Life with Dad by Wade Dixon

"I'm going to be the best Dad of all time!" For most of us, this is the goal we have in mind at the beginning of our own parenting journey... Unfortunately, the reality of our shortcomings usually doesn't take long to show, and for some of us out there, we may feel like we've failed just when we're getting started.

For Clifford Morgan, an organisational psychologist who coaches and leads executives and organisations to succeed, it's less about your current results and more about what you want and how you can establish the appropriate conditions to achieve it.

In my conversation with Cliff we discuss intentionality, deciding what sort of parent we want to be, and/or the values we want our family to live by, as well as some practical applications to reach the desired destinations. We also discuss reinforcing positive behaviours through specific and meaningful feedback, work-life balance, technology in the home, and all the other good stuff we are each trying our best to navigate daily as parents.

Connect with Clifford
Website: https://lumian.com.au/
LinkedIn: Clifford Morgan

Connect with Life with Dad
Website: https://www.lifewithdadpodcast.com/
Instagram: @LifewithDadpodcast
Facebook: @LifewithDadpodcast

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/lwdpodcast

How others perceive us might rarely align with our own self-perception. For some of us, it might be a lack of confidence or mental health challenges that impact our self-perception, alternatively, for some, it may be from historic trauma or difficult times that we intentionally keep hidden.

Dr. Joe Martin's childhood included some of the toughest circumstances of life.  He describes his own journey as 'rags to riches to ruin to redemption', and his story covers everything from not having a reliable father of his own and being the victim of abuse whilst growing up in Liberty City, a Florida suburb known for incredibly high crime and poverty rates. However, despite the cards being stacked against him, Joe went on to achieve incredible career and financial success at a young age, but instead of his success enabling a pathway to future freedom, he remained troubled by his difficult past. 

As you'll hear Joe describe in this episode, his unresolved past manifested itself through destructive habits and behaviors which ultimately ended his first marriage of 16 years and brought him to crossroads with who he was vs. who he needed to be. Throughout the conversation we discuss his life's journey, the lessons he's learned along the way, and how letting light into the darkest parts of our history can change our future.

Connect with Dr. Joe
Website: https://realmenconnect.com/
Instagram: @realdrjoemartin

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The best success stories are the ones that no one saw coming. For Leroy Faure, what simply started as a small online community of like-minded Dads wanting to keep active, the Fit Dad Lifestyle is now a movement reaching thousands of men around the world through the Fit Dad lifestyle podcast, the Fit Dad Fuel supplement line as well as through a growing online presence and community.

During our conversation, Leroy and I break down some of the critical themes behind the Fit Dad lifestyle, including what might be holding men back from being the best version of themselves and how Leroy’s journey has impacted Dads in powerful, life-changing ways. We also cover the importance of keeping ourselves fit and strong to maintain our own health, so we can participate in whatever family adventures come our way, and how Leroy continues to stay engaged with his own family whilst juggling a business and community that never sleeps.

Follow The Fit Dad Lifestyle
Website: www.thefitdadlifestyle.com
Instagram: @thefitdadlifestyle

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Facebook: @LifewithDadpodcast

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Do you have young kids (or remember having them)? It's often chaos, a lot of sleepless nights, and something as simple as getting in and out of the car can be an absolute nightmare. Combine that with intensive work periods away from home, and parents who want to maximise the fun they have while they're together - and welcome to life with the Gandy's. For Codey Gandy life is full-steam-ahead all the time, but that's exactly how he likes it. Codey is a former U.S. Marine, and currently a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor for Echelon Front,  a small team of decorated combat veterans led by none other than former Navy Seals Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. During our conversation, we discuss how Codey and his wife manage a busy work schedule alongside a growing family, how he told his mum and dad that he was going to become a Marine, the importance of embedding core values at a young age so that our kids can lean on them and hopefully choose to follow them as they grow up, and the role of mentorship or being the guard-rails for our kids lives.

Follow Codey on Instagram: @Codey.Gandy
Follow Echelon Front on Instagram: @EchelonFront

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I've often wondered what it will be like when all my kids have left home. It might be years away, but I'm sure that the pace of life will increase in the years to come instead of decreasing. Whenever that time becomes a reality, I am confident that my mind will often wander back to the years I'm living now, and I will inevitably wonder how I could have better supported, taught, and treasured every moment with my kids. To celebrate the first Father's Day episode of Life with Dad, a couple of weeks back I sat down with my own Dad - Perry Dixon. He's not famous, he's not flashy, but in my mind, I won the absolute jackpot when it comes to who I learnt from and had leading and protecting me and my family as a kid. During our conversation Dad shares his experiences with having a Dad and Mum who were in their 50's when they adopted him, we discuss how a simple, worthy goal defined his life's direction, and he openly tackles the tough question  - "looking back, what would you have done differently?"

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Facebook: @iamwadedixon

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I have often envied the man or woman who knew their career of choice or calling in life from a young age. Surely having a final destination makes the path somewhat clearer? For Jesse Randall, he had not left his 100 acre farm in rural Idaho for more than a few days at a time until he was 18 years old, when despite not knowing exactly what he wanted to become he left for college.  A few years, countries, schools and kids later (five in total!), Jesse has created his dream job and is now at the forefront of ushering in a new era of generational wealth creation for every day people through his company Sweater. Together Jesse and I discuss his unique foundational work ethic and some of the incredible life lessons that come from growing up on a farm, why chores and responsibilities are key for the development of our kids, teaching the next generation to create with their energy rather than simply consume, and one of my favourite parts of the conversation, how we as fathers and providers can learn from and approach risk, opportunity and sometimes failure in our careers. 

Follow Jesse on LinkedIn: Jesse Randall

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Facebook: @iamwadedixon

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For many men and women, the journey of becoming a parent may be one of the toughest battles of all. For Jonathan Clark and his wife Liv, not even 17 years of Army leadership and combat operations was adequate preparation for the highs and lows of bringing children into their life. Jonathan is a retired Army Officer and Director of the Eighth Mile Consulting. His resilience, strength, and determination to be a values-driven husband, father and leader is key to his post-military family and business success. During our conversation we cover the importance of intentional parenting, how to adequately prepare our kids for their future, the critical importance of opening communication doorways (and ensuring they remain open at all costs), and the Clark family’s long journey to welcoming kids into their loving home.

Follow Jonathan on LinkedIn: Jonathan Clark
Follow the Eighth Mile Consulting here: The Eighth Mile Blog

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Facebook: @iamwadedixon

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Why are the best parts of life often associated with the highest levels of risk? Sometimes we, or our kids want to play the sport, take the trip or start a business that puts us/them in the path of significant risk or danger. What's our responsibility in these scenarios...? That's a big question for each of us to answer in our own way. Daniel McCoy's journey represents the reality of the opportunities and challenges of pursuing excellence in a sport that carries significant risk even for the fittest and best-trained athletes. Daniel and I cover the importance of parents being involved in their kid's sports/passions whilst not placing unnecessary pressure on them to perform, receiving support from his own father throughout his professional motocross career, and how a life-altering injury has not meant the end to Daniel's incredible career or the opportunity for his own kids to participate in the sport.
 
 Follow Daniel on Instagram: Daniel McCoy

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Everyone needs someone like Patrick (or Paddy) in their life. I met Paddy in 2018 after we both signed up to run 7 marathons in 7 days in 7 different Australian States. I was in way over my head, needed help, and Paddy was the person I called. He didn't know me, but that didn't matter. After some lunch and swapping a couple of stories, I had a new mate and an ultimate wingman to help me achieve something that is now one of the proudest achievements of my life. In this episode of Life with Dad, Paddy and I discuss our individual experiences with poor mental health, the impact and importance of exercise, why we should let our kids (and other men) see us cry and a while bunch more.

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Facebook: @LifewithDadpodcast

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Instagram: @iamwadedixon
Facebook: @iamwadedixon

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We can't do it on our own, and sometimes it's another adult that can provide the influence and leadership that our children need in order to find safety and purpose. For years Inspector Corey Allen has been at the forefront of community initiatives aimed at supporting Queensland youth and vulnerable persons throughout the state, and whilst the impacts of these programs have won awards and transformed the lives of many, Corey remains a present and focused Father who is determined to provide the leadership and love required at home for his own 3 children. Corey's path to community leadership is an interesting one, and together we discuss the importance of honest self-evaluation, prioritising family over career, the need for good role models, and the difficulty of balancing his knowledge of the big bad world whilst still supporting his kids to enjoy their adolescent lives.

Follow Corey on LinkedIn: Corey Allen

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Facebook: @iamwadedixon

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