chris extracted from that experience and how different that was from my own youth, seeing my siblings throwing keg parties at our house when my parents were on vacation.

“…Being an only child never bothered me until I had kids. Then it bothered me because I see the dynamic between my son and daughter and I’m like, you know what? It probably would have been cool to have somebody around.” We talked a little bit about the feeling of having more than one kid for Chris, as an only child himself. This became a pretty interesting conversation about the thought process of parents who may have that deliberate decision-making to do regarding having one or more kids.

I actually got into some new territory in this episode, opening up on topics I haven’t touched on in any of my previous 67 episodes. It’s interesting to me when things come out like that… just entering conversations naturally by whatever guest may be on the podcast at that time who shares whatever experience they may have had.

Chris and I talked briefly after this episode and agreed that it kind of went in directions we really hadn’t been expecting at all. Not in bad ways, mind you. I think, due to his personality and the work he does paired with me on the other side of the mic, we assumed this might be a little more of a light-hearted conversation in its entirety. We did joke around a lot and there were definitely laughs. And part of me is not sure how I could have ever been surprised by this: but, we did get deep in this episode, as well.

I’m so excited for all of you to hear this conversation with Chris Illuminati. He’s a great guy and I truly believe there may be another conversation between us. It did feel like a lot was possibly left on the table after we were done recording. So, make sure, either way, that you check out Chris’ work and his social media accounts, too.

You can find Chris Illuminati in all of these places:

Chris Illuminati on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Illuminati/e/B0032IIFKY

Website: https://www.chrisilluminati.com/

Twitter: @ChrisIlluminati

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisIlluminatiFanPage/

Instagram: @MessageWithaBottle

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio...

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Aaron's Life Has Been No Simple Road

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 12:00:21 GMT

Episode 67 features Aaron of one of the fellow Osiris Media network podcasts: No Simple Road. I'm so incredibly proud and honored and humbled to be a part of the Osiris Podcast family. I really am. I've met some great people through our other podcasts and I've had some great guests on from the podcasts, as well. Aaron is another in that continually growing list.

Yes. I admit that the title of this episode is sort of hokey. Because, yeah... his podcast is called No Simple Road and all. But, come on. It just works so well. And, you'll hear in this episode, his life really hasn't been a simple road. And that doesn't mean it all hasn't been worth it. Or that where he is now isn't fantastic. But, he has lived a life (and then some). So, the path to where he is in his life now just was not a simple, smooth ride. And that's okay!

Our conversation started with Aaron talking about the origin story of No Simple Road. Since I first started listening to No Simple Road, I've always loved the purity of their conversations and the very homogenous feeling it always provides. We talked about the journey that we have both taken from Day 1 of our own podcasts. Aaron, like me, is very grateful for the experiences his podcast has provided for him.

The No Simple Road podcast is recorded on the porch of their home in Oregon. The "hosts" or maybe stars of the podcast are the communal residents of the home: Aaron, his 16-year-old son, his wife Mel, his nephew and his best friend of over 30 years.

Aaron goes back into the history of his life and describes it as: "... if I step outside of myself and I take an honest look at where I came from and the people that I was around and what I did as a kid and my adolescence, nothing about my upbringing was normal." Having a Mom who was a trapeze artist and a Dad who was in "the biz" in Hollywood definitely helps you understand what he means by that.

The first bucket of freezing cold ice water thrown in my face (figuratively, of course) type realization of how similar Aaron and I are was when he told me that he was out of his home at age 17 and living with his friend (Apple, who is a part of the No Simple Road podcast and a resident of the Oregon home). I didn't interrupt his story to tell him, but I moved out of my house at the same age and lived with a High School friend of mine and his family for some time.

Aaron describes himself as a youth as "I was hell to deal with", but praises his Dad for always having his back and being extremely supportive. He talked about some of the great mix he acquired from his Mom and his Dad. From Mom: the belief that you can do anything you put your mind to. From Dad: he gave him his hustle.

Aaron eventually migrated from being a punk rock-scene kid in Las Vegas to become a total Deadhead after he was introduced to the Grateful Dead at a young age. Aaron spoke with extreme honesty about what the drug culture of Las Vegas became for him as an individual. Some of the stories are just remarkable. He said: "If 'Now Me' went back and saw a kid that was like me then, I would've said that kid's gonna be dead by 25." Craziness.

When Aaron says he was literally 'on the way out' when his wife Mel saved his life in Vegas, he means it. You can hear it in his voice if the words he uses aren't strong enough to get it across. The story he tells about their "chance meeting" when he was walking the street, feeling like he was standing with his toes off of life's edge, it is a breathtaking story.

Eventually, Mel and Aaron took their friendship to a much deeper level and got married some 21 years ago. Yet, Aaron wasn't just instantly healed from his addictions and the things that kept him broken just by marrying Mel. He talks about how the birth of their son was the key to finally unshackling himself from some of the chains that were holding him down for so long; the realization that a new life was coming that would need him to be Dad.

We talked for a while about the riches of money and possessions on earth vs. the wealth of...

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Jeff Brunner is NOT Jeff Brunner

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 11:33:00 GMT

Episode 66 starts off with quite the game show loser sound from old Price is Right episodes. I really got my hat handed to me in like the first 30 seconds of my conversation with my friend Jeff. Very significant emphasis on the word "friend" there. For a very good reason. You'll have to listen to the episode to get the reasoning behind all of this because typed words really don't do justice to my falling on my face.

I have known Jeff and his wife since some time in 2006. We met via Flickr. We reminisced a little and talked about how Flickr really was it back in the day. There was no Facebook yet... no Instagram... no real social media just yet. Flickr really was a place that photographers and hobbyists could scratch an itch that none of us yet really knew existed.

I had never really taken a big interest in photography until the day I saw some of the experimental and unique work of Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. You can hear me butcher her last name in the episode... that's just clean fun right there! I saw what Rebekka was doing and I had to try my hand at some of it. That led to a lot of stumbling through some bad self-portraits.

Oh, yeah. It's worth saying that this was back before "selfies" were a thing... but I joined a group that was based around a challenge to take a self portrait every day for a full year called (get this...) the 365 project. Because I wanted to try doing some of the things that Rebekka had done, with my own twist (yet, sometimes, I did straight up copycat homages to her), I joined the group. This was where I met Jeff and his wife Trish.

It wasn't too long after that when we were actually hanging out in their neck of the woods in Northern California. Trish even welcomed me to her workplace to hang out for a bit and see the premises. Sounds boring, right? Well... not if you work at Skywalker Ranch! That was pretty cool.

The point here: I've known Jeff and his wife for a long time now, although we don't get to "hang out" all the time. But, following their adventures and watching their kids grow up over social media has been a treat. And, this is the way of the world today, right? We feel like we know people so well because of Facebook or Instagram.

So, when Jeff recently had a major life shift due to a scary revelation of a health issue he was having, it made me really want to sit down and talk with him for a bit.

Jeff was raised in a very loving family and he still is extremely close with his parents and his sister. It's a great story hearing about how Jeff's mindset has changed as he grew up outside of his house. We talk a little about how some of the "hot button topics" of current events can drive people apart, even within the same family. It was refreshing to hear Jeff talk about how he and his Dad are able to foster such a loving and caring relationship, still, while they may not see eye to eye on a lot of things.

Please do check out and support Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir via her website at www.rebekkagudleifs.com and you can view her Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/rebba

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Jon Bailey of 2 Dads With Baggage

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 11:31:00 GMT

Episode 65 features Jon Bailey, half of the "2 Dads With Baggage" you may know from Instagram, Twitter or their website.

As is par for the course of the podcast: Jon and I talked about the history of his family for a bit to start. We didn't dig into these things explicitly, but it was very interesting that he had family members that came to America on the Mayflower in the 1600's.

Jon talked about the very loving family that he was raised in. It was his big brother and himself, with their Mom and Dad. We breezed through some of his education years, which included both Jon and his brother attending UC Berkeley in Northern California... in very distinct and different eras; Jon's brother, attending in the '70s as a "full-on hippie". And, Jon followed suit, but during the '80s.

Jon took Journalism in college, which led to an eventual internship that, for the best, drove him away from journalism. Jon then went into Public Relations, which stuck for him. An internship in a PR firm evolved into a long-term career for the fresh graduate. A decade or so later, Jon found himself in Marketing, eventually finding a partner and creating his own firm.

Jon loved writing. That was his creative outlet and that was how he found himself creating 2 Dads With Baggage.

In a very tongue-in-cheek kind of way, I really played a lot at not divulging Jon's husband's name until the middle of the episode. It is kind of like that cliffhanger on a TV show that people come back the next week for and maybe (if you don't love his name as much as me, that is) throw their hands toward the television in disgust at the build-up. But, hey... all in good fun, right?

We talked about the vast difference between familial backgrounds Jon and his husband come from. Jon's parents were happily married throughout their lifetimes. His husband, on the other hand, his parents were married 5 times each. Not to be outdone, his grandmother was actually married 8 times. We agreed that when I go down the road of Grandmothers Unscripted, that would be a great story.

This led into us talking as well about the difference between Jon's husband's coming out as gay to his family compared with what ended up being Jon's experience. One of life's tragedies: Jon's Mom's "hang-up" when she found out he was gay was that she really wanted grandchildren. Very sadly, Jon's Mother passed away a week before Jon and his husband's first daughter was born.

The story of how Jon and his husband met and started their relationship is straight out of a movie. It really should be a movie. If their movie was made in the '90s, I could see someone forcing it to be a straight couple and having Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in it. But, let's do this movie now...it's 2019! So... you can think about who you would cast in it when you're listening to this episode. But, tell me that their story and then how their story and lives progress into adopting their daughters go isn't something you could see yourself watching on the big or small screen.

The stories of the two of them adopting their daughters are each dynamic and unique and incredibly heartwarming. The adoption process has evolved over the years. Having 6 adopted siblings myself, I have heard a lot about it. But, that's my parents, as standard home providers: a husband and a wife. I am not at all that blind to think it would be the same for two men providing a mother-less home.

Let's face it: there are definitely things that are more difficult for people in the LGBT community. (I actually looked during this post and realized that this acronym now extends to be LGBTQQIAAP now. Did you know that?!) But, for two Dads to adopt a child, I'm sure there has been quite an evolution over time in that specific process. So, the stories of what they went through to adopt their two daughters are beyond remarkable.

Jon then goes into the inspiring story about how their elder daughter wrote a letter to then President Barack Obama about their unique family dynamic. Jon took a photo of the letter and...

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Father's Day 2019

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 11:23:00 GMT

Episode 64 is time for my annual Father's Day episode. Though I do this every year, it's not the same every year. Because of a few things going on with people around me and people I'm talking to, this episode kind of caught me by surprise with the direction it took.

Unscripted. You got that part of the title of the podcast, right?

I almost wrote out a script for this episode, believe it or not. I think if I had, and maybe even did that every day for a week, it would be quite different each time. So, this episode is almost like one of those really cool "long, single takes" that they talk about when you watch a Criterion Collection version of some film.

So, unscripted, I went into this episode... and, sure, it shows. But, maybe the pure honesty of it is beneficial because of that? That's what I will tell myself anyway.

I recorded this episode (just to document this here) the week that Big Papi (former major leaguer / future hall of famer David Ortiz) was shot in what was an alleged murder attempt. As I talked briefly about him, and how much this all affected me, it led me into a discussion about heroes. I quickly moved from "celebrity" type heroes to real life, (not-so-average) "average Joe" heroes.

This had me reminiscing about some of my very recent guests (Rob Gorski from Ep. 61, Bill Protzmann from Ep. 62 and Jon Bailey who will be on Ep. 65). This also dove-tailed into my thinking of some of the other issues and people that have been on my mind a lot for quite some time now.

Cancer has always been my "hot button disease", for a lack of a better way to say that. Obviously, I guess, since it took my Dad away from me nearly 29 years ago. But, for maybe two years or so now, I have really been puzzled by this disease I started hearing more and more about: ALS. I don't know anybody personally that has been stricken by this horrifically untethered disease. Yet. But, I have started to follow some of them on social media, and have started to feel more connected to people with ALS (or pALS) because of that. So, it has started to confuse and anger me all the more.

So, as I was talking about heroes, I mentioned Pete Frates, the man who the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge was created because of. Remember that? I also mentioned Brian Wallach. Brian and his wife created iamals.org after Brian was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 37. I honestly cannot even tell you how I stumbled into Brian via Twitter some time ago, but it happened and I am so grateful that it did.

In the past few months I have really started to educate myself more and more on ALS and made a point to do what I can to help spread the word and hopefully get even more people active in the fight. I hope that others will get inspired to do whatever they can to help in the fight and the search for treatment and an eventual cure for ALS.

I went very kumbaya in this episode. I can't help it. When I start thinking about some of the things that ail this world and all of us living on it, I tend to go to this place. So, I talked about how easy it can be for us to be better. To be more kind. To be more loving. To make changes in the life of that guy over there... or that woman sitting there near you. Yes... that one. Oh, and that other one too. And, hey -- when you do something nice for that guy, guess what? The chances are he may do something nice for that other guy over there. And then both of those guys might be even extra cool while they are at work. And maybe they come into contact with anywhere from 5 to 105 people while they are working. So, all of those people might get an extra boost. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I hope you like this little episode. I really do feel like it may contain a little something for everyone. So, in that vein: won't you share it around? I feel like it's the end of Ghostbusters 2 and we're all covered in that slime and we just need to lock arms and sing "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher" to make the world better. Or maybe the end of Scrooged when they sing "Put A...

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Adam Scheinberg: The Path Music Set For His Life

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:13:00 GMT

Episode 63 features Adam Scheinberg, who wears and has worn many hats in his life. Adam is the architect of Phish.net (as you know it today). He also did a lot of the masterminding of AllThings.Umphreys.com and does a major portion of the web work for them. If that somehow isn't enough for you (because it wasn't for Adam!), he is also the president of the Mockingbird Foundation.

Adam was directed to me by Brando Rich of Cash or Trade (you may remember him from episode 54). Adam had helped with some of the initial frameworks for the CashorTrade site and their coding, so it was cool that Brando thought to recommend him for the podcast.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Adam's family actually originated from the state of New York. Some of his family still resides in Connecticut, while he has actually moved down that coast a bit to reside in Florida. He starts off with some pretty astounding quick hits about his Grandfather and his life.

Adam was set to follow in his own Father's footsteps: becoming a lawyer. He tells about the day that he was set to turn in his paperwork to apply for law school. He got some serious cold feet on what his previous plan for life had been and that became every bit the life-changing event that it sounds like.

This path change ended up leading to Adam taking some time off to head out of the U.S., following Phish on their European tour in 1998 after he graduated college. Looking forward to "an adventure that had no direction", Adam packed his bags and headed off alone to travel to Europe.

Following his amazing time in Europe, meeting some people who would re-enter his life later down the road, Adam entered the world of computer programming. His disdain for the setlist randomizer on Phish.net led to him reaching out to offer to fix it for them. This became, really, the catalyst for him eventually taking on a complete re-write of the Phish.net website.

He originally started kind of toying with the site while Phish was on hiatus. Coincidentally, their decision to reunite came while Adam was working on re-tooling the site. The powers that be contacted Adam, essentially asking him how much longer it would take for him to have the site reconstructed and ready to go.

Adam shares my respect for Umphrey's McGee and said "they are a band not afraid of taking technical risks". He talked a little bit about having written the tools to specifically help the band write their setlists. I have always been very real and forthcoming about how much I love what the band and their management does. They are imaginative, they are extremely thoughtful about their fans, they think way outside of the box and they love to keep it fresh.

I loved hearing the stories that Adam told about the band and their dedication to their craft for what they play onstage at their shows, as well as for the product they deliver overall to the fans. I shared a story of my own from an LA show that I got to spend some time backstage with the band before the show and how a tease made its way into a song that night and how I got to see it all take shape. A special moment that I don't take for granted at all.

After working our way further into his professional life, we made our way through his personal and family life as well. Adam talks about meeting his wife, their marriage and quickly starting their family. We evolved into talking about TV and movies with our kids and some of the things each of us have lucked out with our kids watching that isn't as painful as, say, Caillou (not really at all sorry, Caillou).

It took us a while to get to it, but Adam talked about his move into the Mockingbird Foundation. He created some goals for the foundation and eventually made the tough decision to step down from Phish.net. I'm shortening this (that's what the episode is for, people!), but eventually this all just led to Adam becoming the President of the Mockingbird Foundation. Some of the stories he tells about grants that he has been able to be a part of with the Foundation are completely...

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Bill Protzmann: The Life Saving Power of Music

Thu, 16 May 2019 11:09:00 GMT

Episode 62 features a semi-lengthy and fully beautiful conversation with Bill Protzmann, a man with a unique and fascinating life story. The common thread weaving through Bill's entire life is music. And it's music that literally saved his life, some nearly 12 years ago now.

Bill and I started talking and I could quickly tell this was going to be another great discussion. I won't deny it, there have been times when I've second-guessed the idea of doing all of these "interviews" unscripted. So many of my guests, unknowingly, remind me why I don't plan any of these conversations out, though.

Bill has been playing piano since he was 3 years old. His Mom was a teacher and he was actually her first student. As a self-proclaimed difficult child, Bill sees how much playing the piano helped give him some direction and force some of the engagement that assisted with his development.

Though he didn't realize it at the time, Bill knows now that he was very depressed as a kid. This was something he worked through in different ways in his adult years, as he started to recognize it and gain some self-awareness.

In his 30's, Bill discovered that his Father's Father had actually taken his own life. He became curious whether there was a trait that was passed down that perhaps led to Bill's own dealings with depression and suicide.

"It's [suicide] also a part of my family history. Maybe it's part of more family histories than we really know. It's not something that people talked about until recently. So, it's good we're talking about these things because it makes them less terrifying... less of a stigma."

We talked a lot in this conversation about feelings and emotions. There is definitely a stigma or an idea of "bad" placed on so many of our natural human emotions: sadness, anger, etc. Bill and I agreed that experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions is absolutely healthy. It's what you do with them that is the important part.

During this episode, we inserted two different sections of music. The first is an actual recording Bill made for this episode of playing "Till There Was You" on the piano. The song was originally in the musical "The Music Man" and was a part of a medley that Bill used to perform publicly. When he told of one such, very moving and meaningful, performance, it only became obvious that it would enrich the episode by including it.

The other song you'll hear is the Etude-Tableau In A Minor, Op. 39, No. 2, written by the great Rachmaninoff. This is the piece of music that effectively saved Bill's life back in 2007. The story Bill tells of the fateful night that he was deciding to give up on life is as real as it gets. Episode spoiler alert: Bill LIVED! Is that a spoiler? Maybe not. But, I am absolutely delighted to say that he is still breathing.

A bit of a surprise here: this is actually the first time I've talked about my own suicide attempt at all on the podcast. I'm actually maybe more surprised by that than any of you. I consider myself an extremely open book, so there's really no good reason that I haven't talked about it. So, I was actually all in for finally opening that part of my life on the podcast.

A lot of the men in the Protzmann family served in some form of the military. Unfortunately, Bill's poor vision kept him from becoming a pilot like he had wanted to. However, late in the 2000's, Bill found another way to serve: by helping veterans.

So, Bill decided to do with music for others what it had done for him. He chose to take the music they love to give them a way to find peace and inspiration. He has seen how music can change the landscape of physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual self care. He's gone beyond just making this a part of veterans' lives to also using it with homeless people.

To learn more about Bill and his work, you can visit www.billprotzmann.com or visit his site to read and learn more about the work he does with others at www.musiccare.net. If you want to check out the scope of the music care work...

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Rob Gorski: The Autism Dad

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 13:34:00 GMT

In episode 61, I had a life-altering conversation with Rob Gorski, creator of "The Autism Dad". Life-altering is an appropriate and not exaggerated description of our discussion. I, of course, am hopeful it has anywhere close to that effect and meaning for at least some of you.

As I said in my intro: Rob is one of those people that, to me, are deserving of the title "hero". Truly. Rob's ability to overcome some of the challenges he and his family are faced with is the stuff heroes are made of. Their "normal" day-to-day is extremely unique. And, I'm sure Rob would scoff at me for saying that or maybe politely thank me for it. But, the things Rob does that seem so amazing to me, he would probably just shrug and tell me how it really is just his life. And... that's what makes it heroic to me.

I truly feel very humbled after speaking with Rob. Hearing these stories about how much his family overcomes daily. How much they have overcome already. It also inspires me to know that I can do so much more, in so many ways. Not just in my own life... but for others, as well.

Rob has three autistic children at home. His wife has Aspergers and is autistic as well. Their 19-year-old son also has childhood disintegrative disorder. This means, though he is 19 years of age, his cognitive level is about at that of a 6 or 5-year old, and it's regressing.

This conversation with Rob opened the door to possibly the first time I have spoken at any length on the podcast about my daughter's autism. She does very well and is extremely high-functioning. But, that wasn't always the case. She definitely had a tough first section of her life, filled with lots of time with therapists in our home and outside of it.

I brought up the story of Carly Fleischmann that I had seen years ago on a 20/20 special. My daughter was young and already into her therapies when the video about Carly came out. At that time, we really had no idea where things would go for our little girl, but it gave me hope, all the same.

As we went back into Rob's history, he talked about his childhood, born in the late 70's and raised in Ohio as one of 6 kids. His parents were very religious and worked hard to send all of the kids to Catholic school, locally. As a kid who spent pretty much all of my years in private school, as well, we dug into private education a little.

As our conversation meandered into this topic, Rob shared something from his past that was something else I could truly empathize with: abuse. Let's just say that the way the adults surrounding him responded to what he told them about what happened from someone involved in the local parish understandably put an indelible mark on Rob regarding the Catholic church and organized religion.

You can't have a conversation about organized religion (or maybe, the Catholic church?) without touching on tolerance and acceptance, right? Our road led us there next and, I'd say a great deal of our episode really was steeped in that: Tolerance, Acceptance and Love.

Rob told me that he has gotten some flack from people on social media for voicing his opinion on politics and other things. Rather than people seeing the big picture of what our current government is doing that has massive effects on people with autism or other disabilities, some are telling Rob to "stay in his lane" and stick to the autism advocacy. Which, Rob states very succinctly in this episode, very well means that he absolutely has things to say about other things that really do affect his family and those with autism.

"...I want to be standing on the right side of history. I want my kids to know that I was not okay with this. That I spoke up... and I stood up... and I did everything in my power, as one person, to counter this..." Rob said, in regards to everything going on with the current state of hate and lack of acceptance on a grand scale in society right now.

I'd have to say, one of the funnier moments of the episode was when I tried to use an analogy that did not hit its mark with Rob...

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Will Henson: Living a Unique Adventure

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 13:04:00 GMT

In episode 60, Will Henson tells us all about the adventures of his life. These are not just his adventures, but those of his Dad and his Mom during his youth, as well.

Will came to the podcast via Episode 56's guest Jon Loomis. So, a special thanks to Jon for leading such a great man to Daddy Unscripted.

When Will first emailed me, I couldn't have been more surprised by some of the things he quickly mentioned about his childhood. His parents' research of bats and mentioning to me that he was catching bats in Jamaica had me extremely interested, to say the least.

Spending much of his life on the east coast, Will tells some great stories of adventuring about from his childhood. He talks about being quite the nerd in High School, which I really associated with. It's not too hard to believe that a young Will decided to just up and move to Alaska.

As someone who, at times, was not afraid to try very new things and places in life, I am so massively inspired by Will's fearless life. We talked a bit about what it's like to "settle down" a little later in life.

Will's professional life is not exactly boring, either. He is a licensed psychologist who works a lot in the threat assessment space with schools in his locale. I'm sad that something like this has to exist at all, let alone, has as much involvement as it does these days. But, obviously the need is there and his role is very important.

Will has not only helped create a website that helps train educators; he has also developed and designed a historical board game. As in his childhood, he now spends a significant amount of time taking his two daughters fishing with him. He provided me with some amazing photos, that I will share at the end of this post with you all.

You can find more about Will's work by visiting www.321insight.com

You can also check out the board game he designed by visiting www.historicalboardgaming.com

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify| Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Benjamin Dixon Is Building A Great Legacy

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 13:39:00 GMT

Another episode that Twitter gets a lot of the glory for bringing me yet another fantastic guest. I am not one to spend my time in just one arena. I think that goes for pretty much all aspects of my life. True, when I get into something I really get into that something. But, I throw my net pretty wide.

For some years now, I have been extremely interested in the things that are not right in front of my face. That meant looking outside of mainstream media and network news. This opened my eyes to a lot of the things that are starting to get a little more light shed on them lately.

I shake my head as I type this. How is it possible we are still talking about racism? And as I type that sentence, I feel like it makes me appear ignorant. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel with this post. I'm not trying to write something to have it go viral. Now, that would be ignorant. But, a big part of me wants to scream out: "HOW IS RACISM STILL SO PREVALENT?!"

As a person who happens to be white (I credit that phrase to Amanda Seales), it deeply saddens me that this is still an issue. In many ways, it really doesn't seem like we have gained that much ground since 'the old days'. Over the past couple of years alone, the racist acts that you can find pretty much daily... it's just astonishing. And in my whiteness, my maleness and my not getting any youngerness, it's all downright embarrassing and leaves me incredulous at times. And, yes, I'm aware I just put my own self into a category right there.

During my personal search for more reality (good or bad), it has led me to a lot of people I respect in many ways. Benjamin Dixon is someone I stumbled upon via Twitter at some point in 2018. I very quickly recognized his fire for putting the spotlight on important issues. At the time, I wasn't aware of what Benjamin was working on in the background.

We recorded this episode a couple of weeks before its initial launch, but on Valentine's Day, The North Star was officially (re)birthed into the world. A project of Benjamin and Shaun King's, the North Star was originally an abolitionist newspaper established in 1847 by Frederick Douglass.

Taken from their website: "Started in 1847 by Frederick Douglass & Dr. Martin Delany as the leading abolitionist newspaper of its day, we have rebuilt and relaunched The North Star as a modern hub for liberation journalism. Every article, podcast, broadcast, and story that we tell will not just be told to change the news. The North Star is here to change the world."

I reached out to Benjamin late last year and I'd almost be okay with describing myself as giddy that he was interested in recording for Daddy Unscripted with me. I felt like I knew a decent amount about Ben's life going into the recording but quickly learned I truly had no idea.

As we talked, it really started unfolding how many similarities we had. From our youthful years with fathers that were pastors to many of our tales as Dads, we have a lot of common ground.

You'll hear us get a little emotional in this episode as we talk about missing our Dads. Benjamin gives a solid history of his life before I nudge him into a history of his career. I'm so happy we were able to record this episode during such a busy time for Benjamin. Make sure you check out all of the things that keep Benjamin busy and the ways that he is working to make things better and clearer for others of us in the world.

Go to Benjamin's Twitter to find links to pretty much everything, username @BenjaminPDixon. Also, make sure you check out The North Star at www.TheNorthStar.com

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

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Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro...

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David Newhan: Living a Major League Miracle

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:29:00 GMT

In Episode 58, former major league baseball player David Newhan tells some remarkable stories. He fought through his minor league journey and when his shot for making a big league roster arrived, he made it impossible for them to put him back on the bench. When he had a horrific accident nearly 10 years ago, he fought, quite literally, for his life with that very same tenacity.

In October of 2016, Episodes 19 & 20 of the podcast featured my conversations with hall of fame baseball writer Ross Newhan. Yes. You're making the right connection there: Ross is David's dad. When I sat with Ross, the hope was always that he and David would become a Father/Son package on Daddy Unscripted at some point. That time has finally arrived.

David had unique access to professional baseball players from a young age. He was born into a home with two baseball-loving parents and his interest in baseball never wavered. While his dad was working over the long and grueling seasons, David was busy bettering himself as a young baseball player. And he did it well. So well that he went on to play in college.

Following a season at Cypress College, David went on to play for Georgia Tech in 1993. His teammates there included Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Jay Payton. To complete his collegiate play, he spent the next two years back in California, putting up huge numbers at Pepperdine University. He was drafted in the amateur draft later that year by the Oakland A's organization.

David spent 3 years in the A's minor league system before being traded to the Padres. His career then went the way of many minor league journeymen: he has played at the minor and major league level for 10 different baseball organizations. It was with the Orioles that David saw his most significant success. In 2004, during a call-up to the big league club, he took the baseball world by storm. He even had a 20-game hit streak.

One of the moments a lot of baseball people may remember most would be a hit off of Pedro Martinez in Fenway Park. He drove the ball deep off of the center field wall, Johnny Damon fielded it and threw it toward the infield. Out of nowhere, and for completely unknown reasons, Manny Ramirez cut off the throw going to the cut-off man. In a true display of "Manny Being Manny", the oddball play allowed for Newhan to get an inside-the-park home run off of one of the best pitchers to play the game.

His career hit some turbulence in the seasons to follow; some significant injuries did not help. In 2009, David was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a player-coach for their Triple-A squad. That summer, while at his home in Oceanside, CA, everything would change.

David's re-telling of the fateful day surfing in the ocean brought chills, even though I am no stranger to the story. Remarkable, amazing, astounding, unbelievable and miraculous: all of these words come to mind to describe what took place. As he dove unsuspectingly into a sandbar and fractured his C2 vertebrae. The injury is known by doctors as "the Hangman's fracture" -- it's the same injury that actor Christopher Reeve suffered that left him a quadriplegic.

It is truly almost insane to think that David was not only somehow able to keep from drowning in the ocean, but he made it to shore and was able to walk home. If that's not enough to wow you, consider the fact that in 2011 David accepted an invitation to spring training with the San Diego Padres.

After spending some time as the assistant hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers, David's path has brought him right back to California. He is about to start his third season as the Angels' minor league infield coordinator. I would be shocked if David isn't managing a big league team at some point in his career.

I encourage anyone to complete the circle by listening to both of the Newhan generations' tales of life. It's very interesting to hear the connections between their stories. I know that sounds so obvious that I must be dumb for even pointing it out. But, with both of their...

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Michael Shields: Writer, Podcaster, Father

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 14:29:00 GMT

Episode 57 features Michael Shields, editor in chief of Across The Margin (in its written and Podcast format). Michael not only has his "Beyond The Margin" podcast on the Osiris Podcast Network; he also is a part of the Welcome To The Party, Pal podcast and the God, Ween, Evan podcast. Yeah... I thought I was busy, too. Michael finds time for all of this, somehow, as well as for being a Dad!

Michael and I have wanted to sit down and do an episode for my podcast for a long time now. Somehow, I even ended up recording with someone he sent my way (Evan Kaufman) before I actually recorded with him! Finally, we made it work, and we probably could have talked all night.

I can definitely sense a difference in these conversations when they are done with other people who talk with people on a podcast. I think that became instantly obvious with Michael and me, as we were kind of all over the place from the moment we started recording.

To say Michael's stories were unique would be a massive understatement. The story he tells about when his Dad nearly died some years ago had me in complete disbelief. Talk about events with truly amazing timing. You will want to hear him tell that story. I don't want to spoil it here. Seriously. So, listen in. I will say: it was one of two experiences Michael has been through that has slapped him across the face with that truth of "life is fleeting".

Let me throw a little info out to you about his podcast. Across the Margin's "Beyond The Margin" has had some fantastic guests, and I will throw out a few of them to you: Micah White who created Occupy Wall Street, Dr. Genevieve Guenther who runs End Climate Silence. org, Jack Bryan the documentarian behind Active Measures the famed Russia doc. I could go on...but he has had a great many other musicians, comedians, actors, writers, and more. So you really need to check out all forms of Across the Margin.

I highly encourage you to seek out Michael's work on his website at www.acrossthemargin.com and check out all of the podcasts he is involved in!

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Jon Loomis of Baseballism

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 13:04:00 GMT

For Episode 56, Jon Loomis, one of the founders of Baseballism, talks about his Dad, his childhood, his early relationship with his wife, being a Dad and what led to the creation of Baseballism as we know it today.

For you fans and regulars of the podcast: you know about my love for baseball. I haven't been as direct, however, about my tremendous respect for well-run and unique companies/brands. So, diving into the people behind Baseballism to inquire about good guests for the podcasts wasn't a reach. I'm always impressed and grateful when things come together like this from my "cold calls" for guests.

Jon couldn't have been a better find for the podcast. His childhood history was really interesting and unique. I mentioned this at the end of the episode: his life could have gone a completely different way so easily. While his Dad was a JAG in the military (yes, just like that tv show you may remember), Jon spent his early youth in Naples, Italy. At about the age of 6, his parents moved them back to America, landing in Oregon.

This father-son story is a little different from a lot of former guests; Jon and his Dad didn't have a lot of shared interests. I enjoyed having that reminder since I've become so accustomed to hearing the opposite: there is a very solid bond, as it is, between family members. Regardless of any outside interests or passions that may connect two people in a bigger way, when it comes down to it, there is a least common denominator: they are family.

Jon played a lot of baseball during the course of his life: starting as a kid, playing through high school and into his college years. So, baseball was a pretty consistent part of his life. The group of guys he played baseball with during college became lifelong friends. Within that group is where the seeds of Baseballism would eventually grow from.

Similar to his own parents' love story, Jon met his wife in high school and they married before they were 25 years old. Jon spent a good amount of his professional life in the world of finance. It was 2012 when Jon's friend Travis sat with others about what his plan was for the potential evolution of "Baseballism", which had been a baseball camp for kids prior to that.

I love the mindset behind Baseballism's products. I love the success story of what they have created. I love the incredibly intelligent path they have taken with their business model and how they plotted their course. And I loved having this opportunity to learn so much about Jon Loomis along the way.

You can and should absolutely go and find Baseballism on their website at www.baseballism.com or find them by name on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Former MLB Pitcher Ryan Dempster

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 13:25:00 GMT

Episode 55, the final episode of 2018, features Ryan Dempster as my guest. I am not going to be presumptuous about your knowledge of who that is. So, here's some details before we get too far.

Ryan is a former MLB pitcher. He came up through the Florida Marlins organization and eventually went on to play for the Red, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox. His longest stint was that of 8 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and he finished his career with the Boston Red Sox.

Not just because of my ridiculous passion for the Red Sox, but let me tell you a little more about his grand finale as a major leaguer. His final season was in 2013. That's the year of the Boston Marathon Bombings.

We covered a lot of ground in this episode. Ryan told about his Dad and Mom's history, how they met and what kind of man his Dad was before Ryan and his brothers entered the world. His respect for the hard work his Dad put in to provide for their family was clear and obvious, and it sounded well-deserved. Currently, a retired fire chief, his Dad is the Executive Director of the Dempster Family Foundation of Canada.

The foundation was founded about a year after Ryan's daughter Riley was born with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome during the 2009 baseball season. The genetic disease is the second most common genetic disorder in the world. The foundation has grown and evolved over the years and has now transferred over to the 22q Family Foundation.

If you're no stranger to the podcast, you've heard me use the word "kindness" a lot. Even as part of bigger terms like human kindness or gentle kindness. Ryan and I really dove into this, heartily agreeing about how much people in this world could benefit from being nicer to one another. I mentioned in an email later to Ryan that, in relation to what we talked about, I should trademark "Outbreak of Kindness".

Ryan's career path, like any other baseball player, is quite the journey. As we walked down memory lane, we paused for a bit to talk about his special final season as part of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox team. He talked about how much that championship meant for the city of Boston, so much more so than for even the players who won it. With everything that city went through in the month of April that year, even if you weren't watching baseball at that time, or rooting for the Red Sox, you can easily recognize what that meant to the people who adopted the moniker Boston Strong.

The last pitch Ryan made in the major leagues was in that World Series. As a matter of fact, his final pitch was the final pitch of a strikeout that sealed the Game 1 win for the Red Sox. As remarkable as that is; as meaningful and important... Ryan looks back on how amazing his time was with the Cubs as the years that meant maybe the most to him.

Now, aside from work for the 22q Family Foundation, Ryan spends time working for the MLB Network as an analyst, works as a special assistant to Theo Epstein with the Cubs and holds something called "Off The Mound", similar to a late night talk show, where he sits and talks on a stage with other athletes. He is also very happily busy being a Dad... all the more so with the very recent birth of another daughter.

You can find more about the 22q Family Foundation on the web at https://22qfamilyfoundation.org/. On Twitter, you can follow Ryan at: @Dempster46. You can also check out Off the Mound on Twitter at: @OffTheMound.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Brando Rich of Cash or Trade

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 13:37:00 GMT

Episode 54 is my conversation with Brando Rich, co-founder of "Cash or Trade". If you enjoy going to concerts, you should definitely check Cash or Trade out (either via their website or their app on your smartphone).

Brando and I took a long walk down his life's road before we got to where he is today. He told a lot of stories about his childhood in the Northeast. I really enjoyed the tales that went beyond teenage mischief about himself and his brother. As teenagers, their love for music and concerts whisked them away on some pretty wild adventures. Oh, by the way, his brother Dusty is the other co-founder of Cash or Trade.

Brando told the story of their aha moment that led to the creation of Cash or Trade. It's remarkable to me that a couple of guys who got the shaft trying to get tickets to a big Phish show were driven to create something as radical as Cash or Trade: an idea based around creating a community of people committed to selling and buying tickets at face value. And those people are you and me.

Brando's stories about life with his brother really resonated with me. I'm no stranger to having a brother that is basically your best friend. I have been blessed by one of my brothers and the relationship we have had since I can remember. And, much like Brando and Dusty, we love music and the experience of concerts. So, it was pretty neat to hear someone else talking about things that felt so much like some parts of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything.

You can find Cash Or Trade on the web at www.cashortrade.org. You can also download their app on your smartphone. On Twitter, they are at: @CashOrTrade. You can also visit them on their Facebook page.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Evan Kaufman: Formerly a Dude, Now a Dad (and so much more...)

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:37:00 GMT

In Episode 53, you'll get to meet the hilarious Evan Kaufman. Evan is another fellow plate-spinner, like me, tackling numerous projects all at once and laughing in the face of fear of new(ish) parenthood whilst doing so. You might even say he guffaws at it. People may look at you funny if you do. But, go ahead. Try it anyway.

We really tackled a lot of different topics in this conversation. We kicked right in with a discussion about the early phases of a baby and the common difficulty of the bond with dad during those early times because of the "blank slate" that young baby can represent.

We joked a little about the difference between us and our wives with what we choose to binge watch or even watch in bed before bedtime. Evan and I, similarly, watch dark stuff and things that dig into our souls a little. I won't speak for his wife, but my wife would much rather re-watch a light sitcom for the 20th time than delve into something that may prove to be a little heavy or suspenseful. My wife is still trying to erase her memory of our journey with the show Lost.

Evan talks a bit about his grandparents and their deep roots in Wisconsin and how his Dad created the beginning of change by moving out of Wisconsin. Evan's Dad lost his Dad when he was under 25 years old. So, for those who have followed the podcast to this point or have heard me talk about my circumstances, I can absolutely empathize with what that can look like. We even get into how, given[ his Dad's technique at wooing his Mom, there was a possibility Evan could not have even come to exist.

Our discussion about Evan and his wife walked us down the road of the collaborative effort that "adulting" can be with partners in parenting. We praised our wives and that praise then got heaped onto women in general. Just a little reminder that this podcast isn't just for men or only about men. Without woman: there is no man. And, certainly (and obviously), without woman: there is no Dad.

Evan praises his Dad for how great he was with managing time and being creative with doing things with his kids. We got a little into the battle between wanting to share experiences that we loved as children with our kids and wanting to give them experiences that we maybe missed out on. The story Evan tells about being a teenager and bailing out on his Dad to hang with friends is that gut-punch that we all fear as parents... dreading that moment when our kids no longer have the same level of interest in us.

We had a discussion about how important it is for people, not just men, to advocate for themselves. Evan primarily brought this up in relation to his feeling like his Dad maybe didn't excel at that... and didn't maybe chase things that he would have liked to do in life. The things that get left on peoples' live's proverbial shelf to gather dust for maybe no great reason is kind of saddening. Especially things that people can do within the realm of everything else going on in their life. Evan's observance of that in his Dad's life really struck a chord and I appreciated him bringing it up so my audience can think about that, in case they are leaving things un-done or not really attempted in their own lives.

Did you all read that last part? Go back and read that. Make some plans to do some things you've set aside. Now we can move along in this further after you've done that.

I used to work in the cubicle world. Oh, boy... did I ever. I worked for a big beverage company (I won't name-drop here...) for a little over 5 years about 12 years ago. I eventually worked my way into their Accounting department before leaving that company for another cubicle job. At that large company, I worked for 13 plus years, working internationally, traveling a ton and basically doing a cubicle-type, semi-monotonous and severely unrewarding job. So, when I talked with Evan about how I know that feeling of being unfulfilled by the thing that you are spending the majority of your waking hours doing, I really meant it.

Life can really be a cycle in that way....

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Chris Plowman Talks Fatherhood and Card Collecting

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:51:00 GMT

Episode 52 is my conversation with Chris Plowman. Have you gotten tired of hearing me say how I met my guest on Twitter? If so, hold on tight... because I met Chris on Twitter. Shocking, right?

I am definitely not unique in the fact that a lot of my childhood involved collecting and trading baseball cards. I have immensely fond memories of riding the public bus with my brother for sometimes close to an hour to get to a (somewhat) local card shop to flip through old cards for any wanted gems of favorite players. We would usually leave with at least as many individual cards or "wax packs" of cards that our minimal allowance would yield us.

My son was born in 2012. Around the time of his 1st birthday in 2013, I decided to start collecting cards again. I thought it might be neat to get a full set of Topps baseball cards for every year of his life and present them to him when he is maybe 12 years old or so. It just so happens that my beloved Red Sox won the World Series that year. So that really helped push me along and even start collecting Red Sox only cards on the side of this new project for my own enjoyment.

When I was little, we used to walk around with a folder of our most prized cards, or ones we thought we may want to try and trade with other people. Your trading efforts didn't easily expand beyond friends at school or in your own neighborhood. Well, once I got a little more into it all recently, I discovered another use for social media. Wow. What a difference it all makes. So, there were all these other people online who were collecting and trading. Adults... like me! It did actually surprise me a little.

After some time, I stumbled into Kidority Kards, a group that formed to give away cards and all kinds of cool things for kids who are collectors. I was not only impressed by this idea, but I knew I wanted to know more about it.

This all leads to my conversation with Chris Plowman here. Chris is heavily involved with Kidority Kards, a fellow collector and sports fan and, of course, a Dad!

Chris has a truly unique story to tell not only about his own upbringing but also of his life as a Dad. His stories are pretty real and raw, just the way we like it here on Daddy Unscripted. Chris is a really nice guy and I was excited to get the time to talk with him here.

You can find all of the different links Chris mentioned on Twitter at: @BuckCityBreaks or @KIDorityKards or you can look either up on Facebook. You can also go here to visit The Hobby Lounge on Facebook.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Brian Brinkman: Beyond Beyond The Pond

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 14:41:00 GMT

Episode 51 is the second half of my conversation with fellow podcaster, fellow Dad, fellow music and sports fanatic: Brian Brinkman. Brian makes up one half of the team that brings you the Beyond the Pond podcast. If you haven't heard checked out that podcast yet and you love music, you should make sure to make your way over to them.

Beyond the Pond is a partner podcast with Daddy Unscripted in the Osiris Podcast network. Shortly after the Osiris network officially launched, Brian and I started the conversation about our desire to connect for these episodes. I can't believe it took us this long... but I couldn't be more emphatic in telling you that this was absolutely worth the wait.

Brian is yet another guest that shares my intense passion for both sports and for music. This episode taps into a lot of that. We talk about how important both of those are to many people and the why and how of both of them tapping into something deeper between humans. Between strangers, even. I am not shy about talking about how many friendships I have that revolve around one or both of those common interests I share with that person. I think even my wife gets embarrassed when we are out and either my music-related clothing or Red Sox attire I may have on allow me to strike up, what may seem to her like an un-ending conversation with a total stranger.

Brian is one of "those guys". Yes, I just put that in quotes because I am about to put him into a category. Sorry, Brian. But, he is immensely intelligent and has a Venus Flytrap of a brain when it comes to information. I envy people like this, I gotta admit. But you'll get to hear Brian rattle off a lot of his favorite Phish shows at the end of this episode that will have you grabbing your collection or looking up setlists to find some new (possibly, to you) shows to listen to. You'll also hear some of his "Island Albums" that aren't by Phish. Always a fun bit of info to get from someone who loves music as much as Brian does.

Like I said in the notes from our previous episode: Brian is one of those incredibly genuine great guys and I do believe that comes through very clearly to you as you listen to either halves of our conversation.

The "Beyond the Pond" podcast can be found pretty much anywhere you find your podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, etc.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Brian Brinkman: Beyond The Dad

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 14:28:00 GMT

Episode 50 is the first half of my conversation with fellow podcaster, fellow Dad, fellow music fanatic: Brian Brinkman. Brian makes up one half of the team that brings you the Beyond the Pond podcast. If you haven't heard checked out that podcast yet and you love music, you should make sure to make your way over to them.

Brian has a very close relationship with his Dad... from his time as a youth to today. He describes pretty fully how much the two of them share a lot of the same interests and passions in life. This conversation almost makes me want to start a scorecard detailing Fathers & Sons that have great relationships that share interests in a significant manner.

I got a little emotional during our conversation and that was even a little bit more heartfelt as I was re-listening and editing this episode. The paternal line in Brian's family is a really cool story. The strength of that bond is remarkable and, as silly as I felt saying it to him: I told him that I was happy and excited for him that he has that in his life. Part of that really was because of what a genuinely good person Brian is. I think that will all come through very clearly to you as you listen to this half of our long conversation.

The "Beyond the Pond" podcast can be found pretty much anywhere you find your podcasts: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, etc.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Father's Day 2018

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 13:21:00 GMT

Episode 49... so close to 50 and it's a mini-episode. Father's Day is always a perfect opportunity for me to sit and get a little personal. Father's Day and Thanksgiving always bring that out of me on the podcast and it should allow those of you with shorter timeframes to listen to an episode a great chance to get an actual full episode in a single sitting!

This is my 3rd Annual Father's Day episode. And I'm getting closer to the mark of 30 years of Father's Days without my Dad around to celebrate them with. And this is officially my 10th Father's Day with "Dad" as part of my title or job description or lifestyle. I'm thrilled about that!

For those of you who may have missed my previous Father's Day episodes, let me bring you up to speed -- though, you really should go back and listen to those, too -- My Dad's last Father's Day was during my Senior year in High School. The doctors had very recently diagnosed him with brain cancer. I was 17 and that was the last time I would be able to praise him according to the holiday for being the fantastic Father that he had been to me and my 7 siblings.

In this episode, I spent a little less time focusing on that part of the holiday. Due to current events in the world that are weighing on me as a Father, this episode took a bit of a different turn. Don't get frightened by that; again, I avoided getting political. But, I couldn't avoid bringing in the recent death of Anthony Bourdain. As a fellow Dad, his suicide really affected me. All the more because of my own suicide attempt when I was 21 years old. Yes. You read that right. Have I not told you how imperfect I am?

As the survivor of a suicide attempt, having lived through being in a coma for 3 plus days, I am now fully aware of how precious life is. I completely get that every breath I have had on this planet for the past 24 years or so is a complete gift to me that I am pretty much undeserving of. I do firmly believe that this podcast is one of my life's efforts to deserve this bonus time I am living on.

So, it should go without saying how I feel that much more blessed to have my little family. My wife, my daughter, my son... it is all a miracle. A true miracle. I should not be alive right now. Not only because I tried to make that happen so long ago, but even the Doctors at that time said they were amazed I came out of my coma, that my body fought through it all.

I am a firm believer in speaking openly about these events... even if I can be a positive in one person's life: that is all absolutely worth it.

This episode contained my first shout-outs and inclusion of some of you out there! Listeners and followers on social media were asked a question and I read a few of the responses from Twitter and Facebook near the end of this episode.

I also went into a discussion about how we all should live our lives a little bit in that manner: wanting to make a difference for someone else. It can even be the most simple and minor thing. Affecting someone's day today could change lives down the road. It could have a snowball effect on how they treat others that same day and so on and so on.

I know that changing the world isn't that simple. It's not that easy. Those are not the answers to some of what plagues our planet or certain countries or societies. But it can be so simple to spread love, happiness, joy and -- something I talk about a fair amount on my podcast -- humankindness.

Let's all try to do that a little more... right? Many thanks to all of you listening. And tremendous thanks to the Dads who have been a part of my podcast and to those that are about to be a part of it, as well!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Chris Lizotte: His Music History & Is There Good Christian Music?

Tue, 22 May 2018 14:38:00 GMT

Episode 48 is the long-awaited second half of my conversation with Chris Lizotte. I'll repeat what I started Episode 47 with as my description of Chris, that he is known as and for a great many things by a great many people. He is a successful Christian music artist --

Wait! Where are you going?! I say the words "Christian music" and you want to leave this episode behind already? Well, you'll be missing out. This is another great episode filled with a lot of laughter, deep conversation and we got really close to tears as well. Or, maybe that was just me.

Again, I took these episodes with Chris as a direct challenge to make them extremely listenable for people of any and all faiths. Chris is an incredibly humble man who has done a lot of great things with his talents and gifts. We originally met about 25 years ago when a band I was singing in (yes... you read that correctly) opened up a couple/few times for Chris at various local spots.

This episode doesn't exactly start right where the previous episode left off. Maybe more than some other 2-parters, you really will benefit from listening to the 1st part with Chris and I.

We dig in a little more into some of the different backstory of Chris' path through music and becoming a fully-fledged recording artist: starting with his start shortly after high school with a band called The Spiritones. It was a few years later when I first met Chris and the band I was singing in (we were called 99) opened for and performed with him. Though Chris really urged me to, I saved you all and avoided putting any of that band's music on this episode.

We touched on a lot of the different iterations of Chris' bands and held out some high praise for a lot of the grandiose musicians that have played with him over the years: Ray "Sleepy Ray" McDonald, Shawn Tubbs and, most recently, Marc Ford (yes... that Marc Ford, formerly of the Black Crowes).

I teased this a little in my post of the 1st episode. This is way more on my shoulders than on Chris'... so, if anyone is going to complain, it should be to me. I dove right into the lions' den and brought up the topic of: "Why is so much Christian music just not great?!" It's something I have wondered for decades. I talked about a time long ago when I really tried to find more Christian music to listen to and how difficult and nearly completely unfruitful that search was for me. And, yes... I did in fact say during this episode that Christian music is like the brussel sprouts of music.

Chris challenged me a little on my thoughts on this. We talked about how "the industry" works... and I know that can go for the music industry, in general. Heck... that can go for nearly any entertainment industry, when you really think about it.

Christ brought up some of the early music that was not called "Christian music" before "the industry" came in and started taking over. Artists like Mavis Staples, Alison Krauss and even Bob Dylan. After recording this episode, Chris listed out a few more artists I should check out. Let me just tease this out right now: this entire conversation has led to me starting to work on a new podcast that delves into this. It's in its infant stages... but keep your eyes and ears open for that.

A list of the music on this episode: Chris Lizotte "Change My Heart Oh God", The Black Peppercorns "Helplessly in Love", Dicky Ochoa "My Beloved", The Black Peppercorns "Please", Chris Lizotte "Sweet Mercy", Chris Lizotte "Close to Your Heart", Richfolk "Peace in the Middle of the Storm", Chris Lizotte "Glory to the King > I Shall Be Released".

Chris Lizotte's music can be found pretty much anywhere you stream your music: iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, Pandora, etc.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Chris Lizotte: Humble Son, Dad & Rock n' Roller

Fri, 04 May 2018 14:37:00 GMT

Episode 47 of the podcast is here. There aren't many episodes I'm not excited about releasing, let's be honest. And there are many that I am even more excited about just the conversation and recording with my guest. This episode (and the next) have all of that and more. Because, this man is one amazing man... one that I am proud to call my friend and feel not only honored to know and be able to spend time with, but I am incredibly blessed by it, too. Yes. I just used that word: blessed. Don't @ me.

Chris Lizotte is known as and for a great many things by a great many people. He is a successful Christian music artist --

Wait! Where are you going?! I say the words "Christian music" and you want to leave this episode behind already? Well, you'll be missing out. This is a great episode filled with a lot of laughter, deep conversation and we got really close to tears as well. Or, maybe that was just me.

I took this episode (and the next forthcoming one with Chris) as a direct challenge to make them extremely listenable for people of any and all faiths. Chris is an incredibly humble man who has done a lot of great things with his talents and gifts. We originally met about 25 years ago when a band I was singing in (yes... you read that correctly) opened up a couple/few times for Chris at various local spots.

In my day-to-day life, I end up talking quite a bit about leading by example. Chris embodies this. He is one of the most genuine, generous and loving men I have known. He actually reminds me a good deal of my own Dad. And, if you really want to play the Degrees of Separation game, the cool thing is that Chris, for some time now, has been the worship leader at a church in Laguna Beach that is pastored by the same man who was a co-pastor with my Dad way back in the 70's and 80's.

Chris told me some stories I definitely had no clue about before this deep dive into his life. Who knew that his band would be on the same stage as a very young Seattle band, vying for the ear of record producers? You'll want to hear that one.

We also got very real about some of the different struggles that parents in this day and age have to deal with compared to when we were kids. And, as we talked about our transition from kids to adults to parents, we led into the role also of our parents as grandparents and the inevitable path of life transitioning toward death.

I hope you all enjoy this sometimes deep, sometimes hilarious conversation between two friends. Make sure you check this one out so you're ready for what may be seen a little bit of a controversial episode coming soon from the second half of our conversation. You won't want to miss that one. Especially because it could very well prove to be the launching ground for what may become my next podcast that I create and put out for all of you!

Chris Lizotte's music can be found pretty much anywhere you stream your music: iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, Pandora, etc.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Ryan Michler Defied the Odds Without a Solid Manly Leader

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 46 of the podcast is one I've been holding onto for a while now. Another great guest that I waited for the Osiris Pod Network to launch. So, here it finally is: a groundbreaking, inspiring and relentless conversation. My podcast is fairly different from Order of Man, which Ryan created a few years ago. But, this episode with him as a guest finds a pretty solid middle-ground between our two platforms.

I'm not going to say that Ryan and I are complete opposites, because we aren't. Ryan, however, is an extremely manly man. I said it more than once to Ryan: I really looked forward to this conversation because of how much it would expand my own way of thinking to hear his viewpoint.

We went back into Ryan's past a bit to start, as per usual. The stories he had to tell are a new facet to this podcast. Ryan did not really have his biological father around during his entire youth. His Dad chose alcohol over his family, as Ryan put it. Unfortunately, not too much after that, his step-Dad took the exact same path. Ryan's forthcoming discussion about that time for himself, his sister and their Mom was difficult to hear.

Having not just one, but multiple negative father figure models in Ryan's life did not deal the crushing blow that some might expect. We dove into that subject, as well, talking about the importance of rising up against what can be too easily used as a crutch or a behavior excuse for people later in their lives.

Ryan told me he uses his life experiences to help others and that he is a pretty open book about any of his failures. He wasn't lying. We jumped right into how some years back, he and his wife came to a tough time in their relationship and he nearly walked away from her and their first-born son. This is likely one of the most significant turning points in Ryan's life and he described how he turned his original way of thinking upside-down to not only save his marriage, but to eventually go on to create Order of Man to help other men in their lives as well.

Ryan talks about three of the key components that he described men as being designed to be: protectors, providers and presiders. He has been inspiring thousands of men for years now to return to this approach to life and their responsibilities.

Ryan Michler and Order of Man can be found on Twitter at @OrderOfMan

Order of Man is also on Facebook or their website is OrderOfMan.com

His new book: "Sovereignty: The Battle For The Hearts And Minds Of Men" can be purchased here at Amazon or you can but it here at Barnes and Noble

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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James Breakwell: Dad, Author and Exploding Unicorn

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 15:04:07 GMT

Episode 45 of the podcast is one I’m excited to bring to all of you. I was thrilled to receive a favorable response quickly after I originally reached out to James Breakwell. When I stumbled onto his Twitter feed some months ago, I felt a kindred spirit connection right away.

James is probably known to a lot of people by his Twitter handle and website name: Exploding Unicorn. He has been plugging away at bringing the reality and levity of being a parent to other parents via the internet for quite some time now. He typically does not pull punches on his posts and allows the humor and goofiness of his kids fully shine through.

Already very successful with his own true life experiences, he went on to create a new character that grew into massive popularity as well: Very Lonely Luke (under that same username). The account caught the attention of Star Wars fans globally, even as much as attracting Mark Hamill to talk about it. I’m only the tiniest bit envious of that part of the accomplishment.

We did a dive into James’ family history that you probably won’t find in many places. He told some great stories about his own Dad and the traits and characteristics that he acquired from him.

James documented the enduring work he put in to not only make a name for himself with his comedy writing but also connecting with people over the internet. His story is unique and shows his dedication to what he does, his passion for it and his understanding of the work it takes to go beyond the Single Viral Tweet Syndrome.

James Breakwell can be found on Twitter at @XplodingUnicorn

His latest book: “Only Dead On The Inside: A Parent’s Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse” can be purchased here at Amazon

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Tom Keeley Inspires Us To Live Boldly

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:14:47 GMT

Episode 44 of the podcast is the second half of my conversation with Tom Keeley. If I was a fancier type guy who maybe also lived in England, I would probably describe Tom as a rather lovely fellow. He really was a fantastic bloke (look at me being even more British-y!) and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

A lot of you may already know that Tom is the guitarist in the band Thursday. Now, I will be honest here. Thursday isn’t the type of music I would normally seek out these days. There would have been times in previous times of my life that I may have been a little more apt to do that. However, in my steadfastness to research guests and to avoid being that host that says to an author: “I loved your book!” without having read a page of it, I have listened to quite a bit of Thursday. And, legitimately, I am honestly looking forward to seeing them in concert later this year.

During this section of our extended conversation together, Tom talks a lot about the early genesis of his foray into music and being a musician. We compared the two art forms that were his possible life directions at that young age: taking a risk with the whole band thing, or settling into starting a possibly well-grounded career in graphic design.

Our conversation meandered into a discussion about inspiration; inspiration of self and of others, as well. We talked about the importance that self-fulfillment plays in your ability to provide to others in your life.

“…try and find some non-fatal danger to build your character…”

That may be one of my favorite quotes from Tom during our conversation. Tom and I ended up talking quite a lot about the weight of decisions and choices in life. Speaking from his own life experiences, Tom really puts a lot behind the idea that people should take opportunities that may seem a little risky when they are able to. Perhaps something for youth more than for adults. However, we both agreed that some of the crossroads we come to in our lifetime can lead to some amazing things if we don’t always choose the easier or more safe path.

Thursday the band can be found at Thursday.net

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Tom Keeley: From Rockstar To Dad

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 14:47:14 GMT

Episode 43 of the podcast is the first half of my conversation with Tom Keeley. If I was a fancier type guy who maybe also lived in England, I would probably describe Tom as a rather lovely fellow. He really was a fantastic bloke (look at me being even more British-y!) and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.

A lot of you may already know that Tom is the guitarist in the band Thursday. Tom was led to me by previous guest, RJ, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Although my immediate thought when I looked up Tom and his band was, honestly: “This is not really my type of music these days…” I was reminded fairly quickly that this podcast is not at all just about me and what I like. That was a quite welcome reminder. What can I say? I’m human.

Tom got extremely honest in this episode and didn’t seem to really hold back or pull punches about his childhood. As much as some of the positive stories started to pile up about his experiences with living with his Dad and with his Mom, the fact remains: it isn’t always the simplest thing to grow up in a broken home. So, I was all the more impressed by some of the life choices Tom has made along the way.

As Tom so eloquently put toward the very end of this episode, all of this helped lead to him “finding and marrying the woman of his dreams”. As someone who has traveled a great many roads in his own life: that statement resonated with me and made me wish that type of contentment and happiness for all of mankind! Or… at least for over 25% of it.

Thursday the band can be found at Thursday.net

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Why Do I Do This Podcast?

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 06:06:40 GMT

Episode 42 of the podcast is another of my smaller episodes that doesn’t involve a guest. This episode was born from my desire to further explain the whole point of this podcast. Why does it exist? Why do I keep putting all of this time and energy into it? There is more than this text in the actual podcast episode that accompanies this. But, here is the gist of it for you:

We’ve become fantastic documenters, haven’t we? Armed with our smartphones. Within the last decade, we’ve become well-equipped to document events, big and small and all of the little moments in between.

You see it so often now, when someone is telling a story to someone else: whether it’s a wedding or a vacation or even just the night before. We pull out our phone and show someone all of the photos we took or just direct them to our Instagram or Facebook.

But, we’re always moving forward with the documentation. We’re recording all of these things, taking all of these photos. Piling it all up. Adding onto our camera roll… daily or weekly. At some point, we’re forced to upload everything to our computer or the cloud. Or even worse, being notified that your storage is full. Because of how quickly and ravenously we’re moving forward. Continuing the ongoing documenting of life.

What I am doing is moving backward. Going back in time and back in relationships and even back in generations. Going to a time when we didn’t and couldn’t document things the way that we do now. I’m helping rebuild the documentation of personal history… of relationships.

I’m facilitating that documentation of my guests’ histories. Of their parents and sometimes their grandparents and beyond. And, yes, a lot of it is in the scope of parenting. But, it’s these stories that maybe spouses or children or grandchildren maybe haven’t heard and otherwise may not have the chance to. So much of that is just fading away because of how much time we spend on this moment. And then the next moment. And then all of the moments after that.

All of that has its place. All of that is important. I do that as much as the next person. But, because of the loss I have experienced in my life, the importance of the past is very real to me, as well.

That’s my goal. Not only finding entertaining, inspirational and fascinating lives and stories. But, to also document these people and these pasts. For the people who know and love these people. But, also for the rest of us to learn some things from.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Jonathan Hart: Raised on the Grateful Dead & Phish

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 21:31:22 GMT

Episode 41 of the podcast is the second half of my conversation with fellow podcaster Jonathan Hart. I don’t normally dedicate episodes, but I have to dedicate this one to my other favorite 41 that is out there right now: Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

Don’t get in a huff about that dedication; we don’t talk about sports or the Red Sox in this episode at all. This is more of a discussion on the journey of life for Jonathan that parallels our previous episode. At times, it even intertwines with that conversation. We start out with the music that was the soundtrack of Jonathan’s adolescent years. As many music lovers know: music can play a large part in shaping who you are. That was very true for young Jonathan, and hasn’t stopped impacting him in that way.

Jonathan admits that his love for the Grateful Dead and other bands from the 70’s fueled the divide in ideology that had been previously embedded in his family’s paternal code. He went on to break the streak of men joining the military as he embraced a more loving and pacifist mindset.

Jonathan and I have a lot of similarities from our late teen years. We both spent time working at a record store, using a great deal of our paychecks to make our way to Grateful Dead shows near us.

Over time, Jonathan, like many others, embraced Phish as another band with a giant community. Jonathan talks about how this has also become a unique part of his life with the world of podcasts. He spent a great deal of time having his own influence on the blog universe that surrounded both the Grateful Dead and Phish in the internet’s toddler years. Eventually, he was asked to be a guest on the Helping Friendly Podcast. That ended up parlaying into him becoming one of the regular hosts of that show and his eventual creation of the Brokedown Podcast, a podcast centered around the Grateful Dead.

With the wonderful response online from the first half of our conversation, I’m sure a lot of you will also enjoy this parallel history and behind the scenes look at Jonathan.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Jonathan Hart Went From Surprised Single Dad To Much More

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 16:33:31 GMT

This is Episode 40 of the podcast. My wife is a huge U2 fan, so she would enjoy me saying that as: “This is 40”. However, this episode does not feature Bono as its guest, or any other musician from Ireland. Don’t be dismayed; Jonathan Hart has a pretty darn interesting story to tell.

It starts with what happened before Jonathan was even born. We do a deep dive into his paternal roots and talk about his lineage. That lineage is steeped in a very proud service to our country by his Father and his Father’s Father. Jonathan, however, did not feel suited for that same lot in life and his life went down a much different road.

Jonathan became a first-time Dad at a very young age with his girlfriend of a couple of years. Things went downhill before their little girl was even 2 years old; starting with the couple splitting up to the Mom deciding she couldn’t or didn’t want the role of Mother anymore, leaving Jonathan to figure it out on his own. With the help of family, that’s exactly what Jonathan did.

It’s the kind of story we are honestly very used to hearing on the other side of the coin: with the Dad leaving the Mom to take all of the responsibility. It makes me sad and embarrassed that this is a cliche within my gender. Alas, it is… and has been for decades upon decades. I have always been a huge proponent of single Moms and all of the work they do. So, it was quite interesting to me to have a single Dad like Jonathan tell his story of a similar plight.

Jonathan has worked hard, now with a wife and a bigger family that the two have created together. It’s also of interest that Jonathan has done all this while still finding time for his passion: live music. He and his wife not only find time to follow some of their favorite bands, but Jonathan has a podcast of his own: Brokedown Podcast, a podcast centered around the Grateful Dead.

We will talk a lot more about podcasts, the Dead and Phish in our next episode. This episode is dedicated to all things Dad and gets into some really interesting topics and stories. The story of Jonathan ending up alone with his wife to take care of the birth of their child is quite a doozy.

I’m sure you will all enjoy hearing Jonathan’s stories and learning a lot more about this man; not only the man behind the Brokedown Podcast, but also one of the co-hosts of Helping Friendly Podcast, as well.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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https://www.facebook.com/fitfatherproject/

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com or via email to daddyunscripted@gmail.com

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Dr. Anthony Balduzzi & The Fit Father Project

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:38:35 GMT

Episode 39 of the podcast is extremely special because it features my first ever guest that is not actually a Dad.

Have you picked yourself up off the floor now? Close your lower jaw… I know this is mind-blowing news. But, you’ll come to see why I made this decision once you’ve listened to this episode.

The reason I’ve bent one of the founding basis’ of this podcast is because Dr. Anthony Balduzzi brings a lot to the podcast and to you: the listener. Not only is the story of his very brief time on earth with his own father a solid enough reason, pretty much, for him to have his story told, it’s what Dr. Anthony chose to do with his life after that.

You saw it in the title of the episode: The Fit Father Project.

There is no coincidence with the timing of the release of this episode. In the USA, Thanksgiving Day was just last week. So, not only are December’s holidays right around the corner, but you may have just put on a couple of new pounds. What better way to get a jump on all of that?

This conversation is as much for me as it is for so many of you. And, again, you do not at all need to be a Dad to get something out of this episode. You don’t need to be over 40 either! Big bonus if you happen to be both or either of those. But, the story Dr. Anthony tells about his Father’s passing when he was young should affect all of us!

I’m tempted to say, also, that the story Dr. Anthony tells about his accidental costume malfunction during what would have otherwise been a friendly game of Twister when he was a teenager is also a story that begs to be heard. That’s an exclusive, by the way. So, don’t tell me that the Daddy Unscripted podcast has never done anything special for you.

There is so much good information in this episode. That’s the truth. I got a lot out of it while we were recording and it had that same oomph for me when I was editing it. Dr. Anthony was so inspiring. And, I was completely straight-forward with some of my own health scares and told him from the get-go how important this conversation was to me. For my own health’s sake, and for all of my listeners’ as well.

So, put down that fork, everyone… and feast on this instead!

Here are the links we talked about at the end of the episode for the Fit Father Project:

Free Meal Plan For Men Over 40: Click Here

Free 24 Minute Fat Burning Workout: Click Here

Weight Loss For Men Over 40, The Official Guide: Click Here

The Fit Father Project Social Media Links:

www.fitfatherproject.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/Fitfatherproject

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Terry Ogburn Lives Beyond Loss

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 07:35:25 GMT

In this, the 38th episode of the podcast, I found myself talking with Terry Ogburn.

In a few of my experiences at conferences, for marketing or podcasting, I’ve run into Jessica Rhodes a few times now. Jessica is the CEO & Founder of Interview Connections. I honestly didn’t know if anything would ever come from any of our conversations at these conferences until one day I received an email with a suggested guest. The email, from one of Jessica’s staff, basically said that Terry would be an excellent guest for the podcast because of his life experiences.

Terry has had significant success when it comes to the world of business. He has also helped a great many corporations and entrepreneurs find their way into success, whether as a start-up or helping a struggling business find their way. But, Terry’s road in life has gone through its own levels of struggle… even to the extreme of tragically losing the life of one of his children years ago. We discussed all of this in our conversation here. Terry even detailed his family history, living in a military home.

Our conversation touched a little on grief, but it even went a bit into the metaphysical world. We talked about some of Terry’s connections with his son, after his son had passed away. It was really a fascinating discussion.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RJ Bee Talks Phish & Podcasts

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 13:53:45 GMT

This is episode 37 of the podcast, and number 2 of 2 with fellow podcaster and music lover, RJ Bee. Although this episode is heavily steeped in our discussion about music and the band Phish, this may be the most that one of my “Fork in the Road” episodes focuses on fatherhood. Usually, these secondary episodes with guests are complete offshoots onto other topics. However, you’ll still find some fatherly gems between RJ and myself in this one.

RJ and I share some strong similarities within our musical teenage years. We both spent a lot of our teen years following bands that toured heavily, had tremendous communities and people who taped each of their shows enabled us (and hundreds of thousands of other fans) to collect and listen to shows like the true fanatics we were.

So, let us just thank tapers. Oh, what’s that, you ask? I’m glad you asked, because tapers deserve a lot of praise and gratitude. A taper, simply put, is someone who goes to a concert and tapes it. But, there’s a lot more that goes into it. These people put a lot of their own money into very expensive equipment and then help coordinate the distribution of those recordings to other fans. My devout love for the Grateful Dead — and the eventual multitude of other musicians and bands that ended up leading me into loving — would never have become even close to what it was and is without the existence of tapers.

RJ and I were on two different collecting paths way back when. He was heavily following and collecting tapes of Phish, while I was doing the same on the west coast with the Grateful Dead. During this episode, we bounce our experiences off of each other with those two bands, but our efforts were pretty much identical.

Today, we find ourselves on another identical path: as podcasters. RJ is one of the founders and hosts of the Helping Friendly Podcast aka HFPod. The podcast focuses on the Phish universe and the people that are affected by the music and everything that goes along with being part of that vast community.

One thing that makes this episode unique – and, possibly, somewhat confusing near the end: we ended up adding a segment of recording on a day much later from our original recording. So, the bulk of the episode was recorded before the summer. Yet, we recorded again following the summer. So, there is a small section that discusses an event that took place much later than the original recording. Don’t let that throw you for too much of a loop. We are not soothsayers or time travelers… as far as we know, at least.

I’ve said this before of previous episodes…you don’t have to be a fan of Phish or the Dead to enjoy this episode. It won’t hurt… that’s for sure. We end up reverting back to our previous episode in this conversation and reflecting on fatherhood here, as well.

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RJ Bee is a Dad

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 08:39:43 GMT

This is episode 36 of the podcast, 1 of 2 with fellow podcaster RJ Bee. RJ is quite an intelligent man. I don’t just say that because we share a very common interest in music, but because he has been working for years in the world of politics and communications.

When RJ and I first connected, we both asked each other if we thought we would be good guests on each other’s podcasts or not. It was almost like a lightning round on a game show as we took turns interrogating one another. I guess you could say that I won, since I got to have RJ on my podcast first. Which I am quite pleased about.

RJ is another in what is becoming a fantastically long line of guests who have very unique upbringings. He tells a lot about his youth throughout those times all the way through to the somewhat recent sudden loss of his own Dad. We discussed that at some length and there is a phone call between RJ and his Dad that we discussed in this episode that I’m at a loss for the proper adjective for. Serendipitous? Miraculous? Take a listen and you can decide for yourself.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Sam Jennings & His Time With Prince

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 14:06:19 GMT

Episode 035, for those keeping count. This is the 2nd of 2 episodes with web designer and artist Sam Jennings. Sam is my second guest that has a large connection to a man I adore: Prince. A lot of this episode is us talking about the period of 9 years that Sam worked very closely with and for Prince. He gives a deeper view into the man that at times was so private. We talk in depth about the positive influence that Prince had on our lives, from the time we were both teenagers.

After working with Prince, Sam went on to work with Pearl Jam with the same goals in mind as he had accomplished with Prince. His tenure did not last as long with the Seattle-based band, and we discuss the not-so obvious differences between these two employers of his.

If you are a fan of Prince, these conversations with Sam are so meaningful and informative. I am still ecstatic that he was able to come and sit with me for so long to record these episodes. I will add that if you happened to skip the previous episode with Sam and I because you think you don’t want to listen to us talk about Dad stuff: think again! There is quite a bit of other material in that episode. Sam talks a bit about how important family was to Prince, as well, in ways that are unique to those who knew him well. So, if you enjoyed this episode or are a fan of Prince, check out our previous episode next!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 034: Sam Jennings

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:45:01 GMT

This is episode 34 of the podcast, 1 of 2 with web designer and artist Sam Jennings. Sam is my second guest that has a large connection to a man I adore: Prince. Even with this being our episode to talk about fatherhood, we do touch on some of the personal and business aspects of Sam’s near decade of working with Prince. It was quite interesting to hear how much importance Prince put on family during the time Sam was involved with him.

Sam joins the esteemed group of guests that do not come from a traditional One Mom One Dad family situation. One of the things that gives this podcast an ability to have an extensively long lifespan is that everyone is different. But, the added bonus is that everybody’s Dad is different… and everybody’s family life is different, as well. Sam’s family history is quite unique, so I was very interested to get into how that proved to be successful for all of them.

I have no problem repeating this: I feel, dare I say, blessed by the people I am speaking with for the sake of the podcast. Sam is yet another outstanding human being; not only as a son, or even just as a Dad… but also as a person. His generosity and kindness of spirit are characteristics that I constantly strive for in my daily life. Sitting with him for a few hours enabled me to see a lot more of why I had pursued him to be on the podcast in the first place. I feel fortunate to reap the benefits of this and the upcoming episode with Sam and I am excited to pass those rewards on to all of you too!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 033: Brad Rothschild the Filmmaker

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 07:10:03 GMT

The 2nd half of my conversation with Brad Rothschild, we pick up right where the previous episode left off: having a very laid-back chat which eventually leads into what Brad does for a living. He’s a documentary filmmaker with films you may have even seen on Netflix or iTunes (Tree Man and Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald).

Brad also makes up half of the team that does The Amen Corner podcast. His partner, Steven A. Cook, you may recall was a recent guest on my podcast as well. But, don’t let yourself think for a second that means the 4 episodes of them are anything alike. They really aren’t.

This episode not only goes into a lot of Brad’s process with his films, but it kind of meanders into some funny territory. We go so far as naming David Lee Roth’s yoga clothing company that he may not even realize he owns. Brad also at one point tells me that my podcast is the cocaine of podcasts. Yeah. I will just leave that here because I’m sure that will bring a lot of new listeners in, right?

I hope you all enjoy this second episode with Brad. I had a great time talking with him. I’m sure you’ll agree that his episodes just kind of flow in a surprising way, for two guys who have never really spoken together before.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 032: Father’s Day 2017

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 05:58:59 GMT

Father’s Day is a good opportunity for a quick little episode. There are a few holidays I will do this with. Something that should please some of you who may get frustrated that my episodes don’t fit into your shorter work commute.

This is my 2nd Annual episode to celebrate Father’s Day. It’s now my 27th Father’s Day without my Dad; the 9th such holiday that I, myself, am being heralded as a Dad. I still do not take that title or job lightly.

For those of you who missed 2016’s Father’s Day episode, let me reset you. My Dad’s last Father’s Day was during my Senior year in High School. The doctors had very recently diagnosed him with brain cancer. I was 17 and that was the last time I would be able to praise him according to the holiday for being the fantastic Father that he had been to me and my 7 siblings.

I still go through a number of emotions when I think back to my 17 year old self, completely unable to process what was going on. It is what it is, but I can’t stop regret from flooding over me when I think about it. Regret for the things I never said, for my fear of being present and dealing with the situation better. Even just to take a handful of minutes to think about what he must have been going through. Aside from the obvious of his steady decline from the cancer, the shame he was feeling of having his teenage son… his youngest… his baby helping to take care of him during that time.

Now as an adult, and a father, I cry just thinking about how I would feel with my kids having to take care of some of the things I was doing for my Dad in those final months and weeks of his life. I know it brought his humility level to a place no adult or parent ever dreams of going. He was a great man, a wonderful Father and at the most basic level of everything: I miss him greatly, whether it is Father’s Day or not.

I took the liberty with this episode to repeat one of the things I did in Episode 008: I played a very small snippet for you all to hear my Dad tell a little bit of a story. It’s a memory that I will never forget. Not only because it involves us going to a baseball game. But because it was one of those weekend days that I spent one on one with my Dad. With 8 kids and a wife, you can guess how divided his free time was.

During this episode, I also thanked each and every one of my guests for their time and wished them all a Happy Father’s Day. Yes, I’m releasing this after Father’s Day this year. But we are all Dads every day of the year, right?

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Episode 031: Brad Rothschild

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 15:49:39 GMT

The 1st of 2 episodes with Brad Rothschild, this conversation is now becoming a line that is stretching out from its epicenter: my previous guest, Bruce Mendelsohn. So, again, a ton of thanks to Bruce for starting this rolling ball.

Brad makes up half of the team that does The Amen Corner podcast. His partner, Steven A. Cook, you may recall was a recent guest on my podcast as well. But, don’t let yourself think for a second that means the 4 episodes of them are anything alike. They really aren’t. Aside from the fact that it got really close to tears being shed on Steven’s Daddy episode and the same happening here. Although, truth be told, it was me on this episode, rather than the guest.

This part of our conversation got really deep, even if there were a lot of laughs. The history of Brad’s family is intense. His own Father’s family fled the Nazis as Jews in Germany shortly before many people they knew and loved were put in concentration camps. They became refugees, moving from country to country before they eventually came across the ocean to settle in New York.

This episode got a tremendous addition, thanks to an interview that Brad’s Dad did with Kean College back in 1988. I was able to select a few minutes of the audio from that to let everyone here some of that intense struggle in his own words.

Like Brad’s podcast co-host, Steven, we also share the fact that our Dads are no longer with us. We delved into how the passing of a parent changes your life. This also went into a very interesting territory: dying with dignity and some of the other ways death effects a family.

I hope you all enjoy this episode with Brad. I almost felt like I may be able to hang a little with the guys on their podcast after we had this conversation. Even though, as a Red Sox fan dealing with these two Yankees fans, I may have to let them humiliate me in some way in order to make that happen.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 030: Matt Thorne

Wed, 10 May 2017 07:43:22 GMT

This is episode 2 of 2 with author and critic Matt Thorne. Like I said on the last episode, if you’ve been here for a while, you noticed that his episodes were released in reverse order. Again: don’t call the authorities. I did that on purpose. The previous episode came out first because it was a little closer to the 1 year anniversary of Prince’s death. That episode was focused very heavily on Prince and the book that Matt wrote some years ago chronicling his life through his music. So, that episode preceded this episode that is more about his being a Dad.

Again, it’s worth repeating that I searched for a while for the right person to sit and record for my podcast with that I could delve deep into my love for Prince and his music. Of course, that someone would need to be a Dad, also. You better believe that Matt Thorne was the perfect guy to start this off with. Yes. This is a start of something. I completely plan on recording more episodes with other Dads out there who can talk about Prince with me. In fact, spoiler alert, I already have. So, that will be coming out soon as well.

As someone who used to call himself a writer years and years ago, I know what it can be like to really write. I mean, write a novel. Write a screenplay. These things normally take a ton of time. I honestly cannot imagine trying to do something like that while being married with children. So, this part of my conversation with Matt was extremely interesting to me.

Matt was also extremely introspective and forthcoming with stories about his own Dad. I got very involved while I listened to him harkening back to his days as a young boy, moving pretty much to the beat of his own drum. I really appreciated Matt’s honesty about his relationship with his Dad. Even with not having my Dad alive anymore, it inspired me to make more efforts with the people I love and to recognize their efforts with me, as well.

I told Matt toward the end of this episode that he is basically living my parallel universe dream life. Which felt awkward as soon as I had said it. But, it rings very true. I hope you rather enjoy this conversation with this remarkable man.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

You’ll find more of and about Matt Thorne here:

You can follow Matt on Twitter at: @8minutesidle

All of Matt’s books can be found on Amazon by clicking here. The link to his book Prince: The Man And His Music is right there for you to click on. That’s to Amazon. Get it. Read it. Love it.

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Episode 029: Matt Thorne & I Love Prince

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:28:17 GMT

This is the 1st of 2 episodes with author and critic Matt Thorne. For those of you who are regulars, you’ll catch that his episodes are being released in reverse order. That’s not an error. I held off on releasing this episode so as to not completely coincide with the 1 year anniversary of Prince’s death. Matt & I agreed that may not be in the best taste. But, it still made more sense to me to have this one out before his Dad episode (which will follow, shortly).

I had been waiting a long time for the right person to record an episode for my podcast with that I could delve deep into my love for Prince and his music. Matt Thorne was absolutely the right guy to start that off with. Yes, what that implies is completely true. I hope and plan to record more episodes with other Dads out there who can talk about Prince with me.

You can get a little more lead information to this episode and a little extra look into why I am the way I am about Prince by reading my last blog post. Here’s a link, just to make it easier for you: READ THIS

Matt’s biography of Prince is so much more than that. I almost don’t really like calling it a biography…though it sort of is. Though, it also, sort of isn’t. It does tell a lot about Prince’s life…but it really deeply discusses the music side of Prince: the albums, the performances, the very difficult to get/unreleased music. Matt spent 7 years of his life gathering information for his Prince book, attending dozens and dozens of concerts, speaking with a tremendous number of people that were somehow connected to Prince, the man or his business. It’s really a fascinating book. I’m not just saying that, either. It’s on my bedside table right now, as a matter of fact.

Though it’s pretty much a prerequisite that you’re some level of Prince fan to read Matt’s book, I am not convinced you have to be that to listen to and enjoy this episode. Feel free to allow our passions to rub off on you. And, you can take that sentence however you want; this is an episode about Prince, after all.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

You’ll find more of and about Matt Thorne here:

You can follow Matt on Twitter at: @8minutesidle

All of Matt’s books can be found on Amazon by clicking here. The link to his book Prince: The Man And His Music is right there for you to click on. That’s to Amazon. Get it. Read it. Love it.

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Episode 028: Steven A Cook Knows Politics

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 14:11:11 GMT

This is the 2nd episode with Steven A Cook. He is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Before speaking with Steven, I not only had no clue what all that meant, but it made me laugh a little at the idea of my having a political conversation with him. Kind of like those videos you sometimes see of a professional athlete playing against a little kid. Oh, isn’t that cute? Look how the pro is not even really trying and letting the kid feel like he’s good. Yeah, that would be me as the kid.

Regardless of the vast difference in our levels of knowledge about all things politics, here in the USA and around the world, this was a good and informative conversation between the two of us. I’m not judging my audience, but if you’re anywhere closer on the scale of poli-sci knowhow to where I am, don’t let Steven’s wisdom scare you off from listening to this. I think having me as the other side of the conversation makes this a lot more listenable and accessible than a round-table of the political geniuses may seem to a lot of you.

I hope you all enjoy this episode with Steven. His latest book is coming out in a matter of months, so make sure you keep an eye out for “False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East”. You can find his previous books on Amazon. Links to many things Steven A Cook are just below.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Steven A Cook is on Amazon. Steven on Twitter: @stevenacook. Steven’s blog is called From the Potomac to the Euphrates.

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Episode 027: Steven A Cook

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 18:03:32 GMT

My conversation with Steven A. Cook was made possible by last episode’s guest, Bruce Mendelsohn. So, many thanks to Bruce for that. I did my research on Steven immediately when Bruce mentioned him. My first thought, frankly, was that he was going to be out of my league if or when we touched on things other than just about being Dads. I saw that he is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and I not only had no clue what all that meant, but it made me laugh a little at the idea of my having a political conversation with him. Kind of like those videos you sometimes see of a professional athlete playing against a little kid. Oh, isn’t that cute? Look how the pro is not even really trying and letting the kid feel like he’s good. Yeah, that would be me as the kid.

Our episodes prove me wrong. Which serves as a solid reminder in life, really. Not to get a certain 80’s song stuck in your head or anything, but People are People. It’s very true. Which isn’t to say that every human is as gracious as Steven is. But, we are all people… people with stories to tell, with feelings to share with others. It’s up to all of us whether we decide to share those or not, and how far we actually extend that, beyond our little circle of comfort within the people that we know and love.

Steven and I have something in common in that our Dads are both no longer with us. Steven’s Dad passed away 9 years ago, so his experience of loss is not only a bit more fresh than mine, but very different in the way that he experienced his Dad’s passing as an adult. We dug a bit into the grief we both feel and how it still affects us to this day. Steven had some great stories about his Dad and I’m so glad we were able to have this conversation. I think I’m not reaching when I speak for both of us in saying it offered a little bit of emotional healing.

I hope you all enjoy this episode with Steven. His latest book is coming out in a matter of months. So, make sure you keep an eye out for “False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East”. You can find his previous books on Amazon. Links to many things Steven A Cook are just below.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Steven A Cook is on Amazon. Steven on Twitter: @stevenacook. Steven’s blog is called From the Potomac to the Euphrates.

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Episode 026: Bruce Mendelsohn & His Boston Marathon Bombing Experience

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 15:33:13 GMT

This episode with Bruce Mendelsohn sincerely has changed my life. Bruce tells his story of the day’s events back in 2013 of the Boston Marathon Bombings. He was a bystander, just there to meet his brother who ran in the marathon at the finish line and hang out with him afterward. The day’s events, of course, changed from what everyone expected and Bruce acted before he really reacted. Bruce was very heavily involved in one of those stories of that day. One of the stories that involved people that were injured and others who helped them, in one way or another. There are many heart-wrenching and emotionally charged stories from that day. Most of them, at their core, champion the side of human nature that shows how – as Bruce put it – ordinary people can do extraordinary things. How Bruce and eventually others coordinated to save the life of then 20 year-old Victoria McGrath that day is quite compelling.

We talked in this episode about how there are some positives that aren’t all that difficult to discover out of something so hateful and tragic and negative that took place that fateful spring day in Boston. That was a theme that came out of that day and those that followed; that these events that are geared at creating fear and tearing people or communities or our nation apart so many times, serve to do the opposite. The words Boston Strong resonate and continue to live on as proof of that.

I probably changed the title of this episode, altered the episode’s intro and re-wrote that last blog post more than 5 times each. I didn’t want to mess this one up. I didn’t want to have this look like I was click-baiting off of the Boston Marathon Bombings, that is why I didn’t use Bruce’s taken from the window on that day on anything I posted on social media. I worked hard to not use the word hero anywhere, either, per Bruce’s request. That was difficult for me. Because, frankly, I do see what Bruce did that day as heroic. I don’t at all disagree with what he said about the branding of heroes in this episode, but all the same…his fight rather than flight reaction says hero to me.

I hope you all get something out of this episode with Bruce. Please, take another few minutes to read my previous post about this as well. It is an important companion piece to this. And if you have any heroes to send me, please let me know. I love having their stories get told to inspire myself and all of you!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 025: Joe Bruzzese Loves Sports & Music

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 15:25:04 GMT

This is the 2nd episode with Joe Bruzzese, a SAHD who is a Northern California transplant from Boston. Joe and I connected over Twitter some time back and I couldn’t help but become friends with him, due to his extreme loves for Boston sports teams and music. Those common interests of ours made it easy for us to get along well from the get-go.

There’s a lot of bouncing around in this episode, since it’s edited from our over 3 hour recording that made up his 1st episode and this Fork in the Road episode. I accidentally pushed Joe’s buttons a little at the beginning. How could we not talk about politics, with all that was happening at year’s end? We quickly changed direction, right into music. Some of you who are privy to Joe’s Twitter rants about sports and the Red Sox may be very surprised to find out what a big hippie he actually is. It’s true. We explored all around our love for, what some may simply describe as, the jamband scene.

We eventually found our way back to sports. Which meant a lot of Red Sox talk and some discussion about how we both found our way into loving baseball the way we do. Of course, we hashed out the Twitter spat between Joe and the player Red Sox Nation will fondly remember as The Mayor of Ding Dong City: Travis Shaw. We got out some of our complaints about the 2016 season; we talked John Farrell, we analyzed and compared David Price and his body language to that of Jake Peavy, we made a small list of hopes and predictions for the coming 2017 season.

Again, you don’t have to be a Red Sox fan to enjoy this episode. It obviously will help, but a love for sports should be good enough. And who doesn’t love music? I hope you all get a kick out of this episode and hearing Joe and I becoming even better friends during the recording of it!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 024: Joe Bruzzese

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 15:14:17 GMT

This is the 1st of 2 episodes with Joe Bruzzese, a SAHD who is a Northern California transplant from Boston. Joe and I connected over Twitter some time back and I couldn’t help but become friends with him, due to his extreme loves for Boston sports teams and music. Those common interests of ours made it easy for us to get along well from the get-go.

I spent between 1 and 2 years being a working from home SAHD with my oldest child. Because of that, I’ve always had so much more respect for single Moms, SAHM’s and SAHD’s. I was so pleased to finally record with Joe and hear of his family history to his becoming a Dad, himself. Joe has a very rich Italian heritage that we delved into a bit. It was very interesting to hear how they ended up in Boston, and, in turn, ended up in my home state of California.

I am sure a lot of you may be here for the first time, wanting to learn up a little more on who this Bruzzo guy is from Twitter or his rants on the Section 10 Podcast. If that’s you: welcome! I hope you enjoy this episode and come back for his second episode, as well.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 023: FITR w/ Kevin Browning

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:10:21 GMT

This is the 2nd episode with Kevin Browning, aka KB, the manager of the band Umphrey’s McGee. In our 1st episode, we really dug deep into some parenting philosophies and uncovered the background on Kevin’s upbringing to piece together some of what has helped build him into the Dad he is today. Kevin successfully balances managing Umphrey’s McGee while holding strong to the roots of his wife and their three children.

Originally, I thought this episode might end up similar to the route the Fork in the Road with Umphrey’s McGee’s bassist Ryan Stasik did: close to a 50/50 split of talking sports and music. Especially because we recorded this during the MLB playoffs while KB’s beloved Chicago Cubs were battling the LA Dodgers for the National League Pennant and a chance to go to the World Series. However, we got into a lot of questions regarding the background of the band he more than successfully manages and detailing how some of the decision-making process works currently for the band that sports ended up taking a major back seat.

In my opinion, the interest in this episode doesn’t have to be tied to an interest in Umphrey’s McGee. Even though they do a lot of unique things many bands don’t do — or haven’t yet attempted, I think for anyone who loves music, this can be an insightful look into what bands go through to keep their collective machine chugging along. And for those of you who are big Umphrey’s McGee fans, don’t miss out on our side conversation about what each band member would be doing today if the band didn’t exist. Good times!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 022: Kevin Browning

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 14:53:39 GMT

This is the 1st of 2 episodes with Kevin Browning, aka KB, the manager of the band Umphrey’s McGee. Kevin has always really been someone I’ve wanted to be able to have a lengthy conversation with, as I’m always so impressed with the way he has been able to balance a very busy work life with being a husband and father of three children.

I know I often think about how it really is fascinating how many of us match up with someone who, at the very least, share an interest in one another. The bonus is: a lot of couples out there have found someone who shares common interests with them. Take it a step further, into super bonus mode, and you find someone who is compatible and understanding of some of the more intricate parts of our life. Kevin’s life (and maybe a lot of guys with successful marriages in the entertainment world) is definitely all of that. It says a lot about his wife and both of their love for one another that they do what they do…and do it so well.

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 021: Giving Thanks

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 08:22:31 GMT

Episode 021: Giving Thanks Here’s a little brief episode I created this week. With Thanksgiving coming on Thursday and my birthday happening the following day, it felt like it was time to finally sit down and get some things recorded that have been weighing on my heart for a while now. 2016 has been a unique year, to say the least. I ended up in the hospital E.R. on two different occasions this year, for differing reasons. All of this led to some needed and serious time for introspection on my part. Some of this episode speaks about that and the responsibility all of us parents have to care for ourselves on behalf of our family.

I am so thankful for so many people and so many aspects of my life. This podcast is definitely one of them. Thank you one and all for your listening, participation, feedback and a huge thank you goes out to all my guests: those who’ve already taken the time to record with me and those of you who will soon.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 020: FITR w/ Ross Newhan

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 08:49:43 GMT

In this second episode with Ross Newhan, we focus almost entirely on what he spent his life and career covering as a renowned writer: baseball. Again, for those of you who didn’t catch this from his 1st epsiode, Ross covered the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Angels starting in the early 60’s until he retired in the early 2000’s as a national baseball columnist for the LA Times. It wasn’t much longer before he was honored with prestigious awards that brought him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We discussed his time with the Angels and the Dodgers, and the company of players and people that brought him into. Ross is one of the best people to talk to for the history of both of those teams, from their starts in Southern California. We uncovered a good deal of those histories, we thoroughly discussed the current hardship the Angels organization both find themselves in and have put themselves in. We talked a little about some of the controversial players still being withheld from induction into the Hall of Fame.

We spoke a little about the Cleveland Indians actually more than the now World Champion Chicago Cubs, oddly. This, unfortunately for me, led to the reminder of Bobby Valentine’s stint as manager of my favorite Boston Red Sox. Completely coincidentally, that about ended our conversation.

These episodes, recordings of a good long sit down with Ross, was something I had looked forward to for a long time. I am beyond excited that the podcast is here to have made this finally happen. I hope even a handful of you can enjoy the listen as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 019: Ross Newhan

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:15:00 GMT

Ross Newhan The 1st of 2 episodes with Ross Newhan, we get to take a very introspective look at the life of one of Major League Baseball’s best beat writers. For those of you who are not familiar with Ross and his work, here’s a little of what you’ll be able to hear during these episodes. Ross started writing for Long Beach newspapers before the Angels had even become a team. He eventually started covering the Angels and the Dodgers, before moving on to the Los Angeles Time and eventually becoming their National Baseball Columnist. Ross was awarded the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in the year 2000 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. So, he’s a pretty big deal.

Ross’ family life in Southern California is documented herein, leading up to his meeting and marrying his lovely wife, Connie, who is as big a fan of the sport of baseball as Ross is. He tells of the difficulty to be very present as his two children grew up, while spending time on the road during the seasons to cover both the Angels and the Dodgers for so long.

I know there seems to be a baseball theme going on with this podcast. I will admit, it’s an obvious gravitational pull for me, due to my passion for the game. However, this runs a lot deeper than just the sport of baseball… yet, on the same hand, really goes to show how powerful sports can be to tie two people, and, eventually a family together.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 018: FITR w/ Ryan Stasik

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:34:22 GMT

In this second episode with Ryan Stasik (bassist for the band Umphrey’s McGee), we tap into a lot of things left untapped from our 1st episode. We start off with his time in school at Notre Dame, his hard work at school, if nothing else, to put together a band.

We spent a good deal of time talking about sports: both actual real life sports and the very addicting life of fantasy sports. He lays out what the guys in the band (and some of the crew) are into, regarding sports and teams. We break down how we feel about the Wild Card situation in the MLB. We go through our own (possibly outlandish) ideas for how to “Make Baseball Fun Again”.

Before we circled back to the world of sports, we spent a good deal discussing his musical background and what he grew up listening to. He tells a story about how he decided he needed to get into playing guitar instead of piano in the early 90’s. We get to hear about his transition to the bass guitar and some key decisions that took place between Brendan Bayliss and himself. We share stories about the Grateful Dead, Phish and the communities of fans that surround both bands.

Ryan credits Jake Cinninger with bringing a huge variance of music to the bandmates to expand the things they’ve been musically marinated with. Ryan goes into a little of what he is listening to these days, what bands or kinds of music speak to him.

After some of his wild predictions about Pittsburgh teams, we finish up with talking about some of the dangers in sports and fights in hockey.

A great time was had talking with Ryan and I hope you enjoy the listen as much as I enjoyed the chat.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 017: Ryan Stasik

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 14:13:47 GMT

At long last, the 1st episode with Ryan Stasik has arrived. Ryan is the bassist for the band Umphrey’s McGee, a band I have been listening to since some time in 2001. I don’t think my friendship with Ryan depends on the fact that I was able to meet him and other band members back during those earlier years. I think he is still very much that same easy-going and very approachable guy, regardless of how much bigger the band has gotten since then. I think that will come through to you loud and clear in this and the next episode with Ryan and myself.

Ryan became a Dad a little over 3 years ago. I actually saw him a few months before his daughter was born and I remember giving him my usual advice about how many parents love to give advice. I was very excited for him and his wife and as soon as Daddy Unscripted became a podcast, he was one of the first Dads I thought of for being a guest. I was a little relieved and extremely grateful when he agreed to sit for a couple hours to talk with me about a few of his favorite things: being a Dad, sports and music.

Ryan’s history on this Daddy episode is a very insightful view into the man who represents one-third of the backbeat rhythm section to UM. We talked about his own family history, how his life’s road brought him into the band in the first place and what effect getting married, and later having a child, had on his life as a rockstar. We shared a thoughtful dialogue on the merits and dangers of allowing people into your life via social media.

I think you’re bound to enjoy this episode. At times, a little crass. At other times, extremely poignant and thoughtful. You absolutely do not have to be a fan of Umphrey’s McGee to enjoy this. Having a good sense of humor will definitely help, though. The first of two episodes with Ryan, this will give you one of the most direct visions of what has made him into the man and father that he is today.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 016: FITR w/ Bob Ruff

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 14:21:14 GMT

In this second episode with Bob Ruff, we delve into a little bit of why either of us does this: podcasting. If you want to remind yourself what exactly one of the “Fork in the Road” episodes mean, click here.

Bob and I discuss how we both took a very keen interest in the 1st season of the Serial podcast and what that meant to us. For those of you who already listen to Bob’s Truth & Justice podcast, you know the direct result of listening to Serial for Bob. We dug into his methodology, what it takes for him to put together his investigation as well as the actual podcast. Bob talked a lot about the struggles he faces with “the establishment” with the cases he is currently working on.

I got a lot deeper in this episode than I could have foreseen. That’s why it’s called Daddy Unscripted, folks! You may be able to tell during the episodes, but I hold tightly to that…there is no script. I got into, what I felt was the backside of the coin, if you will, as to why Bob does what he does: human-kindness, caring about others and, maybe, even just plain and simple: love. Because, even if he is having to kick some doors down and even use a figurative axe, much like his days in the fire department, he is doing it out of his care for the people who have been wrongly accused and/or imprisoned, as well as in a search for justice for the victims. Leave it to the tree-hugging hippy side of me to find that in all of this, right?

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 015: Bob Ruff

Wed, 14 Sep 2016 14:12:57 GMT

This episode with Bob was very exciting for me to record. If you don’t already know the name Bob Ruff, I give a sizable introduction to him at the beginning of this episode. Nutshell: Bob has two podcasts of his own, one that is much more popular and familiar, known as “Truth & Justice”, that originally stemmed off of the widely-known and award-winning 1st season of the Serial podcast. Bob has since dedicated his professional life to advocating for wrongly convicted individuals that are imprisoned, as well as finding the truth behind who has been walking free since that person’s conviction.

Bob’s story on this Daddy episode is very unique and extremely interesting. We delved into the background of his own family and parents before learning a lot about his immediate little family unit: consisting of 4 kids that he and his wife brought together into their successfully “mixed family”.

I gained even more respect for a man that was able to acknowledge when large life decisions weren’t necessarily working, and having the bravery to turn his life upside down in hopes of a more fulfilling outcome.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Incidental music provided by Roman Bell.

All other music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 014: FITR w/ Austin Eich

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 15:52:54 GMT

In this episode, Austin and I discuss the most obvious common subject between us. Which, you’ll hear right off the bat, was not actually the sport of Jai Alai. No, it’s the Boston Red Sox. We talk about how both of us came to be fans of this Boston team, even though neither of us live in Boston, let alone Massachusetts…let alone, New England, for that matter.

This isn’t just about the Red Sox and our extreme fanaticism of the team that makes Fenway Park their home, we chat about how sports influenced our childhoods and the extra oomph it gave to our relationships with our fathers, as well.

This isn’t an episode only for other Red Sox fans, but that definitely won’t at all hurt your ability to really enjoy this Fork in the Road.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Incidental music provided by Roman Bell.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 013: Austin Eich

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 18:14:14 GMT

This episode with Austin is unique for a number of reasons. First: Austin and I know each other through Twitter. Second: Austin is my first SAHD as a guest. Third: This was my first foray into recording remotely. All of that worked out to make a pretty fun episode, that brings out a very interesting story of Austin’s life and family’s background. As someone who spent close to the first 18 months of my daughter’s young life at home with her, I have the utmost respect for a stay-at-home dad (I have insane respect for SAHM’s too… don’t anyone get all uppity with me).

I learned a lot about someone I felt like I knew a decent amount about “through the interwebs” during our conversation in this episode. I hope you all get some good nuggets of wisdom out of it, too.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Episode 012: FITR w/ Jason Green

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 14:29:58 GMT

In this episode, which I joked should be subtitled: “The Episode Where Jason Tries to Talk Me Into Being a Lakers Fan”, you can guess what some of the episode is about. We talk a lot of NBA, including the time I was actually a huge basketball fan back in the 80’s. We touch a bit on why I’ve always been a Celtics fan and slightly scratch the surface on why I’ve rooted for non-home teams almost my entire life.

Since Jason is a huge Rams (football) fan, we talk about his elation that the team is returning to LA. Being the huge Patriots fan that I am, we also talked about Deflategate, commissioners and the hole that Roger Goodell has dug for himself.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 011: Joe

Tue, 19 Jul 2016 14:23:54 GMT

Joe has been a good friend of my family for close to 2 years now. He is the first single Dad to be a guest on the show, and does a good job of bringing that approach to the conversation. Joe has very strong family ideals and that can be attributed to his strong relationship with his own Dad. We talk about how important his fathering role is to him and how easy it is to recognize the importance it will have on his son not only now, but further along in his life, as well. As deep as this episode got, you can tell from the first couple minutes, we shared a lot of big laughs as well. So, this has more than just one side of the emotional spectrum for you all to enjoy.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Episode 010: FITR w/ Jose Rosado

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 15:14:37 GMT

If the normal episode with Jose and I was considered late at night, this second section was definitely into the wee hours. For our Fork in the Road , we just kept right on talking in that small hotel room in Santa Monica. We talked a little about podcasts, photography and writing. Our road got even more forked, when we started discussing what celebrities we thought would be perfect best friends for us, if we ever met them. This reminded me of the Disney movie ‘The Kid’, where Bruce Willis says at some point that his best friend in Elementary School was Timothy Wheaton. That was hilarious to me when I saw that movie. We talked a little about sports, since Jose is a Philly product and covered just about everything in this episode.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Episode 009: Jason Green

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 16:30:50 GMT

Jason is another longtime friend of mine that brings something very different and interesting to the podcast. Of course, you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out what that is. Actually, his tales of interest are on both sides of “fatherhood” for him: with his own Dad(s) as well as his being a Daddy to his two kids. Jason definitely dug deep in this episode and it was refreshing to have this conversation with him. Jason and I delved into a lot of issues and talked about the difficulty of getting your newborn on a schedule. We agreed that if Dads had to do what Moms do through pregnancy and childbirth, there would basically never be any more babies born. So, see, women? This podcast is not just about men and for men.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Episode 008: Father’s Day 2016

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 15:30:24 GMT

This is a quick little episode to celebrate Father’s Day; my 26th Father’s Day without my Dad around for me to call, text or to give a cheesy or homemade gift to. The 8th such holiday that I am being heralded as a Dad. That’s pretty cool for someone who never imagined even being able to find the right person to marry, much less have kids.

My Dad’s last Father’s Day was during my Senior year in High School. The doctors had very recently diagnosed his brain cancer. I was 17 and that was the last time I would be able to praise him for being the fantastical Father that he had been to me and my 7 siblings. I well up with tears as I look back on my 17 year old self, completely unable to process what was going on. It is what it is, but I can’t stop regret from flooding over me when I think about it. Regret for the things I never said, for my fear of being present and dealing with the situation better. Even just to take a handful of minutes to think about what he must have been going through. Aside from the obvious of his steady decline from the cancer, the shame he was feeling of having his teenage son, his youngest, his baby taking care of him during that time. Now, an adult, and a father, I cry just thinking about how I would feel with my kids having to take care of some of the things I was doing for my Dad in those final months and weeks of his life. I know it brought his humility level to a place no adult or parent ever dreams of going. He was a great man, a wonderful Father and at the most basic level of everything: I miss him greatly, whether it is Father’s Day or not.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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www.joserosadophoto.com | www.theangrymillenialshow.com | Creatives Aga;nst Depression

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Episode 007: Jose Rosado

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:44:39 GMT

This was a long and winding road to this podcast recording happening. Oh, did I just put that Beatles song in your head? You’re welcome. Jose (which you will see all of his links at the bottom of this post) and I have known each other for quite a few years now, and knew of one another for at least a year before that. Jose started dating one of my best friends, Jessica, way back then and he and I finally started talking some time after that. Basically, it’s just one of those “I met you on the internet and we didn’t meet in person until….” kind of things. And the ‘_ until _‘ of that is actually this very night of recording the episode. Jose and Jessica were in Santa Monica for just two nights, so we really squeezed this (and the subsequent FITR episode) in to their jam-packed schedule. For that, I am very grateful. It was fun sitting and talking for so long with Jose, and there are quite a few gems in this episode. We really dug into the terminology of ‘stepdad’ and ‘stepkids’ and heard from a side of that relationship you maybe don’t hear from so often.

Jose’s particulars are:

Twitter: @joserosadophoto | @millenialangry | @sadcreative

Facebook: Jose Rosado Photography | The Angry Millenial Podcast |

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

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Episode 006: FITR w/ Ryan Pierron

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:42:38 GMT

So this is the Fork In The Road episode that Ryan was trying to force us to segue into more than once from our normal episode. Not that we didn’t enjoy talking about being Dads, but we had not even talked about the (at the time) brand new trailer release for Star Wars: Rogue One at all before this episode, because we wanted to do it on air. So, we were both kinda bursting at the seams to get into our Fork episode.

I won’t spoil too much of the episode (even though we do have some spoilers in the actual episode *spoiler alert*) for you, but we actually saw Star Wars Episode VII together at the 1:30am showing on Opening Night. So, to say we share a passion for the Star Wars universe together, is putting it extremely lightly. We hashed out some of the rumors about the new and upcoming movies, we went through some of our own personal Star Wars history and we even gave our own opinions on some of those theories that are swirling around since everyone first saw Episode VII (I’m still apparently outnumbered when it comes to my theory).

You don’t have to love Star Wars as much as us to enjoy this episode. It definitely helps…but hearing our fervor might be entertaining enough. Enjoy our utter and unabashed nerdery!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Episode 005: Ryan Pierron

Mon, 23 May 2016 08:00:20 GMT

So, I finally got to sit down and record with Ryan. Ryan is the Dad I was supposed to be recording with the night that I recorded Episode 001 (there’s a little more on that inside that episode, so feel free to go back and give it a listen, if you haven’t already). I missed out on our chance to get a Pre-Daddy recording with him, so we waited and did this episode when he was already a couple months in on being an official Dad to his newborn little girl. Ryan’s history of his own childhood was something I hadn’t known about him, so it was a good bit of insight to me, but also good to have someone on who was a “product of divorced parents” and had some experience to share about living between two parents (in different states, even) and having step-siblings.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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Episode 004: FITR w/ Michael Colleary

Mon, 23 May 2016 07:55:49 GMT

Welcome to my first Fork In The Road episode. This came just at the tail end of my previous episode with screenwriter/producer Michael Colleary. Michael and I share an affinity for cinema (that’s even more fancy than saying “films”, right? Well, we are that fancy about it!), so I figured we would have a second episode just geeking out about the movies we love. You’ll hear right off the bat, I think he was not very excited when I led him into it by saying Top 5 lists…but when I clarified that I meant movies, his eyes lit up, his voice changed and we were on our way. We split hairs about Quentin Tarantino, Michael piqued my interest in a number of TV shows I had not yet put any energy into (thank you, Netflix!) and there was even a little discussion regarding how Friends can often turn him into an outsider in his own home, amongst his wife and two daughters.

If you didn’t catch our main episode together, feel free to go back and check that one out! I may have to go back to the well on this one some day down the road, because I feel like we only scratched the surface on how much we could have talked about movies!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Episode 003: Michael Colleary

Mon, 23 May 2016 07:48:02 GMT

For this episode, the entire family went up to the Los Angeles area, to a place we’ve been many times before: my wife’s cousin’s house. We all love spending time up there and I’m usually more busy hovering over the kids than getting to spend as much time as I’d like just sitting and talking with the grown-ups of that family. Michael and Shannon are my kind of people. They love telling stories (of which they have some doozies!), they love talking about movies and the industry (they are both seriously talented writers) and we have pretty similar tastes in films.

I will openly admit, I never sat down and did any kind of research before this sit-down with Michael. I didn’t really think I should or that I needed to. So, I quite honestly didn’t even know before I googled him for notes after the episode that he was writer/producer of one of those guilty-pleasure-type movies of my younger days: Face Off. Yes…that Face Off: of the days before Nic Cage kinda seemingly jumped off the deep end a little.

As I said before, I’d love to hear your feedback and for you to find the podcast in iTunes and leave a review, rate it and subscribe to it. All of that brings it a little (or a lot) more into the public eye and enables the podcast to get more great guests in to record! As always, thank you all so much for your support. It’s fun to make these…but it is also with the hope that others get some enjoyment and fulfillment from it too!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

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Episode 002: Kenn

Mon, 23 May 2016 06:58:45 GMT

If you listened to Episode 001, you know that my first episode was supposed to be part one of a two-part episode with a friend who was on the brink of becoming a Dad. Well this is the other two-parter that I arranged, with a different friend of mine, Kenn. Kenn and I go way back, and I’ve known his wife since she was in Jr. High! We recorded this episode just before their very first child was born, and we discuss the seriously incredible journey that led to that point for them. To say they struggled with getting pregnant is a massive understatement. We also talked about Kenn’s history with his own Dad and Mom and what he’s bringing (or not bringing) to the table as he prepared to be a first-time Dad.

The second part of this episode (at the time this is being released) has yet to be recorded, where we follow up with Kenn and see what the first few months have been like with their little girl in their lives; how much his expectations and ideas were wrong or right. That time will come. For now, enjoy this first sit down with a guest for the podcast as you hear about this couple’s resilience and perseverance to finally have a little family of their own.

As I said before, I’d love to hear your feedback and for you to find the podcast in iTunes and leave a review, rate it and subscribe to it. All of that brings it a little (or a lot) more into the public eye and enables the podcast to get more great guests in to record! As always, thank you all so much for your support. It’s fun to make these, but it is also with the hope that others get some enjoyment and fulfillment from it too!

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

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Episode 001: Podcast Introduction

Mon, 23 May 2016 04:35:06 GMT

I’m assuming you already did the sound of a drumroll in your head. If you didn’t…just take a moment…maybe even close your eyes…imagine a bottle of champagne being broken against the hull of a new ship…the cutting of a red ribbon by a large, older man with a sash on that says MAYOR (and, yes… if you need that large, older man to be me in your imagining of it, I can live with that). All of these things. They all predicate this fanfare of the release of the Daddy Unscripted Podcast , after such a long wait.

This is merely the introduction episode… which is basically me, telling you about why this even exists, what it sprung from, what my hope is for the podcast and how you can even get involved! I’d love to hear your feedback and of course for you to find the podcast in iTunes and leave a review and rate it and subscribe to it. All of that brings it a little (or a lot) more into the public eye and enables the podcast to get more great guests in to record! Thanks so much for your support… truly.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted