What Every Father Needs to Hear Today

In this special Father’s Day episode of The Highly Effective Man, JP Bolwahnn delivers a raw, heartfelt message to the men who carry the weight of leadership at home — the fathers.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
About the moments we say “yes” when it’s uncomfortable.
About the lessons we teach without saying a word.

From racing his daughters on Father’s Day to letting them paint his mustache pink and blue, JP shares real-life stories that remind every man listening: your family is watching how you show up.

Fatherhood is one of the greatest challenges you’ll ever face — but it’s also one of the greatest opportunities to lead, grow, and leave a legacy.

In this episode:

• Why presence beats perfection
• How to be the voice inside your child’s head
• The power of creating lasting memories
• A challenge to every father to rise and lead

Whether you’re a new dad or a seasoned father, this episode will remind you what’s at stake — and what’s possible when you commit to being a Highly Effective Man.

Happy Father’s Day. Now let’s get to work.

Send us a text

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to the Highly Effective man podcast hosted by
former Navy SEAL turned lifeand fitness coach.
I'm your host, jp Bolwan.
This podcast is your resourcefor unlocking the healthiest,
most productive and highlyeffective man within you.
Let's go.
Welcome back to the HighlyEffective man Podcast.

(00:32):
Today's episode is for the dads.
Okay, so you guys are the men inthe trenches.
You're working hard, you carrythe weight, and maybe you don't
feel like you always get therespect you deserve, or maybe
you're seen for what you'redoing, but you're still showing
up, day in, day out.
You're the protector, theprovider.

(00:53):
You're setting the example.
Right, your family doesn't needyou to be perfect, but they
need you to be present.
They need you to be groundedand strong, because being a
father isn't about gettingcredit.
It's about building a legacyand it's about being a man who
does the right thing whennobody's watching.

(01:16):
Now, yesterday, my daughterswanted to put makeup on me and
they said, joking about, likeDad, after lunch, we're going to
put makeup on me.
And they said, joking about,like dad, after lunch, we're
going to put makeup on you.
We're going to make yourmustache pink and blue.
And you know, at first I wasthinking, nah, we're not doing
that.
But then I thought, man,they're not going to forget this

(01:37):
moment.
So I said, okay, yeah, let's doit.
And it was fun, we laughed, wejoked around.
And it was fun, we laughed, wejoked around, they thought it
was pretty funny, we tookpictures and that, right there,
that was connection andhopefully a memory that they'll
never forget and that's whatbeing a dad is about.

(02:01):
And another cool thing thathappened yesterday was that my
five-year-old she's one dayafter turning five.
We taught her how to ride abike right, and you know, that's
another memory that we createdthat hopefully she'll never
forget.
And a little tradition that Istarted a few years ago was that
every Father's Day we raceright, we get in a foot race and

(02:23):
we see who's getting fasterright, and they're getting
faster, and one day they'llprobably beat me, but I'm going
to push that day out as far as Ican because I want them to see
that I push myself and I wantthem to have a challenge.
I want them to see that theirdad fights for every step.

(02:44):
Look, fatherhood is not easy,but we're not here for easy.
We grow through challenge andfatherhood is one of the
greatest challenges a man willever face.
It forces us to look in themirror and confront ourselves to

(03:04):
ask am I becoming the man thatI want my children to remember?
Because that's what's happening.
They're watching every move,every word and every moment.
Not just what we say, but howwe show up every single day.
Not just what we say, but howwe show up every single day.

(03:25):
We're becoming that littlevoice in their heads when
they're thinking about what theyshould do.
We're setting the standard.
We're building the story thatthey will remember.
So today is not just aboutcelebration.
It's about commitment To showup with strength, to lead with

(03:49):
love, to build a legacy throughaction, not just intention.
Intention is just the firstpart, right, it's the action
that makes the difference.
Because, your kids, they don'tneed a superhero.
What they need is a father whokeeps showing up, even when it's

(04:09):
hard, who shows them that hedisciplines himself first and
who makes memories that matter.
So, for every dad that's outthere, happy Father's Day.
Keep racing them, keep laughingwith them and keep teaching

(04:30):
them and keep growing, becausethey're growing too, and they're
growing fast.
It seems like just yesterday mygirls were just these little
babies, and one day they'regoing to be grown adults, and
who knows what they're going tobe grown adults and who knows
what they're going to bethinking.

(04:50):
But hopefully I did the rightthings to have that good story
in their heads and teaching themright from wrong.
So let's be the highlyeffective man who raise families
with strength, lead with honorand inspire fathers everywhere
to rise.
We're not done, we're justgetting started.

(05:12):
I'm JP Bolwan and I salute you.
Thank you for listening to theHighly Effective man podcast.
If you enjoyed or learnedsomething on this episode, do me
a favor and share this withsomebody who you think needs to
hear it.
And one last thing if you wantto work with me as your coach to
help you get fit, be moreproductive and, in general, just
be the most effective versionof yourself, head over to my

(05:35):
site, higherlevelcoachingco Onceagain, that's
higherlevelcoachingco andschedule a call with me there.
Thank you again.
Let's go.