The Real Dad Podcast

Am I Too Old to Have Kids? w/Luke Kenney

It is our great honour to welcome Dave’s brother Luke into the studio. The very first Patreon. The man who felt bad for us and bought us comfy chairs for the booth. The man with a big heart and a ton of knowledge. Welcome to the show Lukey!

4 Dads, 4 Messages

We tried our best to get together this week, but life is real busy right now so we decided to mix it up. We won't know what each of us talked about until this episode airs. Here's hoping it doesn't suck!

Kevin Choquette from @ravinbuilders

Final stop in Vegas! That’s right, we’re still here!  Well, the podcast is anyway, and last but absolutely not least we had Kevin Choquette from @ravinbuilders stop by for a chat. We  were so pleasantly surprised with the conversations we had in the middle of a busy home show and our time with Kevin was no exception. The connection was instant and we had an incredibly vulnerable conversation that was (unfortunately)  mostly not recorded.  We will have him back on the pod soon for redemption....

My Kids are Annoying Me

Sometimes things are relatively smooth and easy and you feel really connected to your kids. Other times we go through stretches where we just find them annoying. They’re changing, you miss the old version of them you got along with so well, and there’s certain things about the new version we’re just not jiving with. Probably the same way they feel about us! 

Shawn Van Dyke in Vegas

We really appreciated our visit with Shawn. He stopped by our booth to chat a little bit about what family life looks like for him. Shawn is determined to give construction businesses the tools to become successful in the trade. We will definitely be chatting with him again to learn more on the business side, but we also hear he has a pretty good vasectomy story for us. Stay tuned 

Dr. Decks talks Life and Fatherhood

Back at it in Vegas with Jason Russell, aka Dr.Decks! Taking a break from talking business and diving a little bit into his journey and his experience as a father. 

Nick and Tyler from the Modern Craftsman podcast

Nick Schiffer and Tyler Grace  from the Modern Crafstman Podcast join us in the Regal Ideas booth! Always interesting hearing different perspectives from people in fairly similar life stages, and careers. These dudes are gems and we’re so grateful to them for taking the time to sit down with us. Enjoy! 

Vegas, baby!

This is a first for this podcast crew! The Real Dad Podcast took flight and landed in Vegas for the International Builders Show. We teamed up with THE Regal Ideas at their booth to record some live episodes with some incredible guests during the show. Stay tuned! 

We Lie to Our Kids

Listen, if you want your kids to believe in fun, imagination strengthening things, you lie to your kids dang it! Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the ridiculous Elf on the Shelf; you name it. But definitely be ready to explain yourself when they want to know why you did it. 

Join the Boys! w/Paul Cronin

Another friend of the show joins us in studio to talk about dad life and more. Oh and hey! He helped us design our logo for the merch we had made and I'm sure we'll get around to distributing some day.... hopefully.

Bad Dad Mode

Sometimes we’re  just mentally and physically exhausted and we just know we don’t have it in us. A bad dad moment turns into bad dad mode and we fully check out. Hopefully it doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and you’re still not a bad dad. 

Slammin’ Doors

Join the Boys! w/Jeff Gill

We’ve had some of our buddies on the podcast to join our conversations, but we thought it would  be fun to have someone we only know through the show to join us as well. If you would like to go through the rigorous interview process for your chance to join us, slide into our DMs

The Gentle-ish Parent

What is “Gentle Parenting” anyway? And what is your emotional response to the term? We discuss what it means to us.  Special Note: We are not Gentle Parenting experts, nor do we believe the words “parenting” and “expert” should ever be used together. 

New Years Resolutions

This is one of our first quick-fire episodes. It might not be that quick, but it’s definitely fire. Happy New Year!

2023 in Review

That's a wrap folks! Just on the year, not on us. We are still very much here, and coming at you, but just like a lot of firsts pregnancies, this baby's late. So here it is! Our year in Review. 

Dads Cry Too

As parents of young children, dealing with volatile emotions is basically an every day occurance,. Every now and then though, and hopefully less than our children, it’s OUR emotions that come bursting at the seams. Sometimes it’s anger, sometimes it’s overwhelming joy, and sometimes… sometimes it’s just a good ol’ uncontrollable cry. 

Travelling with Parents

Prioritize getting away. Whether it’s just you and your partner, with the kids, or even with the whole family, parents included. Just do it. At the very least you’ll have some great stories to tell. 

Something Needs to Change

You know when you get caught in a routine as a parent and it’s not necessarily working for you? Meet Mark

Vacation Station

The Emotionally Confident Dad

But I'm Not Happy

Just two episodes ago we talked about finding our "happy", but when life feels really hard, whether that's in our personal lives or beyond, finding happy isn't even on our radar. We can get caught up in all of the difficulties and it can feel like the only way to find bliss IS in ignorance or denial of our reality.  One place I KNOW you can find your "happy" is on vacation. And always remember, "You can't get pregnant at sea" 

Motivational Dave

You know when you’re driving in silence, but it’s  not really silent because your mind is loud in thought?  Dave Kenney everyone!

Finding Happiness (LIVE Regal Ideas Install)

We are live on location for a very special episode with a very special guest. Mr. Brent Walker, is all set to take on a Regal Ideas Railing install and prove to you all just how easy it is. As easy as 1…2…3

What’s Your Crutch?

Continuing our conversation from “Sober October” we discuss how to recognize when something is becoming a crutch, and possibly problematic. 

Sober October

Fear reveals itself in many ways. Things like anxiety, stress, doubt, and worry can all stem from our fear. Sometimes those things lead to us finding comfort or an escape in things like alcohol or food, and it can become unhealthy if not held in check or a willingness to work back through the root of the problem. Dave opens up about how his fear has impacted his life recently. 

Old Kids, New Questions

We’re all just figuring out this parenting thing on the fly, aren’t we? Especially with our firstborn. As they get older and move into new life stages, there’s not always a game-plan for situations that may arise. Have so we navigate that? 

Fatherhood with Fearless Fred

From a galaxy far far away, the voice of Q107.,, Fearless Fred,  graces us with his presence for.a wonderful chat about all things fatherhood. Welcome to the show! And if you’re a big Star Wars fan, check out his fan fiction podcast called MUD79.

What to Expect When Expecting (Part 2)

In the second instalment of this series we had the pleasure of chatting with Joey’s brother (Josh) and sister-in-law   (Laura) about their parenthood journey and specifically Laura’s lived experience with postpartum depression. We are incredibly grateful for their vulnerability in this episode. 

Life Before Kids

If you’re a parent, you know the feeling. Kids are away for the night, or a couple hours, you look at your partner and say, “Hey, wanna get dinner?” and then you just… get dinner! Without a second thought? As much as we love our kids, there’s a certain type of freedom you enjoy when you get to do the every day type of stuff with a little less responsibility. 

Midlife Crisis

Is this it? Are we in crisis? Is this what we were told would happen?  Where do we go from here?  Also, Brent Walker, when you’re on the top there’s always gonna be someone coming for your title. Once again, you’re on notice. 

Daycare Waitlist

If you’re even thinking about  having a kid, get a name on a waitlist now!  Finding a daycare provider that checks all the boxes for your families needs is a challenge. Do you go with a home daycare or a centre? Full-time or part-time? Is daycare even an option for your family? There’s a lot of factors at play when it comes to making these decisions.  Join us as we discuss our experiences, and then let’s figure out where we’re going. for ice-cream after!

"Dad! That was bad parenting!"

-Parenting gets real interesting when your kids start to find their voice and call your bluff. -How do you try to Dad Up or step up for partner after being away from the family for a recharge? -How do you handle a bad kid drop off at summer camp or school, etc.?

Play With Your Kids While They Still Want To

Are you able to shut off the outside world and just play? Play with your kids?  We've been told forever that kids grow up too fast, but it's so hard to understand until you're in it. Before long we're not the centre of their world anymore, so enjoy it while it lasts, and don't forget to be a kid again. 

What Is Your Hope Through Therapy

Does going to therapy make life harder? Sometimes it feels like it's easier to just keep all that mess locked away somewhere, but in the end we know it's worth it. What are we hoping to gain from therapy? If you haven't been, do you feel like you could benefit from it?

When Shit Hits the Fan... and Walls

We're trying to coin the term "Dad up!" Being a "Dad" is so much more than the title or the name, it's a verb. It requires so much of you in order to do it well. Sometimes the busyness of it all catches up with us. How do you handle that? And how do we better support each other? 

Meal Planning is a Full-Time Job

Whoever is in charge of meal planning in your house deserves a vacation. It is so time consuming, challenging, and a lot of the time a pretty thankless part of parenting. How does it work in your house? If you're not the meal planner, maybe do them a favour and do the prep and cooking yourself tonight. If you're a terrible cook, do them a favour and just order in. Take something off their plate, and put some food on it. 

What’s it like for KIDS in SCHOOL these days?

We welcome our dear friend Brent Walker back into the booth. Given that Brent is a father and also a teacher, we feel he has a unique perspective on what kids are dealing with today outside of their homes. We always look forward to our conversations with Brent! Join us as we bombard him with a bunch of random questions. 

Father's Day Expectations

Hear all about Joey and Dave's adventure to Cityline with the kids! And we want to know, what does Father's Day look like in your household? Does dad get "me time" or just want to be close to the family? Catch it all before Joey has to leave!

Be Kind to Yourself or Else

Why do we have such a hard time being kind to ourselves? Is it easier for you to think of things you don't like about yourself over things you do?  This is our challenge to you, even if it's just for a moment. Say something nice to you.  Put all our your criticisms aside and be kind to yourself. It's not lame. It's not cheesy. It's important, and we hope it becomes the norm. 

You Should Get that Checked Out

The moment you've all been waiting for! Did Mark strike GOLD? And are we now all going into early retirement? Speaking of retirement, we'll need to take care of ourselves to be able to enjoy it, which includes actually going to the doctor every once in a while. So why is it so hard to drag ourselves down there when something isn't right? Is it just us? ChatGPT to the rescue!

Bubble Wrap Your Kids

Mark is pretty sure he’s stumbled upon our big break, and back at home his daughter is pretty sure it’s his fault she stumbled down the stairs. There’s also the part where we talk about how something you’ve always thought may be a strength of yours, may actually be a weakness in some ways. 

The Power of Sport

Even if you’re completely uninterested, there is no denying there is a certain power in sport. It’s not always good, but when it is, it has an incredibly unique way of bringing people together. Maybe it’s because we’ve all experienced this at one point in our lives or another that we wonder if our kids will have the same chance. What if they don’t like sports? How do we toe the line between encouraging them to try new things, and being okay with them not being interested, especially when  yo...

Parenting in an AI World

There‘s a whole lot we don’t know a whole lot about, but what we’re in for as parents in a world so heavily influenced by AI seems to have us way in over our heads. With the speed at which the tech is advancing today, it feels impossible to keep up with if you’re not working or heavily invested in that space. Join us as we talk about how this might affect us, our kids, and how we parent through it all. 

Raising Confident Daughters, with Tiffany Pratt

We can learn a lot about parenting by understanding general human relationship. This means, you don’t need to be a parent to teach us something we may need to learn about how to interact with our kiddos.  Tiffany Pratt is the type of person that changes lives for the better by just being Tiffany. She is infectiously kind hearted and  fun. She is someone we respect and admire for her understanding of self and her relationships with others. Join us!

These Dads are all Over the Place

Buckle up cause this episode is all over the place. One things for sure, you’re not going to want to miss hearing about Mark’s trip to Family Services, which is very different than Life Labs. 

Making a Positive Impact

In a world where it seems like the default tone or reaction has become negative, let's be proactive in spreading kindness. Let's support one another, and rush to encourage and compliment. And definitely don't be creepy

Family Vacation. Kids or No Kids

Joey and Dave were able to get away on a big family vacay. Would you put your money on it going  as smooth as it could have? or it being such a gong-show that they're asking themselves if they are really meant to be parents after all? Place your bets

To Dad or not to Dad (Special Guests: Two Blue Shirts)

They may know bus better than we know ourselves, our editors Aidan and Aaron from Two Blue Shirts Productions join us to chat all things, podcast. From why we started, to making choices about whether or not to have kids, join us in a fun chitty chat with two amazing humans.  

How do we feel about Sleepovers?

Sometimes we don't know how we would feel about a circumstance until it actually happens. If our emotional response to that circumstance catches us off guard, chances are we need to chat about it so we can figure out why and possibly put some boundaries in place. From a parental perspective, sometimes we don't know which situations or scenarios we do and don't feel comfortable putting our kids in, until they're in it.