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.

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One Club for Creatives (San Diego)

Creative Mornings

Lava Chicken

Dookie by Green Day

Basket Case by Green Day

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Website: https://jonmerlin.com/

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

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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

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Bose Corporation

Day One

Start With What If by Doug Fleener

Draft Day

Arthur theme song

Turn Style

Piano Man

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Website: https://www.dougfleener.com

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

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

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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

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Ring Camera

Jamie Siminoff, Founder of Ring Camera

Kim Possible

Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock

Aquaphor

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Website: https://stephahead.com

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

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

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Why do anxiety and depression feel heavier during the long winter season, even when nothing is technically “wrong”?

Kristian Leavell, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, returns to talk about the emotional weight winter can bring, especially for fathers carrying responsibility at work and at home. The focus here is awareness, regulation, and small, realistic ways to stay steady when energy is low and motivation fades.

Kristian shares how to:

• Notice early signs of anxiety and depression by watching patterns, not isolated moments

• Treat emotions as useful signals rather than problems to eliminate

• Separate thoughts from facts and step out of spirals

• Use small, practical actions to interrupt anxiety before it builds

• Apply opposite action when motivation disappears

• Practice mindfulness in real life, not perfect conditions

• Talk with kids about emotions in ways that create trust and safety

• Redefine strength as presence, not endurance

• Check in on other dads without feeling the need to fix them

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ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

Cognitive Fusion

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

The Jetsons

How to turn crayons into candles

Crash the Gates by Yellowcard

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TherapyTokWithKris on TikTok

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DistinctApproachCounseling.com

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What does it mean to succeed at work without missing the moments you never get back?

Eddie Torba has spent decades in retail execution and operations, helping major brands adapt, rebuild, and evolve through massive industry change. Along the way, he made intentional career decisions to stay present for his family, from working nights and weekends early on, to shifting into remote corporate roles, to building a small consulting practice on the side.

Eddie shares how to:

• Design a career around family instead of fitting family into leftover time

• Choose flexibility and stability without treating them as opposites

• Build trust at work by delivering results, not logging hours

• Protect family dinners, school events, and everyday moments that matter

• Set boundaries that prevent burnout and protect mental energy

• Create morning and weekly routines that support focus and balance

• Explore a side path without overwhelming yourself or your family

• Be honest about capacity before taking on extra work

• Help kids understand the human effort behind convenience and consumption

• Teach responsibility, work ethic, and perspective by example

• Measure success by presence, not titles or constant availability

Eddie’s story is a reminder that careers evolve, seasons change, and showing up consistently for your family is a choice you make again and again. His approach is practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in the belief that work should support life, not replace it.

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Ad Populum

EWS Consulting

Party City

Duck Tales

Duck Tales theme song

Knee Deep by Zach Brown Band

Jimmy Buffett

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What does it actually take to feel grounded, confident, and present as a dad when anxiety is rising, expectations are shifting, and the world feels louder than ever?

AJ Rich is a licensed marriage and family therapist, practice owner, and doctoral candidate who works almost exclusively with men. After nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, AJ transitioned into clinical work and now helps dads navigate identity, emotional intelligence, anxiety, and growth without losing themselves or their families in the process.

In this conversation, AJ shares how men can move beyond coping and toward real psychological wellbeing, even while juggling work pressure, parenting, and constant change.

You will hear AJ break down how to:

• Understand anxiety as a signal, not a failure

• Build emotional intelligence without losing strength or credibility

• Develop the language to describe what you are actually feeling

• Shift from survival mode into sustainable growth

• Redefine success beyond titles, income, or external validation

• Identify what is holding you back when you feel stuck

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Feelings wheel

Brené Brown

Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart on HBO Max

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown (book)

PERMA Theory of Well-Being

Doc McStuffins

Sofia the First

Subway Sandwich Artist

Food Avenue in Target

This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan

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AJ Family Therapy, Inc.

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How do you rebuild your life when everything breaks at once and you still have kids who need you every minute of the day?

After a devastating spinal injury and years of recovery, Paul Terrell became a stay at home dad who had to relearn how to walk, talk, type, and parent with new physical limitations. Later he returned to work and eventually became a top performing enterprise account executive in PropTech and FinTech. His story is one of grit, patience, perseverance, and a deep commitment to family.

Paul shares how to:

• Relearn everyday life while caring for two young kids

• Parent with physical limitations and find creative ways to adapt

• Build mental toughness when progress feels painfully slow

• Return to the workforce with confidence after years away

• Use AI, systems, and prep work to compete at a high level again

• Navigate the emotional shift from being the primary caregiver to traveling constantly for work

• Strengthen a marriage through shared effort, support, and role changes

• Turn stay at home parenting into quantifiable wins on a resume

• Carry lessons from parenting into sales, negotiation, and leadership

• Protect health, energy, and family time in a metrics driven role

• Help kids understand work, money, teamwork, and responsibility

• Break big goals into smaller ones and use data to track personal progress

Paul’s story is honest, inspiring, and packed with practical wisdom for any dad rebuilding after a tough season or trying to figure out what comes next.

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Yardi

REIT

Plaud

Bohemian Rhapsody

Nuthin' but a "G" Thang

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Paul Terrell on LinkedIn

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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.

Dig Deeper

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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Sean Waldron on LinkedIn

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