The Dad Edge Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Bill and Danielle Beer — a married couple of 20 years, parents of five, and one of the most genuinely connected pairs we've ever had on this show. Bill is a physician and Dad Edge Alliance member of four and a half years. Danielle is a former military spouse, internal processor, and the kind of woman who quietly holds everything together while pushing her husband to go take care of himself.
Their story starts in college — Bill surviving leukemia at 16, making his own treatment decisions to preserve his fertility, and then secretly applying to the cancer camp where Danielle was a counselor. That same dock where they had their first kiss is where Bill proposed three years later. Twenty years and five kids later, they're still building — and they're willing to talk about all of it.
We get into what Bill was actually like before the Alliance — the poking, the picking fights when he needed connection but didn't have the vocabulary, the "happy wife happy life" mentality taken to such an extreme that Danielle stopped sharing hard days because she didn't want to be the reason Bill felt like he was failing. We talk about the weekly marriage meeting, ballroom dancing as a date night game changer, why they go to counseling when nothing is broken, and the moment Bill's 16-year-old daughter looked at him at the grocery store and said "your needs matter, dad."
This one is warm, funny, real, and deeply practical.
 
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities
[1:02] What Bill was looking for when he joined the Alliance — and the nudge Danielle gave him
[6:33] Bill's leukemia diagnosis at 16 and the treatment decision he made to preserve his fertility
[11:39] How they met at a cancer camp — and how Bill secretly applied after their first conversation
[12:37] The dock proposal — same spot as their first kiss, fake run, hidden photographer
[15:47] 20 years married, five kids, and a surprise trip to Hawaii Bill planned entirely himself
[24:13] The moment Bill heard something in the group that Danielle had said for years — and why it landed differently
[27:30] What poking and picking fights actually was — Bill seeking connection without the vocabulary to ask for it
[29:51] Happy wife happy life taken too far — how it created pressure on Danielle and closed her off
[33:37] The shift from avoiding divorce to asking "how do I actually want to be married?"
[36:16] The weekly marriage meeting — appreciations, needs, big three, then logistics
[38:07] Larry and Jessica in counseling right now — not because something is broken, but because the season demands it
[40:38] Ballroom dancing as recreational intimacy — and why going even when you're annoyed always works
[44:15] What Danielle finds most attractive about how Bill has evolved
[46:11] Bill's people-pleasing taken to the extreme — and the day his 16-year-old daughter said "your needs matter, dad"
[52:50] What they're most excited about for the next 20 years — and the four-year-old who starts every dinner with appreciations
 
Five Key Takeaways
Your wife can't be your only outlet. When she carries everything you can't process, she runs out of capacity — and eventually stops sharing her own hard days because she doesn't want to be the reason you feel like you're failing.
Happy wife happy life taken too far puts undue pressure on your spouse to perform happiness for your peace of mind. Happy spouse, happy house — everybody's needs matter, including yours.
The shift from avoiding divorce to intentionally building a marriage changes everything. Stop asking "are we okay?" and start asking "how do I actually want to be married?"
Recreational intimacy — doing something physical or creative together before a date — puts connection on steroids. The conversation that follows feels completely different than sitting down cold.
Your needs matter. When a man learns to take care of himself, he comes back better every single time — for his wife, his kids, and everyone around him.
 
Links & Resources
Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind
The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1471): https://thedadedge.com/1471
 
Closing
If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: marriage and fatherhood are learnable skills — and it is never too late to start learning them.
Bill Beer survived cancer at 16, spent the first decade of his marriage white-knuckling happiness for everyone around him, and then decided to go do the work. And what Danielle noticed wasn't a different man — it was more of the man she fell in love with on that dock.
That's the goal. Not perfection. Not arriving. Just more of who you actually are, showing up more consistently, for the people who matter most.
Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, I sit down with Doug Boneparth — CFP, founder of Bona Fide Wealth, CNBC and Investopedia financial advisory council member, co-author of Money Together with his wife Heather, and one of the most refreshingly honest voices on money, marriage, and family I've ever had on this show.
We open with a fact that stops most people cold: billionaires get divorced at the exact same rate as everyone else. More money does not solve the problem. The problem is the practice — or the complete lack of one.
Doug breaks down why money fights in marriage are almost never actually about money. They're about the stories, traumas, and scripts we bring into the relationship from our upbringing — the dinner table conversations we absorbed as kids, the financial trauma we never talked about, and the values we've never stopped to examine. He shares his own story of a scarcity mindset rooted in coming home at 16 to find his mom sitting on a bare floor — and how not sharing that story with your spouse quietly poisons your financial partnership.
We get into the quarterly money date, the invisible labor problem, why "just tell me what to do" is not helpful, what fairness really means in a marriage, and how to teach your kids about money through curiosity instead of shame.
 
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities
[1:02] Billionaires divorce at the same rate as everyone else — and what that tells us about money and marriage
[6:28] Why financial literacy in schools is still nowhere near where it needs to be
[10:52] "Mom goes on that train every morning so we can have fun on the weekends" — how to explain work to a four-year-old
[14:06] The self work that comes before the teamwork — understanding your own money story first
[18:52] Larry's story — coming home at 16 to a bare floor, a devastated mom, and a scarcity mindset 35 years in the making
[22:51] You don't do this once — financial alignment takes consistent practice, like the gym
[24:46] The quarterly money date — what it covers, how to do it, and why it changes everything
[27:29] If a financial expert and an attorney couldn't get this right without doing the work — what chance does everyone else have?
[31:51] Never bring up money during family rush hour — time and place matter more than you think
[36:37] Teaching kids to spend — why Doug let his daughter buy junk and then got curious instead of critical
[38:47] How a spring break lanyard project turned into a mini business
[43:34] Making space for your partner to learn differently — the whiteboard that finally worked
[45:04] The invisible labor problem — the sock on the stairs that Doug stepped over while laughing at his phone
[46:16] "Just tell me what to do" is not help — own a task beginning to end
[51:33] Where is the US dollar going — and why investing to outpace inflation is non-negotiable
[53:01] The financial foundation: spending awareness, a cash reserve, and consistent asset accumulation
 
Five Key Takeaways
Billionaires get divorced at the same rate as everyone else. More money does not solve misalignment. The practice of communicating about money is what makes the difference.
Your money story was formed long before you met your partner. Until you understand where your scripts, fears, and triggers come from, you will keep bringing them into your financial conversations without knowing it.
The quarterly money date is not optional. It is how you stay aligned on time, energy, spending, and what's working — before small frictions become big fights.
"Just tell me what to do" is not help. Own a task from beginning to end. Taking the mental load off your spouse means they never have to think about that domain — not just execute when assigned.
Equal is not fair. Fairness is whatever you and your partner have actually talked about, agreed on, and checked in about consistently. Without the conversation, there is no fairness — just resentment.
 
Links & Resources
Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind
Money Together by Doug and Heather Boneparth: https://readmoneytogether.com
Bona Fide Wealth: https://bonafidewealth.com
The Joint Account Newsletter: https://readthejointaccount.com
Follow Doug on X: @DougBoneparth
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky: Available on Amazon
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1470): https://thedadedge.com/1470
 
Closing
If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: the money conversation in your marriage is not about the numbers — it's about the stories you've never told each other.
Doug and Heather are a financial expert and an attorney who still had to do the hard work to get their own financial partnership right. If they needed the practice, so do you.
Start the conversation. Build the practice. Own a domain. Take 30 seconds before you respond.
Because a financially aligned marriage isn't just good for your bank account — it's good for your kids, your partnership, and the life you're actually trying to build together.
Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, Larry opens the doors of a live Dad Edge Alliance Q&A featuring neuroscience expert and brain coach Ashleigh Di Lello. This is a rare look behind the curtain at what actually happens inside the Alliance — real men, real questions, and real breakthroughs in real time.
Ashleigh was told she was going to die at 13. She learned to walk again three times. And when a catastrophic hip surgery in 2017 left her in chronic pain and facing the possibility of never walking again, she decided to stop trying to control her body and start studying her brain instead. What she discovered — and has since spent seven years coaching others through — is a comprehensive, neuroscience-based process for rewiring the patterns, beliefs, and self-critical voices that keep men stuck.
The men in this Q&A ask the questions most of us never say out loud: how do I quiet the inner critic at 61? How do I build resilience when my business is falling apart? How do I help my perfectionist daughter without making it worse? And what does it actually mean to feel your emotions without losing your identity as a man?
Ashleigh answers every one of them — and the conversation goes places you won't expect.
 
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities
[1:02] The quiet, sinister nature of negative self-chatter — and why morning affirmations aren't enough
[3:26] Ashleigh's story — told she would die at 13, three hip surgeries, learning to walk again, and turning it all into a neuroscience-based brain rewiring practice
[5:13] Ashleigh opens the Q&A — the brain's mechanisms are the same for all of us and can become our greatest asset
[8:20] Jason's question: 61 years old, raised to suppress feelings, bullied in school — how do I quiet the inner critic now?
[10:35] You are not either strong or weak — you are both. The human experience is contrast.
[12:15] Self-criticism locks up the neural synapses — why the brain cannot change long-term through shame
[13:47] The writing exercise — ten minutes, throw it away, slow the brain down and finally hear yourself
[16:26] Speaking to your brain instead of letting your brain speak to you — and why micro-action is what changes the operating system
[19:40] Larry shares his own moment — sitting down after his interview with Ashleigh in tears, writing down every cruel thing he was telling himself
[21:09] Chris's question: how does your process actually work from start to finish?
[22:15] The 12-week process — identifying, processing out, then rewiring. You can't skip the first half.
[23:43] What isn't expressed is suppressed — and the brain holds on to it
[28:24] Why men are more prone to addiction — shame activates the brain's alarm system and it will always find an outlet
[31:10] Scott's question: how do I build resilience under prolonged stress as an entrepreneur?
[33:29] Resilience is not a character trait — it's a part of your brain you can grow
[34:36] The win book — why you need a physical record of what's working, not just what isn't
[36:07] When your identity gets attached to not pivoting — and how that keeps you stuck
[40:27] Never make a big decision on a bad day — and give your brain real breaks from stimulation
[42:24] Chris's question: I can already see perfectionist tendencies in my nine-year-old daughter — how do I help her?
[43:38] Share your own struggles with your kids — it gives them permission to struggle too
[45:18] Failure is not a noun — it's how we learn. And the brain can't learn through shame.
[46:31] The win book applies to your kids too — build the evidence of progress, not just the list of what went wrong
[49:08] Practice makes progress, not perfect — and what that means for how you raise your kids
[51:38] Henry's question: how do men navigate the space between survival instincts and actually feeling their emotions?
[52:23] It's not either or — it's and. Feeling doesn't eliminate strength. It creates space for more of it.
[54:13] Let it out to bring it in — what isn't expressed will keep battling for space with everything you're trying to build
 
Five Key Takeaways
Self-criticism doesn't create lasting change. When you shame yourself, the neural synapses lock up. The brain can only rewire through self-compassion, not judgment.
What isn't expressed is suppressed — and it doesn't go away. It stays in the brain and body, driving patterns you don't understand and can't seem to break.
The writing exercise is one of the most neuroscience-backed tools available. Ten minutes, write what you'd never say out loud, and throw it away. You move it out so you can bring something better in.
Resilience is a part of the brain you can grow — by doing what you don't want to do, acknowledging it when you do, and keeping a physical record of your wins.
You are not either strong or weak. You are both. Allowing yourself to feel the full human experience doesn't diminish your strength — it creates space for more of it.
 
Links & Resources
Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind
Ashleigh Di Lello's website and free Brain Body Blueprint: https://ashleighdilello.com
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1469): https://thedadedge.com/1469

Closing
If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: what you're saying to yourself when no one is listening is either building you up or quietly tearing you apart — and most of us have no idea how cruel we actually are to ourselves.
Ashleigh Di Lello learned to rewire her brain not from a textbook but from necessity. She had no other option. And what she found on the other side was not just recovery — it was a life she built on purpose.
The brain can change. You can change. But it starts with being honest enough to write it all down, compassionate enough to not judge what you find, and brave enough to let it move through you instead of holding it in.
Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, Larry and coach Marc sit down to talk about one of the most common and least-talked-about crises facing business owner dads — burnout. Not the dramatic kind. The quiet, grinding, everyday kind where you're doing 14-hour days, drinking to decompress, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor, and slowly losing the very people you're killing yourself to provide for.
Featuring recorded clips from John — a real Boardroom member who came in on the brink of burnout — this episode is one of the most emotionally honest conversations we've had on this show. John's story will hit close to home for a lot of men. Working obsessively, drinking daily to escape, knowing something was wrong but believing the only answer was more action. His wife was losing her patience. He was losing himself. And then he stopped lone-wolfing it.
Larry shares his own raw moment — telling his wife that if he's not providing, he doesn't know what value he brings to the family — and what his kids said when he and his wife actually asked them what they wanted most. Marc breaks down the BRAVE Man system, the tracker, and why busyness is not the same as results. And the episode closes with John getting so emotional he can't speak — and the silence that says everything.
 
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities
[1:02] The burnout that business owner dads don't talk about — grinding for your family while quietly losing them
[2:44] Leaders usually starve — because they pour everything into everyone else but themselves
[4:15] Introducing Marc Hildebrand — and what today's episode is really about
[5:52] How Marc met John — on the brink of burnout, drinking daily, running 14-16 hour days
[7:35] The shift Marc saw by weeks four and five — doing less, but achieving more
[9:11] The GPS analogy — what life feels like without a system versus with one
[10:37] Why we resist new tools even when they could save us — and the old-timer cops who threw out the Garmin
[12:12] Wearing burnout as a badge of honor — and the people who love you who see it from a mile away
[13:29] Your kids ask "Dad, are you okay?" and you think nobody noticed
[14:45] John's first clip: what life looked like before he applied — work first, drinking to escape, lone-wolfing it
[17:36] The heart behind the burnout — doing it all for your family, but missing what they actually need
[19:20] What Marc saw in John — a man believing there was only one way to succeed
[20:10] Larry's vulnerable moment: "If I'm not providing, what value do I bring this family?"
[22:10] His kids' answer when asked what they wanted most — more time, not more money
[22:29] The 13 Hours scene — a Navy SEAL on his 12th deployment finally hearing "the kids don't need more money, they need you"
[24:37] Why being willing to have the vulnerable conversation is the game changer
[25:10] John's second clip: getting a map, small goals, and what changed in his marriage
[27:25] Breaking down the BRAVE Man system — Bond, Raise, Amplify, Vitality, Enjoy, Movement, Action, Network
[28:04] Why joy is a tactical requirement — if you have no joy to give, you have nothing to give
[28:50] Why motivation is a lie — and why action creates motivation, not the other way around
[29:13] John's transformation from 15 points a week to 40-50 — and what the tracker actually measures
[31:57] Busyness does not equal results — the most dangerous trap for burned-out business owners
[32:18] John's final clip — the emotional moment that stopped everyone cold
[35:28] What that moment meant — a man who saved his marriage and came back to himself
[37:52] What it means to have a battle to fight, a beauty to love, and an adventure to be had — together
[39:05] The call to every business owner who sees a piece of John in himself
 
Five Key Takeaways
Burnout doesn't always look dramatic. It looks like 14-hour days, drinking to unwind, and quietly drifting away from the people you're working so hard to provide for.
The people who love you most can see your burnout from a mile away — even when you think you're hiding it. Your kids see it. Your wife feels it.
Your family doesn't want more money. They want more of you. When Larry asked his boys, the answer was time — every single time.
The answer to burnout is not more action. It's better action, in the right areas, with a system that tells you what actually moves the needle.
You are not a liability because you need help. John thought he had nothing to give when he walked in — and became one of the most valuable men in the room.
 
Links & Resources
Dad Edge Alliance & Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/mastermind
The Men's Forge: https://themensforge.com
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1468): https://thedadedge.com/1468
 
Closing
If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: the answer to burnout is never more action — it's a better system, a map, and men around you who won't let you disappear.
John came in wearing his exhaustion like a badge, drinking every day to survive it, and believing the only way through was to grind harder. Six weeks later, he was lighter. His marriage was coming back. And when Larry asked him what it felt like to make his way back — he couldn't speak.
That silence said everything.
If there's a piece of John in you right now, this is your move.
Go out and live legendary.

In this episode, I sit down with Thomas Caleel — former Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School, founder of Admittedly, and one of the most clear-eyed voices in the college admissions space. This one is personal — I've got an 18-year-old headed to University of Arkansas in four months, and a sixth grader whose decisions today will quietly shape where he ends up ten years from now.
Thomas opens the black box of college admissions and explains what's actually changed, what most parents are getting wrong, and what admissions officers are really looking for. The shift from well-rounded candidates to "vertical spikes" of deep passion and genuine interest is one of those things that sounds simple but changes everything about how you should be thinking about your kid's path right now.
We talk about the right time to start, why the seventh-grade math assessment quietly matters more than most parents realize, how doing fewer things with real intentionality is more powerful than stacking clubs and activities, and why your child's college essay should tell their story — not yours.
We also get into the financial reality most parents aren't prepared for — new federal loan caps, how to negotiate financial aid after admission, what Juno is and why it matters, and why sending your kid to a low-tier private college that costs $50,000 a year is something Thomas calls criminal.
And he gives a refreshingly honest answer to whether college is actually worth it.
 
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction to the Dad Edge mission and the movement to raise leaders of families and communities
[1:02] Larry's 18-year-old is leaving for University of Arkansas — and Thomas's son is heading to NYU
[2:45] When change goes according to plan — and why it hits harder than you expect
[4:45] What most parents are missing — the pressure cooker, the doom race, and why more is not always more
[5:56] Why admissions is a black box — and why bad information fills that vacuum
[7:23] Thomas's background — former Director of MBA Admissions at Wharton, 20 years shaping admissions strategy globally
[9:05] How college admissions has changed — from well-rounded candidates to vertical spikes of deep passion
[10:49] Why schools now prioritize socioeconomic diversity — and what full ride programs actually look like
[11:37] What the internet did to admissions — 50,000 applicants where there used to be 8,000, and rates under 3% at Yale
[12:00] Do fewer things intentionally and well — the sneakerhead who got into Stanford
[15:18] Why volunteering doesn't help anymore if your kid doesn't actually care about it
[17:31] How grit, initiative, and unglamorous jobs stand out just as much as expensive summer programs
[19:29] The most common question Thomas hears — when should we start?
[19:51] The seventh-grade math assessment that quietly determines whether your kid can pursue STEM majors
[22:41] Middle school is for exploration — you don't need to pick a direction, just stay warm on the fundamentals
[24:11] What universities are really asking — not what do you want to do with your life, but what are you curious about right now
[24:47] Why your kid won't tell you the truth — and why a neutral third party changes everything
[29:47] How to have a real conversation with your kid about what they actually want
[30:36] Listening without judgment — the parent who almost killed their child's essay by refusing to let them tell their real story
[33:06] How to handle the "I want to study dance" conversation — without crushing them
[35:45] Is college a scam? Thomas's honest, nuanced answer — and why the lottery ticket mentality is dangerous
[37:20] Why low-tier private colleges charging $50,000 a year are, in his words, criminal
[40:38] What's changed in the political arena — new federal loan caps and what they mean for families
[41:51] Why the ROI conversation has to happen before you commit to a school
[44:08] How to negotiate financial aid after you've been admitted — and why schools will sometimes find money
[45:03] Juno — the collective bargaining platform that negotiates lower interest rates on student loans
[48:01] What Admittedly is — former admissions officers, group coaching, weekly office hours, and accessible pricing
 
Five Key Takeaways
Admissions has shifted from well-rounded to deeply interesting. A kid who does one thing with real passion and depth will stand out over a kid who stacks clubs and activities to check boxes.
The seventh-grade math assessment quietly shapes whether your kid can pursue the majors they want. Start paying attention earlier than you think you need to.
Your child's essay needs to tell their story — not your version of their story. Listen without judgment and let them lead.
The financial conversation has to happen early and honestly. With new federal loan caps and rising tuition, the ROI of each school choice matters more than ever.
College is not a binary decision. It can be great, but it's not the right path for everyone. Know your child, know their goals, and help them build the path that actually fits — not the one that looks right from the outside.
 
Links & Resources
Dad Edge Business Boardroom: https://thedadedge.com/boardroom
Admittedly website: https://admittedly.co
Admittedly on Instagram and TikTok: @admittedly.co
Juno student loan platform: https://joinjuno.com
Episode Link & Resources (Episode 1467): https://thedadedge.com/1467
 
Closing
If there's one message from this episode that stands out, it's this: the decisions your kid makes in middle school are already shaping where they'll end up — and most parents don't find that out until it's too late to do anything about it.
Thomas Caleel has sat inside the room where these decisions get made. He knows what gets someone in and what gets them passed over. And the good news is that none of it requires privilege, expensive programs, or a perfect resume. It requires knowing your kid, helping them tell their real story, and starting the right conversations while there's still time to matter.
If your kid is anywhere from sixth grade to senior year, this episode is required listening.
Go out and live legendary.