Preparing Your Son for Adulthood With Grit, Gratitude, and Growth

The Dad Edge Podcast

Larry Hagner

Project, Self-improvement, Stevenson, Podcast, Edge, Education, Kids, Shawn, Family, Kids & Family, Fathers, Fatherhood, Community, Advice, Dad, Good, Health & Fitness, Children

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of the Dad Edge Podcast, I’m joined once again by my son, Ethan, for another candid father-son conversation on navigating life, manhood, and building the skills that last a lifetime. As part of our August series on helping boys transition into strong, capable men, we dig into Ethan’s experiences in work, relationships, and personal growth—and the lessons that come with them.

We talk about learning the value of hard work, handling failure without losing momentum, and why being intentional with your time can change everything. Ethan also opens up about balancing independence with staying connected to family, how to choose the right influences, and the importance of staying grounded in who you are—especially when life throws curveballs. Whether you’re raising a son or trying to grow as a man yourself, this conversation is filled with practical wisdom, personal stories, and plenty of laughs along the way.

TIMELINE SUMMARY

[0:00] - Welcome and context for our August series on raising boys into men

[2:15] - Ethan’s reflections on his first real work experiences

[5:04] - Learning self-reliance through challenges and problem-solving

[8:12] - The importance of staying humble and teachable

[11:30] - How to take responsibility without losing confidence

[15:18] - Building resilience after setbacks and mistakes

[18:40] - Choosing influences and friends that push you forward

[21:53] - Balancing independence with strong family connection

[25:17] - What it means to be intentional with your time and energy

[28:34] - Handling the pressure to perform in work and life

[32:56] - Using failures as fuel for growth and self-improvement

[36:11] - The role of discipline in achieving long-term goals

[40:00] - How gratitude changes your outlook and relationships

[43:28] - Ethan’s advice for young men starting their journey to adulthood

[46:02] - Lessons learned from taking risks and stepping into uncomfortable situations

[49:15] - Why adaptability is essential in both work and relationships

[52:40] - The impact of mentorship and learning from older, wiser voices

[56:22] - Strategies for keeping your mindset strong during setbacks

[1:00:05] - How Ethan applies life lessons from sports into everyday decisions

[1:03:30] - The importance of giving back and serving others as a sign of maturity

[1:06:54] - Final reflections on becoming the kind of man you’d be proud to follow

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Hard Work Builds Character

Real growth comes when you embrace responsibility, push through discomfort, and give your best—whether you’re excited about the task or not.

2. Stay Teachable

No matter how much you know, there’s always something to learn. A teachable spirit keeps you adaptable and ready for opportunity.

3. Choose Your Circle Wisely

The people you surround yourself with will either pull you forward or drag you down. Select influences who challenge and inspire you.

4. Resilience Comes From Recovery

Everyone fails—but it’s how quickly you get back up and how much you learn from it that determines your strength.

5. Intentional Living Creates Direction

Without a plan, you drift. Being deliberate with your time, energy, and commitments gives you control over the man you’re becoming.

LINKS & RESOURCES

thedadedge.com/presence
https://1stphorm.com/products/collagen-with-dermaval/?a_aid=dadedge
DB OVERDRIVE: https://1stphorm.com/products/1-db-overdrive-fastpack/?a_aid=dadedge.
CREATINE LINK: https://1stphorm.com/products/micronized-creatine-monohydrate/?a_aid=dadedge
1st PHORM APP: https://share.1stphorm.app/67eJWnb94Ub
Dad Edge Podcast Website: https://www.thedadedge.com
Join The Alliance: https://www.thedadedge.com/alliance
Listen to More Episodes: https://www.thedadedge.com/podcast
25 Questions to Spark Connection With Your Partner:
https://www.thedadedge.com/25questions

If this episode inspired you or gave you a fresh perspective, please rate, follow, review, and share the podcast. Together, we’re helping men and fathers live legendary lives—for themselves, their families, and the next generation.

Transcript

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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.
1:11.2	I don't know. All right, gentlemen, so if you are wanting your kids to be honest, and you want your kids to tell the truth, and you want to raise kids who have confidence, well, then it's actually all about ownership.
1:14.3	Ownership needs to be a part of the process.
1:17.1	And what is ownership?
1:18.0	Ownership is telling the truth even when you don't want to.
1:21.2	And it's even telling the truth when it might be scary.
1:25.2	But remember this, this quote, which is the most powerful man in the room is the one who has nothing to hide.
1:32.3	And these are the types of people, these are the types of men that we want to be, right? And we also want to raise strong, confident young men who do the same, strong, confident young daughters who do the same. And today, for me and Ethan, that's
1:45.1	what we're going to do. We're going to unpack this today. So what's up, brother? How are you doing? Oh. Look at that. The mic wouldn't have been up there. I forgot that I moved it. I'm doing pretty good. It's my day off today from work. Yeah. Sunday happy. Sunday, fun day. Sunday, fund it. Yeah, so we're going to be talking about ownership and honesty and all those good things.
2:03.6	We covered this when you and I were kind of first getting our hands dirty with this podcast back in June.
2:10.2	But today we're going to do a deeper dive on it because we're doing this entire series for the month of August, which is becoming a man, what nobody teaches you. That's our theme.
2:19.6	So last week we talked about the shift from boy to man and why guys stay stuck. And we talked a lot
2:26.9	last week about emotional intelligence, I think, and mental health and what does it really
2:34.1	mean to grow up? So I really enjoyed last week's podcast. Oh, yeah, me too. I think, did we do this ownership? Did we do the ownership one last time outside? We did. Yeah, we talked, it was a variety of things that we talked about in that podcast, but ownership was a part of it. Yeah. But yeah, it was when we were fireside.
2:51.4	That's right.
	...

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