The Dad Edge Podcast

Jon Gustin is the founder of Tired Dad, a community of more than 2 million followers built on one honest premise: parenting is only hard for good parents. A former personal trainer of 14 years who started making short videos during the sleepless newborn stretch of 2020, he became one of the first men online talking openly about the mental load of fatherhood. He co-hosts the Tired Dad and Tired Mom podcasts with his wife Jessica and released his book The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most in May.
Larry and Jon get into the exhaustion that comes from doing the work right, both of their fathers coming home from Vietnam unable to talk about it, the rebellion and loss that followed Jon's parents' divorce, and the ego death that pulled his marriage out of the roommate phase. If you're tired in the best way possible and still wondering whether you're doing a good job, this conversation is for you.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] – Parenting is only hard for good parents, and why tired means invested
[3:19] – Tired from parenting, not tired of parenting
[6:23] – How the newborn stretch of 2020 accidentally birthed Tired Dad
[8:10] – Nobody was talking about the mental load of fatherhood, so Jon did
[12:16] – The Justin Gustin problem and Larry's own Hagman mixup
[13:29] – Full introduction: 2 million followers, two podcasts, and the book
[16:54] – Growing up the baby of the family with siblings seven and eight years older
[20:18] – A Vietnam veteran father, a World War Two grandfather, and night terrors that never left
[21:55] – Watching your dad go from Superman to human during the divorce
[26:38] – Running from it: partying, drugs, theft, and total chaos at 14
[28:26] – Losing friends to overdoses and deciding to get out
[29:48] – Moving to Tennessee, meeting Jessica, and marrying 11 months later
[34:08] – The Gottman research and why only 12% of marriages truly thrive
[36:27] – Marry the right person for the right reasons, because marriage fixes nothing
[37:59] – Postpartum, the roommate phase, and the darkest stretch of their marriage
[40:56] – Killing the ego and why keeping score breeds resentment
[43:48] – Getting sober three and a half years ago and what changed
[46:42] – Ego death without becoming a doormat or a nice guy
[48:55] – Eliminate the guessing and learn what your wife actually needs
[52:42] – Inside the book: the weight fathers carry and the mantra to keep showing up
[54:47] – Wearing exhaustion as a badge of honor versus being the healed version of you
[57:18] – Legacy, being a home worth coming back to, and the 3am call
 
5 Key Takeaways
Tired Means You're Doing It Right — If parenting feels hard and exhausting, that's evidence you care enough to invest in it. You're tired from the work, not of it.
Marriage Fixes Nothing — Your partner isn't responsible for healing your wounds and you aren't responsible for healing theirs. Two people can both do their own work and build something great, but expecting rescue guarantees misery.
The Ego Is a Heavy Backpack — Keeping score is the breeding ground for resentment. Dropping the ego means asking how you can help the situation, not tallying what you're not getting.
Ego Death Is Not Becoming a Doormat — Killing the ego doesn't mean happy wife, happy life, or becoming a yes man. It means eliminating the guessing, expressing your own needs clearly, and understanding hers.
Be the Healed Version, Not the Broken One — Carrying exhaustion proudly while running on empty leaves you injured at the end of the road. The goal is showing up tired but well, in shape for the job.
 
Links & Resources
Episode page and all links: https://thedadedge.com/1508
Join the Dad Edge Alliance (July promo: signed book, two courses, 50 conversation starters): https://thedadedge.com/join
Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central): https://thedadedge.com/goals
The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most by Jon Gustin: available wherever books are sold
Tired Dad website: https://tireddad.com
 
Enjoyed This Episode?
If Jon's line about being tired from parenting rather than tired of it reframed something for you, pass it along. Send this episode to a dad who's running on empty and quietly wondering if he's cut out for this, and ask yourself whether you're carrying the weight well or just carrying it. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.

This episode flips the script. Instead of Larry hosting, Marc Hildebrand, one of the top coaches in the Dad Edge Business Brotherhood, a 20-year LAPD veteran, life coach, and founder of Modern Leadership, sits Larry down and interviews him. The jumping-off point is a hard statistic: most men are lonely, and the majority don't have a single friend they could call at 3am.
Larry opens up about the mastermind that changed his life eleven years ago, the "cost of doing nothing" question that got him to say yes, the BRAVE MAN system his Boardroom runs on, and the August 2017 morning his wife told him he was losing her. If you're a man who's surrounded by people but still feels alone, or a business owner pouring everything into work while the rest of your life drifts, this one is a roadmap.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] – The loneliness statistic and why Larry isn't surprised it's that high
[3:17] – Marc introduces Larry and the role-reversal format
[7:04] – The first mastermind eleven years ago and mentor Aaron Walker
[8:45] – Rusty relationships and why "fine, good, busy" keeps men shallow
[10:03] – The $500-a-month invitation that sounded like snake oil
[11:55] – The question that changed everything: the cost of doing nothing
[13:45] – Sitting with the chills, imagining life a year out, and calling back in 12 minutes
[16:24] – What pulled Larry to lean in instead of talking himself out of it
[19:03] – "Show me your calendar and I'll show you what's important to you"
[22:59] – Why it's never the business, it's the person running the business
[25:41] – The BRAVE MAN system explained category by category
[29:53] – Why the room, not just the strategies, is what gets men to change
[30:52] – The black belt lesson: that's when the training actually begins
[35:02] – Attracting your wife back to you instead of chasing
[36:22] – The August 2017 morning Jessica said "you're losing me"
[40:30] – Masculine and feminine energy, and helping your wife soften
[44:11] – Inside the quarterly Goal Setting Intensive
[47:19] – Why the Boardroom is only 20-25% about business
[50:26] – Living an "and" life instead of an "or" life
[52:36] – The Dad Edge core values, read in full for the first time
[58:04] – Who the room is for, and how to join the intensive
 
5 Key Takeaways
The Cost of Doing Nothing — When weighing an investment in yourself, the real question isn't the price. It's what your life looks like a year from now if you change nothing at all.
It's Never the Business — Entrepreneurs blame the business for their disconnection, burnout, and lost health. The hidden truth is that it's the person running the business, and reactivity is the pattern to break.
Attract, Don't Chase — Chasing your spouse reads as needy, desperate energy. Leading from a grounded, positive masculine presence lets her soften and pulls her back toward you.
Set "And" Goals, Not "Or" Goals — You don't have to choose between growing your business and connecting with your family. The right question is how one could actually strengthen the other.
The Room Is the Gold — Skills and strategies matter, but transformation happens in a room of trusted men who share wins in detail, hold public accountability, and call each other forward.
 
Links & Resources
Episode page and all links: https://thedadedge.com/1515
Join the Dad Edge Alliance: https://thedadedge.com/join
Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive (July 31, 8am central, 10 guest spots): https://thedadedge.com/goals
 
Enjoyed This Episode?
If the "cost of doing nothing" question landed for you the way it landed for Larry, don't let it sit. Send this episode to a man who's surrounded by people but still feels alone, and ask yourself honestly who your own 3am call would be. If the show keeps showing up for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.

Stefanos Sifandos returns to the show six years after his first appearance, and this time the conversation goes straight to the bone. A behavioral scientist and relationship expert who's worked with Olympic gold medalists, world champion fighters, special forces operators, and high-performing couples, Stefanos helps successful people confront the emotional armor and old patterns that achievement can't hide. He's also the author of the new book Tuned In and Turned On.
Larry and Stefanos both grew up with volatile, abusive fathers, and they open up about the exact moments they stood up to the men who terrorized them, the survival patterns that followed them into adulthood, and the slow inner work of forgiveness. If you're a man carrying more than you've ever said out loud, this conversation names it and points to a way through.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] – Stefanos returns after six years and revisits growing up in violence
[3:09] – A gambler father, criminal company, and never knowing which version you'd get
[4:39] – How the abuse shifted between two brothers over the years
[6:24] – Leaving the country at 18 and the eldest-child savior role
[7:40] – Larry shares his own story of standing up to his mom's abusive boyfriend
[10:09] – Why a terrifying confrontation can be a painful gift with a long trajectory
[12:40] – Stefanos on the night at the kitchen bench when he told his dad "I'm not small anymore"
[18:46] – Stefanos' full background in behavioral science, performance, and embodiment
[21:24] – The unconscious, fractured initiation from boyhood into manhood
[23:44] – Larry on deliberately taking his sons through rites of passage
[24:26] – Where the relationship with his father stands now, and the memoir project
[27:15] – Forgiveness as an inside job and letting go without relying on the other person
[29:37] – Scarcity, hypervigilance, and why the nervous system prepares for the worst
[36:18] – Why 80% of healing is how others show up and meet you
[38:41] – How children internalize abuse as proof they're unworthy
[41:24] – The book's practices: get a friend, and why men are so isolated
[46:20] – Deliberate solitude in nature and learning to slow down
[48:55] – Seeking physical challenge as the path to real confidence
 
5 Key Takeaways
Standing Up Is an Initiation — For many men, the shift from boyhood to manhood happens through a raw, unchosen confrontation rather than a healthy rite of passage. Naming that moment helps you understand who you became because of it.
Forgiveness Is an Inside Job — Closure doesn't require the other person to change or even participate. Peace comes from your own diligent inner work, not from waiting on an apology.
Your Survival Patterns Made Sense Once — Scarcity thinking and catastrophizing were hypervigilant survival tools in childhood. The work isn't to shame them away, but to notice them and stop feeding the beast.
Healing Is Relational — Around 80% of transformation is being met with compassion and nonjudgment by someone who can relate to you. Insight matters, but connection is what actually changes you.
Get a Friend, Then Get Alone — Men are epidemically lonely, so build real friendships despite the risk. Then balance that with deliberate solitude in nature and physical challenge that builds genuine confidence.
 
Links & Resources
Episode page and all links: https://thedadedge.com/1506
Join the Dad Edge Alliance: https://thedadedge.com/join
Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive: https://thedadedge.com/goals
Tuned In and Turned On by Stefanos Sifandos: published by Hay House, February 2026 (audiobook includes bonus material)
Stefanos Sifandos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/stefanossifandos
Stefanos Sifandos on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@stefanossifandos
Follow Stefanos Sifandos on Facebook and TikTok: search "Stefanos Sifandos"
The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood by Larry Hagner: referenced in episode
 
Enjoyed This Episode?
If Stefanos' line about men leaking their pain sideways into aggression and avoidance hit home, don't carry it alone. Send this episode to a man in your life who might be quietly isolated, and think about who your own 3am friend would be. If the show keeps showing up for you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more fathers can find these conversations.

Leslie Tyler is the Director of Parent Education at Pinwheel, where she's also known as the Chief Mom, and the editor of Your Healthy Tech Playbook. She co-hosts the Technically Parenting podcast, collaborates with leading researchers to build practical tools for families, and previously took an edtech company from startup through acquisition by GoGuardian. She's also a mom of two teenagers doing this work in real time.
This conversation gets into what most parents are missing: the body image and hyper-masculinity content quietly targeting boys, why the bully now follows your kid into his bedroom, what AI is actually doing to kids' thinking and relationships, and how to teach self-regulation without setting your kid up to fail. If you've ever thought "he's in his room, what could go wrong," this one's for you.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] – Why boys get lost in the conversation about social media risk
[2:20] – Looksmaxxing, jawlines, and the body image content aimed squarely at boys
[3:52] – What the Netflix series Adolescence revealed about hidden bullying
[7:43] – Comparison versus inspiration and why kids can't tell the difference
[9:17] – That photo wasn't their first take, and adults know it but kids don't
[13:25] – How to interrupt the gut reaction when your son sees an idealized image
[14:51] – The cupcake story and giving your kid grace
[19:19] – Why exposing your own vulnerability opens the door to connection
[20:24] – Middle school as the hardest age and where the filter disappears
[22:48] – School used to end at the door, now the bully is in the bedroom
[24:14] – Text monitoring as a window into your kid's friends' real character
[29:22] – The story of a dad who said nothing and changed everything
[31:25] – Leslie on losing her father and what her kids remembered about him
[33:00] – The AI frontier: what's real, what isn't, and why critical thinking matters more
[36:32] – AI is not your friend, it's a sycophant programmed to please
[41:01] – Let kids fail when the stakes are low so they don't fail when they're high
[42:42] – A practical path to self-regulation that starts with the parent
[49:48] – The hallway phone is back, and why kids need a landline again
 
5 Key Takeaways
Boys Are Being Targeted Too — Looksmaxxing and hyper-masculine content hits boys just as hard as thinspo hits girls, but there's no counter-message, so boys internalize it silently.
The Bully Followed Them Home — Kids used to escape their tormentors when the school bell rang. Now the device sits in the bedroom and the bully is in there with them.
Vulnerability Is the Doorway — When your kid feels inadequate, don't lecture. Admit you feel the same thing sometimes. That's the moment connection actually happens.
AI Is Not a Friend — It's programmed to tell kids what they want to hear, and there's no give and take. That one-way sycophancy is the biggest AI risk facing children right now.
Self-Regulation Is Taught, Not Assumed — Start with the parent setting limits and explaining why, then loosen them gradually. Kids will fail, and that failure is the actual lesson.
 
Links & Resources
Episode shownotes: https://thedadedge.com/1505
Join the Dad Edge Alliance: https://thedadedge.com/join
Bark (Dad Edge listener discount, 10% off): https://thedadedge.com/bark
Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive: https://thedadedge.com/goals
Pinwheel: https://pinwheel.com 
 
Enjoyed This Episode?
If the line about the bully sitting in your kid's bedroom stopped you cold, don't let it end there. Send this episode to a parent who's still telling themselves their kid is safe because he's upstairs, and go have one honest conversation with your son this week about what he's actually seeing on that screen. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more parents can find it.

Gary John Bishop is the New York Times bestselling author behind Unfuk Yourself* and Stop Doing That Sht*, with seven books and millions of copies sold, and his new release Now What out this month. In this episode Larry opens the doors to an exclusive Q&A Gary did inside the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood, where business owners brought him their real, unfiltered questions.
Three men bring their hardest challenges to the table: grief and a 20-year marriage at a crossroads, the daily collapse between what you plan and what you actually do, and the fear of losing a business that follows you home to your kids. If you're a business owner who says one thing and does another, or who's been quietly sacrificing family for a fear you haven't named, this conversation will hit you where you live.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] – Larry introduces this exclusive Boardroom Q&A and why he brings in high level guests monthly
[3:30] – Gary is introduced as the bestselling author of seven books and a friend since 2018
[5:38] – Slade opens with losing his father, rebuilding a career, and a 20-year marriage at a crossroads
[8:20] – Gary challenges the idea that you lose anything when someone dies
[8:57] – Your life as a conversational domain and why your father still exists inside it
[13:12] – The question that changes a marriage: what are the conversations actually about?
[16:02] – Why calling his dad a "degenerate gambler" was costing Slade more than he knew
[18:35] – Alan asks how to stay focused when the day falls apart by 10am
[20:39] – The real issue is integrity: you say and then you don't do
[21:23] – Would you trust a man who never keeps his word? You're doing it to yourself
[24:17] – Gary doubles his revenue target for no reason other than he said he would
[29:26] – You're not detaching from emotion, you're recognizing you're attached to it
[31:14] – Blake on the fear that not answering the phone will cost him his business
[33:26] – Every company is organized around the fears of its founder
[37:39] – "This is not appropriate to this space" and how to shut work off at home
[45:05] – Ciprian asks how to stop building the present on a broken past
[49:01] – Nobody cut you off in traffic: how automatic language creates your world
[53:04] – Husserl's bracketing: set the story aside and be in wonder of what's there
 
5 Key Takeaways
Your Life Is a Conversational Domain — The people you've lost still exist in the conversations you have and the way you speak about them. Locate them somewhere that nurtures you instead of somewhere labeled loss.
Integrity Is Honoring Your Word — Integrity isn't morality, it's treating what you say like it matters. If you routinely say and then don't do, you've trained yourself to be unreliable to yourself.
Your Business Runs On Your Fear — Every company is organized around the fears of its founder. If you're taking calls at the dinner table, look at what you're actually committed to versus what you say you're committed to.
The Language Is Creating the World — Calling something a struggle instead of a challenge, or your father a degenerate instead of a man who gambled, isn't description. It's construction, and you'll live inside whatever you build.
Bracket the Story and Declare Something New — You don't have to fix the past. Set it aside, declare who you are right now, and ask what that person would obviously do next.
 
Links & Resources
Episode shownotes — https://thedadedge.com/1504
Join the Dad Edge Alliance — https://thedadedge.com/join
Dad Edge Boardroom Goal Setting Intensive — https://thedadedge.com/goals
 
Enjoyed This Episode?
If Gary's line about every company being organized around the fears of its founder made you sit up, sit with it a while. Send this to a business owner who's been sacrificing his family for a fear he hasn't named yet, and ask yourself where you say one thing and do another. If the show keeps delivering, follow, rate, and leave a review so more men can find these conversations.