If you're a father searching for ways to build a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your daughter, the latest episode of the Dad and Daughter Connection podcast is a must-listen. Host Dr. Christopher Lewis sits down with Rick Walker—business leader, father of three teenage daughters, and author of the upcoming book, Nine Steps to Build a Life of Meaning: How to Unlock Your Mind, Happiness, Power, and Your Enemy's Demise—for a powerful and honest conversation about the realities and rewards of fatherhood.

Throughout the episode, Rick shares invaluable insights not only from his professional life but, more importantly, from his lived experience as a dad. One of the central themes is the importance of truly being present. Rick describes making family dinners a priority, and how even simple rituals—like driving home from summer camp or sharing milkshake runs—can be crucial opportunities to listen and connect. He emphasizes the need to go beyond just showing up: "Attention is the only resource I have to offer," he says—highlighting that those everyday moments of real engagement are what matter most.

Rick also touches on the challenges of fatherhood: balancing guidance with allowing independence, recognizing each daughter's individuality, and pushing through discomfort during tough conversations. He admits that sometimes daughters will push their dads away, and it's up to us not to give up, but to keep returning, reaffirming our love, belief, and pride.

A particularly inspiring message from the episode is the idea that meaning often comes from confronting challenges. Drawing from his book, Rick discusses how fathers—and their children—grow through adversity, and why "avoiding an ounce of pain means drinking a gallon of regret." For dads feeling stuck, burnt out, or disconnected, he gently suggests that often, the thing you least want to face is where real growth—and renewed connection—can be found.

Practical advice abounds: tell your daughter daily that you're proud, that you love her, and that you believe in her. And, most importantly, let them see you strive not just in your career, but in being the kind of person you'd want them to choose as a partner one day.

If you're ready to laugh, reflect, and gather actionable wisdom for your own journey as a dad, be sure to check out this heartfelt episode of the Dad and Daughter Connection. It's a reminder that you don't have to walk this path alone—and that every father has the power to be the dad his daughter needs. Listen now and start building that lasting connection today!

If you enjoyed this episode, we ask you to take a moment to take our Dad and Daughter Connection Survey to let us know more about you as a dad. You can also sign up to get our newsletter to stay connected to our community, and we will send items of interest to you to help you to be the dad that you want to be. Feel free to follow me on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Facebook Group, Instagram, LinkedIn, X.

Rick's Book (9 Steps to Build a Life of Meaning): https://amzn.to/4nGYDFq

Rick's Newsletter: https://funnel.rickwalker.com/optin?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=hostlastname

Rick on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rickwalkertx
Rick on X: https://x.com/RickWalkerTX
Rick at Lumicre Private Equity: https://lumicre.com/  
Rick's Website: https://www.rickwalker.com

TRANSCRIPT

Christopher Lewis [00:00:02 ]:
Welcome to the dad and Daughter Connection, the podcast for dads who want to build stronger bonds and raise confident, independent daughters.

Rick Walker [00:00:12 ]:
If you're looking to build a stronger bond with your daughter and help her grow into a confident, independent woman, you're in the right place. I'm Dr. Christopher Lewis, and the dad and Daughter Connection is the podcast where we dive into real stories, expert advice, and practical tips to help you navigate the incredible journey of fatherhood. In every episode, we'll bring you conversations that inspire, challenge, and equip you to show up as the dad your daughter needs. So let's get started, because being a great dad isn't just about being there. It's about truly connecting. Welcome back to the dad and Daughter Connection. I'm so excited that you are back again this week as we walk on this path together on this journey of raising amazing daughters.

Rick Walker [00:01:03 ]:
And, you know, none of us have to walk on this path alone. It's so important that we're willing to put ourselves out there to be willing to learn and to listen and to hear the journeys of other fathers. Because as you and I both know, the journey of fatherhood is not always easy. There are challenges, there are bumps, and sometimes you can get some bruises along the way as well. But you can learn so much from other fathers and see what they're doing, take what they're doing, adapt it, adjust it, make it your own, and identify ways in which you can take that learning and turn it into something amazing that'll help you to be the dad that you want to be. That's why this podcast exists. We want to have amazing connections with our daughters, and that's not always going to be easy. We have to learn and grow along the way.

Rick Walker [00:02:05 ]:
We have to better understand the journey that they're on. And that's why every week, every week, I love being able to have you here to be able to learn from other fathers. And that's why I bring someone new to you every week that allows for you to do just that. This week, we've got another great guest.

Christopher Lewis [00:02:21 ]:
Who?

Rick Walker [00:02:21 ]:
Rick Walker is with us. Rick is the author of a upcoming book called nine steps to build a life of meaning, how to unlock your mind, happiness, power, and your enemy's demise. And he is a renowned leader across multiple domains. He's been a founder CEO of a 400 employee company, and he scaled that up from there. And he also scaled a 2020 team member nonprofit into 53 countries as a chairman. So he's done a lot of stuff. But even beyond that, he is a Father of three daughters, three teenage daughters at that. And I am really excited to be able to not only talk to him about his upcoming book, but also to talk to him about his own journey as a father.

Rick Walker [00:03:08 ]:
Rick, thanks so much for being here today.

Christopher Lewis [00:03:10 ]:
Christopher, it's joy. Looking forward to our time together.

Rick Walker [00:03:12 ]:
Well, I'm really excited that you're here today. And as I, as I said, you are a father of three daughters, and I always start these conversations with an opportunity to get to know you a little bit more as a father yourself, and especially a father of a daughter. As I said, that connection that we want to build is so important. And as you think back to the moments that you've had thus far in your life with your three daughters, what is one of the most meaningful moments that you've been able to share with your daughters thus far and what made it so special?

Christopher Lewis [00:03:41 ]:
One of the more meaningful moments has been with my daughters whenever they would finish up that summer camp. And so we've always tried to make it a point of being there to pick them up from summer camp camp and drive them an hour home just to hear everything. And if you're a dad of a teenage daughter, what you know is you get one of two things. You either get the talkative girl when she's with her friends a lot of times, or you get the quiet one who's too cool to talk to mom and dad. But sometimes if you haven't seen them in a week and they've been through a lot and they're all together, you can get them to talk. And so just being able to listen to them and hear their stories after camp, after not seeing them for a week or so and them also not seeing their sisters for a week, that's always just been a joy. So we do that every year. But yeah, I do find that it's more difficult to get them to open up.

Christopher Lewis [00:04:25 ]:
And those handful of times where we can get them to really open up unguarded, that's always a very meaningful time.

Rick Walker [00:04:31 ]:
I said that you had three daughters, and I know they range in age from 12 to 17. And every father that has kids knows that your kids are not going to be duplicated of one another. They are very unique individuals. They have different personalities, and you have to come to understand who they are as individuals. Talk to me about, I mean, you're a busy guy, so talk to me about how have you been able to. To really identify those unique aspects of your own daughters t