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The Dad Edge Podcast

Becoming the Anchor When Your Marriage Is Under Pressure

The Dad Edge Podcast

Larry Hagner

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this live Q&A episode, Uncle Joe and I tackle some of the heaviest—and most common—situations men face inside marriage: supporting a wife through serious mental health challenges, staying grounded when divorce is still on the table, and learning how to lead with consistency instead of panic.

 

We respond to real questions from men inside the Dad Edge Alliance who are walking through postpartum depression, PMDD, emotional volatility, and marital uncertainty. This conversation is about becoming an advocate instead of a victim, choosing consistency over crisis-mode behavior, and learning how to lead yourself well—regardless of whether your marriage outcome is guaranteed. If you're in a season where hope feels thin and the work feels exhausting, this episode will remind you what leadership actually looks like when things are hard.

 

 

Timeline Summary

[000] Opening reflections on fatherhood, sleepless nights, and perspective

[3:18] Setting expectations for live Q&A and imperfect conversations

[4:41] Corey's question: supporting a wife with postpartum depression and PMDD

[6:19] Understanding PMDD as a hormonal sensitivity disorder

[8:33] Why mood shifts are not character flaws or choices

[9:58] Becoming an advocate instead of minimizing mental health struggles

[11:05] Practical leadership: nutrition, structure, and reducing stress

[12:25] Why a man's emotional and spiritual health matters most in crisis

[13:10] Research on spiritual disciplines and emotional regulation

[14:11] Becoming a "merchant of hope" in your household

[15:00] Why men must take care of their inner world first

[16:02] Corey shares his early experience inside the Dad Edge Alliance

[17:02] Playing the long game and resisting discouragement

[18:07] Using brotherhood instead of isolation

[18:48] Announcement: Dad Edge Alliance preview call

[20:15] Where to find episode resources and symptom notes

[21:05] Second question: staying consistent while divorce is still mentioned

[24:56] Identifying behaviors that contributed to marital breakdown

[26:04] Why wives wait to see if change is real

[27:16] Consistency as a non-negotiable value

[28:46] Doing the work regardless of outcome

[31:01] Why self-led change benefits you no matter what

[32:24] Showing up as a grounded, playful, present father

[33:37] Why it often gets worse before it gets better

 

 

Five Key Takeaways

  1. Mental health struggles are not character flaws, and leadership starts with education and empathy.
  2. Consistency builds trust, especially when a spouse is waiting for the "other shoe to drop."
  3. Men must do the work for themselves first, not as a strategy to save a marriage.
  4. Hope is contagious, but only if the man leading the home is grounded and regulated.
  5. Brotherhood prevents isolation, especially when marriage feels uncertain.

 

Links & Resources

 

 

Closing Remark

If you're walking through a season where leadership feels heavy and outcomes feel uncertain, remember this: your consistency, integrity, and growth still matter. Thank you for being men who show up, ask hard questions, and refuse to drift. From my heart to yours—keep going, and live legendary.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Dad Edge podcast. The Dad Edge movement creates leaders of men, leaders of families, and leaders of communities. We will not only impact this generation of fathers, but the next generation as well. The kids we are raising will have better chances and odds stacked in their favor because of the amazing example

0:21.2

that their fathers emulated for them. We are here to change the world. We are here to change

0:27.6

relationships. We are here to positively disrupt this generation of fathers so no man goes to their

0:33.6

grave with regret. We disrupt the drift of busyness and replace it with razor-focused intention,

0:40.3

passion, purpose, and direction.

0:43.7

We are the Dad Edge,

0:45.7

and we're here to change the game.

0:47.8

We're here to change the game.

1:05.5

I don't know. What's up, gentlemen, here we are, again, it is February.

1:08.1

And it's not just any day in February.

1:09.1

Today's February.

1:12.1

Well, it's actually February 4th, but yesterday was my wife's birthday. So it was a, it was kind of a cool day for us yesterday celebrating her

1:18.4

birthday. I've now known my wife 30 years, kind of crazy. Um, but yeah, here we are. And, and actually

1:25.4

just, uh, about 10 days away from Valentine's Day, too, which is, it is the, I think it's the patron saint of overpriced greeting cards, as Jim Gaffkin would say. But I've got my man with me today. And he looks bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, even though he did not get much sleep. Paw-pa did not get a whole lot of sleep last night.

1:44.6

What happened last night?

1:45.6

Did not, man.

1:47.1

No, my 10-month-old grandson decided he wanted to burn the midnight oil. So I stayed up with him until about 3 a.m. this morning. And it was, you know, you know what? it was actually, you know, like, even though I didn't get a lot of sleep, there's something really, really powerful about, like, you know, holding that little one in your arms. And then, and when he finally falls to sleep in your arms and you just, you know he's like he feels safe in his grandfather's arms. Ah, man, it's priceless, dude. I wouldn't trade it for, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

2:19.1

Yeah, I will give up sleep for that any day of the week.

2:22.9

That was, it's pretty awesome.

2:24.3

Yeah.

2:25.1

Yeah, it's amazing, like, just the things that you'll just drop and do whatever for your kids.

2:31.2

You know, like Mason, he, I'm'm trying to spend especially with him right now because

...

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