The audio companion to DailyDad.com’s daily email meditations on fatherhood, read by Ryan Holiday. Each daily reading will help you find the wisdom, inner strength, and good humor you need in order to be a great dad. Learn from historical figures and contemporary fathers how to do your most important job. Find more at dailydad.com.
Listeners of The Daily Dad that love the show mention: daily stoic, reset, dads, ryan, great way to start, reflect, email, parenting, father, parents, kids, focus, morning, quick, short, advice, helps, wisdom, thank you so much, perspective.
The Daily Dad podcast is a valuable resource for parents looking for insightful strategies and wisdom in navigating the challenges of raising children. Ryan Holiday speaks with thoughtfulness and insight, providing practical advice that helps listeners grow and mature while still embracing their playful side. The podcast offers daily reminders to be better parents and shows gratitude for the important role of parenting.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is Ryan's ability to connect ancient philosophical teachings with modern-day parenting experiences. He takes short thoughts from philosophers and applies them to current situations, offering guidance in a concise and relatable manner. The episodes are short, typically ranging from 2 to 4 minutes, making it easy to incorporate into a daily routine. The messages provide a positive start to the day, framing it with a focus on the most important job: being a parent.
One potential drawback of The Daily Dad podcast is that there are frequent advertisements throughout the episodes. While these ads help support the podcast as a free resource, they can sometimes disrupt the flow of the content and feel obtrusive to some listeners. However, considering the valuable insights provided by Ryan's messages, many listeners are willing to accept this trade-off.
In conclusion, The Daily Dad podcast is an excellent resource for parents seeking daily inspiration and guidance in their journey of parenthood. Ryan Holiday's thoughtful approach and ability to connect philosophical concepts with practical parenting advice make each episode impactful and meaningful. Despite occasional interruptions from advertisements, the content provided far outweighs any negatives. This podcast has made a positive difference in the lives of many parents by helping them focus on their most important job: being a parent.
You think you're a hard worker, yet here you are neglecting your most important job.
Not all readers are great parents but all great parents are readers. We have to be.If you are struggling to put down the phone and pick up a book instead, try the Daily Stoic Read to Lead Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand people.Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Let's focus on getting better, let's focus on learning from what happened—not feeling guilty and awful and like the worst parent in the world because of what happened.Give yourself the ultimate gift of tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
What started as a simple hike on a remote Greek island turned into one of the most meaningful moments of the Holiday family's trip. In today's episode, Ryan reflects on what happens when you stop rushing your kids and start following them instead. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/societyHead to ZBiotics.com/DAILYDAD and use the code DAILYDAD at checkout for 15% off! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Kids will humble us like that. We think we're so important.Head to ZBiotics.com/DAILYDAD and use the code DAILYDAD at checkout for 15% off! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why can't we take the break? Why can't we take the hand that's being offered?
Why aren't they listening? Why are they so loud? Why do they make such a huge mess? The answer should be obvious: They are like this because they are kids!Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
The key is balance. We want our kids to work hard, but not at the cost of their well-being. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
We are so lucky. Not everyone gets this. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society SmartCredit | Start with your 7-day trial at SmartCredit.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
While traveling in Athens, Ryan's 8-year-old asked him this question: Who was greater, Socrates or Ben Franklin? What followed was one of those unexpectedly deep parenting moments about history, using AI, and what real education actually looks like. 80,000 Hours | To get started planning a career that works on one of the world's most pressing problems, sign up now at 80000 hours.org/DAILYDAD Head to ZBiotics.com/DAILYDAD and use the code DAILYDAD at checkout for 15% off! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
In real life, Epictetus taught his students that freedom lies in wanting only what we can control: our character, our choices, our reasoned response.
Like the Cardinal directions, the four main points on the compass—north, south, east, west—the four virtues are a kind of compass. A guide to what to do, who to be, how to behave, how to respond in every situation.
They want to get where you're going. They can't wait until they can get their driver's license, until they can move out, until Christmas… Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Vuori is an investment in your happiness! Get 20% off your FIRST purchase at vuori.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
It's one of the most unbelievable stories in all of history. A kid is born into slavery and becomes one of the most influential philosophers not just in their own lifetime, but of all time.
Our kids will never know what it was like to live in a world without the internet. But we will also never know what it's like to grow up into a world where it is ubiquitous. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Artkive | Go to ArtkiveBox.com and use code DAILYDAD for $25 off your box today! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
In today's episode, Ryan sits down with Olga Khazan, Atlantic staff writer and author of Me, But Better, to explore how parenting forces you to grow in ways you never expected. Olga shares why she had doubts about having a child, what it really means to be an “agreeable” parent, and how she let go of the pressure to parent like the moms on Instagram. Olga Khazan is a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Me, But Better. You can follow Olga on Instagram and X @Olganator and read more of her work on Substack: https://olgakhazan.substack.com/ Grab signed copies of her book Me, But Better at The Painted Porch!
They are not stupid. They can handle more than entertainment and silliness. In fact, they're hungry for meaning, for beauty, for depth.
As parents, fostering a questioning mindset benefits both us and our children.
Unlike so much of what parenting asks of us, this isn't adding anything to your plate. In fact, it's the opposite.
All time with your kids — all time with anyone you love — is created equal. What you do with it is what makes it special.
Kids are not a burden or an impediment to success. They help us. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society SmartCredit | Start with your 7-day trial at SmartCredit.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
If you've ever felt overwhelmed, distracted, or just unsure you're doing it right, this episode is for you. Ryan shares 7 parenting lessons you'll wish you learned sooner, from why kids really act out to the hidden cost of overprotection. These powerful reminders on presence, empathy, and raising resilient kids aren't just helpful...they're timeless.
It's a scary world out there for sure. Lots of things can happen and no one—certainly no kid—deserves anything bad to happen to them. Yet many of these dangers are easy and simple to mitigate. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Hiya Health | Get 50% off your first order at hiyahealth.com/dailydad ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Take a deep breath. Look around. Remember what you have, not just what you lack. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society PESTIE | Protect your home from bugs with Pestie. Go to pestie.com/dad for an extra 10% off your order! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Nobody wants to be like their parents…or like the adults they remember growing up. The ones who were clueless…or uncool. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society PESTIE | Protect your home from bugs with Pestie. Go to pestie.com/dad for an extra 10% off your order! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
While being a parent is very different today than it was in ancient Rome, we modern parents face a similar daily battle for mindfulness.
Things were more straightforward then. Things were easier then. Things were better back then. You've heard your parents' generation say some version of this.
You can rush them, or you can just go along for the ride. In today's solo episode, Ryan shares a recent experience of riding bikes with his son that turned into a crucial parenting lesson. After spending time together, are you gonna be glad that you applied pressure and stress, or will you wish that you were patient and supportive? Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Are they perfect? No. You weren't. Nobody is. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society MasterClass | Get 15% off any annual membership at MasterClass.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
We don't have to believe everything our kids believe, but we do have to support them when they believe strongly in something.
Resilience isn't genetic, it's engineered. It's built. It requires preparation. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society SmartCredit | Start with your 7-day trial at SmartCredit.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
If we don't help our kids feel secure and loved, if we don't give them affection, help them see that they are enough, they'll find other means of getting it.
It can be easy to question your parenting. But it's important, when you start to feel this way, that you step back. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Acorns Early | Head to AcornsEarly.com/DAILY DAD or download the Acorns Early app to help your kids grow their money skills today! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Family vacations: where the plans are made to be broken. In today's episode, Ryan and Sam prepare for their upcoming summer trip. They talk about the challenges from past family vacations, how their kids thrive when routines are balanced with a touch of novelty, and the importance of letting go of rigid expectations. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get your free quote at Ethos.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
The exhaustion of parenting is real and understandable. But what's harder to justify is why we assume the worst about our kids.
They've been crazy all day. They haven't been listening. So what do you do? You get upset. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Vuori is an investment in your happiness! Get 20% off your FIRST purchase at vuori.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
We have to encourage their interests, without any thought of whether or not they might be able to profit from it. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Artkive | Go to ArtkiveBox.com and use code DAILYDAD for 25 DOLLARS off your box ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Just putting in the time is not enough. You have to put you in the time. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Vuori is an investment in your happiness! Get 20% off your FIRST purchase at vuori.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
When we see other parents say or do something that makes us pity their kids, we shouldn't judge them—we should judge ourselves. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Artkive | Go to ArtkiveBox.com and use code DAILYDAD for 25 DOLLARS off your box ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Right now, we have the opportunity to teach our children about justice not just through words, but through action. In this solo episode, Ryan opens up about taking his kids to a protest and how that moment became a defining lesson in courage, justice, and civic responsibility. He shares how he talked to them about activism, why it's not enough to tell our kids what we believe, and how real change starts with the example we set. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society PESTIE | Protect your home from bugs with Pestie. Go to pestie.com/dad for an extra 10% off your order! Tinker, create and innovate with KiwiCo! Get $15 off their Summer Adventure Series at KiwiCo.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
It's always a special kind of magic watching our kids “find their people,” as we've said. But why then, do we as parents, not cultivate this for ourselves? Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society PESTIE | Protect your home from bugs with Pestie. Go to pestie.com/dad for an extra 10% off your order! ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Until it happens to you, you don't really know. You don't know how it completely rewires you, how it rearranges your priorities, how it fills a space inside you that you didn't even know was empty. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society Tinker, create and innovate with KiwiCo! Get $15 off their Summer Adventure Series at KiwiCo.com/DAILYDAD ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
They can see you on the phone…again. They can see you working…still. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society
Just as Socrates welcomed young minds and gave them space to wonder, we too should create an environment where our kids feel comfortable bringing their deepest questions and uncertainties. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society
How did parents in the past do it? They did it together. They did it as a village. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
Just because parenting is this experience we all share, it doesn't mean that the experience of being a parent is the same. Because what parenting does is it humbles you.We discover a world we don't control, one that is too much for any one person to do on their own. This isn't something that you can just do by yourself, and that's why we've been working hard on what we're trying to create here at Daily Dad, like a community, a place for parents to come together and share real world parenting stories and hard one wisdom, a community for parents who want to commit to this daily practice.This Father's Day, give yourself the ultimate gift of tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
In today's episode, General Stanley McChrystal sits down with Ryan for a special Father's Day reminder that you won't want to miss. General McChrystal shares personal stories from his own parenting journey, lessons that changed his perspective as a father, and what he admires most about his son. General Stanley McChrystal is a retired U.S. Army general best known for leading Joint Special Operations Command in the mid-2000s. In 2011, he founded the McChrystal Group, a leadership consultancy that helps senior executives navigate complex change and build stronger teams. His new book, On Character, offers a blueprint for living with purpose and integrity—challenging us to examine not just what we do, but who we become in the process. This Father's Day, give yourself the ultimate gift of tools, structure, and community. Become a Founding Member of The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society
They're different. They are like you in so many ways but they are also so, so, different. What is it to you anyway? MasterClass | Get 15% off any annual membership at MasterClass.com/RYANHOLIDAY ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com
It doesn't matter what gender your kids are, you have to help them raise above stereotypes, backlash and culture war fights. Check out Richard Reeves episode on The Daily Stoic Podcast | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube
Enter a world different than yours, without the problems of yours, the responsibilities and the cynicism of yours.
You can let this parenthood thing change you. You can let this make you better.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
