In this episode Donal and Matthew reflect on the first year of the Extraordinary Dads podcast. Is it doing what they expected? How is it different than planned? What are we asking of the dads listening? (Spoilers: Get yourself in community. Have more conversations about dadding with your community. Improve a little, bit by bit, wherever and whenever you find the inspiration.)

In this conversation, Steve, owner of the Santa Cruz GracieJiu-Jitsu Martial Arts School, shares insights into his life as a father and martial arts instructor. He discusses balancing parenting and self-care, education choices for his sons, and the lessons learned from Jiu-Jitsu that apply to life and fatherhood. Steve reflects on his own upbringing, the death of his mother, his absentee father, and how that motivates him to strive to be a better dad for his children. He also talks about the complicated evolution of his relationship with his dad in adulthood and how forgiveness and redemption are playing a part in the ongoing healing of that relationship.

More information on Santa Cruz Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Martial ArtsSchool: www.graciesantacruz.com

Keywords: parenting, jiu-jitsu, education, homeschooling, bullying, self-defense, personal growth, self-care, absentee father, forgiveness, redemption, entrepreneurship

In this conversation, Jeremy (a DIFFERENT Jeremy than last time!), a music producer and entrepreneur shares his experiences as a single dad with joint custody. He dwells on the importance of patience, presence, and creativity in his parenting approach. Jeremy reflects on the influence of his parents and heritage, and shares his viewpoint as a Black father in a predominantly white community. Jeremy’s conversation highlights the growth, learning and awesomeness that comes with being a dad.

Check out Jeremy's production studio Sonivore at www.sonivores.com, or follow his Insta @sonivore.

Apologies for the creaky chair noise throughout this episode, folks! We kinda botched the studio setup for this recording, and the mic captured a bunch of ambient noise. We learn and we move on!

Keywords: parenting, joint custody, patience, creativity, emotional intelligence, cultural identity, music, family dynamics, black fatherhood, personal growth