Special Fathers' Network Podcast

Our guest this week is Marsh Naidoo of Dyersburg, TN is a physical therapist who was born and raised in Durban, South Africa during Apartheid. Marsh and her husband, Prakash, are the proud parents to son Kellan, who has Cerebral Palsy.Marsh is the host of the popular Raising Kellan Podcast and author of the book “What I Wish I Knew Back Then."We’ll hear this intriguing conversation between Marsh and our host David Hirsch on this episode ot the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Email – [email protected] – https://www.raisingkellan.org/LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsh-naidoo-pt/Healing Horses – https://equinetherapyregistry.org/index.phpTri My Best Triathlon - https://give.vanderbilthealth.org/event/tri-my-best-triathlon-brentwood/e275146 The Book: What I Wish I Knew Back Then: A Physical Therapist and Mother's Perspective of Raising her Child with Cerebral Palsy. https://www.amazon.com/What-Wish-Knew-Back-Then/dp/1735224014/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TV60DU2DA68M&keywor

Our guest this week is Joel Liestman of Maple Grove, MN who has been a professional actor for more than 25 years, a father to a son with William Syndrome and outspoken advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Joel and wife, Jennifer, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of Bennett (11) who has Williams Syndrome, a genetic condition present at birth and is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning challenges. Joel reflects on the importance of organizations like Parent 2 Parent and the William Syndrome Association have played in Bennett’s life and that of his family.That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast. Show Links - Email – [email protected] – https://www.joelliestman.comLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelliestman/William Syndrome Association – https://williams-syndrome.org/Partnership Resources - https://www.partnershipresources.org/Parent 2 Parent USA – https

Our guest this week is Christian Paddock of Seattle, WA who is a coporate trainer for Audi of America.Christian and his wife, Megan, have been married for 10 years and are the proud parents of two girls, Addison (5) and Hazel, who was diagnosed with STXBP1, a rare neurological disease. Very sadly Hazel passed away at age six in 2021, as the result of a random accident. Christian reflects on the six year odyssey of raising a child with a complex medical condition, the highs as well as lows, and the tragic loss of their beautiful daughter. We’ll hear how Christian and Megan have met the challenges, dealt with tgrief, grown from this horrible tragedy, found some comfort through organ donation, and put the experiences into perspective. That’s on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links -Email – [email protected] – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianpaddock/STXBP1 Foundation – https://www.stxbp1disorders.org/what-is-stxbp1Facebook Hazel On The Move – https://www.faceboo

Our guest this week is Dr. Cole Galloway of Clevelend, OH who for more than two decades, was a professor of physical therapy at University of Delaware and is founder of Go Baby Go, a human rights movement dedicated to promoting mobility and social mobility.While doing research, he developed a small car that young children, with special needs, could control themselves thereby opening a whole new world of possibilities. That discovery lead to the creation of Go Baby Go, which has forever transformed the lives and trajectories of tens of thousands of children across the U.S. and beyond. Go Baby Go has an open architecture that allows virtually anyone or any organization to make use of the resources, now in more than 200 locations. It's a fascinating and uplifting story and Dr. Gallaway is our guest this week on this episode of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Email – [email protected] LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-galloway-1ba715107/Go Baby Go - https://sites.udel.edu/gob

Our guest this week is Corey Ferguson of Gahanna, OH who is a State-Wide Manager with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and the father of three children with a wide range of special abilities.Corey and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of three children: Linleigh (12) who is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, Brody (9) who has dyslexia, and Everly (8), who has bi-lateral hearing loss. Corey has a real passion for being a dad and the work he does serving other families raising children with special needs. We’ll hear Corey’s family story and more this week on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links:Email – [email protected] – https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyfferguson/A Kid Again - https://akidagain.org/chapter/central-ohio-chapter/OH Dept of Developmental Disabilities - https://dodd.ohio.gov/homeRising Above Ministries - https://www.risingaboveministries.org Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring

Our guest this week is Ron Sandison of Rochester Hills, MI who is an Autistic man, a psychiatric care specialist at UHS Havenwyck Hospital, a professor at the Divinity School of Ministry, a speaker, an author of several books, and founder of Spectrum Inclusion, which empowers young adults with Autism for independence and employment through mentoring and conferences.Ron and his wife, Kristen, have been married for 10 years and are the proud parents of Mikayla (6). Ron's books include:A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice. Biblical Wisdom.Views from the Spectrum: A Window into Life and Faith with Your Neurodivergent ChildThought, Choice, Action: Decision-Making that Releases the Holy Spirit's PowerAnother one of Ron's gifts is that he has memorized and can recall over 5000 bible verses.Ron has an amazing story to tell and we’ll hear it this week on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Notes - Spectrum Inclusion: https://www.spectruminclusion.comEmail: [email protected]: https

Our guest this week is Christopher Brewster of Waverly NY. Chris and his wife, Kristen, have been married for six years and are the proud parents of three children: son Bowie (15) who has Angelman Syndrome, daughter Ada (17), and son Seth (26) who has Scleroderma, Short leg syndrome, Autism and more recently is undergoing gender transition.From a professional perspective, Chris is a Community Engagement Manager for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier (Elmira & Corning area). He also works part-time as the Fatherhood Coordinator for Parent to Parent of New York State, connecting fathers of children with special needs to information and to reach other dads. Chiris is also a writer and a public relations/marketing professional with extensive experience in writing, advertising and graphic design, including being a staff writer for Southern Tier Life, a digital lifestyle magazineWell hear Chris' story on this episode of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Show Links - Email – cbrewster@parenttoparent

Our guest this week is Ian Todd, of Baltimore, MD, who is a financial services specialist.Ian and his wife, Erin, are the proud parents to two daughters, Maple (6) and Rosie (4), who was injured shortly after birth as the result of Bacterial Meningitis and has cortical visual impairment among other conditions. Ian is also a member of the first Special Fathers Network Mastermind Group that meets weekly on Wednesday evenings. He credits his faith and involvement with SFN and the SFN Mastermind Group with helping him put his challenges into perspective and be the husband, father and human being he wants to be. We’ll hear Ian and Rosie’s story and more on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Email – [email protected] – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-todd-5672bb19/ 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 li

Our guest this week is Matt Bando, owner of Prodigy Printing and Promotions in Downers Grove, IL.Matt and his wife, Saba, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of Zain (23) who is a spastic quadriplegic with Cerebral Palsy. Zain is a graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is masters degree student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has participated in the Diveheart.org adaptive scuba diving program.Matt is also part of the SFN Mastermind Group that meets weekly on Tuesday nights.We’ll hear Matt's story and more on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.WGN TV Video (2.24.18) - https://www.zainbando.org/testimonials/Email – [email protected] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bando-9922499/Diveheart - https://www.diveheart.org Phone – (630) 362-1151Special 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

Out special guest this week is Dr. Temple Grandin of Ft. Collins, CO, a national speaker, a best-selling author, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and outspoken advocate for the neurodivergent and those on the Autism Spectrum. Temple was an Ashoka Fellow. She was also named in the Time 100 List as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the ‘Heroes’ category. She also has a number of honorary degrees form universities around the world, including; McGill University in Canada, the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University. Temple is the author of numerous books including: - Emergence: Labeled Autistic - Developed Talents- Thinking In Pictures - The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across The Spectrum- Different Not Less Temple’s TED Talk entitled: “The World Needs All Kinds Of Minds” has been viewed more than 6M times. The movie Temple Grandin, produced in 2010, received numerous awards including seven Emmy Awards. We are very gr

Our guest this week is David Geslak, a national speaker, author and founder of Exercise Connection, a company committed to assist individuals with Autism and other disabilities; improve their focus, reduce maladaptive behaviors, enhance social skills as well as language development through proper exercise and physical fitness.David and his wife, Jessica, have been married for nine years and are the proud parents of two children: Andrew (5) and Jordan (2), who was diagnosed with cyanotic breadth holding spells.Through his education and work as a Certified Exercise Physiologist, as well as research, David has created tools and a process to transform the lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder through exercise and better fitness. His book entitled: The Autism Fitness Handbook is a must read for any parent or caregiver of a child or young adult with Autism. David is also founder of: ExerciseBuddy, an Autism fitness app for children, adults, and schools, andAutism Workforce, an organization focused on d

This is the second installment of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast interview with Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC, a nationally known speaker, author, licensed professional counselor of 28 years and founder of The Abba Project, a program serving dads and daughters.She writes regularly for professional journals and magazines. She is also the author of books:Dad Here’s What I Really Need from You, andLet’s Talk: Conversation Starters for Dads and Daughters.Michelle also hosts “The Dad Whisperer” Podcast.Michelle talks openly and authentically about her spirituality, marrying late in life as well as her personal experience with eating disorders and sexual abuse. She brings a high level of energy and enthusiasm to her work and life.Michelle and her husband, Dr. Ken Canfield, founder of the National Center For Fathering, live in Fayetteville, Arkansas near their family which includes 14 grandkids.That’s all on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. Links:Web site: https://www.drmichellewatson.comEmail: d

Our guest this week is Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield, PhD, LPC, a nationally known speaker, author, licensed professional counselor of 28 years and founder of The Abba Project, a program serving dads and daughters.She writes regularly for professional journals and magazines. She is also the author of books:Dad Here’s What I Really Need from You, andLet’s Talk: Conversation Starters for Dads and Daughters.Michelle also hosts “The Dad Whisperer” Podcast.Michelle talks openly and authentically about her spirituality, marrying late in life as well as her personal experience with eating disorders and sexual abuse. She brings a high level of energy and enthusiasm to her work and life.Michelle and her husband, Dr. Ken Canfield, founder of the National Center For Fathering, live in Fayetteville, Arkansas near their family which includes 14 grandkids.Michelle has so much to say we split the interview in two parts and today we’ll hear the the first installment. That’s all on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcas

Our guest this week is David Barth of Sand Point, ID who is a licensed therapist. David and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 26 years and are the proud parents of Jackson (23) who has Autism. David is a member Evryman, a benefit corporation whose mission is to connect and help men lead more successful, satisfying and fulfilling lives. David is also co-founder of Team Autism 24/7, a non-profit that builds autism awareness. We’ll hear David’s story on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. Show Links: Email – [email protected] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/da... Evryman - https://evryman.com Panhandle Special Needs Inc.: https://panhandlespecialneeds.... Team Autism 24/7 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/searc... 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 firs

Our guest this week is Nelson Rascon of Tacoma, WA who is the father of three, a realtor and co-founder of Dads Move - Strengthening The Roles Of Dads In Raising Their Kids With Special Needs. Nelson and his wife, JoRay, have been married for 9 years and between them are the proud parents of three children; Samantha (30) who has cognitive delays, Eric (26) who has Autism, severe Epilepsy and who is bi-polar, and Kaleb (26) who has Asperger’s and was more recently diagnosed as bi-polar too. Nelson reflects on his parents divorce, growing up without his dad, moving with his mom and siblings from California to Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, where at his age 13, his mom took her own life. He also reflects on becoming a single father, remarrying and helping raise his step children as well as the back story on co-founding Dads Move, a non profit organization, whose mission is: to strengthen the father's role in raising children with behavioral health needs through education, peer support and advocacy.We'l

Our guest this week is Bonner Paddock Rinn of Laguna Beach, CA, founder of Project Possible, the first person with Cerebral Palsy to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro and to complete the Ironman distance triathlon, a New York Times best selling author of the book One More Mile, founder of Spark – launching poverty fighting ventures that open the door of possibility. He was featured in the documentary film Beyond Limits, narrated by the actor Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), depicting Bonner's successful summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We’ll hear Bonner's inspiring story on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Website – https://www.projectpossible.org Email – [email protected] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonner-paddock-rinn-95086b5/#experienceOne More Step (book) - https://www.amazon.com/One-More-Step-Kilimanjaro-Surviving/dp/0062295586/ref=sr_1_1?crid=190EXPIPU91GQ&keywords=bonner+paddock&qid=1669956550&s=books&sprefix=bonner+paddock%2Cstripbooks%2C134&sr=1-1

Our guests this week are Brian Altounian and Shawn Francis of Los Angeles, CA. Brian and Shawn are financial advisors who created the Just Two Dads Podcast to help fathers raising kids with special healthcare needs. Every Wednesday at 11am Pacific Time, they host their podcast live on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/wearejusttwodadsThey’re quite a compelling duo and they are our guests on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Email – [email protected] Email Brian – [email protected] Email Shawn – [email protected] Brian LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaltounian/ Shawn LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnf56/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 received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my f

Our guest this week is Dr. Judson Brandeis, of Sn Francisco, is a board certified urologist whose mission is to help men maintain their overall health. Dr. Judson also wrote and compiled the book, The 21st Century Man, Advice From 50 Top Doctors and Men’s Heath Experts. He’s quite an amazing guy and he’s our guest this week on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. Judson Brandeis MD - https://brandeismd.comLinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/judsonbrandeismd/ Email - [email protected] Here To Buy Book - https://thetwentyfirstcenturyman.com/ Discount Code for his book - DAD2DADSpecial 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 received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate

Our guest this week is Joshua Carrigg, of Gaithersburg, MD, a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Joshua and his wife, Austin, have been married for 20 years and are the proud parents of three: Christian (20), Nicholas (17) who has Autism and adopted daughter Melanie (9) who has Down syndrome and other special healthcare needs. Joshua joined the US Army at 20 and has served for 19 years including two deployments to Iraq ’in 03-’04 and ’06-’07. Joshua's wife, Austin, is the founder and CEO of the Exceptional Families of the Military (EFM), a volunteer-led, non-profit organization specializing in helping DoD families enrolled in Exceptional Families of the Military Program (EFMP).The mission of EFM is to connect military families with Disabilities, Special Healthcare Needs, or additional educational needs from all branches of the service in order to navigate within the EFMP and identify areas of improvement that affect the families they represent.EFM families have 18 online support groups with about 7,000 EFMP f

Our guest this week is Owen Marcus, of Nevada City, CA, an executive coach, founder of Whole Clinics, a Group Lead Trainer for the Mankind Project and Co-Founder of EvryMan, a global community of men who come together to challenge and assist one another with their emotional well being and personal growth.We’ll hear Owen talk and provide insights about being a man in today’s world and how to be the best: father, husband, friend and man you can be. That’s all on this this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. Find out more about Owen Marcus at - https://owenmarcus.comEmail – [email protected] LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenmarcus/ EVRYMAN - https://evryman.com TEDx Spokane - What 10,000 Years Of Progress Has Cost - https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tedx+Talk+Owen+Marcus&view=detail&mid=B93B65728E35ABE7A196B93B65728E35ABE7A196&FORM=VIRE Call with Sue Johnson, PhD, the developer of EFT (Emotionally Focus Therapy), the leading therapy based on attachment theory. https://vim