DadAwesome

There's a moment in Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey sits down and watches 25 years of video messages from the kids he left behind. Daniel Chesnut drove home from that movie snot-crying, climbed into bed next to his sleeping two-year-old, and asked God a simple question: why is this wrecking me? What he heard back changed the way he has fathered for the last decade. In this conversation, Daniel shares listening prayer with your kids, why vulnerability is actually strength, how to play the long game with a 14-year-old, and the truth that's rescuing him in every transition: nothing is lost.
 
✅ The listening prayer practice he does with his 14-year-old son every year
✅ Why spending your 30s building a future can cost you the people you're building it for
✅ How to cultivate access to your kid's heart (hint: it's not across the couch)
✅ The truth rescuing him in every transition: nothing is lost
 
Takeaways
Ask God for a word or theme for the year, and invite your kids into the same practice. Take the pressure off of timing.
When a movie, a song, or a moment wrecks you, pay attention. It's a knock on the door of your heart.
Spend your 30s becoming the kind of man who can be entrusted with more, instead of building a future your family won't want to share with you.
Cultivate access to your kid's heart. Delight in what they delight in. Talk over sushi or on the drive, not across the couch.
Nothing is lost. Every missed moment, every transition, every thing you wish you could get back is being restored.
Guest
Daniel Chesnut is a filmmaker, storyteller, and the founder of Process Creative. He and his wife Katie live in Southern California with their 14-year-old son Brooklyn. Daniel has spent years helping people tell their stories on film and is part of the Pursuit Beach Fitness men's discipleship community. He writes about fatherhood, faith, and becoming on his Substack.
 
Quotes 
"The strongest man on the sand is the most vulnerable man on the sand."
"I made time. I created time. And I can make time work for you, not against you."
"Spend the next decade becoming the kind of person who can be entrusted with more in 10 years."
"Whatever you do, cultivate access to your kid's heart. That's it. Just stay in their life."
"Nothing is lost. Even the moments you regret are being restored."
 
Links
Text MOM to (651) 370-8618 // or click here

Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618

DADAWESOME Book:dadawesome.org/book

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email [email protected]

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

Becoming a King by Morgan Snyder

Walking with God by John Eldredge

Interstellar (film) and soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

Process Creative (Daniel's company)

Pursuit Beach Fitness

BABY SWIM LESSONS - The Ultimate Routine to Help Our 2 YR OLD Swim and Deep Dive Underwater (The Bucket List Family)

Most dads are carrying something they never dealt with... Mark Odland is a trauma therapist who works with high achieving men, and he joined us for one of the most honest conversations we've had on this show.
✅ How stuck memories quietly affect the way you parent
✅ A simple tapping technique you can use with your kids right now
✅ Why doing your inner work is one of the most important things you can do for your family
SUMMARY
Most dads are carrying something they never dealt with. In this episode, therapist Mark Odland explains how unprocessed memories stay stuck in the brain and quietly shape the way you parent, the way you react, and the way you show up at home. You'll also hear what trauma therapy actually is, why doing the inner work is one of the bravest things a dad can do, and how healing in one generation changes everything for the next.
TAKEAWAYS
When your nervous system gets overwhelmed, memories can get stored in a way that doesn't heal properly and that affects you more than you realize years later.
The "butterfly hug" tapping technique is something you can use with your kids in real time to help a hard moment not become a stuck wound.
Trauma therapy helps the brain do what it was already designed to do, heal itself when the right conditions are present.
The cage many high achieving men live in isn't always visible from the outside. But deep down, they know something's in the way.
Whatever you wish your dad had done differently with you, ask yourself if you're doing that with your kids. That question is a powerful starting point.
Doing one therapy session doesn't commit you to years on a couch. It's just a first step, and first steps create momentum.
GUEST
Mark Odland is a licensed therapist, trauma specialist, and the founder of Lion Counseling. He's also the author of Escape the Cage. Mark and his wife have four kids and live in Duluth, Minnesota, where yes, he has surfed Lake Superior.
QUOTES
"As long as we have the opportunity to be connected to safety and truth, the brain can heal itself." — Mark Odland
"You don't have to sign your life away. Just do one therapy appointment." — Mark Odland
"Whatever invisible force is keeping you in a cage, the dad you want to be is in there." — Mark Odland
"If you can't muster up the belief that you're worth it, look at a picture of your family. They are worth it." — Mark Odland
"Some healing usually proceeds breakthrough. Doing some looking back before you try to propel forward." — Jeff Zaugg
 
LINKS
 Escape the Cage by Mark Odland 
https://escapethecagenow.com/
Text MOM to (651) 370-8618 // or click here
DADAWESOME Book:dadawesome.org/book

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

"A man who can't regulate his emotions forces his wife and kids to do it for him."
Seth Dahl back for a 5th conversation on DadAwesome.
He breaks down what's actually happening when dad loses it and what it takes to change.
✅ Why emotional dysregulation is an identity issue, not just a temper problem
✅ The loaded gun analogy that will change how you think about anger at home
✅ Teen boundaries, the Wise Phone, and how to give freedom without losing your mind
 
SUMMARY
A man who can't regulate his emotions forces his wife and kids to do it for him. That's the hard truth Seth Dahl drops early in this conversation, and it only gets more honest from there. This is a raw, alumni-only Zoom call that turned into something worth sharing with every dad who's ever lost it over something stupid and wondered why.
 
Takeaways:
If you can be triggered, you're identifying with something more than your role as a dad. That's an identity issue, not just a temper issue.
Unprocessed emotions don't disappear. They show up as anger, porn, checked-out dads, and kids walking on eggshells.
God's model in Genesis wasn't control. It was influence with a boundary. That's the parenting theology most of us are missing.
For teenagers, the online world is the living room. Know who they're talking to, just like you would if they came to your house.
The Wise Phone gives kids what they need without what gets them in trouble.
 
GUEST:
 
Seth Dahl is an author, speaker, grief recovery specialist, and emotional health coach. He and his wife have three kids and have developed a deep framework around completing past emotions, processing present emotions, and shaping future ones. Seth is a longtime friend of DadAwesome and is featured in the DADAWESOME book.
 
LINKS
Text MOM to (651) 370-8618 // or click here
Emotionally Skilled Fatherhood Course with Seth Dahl (Interest Form)
Wise Phone
Radiant Mobile 
DADAWESOME Book:dadawesome.org/book

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

SETH DAHL

Jay Heck of Being Sons flips the mic and digs into the DADAWESOME book with some really honest questions.
 
✅ The prayer counseling session that broke a 15-year lie Jeff had been living under
✅ Why parenting from scarcity makes your voice smaller (and what changes when you don't)
✅ The black pen blue pen journaling exercise that helps you actually hear from God
✅ Three things every father can bring to their kids: proximity, placing hands on, and prayer
 
Get the 7-Day DADAWESOME Video Series - 
 
SUMMARY
Most dads are trying to figure out the right strategy. But what if the thing holding you back isn't a lack of tactics, it's a lie you've been believing about whether you're even loved? In this mic flip episode, Jay Heck of Being Sons turns the tables and interviews Jeff about the Dad Awesome book, and the conversation gets honest fast. You'll hear about the prayer counseling session that changed everything, what it means to set the scoreboard to infinity, and how a dad who's operating from fullness becomes the most compelling voice in the room.
 
TAKEAWAYS
Your kids need to see you pause and point to what God has done, not just celebrate the mountaintops but name the hard stuff too.
When you stop trying to earn love and start receiving it as a son, things like dancing, crying, laughing, and gentleness just start coming out of you naturally.
You are not behind. Whatever season of fatherhood you are in, God is not disappointed. He's inviting you to turn toward him, not catch up.
The three P's of intentional fatherhood are pursuing your kids, praying for your kids, and being present with your kids.
Fathers who operate from abundance naturally draw their kids, their kids' friends, and other families in. Scarcity thinking is contagious, and so is thankfulness.
GUEST
Jay Heck is the founder of Being Sons, a fatherhood ministry focused on dad and daughter and dad and son adventure experiences. He hosts the Being Sons podcast and is passionate about helping men step into the father heart of God so they can lead their families well.
QUOTES
"Your heavenly father has set the scoreboard to infinity. You can't add to it. You can't subtract from it."
"As I learned more about my identity as a loved son of God, I danced more, cried more, laughed more."
"Gratefulness and fear can't live simultaneously. When we are grateful, we move toward more vision and more hope."
"Fathers who operate from abundance naturally become the most compelling voice in the room."
"You are not behind. God in heaven is not disappointed. He is loving this moment that you are turning."
LINKS
21 Day Prayer Team - surrounding the DADAWESOME book launch.

DADAWESOME Book:dadawesome.org/book

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort

Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618

Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome

7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast

Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book

BEING SONS Ministry (Jay Heck)

Wild At Heart - Head of Household Prayer (John Eldredge)

Ruthless Trust (book)

What do you do when your schedule is maxed out and you feel like you're failing at the very thing you preach? In this episode, Jeff gets honest about dropping the ball on dad-daughter dates, shares three raw discoveries from book launch week, and tells the story of a flaming ball of toilet paper on a frozen lake that never made it into the book — for good reason.
Without a concrete accountability loop, even your highest priorities will quietly slip off the calendar.

In your fullest, most pressured seasons, adding one stabilizing anchor — not removing things — might be the wisest move you make.

Daily prayer with other men isn't just spiritual discipline; it's a stabilizing force that steadies you when everything else is swinging.

Bringing two simple questions to a dad-daughter date can surface honest feedback and spark some of the most important conversations you'll have with your kids.

Fatherhood grows through friendships and focus — those two things, compounded over years, change everything.

 
DADAWESOME BOOKhttps://www.dadawesome.org/book