Working Dads

Three things you'll learn: What Joe did in the first three months after his layoff that made everything worse — and the moment his wife called him out that finally changed things Why Joe says he'd take a pay cut to spend more time with his kids — and what that decision says about the shift happening in this generation of working dads The bedtime routine Joe and his wife built that isn't just about sleep — it's about making sure his kids feel safe enough to talk to him when they're older What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction Joe, IT professional of 18+ years, stepfather to an 11-year-old, and dad to a 2-year-old son and 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter 00:00 — The layoff that broke him Daughter was seven months old. Wife became the provider. Depression, anxiety, obsession with job searching — and going to the gym every day while still taking two naps a day. 00:00 — His wife calling him out The conversation that finally snapped him back. She's not gonna be this young forever. That line changed everything. 00:00 — Getting out of the rut Fishing with a friend. Fresh air. Movement. And why stopping the obsession was the thing that finally worked. 00:00 — Four layoffs and counting What getting laid off four times teaches you about resilience, identity, and what actually matters as a working dad 00:00 — The income stream question ATR Payroll. A fitness coaching business. Multiple streams. And the math behind building enough that your family has options. 00:00 — I'd take a pay cut to be present The line that stopped the conversation. Why Joe said it. And what it means for every working dad listening. 00:00 — The bedtime routine Reading a story. Asking how their day was. Giving kids the openness now so they'll talk to you when it actually matters. 00:00 — Phones in the car The one move Joe makes when they go out as a family. No reason to go back and get it. 00:00 — Date night and staying connected Monthly goal. Softball schedules that get in the way. And why tomorrow night matters. 00:00 — Parting words Take a breath. Step back. Get the thousand foot view. You're not perfect and you don't have to be. About Joe Joe is an IT professional with 18-plus years of experience, a stepfather to an 11-year-old, and a father of two young children. He is also building a side business with ATR Payroll and previously launched a fitness coaching brand. He is a husband, a bowling league regular, and a working dad who has been laid off four times and come back every single time. LinkedIn: [Joe's LinkedIn] About Working Dads Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either. No gurus. No highlight reels. Just real talk. 🎙 New episode every week 📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads 💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Spotify: [link] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link] 📺 YouTube: [link] 📩 Newsletter: [link] 💬 Slack: [link] 👥 Facebook Group: [link] 🔗 LinkedIn: [link] 🌐 Website: [link] For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.Nobody prepares you for this.Not the guilt of leaving for work when your kid is still asleep. Not the pressure of providing for a family while trying to build something that actually matters. Not the identity crisis that hits when you realize you're not just the guy who grinds anymore — you're somebody's dad. And that changes everything.I started Working Dads because I lived that. I'm co-founder of Penji, husband to Emily, and dad to a two-year-old who already has more energy than I do. I've been bootstrapping a company for over a decade and I still don't have it all figured out. But I've learned that the most dangerous thing a working dad can do is try to figure it out alone.So every week I sit down with founders, executives, investors, and everyday dads who are in the thick of it. We talk about the real stuff. The marriage conversations you keep avoiding. The financial pressure nobody admits to. The moment your kid looks up at you and you realize you've been somewhere else even though you've been standing right there.We've also got Built During Bedtime — my weekly newsletter for working dads. The one thing I write after my daughter goes to sleep. Straight to your inbox. No fluff.And we've got a community. Slack channel and Facebook group full of dads who get it. The kind of guys you can be honest with. The kind of friendships that actually go somewhere.Come find your people.Working Dads. For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.

Three things you'll learn: How Bernard and his wife divided the business — sales vs. strategy, laundry vs. big picture — and why knowing your lane is the only way a husband-wife business actually survives Why Bernard says his teenagers seeing his daily struggle is one of the greatest gifts he can give them — and what he hopes they say about him when it's all said and done The one word Bernard says is the secret to navigating a business, a marriage, and two teenagers all at once — and why rigid systems will always break you   What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction Bernard Nasouli, co-owner of iEmergent, husband, father of a 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter 00:00 — Building a business with your wife Third tour with the company. Married in 2004. Kids in 2009 and 2012. And the question everyone asks: how do you work with your spouse every day? 00:00 — Survive and advance The motto that runs the household and the business. What happens when you're already at capacity and there's nobody left to offload to. 00:00 — Knowing your lane Sales is Bernard's. Strategy is hers. Laundry is his — and don't touch his system. How clear domains keep the peace at home and at work. 00:00 — The mortgage industry timing Founded in 2000. Right into the mortgage meltdown. Then DuPont. Then back in 2015. And why he kept coming back. 00:00 — Coaching both kids in flag football Coming out of retirement to coach his 13-year-old daughter. The horse shows. The school functions. And why entrepreneurship made all of it possible. 00:00 — Holding kids accountable vs. holding employees accountable Why you can tell your kid to clean their room directly — and why you absolutely cannot do that with an employee. 00:00 — Teenagers seeing the struggle Full transparency with the kids about what running a business actually costs. And why Bernard thinks that's one of the best things he can do for their future. 00:00 — The acquisition conversation Growing to the point of attracting buyers. What changes when another party's interests enter the room. And why building to sell is a completely different business. 00:00 — The professor quote Don't play the game you find. Change the game you play. Why that line shaped every decision Bernard has made. 00:00 — The legacy Two happy kids who looked back and said they were loved — and were in awe of what their parents built.   About Bernard Nasouli Bernard Nasouli is the co-owner of iEmergent, a data and forecasting company serving the mortgage industry. He grew up in Maryland, has lived in Iowa for twenty years, and has been with the company through three separate stints spanning from its founding in 2000 to today. He is a husband, business partner to his wife, flag football coach, horse show dad, and father of two teenagers. LinkedIn: [Bernard's LinkedIn] iEmergent: [link]   About Working Dads Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either. No gurus. No highlight reels. Just real talk. 🎙 New episode every week 📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads 💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group   Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Spotify: [link] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link] 📺 YouTube: [link] 📩 Newsletter: [link] 💬 Slack: [link] 👥 Facebook Group: [link] 🔗 LinkedIn: [link] 🌐 Website: [link] For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.Nobody prepares you for this.Not the guilt of leaving for work when your kid is still asleep. Not the pressure of providing for a family while trying to build something that actually matters. Not the identity crisis that hits when you realize you're not just the guy who grinds anymore — you're somebody's dad. And that changes everything.I started Working Dads because I lived that. I'm co-founder of Penji, husband to Emily, and dad to a two-year-old who already has more energy than I do. I've been bootstrapping a company for over a decade and I still don't have it all figured out. But I've learned that the most dangerous thing a working dad can do is try to figure it out alone.So every week I sit down with founders, executives, investors, and everyday dads who are in the thick of it. We talk about the real stuff. The marriage conversations you keep avoiding. The financial pressure nobody admits to. The moment your kid looks up at you and you realize you've been somewhere else even though you've been standing right there.We've also got Built During Bedtime — my weekly newsletter for working dads. The one thing I write after my daughter goes to sleep. Straight to your inbox. No fluff.And we've got a community. Slack channel and Facebook group full of dads who get it. The kind of guys you can be honest with. The kind of friendships that actually go somewhere.Come find your people.Working Dads. For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.

Three things you'll learn: Why Doug says the fellowship of other men — not willpower, not motivation — is what actually saved his life and what that means for every working dad listening right now The moment in 2020 when Doug had no choice but to look in the mirror — and how facing every demon he'd been running from made him the most self-aware version of himself he's ever been Why Doug believes society has put men in a shell — and what being a real man actually looks like when you strip everything else away What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction Doug Wenz, commercial insurance veteran, new company founder, husband, and father of four — with one more on the way 00:00 — The family picture Two kids from previous relationships. A stepdaughter. A two-and-a-half-year-old son. A baby girl due in December. And a wife he just married in September. 00:00 — The moment outside the apartment Standing in Florida at 24, everything loud in his head — until it went quiet. The feeling that told him to go home. And the call he made to his dad. 00:00 — His dad locking the door at 11:30pm The hardest decision his father ever made. The flight booked for the next morning. And why Doug says it saved his life. 00:00 — The relapse in 2020 Eight and a half years clean. Then COVID hit. Then treatment again. Then finding out about the affair. And having no choice but to face everything he hadn't faced at 24. 00:00 — What he missed and what he's getting back The kids he couldn't be there for. The men who stepped up in their lives. And why finally being present for his son Levi is the greatest gift he's ever been given. 00:00 — What a man actually is His definition then versus his definition now. And the client with a nonverbal autistic son who showed him what real fatherhood looks like. 00:00 — Why men suffer in silence Society telling men they can't have feelings. What happens when they believe it. And why showing emotion in front of your kids is the most powerful thing you can do. 00:00 — The generational shift Hard times create strong men. Why Doug thinks millennials are more self-aware than their fathers. And what he refuses to leave behind for his children. 00:00 — Parting words You are not alone. Whatever you're going through — you don't have to do it alone. About Doug Wenz Doug Wenz is a commercial lines property and casualty insurance professional with eight years of experience and the founder of a new company he's building from the ground up. He is a husband, stepfather, and father of four — with his fifth child on the way. He lives in Prospect, Connecticut. LinkedIn: [Doug's LinkedIn] About Working Dads Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either. No gurus. No highlight reels. Just real talk. 🎙 New episode every week 📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads 💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Spotify: [link] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link] 📺 YouTube: [link] 📩 Newsletter: [link] 💬 Slack: [link] 👥 Facebook Group: [link] 🔗 LinkedIn: [link] 🌐 Website: [link] For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.Nobody prepares you for this.Not the guilt of leaving for work when your kid is still asleep. Not the pressure of providing for a family while trying to build something that actually matters. Not the identity crisis that hits when you realize you're not just the guy who grinds anymore — you're somebody's dad. And that changes everything.I started Working Dads because I lived that. I'm co-founder of Penji, husband to Emily, and dad to a two-year-old who already has more energy than I do. I've been bootstrapping a company for over a decade and I still don't have it all figured out. But I've learned that the most dangerous thing a working dad can do is try to figure it out alone.So every week I sit down with founders, executives, investors, and everyday dads who are in the thick of it. We talk about the real stuff. The marriage conversations you keep avoiding. The financial pressure nobody admits to. The moment your kid looks up at you and you realize you've been somewhere else even though you've been standing right there.We've also got Built During Bedtime — my weekly newsletter for working dads. The one thing I write after my daughter goes to sleep. Straight to your inbox. No fluff.And we've got a community. Slack channel and Facebook group full of dads who get it. The kind of guys you can be honest with. The kind of friendships that actually go somewhere.Come find your people.Working Dads. For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.

Three things you'll learn: Why Gui says finding community is the single most important thing a new dad can do — and the exact move he made the first week in a brand new city that made all the difference The honest truth about going from one kid to two — who actually needs the attention, why most parents get it backwards, and the one thing that finally gave Gui and his wife their lives back How Gui hired a personal trainer two weeks ago and why the energy difference has already changed how he shows up for his kids every single day   What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction Gui Groscos, co-founder of Dadgood, father of two boys with a third on the way, husband, and recent transplant from Boston to Charleston 00:00 — Becoming a dad at 25 No money. No plan. A pregnant wife. And a switch that flipped overnight. 00:00 — Working from home with kids Why seeing his kids every day is a blessing — and why locking the office door still breaks his heart a little every time 00:00 — The Dadgood launch that almost cost him his marriage Three to five months of pouring everything into building the community. The conversation his wife finally had to have. And what he learned about presence from his own product. 00:00 — One to two kids Who told him it would be easy — and why they were wrong. Why the oldest needs more attention than the newborn. And the night his youngest finally slept through and everything changed. 00:00 — The routine that runs the household Same schedule every single day. Morning walk. Nap. Dinner together. Bath. Bed. Why the chaos finally became manageable. 00:00 — The personal trainer Two weeks in. Four to five workouts a week. Full meal tracking. And why he already feels like a different person — with more energy for his kids than he's had in years. 00:00 — Moving to Charleston knowing nobody The softball team. The neighborhood pool. And what Matt Campbell said about making friends as a dad that stopped Gui cold. 00:00 — Three best friends he's never met in person Matt Campbell. Chris Walter. Warren. Met through Dadgood. Text every single day. Haven't missed a beat in a year and a half. Would be in his wedding. 00:00 — Advice for dads in the trenches Find your people. You can't share war stories with someone who doesn't have kids. And you shouldn't have to.   About Gui Groscos Gui Groscos is the co-founder of Dadgood, a community built for ambitious dads who want to win at home and at work. He is a father of two boys — with a third due in December — a husband approaching his five-year anniversary, and a recent Boston-to-Charleston transplant who joined a softball team within his first week in town. LinkedIn: [Gui's LinkedIn] Dadgood: [link]   About Working Dads Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either. No gurus. No highlight reels. Just real talk. 🎙 New episode every week 📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads 💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group   Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Spotify: [link] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link] 📺 YouTube: [link] 📩 Newsletter: [link] 💬 Slack: [link] 👥 Facebook Group: [link] 🔗 LinkedIn: [link] 🌐 Website: [link]   For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.Nobody prepares you for this.Not the guilt of leaving for work when your kid is still asleep. Not the pressure of providing for a family while trying to build something that actually matters. Not the identity crisis that hits when you realize you're not just the guy who grinds anymore — you're somebody's dad. And that changes everything.I started Working Dads because I lived that. I'm co-founder of Penji, husband to Emily, and dad to a two-year-old who already has more energy than I do. I've been bootstrapping a company for over a decade and I still don't have it all figured out. But I've learned that the most dangerous thing a working dad can do is try to figure it out alone.So every week I sit down with founders, executives, investors, and everyday dads who are in the thick of it. We talk about the real stuff. The marriage conversations you keep avoiding. The financial pressure nobody admits to. The moment your kid looks up at you and you realize you've been somewhere else even though you've been standing right there.We've also got Built During Bedtime — my weekly newsletter for working dads. The one thing I write after my daughter goes to sleep. Straight to your inbox. No fluff.And we've got a community. Slack channel and Facebook group full of dads who get it. The kind of guys you can be honest with. The kind of friendships that actually go somewhere.Come find your people.Working Dads. For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.

Three things you'll learn: The simple 5:30 to 7:30 rule Matt uses to be fully present every single day — and what it took to finally stick to it Why Matt says the partner you choose either pushes you to be your best self or doesn't — and how his high school sweetheart has been the quiet engine behind everything he's built How Matt and his wife went from communicating like teenagers to building one of the most intentional marriages he knows — and the shift that made it happen What we cover: 00:00 — Introduction Matt Campbell, Business Development Director at Advertise Purple, co-creator of Dadgood, husband, and father of two 00:00 — Finding out he was going to be a dad The honeymoon. The surprise. The pressure of providing that hit before the baby even arrived. 00:00 — The first three months Taking shifts. High anxiety. And the moment life finally started to feel normal again around month six 00:00 — From one kid to two Why going from one to two took a full six to twelve months to find a rhythm — and why two years in he's finally hitting his stride 00:00 — The 5:30 to 7:30 rule Phones away. TV off. Fully present. How Matt built the habit and why it took four years to actually get there 00:00 — The wake up call When his two-and-a-half-year-old asked him to put his phone away — and the look from his wife that followed 00:00 — Staying organized with ADHD The paper notebook. The daily priority list. Why if it's not written down it doesn't get done 00:00 — High school sweethearts Meeting at seventeen. Going to the same college. Growing up together. And why communication was the thing they had to unlearn and rebuild 00:00 — Moving from California to the Midwest Leaving his best friends behind. Building community from scratch. And what it did for his mental health to finally let new people in 00:00 — The Dadgood community Why Matt helped build a space for dads to show up authentically — and what winning at home actually means 00:00 — Letting go of relationships that don't serve you The groomsmen he doesn't talk to anymore. The bar invites that stopped coming. And why thirty hit different About Matt Campbell Matt Campbell is the Business Development Director at Advertise Purple, co-creator of the Dadgood community, Division One baseball alum, husband to his high school sweetheart, and father of a four-and-a-half-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. He lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. LinkedIn: [Matt's LinkedIn] Dadgood Community: [link] About Working Dads Working Dads is the podcast for fathers figuring out work, family, and everything in between. Every week host Johnathan Grzybowski sits down with working dads — founders, executives, investors, and everyday fathers — for honest conversations about the guilt, the grind, the marriage, the money, and what it actually takes to build a career and a family without dropping the ball on either. No gurus. No highlight reels. Just real talk. 🎙 New episode every week 📩 Subscribe to Built During Bedtime — our weekly newsletter for working dads 💬 Join the community — Slack and Facebook group Subscribe & Connect 🎧 Spotify: [link] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: [link] 📺 YouTube: [link] 📩 Newsletter: [link] 💬 Slack: [link] 👥 Facebook Group: [link] 🔗 LinkedIn: [link] 🌐 Website: [link] For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.Nobody prepares you for this.Not the guilt of leaving for work when your kid is still asleep. Not the pressure of providing for a family while trying to build something that actually matters. Not the identity crisis that hits when you realize you're not just the guy who grinds anymore — you're somebody's dad. And that changes everything.I started Working Dads because I lived that. I'm co-founder of Penji, husband to Emily, and dad to a two-year-old who already has more energy than I do. I've been bootstrapping a company for over a decade and I still don't have it all figured out. But I've learned that the most dangerous thing a working dad can do is try to figure it out alone.So every week I sit down with founders, executives, investors, and everyday dads who are in the thick of it. We talk about the real stuff. The marriage conversations you keep avoiding. The financial pressure nobody admits to. The moment your kid looks up at you and you realize you've been somewhere else even though you've been standing right there.We've also got Built During Bedtime — my weekly newsletter for working dads. The one thing I write after my daughter goes to sleep. Straight to your inbox. No fluff.And we've got a community. Slack channel and Facebook group full of dads who get it. The kind of guys you can be honest with. The kind of friendships that actually go somewhere.Come find your people.Working Dads. For dads figuring out work, family, and everything in between.