Tommy Riles — The Life of Dad: Support Community Specially for Dads
Rebirth With J.R. Martinez
English - March 03, 2022 07:27 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Mental Health Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Tommy Riles is a husband, father, and founder of Life of Dad, the largest community of dads and fastest growing parenting social media brand in the world. He is also the long-time audience warm-up comedian for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. He started the Life of Dad community from a hospital room as his daughter was awaiting open-heart surgery at only three days old. In today’s episode, Tommy shares how he got other dads to be vulnerable and resolve issues between spouses through his series Mom vs. Dad. They also talk about cargo shorts, grocery shopping, and the benefits of being a dad!
Key Takeaways
Tommy talks about what prompted him to start Life Of Dad. Five months into Tommy’s wife’s pregnancy, they found out his daughter had a heart defect. Tommy talks about the fears and concerns that came up from him. Tommy remembers the day of his daughter’s surgery and how he felt when the doctor told him how it went. How did Tommy support his wife through the pregnancy knowing their daughter’s condition? Tommy looked for a support group online, but could not find one specifically for dads like him. He tried to be as positive as he could given his circumstances and shared that through social media. When did Life of Dad suddenly take off and gain a substantial following? Tommy recalls the story. With vulnerability not part of what is usually interpreted to be manly, how did Tommy get other dads to open to him? Tommy also talks about the letter he wrote that went viral. He and his wife went through a miscarriage. Where did Tommy learn to be comfortable with being vulnerable? J.R. and Tommy exchange stories of how they grocery shop and their future hoarder bunks. Tommy grew up being an only son. His curiosity through listening to his mother and sisters has influenced his character as well. J.R. asks two questions to Tommy about the new book he co-wrote with his wife Lucy called, Mom vs Dad, The Not So Serious Guide To The Stuff We’re All Fighting About. Tommy recalls what it was like writing the book with his wife. It’s not the big stuff that pushes relationships to the edge. It’s always the little things. Tommy also talks about their podcast, Mom vs Dad and J.R. wants to join in on one episode! Tommy shares his biggest lessons of having three kids. What are Tommy’s tips for any struggling dad to balance work and home life? Outside of Life of Dad, Tommy also shares what he does on The Ellen Show and Dancing With The Stars. Tommy shares to be successful, you should not have any ego in it. It’s not about him but about the show.
Continue On Your Journey
Mom vs. Dad: The Not-So-Serious Guide to the Stuff We're All Fighting About By Lucy and Tommy Riles
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