#20. Why It's Your Fault When Your Kid's Acting Up, Marriage Counseling As Maintenance, And Why Being "Busy" Is A Poor Excuse For Poor Fitness (with Craig Oliver)

#21. Joe Rogan As The New Bowling League, Letting Your Kid Make Swords, And What Toilet Interactions Teach Us About Manhood (with Aaron Boylan)

For this episode I sat down with Aaron Boylan, a a good friend and colleague whose gigs include teaching, acting, selling loans, and building houses. He was also an All-State football player and could take my life in an instant with his Brazilian Jujitsu expertise. Aaron was the most interesting man in the world before the Dos Equis ad campaign. In this wide-ranging discussion, Aaron uses public restroom behavior as a metaphor for manhood, explains the real reason guys love Joe Rogan, defends his decision to let his son build real swords, and reflects on the magic of physical (albeit platonic) touch. And much more. Enjoy.

#20. Why It's Your Fault When Your Kid's Acting Up, Marriage Counseling As Maintenance, And Why Being "Busy" Is A Poor Excuse For Poor Fitness (with Craig Oliver)

For Episode 20 I sat down with Craig Oliver [https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-oliver-921118b5/], a guy I had known primarily from pick-up basketball courts and karaoke stages.  He's a father of three girls, an Army vet, a fitness guru, and someone who doesn't believe in chairs. Craig has some hot takes on parenting, marriage, personal development.  If you're not willing to question some of your assumptions about and approaches to being a dad, you might want to skip this one. On the other hand, if you're like me and like to be challenged, tune in for every second.  Enjoy.

#19. Sam and James Take On The Environment

For Episode 19, an innocent negotiation with the boys about getting rid of a television morphs into a full-blown whiteboard session about energy conservation.  I wasn't planning to record this, but after listening back, I was reminded of Albert Einstein's famous quote:  "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Spoiler alert:  Dragons might be the solution.

#18. The Unique Bond Between Father and Daughter, Bidets, And Why Your Dad Dying Means So Much (with Phil Zaroo)

For Episode 18, I sat down with Phil Zaroo, a close friend and one of my favorite people to talk to, mostly because we disagree a lot.  He's a father of three, an ex-liberal, ex-journalist, hater of all things U of M, and bearer of brutal honesty.  We've had countless yelling matches over the years about social and political issues,  but in this fatherhood-focused conversation we keep it mostly civil.  Phil offers some unconventional takes on parenting, shares the raw experience of losing a parent, breaks down the delusion of the archetypal U of M fan, riffs on the burgeoning bidet market, chokes up when talking about his daughters,  and talks old-school discipline.  Enjoy.

#17. The Upside of Video Games, Flint Basketball, and Why You’ll Never Understand What It Means to Be - Or Raise - a Black Man (with Moses Price)

For Episode 17, I sat down with Moses Price, a man I don’t know well enough to call a close friend, but one who I feel like I’ve known my whole life. Among our similarities, he's a Flint native, a father of two boys, an educator, a huge sports fan, and the proud head chef in his home. In this wide-ranging conversation we explore, among other topics, the YouTube basement, raising black boys, his Flint roots, why video games get a bad rap, and the evolution of teen problems. With a name like Moses Price, it’s a wonder he’s not a pastor. But don't worry, the man can preach. Enjoy.