Welcome to the last Startup Dad episode of 2023! It has been one hell of a year. Starting in June I released a show a week for the entire rest of the year; 27 episodes in total. Talking parenthood with dozens of startup dads and a few startup moms blew away all of my expectations. For this episode I pulled together the best of over two dozen conversations covering everything from mistakes made to frameworks for parenting success. At the end I asked many of my guests what they're most looking forward to in 2024. This episode includes excerpts from nearly every one of my conversations. Guests include: Nick Soman, Buster Benson, George Arison, Guy Yalif, Jake Wood, Gaurav Vohra, Tobi Emonts-Holley, Ben Williams, Lloyed Lobo, Ryan Johnson, Mike Duboe, Sara and Eric Mauskopf, Trae and Michelle Stephens, Aaron Huey, Will Rocklin, Tom Willerer, Darius Contractor, Adam Grenier, Alex Cohen, Brian Balfour, Josh Herzig-Marx and Carla Naumburg, Casey Woo, Fareed Mosavat, and Matt Greenberg. In this episode we discuss: Mistakes made as a Dad The successes and high points of parenting Frustrations and challenges with parenting Frameworks for success Advocacy and raising children with special needs Coping with loss Startup Dads' optimism for 2024 Where to find Adam Fishman - Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com - Newsletter: http://startupdadpod.substack.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/fishmanaf - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ — In this episode, we cover: [0:00] Hello & intro from Adam [01:15] Mistakes made as a parent [01:22] Ryan Johnson (CPO, CallRail) - thinking your kids are older than they are [02:41] Tobi Emonts-Holley (CEO, Tiphereth) - losing your temper, recovering and learning to let go [04:20] Nick Soman (CEO/founder, Decent) - when I felt like I was drowning [05:45] Mike Duboe (General Partner, Greylock) - being too hard on yourself [07:12] Lloyed Lobo (Co-founder, Boast.ai) - yelling at your kids [07:54] Jake Wood (Founder, Groundswell and Team Rubicon) - avoiding mistakes of the heart [08:42] Guy Yalif (Co-founder/CEO, Intellimize) - quality minutes with your kids vs. quantity of hours [09:29] Gaurav Vohra (Founding team, Superhuman) - taking advice from other parents; not getting a crib [11:50] Buster Benson (Product leader, Medium) - thinking your kids are more mature than they are [14:27] George Arison (CEO, Grindr) - not explaining why to kids [14:46] Ben Williams (PLG Advisor, PLGeek) - thinking it would be easy [15:15] Parenting successes [15:24] Will Rocklin (Product Advisor) - marriage and parenthood unlocking your best self [17:25] Tom Willerer (COO, Reforge) - watching your kids be successful [21:51] Trae and Michelle Stephens (Partner, Founders Fund, Co-founder Anduril, Co-founder Oathcare) - watching kids learning new things and experiencing the world [22:53] Eric and Sara Mauskopf  (Product leader, Winnie; CEO/co-founder, Winnie) - rejoining the workforce and working with your spouse [027:20] Guy Yalif - seeing your kids navigate transitions; college and high school [28:06] Darius Contractor (CGO, Otter.ai) - helping your kids be centered and defining success with them [28:59] George Arison - watching your kids learning [29:28] Aaron Huey (Founder, National Geographic Photographer, 3rd Coolest Dad in America) - being named the 3rd coolest Dad in America [31:07] Parenting frustrations and challenges [31:19] Will Rocklin - conception struggles and a positive experience with IVF [33:23] Alex Cohen (Product leader, Carbon Health) - not having family or a support network nearby [34:25] Nick Soman - starting a company and becoming a husband and father at the same time [35:13] Eric and Sara Mauskopf - navigating cancer; a dismembering experience; family planning with cancer [42:28] Adam Grenier (VP Growth, Eventbrite) - having a child with special needs [44:17] Buster Benson - navigating separation and divorce; t