Happy Hump Day. Two weeks until more daylight, and we're feeling it.

Quick ask: We're looking for dads who run and can rally a few others in their hometown for weekly or bi-weekly jogs. No fancy qualifications needed - just the ability to show up and bring some guys along for the miles. If that’s you, reply to this email.

Let's get into it.

📕 DAD WISDOM 

Fear & Its Shadow

Fear is a tricky beast. As dads, we know danger is real - but so is the damage done when we project our own anxieties onto our kids. When we say "be careful" fourteen times during a playground visit. When we rush to solve problems they need to figure out themselves.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: our job isn't to eliminate risk. It's to help them calibrate their own risk meters. To know the difference between danger and discomfort. To distinguish between "this could hurt me" and "this just feels scary."

The most important question isn't "what if they get hurt?" It's "what if they never learn to face their fears?" Because in trying to protect them from everything, we might accidentally be protecting them from the very experiences that build resilience.

Sometimes the bravest parenting move is simply taking a deep breath and stepping back. Not because we don't care, but because we care too much to let our fears become theirs.

BADASS DAD 

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky didn't just dominate hockey - he rewrote the rulebook. The Great One holds 61 NHL records, scored more assists than anyone else has total points, and changed how the game is played. But what matters most to him has nothing to do with the ice.

"Family has always been the most important thing in my life," says Gretzky. "I've been lucky to have a lot of success in hockey, but nothing compares to being a father." Between raising five kids with his wife Janet and building his post-hockey empire, he's applied the same principles that made him legendary: see where things are going, not where they are.

The guy famous for saying "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" has been teaching his kids a simpler lesson: "The biggest thing we try to teach our kids is to be good people and to treat people the way you want to be treated."

Maybe the greatest player of all time knows what too many miss - that how you live off the ice matters more than any trophy.

→ Follow Wayne here

DAD TOYS 

Apple’s New Party App

For our iPhone folks - Apple just dropped a new app that might save you from the usual birthday party planning chaos. Apple Invites lets you create digital invites, track RSVPs, and share photos all in one place.

The real win? Your non-Apple friends can still RSVP without downloading anything. Perfect for coordinating that weekend BBQ or your kid's next birthday without the usual "who's coming again?" text chains.

→ Download it free on the App Store

DAD BOD 

Foods Designed to Make You Eat The Whole Bag

That afternoon energy crash? The 2pm brain fog? Turns out it's not just "getting older" - it's what you're eating. Ultra-processed foods are specifically engineered to override your hunger cues and keep you reaching for more.

The scary part? These aren't just obvious junk foods. They're hiding in your "healthy" breakfast cereals, protein bars, and even that quick grab-and-go salad from lunch.

Quick check: If it has more than five ingredients you can't pronounce, your body doesn't know what to do with it either.

→ Get the full breakdown at InsideHook (worth a read)

JUNK DRAWER 

DAD HUMOR