5 Takeaways From the Fall 2025 Family Leadership Sprint

Well, the fall 2025 Family Leadership Sprint is in the books. Every day for a month I shared content, tools, and simple action steps to help guys create momentum at home. Taken together, it gave a full walkthrough of the entire Family Leadership System.

Alongside the daily content, I did weekly one-on-one coaching calls with each of the guys. We had a group call, and those who are local are getting together in person this weekend.

I learned a ton about how to level up the next cohort, which launches in January. But more than program tweaks, I walked away with a clearer picture of how dads are thinking about family leadership and how valuable it is to learn from each other.

Midway through the Sprint, I shared a long list of insights. Now that we’re at the end, I’ve narrowed it down to my top five takeaways. I think they’ll be helpful for any dad trying to lead his family with more intention.

1. There’s a fine line between guilt and the relief that comes with taking the first step.

This one keeps coming up. When you read a fatherhood book or discover a great program, it’s easy to compare yourself to the “ideal dad” in the story. You see all the work you need to do, all the wounds you’d have to heal, and it can feel like too much. You hardly know where to start. But you can look at that same example as a model—something to aim at. Then you take one step. And another. You start the journey. You change your trajectory. You stop comparing yourself to an ideal and start comparing yourself to who you were last week, last month or last year. The weight lifts. The journey becomes energizing instead of overwhelming. Perspective is everything.

2. Most of us aren’t trying to live up to our fathers. We’re trying to build on what we were given.

Some dads had fathers who set a high bar. Many didn’t. Either way, most of us aren’t simply trying to repeat what we grew up with. We’re trying to level up. Intentional family leadership isn’t something most of us saw modeled consistently, so we’re figuring it out as we go. Having men around us who are doing the same thing is huge.

3. Real life stories hit hardest.

We’re drowning in content including more and more AI slop. We crave real stories from real guys. What is working? Is that idea realistic? What did they try that failed? What do they struggle with most? We tell ourselves that our problems are unique to us. We believe the lie that no one else can understand what we’re going through. However, the more guys I talk to, the more I realize that so many of our struggles and concerns are common. We realize this by opening up, being honest, and creating community. Leadership can be a lonely job if we let it.

4. Egalitarian dads pushed back still found value.

Although this program is geared towards traditional fathers, the dads were on a range from egalitarian to complementarian. That led to good discussions around topics like:

“Is leadership more a privilege to enjoy or a responsibility to carry?”

“What if my wife is a better leader than I am?”

“Why can’t my wife and I lead 50/50?”

“Do you really think what you’re teaching is true for every marriage?”.

These questions helped me clarify the core foundations of the program (they’re on the main page). And at the same time, they led to some rich conversations for egalitarian couples working out what healthy leadership actually looks like.

5. Being a great family leader starts with being a great husband.

The Sprint starts with the leadership team: you and your wife. Just like at work, team health starts at the top. My own urgency began with the short window we have with kids under our roof—the Launch Window. But if our only goal is raising great kids, we risk ending up with a marriage that’s empty once they leave. Our kids learn far more from what we model than what we say. A healthy marriage and unified leadership team is one of the best gifts we can give them.

I saw this play out during the Sprint. Some dads had wives who were fully supportive and followed along with the Sprint each day. Others knew they had wounds from past mistakes and needed to rebuild leadership capital slowly and steadily. They focused on leading themselves well and giving their wives time to trust the changes they were making. This has mirrored my own journey.

Huge thanks to the guys who joined me for this cohort.

Based on all the feedback, I’m making updates in December and launching a new cohort in January. A few spots remain.

​Here's an overview with more details. ​

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And if you know another dad who’d benefit, please forward this along.

-Andrew