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Episode Summary: Part two of our three-part foundational assessment series! This episode focuses on emotional communication and self-reflection—skills that most men weren't taught growing up, but are absolutely critical for being an effective father and husband.

Sam and Cole walk you through six essential questions to assess your emotional health and capability. This is about developing real skills that prevent blind spots, divorce, and disconnection from your kids. If you can physically protect your family but can't emotionally connect with them, you're missing half the job.

THE 6 CRITICAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS: 1. How present are you in the moment without seeking distraction? 2. How much emotional control do you have on a daily basis? 3. Can you identify when someone is communicating with you emotionally? 4. How comfortable are you with self-reflection? 5. How emotionally complete do you feel with your friends and family? 6. What are your energy levels throughout the day? (emotional component)

In this assessment episode, Sam and Cole tackle: * Why unresolved grief and emotional pain keep you stuck in the past or anxious about the future * How to recognize when your kid (or wife) is having an emotional experience vs. a problem-solving moment * The massive blind spot most men have: intellectualizing everything instead of just listening * Why self-reflection and self-disclosure build trust and prevent isolation * Phone usage as a distraction from uncomfortable emotions and present-moment awareness * How incomplete relationships create constant triggers and reactivity * The connection between physical energy and unresolved emotional baggage

Whether you're completely new to these topics or already doing the work, this episode gives you clear diagnostic questions to identify blind spots and areas for growth in 2026.

Cole's professional expertise in grief recovery shines through, while Sam models what it looks like to learn these skills in real-time. This is actionable content—not just another podcast to consume and move on from.

More assessment episodes coming soon. Part three covers additional foundational categories for fatherhood.

Referenced in this episode: Episode 6 - Emotional Communication deep dive

#FatherhoodPodcast #EmotionalIntelligence #GriefRecovery #SelfReflection #EmotionalHealth #MentalHealth #IntentionalFatherhood #ParentingSkills #LeaveNoDoubt #BePresent

If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a 5-star rating and review! It takes just a few seconds and helps other dads find the show. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Episode Summary: Kicking off 2026 with the first episode in our three-part assessment series! This episode focuses on the physical fundamentals every father needs to have locked down—not the sexy 20%, but the core 80% that actually moves the needle.

THE 6 CRITICAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS:

1. Are you routinely doing resistance training?

2. What percentage of your meals are centered around protein?

3. How are your energy levels throughout the day until you fall asleep?

4. Can you get through the week without relying on drugs or alcohol?

5. If you had to physically defend your family, how confident would you be?

6. How physically present are you with your kids on a weekly basis?

In this assessment episode, Sam and Cole tackle: * Why resistance training is non-negotiable and how to scale from 1-5 * The protein-centered approach to nutrition that cuts through all the diet noise * Energy levels as a key indicator of overall health (caffeine, carbs, and circadian rhythm) * Real talk on sobriety—why zero drugs and alcohol might be the best option for fathers * Physical capability and your role as your family's security detail * Phone usage destroying your presence with your kids and how to fix it * Why all these fundamentals work together as a system Sam and Cole get honest about their own struggles—Cole's holiday carb binge, both of their phone usage challenges, and why they're between 3-4 on several metrics themselves.

They emphasize this is assessment, not judgment, and starting with just ONE area can cascade into improvements across all the others.

More assessment episodes coming soon covering other foundational categories for fatherhood. Looking ahead to 2026 with practical content on implementing real change in your life as a father and man.

SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW! Help us reach more parents by subscribing and leaving a rating. Your support means everything!

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Jack Osbourne joins us for an incredible conversation about fatherhood, friendship, and finding balance in an unbalanced world.

Jack has been Cole's friend for 20+ years—they got sober together in their early twenties and have been through life's ups and downs side by side. We sit down to discuss what he's learned in his 13 years of parenting, what he learned from his parents, raising kids in rural vs. urban environments, and much more.

In this episode:

• Growing up as Ozzy Osbourne's son and the work ethic lessons that stuck
• Why Jack stopped yelling at his kids: "Anything that isn't nurturing is trauma"
• The stark differences between raising boys and girls
• Balancing Hollywood parties with grounded Idaho living
• Why male community is essential for fathers (and not talked about enough)
• Growing up on camera during "The Osbournes"
• Navigating grief and loss with children
• Letting kids rebel and individuate (even when it hurts)
• Why "we're gonna mess our kids up no matter what"

Jack shares honest stories—from getting his first tattoo on Hatebreed's tour bus at 16, to taking his 13-year-old daughter to a party where a shirtless Justin Bieber accidentally brushed against her, to watching his youngest daughters experience their grandfather's legacy for the first time.

This is raw, real talk from three dads who are trying their best to raise good humans in 2026.

If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a 5-star rating and review! It takes just a few seconds and helps other dads find the show. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Episode Summary:

Sam and Cole kick off the end of year with a candid check-in on their holiday struggles—from carb overload and doom scrolling to the surprising benefits of cold plunging (yes, they know it's cringey).

In this Q&A episode, they tackle listener questions on crucial fatherhood topics including:

• Helping kids find their voice while avoiding the extremes of authoritarian or overly permissive parenting
• Modeling apologies and accountability to your children—and why completing unfinished emotional business with your own parents is essential
• Navigating intimacy after kids and the importance of maintaining connection with your spouse through major life changes
• Dealing with grief in relationships and how unresolved pain impacts your marriage
• Building character in the age of social media and why kids need unremarkable experiences to develop substance

Sam and Cole get real about their own struggles, disagreements, and growth areas—from finances to fitness to faith. They emphasize the importance of civil conversation, doing the hard emotional work, and not compromising your values for convenience.

Plus: Starbucks controversy, bodybuilding confessions, and why they're looking for the right sponsors (Rogue Fitness, Spindrift, Vivo Barefoot, Glock, etc.).

Looking ahead to 2026 with practical content on implementing real change in your life as a father and man.

What does it actually mean to be yourself—as a father, a husband, a professional, and a man?

In this episode, Sam and Cole unpack a realization that hit on the road after a show: the rare gift of not having to switch identities depending on where you are. From music scenes and corporate boardrooms to family life and friendships, they explore what it looks like to live with one consistent core—and why that matters so deeply for our kids.

The conversation moves through childhood conditioning, school systems, emotional responsibility, masculinity, and the subtle ways parents (often unintentionally) teach kids to trade authenticity for approval. They talk about why many men struggle to admit what they don’t know, how “must be nice” thinking quietly erodes leadership, and why modeling humility, curiosity, and emotional honesty might be one of the most important things we pass on.

This episode isn’t about having parenting figured out. It’s about asking better questions: Can you be the same person at work, at home, and with your friends? Are your kids learning who they are—or who they think you want them to be? And what kind of family culture are you actually building?

A grounded, honest conversation about identity, fatherhood, and the freedom that comes from telling the truth about who you are.

What happens when your kids look back and tell the story of you as a father?

In this episode, we ditch the outline and go somewhere deeper. Drawing on 15+ years of real-world grief recovery work, Cole shares what he’s seen time and time again when adults “graph” their relationship with their fathers—what hurt, what helped, and what never got resolved.

The surprising takeaway? Most dads weren’t bad. They were well-intentioned, hard-working men who simply didn’t have the emotional tools their kids needed.

We talk about:

• Why anger often becomes a man’s emotional armor—and how it pushes kids away

• How unresolved pain with your own father quietly shapes how you parent

• Why being a provider isn’t enough in 2025

• The difference between masculinity and emotional absence (it’s not either/or)

• How kids internalize belief systems that were never theirs to carry

• Why emotional completion—not perfection—is the real goal of fatherhood

This episode is a call to evolve—not to abandon strength, but to expand it. To be the kind of father who can protect fiercely and connect deeply. The kind of dad your kids won’t need to emotionally “recover” from later.

If you’ve ever worried about getting it wrong… If you want your kids to feel safe bringing their hearts to you… If you believe fatherhood deserves more than just “showing up”…

This conversation is for you.

Resources mentioned:

• The Grief Recovery Handbook

• When Children Grieve

• Support: support@thegriefrecoverymethod.com

If this episode resonated, please leave a rating or review—it helps other dads find conversations like this, and it means more to us than you know.

Being a father changes everything—including how you approach fitness. In this episode, Sam and Cole get real about what working out actually looks like when you have young kids, a demanding job, and zero hours to spare.

They break down the uncomfortable truths nobody shares: there is no perfect schedule, your progress won't be linear, and you'll have months where everything falls apart. But here's the thing—that's all part of the deal.

Sam and Cole challenge popular fitness culture that ignores family life entirely, from Instagram influencers with 8-hour training days to CrossFit programs that leave people burned out. They make the case for why every dad should be lifting weights (not cardio), building a a simple home gym, and lowering expectations while staying consistent.

Topics covered:

• Why time isn't given, it's created
• The benefits of working out in street clothes at home
• How lifting weights impacts everything from mental health to patience with your kids
• The dark truth about cardio culture
• Building a prison gym 2.0 in your garage

If you're tired of fitness advice from people who don't have kids, this one's for you.

Key Topics: fatherhood, fitness for dads, home gym, weightlifting, staying in shape with kids, parenting, men's health, testosterone, workout motivation

In this episode, Cole and Sam tackle a listener question that opens up a much larger conversation about career choices, money, and fatherhood. A listener working in public transportation faces a decision: accept a 50% pay increase that would require unpredictable schedules and being on-call for the next 10 years, or maintain his current stable schedule but stay at his current income level. His own father worked night shifts and felt like "a stranger" to him growing up.

Cole and Sam explore the broader themes this question raises: How do fathers balance career ambitions with being present for their kids? Is the American obsession with constantly increasing income actually serving families? What does real wealth look like when you factor in time with your children?

Topics covered:

• The illusion of "stable" careers in modern America
• House rich vs. house poor: avoiding the mortgage trap
• The hidden costs of hustle culture and "grinding" for your family
• Generational wealth: building it without ruining your kids
• Creative solutions for non-traditional career paths
• Why your purpose changed the moment you became a father

Whether you're considering a career change, struggling with work-life balance, or wondering if you can "afford" another child, this conversation challenges conventional wisdom about success and reminds fathers what truly matters.