57. How to Become an Awesome Father Figure with Jeff Zaugg
Growing up without a father figure can have a significant impact on a child's development. Missing that father figure[1] causes children pain, which affects their mindset and behavior in the future. This starts a downward spiral of unresolved and repressed emotions. Intentional fatherhood will help men make amends with their pain, providing a safe space to raise their children.
In this episode, Jeff Zaugg shares his powerful message on intentional fatherhood. He tackles the deep pains that an absent father leaves. Letting go of that pain will help you understand fatherless children more and raise your children with shining eyes.
Listen to this episode to find out how you can become an intentional father!
Three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Find out how you can be an intentional father.
Learn about the biggest challenges, inspirations, and insights Jeff has gained through his journey in intentional fatherhood.
Become a part of dadAWESOME’s mission and journey.
Resources
● Start your podcasting journey with Simon. Check out his website to learn how you can collaborate with him.
● Sign up here to join the bike ride for Fathers For The Fatherless.
● Listen to Jeff’s podcast | dadAWESOME Podcast
o Episode 200: Belly Laughter, Feeling Stuck & Sailboat Fatherhood (Jeff Zaugg)
● Connect with Jeff: LinkedIn
Episode Highlights
[5:36] Fathers for the Fatherless
● The heartbeat of the Fathers for the Fatherless is to mobilize dads to do something hard for a cause beyond themselves.
Jeff: “When we do things for ourselves, we only get so much value. When we do things for others, I think it’s compounded forward.”
● They’ve done the bike ride for three seasons in 5 cities this year, raising money for local and global partners as they grow their hearts for intentional fatherhood.
● They learn about fatherlessness and raise money for kids without dads, believing that it makes them better dads for their kids.
● Although they raise money in separate teams, Jeff emphasizes that it is not a race.
[7:34] Passing Life to Kids, Not Pain
● All of them are operating from some sort of dad wound.
● If dads are not purposeful, their kids will unintentionally inherit their pain.
[8:54] Raising Money for the Fatherless
● The organization has entered its year raising money. The money they raised has tripled annually.
● They’re still on track to hit a $300,000 raise, with a ride in Scottsdale, Arizona, soon. It will be their fifth ride and their first run this year.
● All the money they raise goes to local and global partnerships that serve the fatherless.
[9:39] Spreading Intentional Fatherhood
● Jeff also had pain from his dad.
● He couldn’t be an intentional father figure because he wasn’t consulting resources or mentors.
● Tapping into his intentionality means that he needed to learn and grow. They launched dadAWESOME to help with intentional fatherhood but realized it was only reaching the already intentional dads.
● His mission became to help dads become awesome dads, so they launched Fathers for the Fatherless to help other dads rather than themselves.
Jeff: “When we start to focus on someone else and helping someone else’s journey, we find that our journey goes in the direction we want it to.”
[12:07] Raising Children with Shining Eyes
● We need to set priorities, so we’re not pulled in so many directions.
● There was deep healing between Jeff and his dad.
● He learned that his dad had lung and brain cancer after launching the first episode of the dadAWESOME podcast. By the hundredth episode, Jeff’s dad passed away.
● With the forgiveness and healing of his dad, he’s able to raise his daughters without his old wounds.
● Intentionality in parenthood is essential for children to experience the fullness of life.
● When your children feel safe and loved, their eyes will shine.
[15:35] Being a Children’s Pastor
● Jeff was a children’s pastor, ministering to amazing youth in his church.
● He noticed that the dads were less connected with the ministry, so he offered some resources to encourage them to be intentional dads.
● Reaching a wider range of dads was difficult for Jeff of instilling good parental values. He excited them through bike ride activities.
● Dads continue to give their time because they care about intentional fatherhood.
● Launching a podcast is a massive deposit of your journey and growth.
Simon: “... don't seek success, seek to be a person of value. When you're a person of value, that'll bring success to you.”
[18:41] Growth of dadAWESOME / Jeff’s Leap of Faith
● His wife, Michelle, prayed after seeing the deep passion in him.
● The story of Jesus walking with His disciples became part of his discernment process to make a pivot.
● He had open conversations with his boss and lead pastors. Finally, they recognize the value of Jeff’s mission.
● dadAWESOME grew along with his passion and its impact.
● Jeff would travel around in an RV with his family to talk to dads in various places and cities.
[22:01] Taking the First Step
● Waiting for someone to go first is common.
● Once someone has gone first, people will volunteer and offer support.
● One of his ambitions in Fathers for the Fatherless is to spark more dads to be more proactive in taking the first step.
[23:53] Jeff’s Biggest Challenge
● The core value of their organization is intentional fatherhood and making sure that kids aren’t fatherless.
● He practices what he preaches by making sure he's physically present for his daughters.
● With so many growing opportunities for their organization, Michelle helps him discern what to pursue and turn down.
● Listen to the full episode to find out what a sailboat strategy is and how Jeff wants to use it to lead his organization forward!
[26:43] Jeff’s Inspirations
● Pain fuels his passion.
● Distancing yourself from pain would dampen your passion. On the other hand, getting closer to pain helps you take action and serve others.
● When you experience pain, you’re able to empathize with others.
● Jeff stimulates his inspirations through watching success stories emanated from great pain.
Jeff: “If we can get closer to our kids when they’re experiencing pain versus push them aside, the closer we can get to pain, the closer I think we can get to our passions stoked up to do something to be a man, to be a person who’s taking action.”
[29:36] Imagining the Scoreboard
● It’s good to grab onto images because principles can get garbled.
● Jeff compares God’s love as an “infinity sign.” No matter what journey he’s in, he believes God’s love for him will never change.
[31:56] Dealing with Fatherlessness
● Many of the ills in our society stem from fatherlessness.
● The issue of fatherlessness is complicated and cannot be solved with limited means, but God calls on us to play our roles.
● Be on the lookout to speak words of life because your words are powerful.
● Point out what’s right and be cheerleaders of life.
● Take mentorship opportunities, such as serving local churches.
[35:37] Supporting His Organization
● Put a name and a face to the issue by thinking about someone you know whose father isn’t present or proactive in their life.
● Be part of their wave of encouragement.
● Join them on a bike ride.
● Listen to their podcast.
About Jeff
Jeff Zaugg is the founder of dadAWESOME. He’s a highly driven entrepreneurial innovator and action-oriented leader. With over nine years of successful experience in project management and entrepreneurship, he has proven leadership skills that propel ideas into action.
Listen to Jeff’s “dadAWESOME” through Apple Podcast. You may also learn more about Kyle through his website or LinkedIn.
Enjoyed this Episode?
If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends!
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will inspire them to find new meaning in their lives despite life-changing obstacles.
Have any questions? You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, you can visit my website or join the community. You can also tune in on Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
