FamLEAD Blog

Picture this. You're 75 years old. Your kids are in their 40s and 50s. They're sitting around a table with their own kids, and someone asks: "What was it like growing up in your house?" What do you want them to say? Do you want them to remember a dad who was always working? Always distracted? Physically present but emotionally absent? Or do you want them to remember shared meals, bedtime prayers, camping trips, and hard conversations? A dad who showed up. Who listened. Who led with strength...

Guys, Some of you are part of our group that's meeting in person every other week. We'll be back together in person on Wednesday. Others are using this content to discuss with other men in their lives or even to self-reflect. If you are interested in starting your own in-person group and want some extra help facilitating, send me a note. In the meantime, my group is meeting through end of May before a summer break, and I'll continue to share these discussion topics every two weeks. Recap Our...

I’ve noticed that farming often skips a generation. My parents both grew up on farms and decided they didn’t want those same responsibilities as adults. Still, I have great memories of visiting my grandparents’ farms when I was a kid. Brittany has similar memories with hers. For both of us, the idea of moving a little out of town and getting some land always held a certain appeal. We pictured a big garden, a few animals, and a simpler life for our kids. In early 2019, we found the right...

Guys, A lot has been happening the last few weeks. I launched the latest "30 Day Sprint", but this time, I'm working with a group of young husbands. Usually I include systems and frameworks for leading a family with kids. This latest Sprint is focused exclusively on who a family leader is, how great leaders lead and what high level leadership actually does. Going forward, I'll most likely have two different Sprint programs: Leadership Mindset and Leadership Frameworks. Something like that....

Guys, I’ve entered the stage of life that many fathers dread. My 15-year-old daughter is dating. “Dating.” What does that even mean, really? This post isn’t about all the ins and outs of if or when kids should be allowed to date. To go there, you first have to define what dating even is. That's not what I want to cover today. Here’s enough context to understand what’s happening. My daughter’s school has dances. Last weekend, she went to one with a guy. They’ve been talking quite a bit in the...

Happy New Year guys! I'm opening the doors for the next 30 Day Family Leadership Sprint, and I want to personally invite you and any guys that you think could benefit. The Sprint is all about applying proven leadership principles to marriage, parenting, and family culture. We will officially launch on Monday, January 26 and run through Tuesday, February 24. Here's what to expect: Short daily content Monday through Friday with simple reflection prompts Weekends for review and application...

Guys, I’ve got four kids still in the house. There’s one outcome I care about more than any other. It’s not about achievements. It’s not even their happiness. It’s not that they “discover their identity” or anything like that. I pray that they retain certain character traits, values, and worldviews as they grow up and step into adulthood. That’s right. I’m not hoping they “find themselves” and create their own values from scratch. I believe in absolute truth. I also believe God gave dads a...

We seem to hear about "Mom guilt" all the time. But what about "Dad guilt"? Let me start by saying that this has nothing to do with playing the victim or any sort of "poor me" mentality. As leaders, we don't get to be victims. And we're never in the game of scorekeeping or comparison with our wives. Instead, this is about how we handle and harness these uncomfortable feelings. Do they lead to action or paralysis? The guilt I'm referring to here is that feeling of not doing enough. Not being...

A few random whiteboards hung in my garage. It’s far from a Pinterest worthy collage or a beautifully framed family crest. Maybe one day with help from the ladies in the family. Instead, I just hung a few whiteboards in our garage. I cobbled this together over the years for one simple reason: the things you want to shape your family culture have to be visible. Starting on the right. A small whiteboard to track fines. Fines are the primary consequence we use when expectations aren’t met. Each...

It was a Saturday afternoon when I finally brought it up with Brittany. We were driving home from one of our kids' games. The kids were laughing in the back seat, but my mind was elsewhere. For weeks, I’d been thinking about starting a weekly family meeting. Although the idea of a family meeting might sound cold or rigid, meetings are really just an intentional opportunity for people to come together and talk about things that matter. Well run meetings can be really effective outside the...

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...