Most men have never pictured David's mighty men as real flesh and blood warriors who bled, prayed, and screamed to God for covering before they ever swung a sword. In this episode, novelist and Army veteran Cliff Graham shares what twenty years inside the world of the Old Testament taught him about sacrifice, mentorship, and becoming the kind of father whose absence is felt when he's gone. You'll also hear why your kids see the things you thought you did in the dark, and why aimlessness in a dad leaves an entire family unmoored.

Your words become your child's inner voice, for better or for worse. In this episode, Brent Silkey shares the practice he's kept without missing a single year — a handwritten letter to each of his four kids on every birthday, so that by graduation they'll hold an 18-year catalog of God's faithfulness over their life. Recorded in the pouring rain during Brent's 24-hour run for freedom, this conversation will challenge you to speak life over your family, stop settling for comfort, and take the next step you already know you need to take.

Most of us move through our days on autopilot, heads down, running our own agenda. The struggling dad at church, the neighbor whose marriage is barely holding on, the single mom wrestling groceries into her car — we walk right past. In Part 7 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 29 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Danny Silk about the isolation trap, why control is the wrong tool for fathering, and what a home that resembles heaven actually feels like.

Most of us parent from what we already know and love. We steer our kids toward the sports we played and the interests we developed, and then we wait for them to get excited about our world. In Part 6 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 23 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Alex Burton about a prayer, a purple carabiner, and a campfire question that changed everything.

A $30 campsite with a canyon view felt like hitting the jackpot… until Jeff flipped on the lights and watched the floor move. In part five of the DadAwesome Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 19 of the book, "Ant Attack," and unpacks what a million ants taught him about spotting threats, sealing entry points, and cleaning up what already got inside. Then Zach Neese joins with a sobering four minutes on the doorways we open without realizing it, and why nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you.

Heads up: this episode is not designed for little ears. The conversation goes into spiritual warfare, darkness, and the ways private choices affect the people we love most.

When Jeff's sister lost her engagement ring in a five acre pasture hours before her wedding rehearsal, a rope, a grid, and a prayer turned an impossible search into a three minute miracle. In part four of the Dad Awesome Multipliers series, that story becomes a blueprint for intentional fatherhood built on three things: a system that works, partners in the search, and faith in what you cannot yet see. Chad Johnson joins with a three minute segment unpacking his Giant Five framework and why putting career first costs a man everything that matters.

In part three of the Summer Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 8 of the DADAWESOME book — the story of the ordinary Tuesday he sold a $200 TV to a couple worth $5.5 billion and never had a clue. That encounter, paired with memories of his dad's stat-tracking clipboard in the bleachers, unpacks the difference between fathering as God's employee and fathering as God's son. The episode closes with a few minutes from Jamie Winship (episodes 314 & 315) on how false identity fuels fear — and why the truth of who you are is the greatest gift you can hand your kids.

This week we zoom way out and remember that the current chapter of dad life is not the whole story. I read Chapter 2 of the DadAwesome book, The Tale of Two Thieves, a ridiculous cookie dough heist that turned into a lesson about choosing curiosity instead of reactivity when life goes sideways. Then Phil Comer joins us with a clip about giving a blessing instead of returning evil for evil, and how the little eyes in the room are watching every choice we make.

Welcome to Episode 443 and the kickoff of a brand new seven part summer series: the DADAWESOME MULTIPLIERS. It's a lightweight, campfire ready series built to help you spread the mission of Dad Awesome through the end of August. Each week you'll get a slice of the forthcoming Dad Awesome audiobook, a featured guest voice from the vault, real time multiplication coaching, three practical lab activation steps, and a giveaway.

In Part 1, Jeff Zaugg sets the flyover. He reads the book's dedication and preface, tracing how one casual patio question from his cousin in Arizona, "How do you stay intentional as a dad?", exposed that he was pouring growth into every area of life except fatherhood. That single unanswered question sparked a ten week experiment with twenty friends, a first episode filmed at the base of a snowy sledding hill, a name change from Dad Ventures to Dad Awesome, and eventually a movement built on hundreds of small yeses. The episode closes with a two minute clip from Jeff's first ever interview with Mark Batterson, who wrote the forward for the book.

What if your family values were something your kids could actually touch? In Part 2 of this paddleboard conversation, Tyler Van Eps shares how he turned a Jenga set into a discipleship tool, why physical discomfort opens the door to spiritual growth, and what it takes to build a legacy of courage in your kids. Plus, he unpacks the question God placed on his heart: what is required to be a founding father?

What happens when two dads strap GoPros to paddleboards and hit the lake at 5:45 in the morning? In this first part of a two episode conversation, Jeff sits down with longtime friend Tyler Van Eps for a raw, reflective discussion about intentional fatherhood, family rhythms, and what it looks like to lead your kids with purpose. From milestone trips to weekly family huddles to quarterly prayer rhythms, Tyler shares the experiments his family has been running to build something that actually lasts.

In Part 2 of this Father's Day look-back series, Jeff Zaugg resurfaces five more powerful conversations from the past dad year, featuring Jeremy Pryor, Ted Cunningham, Pastor Tim Timberlake, Mac Lake, and Seth Dahl. The clips cover a dad's superpower of emotional detachment and how it can quietly wound the people he loves most, the faulty input-output theory of parenting and why God is the only true source of life, the transformative power of tone and speaking to the king in your child instead of the fool, the gift of unhurried presence and what it looks like to truly savor your kids, and the hard truth that a man who can't regulate his emotions forces his family to do it for him. This episode is a flyover packed with activation, challenge, and the kind of dad wisdom that sticks.

In this Father's Day special, Jeff Zaugg revisits five of the most impactful conversations from the past dad year, featuring Pastor Dave Brickey, Lance Welch, Dr. Jake Smith, Chris Cerillo, and Craig Allen Cooper. The clips explore the transformative power of fatherly weakness and repentance, the damage of performance-based parenting, the importance of emotional self-awareness, the biblical call to create order in family life, and the ripple effect of quiet and Jesus-fueled generosity. It's a looking-back episode that's really about looking up, because the best thing a dad can do for his kids is stay close to the One who can do what we can't.

There's no quarterly report for your marriage and no scoreboard for your kids' souls—so why do so many dads keep looking for one? In part two of this conversation, Gabe Biedenbaugh exposes the scoreboard trap and shares the vision statements that guide his marriage and parenting. Plus, he unpacks a powerful perspective on covering your daughters versus sending out your sons, and why true legacy isn't how you're remembered—it's what your family still does when you're gone.

Pastor Gabe Biedenbaugh opens up about the generational faith handed down to him, the shame that nearly disqualified him from his calling, and the "you're not enough" lie so many men carry. In part one of this Father's Day conversation, he shows why vulnerability, brotherhood, and a heart to serve are the way home.

Most men are getting lived by their lives instead of actually living them. In this conversation, Alan Briggs unpacks how a life of constant escape leaves us empty at the end of the day, and what it looks like to design something we can actually engage with instead. From Yes Days with your kids to preparing for the car ride home the way you'd prepare for a business meeting, Alan brings practical insight that will reshape how you show up as a dad this week.

The words you speak to your kids today become the voice inside their head for the rest of their lives — for better or worse. In this episode, Mac Lake (yes, that Mac — Brandon Lake's dad) shares the leadership wisdom he's spent a lifetime giving away: how to speak life over your kids, why "I'm not much of a leader" is insecurity in disguise, and how a biblical definition of leader — disciple, servant, apostle — changes how you show up at home. Plus Pops TV, dinosaur eggs, and why discipline is discipleship.

There are around 8 billion people alive right now, and there have been 107 billion who came before us. That context changes everything about how you spend today with your kids. In this From the Vault conversation, Bob Goff returns to talk about hovering over your family the way God hovered over the earth, leaving behind treasures your kids will discover for years to come, and finding the courage to make bold moves when something in your life needs to change. Bob shares why being fully present matters more than providing, how to live a "no capes" kind of life, and why the small moments will be the bookmarks your kids carry forever.

I brought a real story to Dr. Michelle this week. A small mistake on my part, a hurt little girl, a defensive dad at bedtime, and my wife catching my eye across the room. What unfolded was a live coaching moment I needed more than I knew. Dr. Michelle gently walked me back through what I missed, what was actually under the anger, and how to do the repair that actually reaches a daughter's heart. If you have ever blown it with your kids and tried to talk your way out of it instead of leaning in, this conversation is for you.

Most dads think they're closer to their daughters than they actually are. Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield has spent 30 years sitting with dads and daughters in the gap between, and she came on DadAwesome to say it plain: your words water her dry soul, your anger can wipe out nine good days, and pursuit is the muscle every dad has to keep building. This is part one of a two part conversation, and Jeff brings a real story from the night before about missing it with his four year old.