RAD DAD: Shaun Murray
Pro wakeboarder turned full-time family man who still finds joy in the chaos — and on the water.
Location: Orlando, FL
Gig: Pro Wakeboarder / YouTuber
Kids: Three daughters (ages 16, 14, and 10)
Dad Superpower: Making life one long highlight reel
“Show Up Empty-Handed”
When Shaun Murray walks into his house, he’s not holding a phone, a backpack, or a to-do list. He’s holding space.
“Show up empty-handed,” he says. “When you come home, leave everything in the car. You can then pick up kids, hug kids, hug your wife, and even ask them if they wanna come outside to help you carry things in.”
It’s a small shift — but it’s the kind of dad advice that sticks. A simple cue that says I’m here.
Shaun’s the rare kind of dad who can balance competition-level drive with genuine ease. Maybe it’s the water. Maybe it’s years of high-speed crashes that taught him what really matters. But when you talk to him about parenting, the words that come up most are “laugh,” “listen,” and “be present.”
The Ride and the Reset
Murray’s mornings start early. “Up before 6 a.m. usually,” he says. “Coffee, read a few pages of the Bible, and pray. Then I start getting the kids up and ready for school.”
After that, his day could go anywhere — creating YouTube content, shooting wakeboard footage, working on the backyard obstacle course (yes, American Ninja Warrior style), or testing out his new griddle. “I like building and creating,” he says. “I love my griddle for cooking on rather than a grill.”
When you’re raising three girls while running your own career, the lines between work and life can blur fast. His secret? Focus where your feet are.
“I travel a decent amount,” he says. “So I try to be present when I’m home. I take family trips whenever possible. And when things get crazy, I reset by playing music — guitar, piano — or operating heavy equipment. Even the R.C. kind, like when I was on the Sandbox Boys Podcast.”
Only Shaun could make bulldozers sound therapeutic.
Wisdom That Sticks
Some of his best parenting advice comes from his own dad.
“He told me, ‘You become who your friends are, so choose them wisely,’” Shaun says. “That’s had a big impact on me, and I tell my kids the same thing.”
Another gem from his old man: write it down. “My dad made a book of funny things we said as kids. You think you’ll always remember, but you won’t. So now I keep a note on my phone — ‘Funny things my kids said’ — with their ages when they said it.”
That’s the kind of move that turns nostalgia into a discipline.
All In, Every Time
Ask Shaun what’s been hardest about fatherhood and he doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Guiding kids toward making the right decisions — and them continuing to like me while doing so.”
It’s the eternal dad paradox: lead without losing the connection. But his reward? “Laughing with them,” he says. “Getting on the boat together and watching them start to drive while I’m wakeboarding — pretty epic.”
That’s the moment he lives for: the intersection of freedom, trust, and fun.
Follow Shaun: YouTube @Shaun.Murray | Instagram
