📕 DAD WISDOM

You’re Not Behind, You’re Just Becoming

Saw this post on Instagram the other day. It said something like:

“You can be lost at 22. Broke at 28. Unsure at 31. Start over at 35.
Glow and rise at 38. Find your purpose at 42. Become unstoppable at 47.”

Then it ended with: “Trust the process. You’re not behind. You’re still becoming. Greatness is never rushed.”

That line, “Greatness is never rushed,” stuck with me. Because lately, it feels like everything is rushed.

Projects, emails, deadlines, life.

Even parenting feels like a sprint. School drop-offs, practices, dinners, bedtime routines. It’s like everyone’s trying to keep up with a timeline no one agreed to.

But here’s what I’m learning: fatherhood isn’t a race. Neither is becoming the man you’re meant to be. Some seasons, you’re just trying to make it through the week.

Others, you’re building momentum. And if you’re lucky, you get those rare quiet moments: coaching your kid’s team, fixing something in the garage, laughing over pancakes. Moments when time slows down and reminds you: this is it.

Our brains aren’t meant to process 1,000 notifications a day. They’re meant to focus, to rest, to build. And building something real, like a family, a career, a life you actually like, takes time.

So slow down. Mute the noise. You’re not behind. You’re just becoming.

RAD DAD

Tom Gerlach

Photo via @noodlesforbrekky

Meet Tom Gerlach. Outdoor adventurer, storyteller, and the dad behind Noodles for Breakfast. While most of us are trying to get our kids to walk to school without complaining, Tom took his three kids and partner to walk nearly 2k miles across New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail.

For Tom, fatherhood isn’t about bubble-wrapping kids; it’s about building resilience and raising tiny custodians of the planet.

“I view my role as a dad more of a mentor and guide… helping to build them up to be resilient, well-rounded people who understand that they are custodians of this planet.”

His classroom? The wild. His curriculum? Miles and moments that test your limits.

Tom’s learned that kids can handle way more than our “safe” lives give them credit for and that sometimes the best parenting happens with blistered feet and a killer view.

Adventure, humility, and a sense of humor seem to be the Gerlach way. Because as Tom says, “It’s a bloody fun place to play in.”

Quotes from SeaToSummit and GreatWalks

DAD TOYS

The Ultimate Arcade

If Tony Stark built an arcade, this would be it.

The Polycade Sente fuses retro charm with modern muscle. A steel-built, modular, upgradeable multicade that plays everything from Pac-Man to Fortnite. Swap controls, slap on new parts, even run it pay-to-play.

Basically, it’s the last arcade machine you’ll ever buy.

Get it here

🛒 WHAT ELSE WE’RE EYING UP

» VacMaster Beast Series Shop Vac

» Incrediwear Knee Sleeve

» 1,000 Places to See Before You Die

DAD BOD

In a Workout Slump? Try This.

Winter’s coming. The garage will be cold. The motivation? Likely colder.

But if you’re stuck in the slump right now, here’s what lit the fire for me years ago: community.

Back in my early 20s, I joined a CrossFit gym. Yeah, yeah. I know CrossFit gets a bad rap (and some of it’s earned). But man, it worked. Not because of the workouts, but because of the people.

There’s something powerful about sweating next to other humans who actually show up. You feed off it. You compete a little. You get pushed a lot.

So whether you’re struggling right now to get out there or think you will be once winter hits, stop trying to lone-wolf it. Join something. Doesn’t have to be CrossFit. Could be jiu-jitsu, a men’s running group, or even a 6 a.m. spin class.

Pay for it. Commit to it. Show up.