You've probably heard phrases like, "Just move on" or "let it go." Here's the thing: real healing doesn't mean pretending it didn't hurt. It doesn’t mean erasing memories, rewriting history, or ignoring the pain. It means facing it — and growing through it. One of the ways to face it is to quit grieving alone. …
Continue reading "From Grief to Growth"
This is the first episode in a series I am calling, "How Did I Get Here?" The idea with this series is to share my story from when I first realized divorce was coming to the healing journey to where I am today. In this episode of Dad Talks, I share my personal journey through …
Continue reading "How Did I Get Here: Feeling Stuck With No Way Out"
17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, CALL - this is to pray to God. Similar language to the Lord's Prayer which starts with, "Our Father." FATHER - God isn't a lofty distant judge in …
"Great another argument that got us nowhere!" "Now both of us are upset and we don't know why." We all have been here before so what can we do when facing these type of situations? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "What do I really want?" If we are honest, most of the time …
Continue reading "From Conflict to Connection: The Question That Changes Everything"
After a divorce, many dads find themselves wrestling with a painful question: Am I still a good dad? Being a “good dad” after divorce doesn’t look the way you thought it would—but that doesn’t make it any less real. In fact, some of the most important parts of fatherhood happen in the moments no one …
Continue reading "What No One Tells You About Being a “Good Dad” After Divorce"
"I want past tense me to be a source of dopamine for present tense me."Chase Hughes Instead of saying, "I will do it tomorrow," do it now. You never know what tomorrow will bring or if you will have the time. You have the time now, so do it, that way you have one less …
"What did you say?" "Don't worry about it. Just get out of here!" Wow, JT what's your issue? That's a great question. Why did I react that way? Ego. My ego hates feeling like a loser. My ego is sick and tired of how life is. Basically, I am feeling sorry for myself and letting …
"In the gap between where we are and where we want to be, we find instability - the breeding ground of anger." -David J. Lieberman, Ph.D. That's it! That's the feeling I have been trying to define. For years it just ate at my soul. It's that feeling that there had to be more because …
Continue reading "Closing the Gap: Overcoming Ego to Find Freedom"
It's that helpless...no it's more of that defeated feeling deep in the pit of your stomach but you can't grasp what's happening so you feel just stuck. Maybe a story will help. A few years back I was working on replacing water lines in my garage that had busted due to cold Iowa winter. I …
Continue reading "How Facing Your Emotions Leads to Freedom"
If I could go back to my younger self and tell me that "Anger isn't the real issue, here's what is going on…" I would tell him this… I have always struggled with anger. Let me be more specific, anger comes easy for me. The struggle is to not act out in a bad way …