WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:14.080 Happy New Year's Eve Two Dads and Tech- Oh... listeners. Last day of 2025. New Year's Eve. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. I know. 365 days? 360- That's crazy... I saw something the other day on TikTok. 2 00:00:14.790 --> 00:00:26.960 [laughs] Do you know, do you know their names are Zias, Zias or something? Z- Z-I-A-S and Blou? Have you heard of them? Is it the two brothers with dreads? Like random like- No, I think they're best friends. 3 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:35.360 They played college football together. Do you know Aiden Ross? Oh, are you talking about the dudes with the, the quarter zips? No, I don't think so either. Okay, then I don't know. 4 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:40.500 But- There's a lot of influencers, and I think you and I are on different sides of the algorithm. I... 5 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:51.220 Yeah, I'm like on the, you gotta be 20 to 23, or like 16 to 23 to watch this, and you shouldn't watch it if you're older than that, but [laughs] it sucks me in. So, so you're- So anyways, [laughs] 6 00:00:51.260 --> 00:01:02.420 one of them was like, "I feel bad for people with December birthdays, 'cause you gotta wait the whole year for it to get to your birthday." [laughs] Dude, yeah. No, seriously, December... Well, that's hilarious. 7 00:01:02.580 --> 00:01:11.700 But also, December birthdays, like if you celebrate Christmas, and you have a December birthday, I feel like you just, you just never really got to celebrate your birthday. Yeah. 8 00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:22.380 Um, it's funny, one of my kids has their birthday January 12th, and so it's like- Yeah... it's, you know. Deep. January birthdays, it's, it's rough. It's rough. Yeah. I have a July birthday. 9 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:30.770 I feel like I've always gotten- Oof. Perfect... the full gamut. I know, it's like right smack dab in the middle of the year. Yep. What- nothing else has really happened in July except July 4th. Yep. 10 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:38.700 Which is fun, but whatever. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mine, uh, mine's May 24th, and it was always the last week of school, which is pretty cool. Lee, actually not Lee. There's Liam. 11 00:01:38.740 --> 00:01:47.760 Harrison, all right, my youngest, turning one years old on January 2nd, so next week. There you go. He'll be one. Um- Dang... so yeah, same thing. That's a big one. 12 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:53.560 His birthday's gonna suck, because everyone's gonna, you know, go out for New Year's and not wanna celebrate it again. And they're just exhausted. True. 13 00:01:53.600 --> 00:02:03.470 Exhausted from Christmas, exhausted from New Year's, most of them going back to work after a week or two off, and then boom, he has a birthday. Oh. No one cares. Poor kid. Poor kid. Poor kid. Poor kid. 14 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:13.180 Dude, I wanted to, um, last episode we teased that we're gonna take a quick break. So everyone- Yeah... if you're listening to this episode, you probably won't hear another episode for another couple weeks or so. Yeah. 15 00:02:13.220 --> 00:02:21.080 We're getting our lives together. To be honest, to be honest, off, we haven't gotten- Yeah... a single week off since December 12th or something. 10th or month. Yeah, something like that. Um- 2014. Yeah. 16 00:02:21.160 --> 00:02:30.950 I mean, that's impressive. First of all, give us a round of applause, and all... Second of all, subscribe. Subscribe to us on YouTube- Right now, please... so that you get pinged when we come back. You know what? 17 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:42.650 Like we want, we wanna come back to thousands of subscribers on YouTube. Tell you what, if we hit 850 subscribers from this episode after, we won't take a break. We'll record. Um, [laughs] what are we at right now? Okay. 18 00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:49.780 750? I don't actually know where we're at. Uh, some- something like that, something like that. But, um- Let me check right now... anyways, all that to say, if you're listening, we all appreciate you. 19 00:02:49.980 --> 00:03:01.820 When I say we all- 724... I say Daniel and I. [laughs] What are we at, 724? 724. Ah- Who the hell-... it's a slow last couple weeks. Le who is here? Yeah. [laughs] I know. Uh, dude, some of the comments are so mean. 20 00:03:01.940 --> 00:03:09.630 [laughs] So mean. I know. They're like, "Two dads." Like, I'm not even gonna read them. Uh, I went to bed crying for three days in a row. I know. Um, but anyways- I've been crying since we started this episode... 21 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:21.520 I wanted to do, uh, 2025, kind of like a year in review. I guess you can count it as like a Spotify wrap, a Spotify wrap, but for us, just talk about the podcast, what we think, how it went, things like that. 22 00:03:21.600 --> 00:03:32.620 So I used my friend, Chad Chipita to make some- Chipita... um, questions, and then I, you know, re-prompted it, kind of fixed things up. I wanna run through this. I made it to where you can answer, I can answer. 23 00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:39.780 Go back and forth. How's that sound? Sorry, I'm just vibing. Yeah, he's vibing. I'm just vibing. I'm listening to music. If you're not wi- I'm listen, I'm listening to music. You- I can't even hear you. What'd you say? 24 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:50.570 Say it again. [laughs] Dude, you should have not said anything for like 30 seconds. Just, just silence. [laughs] Spotify in my, in my earbuds over here, just like totally ignoring you. Uh, all right. 25 00:03:50.570 --> 00:04:00.400 Oh, that sounds like a plan. That sounds like a plan. Let's do it. A little year in review. All right. Sweet. Um, [laughs] these questions are... They're just fine. They're okay. So let's get into it. Eh. Eh. 26 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:11.240 What is one episode this year that changed how you think, not just got good numbers? Terrible, terrible question. Uh, you are right. I hate that question so much. 27 00:04:11.940 --> 00:04:14.920 Uh, I'm looking at our, I'm looking at our YouTube channel right now. 28 00:04:15.640 --> 00:04:29.110 I, I'm serious that the Nir Eyal episode, How to Become Indistractable from Technology with Nir Eyal, three months ago, so I think we recorded that early October, something like that, total game changer for me. Yeah. 29 00:04:29.110 --> 00:04:34.100 And if you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend going and listening to it. 30 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:45.610 Some, some highlights is, you know, tech versus parentings, uh, like phones and competing with kids, and how parents are so glued to their screens. I mean, that's- Mm-hmm... a topic we talk about a lot. Yeah. 31 00:04:45.640 --> 00:04:58.360 But Nir gives us, uh, in this episode with him, like some very practical ways to combat that. You know, millennial parenting and the value of putting devices down or disconnecting as a family unit. 32 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:06.890 Internal triggers, and Nir is, is an expert in this. I mean, he researched this stuff, psychology behind it for years and years. He has two bestselling books. 33 00:05:07.580 --> 00:05:20.090 And he talks through that expertise he has in a way that I feel very uniquely combines what Troy and I talk about just inquisitively. Yeah. Like all Troy and I do, we're just chatting about stuff. Yeah. 34 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:29.020 We're not experts. We're living in the thick of it. We're parents, but our kids aren't that old, so like we're still trying to figure it out. He's, Nir- Yeah... 35 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:41.540 really just goes deep into like, "Hey, here's some very practical ways to go after being a good parent in the age of technology." Yeah. By far the most impactful episode that I think we did this year, for me. 36 00:05:41.580 --> 00:05:48.960 I really don't wanna piggyback off that or steal it, but I agree, and I'm gonna give a second episode, because I don't want this to just be solely focused on that. 37 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:57.950 Um, but yes, Nir's episode was great, and it had what I thought was some of the best energy. He came in and he just- So much... you could like hear the passion behind every single word that he said. 38 00:05:57.960 --> 00:06:02.840 And we didn't even really do, we didn't do much. We were just there-We asked him a couple questions. 39 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:13.260 I mean, we, we, we, we had a kind of a, a, a rubric or a plan, but I mean, all we did was just listen to him, and it was like- Yeah... you and I were just sitting at his feet like, "Whoa." Yeah. "This is awesome. 40 00:06:13.320 --> 00:06:19.800 We're learning." I mean, he, he definitely, he brought the energy. We'll have to bring him on again. I know he has another book coming out, I believe in 2026. 41 00:06:19.980 --> 00:06:28.250 I would love to hear some of his thoughts on that book as well. Yeah. We should. And I know Hooked, his first book, was really successful for a lot of tech people. Yeah. 42 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:37.950 Outside of that, I don't wanna say another guest episode, but I thought Scott Lees's was really good around just, like, mindset stuff and going through- Yeah... essentially near-death experience. 43 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:49.209 Like, figure out what you actually want in life and things like that. And so, um, I thought that was good. Dude, there's this thing on my nose. It's really bothering me. Do you see that? Mm. Or is that my computer? 44 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:57.440 I can't really see it. No. I thought- It's probably- I think I got a- It's probably- All right. It's probably cancer. [laughs] Yeah. Everything is. If I, if I went to the- Don't laugh. Don't laugh at that... I'm done. 45 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:08.890 I'm cooked. Just kidding. All right. What is something that you were scared to say on the podcast in 2025, but you wish you did say? Something... Oh, something that I was too scared to say, as in I did not say it? 46 00:07:08.890 --> 00:07:23.000 Either, either too scared or that you wish you would've talked about. That's a tough one because I try really hard to say whatever is on my mind. Yeah. So I... Nothing really, nothing really comes- Yeah... 47 00:07:23.020 --> 00:07:32.900 to mind of like, "Oh, man- Yeah... I should've said that," and didn't. If I think I should've said it, I, I will just usually say it, or it's just not important enough to say. But what... 48 00:07:32.940 --> 00:07:42.099 I mean, do you have an answer to that? It seems like you have something that you wish you would've said. No? Kind of, but I also almost wanna challenge you. Sure. I'm happy- Because-... to be challenged... 49 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:47.080 because there was an episode where I kinda went deep on my life, and there's a few times where I was like, "Let's talk about your upbringing." 50 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:53.970 And, and so I've noticed a couple times you pulled back, like, "Ah, you know, it's whole 'nother episode," and we've never gotten back to that episode, and we never recorded it. Yeah. 51 00:07:53.980 --> 00:08:01.680 I didn't know if there was anything, like, about your upbringing that you're like, "Ah, I should probably leave that out just for the sake of publicity and stuff like that." And if so- No... let's leave it out. No. 52 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:05.460 No, no, no, I'm happy to talk about it. Uh- Not now, obviously. I w- But okay... 53 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:15.140 yeah, not, not scared to talk about it, it's just complicated and really probably takes a full episode to really get into details, otherwise people are like, "What?" Like, I was arrested when I was seven years old. 54 00:08:15.880 --> 00:08:23.220 That's a real story. That is cra- Okay, yeah. You can't say that. We- You can't say that and then just be, "All right, well, so, uh, what do you think about Thanksgiving?" What do you think about AI? 55 00:08:23.260 --> 00:08:33.510 Hey, these new robots. Yeah. [laughs] Uh, yeah, like y- there's just so much. Okay. Every single detail is, is- That's crazy... just opens 50 more questions. Yeah. Yeah. 56 00:08:33.540 --> 00:08:38.820 I'm happy to go into that in 2026, and let's- Yeah... I mean, let's, let's plan a full episode around that, and you can... 57 00:08:38.920 --> 00:08:46.080 I can give you some, some heads-up, you know, thoughts so you can ask me good questions, and I mean, we'll just go all the way in there. I, I've talked about it in front of large crowds of people. 58 00:08:46.160 --> 00:08:57.840 I've told my story, uh- Okay... in Boston, in Chicago, in China, in Spain, uh, in South Carolina several times. Wow. Okay. Yeah. I've been a legitimate speaker on this topic. 59 00:08:57.900 --> 00:09:04.240 I think it's one that typically resonates with parents now. Uh, early on, I think it resonated with people that were peers. 60 00:09:04.280 --> 00:09:13.900 Now it resonates with parents because the parents are dealing with their children who are troubled and dealing with, you know, they're in and out of institutions. They're getting kicked out of school. 61 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:21.480 They're getting in fights. They're dealing with drugs. I haven't, you know, you know, bad, you know, friends. Like, whatever friend group is, is causing peer pressure like... 62 00:09:21.540 --> 00:09:30.130 So every time I speak, a parent comes up to me, sometimes in tears. I can recall- Yeah... many times it's happened. "Mom, in tears, your story was so impactful." Wow. 63 00:09:30.130 --> 00:09:42.400 "Can I talk to you about the situation I'm dealing with with my son, with my daughter," whatever. "I don't even want your advice. I just want you to know what you dealt with is not as island unique as you think. 64 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:50.160 Other people are dealing with some of this stuff as well." So it's always impactful for me, too. But anyways, no, I- Yeah... I'm not really scared to talk about most things. I can think more about this. 65 00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:58.440 Maybe there is something. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But nothing comes to mind. By the way, everyone, Daniel had zero idea I was asking any of these questions till I clicked play, so... Or record, whatever. 66 00:09:58.680 --> 00:10:03.309 The only thing I was scared to bring up that I finally did towards the very end was, like, the whole religious aspect. Yeah. 67 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:10.070 But I, I wasn't scared, and I still, there's some things I wanna ask about it that I'm scared to ask, but I will in 2026. We'll, we'll touch on that then. You should ask. Yeah. 68 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:22.100 And you might know or even notice, I'm never scared to talk about it. Yeah. At all. No. And I have quite deliberately woven in my faith to many of our episodes, not because- Yeah... there's no ulterior motive here. 69 00:10:22.180 --> 00:10:29.300 I'm just, that's just who I am. Yeah, for sure. My faith is not a segment of my life. It's a part of my life. 70 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:37.660 I talk about it when it makes sense to, and on this podcast, there's been many different points and, and segments where it just made sense to bring it up. Got it. 71 00:10:38.300 --> 00:10:48.100 Um, and I, I've, I've noticed that, and that's, yeah, Daniel is very much himself on all platforms. Maybe- I try... maybe a little goofy on X. Who knows? But maybe that's y- [laughs] maybe that's you. I'm goofy. 72 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:58.680 I, uh- Um-... that's my goofy side, for sure. Let's see. What part of yourself do you feel accidentally turned into content this year? I don't know if I love that question. Okay. Yeah, it's a weird question. 73 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:10.340 I like this next question, though. Okay. Did this podcast ever feel like a chore in 2025? All the time. Dude. All the time. Worst year ever. You guys don't even get it. It's tough. You don't even get it. 74 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:18.200 Look- Y'all, I'm so bad... massive shout-out- This is my fault. No, no, ma- Uh, it is kind of, it is kinda Troy's fault. It's kinda, yeah. I'm not gonna lie. 75 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:31.520 Uh, Troy, Troy is, he's, he's a, he's a work in progress, everyone. I have horrible texting, horrible. Um- Ugh... I will give a huge shout-out to the podcast team that Troy and I have, Team Loops. Yeah. 76 00:11:31.660 --> 00:11:44.300 Incredible at what they do. They... I, in fact, to our own demise, they are very responsive and, and, and even we don't communicate as much as we should with them. 77 00:11:44.400 --> 00:11:51.040 Uh, the last few months particularly, we've g- we've given them, like, a couple times. The episode, like, Wednesday morning, that's our day. 78 00:11:51.280 --> 00:11:59.590 Our Wednesday morning, we're go live on YouTube, on all platforms, Spotify, Apple, like, our episode. We've given them the raw footage, like, Tuesday morning. Yeah. 79 00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:09.052 And their 12-hour time difference- Tuesday afternoon sometimes... so Tuesday afternoonThey're just, they're just there. They turn it around. They're ready. Yeah. They turn it around. It's, it's, it's ready to go. 80 00:12:09.092 --> 00:12:19.712 So massive, massive, massive thank you- Yeah... to Team Loops. And at first it was very much like delegate, instruct, tell them how it should be, some back and forth, some editing. 81 00:12:20.252 --> 00:12:30.832 I would say the last three, maybe even closer to six months- We don't even listen... there's been almost no hand-holding. Yeah. They have 100% embedded themselves into our podcast. So has it become a chore? 82 00:12:30.872 --> 00:12:38.962 There are times it feels like a chore just to, just like literally set aside s- 45 minutes to record. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Troy and I are both very busy and have- Yeah... 83 00:12:39.042 --> 00:12:45.672 a lot of competing priorities, and sometimes Two Dads and Tech just did not feel like a priority to us. Yeah. On that note- But we, we still made it... anyone who reaches out to... 84 00:12:45.772 --> 00:12:58.532 Yeah, reach out to us and tell us this is impactful if it is, because that helps us to go a- again for another episode. We get an email, a DM. But man, Team Loops have just-- I mean, they are a steady podcast machine. 85 00:12:58.572 --> 00:13:09.182 They do three short form videos every single day like clockwork on Instagram, on YouTube Shorts. Some of- Yeah... them have gone mini viral. Some of them have gotten a lot of good attention. Yeah. 86 00:13:09.232 --> 00:13:21.342 It's just like a, a part of our brand that does not require as much effort now, 56 weeks into this project, as it did certainly for the first three months. First three months- Yeah... 87 00:13:21.372 --> 00:13:30.282 good grief, it felt like it was, it was, it was a real startup. And now I think it's become something that I think we, we really always hoped for it to become. It's like, all right, like very minimal- And-... 88 00:13:30.402 --> 00:13:44.152 uplift for us, but still the wide net and viral coefficient of having content- Yeah... like this. Yeah, Daniel and I were really, really good at the same day, um, at a specific time, we would record an episode. 89 00:13:44.172 --> 00:13:49.632 And I don't know, we fell out of that, and then that became a habit, and it was like, ah, [laughs] dude, you- Yes... 90 00:13:49.642 --> 00:13:58.032 whether it's at night or whether it's in the morning or on a Sunday after he gets back from church, like, whatever. I'm like, "Dude, we just gotta record something." Yes. All right? Yes. And I'm really bad at texting. 91 00:13:58.112 --> 00:14:05.272 Daniel will text me on like a Monday, and then like a Tuesday- I swear to God... and then a Thursday, and he's like, "Dude, I just need you to respond. That's it." I'm like, "I'm so sorry. What's up?" 92 00:14:05.552 --> 00:14:13.552 Like, I'll be like, "You, yeah. I don't even wanna-" That's on me. I know. He's, he's getting-- He knows, he knows he's bad at it, and that's the first step to improving. Yeah. Um, but- I know. 93 00:14:13.731 --> 00:14:18.112 I'm trying to get a little bit better... we've made it happen. We've made it happen. We're okay. It, it's gonna, it's gonna work out. 94 00:14:18.152 --> 00:14:26.172 But I will say, I think the reason we're doing this pivot, and we won't talk too much or give too much away, some of the reason we're taking some time off and some of the reason we're 95 00:14:27.432 --> 00:14:40.402 s- planning some strategy around 2026 is because what we have noticed energizes us about this podcast is a little bit different than what you might expect from the last 55 or so episodes. 96 00:14:40.712 --> 00:14:53.312 There's five or 10 episodes where we felt like, oh, that is a difference maker for us personally and for the people that we really want the audience to look like. And so we're, we're, we're gonna lean into that. 97 00:14:53.832 --> 00:15:03.852 It took 55 plus episodes for us to understand like, oh, this is what we can offer. And so I think an encouragement to you, uh, you the listener, if you don't... 98 00:15:04.072 --> 00:15:09.292 I, I say this in my, in my day job all the time to people thinking of starting newsletters, "Oh, what should I write about?" 99 00:15:09.702 --> 00:15:20.642 My response to them and my, my implore, you know, my, what I wanna u- urge all of you to do, it doesn't matter. Yeah. Just do something. Yeah. And do something consistently. A lot. Absolutely. 100 00:15:20.732 --> 00:15:26.112 For, for a long time, for longer maybe than you think you have to. Yeah. For us, it was over a year. 101 00:15:26.572 --> 00:15:47.172 Every single week, we've released thousands of pieces of content across written newsletters, long form videos, short mid-form videos, short form clips, TikToks, Instagrams, YouTube Shorts, like literally thousands of pieces of content, and now we're finally like, "Oh, here's our niche." 102 00:15:47.732 --> 00:15:59.492 Yeah. Yeah. It is not backwards. That's actually just how content and media works. You gotta- Yeah... just do something until you land on that thing, and you'll know when you're, when you're on that thing. 103 00:15:59.932 --> 00:16:06.912 Sometimes it won't take a full year, but it will take time and consistency up front. Yeah. You do something enough, you'll start to learn from, I hate saying this word, but the data. 104 00:16:07.152 --> 00:16:16.072 Like I just feel like everyone shoves- The data... data down their throat. Kind of off-brand from this podcast, but that little funny little food review TikTok I'm doing, one thing has been popping up 100% of the time. 105 00:16:16.092 --> 00:16:24.352 Mm-hmm. So I'm just like nailing down and like drilling that same- Yep... messaging over and over and over. And so, so 40 videos probably to get there, but awesome. What is a small 106 00:16:25.272 --> 00:16:36.412 parent, what is a small parenting win that you have this year? And then what's a small parenting struggle that you struggled with this year? Parenting win is me being able to regularly, 107 00:16:37.692 --> 00:16:48.992 uh, tell my wife to go out and, and hang out with friends. "Hey, go get dinner with a friend. Go hang out with the girls. Like go to a coffee shop and, and spend some time alone." 108 00:16:49.172 --> 00:17:00.872 The last few years, there's been seasons where we've been able to do that, but for the last almost two years straight, I guess year and a half, our youngest is a year and a half old, I have not been able to do that. 109 00:17:00.902 --> 00:17:13.572 The youngest was just not, uh, uh, needed his mom, and that is just kinda how it is. Uh, the youngest will sometimes need their mom. So right now, he's, he's, he's, he's good. I can put him down. 110 00:17:13.632 --> 00:17:24.212 I can, I can help him if he wakes up in the middle of the night. Like there's no limiting factor of dad and the two boys, so I can take them both out for breakfast. Like, we can be very flexible, so that's a huge win. 111 00:17:24.252 --> 00:17:36.652 That's huge. For me, for the family, it's a big breath of fresh air and gives my wife life back. Uh- Yeah. Yeah, yeah... she's been, obviously that's been a rough, you know, two years almost. 112 00:17:36.712 --> 00:17:49.482 A parenting struggle or challenge would be sickness, uh, which is like not unique to us, but our kids have been so sick. Ugh. Like, like right now, uh, they're, they're both sick. One of them is better than the other. 113 00:17:49.492 --> 00:17:57.482 But it just, it's constant. I feel like- Dude... literally this whole year it's been constant. We... So that's just been a challenge, and there's no solution there, uh- There's not... 114 00:17:57.492 --> 00:18:08.182 beyond just trying to be healthy in general holistically, but like kids get sick. Their immune systems get better, and they get less sick and less sick and, you know, it's like- Yeah... 115 00:18:08.212 --> 00:18:14.704 so that's been a challenge for sure. Yeah.Let's see. For me, I hate that I'm even echoing this. 116 00:18:14.744 --> 00:18:21.554 Not to echo the first one, but one thing that I per- outside of, like, letting the wife go out and do, do her stuff, like, she just had a girls' night last weekend. Nice. 117 00:18:21.664 --> 00:18:30.564 And they slept over in, like, a cute little town, things like that. So I had the boys. But I was much more intentional with one-on-one dates with Liam because he's... 118 00:18:30.934 --> 00:18:36.134 With Harrison, he just kind of sits there and looks at you and laughs and stuff, right? Liam, it's... I feel like it's very impactful. 119 00:18:36.224 --> 00:18:45.344 He's starting to observe every little movement, thing you say, thing you do, et cetera. And so that's been awesome, just random dates. Let's go to Culver's and grab ice cream. Let's go to Chick-fil-A. 120 00:18:45.464 --> 00:18:55.864 Shout out Chick-fil-A. [laughs] Let's just- [laughs] Let's just do whatever. So that's been great, and it also takes one of the kids away from, from the wife as well. I'll also say my struggle 121 00:18:56.984 --> 00:19:04.664 has also been a win towards the latter half of the year, which is my patience. When you hear, like, the, "Dad, Dad, Daddy, Dad, Dad," like... 122 00:19:06.024 --> 00:19:14.704 And some of those times it's because I'm on my phone and I'm like, oh dude, what? Yeah. But, so taking my phone away has been pretty good. And I'm not 100% consistent. I don't... 123 00:19:14.744 --> 00:19:23.824 I mean, I think there are people out there that are. I'm not that way. Been a lot better at it. Phone, actually yesterday I, I visibly noticed that my phone was in my pocket the entire time I was with the kids. 124 00:19:23.844 --> 00:19:33.234 We went to go see Christmas lights, stuff like that. So there's that, which is good. But the patience, like, I feel like that's also a struggle, 'cause sometimes I just, I get home, I'm tired, I'm exhausted. I also... 125 00:19:33.274 --> 00:19:41.544 The dogs are my responsibility, so I take the dogs out, I'll take them on a walk. Yeah. And when it's negative, feels like -22 and you get in, like, the last thing you wanna do is just sit there and go and play. 126 00:19:41.644 --> 00:19:51.444 So, uh, it's been a struggle and a win. Still working on it. Something I really wanna get better at in 2026 is having much more patience with the, "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad." [laughs] Yeah, yeah. Yeah. 127 00:19:51.544 --> 00:20:04.464 I can, I can definitely be more patient. Yeah. I, I'm always taking mental notes of how patient my mom, or... [laughs] My mom. [laughs] Jesus. My wife is, my wife is with the kids. It's hard, man. Kids are, kids are, 128 00:20:05.644 --> 00:20:12.074 kids are needy. I mean, they're kids. They should be. Uh, but it's hard. Yeah. It's hard to be patient always. Yeah. You know? 129 00:20:12.184 --> 00:20:22.284 What is something that your kid or kids, one or the other, has done this year that hit you emotionally harder than you expected? I can't remember if it was this year or last year, but, uh, 130 00:20:24.244 --> 00:20:35.284 Courtney and I were having, like, we were bickering. Yeah. You know, regular bickering, you know? Yeah. And- This sponsor is one that is near and dear to my heart, and that is Zapier. 131 00:20:35.324 --> 00:20:40.184 They are literally the backbone of my business. It's like there's four of me because of Zapier. 132 00:20:40.213 --> 00:20:49.924 And I don't have a ton of technical expertise, so I was like, I need all my technologies to talk to one another, but also I need to make sure that what I'm doing has an outcome and I don't wanna spend time in the middle, right? 133 00:20:49.964 --> 00:20:56.504 So for example, I'll have an hour-long discovery call. Automatically that transcript goes from Fathom into Gemini Pro. 134 00:20:56.544 --> 00:21:03.984 What it does is it understands the entire conversation, and then from there it creates an entire PDF that I send over after the discovery call. 135 00:21:04.024 --> 00:21:11.713 Things like current state, future state, what their world looks like today, what quick fixes I can help with, and then recommendations down the road to consolidate their entire tech stack. 136 00:21:11.764 --> 00:21:13.864 That entire part is done for me. It's incredible. 137 00:21:14.004 --> 00:21:24.244 I just have the call, then a few minutes after that call I get an email of the PDF of the entire conversation and what I recommend for them to do, and it saves me hours and hours of time. 138 00:21:24.254 --> 00:21:31.144 And this is just one of many different workflows I use through Zapier. So go check them out at zapier.com, Z-A-P-I-E-R.com. 139 00:21:31.204 --> 00:21:36.963 They also have a free trial, so it's really easy to get started, test things out, set up some of your own zaps. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. 140 00:21:37.004 --> 00:21:49.964 Everett, our, our oldest, so I can't remember when this was, it was at dinner. And he said something, I'm paraphrasing, but it, it, it hit me like a pound of bricks. He said, "Stop talking to each other like that." Hm. 141 00:21:50.224 --> 00:22:07.174 Mm. And he was like three, maybe not even three. Yeah. Wow. And I mean, I, I, I struggled with that. Like, that, that rocked my world. Yeah. Because it stopped me in my tracks and showed me a, a few things all at once. 142 00:22:07.384 --> 00:22:21.594 One, the way we're speaking to each other is not emotionally helpful for a child- Yeah... who doesn't know how to... If there's any type of bickering, it's just, it's adding stress, it's causing anxiety. 143 00:22:21.664 --> 00:22:34.884 Like, there's a lot of these studies out there that, like, children react emotionally, mentally to their surroundings. So one, not healthy for the, the child. Two, noticeably not healthy for them to speak up. 144 00:22:35.444 --> 00:22:44.374 Like, that doesn't feel right, seem right, look right how they're talking to each other to say, "Stop talking to each other like..." And who knows how cognizant he was in that moment to bring that up and to say that. 145 00:22:45.024 --> 00:22:57.514 Yeah. But I was like, oh my goodness, I can't believe this meaning- meaninglessly bickering moment that I thought probably nothing of, maybe she thought nothing of, 146 00:22:58.784 --> 00:23:12.844 prompted my, my child to be like, "Hey, stop talking..." So- Yeah... that, that really changed me. And I can always do a better job. I, I want to always treat my wife with respect and to be gentle and be patient and... 147 00:23:13.804 --> 00:23:22.174 But you bicker. I mean, you're married. It's not something that I'm discounting and saying, "Oh, you're gonna do it anyways. You might as well just do it." No, I wanna get better at that. Yeah, for sure. 148 00:23:22.214 --> 00:23:32.754 But not just for me, not just for my wife, but for everyone around us. Like, that's just not comfortable to be around an old bickering married couple, you know? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 149 00:23:32.784 --> 00:23:39.994 I don't know if we've had that exact phrase come from Liam, but I think we've heard, like, a, "Stop," or whatever. Um... Yeah. 150 00:23:40.084 --> 00:23:52.044 One thing that he said actually recently, I think it was, like, two or three days ago, and it was emotional in a, in a happy way, 'cause now that he's essentially saying full sentences, some of them don't make the most sense, and that's exactly how the, [laughs] the sentences should be. 151 00:23:52.624 --> 00:24:04.814 Um, it's so funny. But he said something along the lines of, "I love you, Daddy. I'm excited to go to Costa Rica. We're gonna have so much fun." And I was like, "Dude, we are, man. Get over here." So cute. That's sick. 152 00:24:04.824 --> 00:24:15.444 So adorable. I teared up for sure. I was like, dang, that's, that's sweet. Um- Yeah. That's nice... kids, you know? That is gonna be a really, really good trip. And he's old enough, he'll probably remember- Yeah... 153 00:24:15.454 --> 00:24:22.568 bits and pieces of that. He'll remember going. He might not remember each detail, but, like, that'll be impactful. I mean-That's gonna be so fun. Let's see. 154 00:24:22.608 --> 00:24:33.468 Is there any hard conversation with your wife that you've avoided this year that you know you can't or should not avoid in 2026? That's a good question. She's like, "I'm avoiding it for a reason. 155 00:24:33.828 --> 00:24:46.688 [laughs] Wait till next year." No, no, no. Uh... I feel like there's something for me. I don't know. Um... Like, I'm sure there's stuff- I don't know... I'm like, "Eh, I'll get to that later." [laughs] Uh... 156 00:24:47.458 --> 00:24:58.788 Put you on the spot. [laughs] I know. Um- I don't know. I mean, I'd like to say I'm an open book, and then I, I... In general, just the way I am, I'm, I'm just like, I just don't beat around the bush. 157 00:24:58.848 --> 00:25:09.488 Like, I'm too impatient to beat around the bush. So for better or worse, I'm just like, boom, go right to the source and have the conversation. But, like, I don't know. I- Yeah... I mean, maybe. Maybe there's something. 158 00:25:10.288 --> 00:25:14.458 Yeah. I don't know. I couldn't tell ya. Mine would probably be, even though it's... 159 00:25:14.948 --> 00:25:22.048 We're chatting about it now and stuff like that, but just, like, career-related stuff, less about, like, us related or anything like that. Yeah. I don't know. There's a lot of... 160 00:25:22.668 --> 00:25:30.348 I avoid a l- We've talked about this a lot. I avoid a lot of conversations and stuff because I hate conflict, and I avoid conflict at almost all cost. Interesting. 161 00:25:31.088 --> 00:25:37.448 Which is why I don't ever text you, 'cause I'm like, "Dang, now I have to deal with conflict." I know. Forgetting. Like, you're, "Here we go." Sorry. All right. 162 00:25:37.928 --> 00:25:49.348 What did showing up as a partner this year actually look like, and where did you fall short? Minor things. Trying to help with the kids in the morning, like leaving my phone in the office when I leave. Uh, so 163 00:25:50.328 --> 00:26:01.898 just, like, having the time after work and before bedtime without a phone. I, I don't do it as much as I should, but those are very, like, specific things that I've been able to do to be fully present as a partner. 164 00:26:02.108 --> 00:26:14.368 Same thing as what I said earlier, like- Yeah... you know, "Go have dinner with some friends tonight. Go watch a movie. Go just be alone. Like, whatever you need, because I can handle it." Uh, and I did. 165 00:26:14.428 --> 00:26:25.068 I mean, there was a weekend she went away for two nights in, uh, North Carolina for, you know, like a retreat, and it was, it was, like, very empowering to me, because I was kinda scared leading up to it. 166 00:26:25.088 --> 00:26:31.808 I was like, "Well, what if he wakes up and needs his mom?" I was like, "Well, he'll be fine. Like, even if he does, like, he, he will survive." And he did. And, uh, he was fine. 167 00:26:31.838 --> 00:26:36.808 And I put them both to bed by myself, and woke them up by... And, you know, like, every meal- Yeah... everything for, for a weekend. 168 00:26:36.848 --> 00:26:42.398 And, like, I'm not patting myself on the back like, "Oh, I did what every mom in the world has ever done for the history of humanity." Yeah. 169 00:26:42.408 --> 00:26:53.908 Like, that was empowering for me to now I can, I can do that for the young kids who I couldn't always do that for. Not because I couldn't do it, but because they- Yeah... needed Mom, and that's how babies are. So 170 00:26:54.808 --> 00:27:05.048 yeah, that was, that was a very practical way, like, just- Yeah... owning, owning the children whenever I could and, uh, letting her have her life. What about you? Second part of that question, where'd you fall short? 171 00:27:05.088 --> 00:27:17.128 And then I'll get to mine. Oh, where I fall short. Working too much. Yeah. Classic. Classic. Yeah. Not, not being available. If you're listening there from your dad, you're probably like, "Me too. Dang it." 172 00:27:17.628 --> 00:27:26.958 [laughs] Yeah. Like, "Dang it, dang it, dang it." [laughs] I think, yeah, like, I've been waking up early again. Uh, not as early as you, but, like, just to be, uh, to, to do a few things. 173 00:27:27.048 --> 00:27:38.828 To be, to be ready before the kids are up. Okay. So just, like, having my time and not, not reacting to the kids getting up to get up, but, like, getting up- Yeah... and then they're awake because I'm already there. 174 00:27:39.108 --> 00:27:55.028 So that's one thing, being available in the mornings to be a present dad. That's super practical. Um, but also, like, it's just, like, the right thing to do. I feel like men who are responsible should get up to an alarm. 175 00:27:55.268 --> 00:28:06.038 Like, I, I worked four days a week- Oh, here... 7:00 to 5:00 for five years. Um, it was a 40-hour workweek, but it was Monday through Thursday. So I woke up at, like, 5:30 or something to get to work by 7:00. Yeah. 176 00:28:06.038 --> 00:28:14.268 And it was in the office. But since I started working remote in tech, like I d- like, who cares about an alarm, most of the time, because I just... Like, life is a little bit more flexible. 177 00:28:14.328 --> 00:28:23.668 So I would wake up early, but it would be not to an alarm. Now I'm like, "Let me just wake up early." It's, it's the right thing to do. I feel like any responsible adult would agree with that. 178 00:28:23.708 --> 00:28:31.388 [laughs] But most people aren't doing that. It's a healthier thing to do- Yeah... to wake up consistently, to go to bed consistently, to have discipline. 179 00:28:31.808 --> 00:28:39.008 So yeah, I think that's where I would fall short, just in general, is just, like, not being present, working too much. Got it. Okay, let's see. What was the, uh... 180 00:28:39.677 --> 00:28:42.028 It was essentially where'd I show up and where'd I fall short. Okay. 181 00:28:42.987 --> 00:28:51.497 Where I sh- Kinda like what we said earlier, I know we both are, are beating a dead horse there of kind of, like, saying, "Hey, I'm gonna take this kid so you can have some time off," that kind of stuff. 182 00:28:51.648 --> 00:29:02.088 But I also think I was very intentional about dates, at least one date a month, and very intentional about texting her parents and, like, surprising her with dates. Like, "Hey, you know, July 13th, are you free? 183 00:29:02.448 --> 00:29:05.428 Can you take the kids so we can go out to dinner?" And that kind of stuff. I showed up there a lot. 184 00:29:05.988 --> 00:29:13.408 I really, really do wanna appreciate them for that, and I find it so important to just date your significant other and- Yep... 185 00:29:13.448 --> 00:29:23.148 find time to do that, even if it's not a monetary thing and it doesn't have anything to do with your financials. Just, like, y- I think you mentioned go outside and light a fire or 186 00:29:24.128 --> 00:29:31.818 pack a picnic and sit out in the backyard and just talk. Um, so- We do, uh, charcuterie dates at home. Whenever we either can't get a babysitter- Ooh... 187 00:29:31.818 --> 00:29:42.468 or the kids are super sick or whatever, we'll go to the grocery store ahead of time. We'll get all the stuff for a board, make it at home, watch a movie. You know, we'll pour a Spindrift into a wine glass or something. 188 00:29:42.668 --> 00:29:52.868 Uh, I mean, or just, you know, I'll, I'll have, like, a, an NA wine, and she'll have some, you know, sparkling water, like, whatever. But we'll just make a date, candlelights and everything, at home. Yeah. It's easy. 189 00:29:52.948 --> 00:30:03.808 That- It's easy. Like, we overcomplicate spending good quality time with your spouse. Like, just do something. Yeah. We do. We do. Play a lot of cribbage, too. Um- Nice. Where I fell short kinda falls in the same line of 190 00:30:04.788 --> 00:30:15.768 opening up. I think I bottle up, I bottle up a lot of my feelings and emotions, and, uh... So I think that's, that's one area that I fall short is, like... 'Cause then she feels like either 191 00:30:16.728 --> 00:30:24.108 maybe I'm not telling her things, and it's not 'cause I don't want to. It's just, like, I'd rather not talk about these emotions. Hmm. But it builds up, and then there's times where I burn out and I crash. 192 00:30:24.408 --> 00:30:35.012 Um, and, uh, that's, I think I felt that towards the end of this year. And-Now I'm back. I feel great. I'm ready to go into 2026, but... So yeah, let's see. We're gonna keep scrolling down. 193 00:30:35.032 --> 00:30:46.142 We only have a few more minutes here, and then Daniel and I have to jet, go get ready for the holidays. Um, let's see. What... Okay, how about this? We talk a lot about work and how much 194 00:30:47.952 --> 00:30:58.012 we essentially devote our life to work, and it gets in the way of some family things that we wanna do, but at the end of the day, we're responsible. We have a job we gotta do. That's just sadly the US. 195 00:30:58.212 --> 00:31:07.172 So what part of your identity... No, no, no, not that question. What's a professional moment that you should have felt like a win but didn't? And then let's even take away the negative impact of that. 196 00:31:07.232 --> 00:31:17.912 What is a professional moment that was a win this year? I mean, there's a lot. I, I think I am the seventh employee at Beehive, and we are over 110 employees now, 197 00:31:18.892 --> 00:31:31.152 and we have doubled in revenue, and we are pegged to do much more than that in 2026. I've closed some monster deals this year, and I'm very proud of that. 198 00:31:31.972 --> 00:31:45.142 Uh, professionally, outside of Beehive, Two Dads in Tech did almost $100,000 in revenue this year. Dude, nuts. That's crazy. Crazy. Uh, absolutely- Honestly, if, if we didn't put the-... insane... 199 00:31:45.142 --> 00:31:54.892 if we didn't take our foot off the gas for the last six months, we'd probably be at 150 maybe. Like- Easily. It's something. I think it goes to show how important building an audience is. Yeah. 200 00:31:55.252 --> 00:32:00.392 Troy and I have audiences of our own- Yeah... which Two Dads in Tech is being built on the back of. 201 00:32:00.632 --> 00:32:13.812 Two Dads in Tech's audience itself is still growing and nascent, but the, the larger it gets and the larger we both our- ourselves get, the more impactful that audience becomes and the, and the heavier, you know, price that we can charge for sponsors and partners. 202 00:32:14.552 --> 00:32:21.982 That's a huge win. Palmetto Parents is a huge win. We hired our first writer. We hired our first ad seller. 203 00:32:22.012 --> 00:32:31.112 We hired our first ad, uh, buyer, and we launched two new cities in one year, uh, with, with more on the way next year. 204 00:32:31.292 --> 00:32:42.132 I personally have done a, a number of brand deals on the side and made significant money that way, and so it's, it's... Like, I think the, the internet really opened up this year to me. 205 00:32:42.192 --> 00:32:50.412 I'm like, oh, like, there's a lot, and it's not- Yeah... a heavy lift. I think once you have an audience, you can do so much with that audience. Yeah, you can. That's it. 206 00:32:50.532 --> 00:33:00.052 So I, I think the professional wins is, like, oh, like, life got harder, but also, like, life got easier- Yeah... because I just leaned into the audience and then- Yep... the audience development. Yeah. 207 00:33:00.112 --> 00:33:06.392 I think I'd, I'd, I'd echo that. Again, I hate sitting here on this podcast saying everything that you're saying, but at the end of the day, I think- I know you suck... 208 00:33:06.432 --> 00:33:14.172 my LinkedIn audience and even expanding now to obviously towards the end of this year, which I don't know what you... We'll talk about this offline, but Palmetto Parent stuff. 209 00:33:14.432 --> 00:33:24.912 That You and Troy newsletter are pretty much at 500 in seven days, so, like, if that keeps growing- It's awesome... um, at the end of the day, and you want to expand into Madison, and I know how to run things from a... 210 00:33:25.092 --> 00:33:33.472 If I already have a brand there- It's not a bad idea... and, like- Yep. You know? Yep. So something to, something to chew on. No, we're... Yeah. We- So-... we have big hopes. Uh- Yeah, yeah... it's all, it's all, like, a 211 00:33:34.372 --> 00:33:42.912 s- you know, sail the ship or build the ship while you sail type of approach, but we have, we have some, some ideas for 2026, so it's, it's all coming together. It's what I like to do, build the ship while you sail. 212 00:33:42.992 --> 00:33:49.332 So yeah, there's things there. Um, but yeah, that audience between this podcast, some sponsored posts here and there, and, like, 213 00:33:50.272 --> 00:34:01.372 I won't give a, I won't give a number, but it's really cool to know that you can make an extra almost six figures or more just by- Mm... having an audience. So, um- Incredible... know that, everyone. 214 00:34:01.452 --> 00:34:09.151 I don't know if it's Link- You don't need to do a LinkedIn. Go do anything. Go make TikToks. Go... You don't even need to show your face. A lot of people are embarrassed to show their face. Like- Wow... 215 00:34:09.172 --> 00:34:15.132 whatever you wanna do. If you wanna make recipe cooking videos, make recipe cooking videos, but don't show your face. Um- Yep. So I don't... 216 00:34:15.172 --> 00:34:26.012 There's, there's a lot of opportunity out there, and it keeps on expanding, and I keep on realizing, wow, like, you can make money off of just about anything in today's world. Yes, you can. 217 00:34:26.192 --> 00:34:35.002 Let's end off on one more question here. What are we at? 35 minutes. Yeah, let's end off on one more question. What emotion did you feel the most in 2025? Probably stress. Is that an emotion? 218 00:34:35.002 --> 00:34:44.932 I was gonna say stress for me. I wanted to answer first. Ah. I wasn't talking. You should've answered first. You should've answered first. Uh- Stress, dude. Really stress- I think I felt... Let me, let me preface. 219 00:34:45.012 --> 00:34:57.792 I, I felt tremendous amounts of joy as both of my kids started developing into their own person. I mean, we have so much fun, and I really get to experience life to the fullest. 220 00:34:57.912 --> 00:35:06.432 I feel like these are the best days of our lives, and so I've felt that consistently. Yeah. So I think the stress is a me problem. 221 00:35:06.572 --> 00:35:18.451 Like, I can, I can and should be able to deal with that stress, particularly in light of how much amazing joy-filled moments my life has. So yeah, I take, I take it back. Joy. 222 00:35:19.032 --> 00:35:31.692 I, I felt joy this year, tremendous amounts of joy, and I think the stress I feel is when life doesn't let me experience those moments of joy as much as I would like. Yep, okay. I like that. Stress, for sure. 223 00:35:32.132 --> 00:35:39.712 The most stressful this year. I gotta just be straight up with that. Some of them, it's not an emotion, per se, but g- maybe, like, growing, growth. 224 00:35:39.832 --> 00:35:53.272 I feel like I learned and grew a lot this year as a person, as a human, as whatever, as a professional, as a husband, as a father. And yeah, I think it was a, it was a joyful year, but... It was a joyful year, 225 00:35:54.292 --> 00:36:03.272 but there was... I've had more joyful years. I think... And I think I've, I've done a lot of, you know, self-reflecting over the last three months or so. Like, what's, what's bringing me stress? What's bringing me joy? 226 00:36:03.332 --> 00:36:10.452 Let's figure out what needs to be eliminated, things like that. And so I'm pumped for 2026 because it was a stressful year, and that's all right. There's stressful years, everybody. 227 00:36:10.592 --> 00:36:14.692 You might be having a stressful- That is all right... year right now listening to this. That's just part of it, all right? You gotta just- That is all right... 228 00:36:15.312 --> 00:36:22.772 make it through, and if you're getting too stressed, uh, tell someone. Please tell someone. We're gonna always- Speak up... go for that message. So other than that, man, that's all I had for you. 229 00:36:22.852 --> 00:36:33.172 I wanted to just know how was your 2025? Wrap it up. Let's see how, let's see how it ended. Let's see how it went. That's what I had for you. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. Enjoy your holiday. Happy New Year. Yeah. 230 00:36:33.232 --> 00:36:44.072 There's nothing like a jet2 holiday. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. Have fun. Thank you everyone for listening, sticking with us. If you're new here, stick around. If you're old, thank you. Yeah. We appreciate you. 231 00:36:44.552 --> 00:36:50.352 And as always, six seven. Six seven. Six seven. Let's end it. I hate that. All right.