Matt Ragland focuses on the intersection of productivity and the creator economy. He started an online community for creative Dads called Digital Dads. Matt was the 5th employee at ConvertKit, ran Creator Success at Podia, and has built an audience of over 100,000 fans across his newsletter, YouTube channel, and social media channels. He lives in Nashville with his wife of 17 years and 3 (almost 4) kids. In our conversation today we discussed: Matt's childhood as the son of a pastor The importance of community - and building community for fathers Homeschooling Outward expressions of love Taking your kids on adventures Helping your kids have a vision greater than themselves Pursuing self-employment as a means to better balance work, health and family — Where to find Matt Ragland - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattragland/ - Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/mattragland - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MattRagland/videos   Where to find Adam Fishman - Newsletter: https://startupdadpod.substack.com/ - Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.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: [00:30] Intro [1:52] Welcome [2:15] Matt's professional background [8:06] Matt's childhood and parents [13:10] His partner and kids [16:34] Homeschooling [21:46] Outward expressions of love [25:34] The importance of community and Digital Dads [32:05] Taking kids on adventures [37:05] Most surprising thing as a dad [39:50] Demonstrating good habits [47:21] Vision greater than yourself [52:07] What don’t you and your wife align on? [55:33] Mistakes made as a father [59:50] Where to follow along with Matt's journey [1:00:57] Rapid fire [1:09:18] Thank you — Show references: Matt’s Website - https://mattragland.com/ Buffer - https://buffer.com/ Backcountry - https://www.backcountry.com/ APPSumo - https://appsumo.com/ ConvertKit - https://convertkit.com/ Nashville, TN - https://www.visitmusiccity.com/ Podia  - https://www.podia.com/ Jiu jitsu - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu Nose Frida - https://frida.com/ Nintendo switch - https://www.nintendo.com/us/switch/ Lululemon (joggers or ABC pants) - https://shop.lululemon.com/ 10,000 (shirts) - https://www.tenthousand.cc/ Smart wool (socks) - https://www.smartwool.com/ Duer (jeans) - https://shopduer.com/ Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five by John Medina - https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Baby-Updated-Expanded/dp/0983263388 Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature by Steven Rinella - https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Kids-Inside-World-Radically/dp/0593129660 Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff - https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Parent-Ancient-Cultures/dp/198214968X The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children by Alison Gopnik - https://www.amazon.com/Gardener-Carpenter-Development-Relationship-Children/dp/1250132258 Inside Out - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/ — Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ Episode art designed by Matt Sutherland at https://www.mspnw.com/