What happens when you realize the real work of your life is happening at home, not at your job?

Sean Waldron returns for a deeper conversation about creativity, fatherhood, and the stories that shape us. He shares how filming with his son became a doorway into connection, why every dad has creative gifts even if they do not see themselves as creative, and how bringing your work skills into your home can strengthen the bond with your kids.

Sean opens up about:

• Entering his child’s world and why validation matters so much

• How creativity shows up in everyday parenting

• Using the skills you practice at work to build connection at home

• The danger of tying your worth to your job

• Why every dad carries a creative spark

• How good is built in small moments inside your home

• Growing up with fractured support and transforming that pain into purpose

• The heart behind ROAR and the documentary Silly Cannonballs

• The healing conversation he needed to have with his father before he could tell this story

• Building habits and protecting your morning to stay grounded

• Navigating perfection, mastery, and the pursuit of honesty

This conversation goes deeper into purpose, identity, generational patterns, and the kind of dad you want to become. It is raw, thoughtful, and full of clarity about what truly matters.

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ROAR Dads

Silly Cannonballs

The Jetsons

MacGyver

John Mayer

Japanese Joinery

Gap to Gig Episode 6: Sean Waldron on Purpose, Creativity, and Becoming a Present Dad

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How do you hold onto your creative identity while trying to be the parent you want to be?

Sean Waldron has built a life around creativity from music to video production to brand storytelling. He has freelanced, gone in-house, flipped houses, and wrestled with the tension between purpose and practical responsibilities. Becoming a dad pushed him to rethink all of it.

Sean shares how to:

• Blend creative skills with fatherhood in a way that builds connection
• Separate who you are from what you do after layoffs, pivots, or burnout
• Navigate the pull between purpose, mastery, and paying the bills
• Pursue creative work without letting perfectionism take over
• Find meaning in seasons of uncertainty
• Recognize early signs that you are on the right path even without results
• Carry ambition into parenthood without letting it overshadow your home life
• Create simple moments of delight using the skills that light you up
• Explore the stories you learned growing up and how they shape the dad you want to become

If you have ever felt torn between your creative passions, your responsibilities, and the desire to show up well for your kids, this conversation offers clarity, grounding, and a reminder that purpose is built one small moment at a time.

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ROAR Dads

Silly Cannonballs

Girl Above

Set Your Mind

Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray

Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

Bluey

Red Hot and Blue Pit Barbecue

Jason Mraz

My Humps

Baby Got Back

The Roost Stand

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What does it really take to be present as a dad while juggling work, pressure, and your own mental health?

Kristian Leavell, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, brings both clinical insight and lived experience to this honest conversation about the weight many fathers carry and how to navigate it with clarity and compassion.

Kristian shares how to:

• Be truthful about what you feel and what you need

• Understand the voice behind internal pressure and self doubt

• Redefine what it means to provide for your family

• Manage guilt around work, parenting, and expectations

• Let go of perfectionism and the anxiety under it

• Reset when you feel disconnected from yourself or your family

• Build routines that protect your mental health

• Model emotional honesty for your kids while keeping boundaries

• Build real community even when adult friendships feel difficult

• Cross the swamp of discomfort to become the parent you want to be

If you feel stretched thin, quietly anxious, or simply trying to show up better for yourself and your family, this episode offers grounded guidance and a way forward.

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Kristian’s video about being a girl dad Instagram | TikTok

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls by TLC

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes

The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana

Texas State

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TherapyTokWithKris on TikTok

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DistinctApproachCounseling.com

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