Intention is meaningless without action. This year, be the man who steps up to create a DA+3 group. It’s as simple as getting three dads to join you. Extend invitations, build friendships, and keep going when it’s tough. Your family’s future depends on it.

• Isolation is deadly.
• Show me your group, and I’ll show you your family’s future.
• 17 Ideas of Groups to Start.
• 6 Benefits of Being the Dad Who Goes First.
• 4 Steps to Take Initiative.

Jeff Zaugg is a loving husband, intentional dad, and passionate advocate for the fatherless. With experience in nonprofit leadership and pastoring, Jeff founded DadAwesome in 2018 and Fathers for the Fatherless shortly thereafter. Jeff and his wife, Michelle, have been married for 17 years and are parents to four daughters, ages 3 through 10.

• 13:08 - "Why should we step into being the activator, being the spark, being the guy who rallies and gathers other dads? Isolation is deadly. We know this, it's so true. When we're alone, we're vulnerable. Second, dads without friendships will at some point cause deep pain to their kids. The pain of isolation and a dad being a dad that doesn't have friends looking out for them, encouraging them, challenging them to grow. You will pass on pain to your kids."
• 16:51 - "You're going to move into a simple goal, I call it DadAwesome +3, DA+3. This is how easy it is, your goal is just to get three dads, three dads to join you. It might take inviting nine to get three to show up. Guys, it takes invite, invite, invite. DA+3 is a simple goal, but it takes inviting. It takes initiative. If you want to gather guys together, you've got to be the one who goes first. You've got to send the message, you got to decide, and then you've got to go after the simple goal of DA+3. Be a dad who gathers three other dads."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• free video series >> FOUR-PART FRAMEWORK FOR FATHERHOOD

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Dads were never meant to take on fatherhood alone. In fact, Bryan Byrd argues that isolation is against God's will for your life. Instead, you'll need to connect with others and get hungry for the Holy Spirit. In this episode, Bryan offers encouragement to help you get started.

• Connection is God's will.
• Loneliness is a dangerous toxin.
• Healing happens when you have a safe place to take your grief.
• Get hungry for the Holy Spirit.

Bryan Byrd is a husband and father to two sons from Boise, Idaho. He is passionate about equipping men to do hard things. He co-founded Wild Courage and continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.

• 8:55 - "I can get promoted. I can advance, and I can do it in a way that's humble. I got guys who are going to call me off the shelf, if I'm out of line. If I'm out of God's will, they're going to say, Bryan, are you doing this too much? What's going on? Are you treating your wife right? Are things good at home? There's instant accountability with all the things that are right. If you're not in a fire, a group, I would just ask, how long can you go before burnout? Before failure? I read this other day, loneliness is way more a toxin than fat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, opioids. Loneliness is more dangerous than opioids. I'd ask the listeners, it's probably way more important than you think. If you're saying, oh, I'll do that sometime. Today matters."
• 25:48 - "When I can look at you and receive you and your pain and hear you, I say you're worthy. When I, as a sharer of my pain, feel that I'm worthy, I have hope. I'm not alone. I'm with people that care. I'm seen. And I can find hope. Jesus, would you come into this pain? Would you take a risk on me? Because these guys just did. There must be hope for me. You go from sharing grief and despair and not having hope and not being seen and being isolated to seen and loved. That can be as simple as a group. It can be simple as silence. It can be as simple as a head nod. It's probably not talking very much. It might be a little validation. It's probably not giving a sermon. It's probably not five points of advice, how to fix your problem. Don't fix. It's probably not being the the alpha in the room telling people how you solve the world's problems. Letting it sit, now a container is you get 3 or 4 guys that can do that well and practice."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• Save the Date for the DadAwesome Day Zoom Call: Monday, June 17 at 7pm CT
• Iron Bison Training
• Iron Bison Training Podcast
• WILDSONS Podcast | Receiving the Father's Love and Masculine Initiation with Bryan Byrd
• Foxhole Symphony - Wild Courage: Vulnerability and Victory in the Quest for Authentic Manhood

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Everyone has a story to tell, and every story matters. In the first half of our conversation, Bryan Byrd describes the role of a troubadour. He emphasizes the value of prioritizing heart-to-heart connections, loving yourself the way God loves you, and being flexible about your approach to fatherhood.

• We’re all troubadours with a story to tell that matters.
• Heart-to-heart connections with your kids are the true sign of parenting success.
• Love yourself enough to do what you say, bet on yourself, and hold yourself accountable.
• Get instant feedback from your kids by asking, “How are you experiencing me?”
• Don’t be afraid to relearn some things.

Bryan Byrd is a husband and father to two sons from Boise, Idaho. He is passionate about equipping men to do hard things. He co-founded Wild Courage and continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.

• 11:55 - "I'm still going to choose heart to heart connection, regardless of my reputation. Regardless of my accomplishment or the image that people think I should have, I'm still getting their back, getting in the ditch if I need to get in the ditch, getting on a platform if I need to get on a platform. Wherever it takes, I'm going to show up and be present and be the father where I need to be. Sometimes I'm going to make mistakes along the way, and I'm going to ask for forgiveness and break some glass. That's success. Course correcting along the way right now."
• 27:00 - "We have sinned and we've been forgiven. He bets on us and He resides in us. There's a two edged coin there that we're the ransom one, so let's get with it. When you bet on yourself, you bet that you're valuable enough that you're going to come through with your word. You're going to do what you say. Bet on yourself, believe that you can do what you want to do, what you're set out for, what you're called from the Lord. Even though all of these people out in the world are going to say there's not enough time. You're too tall, you're too short, you're too fat, you're too skinny, they're going to come up with all kinds of excuses because they want to justify themselves. Bet on yourself is a line with God. Let's pause for a minute. Let that settle on our hearts. What God really says about you."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• Save the Date for the DadAwesome Day Zoom Call: Monday, June 17 at 7pm CT
• Iron Bison Training
• Iron Bison Training Podcast
• WILDSONS Podcast | Receiving the Father's Love and Masculine Initiation with Bryan Byrd
• Foxhole Symphony - Wild Courage: Vulnerability and Victory in the Quest for Authentic Manhood

• Make a Donation to dadAWESOME
• Join the dadAWESOME Prayer Team
• Receive weekly encouragement by texting "dad" to 651-370-8618

Combat veteran Ben Peterson joins us to discuss the glaring challenges in America's individualistic society, especially for people who have experienced the tight-knit military community. He offers practical advice to help you find your tribe, embrace your purpose, and be vulnerable about the struggles you're facing.

• Our souls and psyches thrive when we are part of a tribe.
• The transition from tribe culture to individualistic culture is an extreme challenge for veterans.
• We are in a war for the souls of men.
• The strongest men are the ones who are willing to be honest about their shortcomings and struggles.

Ben Peterson is a Jesus Follower, husband, father, and combat veteran. In 2016, Ben founded Engage Your Destiny, a nonprofit ministry that exists to engage with the military, veterans, and their families to lead them into their destiny. Ben and his wife, Rachel, live in Tennessee with their son.

• 27:29 - "Where's my 10,000 souls? I just think it's so important to live with that mindset. It doesn't have to be a fear based mindset, but this is the reality of the kingdom, and there is heaven and hell, and there are realities to us being disobedient, and there is free will and there's consequences for that. That's part of kind of the military coming out, because if you don't do your job, people die. And that's the same thing in the kingdom. There's a reason that Paul used the reference of the soldiers so much because we are in a war for the for the souls of men."
• 31:18 - "We can lean into some of those woundings, from a sense of humility and being honest that, you know what, I'm never going to be perfect until Christ comes back or until I go home. And in Him, I'm a new creature. And that gives me such a sense of peace and satisfaction, that my wounds are okay. It's okay to be vulnerable."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• Save the Date for the DadAwesome Day Zoom Call: Monday, June 17 at 7pm CT
• Engage Your Destiny: Practical Ways To Run After Your God-Given Purpose by Ben Peterson
• The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian
• Engage Your Destiny
• The Engage Your Destiny Podcast
• EP30: Power of a Praying Spouse: Part 1 (Engage Your Destiny Podcast)

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Jon Tyson is back for the third time! In this episode, he uncovers the seven lies that hold men back from becoming fully alive. You'll discover the strategies Satan uses to keep you distracted and passive, and you'll be inspired to embrace your current season and ask curious questions for the sake of others.

• Satan wants us dumb, entertained, oversatiated, and unmotivated.
• You must fight against despair, loneliness, shame, lust, ambition, futility, and apathy.
• If you ask curious questions about the needs around you, you never know what you'll get swept into.
• What things do you need to harvest and enjoy right now before they rot and are gone?

Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon Tyson is a pastor and author based in New York City. He is the author of "Fighting Shadows" and the bestselling books "The Intentional Father" and "Beautiful Resistance." Jon has been married to Christy for twenty-five years and has two adult children.

• 10:40 - "I always tell people, my vision is intentionality, it's not perfection. No one is perfect. In fact, the perfect fathers are often the ones that damaged their kids through such high expectations. It's just do your best, live in love, be honest with your struggles and get help. Rely on the community of men to help raise your kids. Ancient societies were not primarily just father-son societies. They were the community of men playing a vital role. It was the tribe that helped formed men, not just this psychotic pressure on an individual father."

• 19:23 - "I know everybody tells you this, be careful when you kill time, it has no resurrection. You can waste time. You can kill time. Waste time. Use time. Invest time. Redeem time. Or leverage time. And a lot of God, that's Ephesians 5, make the most of the time. That's not the word kross is the word kairos, which means you were in a season right now, that must be leveraged that you will never get again. It's not the same in every season. So I'm not advocating a kind of guilt where every, like, if every spare moment should be in prayer. That's, that's death. That's the law. I'm advocating, I'm advocating an awareness of your season. The things that need to be harvested now or they rot. Or seed now, or you missed the window to sow. Or enjoyed now or it's gone. How do you really figure what that is in that season and leverage it? Make the most because the days are evil. So yeah, it's about really trying to leverage the season more than anything else. First you got to know what it is, but when you know what it is going to be aware and go after it."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• 147 | Jon Tyson on Intentional Fatherhood & Creating the Primal Path
• 187 | Jon Tyson on Skillful Manhood, Capturing First Moments & The Intentional Father
• Fighting Shadows: Overcoming 7 Lies That Keep Men From Becoming Fully Alive by Jon Tyson and Jefferson Bethke
• The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson
• Primal Path: A Discipleship Program for Fathers & Sons
• Awaken Network Podcast
• Sign up for Jon’s Newsletter

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In the second half of this conversation, Danny Silk shares the seven “dragons,” or fears, that all men must slay. From confronting self-doubt to navigating competition among other men, Danny explores what holds most men back and how you can take immediate action. Plus, you’ll discover the importance of community and brotherhood in your journey to becoming a dragon slayer.

• Every man must confront these seven fears: God, himself, women, men, nature, machine, and provision.
• If you don't set your heart to serve your wife, you will set your heart to conquer her and be the winner.
• Men bond through doing and adventure and through risk.
• Your role as a man is to think ahead and bring benefit to everyone you’re leading.
• Fatherlessness comes from the breakdown of brotherhood.

Danny Silk is a renowned speaker and prolific author who draws on decades of experience as a counselor, social worker, husband, parent, grandparent, and more. He is the President and Co-Founder of Loving on Purpose, a ministry to families and communities worldwide.

• 14:49 - "Quit putting it off because you don't want to feel stupid. You already look stupid. So go do something about it. Be the man. There's that end of it as well. And then there's, in the middle of it, which is get out there and take some risks. Get out there and learn some new skills, find some guys that love to work on that stuff and learn from them."
• 18:14 - "You really are looking down the road and you're leading, so people are following that. And in that is your responsibility to bring benefit to everybody on the journey with you. That's your role as a man, is to think ahead and to build benefit for for your family, for your legacy. I'm thinking generationally, I'm not just thinking momentarily. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. I'm living generation to generation. So, then as a provider, you had better open up your clarity of where you're headed and who's going to be benefiting for you ever being on this planet."

• Apply to join the Summer 2024 DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org to learn more
• The Way of the Dragon Slayer by Danny Silk
• Dragon Slayers Podcast

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In this eye-opening episode, Danny Silk discusses the seven key traits that make up the creed of manhood. You’ll be inspired to rise above cultural influences and become a dragon slayer instead of a destroyer. Ultimately, you’ll discover how to use your strength to protect, display Christ, and lead boldly.

• You can either slay your dragons or become a destroyer.
• It is your job to set the standard of love in your home, marriage, and community.
• Men need to carry responsibilities to activate the strength they were designed with.
• Fools want to be the master of their own universe, but wise men love correction and feedback.

Danny Silk is a renowned speaker and prolific author who draws on decades of experience as a counselor, social worker, husband, parent, grandparent, and more. He is the President and Co-Founder of Loving on Purpose, a ministry to families and communities worldwide.

• 6:28 - "You have to have something inside of you that both weights you down to the bottom so you can get some traction and strong enough to turn and face that bad boy. But what happens is, once you get enough people opposing and moving in synergy, in the opposite direction, you actually can bring that strong current to a stop and then reverse the current. [That's] the Kingdom. It's an upside down world. That's what I really want to call our generation to, let's be the generation that faced this ugly lie, chase it down, band together and create a different tomorrow for our boys."
• 14:24 - "It's absolutely essential that men understand that your primary job and really the only job that you have is control yourself. Control freaks, control your freaking self. You never control other people. And when we turn love into control, we misrepresent our Father. God is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, not control. If anybody is going to be a control freak, it could be God and he's a freedom freak."

• Get a discount at the DadAwesome Store with Code: MOMAWESOME
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• The Way of the Dragon Slayer by Danny Silk

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Stephen Mansfield joins us in this episode to ignite your warrior mindset. As a man of God, you have a responsibility to prepare intentionally in every aspect of life, from your marriage to parenting and beyond. Stephen shares powerful examples of rituals, accountability, and prayers that can shape your life and future generations with purpose.

• Warriors use every moment to prepare for impending battles, and strong men must do the same.
• If you're going to achieve the greatness you're made for, stop being passive in the face of your surrounding culture and get intentional.
• Righteous men are meant to think about the impact they'll have on the next generation.
• Manhood is transferred during rituals, where you affirm a man in that milestone moment and speak of what's coming.

Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and popular speaker committed to serving vital social causes. He and his wife, Beverly, split their time between Nashville, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.

• 7:42 - "Warriors are intentional. They know there's battles coming. They are fighting for others. They're fighting battles of love for nation, for family, for righteous causes. And they are preparing themselves. And that makes them tougher, makes them more sacrificial, makes them more visionary, makes them live every moment in terms of, they're in the moment, but also in terms of what's coming."
• 18:12 - "I think every day is a gift. I think we live every day out as another day of our destiny. And the kissing of the spouse and the sitting quietly and the sipping of a glass of wine, the walk and the time reading a book and those peaceful, quiet, measured things, are just as important in building a legacy, as are the big dramatic, 500 year things. We men are naturally given to vision. What we have to do is be given to the moment more. That takes more intentionality on most of our lives."

• Get 20% off the DadAwesome Store with Code: MOMAWESOME
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• Men on Fire by Stephen Mansfield
• Stephen Mansfield’s Podcast

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