Single Dads Are Sexy

On June 15th we did a live taping of the podcast at the official launch of my book, Single Dads Are Sexy. My good friend, Nancy Regan, the host of the Soul Booth podcast, turned the mic on me for the evening. It was an intense chat and I am extremely grateful to Nancy and our audience for coming out to celebrate with me and my publishing partner/producer, Paul MacInnis. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about my childhood, my relationship with fear, and my thoughts about single parenthood and being a man in these challenging and changing times.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Zenneth Nevers. Zenneth is a comedian, motivational speaker, and founder of a children’s charity called the Nevers Foundation. He has two kids Zenneth Jr. 13 and Isabella 11. Zenneth and I talk about different parent styles, parenting full time, keeping a positive view of your ex in front of your kids, recovering from childhood abuse, and forgiveness, healing, and moving on.

Robbie is a realtor, a stylist, a YouTuber, a cyclist, a father of 4 and a gay Christian advocate from Greenville, South Carolina. He says he’s been through a lot in the 30 plus years he’s been here and hopes his pain and successes can help others along their journeys. He is a single dad of 4 – three girls, Blair (10), Eloise (7) and Maxine (5). And his eldest is a boy named Davis who’s 12. Robbie and I talk about being a gay single dad after 14 years with a woman, getting a formal agreement in place before you leave the marital home, getting to the other side with your ex after the most difficult of circumstances, the challenges of single parenting an infant, dating men as a single dad AND a southerner, the paralyzing fear of losing your kids for being gay, and staying connected to your faith after coming out.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Randall Chesnutt. Randall is a loving father to his daughter Zerrah who is ten. He’s a Best Selling Author of the book “Open Your Mind and Let Doubt Out”, a Professional Speaker and Social Media Strategist. In 2015, Randall founded Spoken About, A Digital Marketing Firm specializing in Facebook, Instagram and Youtube Advertising. He truly believes that Social Media networking sites have paved the way for communicating across the globe. Randall feels passionate about how social media can be used wisely to empower small business owners and enjoys talking about the pros and cons of social media participation. His personal and professional philosophy stems from his own shortcomings. “Strive to understand thyself and respect those who are different. For those who are different, just might have the answers you’re seeking.” Randall and I talk about wearing a Chicago Cubs hat in Houston, parenting long distance, accepting your new situation, supporting your ex’s happiness, making home for your child in an unusual place, missing out on early childhood moments, trying to read your daughter’s mind as a man, and making sure you maintain consistency with your kid for the benefit of you both.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Mike Maloney. Mike is a very close friend of mine as well as a partner in my consulting company, Barn Raisers Facilitation. We’re so close, I’m even the godfather of his twin girls, Cassie and Chloe. My buddy Mike is a PR and Comms expert who has worked at several of North America’s top PR and ad agencies. With a particularly deep expertise in the tech, lifestyle and enterprise spaces, Mike’s work has gone onto win international awards, fuelling millions of dollars’ worth of coverage in media outlets across North America. Most importantly, he is a dad or step-dad to a total of six kids – Cierra (23), Amaya (22), Simon (13), Layla (6), and Cassie and Chloe (3). He’s a busy dude. Mike had a stretch there where he was a single dad to his son, Simon, so he knows the ups and downs of that journey all too well. Mike and I talk about a lot of stuff including: how to be a great co-parent from a different city and even country, splitting when your kid is still an infant, the fear of missing out that’s triggered by a breakup, moving too quickly in new relationships, worrying about how your family will react to divorce, getting along with your new girlfriend’s kids and their ex, and managing the chaos of twins.

Today we have something a little different. Though she is now engaged to a wonderful new guy, Rebekah Higgs, was a single mom for quite a while to her daughter Lennon, who is now 6. Rebekah has made a name for herself in the home renovation & decor scene. Her unique design perspective and budget friendly DIY’s have been recognized nationally as DIY MOM pics are popping up all over the internet. Rebekah is building her empire, one Air BNB at a time, and in recently aired DIY MOM season 2, renovating an old basement apartment into a short term rental. Rebekah put her design powers to good use, raising money for the YWCA by opening her home up to the public for the Holidays. The holiday decorating frenzy inspired the DIY MOM CHRISTMAS SPECIAL released on Bell TV on Demand in December of 2018. 2019 promises big things for Rebekah as she throws herself into more home renovations, future Air BNB' reno’s and a whole new season of DIY MOM. Rebekah and I talk about being a single mom, struggling to make ends meet on your own, reinventing your career to match your new circumstances, becoming a parent before your friends do, making room for someone new in your life, trying to see things from your ex’s perspective, and how to make your house a home for your kids.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Liam Hennessey. Liam and I have a kind of funny connection in that the way we met was he was my wedding photographer. He is the owner of Applehead Studio + Halifax Photo Booth in Halifax, Nova Scotia and single dad to 2 girls, Lola 10 and Ruby 8. He refers to himself as an unofficially divorced, very happy photographer with a very wide grey line between work + fun. He is a great and fun guy and an absolutely incredible photog. You can check out his work out for yourself at appleheadstudio.com. And hey, if you dig it, they shoot all over the world so maybe he can photograph your next wedding! Liam and I talk about being a separated wedding photographer, living in the same house as your ex, getting to a better place with your co-parent, helping your kids adjust to the split, how to laugh again, and what to do about those pesky online wedding photos of you and your ex after you divorce so they don’t squash your dating life.

A few months ago I came across an amazing article titled “Why I Only Date Recently Divorced Dads”. Along with being very candid and funny, it was great to get a female point of view. So today we’re speaking with the author of that article, Dana Hamilton. Dana is passionate about everything having to do with the body, and writes about sex, dating, relationships, body image, and eating disorder recovery. She’s a frequent contributor to Playboy and her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Time Out NY, and SELF, among other publications. After driving (and dating) across the country and back on her own for all of 2018, Dana now splits her time between New York, Boston, and Chicago. Dana and I talk about her road trip blog “Eat, Drive, Fuck”, dating styles across the country, the story behind her article, the opportunity in exploring new things sexually after a long-term relationship, sex positivity, casual sex, talking to your kids about the birds and the bees, and being honest in your dating life. You can reach Dana on the web www.danahamilton.com and on Instagram and Twitter @dana_hamilton_

Today we’re talking to fellow single dad, Robert Angel. Rob is best known as the Creator of Pictionary While still waiting tables Rob created, produced and marketed the first 1000 Pictionary games (of 38 million sold) in his tiny apartment. There was no Internet, no Facebook and the PC wasn’t even mainstream yet. By using social media of the day, word of mouth, he used a very get your hands dirty approach to success. A manual on how to produce and sell a board game didn’t exist, so he used his intuition and by listening to his gut he created a global brand that became the biggest selling board game of the last 30 years. Rob is writing a memoir of his life’s philosophies and his journey with Pictionary. Divorced since 2001 Rob is an avid participant in Burning Man, runs with the bulls, whale shark dives and is always looking for the next adventure. His life is definitely not boring. Most proud accomplishment: Father to Samantha age 24 and Ben age 22. 2 outstanding human beings! Rob and I talk about keeping it positive with your ex, getting back to being friends, keeping kids out of the middle, getting along with your ex, how to keep the disruption to your kids to a minimum, creating one on one time for each of your kids, why he doesn’t want to hang out with his kids at Burning Man, and getting back to dating.

Alan Stein, Jr. is a coach, consultant, speaker and author with an expertise in improving organizational performance, cohesion and accountability. He spent 15 years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet… including NBA superstar Kevin Durant. He now travels the world teaching organizations how to utilize the same strategies in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. Alan is an amicably divorced father of twin sons (Luke and Jack, 8) and a daughter (Lyla, 6) and lives just outside of Washington, D.C. You can go online wherever you buy books and buy his book, Raise Your Game: High Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best. Alan and I talk about getting married and starting a family later in life, finding happiness and fulfillment after your split, the importance of therapy, getting along with your ex, how to accept your relationship is over, being your best self for your kids, the lowest point in your first year and how to get out of it, and being the bigger person in a conflict.

Brian Fanzo inspires, motivates and educates businesses on how to leverage emerging technologies and digital marketing to standout from the noise and reach the millennial and generation z consumers. He has a diverse background working for the Department of Defense in cybersecurity, then as a technology evangelist at a booming cloud computing startup and is currently the founder of iSocialFanz. Brian hosts two podcasts (FOMOFanz & SMACtalk), has traveled to over 70 countries and has spoken at many of the worlds largest events including SXSW, Social Media Marketing World, CES, Mobile World Congress. Brian is a diehard Pittsburgh sports fan and semi professional poker player that isn’t afraid to leverage his fast talking skills to read your body language and spot when you’re bluffing, Most importantly he is a single dad to three adorable little girls – Logan (4), Kinsley (7), and Chloe (8). Brian and I talk about raising all girls, seeing you and your ex in your kids, managing parenting when you travel a lot for work, creating a warm and comfortable home for your kids, setting priorities, dealing with huge change, getting married really young, being alone, dealing with lawyers and the court system, and something he calls “screenshot awesomeness”.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Demian Ross. Demian is a digital nomad at present travelling around the U.S. and a little bit of Canada creating an incredible video erries called Road to 300 where he talks about life with some tips about business and marketing sprinkled in. He has four kids, Danica (27), Dylan (25), Luke (19), and Hope (17). Demian and I talk about becoming a dad as a teen, earning a living on the wrong side of the law, getting sober, parenting solo, how to be strict without going overboard, encouraging your kids to have a positive relationship with your ex, getting by without much cash, regrets, and keeping connected with your adult kids when they move away. You can connect with Demian on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and LinkedIn at his name Demian Ross or on his website demianross.com. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Today we’re speaking with fellow single dad, Peter Shankman. Peter is the founder of Help A Reporter Out, which is currently the largest free source repository in the world as well as ShankMinds: Breakthrough, an online community of business professionals from around the world who come together to give and get advice, increase their business, and improve their lives. Additionally, Peter is also the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., a boutique Social Media, Marketing and PR Strategy firm located in New York City, with clients worldwide. His blog, which he launched in 1995 at https://www.shankman.com, both comments on and generates news and conversation. He's the author of five books including his latest: Faster Than Normal, Unlocking the Gifts of the ADHD Brain and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at conferences and tradeshows worldwide. Most importantly, he is a single dad to a five-year old daughter Jessa living in New York. Peter and I talk about a lot of stuff including: be a great co-parent with your ex, breaking the news about the split to a toddler, the philosophy of kids first, how to get through the worst of it and stay positive, dealing with addiction, and being a dad with ADHD. You can connect with Peter on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and LinkedIn at his name Peter Shankman or on his website shankman.com. I hope you enjoy this conversation.