I Am Dad

Some voices educate us. Others challenge us. And then there are voices that reach places within us that we have spent a lifetime trying to protect. Dr. Janice Stevenson was one of those voices. In this special tribute from I Am Dad Podcast, we revisit some of the most powerful moments from our conversations, interviews, and community gatherings featuring Dr. Stevenson, a psychologist whose decades of work centered trauma, emotional wellness, healing, and the importance of understanding the human experiences behind our behavior. For years, Dr. Stevenson challenged the expectations placed upon men, particularly Black men, to remain strong, silent, unemotional, and unaffected by life's pain. She understood that behind anger there is often hurt, behind silence there may be grief, and behind the appearance of strength there may be a man desperately searching for permission to be vulnerable. Her words reminded us that men do not stop being human when they become fathers, husbands, providers, or protectors. Throughout this collection of memorable moments, Dr. Stevenson speaks candidly about the emotional lives of men, the consequences of unresolved childhood trauma, the importance of mental health treatment, and the responsibility families and communities share in creating environments where emotional honesty is welcomed rather than judged. She challenges us to reconsider what we teach boys about crying, why men struggle to find language for their emotional pain, and how the wounds of one generation can quietly become the burdens of the next. One particularly moving moment captures a young man confronting the pain of his relationship with his father. What follows is a powerful example of the courage required to acknowledge hurt, speak difficult truths, and begin the work of repairing a relationship.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, the Moynihan Institute for Fatherhood Research and Policy takes over the conversation as Dr. Jeffery Shears sits down with Dr. Lorenzo Hopper to discuss his research on how young men perceive fatherhood before becoming fathers. Dr. Hopper, a fellow of the Moynihan Institute and colleague of Dr. Shears at UNC Charlotte, shares how his own upbringing, his work in maternal and child health, and his interest in fatherhood led him to study the future fatherhood identity of young men. His research asks a powerful question: what are young men thinking, fearing, hoping, and preparing for before they ever step into the role of dad? The conversation centers on a qualitative study of young men ages 18 to 25 and what they believe fatherhood requires. Many of the men had already thought deeply about what kind of fathers they wanted to become. Some wanted to build on the example of their own fathers. Others wanted to correct what they felt they missed. Across the conversation, one theme rises to the surface: being there is not enough.

In this episode of Sideline Dad, powered by the I Am Dad Podcast Network, host Javin Foreman welcomes Craig Young, father of Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and 2023 number one overall NFL Draft pick. But this conversation is not just about football. Craig brings a powerful perspective shaped by fatherhood, mental health, faith, coaching, family sacrifice, and his own journey of growing up without his father present. He speaks honestly about what it means to raise a young athlete without losing sight of the child, the relationship, or the emotional health of the family. Craig reflects on his early desire to give Bryce every opportunity he did not have, and how that intensity eventually forced him to confront something deeper. When his wife told him that Bryce did not want him to coach him or even be around him, Craig had to make a choice: protect the dream or protect the relationship. His answer became one of the central lessons of this episode: if athletic success comes at the cost of the father-child relationship, it is not worth it. This episode explores: • Raising the child, not just the athlete • Why a child’s happiness still matters in competitive sports • How fathers can support big dreams without taking over the dream • The emotional cost of youth sports pressure • Why parents must check in with their children, not just their performance • How father absence shaped Craig’s commitment to be present • Why therapy and mental health support matter for fathers • What it means to give young athletes agency and responsibility • How families can build a village around a young athlete • Why gratitude, consistency, character, and resilience matter more than rankings Craig also shares lessons from his book, Growing Up Young: One Family’s Faith Journey to the NFL, where he writes about family, faith, sports, mental health, and the spiritual and emotional strategies that helped shape Bryce’s journey. He is clear that the book is not meant to sell a formula for athletic success. It is meant to help families pursue excellence without destroying themselves in the process. One of the most powerful moments comes when Craig discusses Bryce being benched in the NFL and how Bryce handled it with grace, discipline, humility, and preparation. Craig admits that as a father, he wanted to fight back publicly, but Bryce’s response taught him something about character, faith, and when a parent needs to step back instead of becoming a distraction. This conversation is for fathers, mothers, coaches, sports parents, athletes, and anyone trying to help children pursue their gifts without losing themselves along the way.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell welcomes his longtime friend, brother, and Fathers Incorporated board president, Bishop Darren Ferguson, for a thoughtful conversation about fatherhood, manhood, faith, biblical identity, and character. The conversation begins with a moment that stopped Kenneth in his tracks. After hearing a story about a husband who kept answering the question “Who are you?” by naming everything he did, Kenneth began wrestling with a deeper question: Who am I, not by title, work, or responsibility, but by character? That question led Kenneth to ask: What man in the Bible am I? At first, he considered Joseph and Moses, but the answer that emerged was more layered. Kenneth reflects on being connected to David, complicated, faithful, reckless, impulsive, yet still a man after God’s own heart, and then growing into Nehemiah, the builder, problem-solver, and restorer who could not walk away from something broken. Bishop Ferguson responds with his own reflection, beginning with David’s flaws, repentance, and humanity, then moving toward Abraham as a symbol of legacy, generational responsibility, and pouring wisdom into those who come after us.  

In this powerful episode of I Am Dad Podcast, Dr. Matisa Wilbon hosts a heartfelt conversation with Alex Lima, a father of six, grandfather of three, and a man who began his fatherhood journey at just 16 years old. Alex brings a rare and honest perspective on what it means to grow up while raising children, to father children across different stages of life, and to navigate the realities of multiple parenting relationships. His story moves through young fatherhood, co-parenting, blended family formation, faith, maturity, and the ongoing work of becoming the kind of father his children need. One of the most compelling parts of Alex’s story is how he reflects on co-parenting across different relationships. With his oldest children, he describes building a fluid and healthy co-parenting culture where his former partner, new partners, extended family, and support systems could all show up together around the children. He remembers being at games and family moments where everyone understood the assignment: they were on “Team Kids.” Alex is also honest that not every co-parenting relationship worked the same way. He speaks candidly about the challenges, emotional discomfort, and ripple effects that can happen when adults struggle to create that same shared family rhythm. Rather than presenting blended family life as simple, he offers something more useful: a real picture of growth, accountability, sacrifice, and the maturity required to keep children from carrying adult conflict. This conversation explores: • What it means to become a father at 16 • How fatherhood gave Alex discipline and focus • Parenting across different relationships and stages of life • What healthy co-parenting can look like after a romantic relationship ends • Why blended families require humility, sacrifice, and vision • How fathers can help children feel whole across households • Why parents must put children above ego, discomfort, and old hurt • How growing up without his father shaped Alex’s commitment to presence • Why children need truthful conversations from both fathers and mothers • How faith and maturity changed Alex’s approach to fatherhood • Why the co-parenting village matters At the center of this episode is a powerful lesson: co-parenting maturity is not about pretending everything is easy. It is about adults doing the hard emotional work necessary so children can feel loved, supported, and whole. Alex reminds us that fatherhood is not frozen at the age you became a dad. It grows as you grow. His journey from a 16-year-old father to a 50-year-old father and grandfather shows what can happen when a man chooses presence, learns from mistakes, embraces truth, and keeps becoming.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, the Moynihan Institute for Fatherhood Research and Policy takes over the mic as Dr. Jeffery Shears sits down with Dr. Armon Perry to discuss his research on fatherhood program participants’ perceptions of incentives and program supports. Dr. Perry, a professor at the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, has spent his career studying fathers, families, and the systems that either include or exclude dads from the parenting table. In this conversation, he explains why fatherhood programs must move beyond good intentions and think more carefully about what fathers actually need in order to attend, participate, and complete services. The discussion centers on Dr. Perry’s article, “Fatherhood Program Participants’ Perceptions of Incentives and Program Supports,” and the practical lessons it offers to community-based organizations, social service providers, fatherhood programs, researchers, and policymakers. This episode explores: • Why father involvement is connected to better outcomes for children and families • The difference between incentives and program supports • Why a father’s time must be honored and valued • How transportation, food, gift cards, and child support arrears forgiveness can affect participation • Why supports should reduce barriers, not simply reward attendance • How child support debt owed to the state can become a powerful policy lever • Why fatherhood programs must tailor supports to local context • How rural and urban fathers may need different supports • Why programs should ask fathers directly what they need • How community partnerships can help provide resources without overburdening program budgets A key takeaway from the conversation is that incentives and supports are not extras. They are part of the infrastructure that allows fathers to stay connected long enough to receive the full benefit of a program. Dr. Perry compares this to dosage: if a curriculum is designed to provide a full intervention, fathers need enough access and support to receive that full dose. Dr. Perry also challenges programs to resist cookie-cutter models. What works in Louisville may not work the same way in Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, or another community entirely. Transportation vouchers matter where public transit exists. Other communities may need different solutions. The point is not to copy incentives blindly, but to understand the fathers being served and build supports around their lived realities. This conversation is essential for anyone designing, funding, evaluating, or delivering fatherhood services. It reminds us that if we want fathers to show up, we must build programs that show fathers their time, dignity, and realities matter.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, Dr. Matisa Wilbon speaks with Undrenia Burnside, a grandmother, mother, and one of the first "and-co" participants connected to Fathers Incorporated’s Dad & Co. co-parenting team model. Dad & Co. centers fathers while also recognizing that fathers do not raise children in isolation. Children are shaped by a larger village that may include mothers, grandmothers, aunties, coaches, clergy, and other caring adults. In this conversation, Ms. Burnside speaks from the important perspective of a grandmother who loves her son, loves her granddaughter, and chose to participate in the program to better support both. Ms. Burnside shares how her son, Tomar, invited her to join the program as he worked to strengthen his relationship with his daughter, Amira, and her mother. She reflects honestly on what it meant to recognize that her love, concern, and involvement sometimes showed up as over-involvement. Through the program, she began to better understand how to support her son without undermining him as a father.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, Kenneth Braswell sits down with Dr. Matisa Wilbon at the 2026 National Fatherhood Summit for a thoughtful conversation on human flourishing, fatherhood, co-parenting, and emotional wellness. The conversation begins with the idea of human flourishing, drawing from the framework of happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. Kenneth and Dr. Wilbon then place that concept inside the developing framework of Co-Parenting Maturity™, asking what it looks like when fathers and co-parents are not only functioning, but truly flourishing. Together, they explore how fathers often enter fatherhood programs carrying barriers connected to child support, custody, parenting time, legal issues, relationship strain, grief, fear, shame, and systems that may not always see them as whole human beings. But this conversation does not stay in the deficit. It pushes toward hope, joy, maturity, resilience, mindfulness, steadiness, covenant, partnership, and the emotional health required to keep children at the center. This episode explores: • What human flourishing means in the context of fatherhood • How Co-Parenting Maturity™ connects to resilience, mindfulness, and steadiness • Why co-parenting must remain child-centered • How communication can either block or build understanding • Why fathers need to be honored as whole human beings • The difference between happiness and joy • How systems can disrupt fathers’ ability to flourish • Why maturity includes learning to find joy beyond barriers • How gratitude, perspective, and emotional wellness can shift fatherhood practice • What “co-parenting flourishing” might mean for fathers, mothers, children, and families Kenneth and Dr. Wilbon also reflect on the importance of language. Words like repair, recovery, rebuilding, maturity, joy, and flourishing matter because they shape how fathers see themselves and how programs support them. Rather than treating fathers as broken, the conversation invites us to see fathers as worthy, resilient, capable, and still becoming. One of the central ideas in this episode is that fathers are not simply program participants. They are human beings with feelings, fears, hopes, dignity, relationships, and children who need the best of them. When fathers flourish, families are strengthened. When co-parents mature, children benefit. When joy becomes part of the work, the conversation moves beyond crisis and toward transformation. This episode is for fathers, mothers, co-parents, practitioners, researchers, faith leaders, family-serving organizations, and anyone interested in the future of fatherhood, family wellbeing, and healthy co-parenting.

In this episode of Sideline Dad, powered by the I Am Dad Podcast Network, host Javin Foreman welcomes Tom Henske, founder of Total Cents and Total Cents University. Tom is a certified financial planner, University of Virginia professor, former two-time All-American soccer player, three-time NCAA champion, author, and financial education leader helping young people, athletes, parents, and universities build stronger financial habits. This conversation connects the world of sports to the world of money. Just like athletes do not wait until game day to prepare, young people should not wait until their first paycheck, NIL deal, endorsement, or career opportunity to learn how money works. Javin and Tom discuss how parents can use ordinary moments such as car rides, dinner conversations, sports fees, shoe purchases, and youth athletics to teach children discipline, decision-making, saving, stewardship, responsibility, and gratitude.

In this episode of I Am Dad Podcast, host Kenneth Braswell interviews Christopher Emanuel, co-founder of Sky Is the Limit Foundation, during the National Shared Parenting Summit in Washington, D.C. Christopher’s story is one of faith, fatherhood, pain, purpose, and perseverance. After his biological daughter became involved in what he describes as human trafficking through adoption, Christopher fought for her, gained full custody, and transformed that experience into a larger mission to serve families, youth, and fathers. In this conversation, Christopher talks about his daughter Skylar, the power of a child’s voice, and the importance of helping young people discover their gifts, talents, and calling. He explains how Sky Is the Limit Foundation began as a community response to truancy, gang involvement, and the lack of father presence, and how it has grown into a safe, gender-specific, trauma-responsive space for youth and families. Kenneth and Christopher also discuss the shared parenting movement, responsible fatherhood, the Responsible Father Registry, adoption trafficking, community healing, and the need to create spaces where fathers feel seen, heard, supported, and equipped. This episode explores: • Christopher Emanuel’s fatherhood journey • How pain can become passion and purpose • The story of Skylar and the power of a child’s voice • Why fathers need safe spaces to be heard and seen • How Sky Is the Limit Foundation supports youth and families • The Responsible Father Registry and adoption trafficking concerns • Why shared parenting advocacy must reach more communities • How fathers can model healing, leadership, and purpose • Why awareness is one of the biggest challenges in shared parenting • The importance of bringing responsible fatherhood and shared parenting work together At the heart of Christopher’s message is a powerful truth: fathers are not asking to replace mothers. Fathers are asking to be recognized, respected, and included in the lives of their children. This conversation is for fathers, mothers, advocates, practitioners, policymakers, youth leaders, and anyone committed to protecting children, strengthening families, and building communities where fathers are fully seen.