Our guest this week is Jim Littlefield-Dalmares of Louisville, KY who is Director of Market Development at BNI Middle Tennessee, author, podcast host, founder of Seeing Ability and perhaps most importantly, father of two including a child with Cerebral Palsy. Jim and his wife, LeAnn, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of two: …

Our guest this week is Dr. Patrick Schwarz, of Highland Park, IL who is CEO of Creative Culture Consulting, a public speaker, author of numerous books and an outspoken advocate for inclusive education for people of all abilities. Dr. Schwarz earned his BS, MS and PhD in special education from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Dr. Schwarz is a …

Our guest this week is Jamiel Owens, of Hatfield, PA who is a volunteer firefighter, advocate for those with disability, founder of Ausomeness Inc. and a father of two, including a son who is autistic. Jamiel and his wife, Marta Santa, have been married for 5 years and you are the proud father of two children: Alejandro (3) and Shane (16), who is A…

Our guest this week is Eli Pierce of Aurora, CO who is a customer service representative at Silk Trade, a UK based software company. Eli is the father of four children, including one who is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Eli, and his wife, Cassidy, have been married for 5 years and he is the proud father of four children: …

Michael our guest this week is Michael Pereira of Miami, FL who a financial representative, the father of two and founder of the The Autism Voyage. Michael and his wife, Elizeth, have been married for 9 years and you are the proud parents of two children: Amanda Sophia (3) and Christian Omar (7) who is Autistic. Michael is also the founder of Autis…

Our guest this week is Jason Bechtold of Cary, IL. a director of IT services and an executive coach at Bain as well as the father of three who have a variety of neurological, psychological and intellectual challenges. Jason and his wife, Lori Hermann, have been married for 8 years and he is the proud father of three children: Jordyn (24), Tyler (20…

Our guest this week is Jen Lumanlan of Berkeley, CA wife, mother, researcher, parenting coach, author, curator of the Your Parenting Mojo website and host of the Your Parenting Mojo Podcast. Jen and her husband, Alvin, have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of daughter, Carys, who is 10 years old. Jen was born and raised in Englan…

Our guest this week is Rady Johnson of Westport, CT, a recently retired senior executive at Pfizer and a father of three including one with intellectual disabilities. Rady and his wife, Diane, have been married for 38 years and are the proud parents of three children: Katherine (36), Bridget (30) and Michael (34) who was adopted from Romania as a o…

Our guest this week is Kirby Rabalais of Glenview, IL the Director of Strategic Growth at Truce Software, father of two including one with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome and more recently the founder of 4TITUDE an online community created to support dads raising children with special healthcare needs. Kirby and his wife, Chelsea, have been married for 8 yea…

Our guest this week is Tim Kane of Ridgewood, NJ a former Senior Director of Broadcasting for the NBA, board member at the Epic School Foundation and father of three children including an autistic son. Tim and his wife, Laurie, have been married for 28 years and are the proud parents of three children: Katie (27), Caroline (21) and Jack (24) who is…

Our guest this week is Sebastien Pelletier of Montreal, Canada a financial professional and father of four, three of whom were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. The Pelletier family was also featured in the National Geographic documentary BLINK. Sebastien and his wife, Edith Lemay, have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of four…

Our guest this week is James Burch, of Georgetown, Grand Cayman, who is a corporate law partner at Walkers, amateur boxer and single father of three young boys, including one with global developmental delays. James was born and raised in Chelton, England. After obtaining his education and becoming a lawyer he has worked overseas in Hong Kong and Gr…

Our guest this week is Isaac Jean Paul of Los Angeles, CA. who is a father and U.S. Paralympic track and field champion who just happens to be legally blind. Isaac and his significant other, Myra Harris, are the proud parents of two year old daughter Shylah. Isaac was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. In high school he was a track & field …

Our guest this week is Alfred Niwagaba, of Kampala, Uganda who is the director of the Little Angels School in Wakiso and father of four children including a son with Down Syndrome. Alfred and his wife, Rosemary Nambooze, have been married for 16 years and are the proud parents of four children: Benjamin (5), Beroil (9), Abigale (15) and Abryl (14),…

Our guest this week is Jason Tuttle of Atlanta, GA, a former physical education and special education teacher, a stay at home parent and father to two children with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities. Jason and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 21 years and are the proud parents of two children: Samantha (16) who is non-verbal, ep…

Our guest this week is Michael McManus of Barrington, IL, Vice President of Captive Resources, co-proprietor of Jigsaw Farms and father of two adult sons, including one with Autism. Michael and his wife Stacie have been married for 33 years and are the proud parents of two boys: Matt (30) and Jake (29) who is Autistic. Jake has benefited from a hos…

Our guest this week is Scott MacGregor of Fishers, IN who is Executive Director of Content and Storytelling at Eli Lilly and Company and father of three including one with Down Syndrome. Scott and his wife, Sara, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of three living children: Ainsley (16), Jack (18) and Abby (21) who has Down Syn…

Our guest this week is Jessica Ronne of Holland, MI, author, speaker, podcast host, founder & executive director of the Lucas Project and perhaps most importantly, wife and the mother of eight, including one with special needs. Jess and her second husband, Ryan, have been married for 14 years and between them are the proud parents of eight children…

Episode #359 – A Look Back on 2024 Hi I’m David Hirsch, founder of the 21st Century Dads Foundation and Special Fathers Network as well as host of the Special Fathers Network Dad To Dad Podcast. Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2025. Tom Couch, the editor and producer of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast, and I, thought we would do somet…

Our guest this week is Emma Livingstone of London, England who is the mother of three typical kids, a self-advocate with Cerebral Palsy and founder & CEO of UP - The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement. Emma and her husband, Derrick, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of three typical children ages 11-16. She is the one who has cere…

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: a…

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 an…

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 …

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 Dall…

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 t…

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 …

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…

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 (…

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 for…

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 a…

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 Bl…

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 …

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 ci…

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 …

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). Thei…

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, Ic…

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…

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 An…

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 fat…

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 w…

Our guest this week is Jonathan Polin of Jerusalem, Israel who is a serial entrepreneur, father of three, including son, Hersh, who very tragically was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas led attacks on Israel. This episode was recorded on August 29, 2024, day #328 since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 (mostly civilians from 23 …

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 Joe Lofino of Greenville, OH who …

Our guest this week is DeAndrae Hinton of Houston, TX educator, special education chair at the Houston Independent School District, author and father of two including an Autistic son. DeAndrae and his x-wife, Chaquita Frazier, are the proud parents of Daja (19) and Dillon (16) who has Autism. DeAndrae is the special education chair at the Houston I…

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 Tom Costello of Frankfort, IL who…

Our guest this week is Mazi Keyghobadi of Houston, TX, a father and outspoken advocate for those with disabilities. Mazi, who was born and raised in Iran, emigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with his parents and brothers in 2000. Mazi and his x-wife, Dunia, were married for nine years, before divorcing in 2021 and are the proud parents of son, Luka…

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 John Fela of Lyons, IL who works …

Our guest this week is Alvin Green of Chicago who is a chef, founder of Al’s Cookie Mixx and father of two including a son with Autism. Alvin and his wife, Angella Ferguson, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of two: Asa (23) and Aiden (20), who is Autistic and was also diagnosed with Hyperlexia. Alvin has directed his culinar…

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 Jordan Jankus of Wallingford, VT …

Our guest this week is Dave Van Doorn of Carpentersville, IL a retired general contractor, father of two, including an autistic daughter and Take A Vet Fishing ambassodor. Dave and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 35 years and are the proud parents of two: Tim (31) and Sara (29), who has Autism. Dave is a retired general contractor and profes…

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 Tim Coughlin of London, England w…