The Quarterback DadCast
I’m Casey Jacox, the host of the Quarterback Dadcast. As fathers, we want to help prepare our kids—not only to enter the professional world but to thrive in each stage of their lives. Guests of this show include teachers, coaches, professional athletes, consultants, business owners, authors—and stay-at-home dads. Just like you! They share openly about failure, success, laughter, and even sadness so that we can all learn from each other—as we strive to become the best leaders of our homes! You will learn each week, and I am confident you will leave each episode with actionable tasks that you can apply to your life to become that ultimate Quarterback and leader of your household. Together, we will learn from the successes and failures of dads who are doing their best every day. So, sit back, relax and subscribe now to receive each episode weekly on The Quarterback Dadcast.
The Quarterback DadCast
From Wall Street to Rock Stars: A Dad's Journey with Chad Wall
What happens when you raise children with both humility and fierce independence? Finance executive Chad Wall joins the Quarterback Dadcast to share the remarkable journeys of his three thriving adult children - an Air Force pilot's wife with a master's degree, a globe-trotting outdoor film editor, and a rising rock star whose band just landed major touring opportunities.
Chad reveals the parenting philosophy that shaped these success stories: being "deliberately present." This isn't just about showing up physically, but also about demonstrating genuine interest in your children's lives and making them feel inherently valuable, regardless of their pursuits. Drawing from lessons learned from his feisty, empathetic mother and his hardworking, loyal father, Chad and his wife Michelle created a home where their kids felt both supported and free to forge their own paths.
The conversation takes us through Chad's "life-altering conversations" with his son about pursuing music, his approach to maintaining close relationships with his adult children, and the core values that have become the foundation of his family. You'll hear how understanding multiple perspectives, fostering self-worth, and striking a balance between guidance and independence created the framework for his children's confidence and compassion.
Whether you're raising teenagers, launching young adults, or navigating empty-nest parenthood, Chad's practical wisdom offers a blueprint for developing character rather than controlling outcomes.
His story reminds us that our children don't measure successful parenting by following our footsteps, but by the humans they become and the values they carry forward.
Stay tuned to the end for a special treat - a song from Chad's son Kellen's band Marfa, showcasing the talent that's taking them on tour with established acts across the country. This episode is a masterclass in raising children who are both humble and confident enough to pursue their wildest dreams.
Please don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!
Hi, I'm Riley and I'm Ryder, and this is my dad show.
Speaker 3:Hey everybody, it's Casey Jaycox with the quarterback dad cast. Welcome to season six, and I could not be more excited to have you join me for another year of fantastic episodes and conversations really unscripted and raw and authentic conversations with dads. If you're new to this podcast, really it's simple. It's a podcast where we interview dads, we learn about how they were raised, we learn about the life lessons that were important to them, we learn about the values that are important to them and really we learn about how we can work hard to become a better quarterback or leader of our home. So let's sit back, relax and listen to today's episode on the Quarterback Dadcast. Well, hey, everybody, it's Casey Jaycox with the Quarterback Dadcast. We are in season six and our next guest. If I would have told you when I met this cat shoot probably 15, 16, 17 years ago that we'd be doing the thing called a podcast, I'd be like what the hell is that? But I know what they are now.
Speaker 3:I don't think our guest quite does what he's got himself into, but he's one of Kenridge High School's finest. He's a Montana grizzly. He's really the mayor of Valley Meadows neighborhood, if anybody knows where that is. He has been in wealth management for years. He's now a market vice, I think a managing director and senior vice president of US Bank. So he's been helping out families across the United States for years, so we'll learn a little more about that. He also has three talented kids. We're going to learn about that. And we're going to learn how our next guest, Chad Wall, is working hard, or continually working hard, to be that ultimate quarterback or leader of his household. So, without further ado, Mr Wall, welcome to the Quarterback Dadcast.
Speaker 4:Well, thank you, and I'm humbled to be honest with you. As I mentioned at the beginning, I'm like man you grabbed the most average dude in the world, but I'll talk about my kids all day long because they're the extraordinary people in my life.
Speaker 3:So yeah, so.
Speaker 4:I'm just I'm really happy to be here and really appreciative. So thanks a lot.
Speaker 3:Well, it's going to be fun. Well, we always start out with gratitude, so tell me, what are you most grateful for as a dad today?
Speaker 4:I'm grateful for three amazing kids and a beautiful wife and a family that you know we set out to build and not really knowing what we were going to get ourselves into and you know it's been an amazing, an amazing journey. So I'm extremely grateful for just what we have, you know, and uh, uh, that's you know mostly what I'm just extremely grateful for.
Speaker 3:Love it. Well, I'm, uh, I'm grateful for, um, a couple of things. Well, I'm grateful for your family, because your kids helped babysit our kids when they were younger, so that that was fun. Uh, now it's fun to see them becoming adults and doing big things out in the world. But, um, I say I'm grateful. Both of my kids have, uh boyfriends and girlfriends and they went from not having boyfriends and girlfriends to like being all in and both kids are in love, which is really really kind of cool to see for the first time. But, uh, we're getting the taste of what it's like to be an empty nester because they don't want to hang out. I mean, they want to hang out here, but like it's like they're usually hanging out with each other. So it's where the band-aids were getting ripped off and we're learning all about what that next phase of life is going to be like.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah. No, I hear you. We've been empty nesters now, I think, for gosh, three, four years, right, so, and it was an adjustment, right. I mean we're a lot like you. We've been together for a very long time. We had to kind of redate again when the kids left. So I hear you, yeah, that's cool, that's cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, bring me inside. So I know a little bit about these fantastic wall kids, but bring us inside the huddle and tell us a little bit about each child and then also share where you and your lovely bride met.
Speaker 4:Okay. Well, I'm going to start where my lovely and I, where we met. How's that? I think that's the beginning. So we were high school sweethearts. We met at Cambridge right. So alma mater go Chargers.
Speaker 3:And she was in a different crowd.
Speaker 4:She was in a good crowd. I was in the I wouldn't say the bad crowd, but I was definitely in the more rowdy crowd. She was out of my league, there's no doubt about it. She had actually asked one of our best friends. She was friends with this guy since kindergarten. I always had this crush on this guy. I was good friends with him.
Speaker 4:She asked him to a solo dance where the you know the girl asked the boy and he'd already been going to somebody and he said you need to ask Chad Wall and she said there's no way I'm gonna ask Chad Wall. He's, he's in a totally different group. And and Brett said no, no, he's, he's good man, ask him. So she asked me and uh, you know I, I was blown away, as I say, you know she, I outpunted my coverage, right, and I was like there's no way she's gonna ask me. And she did. And uh, and yeah, it just took off. And uh, we knew pretty much within the first few months we were, we were meant for each other and we were gonna get married and um and then and then we did in my senior year of college.
Speaker 4:So, um, I've been together 38 years. We just had our dating anniversary. Believe it or not, we still, uh, still remember that we and we've been together 38 years.
Speaker 3:We just had our dating anniversary, believe it or not.
Speaker 4:We still remember that and we've been married 35. So, yeah, in that process we had our first kid. We've been married about six, seven years and Taylor, my oldest, she is 28, which is hard for me 28?. Yeah, isn't that something 28. What the hell.
Speaker 3:How is that possible?
Speaker 4:She just turned 28 earlier this month, and she's an amazing kid. Right, she's the blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, you know, good looking. I mean when she was growing up I'm like, oh man, I am in trouble. And you know me, I'm 5'8 and a half, I'm not a big dude man. So you know I had to figure out something else to become a little bit more scary for the guys who were going to show up.
Speaker 4:But she graduated from the University of Washington. She married her high school sweetheart, who's actually an amazing story in himself. He was a graduate of the Air Force Academy. They sent him to Harvard. He's now a finer pilot in the Air Force. She, in her own right, graduated from the University of Washington, got her master's at Baylor. She is a speech therapist. They live up in Anchorage Amazing things that are going on in their lives. No grandkids, yet I'm not sure if they're really actually wanting them. Right now they're having a good time, you know, being dual income.
Speaker 4:No kids and uh and yeah and living that so um so yeah, she's she's an amazing, amazing person I've been married about, uh, I think, six years.
Speaker 4:She got married in 2019, um, so, yeah, six years. Uh, mckenna is my middle daughter. She is complete opposite of taylor. She is brown hair, brown eyes. She's the athlete of the family, played, you know, premier soccer in high school. She went to Boise State. She's a hiker, she's outdoorsy, she I mean they do deep woods, not wimpy stuff like me. I mean they go deep into the woods for three days and they camp, and she is. She's an outdoor film editor. So it works for an outdoor filming company and she's an editor doing exactly what she wants to do. She's traveled. I mean she's seen more of the world. I mean at her age and she's 26,. She'll be 27 in September. She's been to the Philippines and Germany and I mean you know Spain, and I mean all over the place with this company and it's just awesome to see what she's doing. Wow, living her dream.
Speaker 4:And then my youngest son, kellen, he's 25. He's another fun story. So he went to University of Colorado, denver, got a senior songwriter degree and about six months before graduation, you know, I had a father son conversation. I said you know, graduate, what are you going to do and he said at the time he's working, he's still working at Takova's Cowboy Boot Company and he said I'm going to, I'm not going to be a rock star, dad. He goes, that's a, that's a dead end. You know, trail, it's like that's a hard thing to do and there's just no way I could do it. Um, so he said I'm gonna probably go work for takovas corporate in their marketing uh, division and uh, a couple months before graduation, him and a buddy posted a song on the internet.
Speaker 4:He got a million and a half hits and things just took off and they, uh, they became you. They had music managers coming after them and they were legit. We had them checked out and they started this process of becoming a rock star, and so they signed up with this management company. They're touring in the summer with a group called Head Heart and they've got a whole bunch of other tours that they've now announced. They've headlined a couple shows. They're negotiating a record contract right now. They signed up with CAA, which is one of the country's largest agencies for, you know, concerts and all that stuff, and it's been crazy. You know the ride they're on.
Speaker 4:It's been a year and they are just taking off, so that's like I said I can talk about my kids the whole hour because, um, you know, sitting back and being a spectator and watching this unfold is just blowing us away, you know, and it's just, it's just a blessing.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so that's, that's, that's the family.
Speaker 3:Well, we will get into. Uh, we will get into. Um, uh, I want to make sure we we help spread. Uh, I want to make sure we help spread Kellen's musical skills with him and his buddy the band's called Marfa. We'll talk about that later in the show, but I want to rewind the tape. I always like asking my guests what was it like growing up for you and then talk about the impacts your parents had on you from a values perspective. That you and then talk about the impacts your parents had on you from like a values perspective that you and Michelle were like hey, these are important to us because we both raised this way and this is how we're going to raise our kids.
Speaker 4:Uh, yeah, I was.
Speaker 3:I'm the last of five Uh so yeah, and, and, and it sounds like you know, we're either Mormon or Catholic.
Speaker 4:We're not. You know, I was born in Salt Lake city, right? So I was born in Salt Lake City. I was born in Salt Lake City. That's where my parents are from my mom's, actually from. Texas. My dad is from Price, Utah. I was the last of five and they moved up here in 1976. My dad got a transfer.
Speaker 4:There's a great story to my dad and the way he lived. As you become an adult, you start to see your dad as a person. You're like, oh my gosh, you know he, he, he had his own challenges and he did pretty doggone good job of of, uh you know what he was able to accomplish, um, in his life. So, um, yeah, I mean we had. We have a close family. Uh, both mom and dad have passed away. My oldest sister's passed away. There's four of us left. My two brothers live in Maple Valley, so close to me. My sister lives in Chelan and we talk all the time. In fact, she's coming here this weekend to stay with us. So we're a close family. We've always been close growing up, which I think has really helped us.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, when both your parents passed away, you kind of reflect um on on what they provided you right in life. And and my mom passed away in 2015.
Speaker 4:I spoke at her funeral and I remember, you know, thinking gosh, what was it? Those are three things. I guess that she really gave me one of most uh, humility she was. She taught humility, which you do, which I love, but she also taught you know how to be feisty, which was interesting, right. So you get this humility and feistiness. Yeah, she's a fighter. I told my wife when she met me. I said you know, the wall, women are tough. Because I have two older sisters. So it went two sisters, two brothers, and then me. I said the wall, women are tough. I'm like they're going to be, they're, they're tough to to. You know, get into the circle of trust, but once, once you're in, you're in and they will fight to the death for you. I'm like so. But she's very humble and she was very, very empathetic, always extremely empathetic. She taught me to understand both sides of the story before you make your own judgment.
Speaker 2:You know, and she even said look if you're going to be convicted about something
Speaker 4:know the other side of the story, it really deepens your conviction, right. She's like then you can really be convicted about what you believe in. So, yeah, so she instilled, instilled, you know, kind of that she was. She was uh, very, uh, very good about kind of giving us that, um, motherly overture as well as, uh, letting us feel like we could be independent. Right, um, my dad he was. He was a salesman, right. So he was an interesting guy.
Speaker 4:You know, what got him into sales was he was working for a company. He was actually driving a delivery truck, five kids at home, okay, and he had 50 bucks in his bank account. And he walked into the manager's office and he said I want to be in sales or I'm going to quit. And the guy said quit, and my dad quit. So he said he's driving home. He's like, oh my gosh, I've got five kids at home, 50 bucks in the bank. What am I going to tell my wife? Right, but that's kind of what he was, right, he was just a survivor. And then he went and got a sales job and he became a great sales professional in his career. But you know, that's just kind of what he was. And he always what he taught me and again I spoke at his funeral in 2019.
Speaker 4:You know the things he taught me he was, you know, one of them for sure was well, he was extremely loyal to his family, fiercely loyal so he would. You know he believed in fighting for family and making sure that, you know, we were protected.
Speaker 4:So he was very much like that he was also, you know, things reverberate in my head and sometimes they come out of my mouth and I'm like, oh, I'm sorry, kids, I sound like my dad, right, but it's, you know, do things right the first time, you don't have to do them again. And work hard. You know everything you do if you believe in it, work hard. You know everything, everything you do. If you believe in it, work hard at it. Um, you know he really instilled work ethic in me hard work, figuring out things. He was scrappy, you know. He didn't go to college and he ended up being a, you know, I'd say middle class, upper middle class income, her in the, you know, latter part of his career, just because he was scrappy, you know.
Speaker 4:And so he, he instilled a lot in in us as far that survivability.
Speaker 2:And what I would say for both of them we always knew we had a home.
Speaker 3:So I think that was the biggest thing.
Speaker 4:They always said hey, we want you to go out in the world, but you've always got a home. You can always come home. And I think that was really comforting for all of my siblings because we all were pretty independent. None of us boomerang backed and lived at home um, but we all knew we could if things got really bad.
Speaker 2:There's a place to go yeah, so, yeah, so it was it was a good upbringing.
Speaker 4:Like I said, we uh, you know all my siblings, we all talk about how fun it was to be a wall, you, you know. So, yeah, it was, it was. It was a good upbringing.
Speaker 3:Very cool. I'm always curious, like so, um, like your mom the feistiness, do you have any idea? Where do you think she gets that from?
Speaker 4:She, well, her, she's from Texas, that's where she was born. I think, um, all the all the women in that family were were pretty feisty. You know Southern women, they weren't the proper, you know, type Um, I think, and I've learned this just from having older sisters you know, women are just in a different position than we are. They kind of have to fight their way up through things.
Speaker 4:My mom was in sales in the latter part of her career. Um, she had to prove herself right and so she just got up. But I remember my grandparents. They weren't feisty people, so I don't really know where she got it, because both of her sisters, both my aunts were both pretty feisty people as well. And my granddad was extremely quiet, very humble. He always believed. You know, he died when I was 18. And I remember him saying you know, don't give advice unless asked. That was his whole motto.
Speaker 2:Love that.
Speaker 4:I'm not going to give advice unless asked. That's not my job and so he was a quiet, strong presence whenever he was around. But, man, you know, when you ask him advice, it was pretty deep, you know, and he took it because you're like, hey, he doesn't just, you know, unabashedly give advice. He actually is very, you know, pragmatic about it. So um, so yeah, I don't know where she got her advice in this but uh, she instilled that in both my sisters, Um, and you know, like I said, my sisters are tough.
Speaker 4:I mean, I'm glad I was the last boy because my other two brothers got beat up pretty good by them. You know, I he being on the tail end, I didn't get beat up as bad, do you think so?
Speaker 3:McKenna was a good. I remember McKenna was a great soccer player. Do you think she gets that from? Uh cause, michelle, maybe be a, might be a quiet feistiness in her. Or did she get that from grandma?
Speaker 4:Michelle's tough right. That's why I married her. I mean, it was really funny. When I met her, I'm like these characteristics are exactly what I'm looking for, right a really tough, stoic, not reactive. She can be reactive, but not, you know, not for the most part she tends to sort of you know, she's just really strong individual and her parents instilled in her a sense of value and self-worth right.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 4:I knew, you know she's going to be an awesome mom, Like she'll instill that in her kids, and she did, you know, I mean, both Taylor and McKenna are really independent people and they're just kind of forging their own trail and and Michelle really instilled that in them. As far as just that, you're valuable, right, You've got some self-worth, you know. Get out there and show the world who you are. Yeah, I mean, when I first met Michelle, I was like, oh boy, I can't let this one go, because she's just got everything I ever thought. And she's beautiful, I'm like man. You know how did this happen?
Speaker 3:So, um, so yeah, so I you know she she instilled that in our kids as well.
Speaker 3:That's a common thread, most successful marriages, that the phrase we've outkicked our coverage, uh, you married up, um, are you sure you got the right guy? Like these types of conversations which I think, and you know, and I would like to think, our wives would maybe say that about us at times. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't, but I think, I think that humility of your, you have so much respect for your spouse and you're like wow, cause there's things that like my, my wife carried like I'd suck at, like I am not handy and I get made fun of all the time by my buddies and I just accept it, cause I know that's my gap, but like her dad is like MacGyver Carrie's. Like I I'm fairly organized person but she makes me look like I'm on the C team of being organized, like it's it's just next level of being organized and it just comes like so easy to her.
Speaker 4:You know they fill the gaps we don't. We're not good at right, you know. So I think it's. You know. Yeah, I think it's outstanding.
Speaker 3:I think for dads, like one of the things we like, I like to check always is my ego and like to have other dads check their ego, and that was that was kind of one of the goal, like six years ago when I started this thing. It's like whether you're an executive at a bank or you're a the play by play for the Mariners or the play by play for the Kraken, or you're a like Cooper cups dad I've interviewed him your kids it's just like a little teaser there Everybody at home, like your kids, could give two shits, like my kids could give two shits. I wrote a book. My kids could give two shits. I'm doing what I'm doing. Now they're like hey dad, can dad, can you come rebound for me? Or hey dad, I'm gonna go to my boyfriend's house.
Speaker 3:And some too often as dads, we get wrapped up in our identity, tied to what we do, but it doesn't matter. I mean it matters to ourself and ensure self-confidence. But in the end, when we can remove that identity from what we do and you're still a person with values of humility, feistiness, empathetic, loyal, do the right thing, hard work, that's what is important and that's what I'm hoping that other dads when they listen to these things like that's what we want to be teaching our kids.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know I mean it's, it's hard. I remember when we were married no kids right.
Speaker 3:We even talked about like what?
Speaker 4:what do we want to make sure our kids come home to Like what? Come home to Like what do we want to make sure we're instilling in our kids? And we did, you know, we didn't know. You're 24, 25. I mean, you don't have a lot of runway of life that you can go. Oh, you know what? I've got some wisdom. I don't have any wisdom right, but you're just like, what can we do to make sure?
Speaker 4:And it's a balancing I, parents, and I'm like, whoa, you guys have a lot of challenges for the young. You know, if I had teenagers now I'm like, oh, my word. Now I don't know the answer, other than we were. It's a fine line of I'm going to hover a little bit, but I'm going to give them freedom and I don't want them to go too far, to get in too much trouble. And my gosh, I got. You know what I mean. So it's it. I'm knock on wood. I'm like, thank God we're through that phase. You know, I'm sure it's just as difficult now as it was when we were, just as our parents. It was difficult for them to raise us and the MTV Atari generation, yeah, I mean. So you know, to me I'm like, whatever did. It was just that right combination, I felt, where they all felt like they could. They could do stuff, not getting too much trouble. And you know, and like I said, it's almost like when kellen, you know we're still kind of killing. Yeah, he's our last, but still he's 25 and you know we're not out of the woods, it's just it's gonna be continuous forever, but at least we're out of the tough teenage years and all that stuff, right so but yeah, we did come together before we had kids and you know, these are the
Speaker 4:things we want to make sure we instill. Right, and it was solid. You know, home good core at home and parents love each other and you know there's going to be a little bit of discipline. But we've got to give some freedom, and you know this with your two kids what worked on one doesn't work on the other, right? So you think you're like, oh, now I know how to discipline. Nope, that didn't work on this one, so that isn't going to work. I got to figure something else on. And then Calvin was completely different. I mean, everything that worked on the girls didn't even come close to him, right? So it's just this, it's a learning process, right, and that's what it is.
Speaker 3:Isn't it funny how and I think and parents who are younger parents might be listening it's like your kids are so different but they're I mean, like riley and writer alike in a lot of ways, like they're sarcastic nature and love making fun of their dad, but like from a like riley is, a school comes super easy to her writer had to work harder. Writers a lot more outgoing and social. Riley was a stoic, shy one. You know the same person like we. It's not like they're. You know we didn't didn't watch a movie where it's science and create a girl. It's like these are. But it's so interesting when you, when you go, when they kids grow up, how different they become. But it's like it's fun to celebrate who they become, do?
Speaker 4:now, let let me. I'm going to ask you a question, because how old is Riley?
Speaker 3:She's she's Riley is uh, she'll be 17 in the fall.
Speaker 4:How are you handling the boy thing?
Speaker 3:It's awesome. I mean, he is, um, he loves her so much, he's so respectful. Every time he comes he won't call me Casey, calls me Mr Jay Cox. The very first time he came to our house I'm like you, little mother effer, he goes, he goes. Hey did you? I heard you played football in college.
Speaker 3:Like, oh yeah, come on over, young boy, you want to watch, want to see some old highlife films? I'm just straight uncle Rico, but he, just he, he, uh, he plays lacrosse. So we actually I went and watched him play lacrosse. Um, he went to every one of our basketball games he, he wears to. You know, when he goes watch her play hoop, he says it says Jaycox, super fan on it.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's awesome, he's just a good, good, good kid and, um, their parents are great, um, the only thing I joke with him sometimes. So he's he's, he's from, he's filipino descent and I love filipino food and I'm like, bro, can you please make it, can we get some lumpia out of this deal? And he doesn't like lumpia. I'm like how is that possible? Like, lumpia is like one of the favorite foods of all, and so we always kind of have this tongue-in-cheek joke.
Speaker 3:But, um, he's, yeah, I, I was worried about that. You know, like how am I going to react. But you know, like, shoot, I've been dating carrie since eighth grade and, um, we just it's. What's fun is like we've asked riley, hey, how does? How does his name's aaron, how does aaron like us? And he, um she said, oh my god, you guys make them feel so comfortable and accepting. And, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, you know it. Just kind of like, when you're, when your parents get divorced, like how are you going to make the my, my mom and dad my dad passed away in 2021, but my mom's still alive and when your parents get divorced, like how are you going to make the stepdad feel?
Speaker 1:You know, it's a different thing to go through.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, my name is Craig Coe and I'm the Senior Vice President of Relationship Management for Beeline. For more than 20 years, we've been helping Fortune 1000 companies drive a competitive advantage with their external workforce. In fact, beeline's history of first-to-market innovations has become today's industry standards. I get asked all the time what did Casey do for your organization? And I say this it's simple. The guy flat out gets it. Relationships matter. His down-to-earth presentation, his real-world experience apply to every area of our business. In fact, his book Win the Relationship and Not the Deal has become required reading for all new members of the global relationship management team. If you'd like to know more about me or about Beeline, please reach out to me on LinkedIn. And if you don't know Casey Jaycox, go to CaseyJaycoxcom and learn more about how he can help your organization. Now let's get back to today's episode.
Speaker 3:Well, as you reflect on growing up, before we get into some other stuff, as you reflect on growing up. Well, as you, as you reflect on growing up, before we get into some other stuff. As you reflect on growing up, I mean some really good themes that dads can be thinking about, like creating, creating families where your kids are feisty, they're tough, they're, they're humble, they're not going to go bragging Like, I think, your grandpa, like, if you want to, if you want advice, I'll give it to you, but I'm not going to just do it on my own. I you can talk about. Is there a story of any of those like skills that you were taught that come to mind? That that might reflect on how that really got cemented in to your mind?
Speaker 4:Yeah, the one that comes to mind. This is so my dad. Again, he was all about you know, if you work hard right, you're going to get rewarded. You know, do things right the first time so you don't have to do them again. Don't cut corners, he said, especially if people see you cutting corners, what are they thinking when they can't see you? So he was like don't be cutting corners, because that's just going to show people that maybe when you're not being seen, you're even doing nothing.
Speaker 4:So, great story. He hired me and one of my buddies, who's still one of my closest friends to this day, to clean up our backyard, and our backyard in Fairwood you know where Fairwood's at was all woods. And so he's like look, I want you guys, I'll pay you whatever $100. You know, this is back in 1984, maybe. And he's like I want you guys to rake up, you know, all of the dead, everything, dead branches, leaves, all that stuff, rake it all up into big piles. There's a little bit of bark I'm going to have you spread out there. You know it's an all day, maybe day and a half long job. So of course I, you know, I kick back and let my buddy do all the work.
Speaker 3:Right, so he's in my buddy's house. You're a superintendent. Oh, totally, and he's a hard worker.
Speaker 4:Right, so he so. So I don't know, my dad even even is watching all of this, but you know, we finish up and he comes out and he gives me a 20 and he gives him an 80 and he goes good job, you guys goes. Good job, joe. He goes, joe. Good job, joe. You did a lot of work, chad. I'm not sure what you really did, but anyway, there's your 20. And I was like, oh my word, yeah, he saw the whole thing and so it just. You know everything he had said, he lived up to it and he kind of proved it to me, like look, man, if you're not going to work hard and you're not going to do things, then you're not going to get paid for it, so I use that story because it just highlighted, you know just how he was as far as making sure that I was still alive, and you know and I love that too, because they
Speaker 4:my parents also you know, the first thing is like look, I got your back. But you know, if you get in trouble, I got to know the other side of the story. I'm not going to come up with guns ablaze and just defending you. I got your back, know that. But I need to know the other side of the story before I you know. I mean because there is, there might be some to blame for me. And this is one of those instances where he's like I ain't got your back on this one man, you didn't, you did not do what I wanted you to do, and so therefore he taught me a good lesson it was it was.
Speaker 4:It was a good lesson.
Speaker 3:That's a great. That's a great story. You made me think I, um my dad, hired us a couple of times for that type of work. Sometimes we did a good job, sometimes we did it. We did not so good job, um, but I remember like one time I think I've told a story before on podcast. For those that haven't heard it, it's um, you remember papa? Well, papa, was it papa murphy's, not papa aldo's, papa murphy's not?
Speaker 3:right, papa aldo's, now it's papa murphy's back in the day, so I worked at papa aldo's in high school okay and this is where my parents taught me the power of like, telling the truth and being honest, and I mean, and they followed through. It was painful. So I remember I was remember I had like 738 jobs in high school. I pretty much worked at every place up in Fairwood Just own the place. My resume is like 38 pages long. And I remember I worked at Pop-Halls for like maybe three months, two months, and my buddy was turning 16 and I wanted to go to his party.
Speaker 3:But I had to work and there was, like me and three other guys, three other people got scheduled on a Sunday. And in my mind back I'm like hey, no one comes into this place, You're going to Shakey's, You're not going to pop all those. That was my immature punk kid attitude. And it's Sunday, why do we have four people working? What a waste of money. And so I go to the boss. So I go to the boss, I go hey, boss, I see you at work on Sunday. My friend's at his 60th birthday party. It's a big weekend thing. Can I switch a shift? Please have it off. No, I'm going to need you to come in on Sunday.
Speaker 3:So now I'm like okay, how can I get out of this. So I quickly decide to not tell the truth and go into story mode and I'm like, ah, weird timing. I have a family reunion God the odds. So I go back in two days later. God you know you're never going to believe it. Boss, I got a family reunion and I can't come in. My mom says I really got to, I got to be there, you know. Well, not, you know, not just being an idiot 16 year old kid. What I don't realize is that the boss is going to call my mom. Hey, I understand, you guys have a family reunion. You know, sorry, Casey can totally have the day off and mom's like what? And she's like he doesn't have a family reunion. And you, whatever you need to do, you can do it.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:So I go to work next day and, um, he's like, hey, casey, you excited for your family reunion. I'm like, yeah, yeah, it's going to be great to see a lot of cousins. I just completely buy into the lie. He's like are you sure? Because I talked to your mom and she wasn't quite so sure, and it was. I mean, if there was Depends back then I wish I had him on because it was almost a complete Got shit-cammed. But I'm 49 years old. I still remember that story.
Speaker 4:Great lesson.
Speaker 3:I mean, you know, sometimes and you know this.
Speaker 4:failure is a great lesson teacher. I mean it really is, when something like that happens. Never happen again, no Right.
Speaker 3:No 100%.
Speaker 4:What a time to do it when you're what? 16, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:I mean, that would be a horrible if it happened when you're 30 or 35 yeah you're learning that lesson so maybe if if anybody, papa murphy's, is listening you're looking to sponsor a podcast about you know supporting dads and being you know ethics, and Come on board. We'd love to have you oh boy. Okay, so I well, what's it like to have a daughter who is married a I mean a guy that really didn't do much in school? I mean Harvard, the Air Force, what a God.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know what man I got? Well, she married like her dad. I'm just kidding, she did not marry like her dad. I'm like you know, you married like your dad. She's like no, no, yeah, other than he. He, I'm a process driven guy. He's a process driven guy, I mean, but he's at a different level. He, um, so this was my, you know when he he actually asked if he could date my daughter. Okay.
Speaker 3:Who does?
Speaker 4:that, by the way he comes in, he's like Mr Wall, I got to talk to you. I go yeah, I want to have permission to date your daughter. I was like what are we in the? What are we in the fifties? I'm like I'm Mr Cleaver here. I'm like what are you doing? I'm like I'm Mr Cleaver here. I'm like what are you doing? I'm like of course you can. And I said but and this is the truth I said but I mean, do you want to date her? She's pretty, she can be pretty difficult, you know. And he's like oh no, I I told you. And I'm like okay, so you know they they, they dated and they had a little breakup there in college and and.
Speaker 3:I tried.
Speaker 4:I didn't. I mean, he's a great kid, right. But I'm like, look, if it's not going to work out, it's not going to work out. That's just what happens. And my daughter took that that I didn't like him, like I didn't want them to get married or something I don't know. She's upset, like she's like you don't think I should love Todd and I'm like, no, no, no, that's not force academy. He's got a lot of pressures, you know, um, anyway, and then they ended up getting back together and you know, and the rest is history. But he, uh, yeah air force academy graduate he was?
Speaker 4:he won't tell us because he's humble. He had to have been in the top of his class because they sent five, four or five kids off to, I believe, and they paid for it. So they, they sent him off to harvard and he got his master's in public policy and that took two years. Then, once he graduated from Harvard, he got married and then they moved to Texas. That's when he got enrolled in the. It's called the NJEP program. It's a NATO program, but it's for the top tier pilots.
Speaker 4:Then if you filter out and you're in the top, you get the best planes. And he got the best plane. I mean he got the top plane in the in the, I'd say in the military that we have. It's the F-22 Raptor, it's stealth, it's extremely complicated plane. And yeah, he's, he's flying that thing. And I mean and I'm a plane junkie, Like I love did marry a little bit. She married that. What would dad wish he could be guy, right, I mean there's no doubt. And I I try to extrapolate stuff from him Like, hey, man, have you been on the Russian border yet? You know kind of buzzing around and he won't tell me. I'm like, come on, man.
Speaker 3:Let me, let me live through you, yeah.
Speaker 4:But, he's a amazing kid and yeah, she. You know, like I said, it's I'm blessed.
Speaker 3:I didn't, I couldn't have asked you know for anything anything more you know, unique and better than this kid and do you think he chose Harvard because Central and Montana might have been too big of a challenge?
Speaker 4:oh, you want to hear something really sad. He's a wazoo fan really I, I'm like dude you went to Air Force and Harvard and you're rooting for the Cougs which I don't think it's the Cougs, but I'm like come on Now. You know, my daughter went to UW, right, so you've got the Cougar Husky Broward going on, so yeah isn't that funny no-transcript.
Speaker 4:A fighter pilot at a party? They'll tell you. They tell you, right, yeah, but but my son-in-law won't tell you. Like he'll be at a party and man, nobody knows what that kid does. And I'm like he realized there's only 140 F-22 pilots. I'm like it's a rare breed, you know.
Speaker 3:Love it. Well, your feisty mom would be proud knowing that we have a humble kid.
Speaker 4:I know I wish she would have been around to see all this. That is the one disadvantage of being the last of five. Right, your parents are older and so, yeah, they got to see my older siblings' kids a lot more than mine, but what they did see was pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Well, good job, taylor. Well, I also want to give love to McKenna, because when I first started my entrepreneurial journey that I did not mean to start, remember McKenna was super helpful in kind of doing some like video. I don't even know if you know that she like did a couple of videos for me in the very beginning. Oh, yeah, yeah, it might have been when she was still at Boise State. What did she graduate four or five years ago? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So it was probably right when she was done or getting out, and I remember, I remember how I found out she did that, but like, yeah, super, it was great, help me out and um, that's just that's cool, that that you know she's one of your kids are doing things that they want to do, um, all unique, all different. But you know, it's like when you find something you're passionate about and then you can go do it, it's like what a, what a gift and what a, what a great feeling as parents that must be for you guys yeah, and mckenna, I mean mckenna is a cool human being, right, and you've heard me say she's just a really cool person.
Speaker 4:I mean I always say all the kids, she teaches me, right, more about life. I mean then I can get anywhere else. She's just she's, she's inquisitive, she's smart, she's got an old soul, she's just a really great person. You know, and when you and you know her but I watch when people talk to her they just gravitate to her. She's not like the life of the party, she's not the one sitting in the corner, she's just the one that's in the middle. She's a listener, you know she's. She's extremely, I mean, engaging. I mean she's just, she's a really cool person, you know. And again, I I always say man, she, she teaches me more about life. You know she's what 26, you know and um, and so she's kind of a teacher in that aspect and just and again, really, really humble, you know, and it's awesome.
Speaker 4:Tough, I mean she played, you know premier, and tough I mean she played, you know, premier soccer. She was being looked at by colleges and I kept telling her I go look any year you decide you don't want to play anymore. You just gotta let me know I got you know I got your support and she also academically was just really high and that she got a scholarship to Boise state. That was phenomenal, better than any athletic scholarship. It was academic and you know. But and when she decided I'm not going to play soccer, I'm like then you can go wherever you want. And Boise State was it because the whole outdoorsy thing and I mean it's amazing that they're doing what they want to do. You know, even Kellen, I mean he wanted to be a rock star.
Speaker 4:He just didn't. He just didn't think it was realistic. He just didn't think it was realistic, right? Yeah, this whole thing was like it's a drag, like why would I do? Why would I go, you know 10 years and try to be a rock star and I'm doing nothing, you know right? Um? So for him, it's just it's a whole thing of kind of kind of luck. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's just preparation meets opportunity that's it.
Speaker 4:And it's like you know he was just in the right spot at the right time for now and you know that could end. I, I and I was telling he's super cool about it too. I'm like dude, this could end. But if it does, think about the ride you've been on right, he's been in studios where the beach boys, you know, made their best album.
Speaker 4:He had chris stapleton's piano player on the song 66. He had leon bridges steel guitar player on one of his songs. I mean his exposure and what he's been doing. I'm just like you don't have any people wishing at this right.
Speaker 3:So Well, let's, let's make sure. So I know about the band, I'm a fan, Great music it's. I always come to describe it. It I always come to describe it's like Americana with singer, songwriter, with country, with a little bit of Johnny be good fast guitar with. I mean, it's just such a mix, but like, maybe just as a dad, because I think it could be really easy for a parent to say no, you're not going to go be a fricking, go go work at Google or go get a job at Microsoft, You're not doing that. How did you and Michelle have the patience to say go live your dreams, go do it.
Speaker 4:It happened fast. This management company that decided to pick them up. I had them vetted through a law firm that we, that we bank in the private bank, so I was able to get a little bit more Intel to where, you know, is this legitimate. And again, the management company he's with has kind of fronted a lot of the investment which most people wouldn't Right. So that's where it became really different was you've got a support system that's actually going to take this much more rapidly than most people would go down that path, and and so we just sat back and said, okay, um, our job at this point is just to help navigate him, to not get into trouble, right, and that's what we've done. And so you know we've, we've helped. I stepped in and I didn't want to be that dad of like, oh you know, I'm coming in. But I called the manager and you know because of my line of work, and I'm like, hey look.
Speaker 1:I'm going to help these guys with their finances.
Speaker 4:And I could tell he was like oh, here comes a parent trying to push themselves in. I go, look, I don't know your business, I want nothing to do with your business. I just want to teach these young men how to handle money, because they actually overdrew their account the first week they had it by going to, like sub shops and liquor stores I'm not kidding you. So I'm like they don't get it right. They're musicians. I said so let me help them on the financial side of it. And then when they get to a size where I can't help, you know, I'll give you guys all the information. And he was cool with that. So I actually helped him with their finances. But and Michelle, she probably talks. I mean, she talks to our kids almost every day, you know, and I know you do too, right, I mean it's just that. So she's always kind of in the middle of what's going on and I listened to her and she's so patient Like she's. We've we've kind of gone from parenting to sort of friend parenting. Right, we're not telling them what to do anymore, we're just sort of guiding them and that we've learned that works.
Speaker 4:I mean, in fact, when they were drew his account, I I called him up and he didn't actually overdraw, drew it. There was just a bunch of holds on there because they were driving down to Beverly Hills and they were stopping to get gas and blah, blah, blah. And I told him. I said I said you know, because I talked to him right before that happened. And I said I told you not to. You know, overdraw it, be careful, he goes.
Speaker 4:Well, you didn't tell us. I said I didn't quite directly tell you because you're 25 year old men. And then I hear his buddy in the background go, just tell us what the hell to do, man. I go, don't use this account, let it build up, you know. So, but that's kind of the way Michelle is, she sort of she really guides them, not with, like you know, persistent parenting, it's just more of like hey, you know, I've thought of this. So you know, with him we got to watch that, right, it's, it's an industry that he's already been exposed to, some things where we're just kind of like you know, and and um, I had a conversation with him and I've had two of these. I call them life-altering conversations.
Speaker 4:I've had two with him now, right and one was right at the beginning of his college life where he was sort of not knowing what to do and I said, hey, son, we're gonna have a life-altering conversation. He's like, okay, I'm like the reason what happens is because it's kind of a pivot point, right. Um, this is when he was sort of struggling with what am I gonna do in college and I said, uh, here's the deal.
Speaker 4:Your mom and I are gonna invest in you for sure, and the college he was going to at the time he got he had a music scholarship. I'm like they're investing in you. You may not feel like people are investing in me, but they are. And I said, but the investment is going to end about 21, 22 years old. I'm like now I want to see a return on that investment. Right, I want to see you get out there in the world. I said so.
Speaker 4:If you think you're going to, you know, sit around and not, you know, accelerate yourself through college. You know, 21, 22, I'm going to. I'm going to politely ask you to leave. Right, You're going to have to go out in the world and do something. So that was one. The second one was recently, when I said, okay, you're, you're going down this music path. What's the most important thing right now in your, in your journey of life? And he said, no-transcript, get away from it. I'm like you got to step out and you need to look at it and say I'm not doing that. Right, If you've got a girlfriend who says, oh, I don't want you to go to the East coast, that's impeding.
Speaker 3:Let's still love story that.
Speaker 4:You know, it's like a Disney love story you need to step back and go, hmm, and that's impeding on what on? It doesn't matter if anything gets in your way of that goal, you need to have the collective ability to step back and say I'm going to separate myself from that. So, and so you know we're kind of guiding them down that path, cause it's a yeah, it's a little bit scarier Sure.
Speaker 3:So if you were to like think about all your kids, if there was like one or two or you know um values that you and michelle taught them that has hit home the most for them, tell me what comes to me.
Speaker 4:I would say definitely, and two or three would probably be a good number, I think. Humility and empathy, they all have it. I mean, when you, when you again, when I watch them just interact with people, they are listeners, right, they're not the, they're not the ones that are controlling the conversation, and I watched and I and I, and I witnessed it. It's awesome to see, right, they're very good listeners. They're extreme, extremely uh, empathetic, um, uh, and.
Speaker 4:And then the other one is that they're, they're strong people like you know they're, they're not going to get taken advantage of, um, and that's from michelle, I mean, she just instilled them of, like, you know what, you know, if you're this kind of a person, be, be passionate, be advocate, but don't get pushed around either, right, I mean, it's it, it's, it's easy, but to recognize, you know, when somebody might be taking advantage of you, but but also be empathetic and humble and helpful, right, so, um, you know, I I'd say those are kind of the, the three things, and and I can say that now because I'm seeing them as adults and I'm watching them and I'm like, oh is who, they are right, and that has to be from, kind of what we had guardrails around and the way we sort of did things um, so that's cool.
Speaker 3:A lot of the things you've shared, I mean it goes back to your parents yeah, yeah well, again michelle's, I think her parents.
Speaker 4:They were a little more I'd traditional, but her dad and her dad just passed away, actually in January, her dad was, um made her feel like she was extremely valuable, like she had self-worth, right. He instilled in that wholeheartedly, so she always felt like she was important, right. And I've got something to say, um. So you know they, they did a great job as far as giving her, you know, those attributes and I guess when, luckily, we get together, you know, when we got together, it just sort of those two or two or three or four things kind of came out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's awesome If, as you reflect back now, you got kids out of the house, you're an MPNS for now for a few years. One question I always like asking dads is like if you, if you do, like for you to reflect back on your dad game and say, man, if I could, if I can, go back and do a couple of these things over, I would have been more of this or less of this that maybe a younger dad can learn from, from from you and I and I'll, and when I'll go first to make it easy on the guests here, patience is, as a competitive person, I have to always, and just having this podcast my patience has gotten better just because I'm talking about so much. But, like for you, tell me, tell me what scenario your dad game, that maybe, even maybe it wasn't always where you wanted it to be that you've worked on to get better. That might speak to another dad at home.
Speaker 4:Uh, I would say, um, you know, I don't know if this is recurring from a lot of the dads being more involved. I think so it was easy because we decided that Michelle was going to be a stay-at-home mom. It was easy for me to kind of, you know, go to work and do my thing and just know that she's involved, she knows what's going on, I can hear it from her. The kids actually want to hear it from you, like they want you to go hey, how are you doing? You know what's going on in your world, as opposed to just hearing it from Michelle, right? So I think if I would say it's easy to kind of get you know your especially dads- I get it.
Speaker 4:You know moms and dads different pressures, right, I mean, you know, especially with a stay-at-home wife, you know I income's all on me, right, I got to make sure we got making money to support the family and you know whatever I got to do to make that happen. That's, that's a lot of work. And you get home and there's yard work to do and there's, you know, you got to date your wife and I mean there's, you know, and wives have the same pressure, just different segments of it. It's easy to go, hey, so how are the kids? And just get it all from your wife, as opposed to going to the kids and saying, hey, how are you guys doing Like, I want to know what you're doing specifically, and I've actually learned that now and as a, as they're adults, you know, michelle's even said they love hearing from you directly. Even though you get all the story from me of what's going on in their lives, they still love to just say, hey, dad called.
Speaker 4:So I would say that you know in, you know, don't feel bad, because I mean you're, you're an involved dad. Right, I'm an involved dad, but there's just always a little tweak. You'd be like oh man, I got a little lazy where I just let michelle tell me what's going on and didn't go straight to the kids and and just kind of spend more time in that aspect that's what I would say, if I look back, I'd say that's probably, uh, the one thing I wish I would have done.
Speaker 3:You know, yep, yeah, no, it speaks, because there's been a lot of episodes on dad saying, like, more present, put the phone down, um, you and I think it's easy to like as if you are the sole, you know, income driver of the family. It's easy to be in 1926. You know, get some food on that table. Like what's not reality.
Speaker 3:And I think fatherhood's changed so much over the years, like I know, I'm sure, like when you grew up, or like at least when I grew up, there wasn't a lot of like, my, like, um, like the, the power of, like, vulnerability and like that's like a, I think, a strength. Now I think, but back in the, when my dad was in the forties, he'd be like what you'd be. You would have called a, get called a wuss. You're doing that stuff. You would have called a, get called a wuss. Doing that stuff, you know, show weakness, which I think is the exact opposite. So so much has changed, I think, as as dads, and I think it's it's cool that you know there's more stay at home dads now than and then there's women working, which I think is awesome. I think it's a great example for our daughters to see that, hey, just because you're not a dude doesn't mean you can't go be the next fricking owner of the Seattle store. Why not? Why not you? Someone's going?
Speaker 4:to do it. I would say Michelle could have been a CEO. She could have been, and I told her that even now I'm like if we would have gone, I stay at home and you go out in the world, you would have become a CEO of something. That's just how she's driven um, but again, she was phenomenal here, right, and that helped me, give me the ability to do what I need to do, uh, to make sure that you know I was doing my part. But, um, yeah, I mean, it's total teamwork, right, and you know what it's like you guys have been together for how long?
Speaker 4:eight, eighth grade, yeah, so I'm 49. We met when we were 13.
Speaker 3:that's 40. Okay, 41, no, so I'm 49. We met when we were 13.
Speaker 4:That's 40. 41. No, my math isn't, isn't 31.
Speaker 3:So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:That's a long time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's crazy, yeah, and when you get to know somebody, like that.
Speaker 4:I mean you, you sort of have a, an unconscious dance with them in life. I don't know, you know, I don't know if you sense that, but we do. We talk about it all the time. We're funny how we just have this unconscious dance that we're constantly doing because we know each other so well. We just kind of maneuver through things. Sometimes I'm saying it, but then we'll get together and go oh yeah, I'm glad you did that, because I was thinking that's what I wanted you to do.
Speaker 4:I mean, it's funny how we've been together for so long.
Speaker 3:You read the defense Yep, um, okay. So if you were to summarize, um, well, I want to make sure people learn we got, we got and and hopefully at the end of this episode, everybody we're going to, we're going to try to like tease you with um, um, one of my favorite songs by Marfa, so we can kind of get the, the, their, their name out there and uh, so we'll make sure. So stick around at the end of this episode and listen to the song and and hopefully you'll share this episode with a dad or mom or anybody who's either impacted by our conversation. You think that can help someone in wherever they're at in their phase of life. But if you were to summarize, chat, everything we've talked about, the dads can take maybe two or three actionable, call it piece of advice they can apply in their own life to become that better ultimate quarterback or leader of their home. Tell me what comes to mind.
Speaker 4:Well, you've probably heard this from other dads. I mean right, I mean be deliberately present, and there's a difference between being present and deliberately present.
Speaker 4:Right, like that Deliberately present is I am, am I am interested in what you're, in what you're doing and who. You are. Right, take that interest and and make them feel, um, no matter what they're doing, right in my opinion, they're valuable. You know, and again, I you know I look at my kids and we never discourage them. We may have like been well, maybe not, but we didn't. We never made them feel like, oh, that's not attainable.
Speaker 3:We may not like it but it's not attainable.
Speaker 4:If you like it, right, so kind of giving them that value Right.
Speaker 4:And then you know, I think in this day and age and I think it's helped us a lot Telling our kids like, understand the other side, that's really important. Right, understand the other side of that story. It's amazing, the more you're educated, how convicted you really become in what you believe in, you know and it so we. I think, if you ask my kids like, hey, you know what, you know, what are the things mom and dad try to teach us? I think it was. It was those three things.
Speaker 4:It was you know, self-worth, empathetic and and, uh, you know, just understanding, you know all sides of the story and um and self-worth, I think, but uh, yeah, I mean that that's that's what I would try to encourage, but, like I said, being deliberately present. That's kind of where it starts, in my opinion.
Speaker 3:Love it Gold. I love the phrase deliberately present. No one's ever said that, Because it's easy to say you're present. But like deliberately present means my phone's down, my notifications are off. I'm looking at you in the eye. I'm asking follow-up questions. Actually, I heard a guy speak. Um, I, actually I heard a guy speak again. I'm Ryan leak. He said he asked a question to the audience and he wrote about in his book. But it says what's it like to be on the other side of me?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, powerful question. That's a really good question.
Speaker 3:And even like we talk about two sides, I always think there's three sides your side, my side and the truth. You know there's somewhere, um, cause it's easy to be that either we want to be the hero or the victim of our own story, but like the truth lies there in the middle some way. But, um, I, I really and I mean it came back from, I'm sure, michelle's parents and your parents and then you guys have taught that to your kids about but there is another side and there is a perspective, and so, like having curiosity and having the benefit of the doubt, learning about other perspectives, cause it doesn't mean you're right, Right, you know Right.
Speaker 4:Well, and some of the stuff you talk about, man, I'm like it's spot on. I mean you've, you know you're, you're saying all the things. Be curious, be a good listener, right, understand. I mean it's all good stuff and, honestly, if, if better version of yourself, You're always working on becoming a better version of yourself, what does that mean? Well, you're able to assess, right, well, where are my shortcomings, you know, and if it's important for me to work on those shortcomings, to be a better version of me, then I'm going to work on it. You know, there's some people, you know this, you've seen people. I mean there's people who don't care about being a better version of themselves. They are who they are, which is fine. But again, in our kids, they're always like, no, I can be a better, I can be more patient, I can be a better listener, I can be a better partner, whatever it is, it's just becoming that and then being able to do something about it. I think that's important.
Speaker 3:Love it, all right. Well, it's now time to go into the lightning round, where I show you the negative hits of taking too many hits in college not bong hits, but football hits. Your job yeah, your job is to answer these questions as quickly as you can, and my job is to get a giggle out of you. All right? All right, let's get our game face on. Are you ready? Okay, true or false, you installed and built the smoker's cage at Kentridge.
Speaker 4:Man, that's good. No, it's false. One of my buddies actually hung out there a couple of times. We were like what are?
Speaker 3:you doing man. So I just already laughed. You got a giggle. We'll call that tight True or false. I mean, that is a true story. Everybody in our high school, when I was a sophomore in 1991, there was a full-on cage Like think about a wrestling cage where people could go smoke on school in campus. True story.
Speaker 4:I tell our kids that and they're like what I'm like, yeah, Can you imagine that, Can you?
Speaker 3:imagine sending hey, Taylor, did you get your turkey cheese? You got your super sip and you got your marbles, you got your smokes.
Speaker 4:Exactly.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's a good question man, that's a great question. Okay. Well, true or false, you attended Montana on a wrestling scholarship. False, false, okay. If we went into your phone right now, what would be one song or genre of music that might surprise your kids?
Speaker 4:Oh, I don't know if I much surprise them, um, I, I think they did get their musical um exposure from me because I I love music. Uh, they know I love like singer, songwriter and folky, right, um, but I'm also a dire straits fan, right, which I know that it that doesn't quite go into that genre, but man do. I love a good mark knopfler and dire straits and uh, and my kids know that, you know I, but that would probably surprise most people you know what would be how?
Speaker 3:about what would be one song or genre music that might surprise your fellow colleagues at us bank?
Speaker 4:would be it, cause they all know that I like the Kellen music, right, folk? You know that kind of Americana I mean, I'm a big fan of lumineers, I'm a big fan of head and heart. That's who they're going to. You know they're going to tour with so you know, I'm a fan of that kind of David Gray um, yeah, and when I? Throw in dire straits. They're like wait what? And then they're like oh, you like tom petty I'm like no, I don't like tom petty at all.
Speaker 4:I know it's the same genre, but it's just dire straits man. There's just something about that's your jam and here's the thing. Uh, one of their songs, martha songs.
Speaker 3:I think it's um. I think it's daisy. I love daisy. It's a good song very dire straits sounding.
Speaker 4:In fact, when they released, I called to kill him. I go, hey, man, I go. He goes Dire Straits, I go, awesome, I go. I can hear it, you know let's go yeah. So that would definitely surprise Surprising.
Speaker 3:Favorite comedy movie of all time is.
Speaker 4:It's got to be, um, it's got to be. Well, I got so many um anything. Jim carrey-ish, right, uh, but the other guys is probably at the top of the list, so I don't know but mark walberg and and will ferrell solid, yeah.
Speaker 3:Um, if I came to your house for dinner tonight, what would we have?
Speaker 4:pizza. That sounds horrible. I'm a horrible eater man. Pizza is my, my go eater man. Pizza is my my go-to especially on Friday nights. It's my go-to.
Speaker 3:That sounds. I'm going to try to convince that, Riley. I can easily convince Carrie. She might not want to do that, but I'm gonna try to convince her.
Speaker 4:Michelle would want. She'd want to, like you know, barbecue something. Make quinoa salad.
Speaker 3:I mean, she's an awesome chef Right, and I'm like it's Friday, let's do Frankie's Right, so Okay.
Speaker 4:If there was to be a book written about your life, tell me the title he got lucky.
Speaker 3:Okay, now Chad. He got lucky. I went to Barnes and Noble sold out. I went to Amazon can't print enough copies going so fast and I was traveling recently at the airport. That's all gone too. So Netflix has found out about. He got lucky and now they're going to make a movie. You are the casting director and you can't start yourself. You need to find, you need to tell me who's going to start Chad Wall in this critically acclaimed, hit new movie.
Speaker 4:He got lucky oh, man from well, yeah, I mean Greg Kinnear okay, you kind of look like him yeah, yeah, I've been told that, and you know, I like his, I like his demeanor, oh, my gosh.
Speaker 3:You know he's pretty. Yeah, Good poll. I didn't see it until you said that I thought you were going to say Richard Pryor, which I'm glad you said.
Speaker 4:Gene Wilder.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 4:And last and most most important question tell me two words that would describe michelle um soulmate. Geez, I mean, that's first thing that came to mind. How's?
Speaker 2:that sorry, I mean probably, she said that one word.
Speaker 3:I could be but um soulmate and let's see the soulmate and uh and strong soulmate and strong boom lighting rounds over. I think I giggled more of my most at my own jokes, which is usually a testament to my my dad maturity skills. I laughed at all of my jokes. As long as you get one laugh, you keep telling jokes. I tell my kids that, dude, it's been an absolute blast getting to know you better.
Speaker 3:I'm grateful for the time you spent with me. I'm grateful for the lesson I would say the example you've set for other parents of this. You, andelle, have really done a really good job creating good human beings, and I'm excited to spread the, the, the gospel of marfa. Everybody they're. They're a, a band that is going to do great, great things. Um, if you like music, make sure you check them out and stick around for for them as we listen to one of their, one of their songs and um, but if you, if you like this episode, it's touched you. Please share it with someone else and continue to leave us reviews wherever you consume these podcasts, because that gets other dads to listen and allows us to impact other dads and improve their leadership skills in the home. But, brother, I appreciate your time and thank you again for spending time with me today oh, you bet man.
Speaker 3:Thanks, I appreciate it well, as promised everybody here is Marfa and the song called 66. I hope you enjoy. I hope you share it with others and let's continue to help Chad and his son get the band Marfa out into the universe. Great young group.
Speaker 1:And here you go. I take her down to Houston and then New Orleans. She's yelling out to me that's too far east. I turn around just to head back west and before you know it she's my Texas best.
Speaker 3:I got my baby on the 66.
Speaker 1:There's a Trans Am tailing me to Texarkana A real cowboy by the name of Bandit. I tip my hat. Do me keep on moving. Black top, back shots. Rhythm and blues. I got my hat. Do me keep on moving. Black top, black shots, brueggemann blues. I got my baby on the 66. Baby show it at Casino Reno. Nevada girls love to dance and do the hat. California girls are automatic Foot to the floor. I've got a happy. Yeah. I'm pulling court playing with a Colt .45. I'm getting in a river just to get out of line. Ocean 85 in Colorado. Right when a deer took both my headlights. I got my baby on the 66. I'll see you next time. California goods are automatic Foot to the floor. I've got to have it. Yeah, yeah. Well, I made it in Torino in a couple of pieces. Now I'm California's good boy. Bad boy, beach boy, turn around just to head back. East Salt, flat salt lake, soaking in peace. I had my baby on the 66. I had my baby on the 66.