Special Fathers' Network Podcast

Our guest this week is Allan Shedlin of Chevy Chase, MD, who is a father, grandfather, former educator and outspoken advocate for all things related to 'Daddying.'Allan and his x-wife, Michelle, were married for 32 years and are the proud parents of three adult daughters: Raya, Samantha and Christina as well as grandparents of five. Allan was a career educator and was founding Executive Director of the National Elementary School Center. He has also been a freelance writer for 39 years with work appearing in; The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Hearst News Service, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan magazine, Principal magazine, GRAND magazine, Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Desert News, Johannesburg Times, and more.Allan is one of the country's most outspoken advocates for father involvement going back to the 1980s. Allan coined the term 'Daddying.' He leads the Dadvocacy Consulting Group and he curates the Daddying Film Festival & Forum, now in its third year. He also oversees th

Our guest this week is Dave Jereb, of Sydney, Australia an occupational therapist, co-founder of MoveAbout Therapy Services and an author.Dave and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of two children: Harry (8) and Hugo (5). Dave & Kathy are also co-founders of MoveAbout Therapy Services a multi-location firm that provides individual and group therapy services for children to enable them to participate in the activities of everyday life. They also provide parent coaching, training and support.Dave is also the author of a new book entitled: Challenging The Story: A Surprisingly Simple Approach to Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviours.That’s all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksEmail – dave@moveabout.com.auLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-jereb-039b2a4/Website – https://www.moveabout.com.au/Challenging The Story - https://www.amazon.com/Challenging-Story-Surprisingly-Supporting-Behaviours/dp/1781338264/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_enc

Our guest this week is Graham Caldow of Brighton, England who is co-founder and a coach at Red Giraffe Solutions, an author and father of two young adult daughters, one who has additional needs. Graham and his wife, Debra, have been married for 30 years and are the proud parents of two young adult daughters. Graham & Debra are co-founders of Red Giraffe Solutions, helping plan a better future for young adults with additional needs. They are parents to two young daughters, one of whom has a history of learning difficulties.Debra hosts the Expanding Worlds Podcast established in April 2017, now with more than 140 episodes, on a broad range of topics for families raising children with special abilities. More recently, Graham authored the book “What’s Possible?: Plan A Better Future For Your Young Adult With Additional Needs." It's a fascinating story and we’ll hear it on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Email – graham@redgiraffesolutions.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham

Our guest this week is James “Jamo” Myles of Georgetown, Grand Cayman who is father of seven, including two with ASD and who is a coordinator with the Department of Youth Services for the Cayman Islands.James and his wife, Melissa, have been married for two years and between them they are the proud parents of seven children; his children: Ahmed (28), Jamar (23), Jarrod (23) and Sarah (14) and Melissa’s children; Novano (22), Myra (17) and Jade (13). Both Jarrod and Sarah have Autism.James is a proud member of the Myles family one of the largest families in the Cayman Islands. We also learn about how his faith has guided him, his Youth Flex Radio program and Inclusion Cayman (formerly the Special Needs Trust) whose mission as an independent, impartial non-profit organization is to: 'advocate on behalf of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.'James has an engaging personality and has quite a story to tell. And we’ll hear it on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad

Our guest this week is Jonathan Eig, of Chicago, a journalist, best-selling author, father of two daughters and guardian.Jon and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of two daughters: Lillian (20) and Lola (14) as well as Jeffrey (33) who Jon mentored from Jeffrey's age seven through Big Brothers/Big Sisters before the couple formally became his guardian. With a degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, he began his career at the New Orleans Times Picayune, then Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. Starting in 2005 Jon published his first best-selling biography: Luckiest Man: The Life And Death Of Lou Gehrig. He went on to publish Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season (2007), Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America’s Most Wanted Gangster (2010), The Birth Of The Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex & Launched a Revolution (2014), Ali, A Life (2017), and King, A Life (2023).J

Our guest this week is Bob Bourke of Evanston, IL, a retired banker, father of four including a daughter with Down Syndrome and a advisory board member at Misericordia in Chicago.Bob and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 44 years and are the proud parents of three boys: Bo (40), Matt (36), and Nick (32) as well as daughter, Molly (38) who has Down Syndrome. Bob had a storied career in banking. We learn about the wide range of programs and services Molly benefited from and that have helped her develop into this bright, vivacious young woman. Bob has also become a passionate volunteer and supporter at Misericordia, a Chicago based non-profit whose mission is: to provide a continuum of care and support for children and adults of all faiths and cultures who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through the leadership of sister Rosemary Connelly, the past 50+ years, Misericordia provides residency to more than 600 specially abled adults. They also provide the highest quality of care designed to me

Our guest this week is Faye Simon-Harac of Sparta, NJ, a former teacher and current Editor-in-Chief at Exceptional Parent Magazine as well as president and founder of the Irene & Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation. After serving as an educator in the Teaneck, NJ school district for a decade, Faye founded and became president of the Irene & Eric Simon Brain Research Foundation, named in honor of her parents, while they were still alive. Eric was an internationally recognized neuroscientist and served in that capacity for mare than 50 years at NYU. One of his many claims to fame was the discovery of opiate receptors in the brain, which lead to understanding of drug addiction & pain.Since 2004 the IESBRF has been providing annual cash fellowships to college and graduate school students pursuing careers in neuroscience and brain research. To date they have provided more than 120 fellowships. Faye joined the Exceptional Parent Magazine team in 2015 and has been Editor-in-Chief since 2020. EP Magazine

Our guest this week is Florence Ann Romano of Hinsdale, IL a village and child care advocate, entrepreneur, author of two books and the oldest of four siblings, including a brother with Autism. Florence Ann served as a nanny for more than 15 years, which led to a variety of opportunities including; starting the web series The Windy City Nanny, which covered the lives of 12 families, her first book entitled 'Nanny and Me' and more than 200 speaking engagements. She also founded Kindred Content, a woman-owned digital content company, more recently acquired by Yakkety Yak, where she is a Vice-President of Business Strategy. Florence's second book is 'Build Your Village: A Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Every Stage of Life' which was published earlier this year. In it we learn about the six types of villagers everyone can benefit from as well as strategies for building meaningful and healthy relationships. We’ll hear about Florence’s fascinating life, including: the influence of her faith, her Nana & P

Our guest this week is Wil Derouen of Seattle, WA who is a Peer Support Counselor at Dads M.O.V.E. and father of five boys including one with ADHD. Wil and his wife, Hazel, have been together for eight years and married for one year. He is the proud father of five boys from three women: Zion (18), Cameron (21), Treveon (23), Sheraud (24) and Kahlil (26) who has ADHD. Wil's story is rather remarkable including some serious ups and downs. Wil is like a phoenix that has risen from the ashes. He served three years of a five year sentence from 2008 to 2011 in state prison on a felony conviction of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. He was released two years early for good behavior, which included working with other inmates to create resumes and develop job-rediness skills.In his role as a Peer Support Counselor at Dads M.O.V.E. (Mentoring Others through Voices of Experience), Wil is uniquely qualified to work with a wide range of dads, including incarcerated dads and others who have felony convictions.T

Our guest this week is Dan Feshbach of Sausalito, CA, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Multiple, a non-profit (501c3) innovation platform for the autism community, whose mission is 'to transform the lives of people with autism at scale.'Dan and his x-wife, were married for 35 years and are the proud parents of 30 year old twins: Emma and Reed, who is Autistic. We’ll learn about Dan’s many innovations and the leadership roles he played at: LoanPerformance, the Oak Hill School of California, BlueUmbrella, TeachTown, MeasureOne, Multiple and the Autism Impact Fund. That's all on this episode of SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links:Email – dan@multiplehub.orgWebsite – https://www.multiplehub.org/Website - https://niadart.org/Website - https://autismimpact.fund/Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first receiv

Our guest this week is Brad Serot, of Winnetka, IL who is Vice Chairman of CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate.Brad and his x-wife, Lexis, were married for eight years and are the proud parents of four children: Billie (6), Jonas (8), and 10 year old twins Stella and Ava, who has Cerebral Palsy. Brad talks very authentically about his early denial about Ava's condition, the dissolution of his marriage, going through counseling as well as finding purpose in cycling and fundraising for charity. He also discusses the positive role Easterseals and the Epilepsy Foundation of Great Chicago have played in Ava's development. That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksEmail – Brad.Serot@cbre.comLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-serot-18ba271/Phone - (773) 837-7101Website - https://www.cbre.com/Website - https://epilepsychicago.org/Website - https://hpa.vc/about/Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs.

Our guest this week is Jeff Wickersham of Royersford, PA, who is a high performance coach, founder of the Warrior Dad Experience and father of two.Jeff and his wife, Heather, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of two boys: Jackson (15) and Carter (13), who has Crohn's Disease. Occupationally, Jeff is a sought-after mental toughness and peak performance coach who specializes in helping clients intentionally step into the best version of themselves personally and professionally, guiding his clients to install habits and systems that set them up for success. Vocationally, Jeff has been called to create the Warrior Dad Experience. Inspired by the likes of David Goggins, Jeff strives to help dads be the best version of themselves.Jeff is also the author of Rise, Fight, Love Repeat.Jeff's enthusiasm, passion for life and serving others is contageous. That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show LinksEmail – jeff@themorningfire.comMobile – (610) 564-2107Website - https://www.th

Our guest this week is Sarah Glofcheskie of Toronto, Canada, who is the single mother of a daughter with Autism, a serial entrepreneur, and founder of BeMe, an Autism innovation company. Sarah and her x-husband, who remains a very involved father, were married for six years and are the proud parents of Flynn (12) who is Autistic.Informed by her experience as the mother of a child with Autism, Sarah founded BeMe.ai a company whose mission is to empower Autistic individuals, their families and care team with the tools they need to thrive. BeMe combines medical, behavioral and environmental factors in an insight generating app designed specifically to support Autistic children.We’ll hear the BeMe story and how Sarah has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of autistic people around the world. That’s all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links:Email – sarah@beme.aiWebsite - https://www.beme.ai/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BeMe.aiIncLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-glofcheskie

Our guest this week is Tim Coughlin a U.S. x-Pat in London, England who works at Morgan Stanley as head of the Commodity and Infrastructure Finance Group for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Tim and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for eight years and are the proud parents of two young girls: Alice (4) and Edith (2), who was diagnosed with BBSOAS or Bosch-Boonstra-Schaff Optic Atrophy Syndrome, a very rare neurological disorder caused by a disruption in the NR2F1 gene.Tim was born and raised in Basking Ridge, NJ. Jennifer is from England and worked in the U.S. at UBS for 15 years, before taking a leave of absence a year ago. We learn about how the couple has navigated their new world of disability and some of the organizations that have played an important role, including: the NR2F1 Foundation, Combined Brain and UK-based Small Steps, in SW London.It's a heartwarming story about a young couple, their commitment to family and serving the community at-large. Show Links: Email – trcoughlin@gmail.comLinked

Our guest this week is Adam Birchmeier of Muskegon, MI who is a Business Sales Representative with Access Health and the father of daughter with Angelman Syndrome, who very sadly passed away in August, after a brief illness.Adam and his wife, Nicole, have been married for 4 years and are the proud parents of Maddie who was born in June 2020, was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome at 18 months and who, very sadly, passed away in August, shortly after her third birthday. We also learn about Maddie's Joy, the blog and podcast Adam created to reflect on the family's Angelman Syndrome journey. Most touchingly, on the September 15, 2023 podcast, Adam read the eulogy he gave Maddie at her funeral. While Maddie's passing is very sad, Adam and Nicole find some solace in knowing that Maddie had (and continues to have) a positive impact in the lives of others, through Gift-Of-Life organ donation, and despite her short presence on this earth. We’ll hear all about Maddie, her smile and how her infectious spirit lives on. Th

Our guest this week is Gus Aguilera of Oak Harbor, WA who is a cinematic special effects, IT specialist and a father of three children including a son who has Down Syndrome.Gus and his x-wife Bobbie Jo, became teen parents and were married for 36 years, before divorcing earlier this year. They are the proud parents of three children: Cassandra (35), Jordan (27) and Gabriel (14), who has Down Syndrome. Gus has full-time custody of Gabe who is non-verbal and not toilet trained. Gus speaks very authentically about the challenges of being a single parent, living in a remote area of Washington, with limited local resources as well as the limited type of work he is able to pursue from a professional perspective. That’s all on this special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Email – gaguilera.vfx@gmail.comCHOC Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. https://choc.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.orgDown Syndrome Association of Orange County https://www.dsaoc.orgWashington State Fathers Network https://fathe

Our guest this week is Paul Carroll, of Situate, RI who is senior HR director at CVS Health, founder of Autism Dadvocate and father of an Autistic son. Paul and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 20 years and are the proud parents of Vaughan(16) who is Autistic. Professionally, Paul is an Executive Director of Talent Manager at CVS Health. Informed by being a father to a neurodiverse child and guided by his faith, Paul has been called to create AutismDadvocate.org, a non-profit an online support forum for dads with children with autism and about the commonalities we all face as fathers. They host a blog, a podcast and workshops. That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast. Show Links:Email – Paul.Carroll@CVSHealth.comLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-carroll-autismdadvocate/Website - https://www.autismdadvocate.org/Podcast - https://www.autismdadvocate.org/podcastSpecial Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many

Our guest this week is Nate Boltz of Anchorage, AK who is executive director at Challenge Alaska and father of two, including one with Spina Bifida.Nate and his wife, Leah, have been married for 20 years and are the proud parents of two: Adeline (5) and Anna (16) who has Spina Bifida.Born in Bozeman, MT and raised in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Nate has always enjoyed the outdoors and athletics, including: skiing, hiking and endurance sports. Challenge Alaska is a non-profit dedicated to adaptive athletics and therapeutic recreation. Leah is also co-founder of Parks for All, a non-profit that designs and builds playgrounds that emphasize accessibility and inclusion, which has spread across the state of Alaska. We also learn about a range of other organizations, including: Equate Assist Therapy Alaska, Move United Association Therapeutics, Stay Focused and the National Ability Center. It's an uplifting story about strong family values, a love of athletics, merged with inclusion, acceptance and service to the comm

Our guest this week is Brady Murray of Salt Lake City, who is father to 11 children, a managing director at Capstone Partners a Mass Mutual General Agent, founder of RODS Heroes as well as the Special Abilities Network. Brady and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 21 years and are the proud parents of 11 children. By age they are: Brinley (17), Nash (16), Ridge (13), Copper (11), Mason (8), Willow (6) and Olivia (5) and as this episode gets published the couple is in Columbia adopting four siblings: John (16), Jarrow (14), Sandra (15) and Roccio (10). Both Nash and Cooper have Down Syndrome.RODS Heroes is a non-profit organization with the mission to inspire families to adopt children with special needs or other unique circumstances. Over the last decade, RODS Heroes has inspired the adoption of 102 children (83 of whom have Down syndrome), providing them with loving forever homes. Through their advocacy and dedication, RODS Heroes aims to raise awareness and promote a positive perception of adoption of

Our guest this week is Rob Billerbeck of Lakewood, CO who works for the National Park Service in Colorado.Rob and his wife, Sarah, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of three children; a daughter, a son who has Down Syndrome and a third who is non-binary.Rob reflects on being the 9th of nine children and the impact that losing a sister in a car accident and a brother to suicide. Rob also reflects on the challenges they have encountered as parents, the organizations that played an influential role and very humbly, how his children have been his greatest teacher. That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast. Links - Email – billerbeckrob@gmail.comGlobal Down Syndrome Foundation - https://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/Mile High Down Syndrome Association - http://www.mhdsa.org/The ARC of Colorado – https://thearcofco.org/about/Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are