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In this episode of "Radio Dad with Mike Austin", I talk with Josephine Nicholas about the family business that she and her siblings run, Published Daily We chat about the dynamics of working with your family and the challenges and rewards. Josephine also describes how you can build a business that includes your family so that you are all on the same page. Hint.....keep the bigger goal in mind and sometimes you have to humble yourself. Next, I talk with an energetic dude I was recently introduced to by a mutual friend. Imagine two, hyper, enthusiastic guys having a conversation. Tom Matt is my guest and Tom is into a lot of things. He's a personal trainer/fitness coach, a Dad (of course), an author, public speaker and host of "The Tom Matt Show" online. Tom and I talk about navigating the part of your life, as Dad, known as "The Empty Nest Years". It's important that you and your wife have something, more than the kids, that holds you together! That sounds weird to say, but, once the kids move out and begin their own life, you have to still have each other and a common goal/interest. Tom and his wife started a company! ENJOY!

Everyone seems to be enthralled by the railroad. When it comes to dads and kids and the railroad, it's hard to beat the joy of building a model railroad! I grew up in a small, railroad town (Savanna, Illinois). The Milwaukee Road and The Burlington Northern were both very prominent in Savanna. I lived right between the 2 railroads and have always loved trains. My first guest is Michael Frezell and he is part of a model railroading club and we chat about the magic of the railroad, how to get started in the hobby of building a model railroad, the types of scale (from G to HO) and a bunch more! By the way, if you ever get to Savanna, Illinois, make sure to visit the scale model railroad of the entire town and area, at the Savanna Cultural Museum! NEXT.... There's a teen mental health crisis in America and our own Surgeon General says that social media plays a big part is bringing on depression in our teens. Dad! This is totally in your wheelhouse! We HAVE to take control of devices and social media postings. I talk with Laine Lawson Craft, author of: "The Parent's Battle Plan- Strategies To Win Back Your Prodigal"

Do you or would you charge your adult kids, rent?  Some parents are giving their adult children 3 times as much money as they're putting into their own retirement accounts!  Helping our kids morph into the adulting world is filled with financial, moral, ethical and sometimes even spiritual landmines!  How do we help without overstepping or enabling to the point of making our adult kids incapable of making their own decisions and carving their own path?  I talk with Ed Butowsky, financial strategist and expert in wealth management. Next, do you like your job?  While there are NO perfect jobs and, these days, everyone has some kind of side hustle...if not a full on business on the side, employee satisfaction is an all time high!  Credit sign on bonuses, paid time off, a tighter labor market and work-from-home flex to name just a few reasons.  Darin Kidd is a corporate trainer and author of "I Will Until: Unlock Your Limitless Power".  We chat about the job market, owning a business and being dad.  ENJOY!

Everybody LOVES "Tator Tots"!  The story behind the original Ore Ida "Tator Tots" is a tale of ingenuity, entrepreneurism and FAMILY!  First up today, I chat with Les Grigg, the Grand-Nephew of the guys who came up with the original Tator Tots.  We'll discover the why cows played an important role in the beginning.  Also, we will learn just what the "HOLY BOARD" is or was! Next, I talk with Alison Bogle, from Austin Family Magazine (NO, I don't own it), about "Are We Bubble Wrapping Our Kids?"  Life is full of ups and downs and we can tend to want to protect our kids too much.  Dealing with setbacks and disappointments is part of life and sometimes those lessons are best learned "the hard way".

Do you have a bucket list, a list of things you want to do or accomplish before you die?  Laura Carney's dad was a dreamer, an idea guy and he had a secret bucket list.  After Laura's dad passed away, she found her dad's list and decided to perform and make happen, each of the things on her dad's list!  Originally at 60 things, there were 54 things on that list left to do and it ranged from difficult to seemingly, mundane.  From meeting a President to growing a watermelon.  Laura's dad, Mick, put his list together in 1978 and unfortunately, he was killed by a distracted driver in 2003 and so had never gotten to ALL of the things on his list.  It took Laura almost 6 years to finish her dad's list, but once she finished, she wrote a book about her experience and her dad.  Laura's book is called "My Father's List".  Laura told me that before she found her dad's list, she thought she was more like her mom...but as she performed his list, she came to understand him better and realized that she is very much like her dad.  ENJOY!

Today, as we recorded this show leading up to St. Patrick's Day, my friend, Mike O'Brien stopped by and told me a story about how his son invited him to make beer together....it became a tradition and Mike tells the story.  Next it's Dr. Charlotte Resnick on tapping into your child's imagination and using imagination to do better at school, sports, hobbies....EVERYTHING!  With today's imagination basically being handed to our kids for them, it's important to help them develop their OWN imagination.  As always, hit up our sponsor, beerescued.com as well.  THANKS!

Are you stressed out?  Is your phone always by your side?  Do you feel guilty if you don't "produce" or make some kind of headway?  Can you just sit and watch your kids play?  These are all questions to be answered if you want to know if your are a workaholic.  The thing is...most dads who ARE workaholics, don't usually see their flaw or realize they are workaholics.  We can even get a sense of pride when someone comments about how much we work!  Rich Bracken was one of those dads.  Rich is a business consultant and even spent time traveling the world as a DJ!  He now helps high achievers and even some celebrities change for the better when it comes to work and life.  Rich is also a dad and we talk about getting over workaholism, balancing work and family and "being THERE".  Enjoy!

WELCOME!  On this show, I chat with a guy who lives his entire life barefoot....except when he is on the job.  He holds lots of Guinness World Records including walking barefoot, for the longest time, ON LEGO BRICKS!  Listen to Sonny Molina's touching tribute to his dad, who was right by his side when he set the record. Next, are you a "Jellyfish Parent"?  You can probably guess that da "Jellyfish Parent" or Dad, has no backbone, no rules, calls his kids his best friends and is creating lots of problems in his and THEIR life.  I talk with Kim Muench, author of "Real Life Parent Guide" about "Jellyfish Parenting" and a little about her own dad.  ENJOY!

WELCOME BACK!  Today I chat with Shawn Meyer about the importance of taking a kid hunting and the lessons of life that can be learned....even if you've NEVER been hunting (or fishing) before.  Shawn will talk about his own experience and how to get started.  Shawn's website is huntwithakid.com Next...do you have a kid who is just not quite as good at sports as other kids and is that causing some problems within your child's own mind and tension within your family?  Dr. John Braccio talks about "Sports Performance Anxiety" and how to deal with it.  ENJOY!

Welcome back to the Radio Dad podcast!  In this episode, I chat with a guy who, after losing his business, sold his house and he and his wife bought an RV and travel/live in it.  Tim Winders explains his mishap and how they found happiness, a re-newed business, and FAMILY...in their RV! Next, I talk with family coach and author, Oreste D'Averse who says today's youth are NOT prepared for the work world.  He says dads really need to step up and show by example what a good work ethic is and push their kids a little more.

WELCOME BACK! Took some time off for a little Summer fun and now we are back with our weekly shows. IN THIS EPISODE: The importance of a strong, loving dad, in the lives of children is important, even essential.  We dads are important while NOT be perfect....that's OK.  Dads are not meant to just be another "mom" or the guy who says "whatever your mother says", to the children.  We are meant to lead mentally, morally, logically and spiritually.  My first guest, today, is Dr. John Braccio, clinical psychologist with a discussion about family and dad's importance and Doc will give us some stats that should wake us up! Next, Roy Paul, Executive Director at Cents Ability will talk with us about dads as the financial leader in the family.  Do we teach our kids how to be frugal, how to budget, how to save...and what about CRYPTO?!  Cents Ability seeks to get into schools on an academic level while working with families to help them understand the financial world.  ENJOY!

If you are about to become a Dad, for the first time, you might be...and probably SHOULD be a bit anxious.  I talk with Wayne Parker from "Power Dads", for some practical advice on dealing with becoming a brand new Dad.  Several words come to the surface, when thinking about being a Dad....words like Sacrifice, Commitment, Love, Humility.  Wayne goes through some questions a young man should ask himself. Next up, Dr. David Swanson talks about the ways in which our kids learn to manipulate to try to get what they want....YOU DID IT TOO!  Kids learn to play Mom against Dad, especially if the parents aren't on the same page when it comes to discipline, etc.  ENJOY!