You Were There — But You Weren't: What My Daughter Taught Me About Presence

You Were There — But You Weren't: What My Daughter Taught Me About Presence

Anthony showed up to his daughter's performance. He was in the building. He took work calls. He missed the second half. When he asked her how the show was she said — you were there. But you weren't. That sentence hit like a punch in the face. This episode is the confession, the repair, and the rule that came out of one of his biggest misses as a dad. It is for every divorced dad who has been physically present and emotionally absent — and every dad who needs to know it is not about falling down. It is about how fast you get back up. In this episode: * Why kids feel your absence before they can articulate it — and the neuroscience behind why presence is not the same as being in the room * The Journal of Marriage and Family research showing that distracted presence is worse than less time fully present * Why high-functioning divorced dads slip back into old patterns — and the MIT habit research that explains why it happens automatically * The three-sentence apology that repairs faster than any explanation — please forgive me, I was wrong, I can do better * Dr. John Gottman's repair research and why a clean apology is the single most important predictor of relationship health * The rule Anthony made after that moment — and the UC Santa Barbara implementation intention research that proves why rules beat willpower * James 5:16 and why confession in front of your kids is one of the most powerful things a father can model * The specific decision you make before you walk in the door — and how to build your own presence rule starting today Connect with Anthony & Divorced Dads of America: * Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f [https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f] * Join the free Skool community: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97 [https://bit.ly/3Z83e97] * Instagram: @divorceddadsofamerica

He Camped on the Floor With His Kids After Divorce — Troy Casey on the Body, the Rebuild, and the Truth Nobody Tells You

Troy Casey is 60 years old, built like a man half his age, and has been through everything a divorced dad fears most. The couch. The DUI. The savings account vaporized overnight. Starting over with nothing but a Kia and a credit card. And through all of it — camping on the floor with his kids on a mattress and calling it enough. In this episode Troy gets raw about what divorce actually does to a man's body and mind, why breath work at 4am saved his sanity, and the non-negotiables that rebuilt him from the floor up. This one goes places other episodes don't. Stay with it. In this episode: * What looping negative thoughts at 4am actually sound like from a man who has been there * The breath work practice Troy started on his couch that cleared his head when everything was falling apart * Why he chose not to be a victim when he had every reason to be — and what that decision actually looked like * The $63,000 savings account that got vaporized — and how he rebuilt from zero * Why camping on the floor with his kids was enough — and what that season actually built * The nine pillars of health Troy has used for 20 years to stay physically and mentally sharp through divorce and rebuild * Why sleep, movement, organic food, and pure water are non-negotiables — not lifestyle choices * What porn is actually doing to divorced dads biochemically and why it compounds the pain * The phone notification problem — why every ping is hitting your nervous system and what to do about it * Gratitude as a daily practice — the 90-day challenge that changed Troy's trajectory post-divorce * Proximity — the single most important parenting principle for divorced dads with teenagers * What Troy would tell every divorced dad who is in the middle of it right now Connect with Troy Casey: * Website: certifiedhealthnut.com * Instagram / YouTube / Facebook: @CertifiedHealthNut * Book: Ripped at 50 — A Journey to Self-Love Connect with Anthony & Divorced Dads of America: * Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f [https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f] * Join the free Skool community: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97 [https://bit.ly/3Z83e97] * Instagram: @divorceddadsofamerica

You Say Your Kids Are Everything — So Why Won't You Do Everything?

Every divorced dad says his kids are everything. But when it comes to doing everything to become the man they need — the excuses show up. I'm trying. Life is hard. I don't have enough time. This episode is the one nobody wants to hear and everybody needs. Anthony breaks down the real cost of avoidance, the three excuses that keep divorced dads stuck, and the Accountability Architecture that separates the builders from the drifters. You already know what you need to do. Today you stop avoiding it. In this episode: * Why avoidance is not about laziness — the University of Calgary research on what procrastination is actually protecting you from * The three excuses divorced dads use to stay stuck — and why each one is a choice disguised as a circumstance * Why trying is not the same as deciding — and what commitment actually looks like in practice * The Wharton School research on why "I don't have time" is never really about time * The Accountability Architecture — three pillars that build the daily structure your rebuild actually needs * Kelly McGonigal's Stanford research on stress and why the pressure you're feeling is your fuel not your enemy * The 40-year developmental study on what your kids are actually learning from watching you right now * Why you need someone who will call you out not cheer you on — and the research that proves why it works * Galatians 6:9 and the promise that belongs to the process not the dramatic moment * Commit and own it — or repeat the year. There is no third option. Connect with Anthony & Divorced Dads of America: * Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f [https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f] * Join the free Skool community: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97 [https://bit.ly/3Z83e97] * Instagram: @divorceddadsofamerica

She's Poisoning Your Kids — But That's Not Your Real Problem

She's poisoning your kids. She won't let you see them. Your lawyer is working on it. It's not fair and you know it. Every single one of those things may be true. And none of them are your real problem right now. The fastest way to win the war for your kids is to stop fighting the battle you can't control and start winning the one you can. This episode is the one nobody else is going to give you — because it starts with you. In this episode: * Why parental alienation is real — and why the courts aren't your first battlefield * The Family Court Review research on what actually determines custody outcomes * Why your anger — as justified as it feels — may be doing her work for her * Dr. Daniel Siegel's brain science on why you literally cannot think straight when you're reactive * The Inside Win framework — three steps every divorced dad in a high conflict situation needs to take in order * Why becoming undeniable is your most powerful legal strategy — and it's free * The APA research on the one thing that protects your kids during high conflict divorce * Proverbs 16:32 and why emotional control is the most tactical move you can make right now Connect with Anthony & Divorced Dads of America: * Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f [https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f] * Join the free Skool community: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97 [https://bit.ly/3Z83e97] * Instagram: @divorceddadsofamerica

Shame Off You — Jon Gordon on What Guilt Is Really Doing to Divorced Dads

Jon Gordon almost got divorced. Lost his job. Lost his ego. Lost everything except his marriage — and nearly lost that too. Today one of the most influential voices in the world sits down with Anthony to talk about what guilt and shame are actually doing to divorced dads, why forgiveness unlocked 33 books worth of purpose, and why the size of your apartment has nothing to do with the size of your impact on your kids. This one will hit different. In this episode: * Why Jon Gordon said "I almost got divorced" — and what he did when his wife gave him one last shot * The thank you walk that rewired his brain over 25 years — and the UC Davis research that proves why it works * What forgiveness actually is — the hot coal image that will change how you think about your ex * How forgiving his biological father unlocked 33 books and a mission that has reached millions * Why guilt and shame do not come from God — and the enemy's exact playbook for using them against you * The mechanics of negative thought — why you are not the thoughts you think but the thoughts you believe * What the Harvard 85-year happiness study says your kids will actually remember about this season * How to talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself — practical self talk from one of the world's top performance coaches * The Power of Positive Habits — 93 habits and how to pick the ones that will move the needle right now * Romans 8:1 and what no condemnation actually means for a divorced dad carrying shame today Connect with Jon Gordon: * Instagram: @JonGordon11 * Website: jongordon.com * Book: The Power of Positive Habits Connect with Anthony & Divorced Dads of America: * Apply for 1-on-1 coaching: https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f [https://bit.ly/3PfPU0f] * Join the free Skool community: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97 [https://bit.ly/3Z83e97] * Instagram: @divorceddadsofamerica