Building a Legacy: A Father's Quest to Inspire Others through Adventurous Pursuits With Mike Stout

09/25/23 • 25 min

On this episode of Dads with Daughters, our guest Mike Stout, known as the Northland Adventurer, shares his journey of fatherhood and his remarkable experiences kayaking the Great Lakes.

In this episode of the "Dads with Daughters" podcast, host Christopher Lewis talks with Mike Stout, a father of two daughters known as the Northland Adventurer. Mike shares his incredible journey of kayaking across the Great Lakes and how it has shaped his perspective on fatherhood.

Christopher begins by highlighting the show's mission to help dads be the best fathers they can be. He introduces Mike Stout as a guest who has had remarkable experiences kayaking the Great Lakes and raising two daughters. Mike expresses his excitement to be on the show.

Mike shares his journey as a father, starting with his deep desire to have two daughters, which he had envisioned since college. When he found out he was going to be a father to daughters, he was ecstatic and felt blessed. He reflects on the joy and anticipation he felt during that time.

Christopher asks about Mike's fears in raising his daughters, and Mike responds that he had no fears initially, as he was committed to being a great father. He had even planned to write a book about exceptional fatherhood. However, he later felt like he failed during a challenging period when he became a full-time single parent during his daughters' fourth and sixth grade.

Mike shares that he regrets not being able to protect his daughters from the traumatic experiences they went through during that time. His daughters have since reassured him that he did not fail as a father, which has provided some relief but also lingering guilt.

Christopher delves into Mike's relationships with his daughters. Mike discusses how he created unique bonds with each of his daughters based on their individual needs and strengths, emphasizing the importance of spending quality time with each child.

The conversation then shifts to Mike's transformation from a corporate executive to the Northland Adventurer. Mike explains that he made this change when he became a full-time single parent. He started kayaking, fell in love with the sport, and began pursuing increasingly challenging adventures, including crossing Lake Michigan multiple times. His adventures were driven by his desire to live without regrets and set an example for his daughters.

Christopher asks how these adventures have changed Mike's perspective on life. Mike shares that they have made him truly treasure life and appreciate every moment. He describes the different phases and emotions he experiences during his long kayak journeys, highlighting the profound sense of gratitude he feels for his life and the opportunity to watch his children and granddaughter grow.

Mike discusses his future goals, primarily focusing on his affinity for Lake Michigan and the possibility of doing more kayaking trips across it. He also mentions his desire to give back, create nonprofits, and help businesses.

The episode concludes with Christopher's "Fatherhood Five" questions:

In one word, what is fatherhood? Mike answers, "A gift."
When did you feel you succeeded as a father to a daughter? Mike recalls feeling successful when his daughters told him they were proud of him and when they told him to forgive himself.
How would your daughters describe you as a dad? Mike hopes they would describe him as affectionate, supportive, driven, and adventurous.
What inspires you to be a better dad? Mike is inspired every day by the legacy he wants to leave for his daughters and granddaughter.
What one piece of advice would you give to every dad? Mike advises dads to celebrate the good times and seek support from friends and family during challenging times.

If you've enjoyed today's episode of the Dads With Daughters podcast, we invite you to check out the Fatherhood Insider. The Fatherhood Insider is the essential resource for any dad that wants to be the best dad that he can be. We know that no child comes with an instruction manual, and most are figuring it out as they go along. The Fatherhood Insider is full of valuable resources and information that will up your game on fatherhood. Through our extensive course library, interactive forum, step-by-step roadmaps, and more you will engage and learn with experts but more importantly with dads like you. So check it out today!

TRANSCRIPT

Christopher Lewis [00:00:06]:

Welcome to dads with daughters. In this show, we spotlight dads resources and more to help you be the best dad you can be.

Christopher Lewis [00:00:16]:

Hey, everyone, this is Chris. And welcome back to the Dads with Daughters podcast, where we bring you guests to be active participants in your daug...

On this episode of Dads with Daughters, our guest Mike Stout, known as the Northland Adventurer, shares his journey of fatherhood and his remarkable experiences kayaking the Great Lakes.

The episode concludes with Christopher's "Fatherhood Five" questions:

In one word, what is fatherhood? Mike answers, "A gift."
When did you feel you succeeded as a father to a daughter? Mike recalls feeling successful when his daughters told him they were proud of him and when they told him to forgive himself.
How would your daughters describe you as a dad? Mike hopes they would describe him as affectionate, supportive, driven, and adventurous.
What inspires you to be a better dad? Mike is inspired every day by the legacy he wants to leave for his daughters and granddaughter.
What one piece of advice would you give to every dad? Mike advises dads to celebrate the good times and seek support from friends and family during challenging times.

TRANSCRIPT

Christopher Lewis [00:00:06]:

Welcome to dads with daughters. In this show, we spotlight dads resources and more to help you be the best dad you can be.

Christopher Lewis [00:00:16]:

Hey, everyone, this is Chris. And welcome back to the Dads with Daughters podcast, where we bring you guests to be active participants in your daug...

Previous Episode

Balancing Act: Managing ADHD and Parenting With Peter Shankman

On this episode of Dads with Daughters, host Christopher Lewis invites entrepreneur and author Peter Shankman to discuss their experiences as fathers raising daughters. They start off by sharing relatable stories about dealing with slime during the pandemic and the challenges of explaining divorce to their young daughters. Peter emphasizes the importance of being present for his daughter and finding balance in his life through managing his ADHD. Peter shares his personal journey with ADHD, discovering it as an adult and developing coping mechanisms to navigate the condition. He believes that medication is not always necessary for success and suggests exploring alternative coping mechanisms. As the author of "The Boy with the Faster Brain," he aims to help kids with ADHD feel less misunderstood and prevent them from experiencing shame in the long run. The conversation also delves into the concept of neurodiversity and the beauty of thinking differently. They discuss the importance of understanding and embracing neurodiverse needs, highlighting what children are good at, and finding ways for them to have fun while learning. The episode concludes with a heartwarming story about a spontaneous trip to a water park that the speaker and his daughter will cherish forever. Join Christopher Lewis and his guests for inspiring conversations and practical advice on raising strong, independent daughters every week on Dads with Daughters.

TRANSCRIPT

Christopher Lewis [00:00:06]:

Welcome to dads with daughters. In this show, we spotlight dads resources and more to help you be the best dad you can be.

Christopher Lewis [00:00:17]:

Hey everyone, this is Chris. And welcome back to the Dads with Daughters podcast, where we bring you guests to be active participants in your daughters lives, raising them to be strong, independent women. Really excited to be back with you again this week. As always, we're on a journey together in looking at ways in which we can best raise our daughters to be those strong, independent women that we want them to be and to be able to be successful in their own journeys as individuals. And every week I have the pleasure of being able to bring you different dads that are doing it different ways, dads that you can learn from and be able to get different ideas from, different experiences from, because every father fathers in a little bit different way. And that's great because we don't have to be the same type of dads, but we can learn from each other and be better fathers in the end. And that's what this show is all about. Today. We got a great guest with us. Peter Shankman is with us. And Peter is a I'm just going to say he's a multi entrepreneur. He has done many different things in his career that has led him down the pipeline of being very successful in what he does. But most recently, he has become a author, a kids author, I'm going to say, because he has a brand new book called The Boy with the Faster Brain. And it's a little bit of, I'm going to say a little biographical in a way, in the sense of talking about his own experience and finding out that he had ADHD and what that journey was like for him. But also it's a book to allow for other kids and parents to be able to explore that in a little bit different way. So we're going to be talking about that as well. He also is a father of a daughter. He has a ten year old daughter and we'll be talking about that as well. Peter, thanks so much for being here today.

Peter Shankman [00:02:07]:

My pleasure. My dog obviously says hello as well.

Christopher Lewis [00:02:10]:

Well, I love being able to talk to different dads, and what I would love to do first and foremost is turn the clock back in time. I said you have a ten year old daughter, so I want to go back to that first moment, that first moment when you found out that you were going to be a father to a daughter. What was going through your head?

Peter Shankman [00:02:26]:

It's actually a really funny story. When I first found out, when my wife called me, most dads, they find out they're going to be a dad in some special way, the wife does something sweet, they put a little onesie inside the dinner table or something. I'm coming back fr...

Next Episode

Capturing Memories: A Conversation with Tyler Ranalla on Fatherhood and Photography

Welcome back to another episode of Dads with Daughters, the podcast that highlights the challenges and joys of being a father to strong and independent women. Today, we have a special guest joining us all the way from the West Coast. Tyler Ranalla, a talented photographer and father of three (with one on the way), shares his insights on fatherhood and the unique experiences he has had raising his daughters. In this episode, Tyler opens up about his initial fears and insecurities upon discovering he would be a father to a daughter, and how he overcame those doubts. He also discusses the unexpected differences he encountered in parenting his son compared to his daughters, and how he and his wife navigated through these challenges together. Tune in as Tyler shares his most memorable experiences as a father and offers valuable advice on being the best dad you can be. Join us on this inspiring journey of fatherhood on Dads with Daughters.

Transcript

Christopher Lewis [00:00:06]:

Welcome to dads with daughters. In this show, we spotlight dads resources. And more to help you be the best dad you can be.

Christopher Lewis [00:00:16]:

Hey, everyone, this is Chris, and welcome back to the Dads with Daughters podcast, where we bring you guests to be active participants in your daughter's lives, raising them to be strong, independent women. Really excited to have you back again this week. Every week. I love being able to sit down with you and to be able to talk with you, to be able to walk on this journey with you, maybe sit next to you as we go along this journey and be able to talk about what it takes to be an amazing dad and what it takes to be able to raise our daughters, to be the strong, independent women that we want them to be in their lives. And to do that, we can't do it alone. We have to have people around us. We have to be able to learn from other people. We have to be willing to put ourselves out there and know when we don't know everything, because none of us know everything. Let's be honest. There's no playbook for being the amazing father that you want to be, but you can get there. And you can get there on the backs of many other dads that have gone before you or that are going through it with you as well. So every week, I love being able to talk with different dads, to listen to their experiences, to learn from their experiences. And to be honest, no matter where you are in that parenting journey, you're still going to be able to learn. If you have kids that are infants, if you have kids that are in their teenage years, in their college years, or even if they're adults, you never stop being a father. You're always going to be a father, and you can learn from other fathers along the way. So this week, we got another great guest with us. Tyler Ranalla is with us today, and Tyler is a photographer out on the West Coast. I'm in Michigan. He's out on the west coast. And we're going to talk a little bit about photography and capturing memories and capturing those special moments. But first and foremost, we have to really talk about Tyler being a dad because he's a father of three with one on the way. So he's going to be a father of four coming up here not too long, and I'm really excited to have him here. Tyler, thanks so much for being here today.

Tyler Ranalla [00:02:27]:

I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.

Christopher Lewis [00:02:29]:

My pleasure having you here today. And first and foremost, what I would love to do is I want to turn the clock back in time and I want to go back to that first moment, that first moment when you found out that you were going to be a father to a daughter. What was going through your head.

Tyler Ranalla [00:02:41]:

Okay, so I didn't find out the gender until she was born. So the first moment that I saw she was a little girl, I think I was the first person in the hospital room to see it. And that very first moment, I got pretty scared because I didn't know what it meant to raise a girl. I didn't know what that experience was like. And so my first instinct, rather than pure excitement, was actually a bit of fear of like, am I going to be good enough ...