Gap to Gig Podcast Por Michael Jacobs arte de portada

Gap to Gig

Gap to Gig

De: Michael Jacobs
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Build the life you’re working for.

Gap to Gig is the podcast for dads who want to crush it at work and still show up at home.

Each week, host Michael Jacobs talks with dads, founders, career experts, and creators about what it really takes to balance meaningful work and active fatherhood. From navigating career transitions and side hustles to staying present for hockey games and bedtime stories, Gap to Gig helps you create a life that feels steady, fulfilling, and built to last.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home dad reentering the workforce, a working dad craving more purpose, or a creator building your own path, you’ll find stories and systems to help you move forward with confidence.

Expect honest conversations about:

  • Work-life balance that actually lasts
  • Career change and meaningful work without losing yourself
  • Parenting and productivity that fit real life
  • Fatherhood, identity, and growth in the modern world
  • Mindset and systems that keep both business and family running smoothly

No fluff. No hustle-culture noise. Just real stories, practical tools, and genuine conversations about being a dad who wants both: meaningful work and a meaningful life.

If you’ve ever felt pulled between your career ambitions and your kids’ soccer schedules, you’re not alone. Each episode offers ideas you can apply right away, whether that’s a way to structure your week, handle burnout, or rethink what success really means for you and your family.

The show blends personal storytelling, expert insights, and actionable takeaways from guests who are building careers, companies, and creative projects that fit their lives, not the other way around.

Recent episodes feature:

  • Entrepreneurs who’ve built businesses around their families
  • Career coaches helping dads find work that fits their values
  • Creatives balancing passion projects with parenting
  • Productivity pros teaching how to reclaim time and focus
  • Everyday dads sharing their journeys from burnout to balance

If you’re ready to rethink success, build balance that lasts, and create space for what matters most, this podcast is for you.

Gap to Gig: Helping dads build the life they’re working for.

New episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen.

Gap to Gig, 2026 Crianza y Familias Economía Exito Profesional Relaciones
Episodios
  • Jon Merlin on Building Creative Work Without Sacrificing Family Time

    Jon Merlin on Building Creative Work Without Sacrificing Family Time
    Feb 10 2026

    Jon Merlin is a longtime designer who left agency life to start his own creative studio while raising two young daughters. Instead of letting work bleed into every hour, Jon drew a hard line around family time and rebuilt his business around clarity, intention, and values.

    This conversation explores what it really looks like to pursue entrepreneurship without losing presence at home, and how letting go of perfection can unlock both better work and better parenting.

    Jon shares how to:

    • Protect daily family time without derailing client work
    • Set non-negotiables in seasons where work pressure is real
    • Build a focused business by saying no to the wrong projects
    • Navigate the anxiety and ambiguity of starting something new
    • Replace perfection with progress at work and at home
    • Use small moments with kids to stay connected during busy days
    • Model emotional regulation, repair, and growth for children
    • Choose work that aligns with values, not just revenue
    • Reframe career gaps as runways instead of setbacks
    • Define success through legacy, not titles or output

    Jon’s perspective is thoughtful, grounded, and deeply practical for dads who want to build something meaningful without missing what matters most.

    Dig Deeper

    One Club for Creatives (San Diego)

    Creative Mornings

    Lava Chicken

    Dookie by Green Day

    Basket Case by Green Day

    Follow Jon

    Website: https://jonmerlin.com/

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmerlin/

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Más Menos
    44 m
  • Doug Fleener on Making Better Work and Life Choices Without Burning Out

    Doug Fleener on Making Better Work and Life Choices Without Burning Out
    Feb 3 2026

    Why does work keep crowding out family time even when no one is explicitly asking it to?

    Doug Fleener is an author, coach, and former corporate executive who has lived both sides of the work equation. After years of leadership roles and constant pressure, he intentionally redesigned his work around presence, health, and family. As a dad to grown daughters and a teenager, Doug brings rare perspective on how seasons of fatherhood change what presence really looks like.

    Doug shares how to:

    • Shift from chasing balance to making clear work and life choices
    • Recognize when work is crowding out presence without anyone noticing
    • Build daily intention through future focused journaling
    • Use physical cues like closing a laptop or putting down a phone to signal presence
    • Pause before reacting when pressure spills into family moments
    • Find meaningful connection in small, ordinary moments

    Dig Deeper

    Bose Corporation

    Day One

    Start With What If by Doug Fleener

    Draft Day

    Arthur theme song

    Turn Style

    Piano Man

    Follow Doug

    Website: https://www.dougfleener.com

    On TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@dougfleener

    On Instagram: https://instagram.com/dougfleener

    On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554942906442

    On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@doug-fleener

    On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougfleener

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Más Menos
    52 m
  • Stephanie Cordes on Finding Clarity When Success No Longer Feels Right

    Stephanie Cordes on Finding Clarity When Success No Longer Feels Right
    Jan 27 2026

    What do you do when your career looks successful on paper, but something quietly feels off?

    Stephanie Cordes is a career ownership coach who works with people at the exact moment when professional success and the life they want to live stop pointing in the same direction. She knows this moment personally. After building a successful corporate career, Stephanie realized that checking all the boxes did not automatically mean she was building the right life.

    Stephanie shares how to:

    • Recognize quiet misalignment before it turns into burnout

    • Reevaluate work and life goals as seasons and family needs change

    • Think beyond job titles and focus on lifestyle, income, and long term direction

    • Create a personal North Star that guides decisions without locking you into one path

    • Let go of the belief that every career change means failure

    • Explore new options while keeping stability for your family

    • Involve your partner in career decisions as a true team effort

    • Redefine what providing really means beyond a paycheck

    Dig Deeper

    Ring Camera

    Jamie Siminoff, Founder of Ring Camera

    Kim Possible

    Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock

    Aquaphor

    Follow Stephanie

    Website: https://stephahead.com

    On X: https://x.com/stephcordesTES

    On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniecordesTES

    On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093172011381

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemcordes/

    On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephcordestes.bsky.social

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Más Menos
    39 m
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