No Off Season 4 Dads

Picture a sixteen-year-old boy. Strong. Disciplined. Up at five every morning to train before school. He tracks every gram of protein. He never misses a workout, not for a birthday, not for a family dinner, not even when he is hurt.And every single morning, he stands in front of the mirror and sees someone small. Not smaller than he used to be. Smaller than everyone. He is not lazy. He is not careless.He is, by every outside measure, doing everything right. And he is quietly suffering.There is a name for what he may be living with. Most fathers have never heard it. Today, we are going to change that.After you listen, ensure you engage with www.nooffseason4dads.com. Read the blogs. Donate to the cause. Leave your thoughts. Share with friends.And as always, Listen. Enjoy. Share. Fund. Repeat.Episode Resources:Mitchison, D., Mond, J., Griffiths, S., Hay, P.,Nagata, J. M., Bussey, K., Trompeter, N., Lonergan, A., & Murray, S. B.(2021). Prevalence of muscle dysmorphia in adolescents: findings from the EveryBODY study. Psychological Medicine. Eisenberg, M. E., Wall, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D.(2012). Muscle-enhancing behaviors among adolescent girls and boys. Pediatrics, 130(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-0095Nagata, J. M., Hur, J. O., Murakami, K., Ganson, K.T., He, J., Murray, S. B., & Lavender, J. M. Muscle dysmorphia in adolescents and young adults. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.Pope, H. G., Gruber, A. J., Choi, P., Olivardia, R.,& Phillips, K. A. (1997). Muscle dysmorphia: An underrecognized form of body dysmorphic disorder. Psychosomatics, 38(6), 548-557.Pope, H. G., Phillips, K. A., & Olivardia, R.(2000). The Adonis Complex: The secret crisis of male body obsession. Free Press.National Alliance for Eating Disorders / NationalEating Disorders Association educational resource on muscle dysmorphia (prevalence among college students and male weightlifters; violent victimization as a risk factor, citing the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors).

In this episode, Dijon shares how his wife carried him and their family through a recent illness and hospitalization, explores why a true partner is a pillar for doing life, raising children, and making a home, guides dads through a reflection on appreciation, encourages single fathers to prepare their homes without pressure, and issues two challenges: Seven Days of Seeing Her, and helping fund the platform.

Whether it's a layoff nobody saw coming or a calling he finallylistened to, when a father pivots careers, the whole house feels the shift —not just the bank account. This episode unpacks what a career pivot actually does to a family system and to a father's own sense of self, then walks througha practical, faith-grounded framework for managing the transition without losing yourself or your people in the process.Resources Referenced •     How to Know a Person — David Brooks•     The First 90 Days — Michael Watkins•     Work Stronger — Pete Leibman•     Group Dynamics for Teams — Daniel Levi & David Askay•     Nancy Schlossberg's 4 S Transition ModelAlso ensure that you go to www.nooffseason4dads.com for more tips and resources as well as how to help fund the platform. And as always...Listen. Enjoy. Share. Find. Repeat.

One hundred episodes ago, I sat down with a simple belief: fatherhood isn't a season you clock in and out of — it's a posture you hold every single day.I didn't know if that belief would resonate beyond my own living room. A hundred conversations later, I have my answer.Over the past 100 episodes of No Off Season 4 Dads, we've talked about civic duty as a fatherhood competency — how the way we show up to vote, to serve, to disagree respectfully, becomes the blueprint our kids absorb before they ever read it in a textbook. We've honored the women who shaped our families long before we understood what shaping even meant. We've talked leadership, faith, education, and what it actually looks like to build character in the rooms nobody's watching.None of that happens without community. It happens because educators, coaches, civic leaders, and fathers kept showing up — listening, sharing, and investing in a message they believed in.So here's my ask, and it's a genuine one:If your organization — a school, a district, a civic group, a company — is looking for a voice on fatherhood, leadership, DEI, or civic engagement for a webinar, seminar, or staff function, I'd be honored to be in that room. This message was never meant to stay in headphones.And if you've been part of this journey already, help us take the next step: we're working to raise $1,000 by the end of August to keep building what's next. Every share, every listen, every conversation you start with someone else — that's how we got to 100.Listen. Enjoy. Share. Fund. Repeat.

It's the night before school starts. Your teenager is in their room, door closed, probably on their phone. And you're standing in the hallway thinking: should I go in? Is there something I should say right now? Is there anything I can dotonight that tells them I see this moment?Maybe you knock. Maybe they give you a one-word answer and you walk back out thinking: I tried. But here's the question I want to sit with tonight: Is trying enough? Or is there a different kind of showing up that our teenagers actually need from us — especially at the start of a new year?I'm Dijon. This is No Off Season 4 Dads. I've spent nearly two decades working alongside teenagers in classrooms, advisory settings, and coaching circles. And I have watched what it looks like when a father leans in at exactly the right moment. In this episode we are going deep on one of the most underestimated seasons of active fatherhood: the beginning of a new academic year. We're going to look at what the research actually says about father involvement and teen outcomes. We're going to get practical about what teenagers need. And we're going to leave with a challenge that will carry you not just through the first week, but through the entire school year.Afterwards, go to www.nooffseason4dads.com for the tips and resources provided for further context. Ensure that you also donate to the cause of No Off Season 4 Dads on the website. And as always,Listen. Enjoy. Share. Fund. Repeat.

What did your father teach you? And what did you have to figure out on your own because he wasn't there to teach it?In this raw and personal episode, Dijon Anderson sits with a question he put to his social media community and the responses that stopped him in his tracks. Men and women opened up about the lessons they never received about money, emotions, relationships, and simply being present, and what it cost them to learn those things the hard way.Drawing on listener responses, two powerful books: Tony Evans' Kingdom Man and Richard Reeves' Of Boys and Men — and peer-reviewed research on fatherhood, intergenerational transmission, and adverse childhood experiences, this episode moves through grief and into action.This episode is for every man and woman who has ever tried to give his children what he was never given. It's for every father who is building a blueprint in real time. And it's for every person still healing from a gap that was never supposed to be there.BOOKS REFERENCEDKingdom Man — Tony Evans (2012)Evans challenges men to understand their God-given role not as a position of power, but as a responsibility of stewardship over themselves, their families, their communities. A Kingdom Man doesn't wait until he's healed to lead. He leadswhile he heals.• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers• Available at: tonyevans.org and major booksellersOf Boys and Men — Richard V. Reeves (2022)Brookings Institution scholar Reeves documents the growing crisis facing boys and men in education, the workplace, and family life and proposes structural solutions rather than moral judgments. Essential reading for anyone who wants tounderstand the systemic forces behind the "dad deficit."• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press• Available at: brookings.edu and major booksellersRESOURCES & LINKS• NOS4Dads Website & Giving Page: nooffseason4dads.com• Speaking & Booking Inquiries: nooffseason4dads.com• Instagram: @nos4dads• TikTok: @dijondabassman• Facebook: No Off Season 4 Dads• LinkedIn: L. Dijon Anderson• Episode Hashtags:#WhatIWishILearned #NOS4Dads #FatherhoodMatters  #BreakTheCycle #KingdomMan💛COMMUNITY INVESTMENT CHALLENGE $1,000 by End of August  - Give at nooffseason4dads.com Every dollar goes directly into building this platform for fathers. Share the link. Tell someone.

Let me ask you something: Has a kid ever run up to you, not your own child, but somebody else's and just... grabbed your hand? Or maybe a young person you used to teach, coach, or mentor, reached back out to tell you something they haven't told their own father?If that's happened to you, this episode is for you. Because somewhere along the way, you became the Uncle.In this episode, I am talking about one of the most powerful roles a man can carry: not just father to his own, butmentor, safe harbor, and anchor for the generation coming up around him.I provide 5 facets to look for and 5 tips to use in becoming this role. Afterwards, ensure that you take on the 'Uncle Audit Challenge' (located at the end of the notes). Finally, ensure that you go to the website (www.nooffseason4dads.com) for these and other resources.My final ask is that you share this episode with someone you believe needs to hear these words.Listen. Enjoy. Share. Fund. RepeatChallenge:"The Uncle Audit"A 5-Part Reflection for Fathers, Uncles & Chosen MenSet aside 15–20 minutes this week. Find a quiet space. Be honest with yourself.Question1: Who are you the Uncle to?Write down the names of the young people in your life, biological children or not, who you feel genuinely trust you. Who runs to you? Who texts you when things go sideways? Who lights up when you walk in the room? Don't overthink it. Write the names.Question 2:When did you last invest in them intentionally?Look at your list. For each name, when was the last time you reached out not because you had to, but because you wanted to? Not at a family event or scheduled time, but just... because? If you're struggling to remember, that's your answer.Question 3:What do they see you modeling?If the young people in your orbit were describing how you handle stress, disagreement, failure, or success, what would they say? Is that the lesson you want to be teaching? Be honest. We model more than we mentor.Question 4:Who was your Uncle?Think about the (man or men) who played this role in your life. Whether it was a biological uncle, a teacher, a coach, a neighbor, or pastor. What did he do that you still carry? Write it down. Now ask yourself: am I giving that same gift tosomeone else?Question 5:What is your one next step?Choose one young person from your list. Identify one specific action you will take this week to invest in them. A phone call. A handwritten note. An invitation to spend time together. A conversation you've been putting off. Write it down. Put it in your calendar. Do the thing.Share your one next step in the NOS4Dadscommunity. Tag us @nos4dads and use #IAmTheUncle — let's hold each other accountable.For the scholarly reference list, please go to www.nooffseason4dads.com

What does it really mean to advocate for your teenager? In this episode, I break down the difference between doing the work for your kid and equipping them to do it themselves. I cover the 5 tools every teen needs from their dad, how to handle the hardest moments of adolescence without taking over, and a special word for the dads who feel like they've missed the window. Plus, a challenge that could change the conversation in your home this week.Key Takeaways:Advocacy means equipping, not rescuingThe 5 tools: Language, People, Regulation, Documentation, BeliefHow to handle school, social, and opportunity situationsIt is never too late to re-engageThe conversation your teen needs you to start this weekResources: nooffseason4dads.com | @nooffseason4dads

America turns 250 this July 4th.But what does that really mean for us, Black dads, Latino dads, Indigenous dads, immigrant dads and the teenagers we're raising in this country right now?This week's episode of No Off Season 4 Dads (www.nooffseason4dads.com) is one of the most important conversations we've had. We're talking about the founding of this nation through our lens. The full story. The complicated parts and the celebrations. And most importantly, what we need to be telling our teens before they face this world without us in the room.Resources:Article 1: "What the 250th Anniversary Means to Black and Latino Americans" — Navigator Research (navigatorresearch.org) — A data-driven public opinion report surveying over 2,000 registered voters on patriotism, the American Dream, and what America's 250th means across communities of color.Article 2: "The Declaration of Independence and the Pursuit of Equality" — Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (gilderlehrman.org) — A scholarly examination of who was included — and excluded — from the founding promise of freedom, featuring Indigenous, Black, and women's perspectives from 1776 forward.Article 3: "I Study the Declaration of Independence — Here's Why the Colonists' Grievances Are Surprisingly Relevant, 250 Years Later" — The Conversation (theconversation.com) — A history professor's accessible breakdown of how communities of color appear throughout the Declaration's grievances, often hidden in plain sight.

A replay on an episode broadcast in June of last year, I talk about Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. But the end of this rebroadcast provides a detailed challenge to all fathers listening. June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. Just like taking care of your physical health, it is essential that your mental health is a top priority as well. Listen as I talk about the importance of making your mental health a priority and tips to ensure. Afterwards, go to www.nooffseason4dads.com and sign up for the upcoming newsletter. And as always,Listen. Enjoy. Share. Fund. Repeat.Resources:⁠Men's Mental Health Awareness Month | Support & Resources⁠⁠By the Numbers: Men and depression⁠⁠Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month: When and How to Support⁠⁠Men's Mental Health - Mental Health QuotesA Note:I've got a one-minute challenge for you, and I need you to take it seriously. June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. For some of us, the phrase "mental health" is ugly because we weren't taught to appreciate it. We were taught to handle our situations. Push through. Stay strong. Figure it or them out alone. But here's the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. A truth is that many of us are running on fumes, leading families, showing up for everybody else and checking in with nobody about how we actually are.So here's the challenge. It's called The 30-Day Check-In. Every day this month, ask yourself one honest question: "How am I, really?" Then write the answer down. One sentence. That's it. No one has to see it. No one has to grade it. Just you, telling yourself the truth. That's the SMART goal: one sentence, once a day, for 30 days. Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant. Time-bound. By the end of the month, you'll have thirty days of data on your own soul. From this you can see patterns that will show up that you didn't know were there.No off season means no off season, especially on the inside. Take the challenge. Share it with another dad. And let's grow together.By L. Dijon Anderson | nooffseason4dads.com