A CEO and father of two opens up about why raising kids became his real education in emotional intelligence. Topher Stephenson had his children while in medical school and residency, and looks back on how becoming a dad reshaped how he sees himself and everyone around him.

Key takeaways:

• Emotional intelligence starts with realizing you're not the center of the universe
• Kids reveal how far your own emotional maturity has (or hasn't) come
• Empathy means letting someone else's experience be real without needing to agree with it
• Boarding school and letting go are their own kind of parenting lesson
• The skills that make you a better father also make you a better leader
• Topher also shares the one piece of advice he wishes someone had given him as a brand new dad

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00:00 Cold open
00:29 Meet Topher Stephenson
01:24 Larkin and Finn, his two kids
03:34 Having kids in med school
05:13 What fatherhood taught him
07:15 Reparenting yourself as a dad
09:21 Defining emotional intelligence
13:10 Growing up in a stoic household
16:02 The LifeSpring retreat story
20:44 Empathy and holding two views
23:43 Why fatherhood shifts your focus
26:04 Nature vs nurture in his kids
28:28 Boarding school as a family choice
33:23 The bittersweet of kids leaving home
36:16 From dad to CEO
39:57 Advice for a brand new father
43:01 Being a father, the best role