The Career Dad Show

Hi guys I’m Dan Reed, and welcome back to The Career Dad Show

It’s been a minute… or several months… and to be honest, I needed a bit of a break. If I can’t practice what I preach, then what good am I?

Anyway, it’s great to be back, and let me introduce you to Amit.

Amit realised his career in banking was impacting his mental health, and he was becoming someone he didn’t like. He decided to jack it all in and ...

How are angels made? When Bryson’s mom passed away, he thought about how to communicate this with his son. So he wrote a book. Following a successful Kickstarter, How Angels Are Made was published. 

This isn’t Bryson’s job, though. He runs the back-office of his wife’s chiropractic clinic, and has been the main caregiver to his 3 kids during Covid. How does he find the time? By auditing his 24 hours…

Contents

• 1m 02s: Atl...

Starting a marketing agency just before Covid wasn’t part of the plan, but 12 months later and Yonder is going from strength to strength.

Chris left his well-paid corporate gig to fulfil a decade-long dream, and also adopted two kids along the way. Chris shares his take on digital marketing and business, as well as the emotions around adopting.

There never was the right time to do any of this, but at some point ...

Ruben is known as The Luge Man. He’s the first person to compete in 4 Olympics over 4 different decades.

He talks to me how had the dream - and the perseverance - to become an Olympian, and how finding mentors is the key to unlocking success.

Ruben’s also homeschooled his kids (now 15 and 18) from Day 1, which gives us a lot to talk about with Covid…

Contents

• 0m 45s: Who is The Luge Man?
• 5m 53s: Did y...

At 17, Joseph was beaten to within an inch of his life by 3 men because of the colour of his skin.

The shame and self-loathing led to Joseph being homeless as a teenager, until a man gave him a book that changed his life.

Joseph’s now a Doctor of Neuropsychology, a lecturer, a performance coach, and a father. Listen as Joseph explains why we all need to Shut The Freak Up.

Contents

• 1m 03s: 3 grown men...

Chris had a successful career in corporate sales, taking on the highs and lows that came with it. As he says, ‘I was operating from a place of low self esteem’. 

He’s overcome addictions and now is happily married, and has a 13 year old son - who Chris is proud to be the father to that he didn’t have. 

Chris also started the EFA Movement: Empowered Fathers in Action, which helps good dads become great dads.

Content...

Despite being in his early 20s, Brendan has presented over 900 times.

His participation in Case Competitions (as Brendan describes them: professional sport for nerds) landed him a role at IBM.

But that’s not enough for him. Brendan started a YouTube channel called MasterTalk, where he teaches others how to unlearn the fear of public speaking.

There’s so much advice packed into this episode - enjoy!

Olympian Gymnast, American Ninja Warrior star and all-round nice guy Jonathan Horton joins me to share his story of getting to the Olympics, and why it's so important to set goals and visualise them.

Jonathan Horton is a retired American gymnast who has 2 Olympic medals to his name. When Jonathan was just 4 years old his mum lost him in a department stores.

He was found quickly, albeit 25 feet up a support b...

Greg Reid is a 32-time best selling author; film maker; founder of The Secret Knock, he runs 6 businesses… and he even has a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

But he’s also a proud dad.

We talk about Greg’s upbringing and entrepreneurial spirit, the importance of seeking counsel, not opinion, and why the fear of judgement is holding us back.

Contents

• 1m 06s: What was it like growing up?
• 3m 08s: 3 f...

Ross is the Performance Manager for Rotherham United Football Club; basically, he helps professional athletes to be at the top of their game.

But it’s not just science; it’s empathy, too. There’s so much packed into this episode, including a look at performance anxiety and the impact fans can have on an athlete’s wellbeing.

Ross' job sees him spending time away from his wife and kids, and as he puts it: &apo...

Arn Terry was an international headhunter earning a great 6-figure package when the 2008 recession hit. Work dried up overnight, meaning Arn had to hustle harder than ever before, whist also taking on a second job. 

He talks about making ends meet, being an absent father, and struggling with guilt and embarrassment. He rode the wave through, and since set up his own company. When Covid hit he was much more prepared.

If you don’t know the name Frank Shankwitz, you’ll know the organisation he founded: The Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Frank tells his story of how Make-A-Wish got started, his own troubled childhood, his time in England (where he was an Honour Guard at Winston Churchill’s funeral), and how everyone has the power to make a difference.

Contents

• 1m 47s: The story behind Make-A-Wish
• 6m 25s: If I can do it, anyone can do...

Chris Bishop’s had 8 careers. Not jobs: careers.

His band toured with The Eagles and ZZ Top, before Chris became a session musician playing with Robert Palmer and Chuck Berry.

He then got into writing jingles - including KitKat’s first TV advert. Chris then discovered the World Wide Web, learned programming, and landed a job with IBM where he worked on Virtual Worlds.

Chris now teaches people on how to...

Meet Tony: he’s a croupier at a casino in Mayfair, so as you might imagine Coronavirus has hit him hard… especially when you hear what his largest gratuity was! 

Tony’s also a dad… a dad who suffered with post natal depression, which caused the breakdown in his relationship. 

Tony talks incredibly openly about his experiences, and how he’s working hard to rebuild a relationship with the love of his life. 

Say hello to Mr Awesome, Erik Swanson. 

Erik’s an international speaker, 7x Number 1 bestseller, and creator of Habitude Warrior - one of the top 10 events in the US. 

Erik shares how you can harness success through habits and attitude; why we need to stop allowing other people to rent space in our mind; and how some of the world’s wealthiest people are also the most accessible. 

This episode is filled wi...

This is a special one for me, as I sit down face-to-face with my Father-in-Law - and editor of The Career Dad Show - Ian. 

We look at Ian’s career of teaching abroad; and what it was like leaving the UK with a young child.

I also ask Ian for his favourite Career Dad episode, how his family dynamic was so alien to me, and what it’s been like for him during lockdown as a Shielded person.

You can also watch the interview over o...

Pick up your phone and put it in the palm of your hand. That’s the size - and weight - of Mike’s daughter when she was born at 24 weeks. She’s now 5 years old and doing great, but it was a really scary time for Mike and his wife Gaby… especially as first time parents.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mike and Gaby also started their own digital consultancy company - Proofpoint Marketing - at the same time. The company was built upon flexib...