What does being a good grandparent really look like? In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, host Steve “Rivers” Harris sits down with his longtime friend Kyle Winther to explore what it means to show up for your family.

Kyle shares lessons from his 93-year-old father, the importance of being grandparents who create road trip memories, and the quiet legacy of his Norwegian grandfather. You’ll hear why being a good grandpa isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, patience, and stories that last.

Tune in for:

• How to be a good grandparent without overthinking it

• The “quiet dignity” every family notices

• Making family road trip memories your grandkids will treasure

• Passing on values and humor through everyday moments

• Why imperfect storytelling is still legacy-building

🎧 Listen now to discover practical wisdom and encouragement for your own grandparenting journey.

• Growing up in Murray, Utah & raising a family nearby

• Kyle’s father: a model of “quiet dignity”

• Grandparenting across generations (from sleigh rides to road trips)

• The mechanic grandpa who taught by doing

• Norwegian ancestry, handwritten journals & family photos

• How to be a good grandparent by simply being there

• The superpower every grandpa already has

• Advice for grandpas who want to improve

Grandparenting isn’t just about being there — it’s about how you show up.

In this inspiring conversation with Lee Ann Meads, our first grandma guest on The Grandpa Channel, we dive into the big and small ways grandparents leave lasting impressions. From funny names for grandparents (yes, she explains how “Bampa” stuck) to meaningful one-on-one time, Lee Ann shows us how family traditions turn into legacy.

🌟 Highlights include:

• Grandpa and Grandma Camp ideas you’ll want to steal for your own family traditions.

• How Lee Ann and her husband use creative teaching (like “HOGs: Hand of God”) to help grandkids recognize God’s hand in their lives.

• Why unique nicknames for grandparents — from “Bampa” to “Queenie” — stick with kids forever.

• How to create one-on-one time that makes every grandchild feel seen and loved.

• A fresh perspective on faith, humor, and joy as the glue that strengthens family connection.

Whether you’ve wondered “where is the hand of God in my life?” or simply want practical, heart-centered ideas for deepening bonds with your grandkids, this episode will lift your spirit, spark new traditions, and leave you smiling.

👉 Listen now, and don’t forget to share this episode with a grandparent (or future grandparent) who needs fresh inspiration.

What do you learn after nearly a century of living, loving, and laughing? Stanley Lear, our oldest guest yet on The Grandpa Channel, has the answer: keep smiling.

Born in 1930, Stanley grew up during the Great Depression as the eldest of 10 children in a 20x12 tar-paper home. From delivering newspapers at age seven to serving in France during the Korean War, his stories trace a life built on resilience, family, and love.

But Stanley’s legacy isn’t just about hard work. It’s about love — 73 years of marriage to his sweetheart, raising a family rooted in gratitude, and sharing joy through handmade gifts, gardens, and jokes that span generations.

In this heartfelt (and often hilarious) episode, Stanley reflects on:

• Growing up poor — but never feeling it.

• Meeting his wife and the secret to 73 years of marriage.

• Building a life through farming, welding, and hard work.

• Why he makes jewelry and shovel-bird sculptures… and gives them away.

• How his garden and humor keep him young.

• His best family jokes (yes, the Dolly Parton one makes an appearance).

• The simple life lesson he hopes the Lear Family, 100+ grandkids and great-grandkids remember: always be honest, and never stop smiling.

This is an episode about humility, humor, and the kind of wisdom that can only be earned through nearly a century of living.

💡 Whether you’re here for the life stories, the family connection, or just a good laugh, Stanley’s message is one we all need right now: gratitude makes life rich, and a smile makes it better.

Grief does not end love. It reorganizes it. In this Grandpa Channel episode, Dave Goates and Steve Harris talk about the grief process, the tender ways family connection endures, and the small guardian angel moments that make you pay attention. You will hear how one daughter’s 49 days reshaped a family, how a long marriage still mentors from the other side, and why recording family history in a simple life story book can steady grandkids in hard seasons.

You’ll hear

• Grief observed - what helped and what still hurts

• Guardian angel experiences the kids shared

• Faith and family practices that make connection tangible

• Why storytelling beats lecturing for grandpa wisdom

• A simple way to start a life story book your grandkids will actually read

Content note: hospital scenes, bereavement.

In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Dave Goates joins Steve Harris to explore grief observed, family connection, guardian angel moments, and the quiet strength of faith and family. From a daughter’s 49 sacred days to a lifetime of marriage, this conversation shows how the grief process becomes a bridge, not a wall. We talk about family history in practice and how a short life story book can help kids feel anchored and brave.

Chapters 00:00 Welcome to The Grandpa Channel 01:05 Family roll call and posterity 06:40 Grandpa mentoring through sports, music, and small rituals 12:30 Two very different grandfathers - what stuck and why 20:10 Grief process - a daughter’s 49 days and meaning made 28:45 Who’s my guardian angel - experiences the kids still talk about 34:20 Faith and family after loss - how connection keeps teaching 41:30 Life story book basics - simple pages, real memories 49:10 Practical grandpa wisdom for a steady home 51:51 Closing

Keywords: grief process, grief observed, family connection, who’s my guardian angel, family history, life story book, faith and family, legacy storytelling, grandparent stories

Subscribe, leave a 2 sentence review, and share this with someone who is building a family history worth remembering.

What happens when a story isn’t told? It risks disappearing — along with the wisdom, resilience, and warning it carries.

In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Art Brothers joins Steve Harris (aka “Rivers”) to share grandpa stories that bridge generations. From fearless dogs and childhood memories to his mother’s harrowing survival during World War 2 and the Dutch Hunger Winter, Art paints an unforgettable picture of family resilience in the face of trauma.

You’ll hear:

• Crazy World War 2 stories of Jewish families being taken to trains, the underground black market, and children hidden in garbage trucks for survival.

• How the Hunger Winter in the Netherlands shaped his mother’s faith, her courage, and ultimately their family’s journey to America.

• Why telling these stories matters — and how grandparents can pass resilience, love, and wisdom to their grandchildren.

• Reflections on intergenerational trauma and the hope that comes when one generation chooses to break cycles and start new traditions.

• Art’s own message to his grandchildren: you are loved for who you are right now — and you can do hard things.

This episode is a reminder of the importance of storytelling in family life. Stories don’t just preserve history — they help grandchildren believe they can face their own hard things with courage.

🎧 Tune in and pass it forward — because every story worth telling is a story worth remembering.

What if the best mentorship doesn’t happen in classrooms or at podiums — but on bike trails, over milkshakes, and in car rides home?

In this heartfelt episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris welcomes his cousin Brian Golding for a conversation that brings mentorship and coaching to life through family connection.

Brian shares how mountain biking with his granddaughter turned into an unexpected classroom — where lessons about effort, attitude, and presence carried far beyond the trail. Along the way, he reflects on raising his own kids, the gift of unconditional love from grandparents, and why listening and understanding matter more than getting it perfect.

From laughter-filled stories to hard-won wisdom, this conversation is a reminder that presence over perfection is the greatest gift we can pass on to the next generation.

The power of family connection isn’t always found in big gestures — sometimes it lives in a single question, a laugh, or the steady presence of someone who truly listens.

In this episode of The Grandpa Channel, Rivers is joined by Mike Matthews, who shares the unforgettable story of his grandmother, Eileen. What began as seasonal holiday visits blossomed into a friendship when she moved in with family — and eventually inspired the “Grandma Stand” in New York City, where strangers lined up for the chance to sit and talk with her.

Eileen’s gift wasn’t giving advice. It was listening and understanding, creating a safe space where people could be honest, vulnerable, and fully themselves. From heartbroken friends to curious strangers, she lifted thousands of lives with her quiet empathy.

Through her example, Mike discovered that grandparents don’t have to be perfect. In fact, it’s presence over perfection that creates the deepest connections. Vulnerability and intimacy — the willingness to admit mistakes, to laugh, to cry, to simply sit together — are the real legacy grandparents leave behind.

You’ll hear about:

• How Eileen’s listening superpower inspired strangers to feel “lifted”

• The six-year journey of the NYC Grandma Stand project

• Why vulnerability builds intimacy across generations

• How grandparents can be a source of peace and connection beyond their own family

This conversation is a gentle reminder: you don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to show up, listen, and love.

👉 Pull up a chair, take a breath, and be inspired to bring more connection into your own family.

Follow the adventures of the Grandma Stand & the Grandmothers on rotation on Instagram @grandmastand

In this inspiring episode of The Grandpa Channel, Steve Harris sits down with longtime friend and lawyer Doug Matsumori to explore the power of consistency in building strong family bonds. Doug shares stories of his Japanese-American heritage, his career, and raising seven children—while reflecting on the role of faith and family in creating a lasting legacy.

From learning how to listen and understand each child’s unique path, to discovering what it means to be a patriarch, Doug opens up about the joys and challenges of grandparenting. Together, he and his wife Michi have become pillars of family connection, showing that consistency, presence, and love matter more than perfection.

🔑 In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why the power of consistency creates trust across generations

• How faith and family traditions shaped Doug’s approach to parenting and grandparenting

• What it means to be a patriarch in a modern family setting

• The difference between discipline and listening with understanding

• Why family connection grows stronger through shared faith, humility, and love

This conversation is a reminder that legacy isn’t built in a single moment—it’s written in the daily consistency of showing up, listening, and loving well.