Jon French — a dad of three kids born in three years, a Convoy of Hope fundraiser, and a stage-four mantle cell lymphoma survivor — sits down with Zach to talk about what it actually takes to show up at home. He makes the case that being a good dad and husband isn't something that happens by accident; it's a stack of small, calendared decisions made every single day. Jon shares hard-won lessons from raising three close-in-age kids, from leading his family through a two-year cancer fight, and from learning to drop his "armor" and let other men in. Underneath the jokes about minivans and the middle-school dad glare is a practical playbook: put your cape on when you walk in the door, give each kid focused time, and cross the circle of awkwardness to build the friendships you actually need.
You won't wake up one day and be a good dad, husband, or man. It's built from small, intentional decisions you schedule and protect, including family dinners 4–5 nights a week.
Your kids don't care if you were Superman at work — they care that you're Superman at home. Mentally transition out of work frustrations and show up for the first 45 minutes, even when you don't feel like it.
Give each kid focused one-on-one time (Jon aims for ~15 minutes a day per kid). When travel cuts your frequency, raise the intensity and quality of the time you do have, and kids will extend grace.
When kids are stacked together it's easy to lump their personalities, likes, and discipline into one. Fight that tension and treat each one as the unique person they are.
Whether it's cancer or just life, you need people you can be real with who will both encourage you and kick you in the pants. Marriage counseling is worth it even in a good marriage.
Most other dads want a friend too. Lead with "I'm so-and-so's dad," which strips away status games and makes you equals. Be willing to be awkward for 30 seconds.
Time is the currency of relationship. And so to build a good relationship, you have to spend time.
Put a recurring family-dinner block on the shared calendar for 4–5 nights this week and protect it like a work meeting.
Pick a physical or mental cue ("put my cape on") to use in the driveway/parking lot to drop work stress before walking in the door.
Give each kid ~15 minutes of focused one-on-one time today — a video game, catch, anything face-to-face.
If you travel or work long hours, name one high-intensity recurring ritual with your kids (e.g., Saturday morning thing) to offset lower frequency.
At the next school event or game, cross the circle: introduce yourself to one unfamiliar dad with "Hey, I'm [kid]'s dad — who's your kid?" and follow up the next time you see him.
Practical skills, real stories, and one thing to actually do this week with your family. Written by a dad in the trenches, not a marketing department.
Zach sits down with Matt Karam, a lifelong martial arts instructor from Phoenix who, with his wife, has taught…
Zach sits down with Dr. Larry Waldman, a clinical child and forensic psychologist with roughly 50 years of exp…
Zach sits down with Noam Markose, a marketer, dad of four, and active IDF reservist living in Jerusalem. Noam …