Showing Up for Fatherhood [An Awesome Podcast featuring NFI President Christopher Brown]

Recently, NFI President Christopher A. Brown appeared on the How Humans Work podcast hosted by Jeff Szilagyi for an interview titled, Showing up for Dads. This interview is part of the podcast’s first season themed “Finding Fathers”.

The How Humans Work podcast explores the landscape of human experience and the facets of human nature. With an eye for vitality and courage to uncover the subtext of stress, host and renaissance acupuncturist Jeffrey Szilagyi draws on his body of diverse knowledge to reveal the stories, the dramas, and the humanity in the motivations, choices, and moments which shaped the real lives of real people.

In Episode #04, Jeffrey welcomes Chris for an in-depth look at why fathers matter and how father absence adversely impacts children, mothers, and society.

As an expert in building-up men and transmitting fathering know-how, Chris generously walks us through not only the problematic outcomes that arise when dads are not actively and holistically involved in the lives of their children. He also shares what he, NFI, and others are doing to alter the lives of men and, by extension, their families and communities.

In this episode, we a get look at the backbone of good social happening in America and the way supporting fathers is an essential ingredient in the larger effort of Family Strengthening Work. We also learn how NFI collaborates with local organizations and agencies to deliver facts, resources, and training to improve the “fathering support wing” of their services.

Along the way, Chris and Jeff also talk about race and gender dynamics as they pertain to fatherhood, and Chris opens up about the failed all-American moment between him and his dad that led, in part, to Chris dedicating the past two decades of his life to helping dads be better dads.

During the podcast, Chris also covers:

• Research that shows why dads are so important to child well-being.
• The cultural barriers to involved fathering that hinder fathers from giving everything their children need.
• The five characteristics that make good fathers, regardless of culture.
• The tireless work of individuals and organizations in communities to serve fathers has been the key to NFI's success, and specific ways other individuals and organizations can get involved.
• Personal and professional reasons he chose to work at NFI.
• How the relationship with his father--which made him seem invisible to his father--motivated Chris to ensure that as many children as possible grow up with an involved father, and how he reached out in his mid-20s to repair the relationship.
• Challenges in raising girls to be healthy adults. (Both Chris and Jeff are fathers of daughters.)

Listen to the Showing Up for Dads podcast now!