Daddy Unscripted Podcast

Episode 5 of "We're Here Alone Together" (W.H.A.T.) features Jess Rosado: blogger, photographer, designer, mom and creative extraordinaire. You should find her @OddBirdOut on Instagram really quick. Go go go. This is Episode 96 of the podcast. Jess and I have known each other since maybe 2005 or so, and we met via the world of Flickr. We talked a little about that early time, the social media platform we were on before the words "social media" were such a mainstay.Jess talked about how much more difficult Christmas in 2020 was for her, in comparison with previous years. Some of that was based on the pandemic... but she also talked about her kids being teens now completely changes the landscape of gift giving and celebration. We talked a bit about kids, allowances and chores. Being the youngest of 8 kids and growing up in the '70s and '80s, an "allowance" wasn't the same for me as it was for a lot of my friends. So, I was curious on Jess' take on it as a Mom of 2. I told a story about trying to trick/bribe (call it what you will) my 8 yr old into allowing us to listen to Prince on the 8-minute drive to his school every day for a month and how he wouldn't give in. Someone please help me with this struggle (sic).We bantered about expectations within the family relationship. I took a minor shot across the bow (sorry not sorry) toward the idea that a Father posting how he is "watching his kids while the Mom gets some 'me time' of her own" and people go out of their way to comment and tell the Dad what a great Dad he is being and how awesome that is. Don't do this. This wound up in us spending quite some time talking about homeschooling. Jess was homeschooled, herself, some time ago and obviously this has become a way more significant option with the pandemic. So, we really went through how that has changed a lot over the years and how it set Jess up for life and how she is handling it with her teens. How many of you with kids feel like they are way ahead of you in their understanding of technology? Yeah, we talked about that too. How timely this current world situation has been for just how tech-savvy younger people are. I have said this multiple times: if Covid had hit when previous generations were kids, I feel fairly comfortable saying that almost none of this schooling would have been possible. I know that a lot of people like to call the last school year a "lost year"... heck, Time magazine just had that as their cover story. I, for one, feel like that is a Bolshevik statement (can you say 'click bait'?) and a pretty harsh slap to the face of educators around the world, as well as to a lot of kids. I don't say that without an understanding and cushion statement that gets that a lot of kids didn't thrive; a lot of parents didn't do well. I know that everyone doesn't have great abilities to work through it (whether that is due to the infrastructure of wifi capabilities, or hardware issues, etc). 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. You can listen to this conversation by finding the Daddy Unscripted podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune In Radio, etc).Find and follow Jess and Odd Bird Out at the website for the blog at www.OddBirdOut.com Find and follow Jess on her Instagram at @OddBirdOutDaddy Unscripted can be found on:iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy Unscripted is... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 95 features Icelandic visual artist Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. Is there such a thing as "admiration at first sight" that is similar in its nature to the whole "love at first sight" thing? I have to assume there is... and that is what my relationship with Rebekka is rooted in. I'm excited that she becomes the first guest of my newest series: "Who Tells Your Story?"This is the second half of our long conversation. Did you listen to the 1st half? If you didn't... seriously, you need to go do that now. Even though this is kind of like my The Godfather I and The Godfather II, as good as this 2nd part is, you can't really take it in perfectly without taking in the 1st half. So, if you haven't done that, go do that now. Come back. This will still be here. Okay, now that we're all on the same page and ready for part 2, let's move ahead as one. "I actually spent one night in the hospital on suicide watch..." So, less than one minute into the 2nd half and we are really starting at a high level here because of where part 1 left off. Now you get why I said all of that just before, right? Right. A very good point to not miss out on here is that this 24-hour "lockdown" was brought about because of Rebekka's ability to be very honest and humble with a trusted friend about the place her mind was at right then. And that friend was caring and smart about the information given to them. These are key components and I am so relieved and happy and proud of Rebekka for setting that into motion so that (and I don't say this lightly, as dramatic as it may sound) she is even still alive to have had this conversation with me. With that said, Rebekka does say this was such a low point for her and that she felt "so pathetic" about it all. Totally understandable or acceptable as a later thought to what took place. But, you know what: I didn't ask her this, but I'm pretty sure she would say that 100 out of 100 times, she would take those feelings for the benefit of being alive today. I think that's a pretty fair assumption. Rebekka retells how she took the painful and necessary steps to finally fully uncover what was really going on with her longtime boyfriend and the relationship he had fully created 'on the side'. She found what she had been expecting to and describes her sons being so glad to see her "reclaim her self-worth and her self-respect."The day she moved out of that relationship was a crazy adventure including a brokedown car being towed by her parents' car. "I lost my income and I lost my home and I lost my car. But, what I had was my kids and my parents and... obviously friends -- " Sometimes, it's not easy to see how much we have. It's easy to say that, of course. But, really. I mean that for myself, as well. "That was obviously the biggest and most shocking and terrible thing that happened during that time..." This seems like a very apt description of Rebekka telling about how her sons' biological father took his own life in December of 2020. Rebekka walks us through how she met her kids' Dad and the story of their dating relationship. "I will say that I never planned on having kids... at any point. I'd never even thought about it." The relationship and love that Rebekka and her sons have for each other goes to show how life sometimes has other ideas for us than what we think is right for ourselves. When he fell in love with someone else and Rebekka had to move back into her parents' home. "It was just the most dreadfully depressing thing that you can imagine. There was no social media. I had not been in contact with any friends, because I didn't really have any friends before dating this guy. So I was completely isolated, back at home with my parents, with these two little kids..."She talks about how things got extremely unpleasant between her and her sons' Dad (who married the woman he had... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 94 features Icelandic visual artist Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. Is there such a thing as "admiration at first sight" that is similar in its nature to the whole "love at first sight" thing? I have to assume there is... and that is what my relationship with Rebekka is rooted in. I'm excited that she becomes the first guest of my newest series: "Who Tells Your Story?"The year was 2005. I was dating my now wife. I was working at my old job that had me traveling around the world... quite a lot. I wish I could, but I can't recall what originally brought me to search up some type of photograph and led my internet search into a website called Flickr. To give perspective, this is 4 years before Instagram. Facebook was only available to college students at this time. Nobody was using the words "social media" in a meaningful way yet. As I wandered around photos on Flickr, something caught my eye and lassoed my imagination. It was what seemed to be a long exposure shot (one of a few she posted around that time) that made it look like there were two of her laying down. "... I don't even remember how I got the idea of tossing up this apple and catching it in midair..." That was how Rebekka described this photograph that ended up being one of the handful of catalysts for her photography getting noticed far and wide. When we talked about the older photos from her Flickr page, Rebekka talked about how exciting that time was for her. She said that she was taking photos every day and experimenting and having so much fun with this new art form for her. I reminded Rebekka about how I paid homage to her once or twice in my 365 project on Flickr. Here is an example of that from one of her popular multiplicity, or clone, images. "Iceland was basically in the 'Dark Ages' until around World War II, basically..." Rebekka really dug deep for her memories of family members in her past beyond her own parents. She briefly talked about how rough life would have been for her grandparents in old-world Iceland. I got a little schooling in some of the history of Iceland that I had totally not been aware of previously. "My Mom is just really bad-ass." What Rebekka shared about her Mom absolutely falls in line with that sentence. Rebekka touched a little bit on what the effect can be on a child when they are told "you are special," when it comes to scholastics and things of that nature. "As soon as I realized what I had when I was in Florida" as opposed to her life when she returned to Iceland as a pre-teen, gave Rebekka a significant shock to her psyche and moved her into depression at a young age. She really retreated during those school days.Having a sketchbook around her constantly and honing her craft of drawing is what Rebekka will point at having saved her from becoming the outcast that may have been made fun of by others. She says she may still have been considered "the weirdo", her work with art elevated her status a bit and gained some respect from her peers. She thinks it is what kept her going through times of being shy and miserable while in school. "I would sometimes go an entire day without opening my mouth". Rebekka talks about seeing a documentary on women with autism. The documentary, which translated into English is "Seeing The Unseen", can be seen in full on Vimeo and you can connect with them on Twitter @unseenautismAs Rebekka watched and listened to the women in the film discuss their lives, things really started to click into place for her. She remembered the many times she'd been asked: "Why can't you just be normal?" and the answer was and is: "Because I'm not. I'm just not."This all struck a tremendous chord with me. There was an unavoidable resounding bell ringing in my head the first time we started looking at things regarding autism and early... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 93 is the first of 2021 and a brief check-in for all of us on our mental well-being. Literally for all of us: myself very much included.The world has changed a ton for a lot of us since we turned the pages on calendars from 2020 to 2021. Or has it? That's an actual question I wanted to sit down with for this episode. 2020 was not the best year ever for so many of us. I feel pretty safe saying that. I mean, unless you're Jeff Bezos or one of the other billionaires that just got even more disgustingly wealthy during the past year. Emphasis on that word 'disgusting', by the way.The transition to a new year tends to bring that big energy of leaving things in the past and moving into the fresh, shiny newness with some level of optimism. 2021 feels like it was the polar opposite calendar page-turn of the year 2000, with all of the y2k fear. So, what happened? What changed? I sat with that for a minute or 5 and came away with the reality that, aside from the literal calendar change: nothing changed. We were all still in the middle of this pandemic. Our planet had shifted as much as it would any normal day, but that didn't "fix" things. We were less than 3 weeks away from a significant leadership change here in the U.S. For some of us, that represented an enormous light at the end of what had been a very long and dark tunnel. But, let's be real: for others, it didn't. I assume we are all familiar with how that goes for any presidential election.6 days into the new year, there was an insurrection at our nation's capitol. Something unlike anything our generation has ever witnessed. Not here. Not in these United (??) States of America.Insert an entire paragraph about the women there that day. Insert an entire post about the brilliance that the youngest Inaugural poet laureate Amanda Gorman brought to the day.And, here we all are. The pandemic is still a thing. Trumpism is still a thing. People are still trying to figure out how to live through massive tragedy and hardship right now.Change takes time. It takes hard work and a lot of it. As conscientious as I may be about the reality and obviousness of it, I have still had to remind myself there was never a magic wand. No instantaneous betterment was coming on January 1 or January 20.I've needed to come to terms with that fact more than once. This has driven me to work harder to focus (again) on my mental health. To get back into a steady routine of meditation. To find moments, as I need them, of quiet or of mindless distraction at other times. Reading a book, listening to music... even times of listening to the sound of the world outside: the wind in the trees... the rain falling.I know that not a lot of men are comfortable with the idea of discussing mental health. To some, it displays weakness or inferiority. To many, it may be something that could be so helpful, if they could open themselves up to the idea. So, I have been talking about this on my social media, but if you do something for your mental health: share it with us. Let's help each other and others learn and think of some new ways to help themselves.I've said it in this episode a lot, but share your stories with the hashtag of #MyMentalHealth to make it easy to find. You can listen to this conversation by finding the Daddy Unscripted podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune In Radio, etc).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... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 92 is my 3rd Thanksgiving episode. Last year's episode was heavily inspired by the life of Mr. Rogers and featured an inspiring message and challenge based on the kindness represented by Mr. Rogers' legacy. This year's episode is painted more with the current landscape of our country and, really, our planet during the fall and winter months of 2020. With everything going on in the world right now, I decided to just take some of it on with this solo, guest-less episode. I think, in the end, it allows me to be more thankful and grateful if I'm not straight up trying to avoid or dance around the obvious. I started by sharing the relief I felt with the (apparent) election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the president and vice president elect. I analyzed some of the fear I have heard some people express about what that may mean for USA; I tried to talk through a little of my confusion with that mindset while coming to terms with how that may feel valid to people that don't share my same ideas.The second section of the episode was a bit more personal. If you've heard my prior episodes during this time of the year, you know that this is around the time that the anniversary of my Dad's death comes around. It's also the anniversary of my eldest sister's death. This year, my wife's Dad succumbed to cancer not too long ago. So, it's all just piling on. This of course, also coincides with my birthday (which happens to be the day that I'm releasing this episode, oddly enough). So, I spent a bit of time exploring how all of that impacts my life right now, and the dynamic of my family. With the state of the world in mind, it was impossible to not connect that with all of the loss that so many humans are experiencing right now. A lot of us are possibly getting used to the ridiculously high numbers of human loss occurring on a daily basis in so many parts of the world right now. Stopping to think about that for just a few minutes is incredibly saddening. The final part of what I called my Cornucopia episode focused on a challenge of inspiration to all of you (and to myself, too). When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone? I mean: wrote. With your hand and a pen? When was the last time you wrote one and mailed it to someone? Is it so crazy to think about writing a letter even to someone who lives in your home and still mailing it to your home for them? How about sending out voice texts of love to people you care about? It is a pretty simple challenge... and maybe that makes it better, because I know so many of you can easily find success with this.  Oh, a little bit of news. I finally put to rest the idea that I may do a complete branding overhaul of Daddy Unscripted. That's not happening. Rather, with the additional section of the podcast that I created with the W.H.A.T. series ("We're Here Alone Together"), I announced I will have another side series called "Who Tells Your Story" that will involve me having an even more diverse set of guests on the podcast to do exactly what Daddy Unscripted has always strived to do: document the lives of all of you amazing people out there.You can listen to this conversation by finding the Daddy Unscripted podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune In Radio, etc).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 RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite:... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 91 features Chris Colbert, the CEO of DCP Entertainment, which just launched a new show titled "Say Their Name". We talk about that podcast a lot in this episode, let me first tell you about Chris. He began his career in audio production over a decade ago as an intern and consultant for Sirius Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM Radio). While simultaneously earning his degree from Seton Hall University, he helped create Oscar and Grammy award winner Jamie Foxx’s comedy and music channel “The Foxxhole.”Upon successful completion and tremendous success with “The Foxxhole,” Chris joined SiriusXM full time and helped create “Carlin’s Corner”, a 24/7 George Carlin comedy channel, and “Que Funny”, SiriusXM’s only bilingual Latino comedy channel. He also oversaw programming and operations for “Urban View” and “Blue Collar Radio” (now “Jeff & Larry’s Comedy Roundup”). In addition to SiriusXM’s permanent stations, Chris also worked on pop-up channels such as “Richard Pryor Radio”, “Star Wars Radio”, “Comic Con Radio”, and “E3 Radio.”As Director of Urban Talk and Comedy for SiriusXM, Chris worked on several audio documentaries. These documentaries provided his transition to the role of Vice President of Programming for Cadence13 (formerly DGital Media). While at Cadence13, he oversaw all documentary projects and produced top podcasts such as “Cover Up”, “Origins”, “What Really Happened”, and “Majority 54.”Having worked with names like Jamie Foxx, Touré, James Andrew Miller, Joy-Ann Reid, Zak Levitt, Andrew Jenks, Joe Madison, ESSENCE, PEOPLE, Crooked Media, Sports Illustrated, WME, and the United Negro College Fund, Chris specializes in media partnerships and content development.With a passion for connecting audiences with innovative and inspiring content, Chris founded DCP Entertainment; a place to bring together audio and visual storytelling that highlight underrepresented communities and conversations.We talked a lot about mental health in this episode. We covered DCP's new podcast "Say Their Name" as well, which was a significant part of my wanting to talk with Chris in the first place. Say Their Name talks with loved ones of the victims of either police brutality or senseless killing at the hands of other civilians. Chris talks about how he realized in 2018 that he wanted to do something that honored the lives that were being lost unnecessarily.DCP Entertainment is your destination for the underrepresented voice, sharing stories you won’t find anywhere else. Giving a platform to people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as highlighting stories around mental health, disability, and overcoming adversity, DCP presents stories that we can all relate to. With a focus on improving the world around us, DCP’s podcast and video series go beyond entertainment and provide perspectives and lessons that can create positive movements.DCP Entertainment's Podcasts include: “Democracy-ish,” “Make It Plain,” “Toure Show,” “Woke AF,” “Picked Last in Gym Class,” and “Inner Space.” For more information, visit www.dcpofficial.com and follow @DCPofficial on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.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.You can listen to this conversation by finding the Daddy Unscripted podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 90 features David Gans, songwriter, musician, author, photographer, radio host of The Grateful Dead Hour... and, what did I miss? I've recently released a few episodes recorded pre-Covid. This is another of those and, again, I kind of like hearing these conversations during what was a simpler, much different time. This conversation took place near New Year's 2019, believe it or not. A number of reasons held this one back so long, including other podcasts in the Osiris Media family releasing their own convos with David and my not wanting to create a David Gans deluge (which, really, might not be such a bad thing, honestly). So, at long last, I'm very happy to finally bring this conversation to you all.Another thing that made this conversation unique: he was the second person I had on Daddy Unscripted even though they were not actually Dads. We chuckled about that at the beginning of this episode. I will stand firmly by the idea that I thought this conversation would still be warmly welcomed by my audience and an excellent addition to the Osiris canon, regardless. I mean, aside from that... I could always just say: it's my podcast and I'll do what I want (right?).David talks about his friend and writing partner Stephen Donnelly who had been trying to get him interested in the Grateful Dead for some time, trying to get him to go to a show. From looking at what this band was all about, he recalls looking at song titles for insights: "They had a song called 'New Speedway Boogie' and I didn't think boogie music was very interesting, that just seemed like mindless party music. And then they had a song called 'Cumberland Blues' and I wasn't that interested in the blues, either... imagine my surprise when I heard those songs..."In early 1972, the Grateful Dead really got David's interest. Once he got a handle on the improvisation (and conversation) that was taking place onstage between the band members, he states it clearly: "there was no turning back".The very first song that David ever played guitar, it was playing his very own compositions. He firmly believes that gave him a unique voice with his guitar, not starting out by learning the music of others and starting his playing based on a dependency of being able to play other people's music.We talked about Al & Janice Lucas' website called gratefuldeadtributebands.com that keeps track of all of the bands playing Grateful Dead music around the world. There are so many hundreds of these bands playing the music of the Grateful Dead globally. That really does say so much about the legacy of not only the music itself, but the writing and lyrics of the Grateful Dead's songbook.Working as a music journalist for various magazines (including but not isolated to Relix magazine, Rolling Stone magazine amongst others) in the '70s and '80s, David got to learn a lot about ways to make music and ways to put shows together. "I also got to watch the whole nature of the music business change over time from the era that I grew up in that was dominated by singers-songwriters... over time the whole nature of that business has changed and record sales are way down and everybody now, the best way to make a living is to go out and actually play live and sell T-shirts and stuff. You're not selling music into record stores; you're being heard on Spotify which doesn't pay enough to live on."We talked quite a bit about improvisation in music and bands that don't go that way at all, and the ones that do. "Brent Mydland told me once when he joined the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir told him: 'You can't really rehearse for the Grateful Dead. You just have to do it.'""One of the things that I tell people when describing this kind of music is: that everybody in the band has the authority to dominate the rap, and the good grace not to. Through the course of some short, medium, or long stretch of dialogue, they will migrate collectively toward that... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 5 of "We're Here Alone Together" (W.H.A.T.) features Billie Weiss, the Senior Manager of Photography for the Boston Red Sox. If you, like me, follow him on social media, you may actually think his name is BJ Weiss. That's merely his handle on most of social media, however... so go find him as @BJWeiss22 on both Instagram and Twitter. Okay... I assume you handled following him on social media now so you can better follow who this artiste is (that is not a typo... he absolutely is more than an 'artist'). Billie and I started the episode by just getting the "acquaintance" part out of the way. Even if you may think I was a little effusive in my excitement about talking with him and how complimentary I was of his work over the years: trust me. I held back. As a photographer and as a huge sports fan and as a ridiculous fan of the Red Sox, I really did restrain myself from what could have come off as way too much time of utter fanboy treatment. I cannot fully describe how passionate I am about Billie's photography coverage of the Red Sox, in games and off the field, as well.Very important note here: we had this conversation originally not all that long before the MLB actually started their season this year. The season that will have the ultimate asterisk for all-time (I'd think): the 60-game regular season of 2020, during a worldwide pandemic that, by the 3rd week of September had already claimed the lives of over 200,000 Americans. Billie takes us through his journey in the world of photography from the time of his schooling to where he sent a resume out to the Baltimore Orioles organization in an effort to land a photographer intern gig. And that was where he got his official start. He worked with the Orioles as an intern in 2009 and again in 2011 as an assistant. Late in 2011 is when he met the Red Sox team photographer during a series between the two teams. The two kept in touch, Billie graduated from college and he put his name into the running for an internship with the Red Sox in 2012 (which... spoiler alert: he got).Billie talked about how different the mentality is behind the photography of the Red Sox than what team photographers were doing some 10 or 20 years ago and why it has to be so different. Billie told me how during the first month or so of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was glued to his TV, watching the news, trying to determine when he would be able to go back to work. He described having to force himself to get out, start taking photographs again and think outside of what his "normal" was. The break from his usual day-to-day actually allowed him to finally launch his Youtube channel that he has on his back-burner for so long. Billie's fiancé is a nurse there on the east coast, so that has added a significant additional layer to all of this for the two of them. Though this is coming out a while after we had the original conversation, I think it's still interesting to hear our conversation about "how do you play sports during this pandemic"?We finished the conversation talking about photography. Having worked a lot within the concert photography world, I wanted to ask Billie about being the professional when you're working with such well-known stars with some big personalities and even larger personas. We then went into some of Billie's favorite photos over the years. Don't think we didn't discuss the magic of the 2018 Red Sox season and how big the photographs that came out of that season actually became.  As I said before, you really should go find Billie to appreciate his brilliant work. You absolutely do not have to be a Red Sox or Boston sports fan to enjoy it all. So check out his website at www.BillieWeiss.com You can also get to know him a lot better through his new(ish) Youtube page ... then you definitely need to add him on Instagram and on Twitter... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 88 features Damon Miller, a CEO and longtime surfer from Oregon. This is another blast from the past episode, actually recorded in the summer of 2019. I started to feel the guilt while editing this recently of it taking me so long to get to... but I actually really enjoy the nostalgia of hearing these conversations that happen pre-Covid, if I'm being honest.Damon starts us off, going back to his great grandfather moving to the Miami area from Wisconsin back in the 1920's. His great grandfather started a business in Miami that ended up becoming kind of the family business and that is where his family roots dug in deep for generations to come. Damon was in that state until he moved out west in the middle of his college years.When we go back into the relationship between Damon and his parents, Damon tells how his parents divorced when he was only 6 years old. "It's not really a tragic story in any way..." Damon says of that time of his life. He had a stepdad that entered his hemisphere not too long after his parents divorced and he had strong relationships with both of his Dads.Damon's level of awareness that he describes at such a young age is beyond remarkable. He talks about recognizing how difficult it must have been for his Dad to put the effort into staying in his children's lives. He also talked about understanding that his parents were "just two human beings that it [marriage] just didn't work out for them".We talked a bit about the struggle for step-parents; as they work to not only create a bond and a relationship with their new significant other's children but that they are also navigating through whatever issues come with their relationship with that significant other, as well. I don't think we even got into what some step-parents have to deal with regarding estranged exes that exist. It's quite a lot, clearly.I think Damon was tickled when I asked him what kind of surfer he felt he more resembled back in the early '90s: Jeff Spicoli or Kelly Slater. Damon said he thought maybe he would have been a perfect mix between the two.We talked about his daughter who is a teenager and how mature and aware she is about some of the "drama things" that might trouble girls her age. Remember what I said earlier about Damon's very mature approach to his parents' divorce? Yeah... you don't have to wonder very hard about how his kids might have come by their mature process of thinking.This led back to "how did you cope so well as a youth?" and Damon talked about how beneficial his focus on surfing was for him. We talked about how important having a hobby, interest, or something that drives you can be for people of pretty much any age. I subscribe to this theory with all that I am.Daddy Unscripted can be found on:iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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.comMake 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 RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of 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.comYou 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.

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 RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of 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.comYou 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.

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:iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of 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.comYou 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 RadioTwitter: @DaddyUnscriptedFacebook: Daddy UnscriptedWebsite: www.daddyunscripted.comDaddy 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.comYou 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.