Ambitious Dads
Ambitious Dads
Podcast Description
Fatherhood cracked me open in ways I never expected — and showed me how unprepared most of us are for the emotional work it demands. After learning I couldn’t be a biological father, I wrestled early with the fear that I might screw up my kids before they even existed — a feeling every dad, in one way or another, eventually comes to know. The Ambitious Dads Podcast is where we stop winging it and start talking — about balancing endless competing priorities like work, kids, partners (sex — yeah, right!), self-care, and finances; about the emotions that hit daily — guilt, stress, fear, fatigue, love — and about the quiet doubts that keep us up at night. We’ll get vulnerable. We’ll get honest. And yes, we’ll end every episode with a ridiculous poop story, because if fatherhood teaches you anything, it’s how to laugh while cleaning up disasters.
Hosted by Jeff Hittner. Email Jeff with ideas for future episodes: [email protected]
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes related to fatherhood, mental health, work-life balance, and emotional intelligence with episodes exploring personal stories like navigating the guilt of missed opportunities, balancing professional ambitions with family responsibilities, and discussing the joys and challenges of parenthood through a light-hearted lens, like sharing amusing parenting mishaps.
Fatherhood cracked me open in ways I never expected — and showed me how unprepared most of us are for the emotional work it demands. After learning I couldn’t be a biological father, I wrestled early with the fear that I might screw up my kids before they even existed — a feeling every dad, in one way or another, eventually comes to know. The Ambitious Dads Podcast is where we stop winging it and start talking — about balancing endless competing priorities like work, kids, partners (sex — yeah, right!), self-care, and finances; about the emotions that hit daily — guilt, stress, fear, fatigue, love — and about the quiet doubts that keep us up at night. We’ll get vulnerable. We’ll get honest. And yes, we’ll end every episode with a ridiculous poop story, because if fatherhood teaches you anything, it’s how to laugh while cleaning up disasters.
Ranked in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally. Hosted by Jeff Hittner. Email Jeff with ideas for future episodes: [email protected]
Serial entrepreneur Quinton Sanicola shares his journey of raising two young boys (7 months and 3 years old) while building multiple businesses across continents. From managing food allergies to balancing American and Japanese parenting philosophies, Quinton offers honest insights on intentional parenting, the challenges of entrepreneurial fatherhood, and why “you’re never going to have enough money” shouldn’t stop you from starting a family.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[00:01:27] – Life in “The Tunnel” with Two Young Kids
Discussion of the Spanish expression about having kids under 3 – “you’re in the tunnel”
How everything shifts when you become a parent – perspective, priorities, and daily decisions
Key quote: “Everything is a different world. The way you look at life, the perspective that you have on why you’re doing your day-to-day tasks… everything shifts.”
[00:04:53] – Timing and Starting a Family
The importance of recognizing when it’s time to have children
Avoiding external pressures to rush or delay starting a family
Key quote: “Don’t delay when you’ve reached that season and that phase that you think you should start… because it’s just the most unbelievable experience possible.”
[00:08:29] – Intentional Parenting in a Digital Age
Being deliberate about screen time, education choices, and cultural decisions
Navigating East-meets-West parenting with Japanese and American influences
Key quote: “I think this is a time where you have to be more intentional than ever before… you are not alone in your home anymore.”
[00:16:27] – Focusing on Yourself to Serve Your Family
How self-care and personal development ultimately benefit the family
The concept that working on yourself is working for them
Key quote: “When I focus on me for a clear mind, clear body, I’m doing this because when I perform, I create better. I create a better life.”
[00:20:42] – The Challenge of Being Present
Kids as “BS detectors” who know when you’re not fully present
The struggle between building for the future and being present today
Key quote: “Those kids, they’re BS detectors and they know. So when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. And when it’s time to step away from work and be with family, it’s time to be with family.”
[00:25:32] – Paternity Leave as an Entrepreneur
Contrasting experiences: zero time off with first child vs. seven intentional days with second
Managing business crises during major life moments
Key quote: “It is not about the amount of time. It is about the quality of time. It is about the intentionality.”
[00:34:34] – What Keeps Him Up at Night
Concerns about the world his children will inherit
Building a family business for the next generation
Key quote: “What I want to build, I want to bring my son into. And then I want to have a family business… if my business isn’t ready for him when he’s ready, in my mind, that’s a big problem.”
[00:36:21] – Food Allergies and Quality Concerns
Discovering his son’s allergies disappear in Japan but return in the US
Being willing to relocate for family health needs
Key quote: “It is inevitable that it is the quality of our food in America… it’s not about me. It’s about my family.”
[00:42:09] – Final Advice on Starting a Family
You’ll never have “enough” money, so don’t let that stop you
Recognizing the calling when it’s time
Key quote: “You’re never going to have enough money, period, full stop… A tickle fight with a three-year-old of your own can’t be expressed. The amount of joy that comes with that… is unbelievable.”
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Connect with Jeff Hittner: https://jeffhittner.com
Subscribe on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ambitious-dads/id1815863328
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xCHG30Ms9wcGRJmDqHcW8?si=46654ba2a0654099
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmbitiousDads
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