Voicemails, book recommendations, gear talk, and the debate every dad with kids away from home eventually has: is it actually better to live near family, or does distance make you closer as your own unit?

What This Episode’s About

Adam and Ben run through listener calls (analysis paralysis, staying present instead of chasing outcomes), Ben’s re-read of David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me as a new dad, and a Dad Day update on the site relaunch and new YouTube content. Then they dig into the real topic: what it’s actually like raising kids far from extended family, and whether the grass is greener closer to home.

The Big Takeaways

  • Just send the text. Following up on a listener’s story about reconnecting with friends, Ben tried it himself: “A lot of them came from ‘are you alive’ as my text. And every single one of them had something incredibly hard going on.” One low-effort text, real results.
  • Re-reading the same book at a different life stage hits differently. Ben on revisiting Can’t Hurt Me as a father: “To be that committed to one thing, to be that successful at one thing, you have to drop off some other stuff.” Fatherhood reframes what “winning” even means.
  • Boredom is part of the deal, and that’s fine. Ben’s honest take on the infant stage: “Some of this stuff is boring, and I think just embracing the boredom during some seasons and being consistent with it is okay.”
  • Living far from family can make a marriage stronger, even if it doesn’t feel that way some days. Adam’s take: “We’ve had to rely on each other. I feel like we’ve gotten way closer as a team, just a family unit.”
  • Don’t romanticize the move you haven’t made yet. Ben’s closing line after weighing whether to relocate closer to their parents: “Unless you’ve done it before, a lot of this is romanticizing. Pull out a sheet of paper, put pros and cons down, talk to your family about how much they can actually help.”

Best Quote of the Episode

“It’s easy to romanticize on what you think it will look like, but it might not be that way, you know. So I would heed some caution when you’re thinking about the next big move, and really think about where you guys wanna be.” — Adam

Listen to Episode 16
🎧 Spotify/Apple

Related Reading

–I Downplayed It — Guys Being Dads Ep. 11
-Read: Living Near Family vs. Not, on Dad Day

Join the Conversation
Living close to family or far away, and have a take on which one’s actually easier? Email us at podcast@dadday.co or call 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

Two coffees deep, no script, no guest, no editing. That’s Guys Being Dads. And fifteen episodes in, Adam and Ben are proving the thing that keeps coming up on this podcast over and over: you don’t need a perfect plan, you just need to keep showing up.

If you’ve been hunting for podcasts for dads that actually sound like two guys talking instead of a parenting seminar, this is the one to start with.

What This Episode’s About

Adam and Ben catch up on the Land Cruiser YouTube video blowing up, the upcoming Austin “Built for More” trip (October 13–15), and a Derek Grant podcast clip that’s had Adam fired up on his morning runs. From there the conversation turns into the real meat of the episode: why motivation is overrated, why consistency wins, and why “just send it” beats waiting for the perfect plan every time.

The Big Takeaways

Motivation is a starting point, not a strategy. Ben’s take: some guys need a hype speech to get moving, others need an enemy. “I can get motivated different than Adam… For me, I need a little bit of an enemy.” Know which one you are and stop waiting on the wrong fuel.

Consistency beats a six-month shortcut every time. Ben on all the “get rich/get ripped/get famous in six months” promises flooding everyone’s feed: “Consistency will outperform a six month kind of quick turnaround that doesn’t have a solid foundation.”

Blank pages don’t get feedback. Drafts do. Ben’s line on why they never overthink an episode: “I’d rather have something written on the paper than a blank sheet of paper.” Send the rough version. You can’t improve on nothing.

Smash the ceiling, then find the next one. Ben pointed out that a year ago, Dad Day was just a newsletter. Now it’s a newsletter, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and live events. The lesson: “You continue to smash ceilings to go to the next level.”

Reach out to someone this week. Adam’s closing thought, sparked by a Dad Day reader’s unprompted check-in text to a friend: “There’s growth in that. Reach out to someone, say hi to someone new this week.”

Best Quotes of the Episode

“Courage will be needed if you’re going to expand past what you have known… So the reward will always come after the courageous act.” — Derek Grant, played as a clip during the episode

“How do you want your obit to be? I want it to be something like Ben always tried to be an amazing father and always showed up to support his family. That other stuff, like founder of Dad Day, will most likely be there, but not as prevalent as who you are as a person.” — Ben

Listen to Episode 15

🎧 Spotify|Apple

Related Reading

Join the Conversation

Got a take on “choosing your enemies” as motivation, or a story about reaching out to someone at the right time? Drop it in the Dad Day Slack or shoot us a voicemail at 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

Fourteen episodes in, still no editor, still no script. Just Adam and Ben catching up on a few weeks apart and diving into the topic every dad eventually has to figure out: how to navigate family and in-laws once you’ve got kids of your own.

What This Episode’s About

Adam and Ben trade Fourth of July stories (lake life vs. HOA fireworks fines), run through the Ethos Life Insurance read, and shout out the DG Mindset podcast before getting into the real topic: in-laws, generational parenting differences, and the moment every new parent hits where family visits stop being simple.

The Big Takeaways

  • You get to choose what you keep. Ben’s framing on family patterns: once you have kids, “you have two options. You can teach what you were taught, or you can do what you want to do.” Nobody’s obligated to repeat the playbook they grew up with.
  • Give your family grace, not judgment. Adam’s take on why in-law friction happens: “Everyone was raised differently… this all stemmed from a generational thing. They were raised a certain way, and then they raised their kids that way.” Understanding the “why” makes the friction easier to sit with.
  • Communication beats silent frustration. Adam’s bottom line on keeping the peace: “Being vocal and sharing how you feel is numero uno for a healthy relationship with the in-laws.”
  • Nothing prepares you, and that’s okay. Dad Day’s own newsletter poll backed this up — the top answer to “what would you tell a new dad” was some version of “nothing will prepare you.” Adam: “In your mind you feel like you have it all figured out. And then everything changes, man.”
  • Support systems matter more than people realize. Ben’s honest admission after his first family trip without backup: “That’s the game changer for us, just having someone to hand off to. If you don’t have that, you’re kind of toast.”

Best Quote of the Episode

“Everybody wants everybody to win. It’s just some people have a different way of getting to the win. Everybody loves each other. That’s the foundation, that’s all that matters.” — Ben, on in-laws

“Love is the glue, man.” — Adam

Listen to Episode 14

Related Reading

Join the Conversation

Got a story about navigating in-laws, or a family tradition you’re passing down to your own kids? Drop it in the Dad Day Slack or call it in to 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

Most podcasts for dads sound like a parenting seminar. Experts with credentials. Frameworks with acronyms. Advice delivered from somewhere above you, not next to you.

That’s not what Guys Being Dads is. And that’s kind of the whole point.

How It Started

Two best friends. Post-college guys who never really stopped talking. Adam Kunes and Ben Petchel go back. Way back. These are guys who ran a travel company together called Have Fun Do Good. They’ve been stuck on mountains in Costa Rica together. They pulled someone out of the water at Lake Powell. They’ve guided groups through Zion, Bryce, and Yosemite.

When you’ve navigated that kind of stuff with someone, conversation comes pretty naturally.

The First ‘Have Fun Do Good’ Experience

When they finally started recording, Ben was a dad-to-be. Adam was expecting his third kid. No agenda. No content calendar. No vision document. Just: we already have this conversation every week anyway. What if we hit record?

Worst case, nobody listens and they still got to catch up. Best case, something comes from it. Never know. That’s the whole origin story. There isn’t a more complicated version.

What It Actually Sounds Like

Raw. Not raw in a produced, aesthetically-intentional way. Actually raw. The kind of conversation that happens in a car on the way somewhere, or at the end of a long week when you finally have a minute to breathe and call your friend.

They talk about what they’re going through. Business. Fatherhood. Trying to be present when your head is somewhere else. Trying to show up for your family when you’re also trying to build something. The tension between the two. The moments when you get it right. The moments when you don’t.

No filters. No scripts. No expert panel. Just two guys being dads.

Why We Think There’s a Gap Here

Most content for dads is aimed at the problem. Here’s how to be more patient. Here’s how to be more present. Here’s a five-step framework for a better morning routine.

That’s all fine. We do some of that too.

But Guys Being Dads is aimed at something different. It’s aimed at the feeling of being a dad right now, in real time, while you’re also a person with a career and friendships and ambitions and a brain that doesn’t stop running just because you walked in the front door.

That version of fatherhood doesn’t get a lot of airtime. The messy, unresolved, still-figuring-it-out version. The one that doesn’t have a neat takeaway at the end of each episode.

We think a lot of dads live in that version. We know we do.

We’re 13 Episodes In

Thirteen episodes. Over 6,000 plays across Spotify and Apple Podcasts. For a show that started with zero marketing budget, zero audience, and nothing more sophisticated than two friends and a record button, we’ll take it.

More importantly, the feedback from the guys listening has been consistent. It feels like a conversation they want to be part of. It sounds like something real. It doesn’t feel like content.

That’s what we were going for.

Who It’s For

If you’re a dad who’s also trying to build something, whether that’s a business, a career, a body, a marriage, a life worth being proud of, this one is for you. If you want polished production and expert interviews, there are plenty of good options out there for that.

If you want two real guys talking honestly about what it’s actually like to be a dad and a person at the same time, come hang out with us. New episodes are on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Search Guys Being Dads and you’ll find us.

Drop us a review if you like what you hear. It helps more than you know.

Episode thirteen, recorded just ahead of Ben’s very first Father’s Day as a dad. Six weeks into life with a newborn, he’s got real, fresh advice for anyone in the thick of it right now, plus an update on Dad Day’s most personal Go West film yet.

What This Episode’s About

Adam and Ben catch up ahead of Father’s Day (Ben’s first one). Ben, six weeks into fatherhood, shares what he’s actually learned so far: mostly that everyone online will tell you something different, and the only advice that matters is what works for you and your wife. They also cover the new Go West episode on Mike Medved (whose son Simon has cerebral palsy) and a shoutout from Huckberry.

The Big Takeaways

  • Tune out the noise, find your own system. Ben’s biggest lesson from six weeks in: “You can go to the internet, you can go to a bunch of different things, but it’s kind of like what you and your wife decide on is the most important.”
  • The internet will contradict itself constantly. That’s fine. Ben again: “We’ve had family over suggesting things, we’ve seen things online, we’ve ChatGPT’d things, and everything is different. The best thing was just setting a time that works for us rather than worrying about what everybody else is saying.”
  • Protect your own hour. Both Adam and Ben make time to work out solo while the other covers the baby. Ben: “Give yourself that hour, that hour and a half where you can feel human and not strapped down to the baby.”
  • Be picky about whose advice you take. Adam’s line on parenting forums and social media: “The internet is just an ocean dumpster fire. I would say pick and choose the people you want to take advice from.” The Dad Day Slack exists specifically as an alternative to that.
  • Alligator skin helps with unsolicited advice. Ben on family and friends meaning well but getting the timing wrong: “They’re probably not trying to offend you, but trying to help. Sometimes that advice is just poor timing.”

Best Quote of the Episode

“You’re gonna hear it from every single person on how you should be doing things. Take a pause. You don’t need to listen to everyone. You need to figure out what works for you and your partner.” — Adam, paraphrasing a Conan O’Brien podcast clip that stuck with him

Listen to Episode 13
Spotify | Apple

Related Reading

Love Is the Glue — Guys Being Dads Ep. 14
Watch: Go West Featuring Mike Medved
Why We Built the Dad Day Slack Community

Join the Conversation
First Father’s Day coming up, or been through a few now? Drop your best “what actually worked for us” tip in the Dad Day Slack, or call it in to 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

No polish on this one. Construction noise in the background, both guys running on fumes, and a genuinely useful conversation about burnout that a lot of dads will recognize immediately.

What This Episode’s About

Adam and Ben get real about burnout, running a business and a family with zero buffer, and the lack of built-in family support nearby. They talk through how communicating with their wives about workout time turned into a game changer, plus updates on Dad Day’s new beach umbrella gear video and the Go West YouTube series.

The Big Takeaways

  • Stop waiting for a routine. There isn’t one. Ben’s line that landed for both of them: “No day is the same, and there’s no routine. It’s just being at peace that this is your life now.”
  • Communicate the need instead of assuming guilt. Ben used to think taking an hour to work out was selfish. The fix was simple: “We came up with a plan. Hey, you get your hour workout in, I’ll take care of the kid, and then I get my hour workout in.” One conversation with his wife changed everything.
  • Taking care of yourself isn’t optional. Adam’s take: “Taking care of yourself is numero uno on the list, because I don’t know how else you show up with a clear mind for your wife and your kid.”
  • You don’t have to do it alone, even when it feels like you should. Ben’s family drove out to help with food prep and yard work during a rough week. Reaching out wasn’t a failure, it was the move.
  • Outsourcing isn’t always the answer, but burnout catches up either way. Adam on running Dad Day solo while wearing every hat: “Sometimes it’s just better when you do it yourself… but it turns into wearing so many hats that you just hit this stage of, man, I am legitimately burnt out right now.”

Best Quote of the Episode

“It’s finding that balance of even communicating to my wife, like, hey, I wanna work harder for you guys. It’s not that I don’t wanna help out.” — Adam

Listen to Episode 12
Spotify | Apple

Related Reading

Figure Out What Works for You — Guys Being Dads Ep. 13
Best Beach Umbrellas for Keeping Your Kids in the Shade
Watch: Go West on YouTube

Join the Conversation
Dealing with burnout right now, or found a system that actually worked for splitting workout time with your partner? Drop it in the Dad Day Slack or call it in to 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

Ben Petchel is officially a dad. Emma Parker arrived May 1st, and this episode is the real, unfiltered update: doula ROI, cabin fever with a newborn, and Adam catching everyone up on Dad Day’s first live event and the YouTube channel taking off.

What This Episode’s About

Recorded while Ben’s staying at his in-laws without his usual mic, this one’s part birth announcement, part gut-check on what the first few weeks of fatherhood actually feel like. Adam also recaps Dad Day’s first “Built for More” event in Charleston and gives an update on the Go West YouTube series and the gear-review videos taking off.

The Big Takeaways

  • You don’t fully get it until you’re in it. Ben’s honest opener: “I downplayed what having a child would be like.” No amount of hearing other dads talk about it prepares you for the actual thing.
  • A doula can be worth it, even if it doesn’t feel that way in the moment. Ben was skeptical mid-labor, but in hindsight: “What’s the cost of peace of mind, and what’s the cost of anxiety? I wouldn’t do it again for baby number two, since I know what to expect now. But for a first-time dad, it’s definitely worth it.”
  • Asking for help isn’t giving up. After two and a half weeks with zero support and a bad case of cabin fever, Ben and Ashley made the call: “We kind of hit that point. We got stir crazy as hell and were like, why are we torturing ourselves? Let’s just let family help out.”
  • Every phase has its own challenge, and it does get easier. Adam’s reassurance to a sleep-deprived new dad: “It gets easier. It just continues elevating, and each phase comes with its own challenge.”
  • Real gear reviews beat sponsored fluff. On Adam’s beach umbrella review video: “This is Adam’s real review, and I can’t wait to see it, because I don’t think there’s enough of that out in the world.” No brand paid for placement. Just an actual dad who went through the buying decision himself.

Best Quote of the Episode

“It’s a different feeling that I never felt before. And I understand what you dads were talking about earlier.” — Ben, three weeks into fatherhood

Listen to Episode 11
Spotify/Apple

Related Reading

One Day at a Time, Brother — Guys Being Dads Ep. 12
Watch: Our Grenadier Review on YouTube

Join the Conversation

Went through the doula debate yourself, or have a “why didn’t we just ask for help sooner” story? Drop it in the Dad Day Slack or call it in to 833-DAD-SHOW. We might play it on the next episode.

We’ve been talking about this for a while. Guys Being Dads is live.

This podcast is about fatherhood, life, and everything that comes with it. No experts. No scripts. No pretending we have it all figured out. Just real conversations between dads who are in it right now.

Some episodes are just two guys talking through parenting, marriage, work, and friendships. Other episodes bring in fellow dads to share stories and lessons they’ve picked up along the way.

That’s it. That’s the show.

Now Streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

You can listen to Guys Being Dads now on:

Whether you’re driving to work, folding laundry, or hiding in the garage for ten minutes of quiet, this podcast is meant to feel like a conversation you’d actually want to be part of.

Why We Started It

Fatherhood can feel isolating. Most of what’s out there either feels preachy or way too polished. So we started Guys Being Dads to talk honestly about what it’s really like. The good. The hard. The in-between.

From Dad Day, For Dads

Guys Being Dads is presented by Dad Day, a newsletter and community built by dads, for dads. If you’re figuring it out as you go, you’re in the right place.

Go listen. Subscribe. And come hang out with us.