Gap to Gig
Build the life you’re working for. Gap to Gig is the podcast for dads who want to crush it at work and still show up at home. Each week, host Michael Jacobs talks with dads, founders, career experts, and creators about what it really takes to balance meaningful work and active fatherhood. From navigating career transitions and side hustles to staying present for hockey games and bedtime stories, Gap to Gig helps you create a life that feels steady, fulfilling, and built to last. Whether you’re a stay-at-home dad reentering the workforce, a working dad craving more purpose, or a creator building your own path, you’ll find stories and systems to help you move forward with confidence. Expect honest conversations about: Work-life balance that actually lasts Career change and meaningful work without losing yourself Parenting and productivity that fit real life Fatherhood, identity, and growth in the modern world Mindset and systems that keep both business and family running smoothly No fluff. No hustle-culture noise. Just real stories, practical tools, and genuine conversations about being a dad who wants both: meaningful work and a meaningful life. If you’ve ever felt pulled between your career ambitions and your kids’ soccer schedules, you’re not alone. Each episode offers ideas you can apply right away, whether that’s a way to structure your week, handle burnout, or rethink what success really means for you and your family. The show blends personal storytelling, expert insights, and actionable takeaways from guests who are building careers, companies, and creative projects that fit their lives, not the other way around. Recent episodes feature: Entrepreneurs who’ve built businesses around their families Career coaches helping dads find work that fits their values Creatives balancing passion projects with parenting Productivity pros teaching how to reclaim time and focus Everyday dads sharing their journeys from burnout to balance If you’re ready to rethink success, build balance that lasts, and create space for what matters most, this podcast is for you. Gap to Gig: Helping dads build the life they’re working for. New episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen.
Episodes
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 intellige...
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 ...
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...
How do you hold onto your creative identity while trying to be the parent you want to be?
Sean Waldron has built a life around creativity from music to video production to brand storytelling. He has freelanced, gone in-house, flipped houses, and wrestled with the tension between purpose and practical responsibilities. Becoming a dad pushed him to rethink all of it.
Sean shares how to:
- Blend creative skills with fatherhood in a way...
What does it really take to be present as a dad while juggling work, pressure, and your own mental health?
Kristian Leavell, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, brings both clinical insight and lived experience to this honest conversation about the weight many fathers carry and how to navigate it with clarity and compassion.
Kristian shares how to:
• Be truthful about what you feel and what you need
• Understand the ...
What happens when the chapter you spent years chasing finally ends and you’re left asking what comes next?
In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Erin Aldrich Shean, a former Olympic and professional athlete who has reinvented herself multiple times across sports, corporate strategy, and now career coaching. Erin helps people navigate life and work transitions using her LAND method, a framework built around le...
What really happens behind the scenes in hiring and how can dads returning to work stand out?
In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Jacob Stone, HR consultant and founder of WorqTap, who’s spent over a decade helping companies hire smarter and helping people land roles that actually fit their lives.
Jacob shares what most job seekers never hear:
• What’s really going on inside hiring teams (and how to stand ou...
In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with Jesse Holmes, a performance coach who helps entrepreneurs and parents make measurable progress in just 10 minutes a day.
Jesse shares how to:
• Build clarity and confidence through small, consistent actions.
• Find your focus when life feels chaotic.
• Apply “deep work” principles to parenting, relationships, and self-care.
• Turn daily 10-minute wins into lasting momentu...
What happens when your career suddenly stops fitting your life?
In this episode of Gap to Gig, host Michael Jacobs talks with John Tarnoff, an executive coach who rebuilt his career after the tech bubble burst and now helps mid-career professionals rediscover purpose and confidence.
John shares how to:
• Navigate uncertainty and rebuild resilience.
• Reframe “returning to work” as moving forward, not backward.
• Turn personal experie...
What if the goal isn’t just finding work, but finding work that fits your life?
Gap to Gig is the podcast for dads balancing career, family, and purpose. Hosted by entrepreneur and dad Michael Jacobs, each week features real conversations with fathers, founders, and experts who are redefining success and creating careers that fit real life.
If you’re navigating career change, exploring freelance or flexible work, or looking for meani...
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