A dying father's five words rewired his son's entire life, and now that son is rewiring hundreds of other dads. In this conversation, George Rivera opens up about the deathbed warning from his own father, the "founder prison" he built for himself in business, and why he now runs Founder Dad Dinners for cash-rich, time-poor entrepreneurs who are quietly falling apart at home. We talk about the freedom audit that got his life back, why presence matters more than proximity, and how his 11-year-old son Leo's own podcast became an unexpected extension of everything George learned the hard way. Key takeaways include: the danger of "I'll make it up to them later," the 10k-per-hour filter for reclaiming your time, why phones at the ballgame do more damage than not showing up at all, and the simple truth that you only get 18 summers.

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Cold open: the lie that kept him stuck
00:29 Meet George Rivera
01:19 The sentence his dying dad said
02:52 Growing up without dad in the stands
03:36 Leo asks Tony to coach Little League
05:34 Hearing his dad's regret in real time
07:53 Building the "founder prison"
09:21 The breaking point with his business
11:04 The coach who talked him off the ledge
11:45 The freedom audit and 10k/hr filter
13:53 Presence versus proximity
15:17 Why he built Founder Dad Dinners
17:00 Breaking generational trauma
19:06 How the dinners actually work
20:52 Nine-figure exits, zero friends
22:27 "I'll go to war for you"
24:23 Cats in the Cradle moment
25:39 Timeline from awakening to change
26:28 Leo's own podcast
30:08 How Leo's first episode happened
33:28 Skills kids lose to devices
35:20 Advice for a brand-new dad
37:11 Closing thoughts

What if the best gift you gave your kids wasn't a memory, but your own voice? Blake Fly, dad to Koa and Summer (with a third on the way), joins Tony Cooper to talk about Dads Making History, the group he started where fathers record monthly audio and video messages for their kids to hear someday. Blake shares how the practice began during the pandemic, why "donut dates" became a normalizing ritual for the group, how a lost hard drive taught him about the fragility of memory, and how becoming a dad expanded his emotional range in ways he never expected. Tony and Blake dig into presence, legacy, and what it means to really show up for your kids.

• The "Forever Folder" is a monthly audio or video message dads record for their kids, meant to be a presencing practice for the dad as much as a gift for the child.
• Less is more: a good message is often just two to three minutes, a small, specific moment rather than a sweeping life lesson.
• Small rituals normalize across a community fast. One dad's "donut date" habit inspired another dad to start his own recurring one-on-one time with his daughter.
• One-on-one time with a kid (a donut date, coaching a sport, a standing weekly outing) gives a spouse real relief and builds a distinct bond.
• Becoming a parent can expand emotional range far beyond what a "sunshine only" upbringing prepared someone for, including grief, like a miscarriage before a first child.
• Presence is the real antidote to time passing unnoticed. Capturing a moment, even a mundane one like potty training, makes it retrievable later.
• What we intentionally leave behind (and take forward) from our own parents shapes how we father, whether that's constant positivity, a short temper, or building things with your hands.
• A voice message might never be listened to, and that's okay. The value is in the ritual of recording it, not guaranteed impact on the recipient.

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper

00:00 Cold open
00:29 Meet Blake Fly
01:23 Blake's speaking and coaching work
03:00 Becoming a dad in 2020
04:00 What is the Forever Folder
05:00 Choosing what to record each month
07:54 Dads Making History group
08:05 The donut date ripple effect
10:19 One-on-one time and giving mom a break
12:00 Being the youngest of three
14:04 Foresight that everything is temporary
16:04 A voicemail from aging parents
17:13 Documenting firsts, lasts, and the messy middle
18:23 Counting laps, counting years
21:09 Losing four years of photos and video
23:11 Is this really for the kids or for you
25:00 The realization that changed his approach
27:14 How coaching shapes his fathering
29:17 A grade 8 yearbook prediction
30:52 His mom's signs and rituals
34:01 What he's leaving behind from his parents
37:12 Becoming a dad kicked his ass
38:00 The miscarriage before Koa
40:09 Expanding emotional range
42:22 Preparing for baby number three
44:01 Closing thoughts

A dad of three shares the wild story of a highway birth, the exhaustion of new fatherhood, and why breaking generational patterns starts with you. Tony Cooper sits down with Lior Weinstein to talk about becoming a father at 30, supporting a wife through three very different births, and the physical toll of parenting a newborn while running a business. Lior explains why he stepped away from a fast-growing startup to be present for his second child, how he's working to end inherited family trauma before it reaches his kids, and why depth of focus beats exposure to everything. He also shares how he uses AI to write bedtime stories with his sons. Key takeaways include: the difference between reacting to a schedule and creating one, why physical exhaustion hits harder with each additional kid, how commitment to one passion builds a transferable skill, and why an abundance mindset starts with saying yes.

• Physical exhaustion from parenting compounds with each additional kid, even when you've "done it before."
• Supporting your wife through the newborn stage often matters more than mastering baby care yourself.
• Stepping away from work, even temporarily, can be the right call when presence matters most.
• Breaking generational patterns starts with noticing what was passed down to you.
• Building trust with your kids matters more than being their expert in every interest.
• Depth in one passion teaches a transferable skill: mastery, focus, and commitment.
• An abundance mindset starts with saying yes to your kids' curiosity, even if it doesn't stick.
• AI can be a tool for deeper connection, like personalized bedtime stories, not just efficiency.

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Being a dad is hard because you care
00:29 Meet Lior and his three kids
01:25 Becoming a dad at 30
02:11 Matan's highway birth story
06:19 Nature vs nurture with three kids
09:52 Always knowing he'd be a dad
11:33 Supporting his wife through labor
14:02 Teaching infants from day one
16:06 Becoming a different kind of husband
19:18 Learning from mom's instincts
21:04 Going from one kid to two
23:04 Physical exhaustion hits harder
26:19 Deciding to leave the startup
27:15 Nine months traveling in an RV
29:44 Stopping generational family trauma
32:25 Building a relationship of trust
33:23 The chess grandmaster book
36:05 Why depth beats width
39:41 Using AI for bedtime stories

A former New York City Ballet principal dancer opens up about the fear underneath the joy of expecting his first child. Chase Finlay talks with Tony Cooper about the perfectionism that carried him from a childhood ballet studio to the world's biggest stages, and why that same drive could work against him as a father. They cover the difference between performing for approval and living in alignment, why presence stops time with your kids, and how recovery and honest relationships taught him to become his own cavalry instead of waiting to be rescued. Chase also shares his intentions for his baby shower, his hopes to raise a daughter free to imagine, and the advice he's giving himself for the first months of fatherhood.

Key Takeaways

• Perfectionism can build a career and also work against you as a father if left unchecked
• The external pursuit of validation can be fulfilling, but internal alignment creates lasting fulfillment
• Recovery and a healthy relationship helped reframe self-reliance: "I'm the cavalry"
• Presence is the antidote to feeling like time with your kids moves too fast
• Play is a child's domain, and imagination is worth protecting from screens and self-consciousness
• Doing your own personal work before becoming a parent is a gift you give your children
• A baby shower can be a celebration of the work both partners did on themselves, not just the baby
• Being a firm, present, aware foundation for your partner matters as much as showing up physically

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Cold open
00:29 Meet Chase Finlay
01:19 30 weeks into pregnancy
01:35 Abundance and joy in pregnancy
02:30 Fear of not being good enough
03:24 Wanting everything to be perfect
04:11 The evidence he'll be a great dad
05:03 Chase's ballet career begins
06:41 Principal dancer by 19
07:32 External pursuit vs internal journey
09:07 How he discovered dance
11:40 Athletic and artistic, not fitting a box
13:18 Tony's son finds DJing
15:23 Watching your kid arrive at themselves
17:24 Being flexible, not predicting the future
18:13 Perfectionism: great for dance, risky for dad
19:31 Living aligned with authenticity
20:29 The shift from performing to real recovery
21:14 Becoming his own cavalry
22:19 Substance abuse and hitting bottom
23:00 His wife calling him on his bullshit
24:20 Alignment resolves inner conflict
26:11 Doing the work before kids arrive
27:27 His vision: presence as his top value
29:28 Be what you want your kid to become
30:07 Presence stops time
32:30 Wanting to rebuild play and imagination
34:22 What joy means to him now
36:16 Planning the baby shower
39:11 Celebrating the work, not just the baby
40:08 Advice to himself for the first months
41:13 Closing thoughts

A chance seat on a flight from Denver turned into a decades-long friendship, and a crash course in fatherhood. This week I sit down with my longtime friend Michael Prince to talk about the early terror of parenting a firstborn, the night his son started choking on steak at the dinner table, and why staying calm matters more than having the right answer. We get into raising a daughter after two sons, building a family culture around community and hospitality, teaching teenagers responsibility instead of just rules, and the regrets that come with parenting on the job. Michael's honesty about what he'd do differently makes this one worth sharing with any dad figuring it out as he goes.

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

Key Takeaways:

• Staying calm in a crisis matters more than having the perfect response; overreacting fuels the fire.
• Parenting a firstborn often means learning through trial and error with no real playbook.
• Building community with other parents can be one of the most valuable supports of early fatherhood.
• Raising a daughter after sons requires learning new sensitivity and intentional one-on-one time.
• Teaching kids the "why" behind a task matters as much as giving them the easy solution.
• Discipline works best with clear boundaries paired with real communication, not control.
• Parenting doesn't end when kids move out; it just changes shape.
• Growing up with a highly accomplished parent can create a bar that's hard to know you've cleared.
• Family culture, whether it's music, hospitality, or hosting, gets passed down whether you plan it or not.
• Every parent carries regrets; what matters is staying self-aware enough to adjust.

00:00 Cold open
00:42 Meet Michael Prince
01:18 How Tony and Michael met
02:05 The flight that changed everything
03:10 Becoming each other's sanity
04:13 Babymoon gone sideways
04:52 The terror of a firstborn
06:02 Self-conscious in public with kids
07:16 Learning to stay calm
08:54 Burning the first batch
09:21 Kervin's strong will
11:18 The steak-choking story
13:06 Adrenaline and instinct
14:06 Growing up with a high-bar dad
16:21 Living up to his father
17:02 Parenting patterns we repeat
19:51 Deciding to have a third
20:35 Fear of the unknown gender
21:15 What changed with a daughter
22:24 Raising Josie differently
23:08 Daddy-daughter dates
27:37 Building a community, not just friends
30:07 Teenage independence and curfews
32:20 Parenting never really stops
33:49 Teaching kids the hard way
36:41 Setting red lines, not rules
37:24 Teaching responsibility with alcohol
40:05 Advice for hesitant dads
41:17 Finding your way without a manual
43:37 Final wisdom for new dads
44:53 A message to Kervin

Alton Byrd grew up without a father, then raised two kids across an ocean while playing pro basketball in the UK. This one is about figuring it out with no manual.

Alton joins Tony to talk about a fatherhood honestly. He's talks about the divorce, about the years he lived a plane ride away from his children, and about what he got wrong. What comes through is hard-won and simple: kids don't remember the stuff you buy them, they remember your time.

What you'll take from this episode:

• Why "what they want is your time" is the lesson that took him longest to learn
• Parenting from a distance after a divorce, and owning your part in it
• Raising kids who are "very different" without comparing them
• Moving from parent-of-children to parent-of-adults, and letting them lead
• The three things he'd tell any father: listen, listen to what they aren't saying, and love them no matter what

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com.
Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Cold open: what they really want
00:29 Meet Alton Byrd
02:00 British kids and the name Miles
07:30 Did he always want to be a dad?
09:30 Growing up without a father
13:30 Traveling the world with a baby
17:40 Why kids talk about mom
22:40 Figuring out fatherhood alone
26:00 The divorce and owning his part
28:00 The hardest lesson: time over things
33:50 When your kids become adults
42:40 "You owe me nothing"
43:40 Advice for dads in transition

What does it take to become the father you never had? Jay Vincent joins me for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. Jay grew up idolizing a dad who slid into alcoholism and walked out when Jay was 15, and for years Jay repeated the pattern, through addiction, two DUIs, and the day he came home to an empty house after his kids' mother left. This is the story of how he climbed back.

In this episode: how childhood shapes the dads we become, breaking a generational cycle of addiction, the night everything changed, getting sober and staying sober for 14 years, rebuilding trust with kids who barely knew him, parenting traumatized teenagers, and why doing the inner work is the real job of fatherhood.

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com.

Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 A hard-won lesson: kids absorb everything
00:29 Meet Jay Vincent, girl dad
02:03 Becoming a girl dad
05:44 Jay's childhood and his father
09:33 When a hero slides into alcoholism
10:53 The dad who left at 15
12:01 An angry teenager finds the dark side
14:00 Five miscarriages and the road to Kirsten
17:58 Bringing a child into a fighting home
21:03 The definition of fatherhood
21:36 Coming home to an empty house
24:07 Losing his kids and hitting bottom
25:04 Two DUIs and the cop who kept showing up
27:16 The night he cried out for help
28:49 Fourteen years sober
30:22 Doing it for his kids, then for himself
33:33 Showing up across state lines
34:00 Finding purpose in a fathers' recovery group
46:26 Advice for parents in a struggling relationship
49:22 Closing thoughts

Most dads ease into fatherhood one kid at a time. Nick DeMarinis skipped that part. He found out he was having identical twin boys while living in Hong Kong, 8,000 miles from family. In this episode, Nick shares the blueprint he built for present, intentional fatherhood: setting expectations with employers so he never misses what matters, co-parenting as a true team, and taking care of himself first so he has something real to give. From WeWork's turnaround to a PopAShot national championship, Nick proves you don't have to sacrifice the dad you want to be.

Key takeaways:

• How Nick's parents — a bread man and a teacher from New York — gave him a clear blueprint for fatherhood
• Why moving back from Hong Kong with twin infants taught him the power of structure and discipline
• How radical transparency with employers creates space for the dad commitments that matter
• The "survive and advance" mindset that got him and his wife through the first year with twins
• Why intentional one-on-one time with each twin is one of the most underrated things twin parents can do
• What his son Max's act of compassion toward a crying classmate told him about the dad he's becoming
• How the PopAShot national championship became a lesson in resilience and creativity for his boys
• The oxygen mask principle — why taking care of yourself first is the most selfless thing a dad can do

If you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Nick introduces himself as Max and Luca's dad
02:15 Why the podcast format resonated with Nick right away
05:00 Growing up one of six kids in an Irish Italian Catholic family
08:30 Mom's compassion and adventure, dad's discipline and relationships
12:00 Moving to Hong Kong with LinkedIn — six years abroad
14:30 Finding out they're having identical twin boys
17:00 Seeing parenting in his older siblings — adoption, cerebral palsy, presence
21:00 The kind of dad Nick declared he would be from the start
24:30 Never missing a single pregnancy appointment
27:00 Paternity leave — being there for Diana, not just the babies
29:30 Moving back to the US, joining WeWork, the wild ride begins
33:00 Transparency at work — "the best job I've ever had is being a dad"
36:30 Creating the conditions you want instead of accepting default ones
40:00 Co-parenting as a team — playing to each other's strengths
44:00 The first year with twins: structure, survival, and celebrate every win
49:30 Max helping a crying classmate — the proudest dad moment
53:00 Luca as the voice of reason in a heated disagreement
55:30 Advice for twin parents: intentional one-on-one time
58:30 PopAShot: from shy crybaby to national championship competitor
64:00 Two Guinness World Records — 232 consecutive shots, 103-foot shot
68:00 What the boys have learned watching Nick compete, fail, and try again
72:00 Final advice: put on your oxygen mask first