Special Fathers' Network Podcast

Our guest this week is Craig Parks of San Diego, CA who is a professional musician, band leader, camp director, author and father of two including one with special healthcare needs.Craig and his wife, Rachel, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of two children: Nashaman (10) and Jonah (20) who has multiple issues, including: anxiety, attention issues and Autism.Craig has a real passion for working with youth.  He has combined his love of music and talent as a musician with his commitment to serving youth in a variety of ways including serving as a camp director and band leader.More recently Craig authored an e-Book entitled: "Stress Less & Have Fun With Your Kids". He also created a curriculum the "Parenting A to E Course" available at: https://www.parentingharmony.com/ We’ll hear Craig’s story and about his musical and special needs journey on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Phone – (760) 505-3099Email –  craigparks@parentingharmony.comLinkedIn – h

Our guest this week is Tieal Bishop, of Walkerton, IN, mother to six including a medical fragile son and founder of A Rosie Place For Children.Tieal and her husband,Travis, have been married for eight years and between them they are the proud parents of six children: Max (25), Sam (22) and Gigi (20) and triplet 21 year old girls, Madeline, Abby and Kate.   Her oldest son, Max, had a precarious entry into the world.  Diagnosed with RSV, he required a G-Tube for feeding, a Trach for breathing and seven month in the PICU, which resulted in the family staying at the local Ronald McDonald House for seven months. Despite the early challenges, Max is thriving as a young adult.  Tieal is founder of A Rosie Place for Children, a state of the art, nurse-staffed specialty hospital for medically fragile children and respite for their parents, based in South Bend, IN. Tieal has a zest for life and a passion for service.  You'll hear her uplifting story on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Phone – (57

Our guest this week is Phillip Koontz of Monument, CO a retired U.S. Navy Seal, combat veteran, a former pastor, co-founder of Buffalo Leadership Academy, owner of an e-commerce business, author and perhaps most importantly, the father to five children.Phillip and his third wife, Suzanna, have been married for 6 1/2 years and between them are the proud parents of five children: Briah (11), Robert (13), Zadak (13), Madeline (16) and Jacob (18), who is Autistic.   Phillip served for more than five years on Seal Team 10 and is a combat veteran, during which time Danielle, his first wife was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer and died four years later.  His second marriage produced two children: Zadak and Briah. Phillip is also the author of The Truth Behind My Trident, which provides a fascinating look into the U.S. Navy Seals program and some hard truths about the sacrifices made by those who serve.  He is also a principal of Buffalo Leadership Academy and owner of Karambit.com and e-commerce bu

Our guest this week is Dennis Watkins of Oak Park, IL who is a professional magician and father of two adopted children, including a son who is Autistic. Dennis and his husband, Sean Kelly, have been married for seven years and are the proud parents of two adopted children: Magnolia (15 months) and Henry (5), who is Autistic.  Dennis hails from Dallas and a long line of family magicians.  His grandfather, Ed Watkins, was a leader amongst magicians in Texas who had.a national reputation. After taking a BFA from Southern Methodist University, Dennis pursued a career in theatre.  Working his way up from a performer to being a director, Dennis is proprietor of The Magic Parlour, located in downtown Chicago, now in it's 15th season, where he performs six shows a week, which according to Trip Advisor it is the #1 show in Chicago.  Dennis has quite a story to tell and we’ll hear it on this week’s episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Phone – (312) 300-6803Email – dennis@denniswatkins.netWebsite - https:

Our guest this week is Tom Parro of Grayslake, IL, president of MERK Capital and father of three including a daughter with a rare disease.  Tom and his wife, Janice, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of three children: Erin (24), Matthew (20) and Megan (22) who has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) a condition that causes a number of symptoms when you transition from lying down to standing up, such as a fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue. With a degree in accounting and MBA in finance Tom has enjoyed a career in finance leading, 27 years ago, to founding MERK Capital, a boutique investment private equity firm.  We learn about the Parro family, their faith and commitment to one another all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksPhone – (847) 867-9793Email – tomparro@MERKcapital.comLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-parro-405396/Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Ma

Our guest this week is Todd Evans of Brentwood, TN who is a business owner, author and father of two children with disability.  Todd and his wife, Kristin, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of two children: an 18 year old who was born with a metabolic disorder and 14 year old who has Cri du chat syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 5.Together Kristin & Todd maintain the website: DisabilityParenting.com, dedicated to empowering parents of kids with all kinds of disabilities.They are also co-authors of the book, How To Build a Thriving Marriage As You Care For Children with Disabilities.  Todd is also a member of the Nashville SFN Mastermind Group.Theirs is a story about faith, marriage, overcoming adversity and service to others all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Phone – (731) 202-1112Email – mauddib6@gmail.comLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-evans-a35744137/Website - https://disabilityparenting.com/

Our guests this week are father and daughter, Wayne Friedman of Louisville, KY and Reena Friedman Watts of Houston, TX. Wayne and his wife, Maureen, have been married for 45 years and are the proud parents of three daughters: Reena, Jessica and Stephanie, who between them have 13 children, Wayne and Maureen’s grandchildren.  A unique factoid is that Jessica and Stephanie live and work in Israel. Wayne ran a successful multi-generation family owned business for decades before retiring.  Reena and her husband, Will, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of four children ages five to 16.  Reena previously worked for decades as a producer of the Jerry Springer Show, based in Chicago.In addition to being a successful TV producer, Reena now hosts the Better Call Daddy Podcast. At the end of each episode, Wayne leans in and provides his insights and pearls of wisdom.  The podcasts are; creative, interesting and always enlightening.We’ll hear from and about this father-daughter duo on this SFN Dad

Our guest this week is Dana Lange, of Denver, CO who does business development for Tuff Shed, is co-founder and CFO of Bright Life Connections, a non-profit and father of two including a daughter with a rare genetic disease.Dana and his wife, Dana, have been married for 34 years and are the proud parents of two daughters: Sarah (28) and Victoria (26) who has Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental delay, moderate to severe intellectual disability, among other challenges.The Langes are also co-founders of Bright Life Connections a non-profit that helps loved ones effectively manage disability services in the Denver metro area.  They provide resources coordination to enable independence and personal growth for persons with disabilities, and to create opportunities for persons with disabilities to connect in the community to achieve their brightest life.Dana is also a member of the new SFN Mastermind Group in Denver that meets on Monday evenings and he attended the SFN Mater

Our guest this week is Andrew Bustamante of Colorado Springs, CO a former covert CIA intelligence officer, U.S. Air Force combat veteran, business consultant, host of the Everyday Espionage Podcast, a self-proclaimed improvement junkie and perhaps most important of all, father of two adolescent children.Andrew and his wife, Jihi, who is also a former CIA intelligence officer, have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of two adolescent children.In addition to doing business consulting, Andrew is host of the Everyday Espionage Podcast, where he interviews some fascinating guests as well and banters with his wife about their CIA days and how the lessons learned translate into everyday life.  As an example, be sure to check out the episode with ED Jackal, a former covert CIA agent. We also learn about why doctors, clergy and Peace Corps volunteers never serve in the CIA and why journalists seem to always be accused of espionage.  We’ll hear Andrew's fascinating story on this episode of the SFN Dad

Our guest this week is Mike Abramowitz of St. Augustine, FL, an entrepreneur, co-founder of Better Than Rich, speaker, author and transformational coach as well as father of two young children.Mike and his wife, Lindsay, have been married for seven years and are the proud parents of two children: daughter Ella (1) and son James (3), who was born at 26 weeks, weighing 1 pound four ounces, which caused severe bronchial pulmonary challenges, necessitating a trachea, ventilator and feeding tube.  Their route to becoming parents also included; IVF, a series of miscarrIages and a still birth.  Mike was born and raised in New Jersey and is the youngest of eight siblings.  His dad fought in two Israel wars, which revealed some very positive and enlightening aspects of his dad's personality, which helped shape his world view and impacted his commitment to fathering.  At heart Mike is an entrepreneur with a drive and commitment to serve.  We learn about Vector Marketing and the Cutco Mafia, GRAB Tomorrow, PB&J for

Our guest this week is Tony Bombacino of Chesterton, IN, co-founder of Real Food Blends and father of two, including one with multiple disabilities. Tony and his wife, Julie, have been married for 18 years and are the proud parents of two children: daughter Luca (15) and son AJ (13) who has multiple disabilities. Tony and Julie founded Real Food Blends in response to seeking wholesome foods suitable for AJ, who is tube fed.  Real Food Blends was acquired by Nutricia, part of Danone S.A..  Subsequent to the sale Tony & Julie founded CINO United, LLC, working with and guiding B2C/B2B companies through all stages of growth.  Areas of expertise and work include: creating and/or evolving digital (and overall) marketing, brand, sales, product, business development, partnership, transportation/warehousing and capital raising strategies to help turn vision into reality.Tony's story is a series of overcoming some of life's greatest challenges, including losing his mom when he was a teenager, the death of his older

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  This Monday’s guest is Ruslan Vasyutin of Ukrainian who currently lives in Solihull, England and who is the father of a daughter with Cerebral Palsy, who is unable walk or talk. Ruslan and his x-wife, Olga, divorced two years ago, shortly after they fled Ukraine in March of 2022, weeks after the Russian invasion.  They are the proud parents of Alice (12) who has severe Cerebral Palsy and is unable to walk or talk.Ruslan has been involved with the Special Fathers Network for four years.  He's done two SFN Dad To Dad Podcast interviews one in May of 2021 and a second in March of 2022, just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  He is one of the first members of the London SFN Mastermind Group and attended the 2024

Our guest this week is Chris Hunter of Orlando, FL a father and grandfather, who has devoted much of his career to serving families with special needs, to help plan their financial future.  Chris and his wife, Jane, have been married for 40 years and are the proud parents of an adult daughter and four grandchildren. Chris is from Canada.  He has a civil engineering degree from New Brunswick University and a MBA from York University.  For 15 years, Chris worked for LafargeHolcim as a professional engineer.  The next 15 years he worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch.  Since 2009 he has been a financial advisor, vice president & investment officer at Wells Fargo Advisors.Chris has been very intentional about serving families touched by disability in a way that separates him from most of the advisor community. His is story of compassion and care.  And we’ll hear his story on this week’s episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksPhone – (407) 592-4939Email - Chris.Hunter@wellsfargoadvisors.comL

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  This Monday’s guest is Todd Evans of Brentwood, TN owns multiple businesses, is an author and is the father of two children who have different abilities.Todd and his wife, Kristin, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of two children: an 18 year old born with a metabolic disorder and 14 year old, who has Cri du chat syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 5.Kristin & Todd are the authors of How To Build A Thriving Marriage As You Care For Children With Disabilities. It's a must read for all parents whose families touched by disability.Kristin & Todd also host and maintain the website: https://disabilityparenting.com/, which has some excellent resource

Our guest this week is Chris Mallette of Chicago, IL, father of four and director of community engagement and head football coach at Chicago Hope Academy. Chris also does violence prevention consulting.Chris and his wife, Kendall, have been married for 28 years and are the proud parents of four: Luke (26), Zion (24), Judah (19) and Levi (16).  Their family has been touched by mental health challenges, including; severe anxiety, depression, OCD and bi-polar.  Chicago Hope Academy is a Christian College Prep High School with an average class size of 15 students.  275 students attend Chicago Hope with about 70 students in each grade level.  Perhaps most impressively, 100% of the graduates are accepted into collegeChris earned a BA in history from Princeton University, a law degree from University of Pennsylvania and was a public interest scholar.In addition to being the director of community engagement, Chris is the varsity football coach and has lead the team to many championships.  While proud of the teams' su

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  This Monday’s guest is Agust Kristmanns of Reykjavík, Iceland a father of three, who works as an electrician and serves as a board member of Unique Children of Iceland. (Einstokborn)Agust and his wife, Maria, have been married for 26 years and are the proud parents of three children: Asta Mary (26), Sara Dogg (18) and middle child, son Ingi (23) who was diagnosed with 2Q37 Deletion syndrome, a rare chromosome condition that affects his development.Agust has been involved with the Special Fathers Network for more than four years.  His SFN Dad To Dad Podcast, episode #184, aired in Janaury 2022.   He was one of the first members of the London SFN Mastermind Group and he attended the 2024 SFN Mastermind Group Weekend Retr

Our guest this week is Nate Plasman of Lombard, IL, a vice president at family owned Monroe Transportation and father of three, including a son with a rare genetic disease.Nate and his wife, Sara, have been married for 20 years and are the proud parents of three children: Grace (15), Jackson (12) and Andrew (10) who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive and severe muscle-wasting condition that typically results in premature death.Duchenne impacts around 15,000 individuals in the United States, predominantly males, and over 300,000 globally. It is a condition that transcends cultural, economic, and social lines, affecting families worldwide.We learn about a host of organizations seeking cures and improving the lives of those living with muscular dystrophy, including; Parent Project MD, Cure Duchenne and Serepta Therapeutics. It'a an uplifting story about faith, family and overcoming adversity all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast. Show NotesPhone – (630) 248-3220Email - nate@monroe-trans.c

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday for the past few months, host David Hirsch has interviewed members of the SFN Mastermind Group community, men who meet virtually via Zoom on a weekly basis. This Monday’s episode is a recap from the 4th Annual SFN Mastermind Group Weekend Retreat, held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago from September 6-8, 2024.  In total 27 dads attended including three from Iceland and one from Ukraine.   Friday, September 6th - The retreat kicked off with a Meet & Greet with pizza, sodas and some special treats, including Al's Cookie Mixx cookies provided by SFN Mentor Father Alvin Green of Chicago and some Mullen's Apple Sauce provided by SFN Mentor Father Jim Mullen. Saturday, September 7th - On Saturday morning the group participated in a Cycle To End Father Absence (C2EFA) ride at Cyclebar River North. The morning session included playing 21CD/SFN Trivia and talking about the i

Our guest this week is Bill Walters of Collinswood, NJ, father of two and founder of Perfectly Imperfect Families.Bill is the proud father of two children: Jake (21) and Tammy (23), who between the two of them have had a variety of challenges including; hearing impairment, development delays, IBS, ADHD and endometriosis.  Bill has been a single father for much of his children's lives.  Professionally, Bill is a financial advisor who offers insurance and financial guidance for perfectly imperfect families. Through faith and perseverance, Bill has been able to overcome a lot of adversity and show others how to do the same. We’ll hear Bill’s story and more on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast. Show Notes - Phone – (267) 278-5062Email - bill@perfectlyimperfectfamilies.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billjwalters/Website -   https://www.perfectlyimperfectfamilies.com Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+

This is part of a special series of interviews within the SFN Dad To Dad Podcasts known as the SFN Mastermind Group Monday Podcasts.  Each Monday host David Hirsch interviews one of the SFN Mastermind Group dads on the impact the mastermind group has had on him and the wellbeing of his family.  This Monday’s guest is Nathan Woerner of Littleton, CO who is a former missionary in Japan with SEND International and father of two girls including one with Angelman Syndrome. Nathan and his wife, Maryah, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of two girls: Naomi (8) and Ada (6), who has Angelman Syndrome.Nathan has been involved with the Special Fathers Network for more than four years.  His SFN Dad To Dad Podcast, episode #114, aired in September 2020.   He was one of the first members of the Tuesday night SFN Mastermind Group and he has attended the last few Mastermind Group weekend retreats.  It’s an uplifting conversation about perseverance, overcoming life's challenges and advocacy, all on this