DadAwesome

What happens when you stop reading about being a great dad and start talking about it with a friend? To celebrate finishing the DadAwesome audiobook, Jeff shares a slice of six conversations with six friends, one for each of the book's core discoveries: story, identity, intentionality, freedom, wonder, and leadership. You'll hear why you have to be "son awesome" before you can be dad awesome, how one dad heard his son's voice before he was born, and why throwing your phone across the room might be the best leadership move you make this week. Key Takeaways Story: Relationships make for a richer story, but only if you go below the surface. Inviting someone to share a seven-minute slice of their story can change a whole room. Identity: You have to be "son awesome" before you can be dad awesome. Believing and resting in who you are as a son of the King changes how you show up for your wife and kids. Intentionality: Don't confuse intentionality with achievement. The intentional piece is showing up, and your goals have a far better chance when you invite your kids and your friends into them. Freedom: There's no such thing as secret sin. Your kids are in the front row watching, and you can't lead them into freedom you aren't fighting for yourself. Wonder: Routine and age choke out wonder. Trade "Captain Dad" orders for curiosity, and ask one question before you jump to conclusions. Leadership: Leadership isn't stages and microphones. It's a posture, and sometimes it looks like handing your kid the drill or giving them permission to say, "Daddy, put your phone down." GUESTS This episode features six friends of DadAwesome, each joining Jeff for one core discovery from the DadAwesome book. Story: Cameron Clark. Cameron leads a discipleship group that meets every two weeks, where one person shares a seven-minute slice of their story. Identity: Kevin Klaas. A dad of four boys who has pressed in over the years to believe he is a son of the King. Intentionality: Matt Markman. A girl dad who writes his yearly goals in a journal, including twelve daddy-daughter dates. Freedom: Joseph Dalton. A dad of boys who gave up alcohol in 2009 while his wife was pregnant with their first child. Wonder: Kelsey Romshek. A fire captain learning to approach his twelve-year-old son, Luca, with wonder instead of orders. Leadership: Kelly Smith. A dad who turned his phone habit into a game that gives his kids a voice. Key Quotes "You've got to be son awesome before being dad awesome." (Kevin Klaas, 5:53) "The more people I invite into my goals and how God is shaping me, the better I can move forward. Because like anything, I'm not meant to do it on my own." (Matt Markman, 9:27) "As a father, I feel like I'm on stage 24/7 with my kids in the front row." (Joseph Dalton, 12:53) "Am I seeing his shiny eyes, or am I just coming at him as Captain Dad?" (Kelsey Romshek, 18:32) "Leadership is not stages and microphones. It's not founders of Fortune 500 companies. Leadership is really more posture." (Jeff Zaugg, 23:33) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book The DADAWESOME book The DadAwesome audiobook: releasing in about a month DadAwesome Labs (experiments, discussion questions and activation ideas for every chapter): https://www.dadawesome.org/labs Small Group Resources (action guides and discussion questions for the six core discoveries): https://www.dadawesome.org/resources Hearts Toward Heaven prayer call: Mondays, 6:10 a.m. Central Hearts Toward Home prayer call: Fridays, 12:00 p.m. Central Way of the Warrior Kid book series by Jocko Willink The Chosen graphic novel series Morgan Snyder, Become Good Soil: https://becomegoodsoil.com Scripture referenced: Mark 1:11, Acts 13:22, Psalm 63 Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/460

A wrong shuttle bus, a kiosk that kept saying "you're too late," a lost wallet, and car keys that slid two rows up the airplane aisle. In this solo episode, Jeff Zaugg walks through one stressful Monday morning at the DFW airport with his wife and four daughters and pulls out five fresh dad discoveries from the chaos. You'll hear why distraction puts your family on the wrong bus, why getting up and asking for help beats solving it from your seat, and how a Holy Spirit nudge to check his pocket saved the whole trip home. Key Takeaways The distracted dad audit: Make a list of the things, even the responsible ones, that are pulling your attention away from presence with your kids. A distracted dad ends up on the wrong bus. Get out of your seat: Stop trying to solve it alone from the back of the bus. Get up sooner and ask someone who's been there before: a friend, a pastor, a counselor, a book, a podcast. Why not try? When the screen says "you're too late," try anyway. Our kids benefit from a dad who tries again after a daddy-daughter date flops or a connection attempt falls flat. Pause the hustle: Sprinting under your own strength makes you reactive and emotional. Pause long enough to pray, ask a trusted friend, or send a text asking for prayer. What's in your pocket? God has given you the keys to your kids' hearts (and your wife's). Carry a physical reminder and keep asking the Holy Spirit, "What's the key I'm missing here?" HOST Jeff Zaugg is the founder and host of DadAwesome. He and his wife, Michelle, have four daughters and live in Florida. DadAwesome exists for the turning of a father's heart: heart-level fatherhood work rooted in Malachi 4:6, because when a dad's heart turns toward heaven and home, it ripples into his family, his church, and his community. In its first nine years, DadAwesome has served roughly 6,000 dads by name through the podcast, coaching cohorts, challenge events like Team DadAwesome Spartan races, and twice-weekly prayer calls, with a 20-year mission to reach 75,000 dads by name by 2038. DadAwesome helps dads be awesome dads, then resources, launches, and celebrates them as they carry it to other dads. Key Quotes "You will get on the wrong bus if you are living life distracted. You'll be headed in a direction you don't wanna go." (Jeff Zaugg, 10:36) "I just don't wanna be stuck in my seat as a dad. I wanna get up and ask for help." (Jeff Zaugg, 12:10) "Our kids benefit from a dad who tries again." (Jeff Zaugg, 13:18) "It's a huge deal in fatherhood to pause and ask your heavenly Father, pause and ask a trusted friend, pause and send a text asking for prayer." (Jeff Zaugg, 14:19) "God has given us keys to connect deeply, to speak love and life into their hearts." (Jeff Zaugg, 16:00) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book The DADAWESOME book Hearts Toward Heaven prayer call: Mondays, 6:10 a.m. Central Hearts Toward Home prayer call: Fridays, 12:00 p.m. Central Team DadAwesome Spartan events and vision nights Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/459

Most dads are living with a motorboat mentality, gripping the throttle and telling God how fast and in what direction the family should go. In this conversation from the vault, recorded on a hike in Arizona, Matt Fogle invites you to hoist your sails instead and learn the unforced rhythms of grace that Jesus offers to tired and burned out fathers. You will hear how a Quaker practice called a clearness committee helped his family discern a cross country move, why lazy dad games and unhurried evenings shape your kids more than ambitious Bible plans, and why you cannot pour living water into your kids while you are parched. Key Takeaways Jesus describes his own heart as gentle and humble, and dads are invited to carry that same posture toward their kids. It does not have to go my way, and God, not me, is the primary agent of my child's spiritual formation. You can live with a motorboat mentality, controlling the speed and direction of your family, or you can hoist your sails every day and let the Spirit of God set the pace. Sailing is slower, but it keeps you awake to what God is doing. Big decisions are best discerned slowly: a monthly day alone with God, months of prayer with your spouse, and a handful of friends with no stake in the outcome asking hard questions until it seems good to us and to the Holy Spirit. The smallest things take up the most room in a child's heart. Phone free dinners, lazy dad games, laying out clothes the night before, and acting out Bible stories will shape your kids more than a heavy program you cannot sustain. If you want your kids to overflow with life, you have to be connected to living water yourself. That means saying no to good things like late night Netflix and extra shifts so God's bigger yes has room in your life. GUEST Matt Fogle is a pastor, spiritual director, and companion to leaders navigating the demands of life and ministry. He grew up as a wild middle child in rural Illinois. He and his wife, Jen, have four kids. With over two decades of experience and three master's degrees, in Organizational Leadership, Spiritual Formation, and Missional Theology, Matt serves with ministries including Harbor Ministries and is passionate about helping leaders create space to slow down, listen deeply, and notice God's presence in the ordinary and often overlooked moments of leadership. Key Quotes "Maybe God is the primary agent of my kids' spiritual formation, not me. And so it's my job to ask good questions and listen and be patient along the journey." (Matt Fogle) "Are we hoisting up our sails every day and saying, God, however you want to blow into my sails, however you want to blow into their sails, help me to be a good, nonanxious, cooperative friend?" (Matt Fogle) "We put these heavy things on ourselves that God is not laying on us at all. And we put pressure where there doesn't need to be pressure." (Matt Fogle) "Nothing is more important than being fully present with you right now." (Matt Fogle) "If you want your kids to overflow with life, you've got to be connected to living water. And you are parched." (Matt Fogle) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book The DADAWESOME book Harbor Ministries (Matt Fogle): https://harborministries.com/ Parker Palmer on the Clearness Committee (short video): https://vimeo.com/139027540 Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide for Your Child's Spiritual Formation by Jared Patrick Boyd The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund Life in Rhythm Podcast, S2 Episode 5: Gospel Clarity on Parenting: https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/s2-episode-5-gospel-clarity-on-parenting/id1545668466?i=1000535126316 Original release: Episode 206 | Gentleness, Humility & Unforced Rhythms (Matt Fogle) Episode 200 (speedboat vs. sailboat fatherhood): dadawesome.org/blog/200 Episode 81 | Adjust the Pace, Live with Self Control & Hear God's Voice (Tim Bohlke): dadawesome.org/blog/81 Scripture referenced: Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message), Hebrews 12:1-2, Genesis 12, Acts 15, Proverbs 4:23 Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/458

For most of his Navy SEAL career, Neil Dyer thought meek meant weak, and he wanted nothing to do with it. Then God grabbed his heart through the adoption of his nephew, and he had to pull the trident off his chest and burn the idol of his career to take up the higher calling of being a father. In this episode, Neil shares what the war horse teaches us about strength under control, why your home is a battlefield where the armor of God never comes off, and how foundation, structure, and clear limits give your kids exactly what they are hungry for. Key Takeaways Meek does not mean weak. The Greek word describes a war horse: full strength, under the control of the rider. Strength under control is what your sons need to see in you and what your daughters need to marry into. Comfort is the crisis. The first step toward meekness is doing something outside your comfort zone, and it is nearly impossible alone. Find your battle buddies and do hard things together. Bleed, sweat, cry, and laugh with the same men and you get a brotherhood that lasts. Your family needs a foundation, a structure, and left and right limits. The word no gets used often in Neil's home, and his kids know where the lines are. As they get older, give them controlled failure points. Treat them like men and women who are just a lot shorter, because lions don't grow up to be bunnies. The armor of God never comes off. The spiritual battle raging at home is the same battle you face at work, so lead your family with a warrior's mindset, delivered with grace and love. Be present, not just well intended. Keep a phone room instead of a phone in your pocket, get rid of the TVs, and clean the house together on Fridays before movie night. Quality time is a myth. It is just time, and your kids need it. GUEST Neil Dyer served about two decades in the Navy SEAL teams, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and finished his career as a first phase BUD/S instructor. After the loss of his brother, Neil and his wife adopted his eight month old nephew, and Neil gave his life to Christ shortly after. Today he leads Warriors Rise, a ministry he and his family started two years ago to pour into the next generation of young men and women with a how to think, not what to think approach. Neil and his wife live in northern Idaho with their six kids and a seventh on the way. Key Quotes "I had to pull that trident off my chest and throw it in the fire. I had to burn that idol of my life and realize the higher calling of my life. And it wasn't the job. It wasn't the glamour, the glory. It's being a father." (Neil Dyer, 0:39) "Meekness is just strength under control. That's it. Power under control. It's a war horse." (Neil Dyer, 6:00) "We are the example of what our young men are to grow into and what our daughters are to marry into. We are the first example of what a man is." (Neil Dyer, 7:34) "I treat my kids like they are adults. Because lions don't grow up to be bunnies. They're men and women. They're just a lot shorter." (Neil Dyer, 20:00) "Help us to be kicking in the gates of hell instead of sandbagging our homes and our own kingdoms, Lord. It's all yours." (Neil Dyer, closing prayer, 30:12) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book The DADAWESOME book Warriors Rise (Neil Dyer's ministry): https://www.warriorsrise.org/ Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/457

What will your kids actually remember about you? In this episode, three brothers in their twenties, Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum, sit down separately and describe the same dad: a man who prayed at their beds every night, read a devotional every morning, chose the hard path on purpose, and never missed the yearly canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. Nothing they remember cost much money, but every bit of it took a dad who kept showing up. KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form Key Takeaways Your kids remember the small things you repeat. A short prayer at the bedside every night and a three minute devotional every morning shaped three sons more than any big event. Choose the hard path on purpose. Saturday work days, chopping firewood, and wet cold weekends in a canoe taught these boys that discomfort is where growth happens. Protect one trip a year. The Blum family sacrificed sports, money and convenience to make the Boundary Waters trip every year, and that one weekend gave the boys a hidden place to connect with their dad away from distractions. Keep praying and keep inviting during the years they pull away. Each brother describes a season in middle school or high school when he hid from his dad, and each one says his dad stayed consistent and kept the door open anyway. Faith was invited, not forced. The brothers say they never felt Jesus was pushed on them. They knew they had their parents' love no matter what, and that made the invitation safe to accept. GUESTS Matt, Mike and Tommy Blum are three brothers in their twenties who grew up in the Twin Cities area under the roof of their dad, Chris Blum. Matt is the oldest and a new dad to a baby daughter. Mike is the middle brother, and Tommy is the youngest. All three follow Jesus and credit their dad's steady prayer, playful presence, and love of hard work with shaping who they are today. For close to two decades the Blum family has made an annual trip to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, and that trip is where Matt gave his life to Christ at age eleven. Key Quotes "There was a rock that was immovable and grounded, one that would pray with us every night no matter the season or turmoil he was going through." (Tommy Blum, reading his letter to his dad, 30:57) "It's such a simple thing that he's done, but that's what I think makes him the best. He shows up." (Matt Blum, 33:00) "It was a difficult game of volleyball, lots of balls in our court that we just left sitting on the ground. But he was steadfast with us and intentional despite our bad return rate." (Mike Blum, 21:48) "When I picture myself with Jesus, I picture myself in the bow of a canoe and Jesus is right behind me. He's the one steering the boat." (Matt Blum, 14:46) "I didn't feel like following Jesus was pushed on us. It was an invitation. And we knew we had our parents' love regardless." (Matt Blum, 21:06) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book The DADAWESOME book Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (northern Minnesota): https://www.fs.usda.gov/superior The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/456