Fathers in Central Florida, listen up! The Orlando Dads Podcast is just for you.

The co-organizers of the Orlando Dads Group, one of the most active of the more than 40 City Dads Groups in North America, recently debuted a podcast. The show will feature talks from parenting experts on various subjects. The hosts will also discuss fatherhood, give tips, swap fatherhood stories and talk about some of the many family-friendly activities in the greater Orlando area.

The show will be hosted by the Orlando Dads Group’s three co-organizers: Nick Izzi, Flor Mercado and Nate Watson. It will be available on popular podcasting services:

• Apple
• Amazon
• iHeart
• Spotify

A video version is also available on the Orlando Dads YouTube channel.

The first episode of the Orlando Dads Podcast went live on Sept. 15. It kicks off with highlights from one of the group’s recent parenting webinars. This one features Jason Johnson, a parenting coach, who breaks down the different “types” of fathers. He also talks about different types and uses of therapy for children and parents, and the importance of recharging one’s own batteries to be a better parent. The three hosts then chat for a while, sharing their experiences of the recent Kids and Family Expo 2024 and funny stories about our kids.

Future episodes are to be posted monthly. They will feature talks with experts and discussions among regular dads about moving past trauma, building community among fathers, and sharing the trials, tribulations, joys and heartbreaks of parenting,

Below is a 12-minute preview of the podcast series in which you meet and learn about the hosts, their City Dads chapter and what’s in store:

This blog post is part of the #NoDadAlone campaign. Fathering Together/City Dads Group, the National At-Home Dad Network, and Fathers Eve are joining forces to amplify messages that help dads recognize we are not alone! Follow #NoDadAlone on Instagram, and learn more at NoDadAlone.com.

When you search the term “best parenting podcasts,” one thing sticks outs immediately: the resulting lists of shows are overwhelmingly aimed at moms. Well, there’s another half to the parenting equation. Here’s a list of some of the best parenting podcasts where fathers figure prominently in the mix.

The Art of Fatherhood

Art Eddy knows dad podcasts. He’s produced or hosted them for the Life of Dad social network for years. His baby these days is the Art of Fatherhood. He interviews dads from the worlds of entertainment, music and sports about their latest projects and … being a dad, duh! Recent guests have included former MLB pitcher (and father of a certain two-time Super Bowl MVP) Pat Mahomes, actor Paul Dooley, and comedian Tom Papa.

Black Fathers, NOW!

City Dads Group contributor Mike Dorsey is an author, business entrepreneur, community organizer, speaker and — yes — podcaster. Dorsey aims to redefine and uplift the image of African American dads through inspiring discussions with engaged black fathers.

Dad, Can We Talk?

Creator Anthony Ray started this podcast to combat the negative stereotypes about black dads. Dad, Can We Talk? features black fathers with diverse backgrounds who share their journeys to provide, nurture and love their families in the face of today’s challenges for men — especially men of color. Ray chats with father friends, a few celebs (including actor Taye Diggs) and even brings his two sons for a heart-to-heart.

The Dad Central Show

Dad Central is a Canadian nonprofit organization working with the Peterborough Child & Family Centres in Ontario. In business for two decades, it bills itself as the “most trusted name in fatherhood in Canada” with the goal of helping dads so they can “improve the lives of children.” Their parenting podcasts feature candid conversations with fatherhood role models, topical experts and real dads to inspire and assist others in this worthy pursuit. (Note: A recent one featured Amar Lohana, founder of our Toronto Dads Group.

Dad House

City Dads Group contributor Shannon Carpenter, who also is a co-organizer of our Kansas City Dads Group, and four of his at-home father friends yuck it up on any and everything. They also bring on friends and experts to add to discussions on topics such as your child’s first cell phone, the life of a rural father and where to go to check out the local craft beer scene.

Dad Mind Matters

Host James Macdonald, a father of three, subtitles his podcast “Parenting, Marriage & Mental Health For Men.” Dad Mind Matters focus on topics appealing to first-time and new dads who may be feeling the stress of parenting, in terms of raising a child and keeping their lives together. His parenting podcasts, often less than 15 minutes in length, offer concrete suggestions on subjects such as how to handle toddler tantrums, or passive-aggressive partners, and improving your mental state.

Dads with Daughters

OG dad blogger Christopher Lewis, a co-founder of the nonprofit Fathering Together, interviews experts on topics that will help you raise a strong independent woman. The podcast aims to highlight promising practices that will help fathers better understand themselves as well as their daughters while encouraging dads to be active participants in their daughters’ lives.

First Class Fatherhood

Host Alec Lace interviews high-profile fathers — from NFL stars to UFC fighters to Navy SEALs — about their careers and how they play into their most important work as dads. Dads.

Home Dad Chat

This fatherhood podcast from The National At-Home Dad Network, co-hosted by Cincinnati Dads Group organizer Brock Lusch, covers a wide range, of topics facing fathers today. One podcast will cover the ongoing fight for paid family leave and the new “Dad Caucus” in Congress while another will look at the debate about children attending drag story hours, all with a personal touch. Home Dad Chat also draws from audio from the At-Home Dad Network’s exclusive webinars and its HomeDadCon conference speakers to add weight to the discussions.

Best parenting podcasts for dads photo: © DC Studio / Adobe Stock.

Friends of a NYC Dads Group co-organizer are rallying to help defray costs for his recovery from a severe injury.

James Lopez, 42, who coordinates events on Staten Island, underwent successful brain surgery in April for a non-cancerous growth, according to his wife, Kim. While recovering later in the month, Lopez fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to his thalamus, she told SILive.com. He has been in a coma since.

The thalamus is thought to act as a relay station between most incoming sensory and motor information to the brain’s cerebral cortex, or gray matter. It may also play a role in sleep, consciousness, alertness, learning and memory.

The father of three boys, ages 5 to 15, “will need intensive rehab and medical treatment which will be costly even with insurance,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page she set up. “This is not the reason or method that James would have ever chosen to raise funds but this is what is needed at this time.”

This week Lopez is scheduled to be transferred from a Staten Island hospital to a rehab facility in Manhattan, SILive.com reported.

+ Donate to James Lopez / #FatherhoodIsLit fund +

Lopez runs the website Cool4Dads and promotes his efforts under “Fatherhood Is Lit” or its hashtag on social media. A focus of his work is advocating for fathers of color.

“My dear friend, James Lopez, was the first person to open his heart to me in the fatherhood community,” wrote Sergio Rosario Diaz, founder of Soy Super Papá, an online community for Spanish speaking dads. “Always proud of his Puertorrican heritage, he made me feel at home everywhere we went. His perspective on fatherhood made me realize that it’s the simple things in life that matter.”

Lopez joined NYC Dads Group in 2015. He soon started organizing popular father/child events, such as crafts workshops at Home Depot and hip-hop graffiti tagging art lessons. He became a group co-organizer in 2018.

“James is one of City Dads Group’s biggest cheerleaders,” said Matt Schneider, co-founder of the organization. “He continues to be a source of wisdom, inspiration and friendship, not only for me, but for our group organizers all over the country.”

One of Lopez’s key messages in his work is “presence over presents,” a motto he often hashtagged. He attributed this philosophy of dads being actively involved with their children’s lives beyond being a provider to how his father raised him in the South Bronx.

“My dad spoiled me rotten. … But the one thing he gave me the most, which I didn’t appreciate until I was older, was his time,” he wrote in an article published on the NYC Dads blog in 2017. “His presence made a huge difference in my life. The toys, the gifts, all that, were just a quick fix. A gift loses value over time … If we are going to raise the bar every time then it has to be through our experiences and time together.”

‘One of the most passionate dads I know’

Colleagues in the fatherhood advocacy community quickly offered support and praise for Lopez, his message, his passion and his generosity.

“James Lopez has a larger-than-life smile, huge heart and magnetic personality. He’s one of the most passionate dads I know,” said City Dads Group co-founder Lance Somerfeld. “Beyond his contributions to City Dads Group and our fatherhood circles, James is a friend. He’s the man that’s always there for a bro hug, favor, or straight talk.”

Danny Reyes, creator of the SwaggerDad men’s parenting resource, first meet Lopez about nine years ago at a NYC Dads Group event. They “clicked right away,” he wrote.

“Once you get to know James he will take his shirt off his back to give it to someone who needs it. James is all about business but he takes pride in being a great father, that’s what brought us together, our passion for being great dads,” Reyes wrote.

RGV Dads founder Jesus T. Pena wrote Lopez’s work, among the first fatherhood resources he found online years ago, inspired him to start his Rio Grande Valley, Texas, group.

“I consider James to be a trailblazer in the dad community and a friend,” Pena wrote. “I related with James because he looks like me and has a similar taste in music!” 

Mike Dorsey, creator of the Black Fathers, NOW! podcast, wrote, “James has always prioritized his presence in the life of his family and set an example for all of us to follow. At this moment, I always want James to realize that he is actually also a ‘present’ for us fathers, too.”

Doug French, co-founder of Dad 2.0, wrote Lopez’s tenacity will help see him through his recovery.

“James is one of the most dynamic and focused people I know. He knows what he wants and works hard for it, and he’ll work harder than ever through this,” he said. “If history is any judge, he’ll turn his TBI into telekinesis before he’s done.”

City Dads Group recently pitched in to bolster a campaign to add changing tables to public bathrooms in central Ohio.

Our Cincinnati and Columbus chapters held successful diaper drives this month in support of “Dadvocate for Change,” an effort by two Columbus area parenting podcasters and a local fatherhood community group.

The hosts of The Dadass Podcast and CBUS Dads announced the campaign earlier this year. Their goal: adding changing tables to men’s and general-neutral bathrooms in the Columbus area. These additions would give caregivers, especially male ones, a clean, safe and comfortable place to change a baby’s diaper.

Pluie, makers of a self-sanitizing changing table for public bathrooms, is a major partner in the campaign. They installed the first Dadvocate for Change table at the North High Brewing brewpub in Dublin, Ohio, this month.

Our groups’ contributions were among more than 3,200 diapers and 720 wipes collected to kickoff the campaign, according to the Dadass Podcast website. It estimated that more than 125 families would be helped by the donation made to a local diaper bank.

Podcasters Matt Lofy and Shaun Ditty contacted our Cincinnati and Columbus groups this spring seeking help with the Dadvocate for Change launch. In response, Cincinnati Dads co-organizer Brock Lusch hosted a meetup/drive for his dads at a local brewery on May 7; Columbus Dads co-organizer Aaron Sheldon hosted one at a local doughnut shop and nearby playground the next weekend. The two leaders represented City Dads the campaign’s main event on May 14.

A history of helping keep babies clean, dry

The battle for equal access to changing tables is a familiar one for City Dads Group.

NYC and City Dads Group garnered attention for the cause in 2016. An Upworthy video interview of co-founder Lance Somerfeld on the subject, showing him needing to change his daughter’s diaper on a park bench, went viral.

In 2019, City Dads assisted diaper maker Pampers meeting a commitment to install 5,000 changing tables in men’s restrooms throughout the United States and Canada. City Dads members and followers nominated businesses and public spaces in need of changing tables.

City Dads has also worked to raise awareness of U.S. families struggling to have enough diapers and baby wipes for their children. That 2017 campaign was in coordination with the National Diaper Bank Network and its founding sponsor, Huggies diapers.

The drive over the river and through the woods last week wasn’t quite as pleasant as you remember it being, huh? Then you need the best road trip apps available whether taking the kids to a family holiday gathering or on a grand vacation across the country.

Best family road trip apps for before you leave

Packr or PackPoint

Not sure what to bring? The free Packr and PackPoint apps help you figure it out. It considers your destination, the forecasted weather, the length of stay and planned activities to provide a checklist of essentials. (You can also buy “premium” versions of each with added features and app integrations for $2.99.)

I prefer Packr because it adds checklists of things to do before you leave. This includes preparing your home (take out the trash, turn down the thermostat, etc.) and car (don’t forget your sunglasses or driver’s license). However, Packr only runs on IOS so if you have an Android phone, get PackPoint.

Roadtrippers

If you don’t want to miss anything cool on the way, Roadtrippers helps find interesting activities, museums or offbeat sights along your route as well as food, gas and hotels. This includes popular (and not-so-popular) landmarks, parks, nature walks, historic sites and the odd mega-sized ball of twine. The free app will do for most, but there is an ad-free version for $30 a year that includes offline maps, live traffic info and more.

TripAdvisor

The OG of travel recommendation sites, TripAdvisor, provides a lot of reviews of local restaurants, accommodations and attractions so you can determine whether that ball of twine is really big enough to see.

Essential travel apps for driver/navigator

Waze

Seriously, who doesn’t depend on Waze? The crowd-sourced traffic information provides the best real-time updates on it all: traffic jams, road construction, highway hazard and — best for the lead-footed — speed trap and red light camera alerts.

In my own personal comparison tests over the years, Waze regularly provides the fastest path and the best re-routing when backups or accidents occur. Yes, it will occasionally offer odd alternate routes (exiting and re-entering a highway or interchange to save a minute or two, for example) when you don’t expect them. But, as I tell my wife, it’s better to yell at the app than the driver or the passenger seat navigator.

Best road trip app alternative — Traffic/map: Google Maps runs on Waze technology (Big G owns W) but doesn’t offer the robust features. The rerouting feature sometimes just doesn’t kick in. However, it works fairly well especially if you are in a less populated area where there may not be many Waze users.

iExit

Need to find gas soon at a reasonable price? A place for a quick bite? A bed to crash in for the night?

The iExit app does it all, providing you’re driving a U.S. interstate highway (and, sometimes, a major state roadway). This one-stop app gets you what you want when you need an unplanned break not far off your primary route.

Helpful alternatives — Food and gas: iExit is integrated with Yelp and GasBuddy to provide the accurate and important info you need on food and gas, respectively, but having these apps handy is good if you venture off the interstate system.

Must-have road trip apps for the kids in the backseat

Kids today are probably more in tune with what’s available for them, tech-wise, when it comes to smartphone and tablet game apps than you or me, so let them at it. And aside from letting them go wild on the kiddie stuff available through your Netflix or Amazon Prime accounts, how about …

Podcasts — Dealer’s choice

Most podcasts are available on multiple platforms these days, so fire up your fav. Then, download some eps of the shows on our list of great kids’ podcasts. Adults will find many of these as smart and entertaining as the kids so you might want to hook them into your car’s audio system.

Spotify

If music is what they want, check out the “Kids & Family” genre on Spotify. You’ll find family-friendly songs from popular adult artists as well as kid-oriented musicians. A special “In The Car” tab features playlists perfect for singing or bopping your head along. You can also find more kid podcasts, nursery rhymes, stories and more to keep the little one entertained. Best of all: you can listen to free if you don’t mind the repetitive ads, but a subscription is worth the money.

Being a calm, steady beacon of hope and guidance during a storm — “a lighthouse parent,” as parent/teen expert Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg calls it — is what children need most these days when they are readjusting to the world after more than a year of COVID-19 pandemic life.

And what parents, who might be frazzled from all that has and still is going on, need most is “the gift of self-compassion,” to forgive themselves for possible shortcomings and take care of themselves to parent on.

That’s some of the advice from Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, who joins us for the latest edition of the Modern Dads Podcast.

A co-director of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication, Ginsburg offers advice to help us think about what our kids have gained, lessons to take forward, and how to open the lines of communication.

The Center of Parent and Teen Communication helps promotes the health, character and well-being of adolescents through education, research and advocacy. Ginsburg helped create a comprehensive website for parents and teens that aims to strengthen family connections.

+ Listen to Kenneth Ginsburg + 

Ginsburg, a pediatrician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, specializes in “social adolescent medicine” — medicine with special attention to prevention and the recognition that social context and stressors impact upon both physical and emotional health. He places specific effort in teaching, research and advocacy efforts that build on the strength of teenagers by fostering their internal resilience. He developed a teen-centered method that mixes qualitative/quantitative methodology to help young people generate, prioritize and explain their own proposed solutions to social problems and to teach clinicians how to better serve them.

A father of two young adult daughters, Ginsburg is a frequent lecturer to national and international audiences. He has worked with The Boys and Girls Club of America to incorporate resilience-building strategies into their programming, and the U.S. military to prepare military parents and professionals to incorporate stress reduction and resilience building strategies into the lives of our nearly 2 million military-affiliated children.

Ginsburg has several parenting books to his credit. In addition to Building Resilience in Children and Teens, he has written Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love with Expectations and Protection with Trust, and Letting Go with Love and Confidence, all published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). He is also the author of Reaching Teens: Strength-Based Communication Strategies to Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development, a comprehensive multimedia toolkit published by the AAP.

Moore, the founder and managing director of Base Ventures — an early-stage tech venture fund, explains how he has done that through his life by making wise choices on the latest Modern Dads Podcast.

The native of the Bay Area of California was one of the first investors in Zappos. He has been one of the “25 Most Influential African-Americans In Tech” by Business Insider. Moore is also a widower, and he discusses overcoming the tragedy of losing his wife and mother of his daughter.

Moore is interviewed by City Dads blog contributor Mike Dorsey for Dorsey’s own Black Fathers, NOW! podcast. Dorsey, known as “Mike D” by many, is an author, business entrepreneur, community organizer, speaker and podcaster who aims to create a community for active and engaged Black fathers.

+ Listen to Erik Moore on Modern Dads Podcast +

Moore spent his early career as an investment banker after earning his undergraduate from Dartmouth College and his MBA from The Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania. In 2016, he was recognized with the Next Generation of Excellence Achievement Award by the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce. The next year he received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, Wharton’s Trailblazer Award for his achievements in venture capital, and was named a Man of Courage, a Ford Motor Co. program to to build communities by advancing the narrative of black men through storytelling, intergenerational forums, and community programs.

Erik Moore is a board member of The Common Ground Foundation—founded by award-winning artist, Common. He serves on the city of Oakland’s Fund Advisory Board and  the advisory board of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco.

Even with all his achievements, Moore — according to his company’s bio — says his most important role is as a father.

Our much-acclaimed Modern Dads Podcast returns Feb. 25 with a new season of episodes covering issues today’s fathers face navigating work, parenthood, relationships and play. If you have a thirst for dad podcasts right this minute, here are a few we think you should check out:

The Art of Fatherhood

Art Eddy knows dad podcasts. He’s produced or hosted them for the Life of Dad social network for years, including the Art of Conversation that focuses on writers who are fathers. His baby these days is the Art of Fatherhood. Here interviews dads from the worlds of entertainment, music and sports about their latest projects and … being a dad, duh! Recent guests have included comedic actor Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live, Mr. Mayor), pro football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, actor Jaleel White (Family Matters) and musician Josh Abbot.

Black Fathers, NOW!

City Dads Group contributor Mike Dorsey is an author, business entrepreneur, community organizer, speaker and — yes — podcaster. Dorsey aims to redefine and uplift the image of African American dads through inspiring discussions with engaged black fathers. Dorsey will be a guest host on the Modern Dads Podcast this season, interviewing venture capitalist Erik Moore.

Charlotte Dads Group Podcast

This podcast by the leaders of one of our most active City Dads chapters kicked off its second season this past autumn. So far they’ve already had a guest expert talking about the secrets of making great barbeque, serious discussions about overcoming one’s parental fears, and doled out advice on making your child’s nighttime routine easier on the both of you. The Charlotte Dads will appear on Modern Dads Podcast to discuss hobbies they share with their kids.

Dad House

This recently launched podcast features City Dads Group contributor Shannon Carpenter and four of his at-home father friends. They yuck it up on any and everything, such as their initial episode’s debate of SUVs vs. minivans. They promise to also take on serious subjects as they plumb their experience raising a combined 16 children in the heart of the Midwest.

The #FatherhoodIsLit Podcast

NYC Dads Group co-organizer (and City Dads blog contributor) James Lopez hosts a self-described “raw and unfiltered” dad podcast that talks about hip hop, the stock market, dealing with life trauma and even making cash by reselling your kids old stuff. Lopez will be a guest host on the Modern Dads Podcast this season, interviewing opera singer Kenneth Kellogg.

The NOMADad Podcast

Brock Lusch, the founder of our Cincinnati Dads Group, started his podcast (an acronym for “Not on My Ass Dad”) in 2018 to share “impactful stories of life experiences, hobbies and those moments that are viral worthy but may only be heard in person or on this show.” In addition to interviewing authors and experts, he’s mined more than a few everyday nuggets such as the father who leads his daughter’s Girl Scout troop. Lusch will be a guest host on the Modern Dads Podcast this season, interviewing children’s book author Vernon Gibbs II.

Dad podcasts photo: © Guillem de Balanzó / Adobe Stock.

Michael Reichert says that just as we no longer believe a girl’s destiny is set by her biology, we need to think the same about boys. The old “boys will be boys” notion of masculinity is not inherent in their DNA.

That and our understanding of how boys learn are among the many things Reichert, the founding director of the Center for the Study of Boys’ and Girls’ Lives at the University of Pennsylvania, says people need to change if we are to raise a new generation of men who can form strong relationships without falling into the macho stereotypes and sexist behaviors of the past.

Reichert dives further into the subject on the latest episode of The Modern Dads Podcast. He discusses the findings in his new book, How to Raise a Boy: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men, along with how parents can talk to boys about the #MeToo movement and gender equality.

Since 1984, Reichert has maintained a clinical practice in the Philadelphia area that specializes in working with boys, men and their families. In addition to direct patient care, he has served as the supervising psychologist at an independent boys’ school and has had the opportunity there to create and lead a program designed to enhance boys’ emotional literacy.

In addition to How to Raise a Boy, Reichert has publish numerous articles and several books. These include the books Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Lessons About What Works — and Why and I Can Learn From You: Boys as Relational Learners. He currently writes a column for Psychology Today.

+ + Listen to this podcast on iTunes + +

Raising Empowered Daughters: A Dad-to-Dad Guide, to be released in June 2019, is “a fists-up handbook for helping dads dismantle the patriarchy,” Adamick’s website. On the show, he and host Whit Honea talk about Adamick’s efforts to meet dads where they are to discuss equality, representation and feminism. One way, he says, is to start by changing the way we talk about boys and their perception of what is and isn’t acceptable.

As to the book, Adamick’s website says, “As a primary male role model in a girl’s life, a father influences his daughter in profound ways, from the way she defines her female identity to what she expects from men. In Raising Empowered Daughters, Mike Adamick offers a wise and witty handbook for dads, suggesting ways to raise girls who won’t settle for second-class-citizenship. Examining the extraordinary array of sexisms — both subtle and not-so-subtle — girls encounter, Adamick highlights not just the ways that girls and boys are treated differently but how the roles of moms and dads are shaped by society, too.

“Full of eye-opening anecdotes and dad-relatable humor, this is a necessary guide for every father who wants to raise a confident daughter.”

Adamick, a stay-at-home dad, is the author of a bestselling family craft series: Dad’s Book of Awesome Projects, Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments and Dad’s Book of Awesome Recipes. He has written for or been featured in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, CBS Morning Show, PBS and more. He has been a keynote speaker for the BlogHer and Dad 2.0 Summit conferences, and he penned the “Daddy Issues” column for the Jezebel website.

Adamick, a San Francisco resident, is an OG dad blogger. His blog, Cry It Out, was once named the “best dad blog in cyberspace” by the Babble parenting website.