Dr. Corey Holmes, former State Department affairs officer and author, shares his journey of raising a 5-year-old son in the Dominican Republic while building his writing career. This honest conversation explores the challenges of expat parenting, different disciplinary approaches between spouses, and how golf principles apply to fatherhood - patience, presence, and showing up consistently even on the bad days.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

[00:01:32] - Expat Parenting Challenges

Discussion of language barriers and school transitions for their 5-year-old son

Key quote: "I want to go home. I miss our house... I want to see my red door."

[00:06:59] - Parental Anxiety vs. Child Resilience

How parents often have more anxiety about new situations than their children

Key quote: "Sometimes you just have to push them, let them go out there and stand back and force yourself to just stand there and just observe."

[00:09:31] - Golf as a Metaphor for Fatherhood

Connection between golf's lessons of patience and being present with parenting

Key quote: "Golf can't be rushed and neither can fatherhood."

[00:11:33] - Different Disciplinary Approaches

Navigating different parenting styles between spouses

Key quote: "I'm not here to be his friend. I'm here to be his father... kids actually want discipline. They want structure."

[00:17:25] - Leading by Example

The importance of modeling behavior you want to see in children

Key quote: "You can't ask your child to do some stuff that you don't do specifically when you're talking about organization and being clean and tidy."

[00:24:23] - Redefining Ambitious Fatherhood

How to maintain professional ambitions while being present as a father

Key quote: "Being an ambitious dad means that you can still be thriving in your sector of choice, but you don't have to negate the presence of your children."

[00:30:59] - Unexpected Joys of Fatherhood

Discovering therapeutic aspects of cooking and Saturday morning pancake rituals

Key quote: "Cooking has been very therapeutic... by seven 30 we're making pancakes."

[00:33:47] - Managing Parental Exhaustion

How fatigue affects parenting and the importance of self-care

Key quote: "I have to be my best self for him. If I'm not my best self, if I'm running on empty, I have nothing to give."

On June 17th, I’m hosting a free, live workshop, Become a Better Leader By Becoming a Better Dad, for fathers who are tired of living a divided life. We’ll explore how “Default Dad” shows up when you’re tired, overloaded, or distracted, and how those same patterns affect your leadership at home and at work. Register here: https://www.ambitiousdads.com/better-dad-better-leader

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