The Dad Edge Podcast

John Sapiente never planned to become a charitable force in the veteran community, he just wanted to play golf with a celebrity at a charity gala. That single decision in 2013 led him to a life-changing weekend with military families, a friendship with Folds of Honor founder Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, and eventually the creation of Volition America, a lifestyle apparel brand that has raised over $2 million for veteran and first responder families by donating 13% of profits, a number tied to the 13 folds of the American flag.
In this conversation with Larry, John shares the origin story behind brand partnerships with Puma, Cobra Golf, and Luminox, the moment he surprised a wounded Navy SEAL with a custom Jeep on July 4th, and his approach to raising four kids while running two manufacturing companies and a nonprofit-adjacent brand. He's candid about the tradeoffs of building a business empire, protecting Mother's Day as sacred family time, and 30 years of weekly date nights with his wife. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to turn a single meaningful moment into a lasting mission, this episode is a direct look at how that actually happens.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] The 2013 charity golf event that sparked John's "patriotic awakening"
[4:58] Meeting wounded veterans and hearing taps played during a tournament, and the impact it had
[9:22] Becoming friends with Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor
[10:07] The origin of "volition" as a word and a brand philosophy: the power of choice
[12:31] A full introduction to John: founder of Volition America, raising over $2 million for veterans
[14:32] Raising a confident, self-sufficient daughter, and the values he prioritized as a father
[21:56] The family rule that sports never come before Mother's Day
[25:43] Referencing Dr. John Delony's take on travel sports ruining the family dinner table
[26:46] The mandatory Sunday family dinner tradition that started when the kids were young
[28:34] The family rule that every kid needs "a battle," something they're passionate about, one at a time
[29:19] A son's question about whether John was disappointed he chose band over sports
[31:10] Supporting a daughter who hated soccer but lit up when she found dance
[32:13] The father-son talent show plan built around a shared love of Michael Jackson
[34:01] Thirty years of marriage and the weekly date nights that started when their kids were young
[36:15] Why "if you have to think about your last date night, it's been too long"
[43:40] Introducing Volition America and the $2 million raised for Folds of Honor
[47:20] The story of surprising Navy SEAL Jeff Samuels with a custom Jeep on July 4th
[50:25] How brand partnerships with Puma, Cobra Golf, and Luminox actually came together
[53:21] Upcoming brand extensions: a cigar line with Gurkha and a new wine label
[55:55] Where to find Volition America and support the mission
 
Five Key Takeaways
A single moment of unexpected exposure, in John's case a charity golf outing, can become a life's mission if you stay open to what it reveals. He wasn't looking for a cause; the cause found him.
Kids need something they're passionate about, one thing at a time, not necessarily a sport. Supporting a child's actual interest, whether it's marching band or dance, builds more confidence than pushing them toward what you expected.
Protecting non-negotiable family time, like Mother's Day or a weekly date night, requires real boundaries. John's family skipped championship games that landed on Mother's Day because some things matter more than convenience.
You cannot build a major business while being a 50/50 present parent every single day. Real tradeoffs exist, and the goal is being genuinely present in the time you do have rather than pretending you can do everything equally.
Purpose-driven business partnerships can create value for everyone involved. Brand collaborations built around a genuine mission bring new audiences to both the cause and the partner brand, not just a marketing gimmick.
 
Links & Resources
Volition America: https://volitionamerica.com
Folds of Honor: https://foldsofhonor.org
The Dad Edge Podcast: https://thedadedge.com/1529
Roommates to Soulmates: http://thedadedge.com/soulmates
The Board Room Mastermind: Guest Session: http://thedadedge.com/guest 
 
Closing
What stays with me from this conversation is how one afternoon of golf, entered into for the wrong reasons, turned into a mission that's raised over $2 million for the families of fallen and disabled service members. John didn't set out to build a movement, he just stayed open to what that weekend showed him. Whether it's a cause, a kid's unexpected passion, or a weekly date night you've let slide, the same principle applies: show up for the thing in front of you, and let it become what it's going to become. Go out and live legendary.

For the second time, Marc Hildebrand flips the format and puts Larry in the interview seat, this time to unpack the five things men consistently say changed everything after joining the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood: clarity, challenge, strategy, accountability, and brotherhood. Using real, anonymized member stories, Larry walks through how the group helps a business owner named Taylor rebuild connection with his wife using the four pillars of marriage and three levels of listening, why "rusty relationships" built on enabling friends keep 78% of men stuck, and why vague goals like "more communication" aren't actually strategies.
Larry also shares the origin story of the group's gamified accountability system, born on a cruise ship when he realized he hated holding people accountable the traditional way, and closes with a blunt challenge: most men wait for a crisis before they get help, and by then it's often too late. If you're a business owner who feels like your family gets the leftovers of your time and energy, this conversation is a direct look at what actually changes that.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] Larry opens on the tension every entrepreneur feels: building an empire without sacrificing family
[4:21] Introducing Marc Hildebrand as this week's interviewer, flipping the usual format
[6:42] The first pillar: clarity, and the story of onboarding a new member named Taylor
[7:45] Introducing the Brave Man system: bond, raise, amplify, vitality, enjoy, movement, action, network
[9:47] The comparison trap and the real divorce and disconnection statistics behind most marriages
[10:28] The four pillars of an extraordinary marriage: individual, partnership, friendship, and lovers
[13:20] Giving Taylor the 50 Intimate Conversation Starters and a simple daily walk-and-talk challenge
[15:13] The three levels of listening: to respond, to understand, and to hear the emotion underneath
[20:43] Larry announces a rare open preview of the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood
[22:29] Why the same relational skills that fix a marriage also apply to clients and employees
[26:35] The second pillar: challenge, and the difference between friends and objective advisors
[27:22] Introducing "rusty relationships" and the 78% statistic from Mansfield's Book of Manly Men
[30:08] The story of a member named Tim who left his gym to stop being the smartest guy in the room
[33:38] The third pillar: strategy, and why "more" or "better" communication isn't actually a strategy
[35:25] The Casey 1.0 and 2.0 example: moving from scarcity and fear to strategic thinking
[38:20] The story of a member named Blake, whose time management problem was really about protecting family time
[40:03] Larry announces the first-ever Dad Edge Day with the Arizona Cardinals, November 15th
[42:49] The fourth pillar: accountability, and the cruise ship story behind gamifying it
[45:29] Introducing "the tent," the virtual system where members plan and track weekly missions
[47:20] The story of a member named Jayden whose recurring unfinished mission revealed a deeper marriage issue
[48:51] The fifth pillar: brotherhood, and why shame dies in safe conversations
[54:30] Larry's closing challenge: most men wait for a crisis, and by then it's often too late
 
Five Key Takeaways
Real clarity often comes from realizing your problem isn't what you think it is. A man convinced his issue is "not enough communication" usually discovers, through the right questions, that the real issue is which questions he's asking and how he's listening.

The four pillars of an extraordinary marriage, individual, partnership, friendship, and lovers, break down when couples get stuck managing logistics (partnership) and skip friendship entirely, which makes physical connection feel confusing or absent.

A friend who only agrees with your complaints isn't helping you, he's enabling you. An objective advisor without emotional stake in your friendship will challenge you in ways a lifelong buddy often won't.

Vague goals like "more communication" or "better connection" aren't strategies, they're wishes. Real change comes from identifying specific, concrete actions, the same way a health goal requires a specific plan, not just an instruction to "get healthier."

Accountability works best when it's gamified rather than shame-based. Publicly tracked weekly goals, done with humor and healthy competition, produce more consistent follow-through than accountability rooted in guilt.

 
Links & Resources
The Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood Preview: https://thedadedge.com/guest
Roommates to Soulmates: http://thedadedge.com/soulmates
The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood by Larry Hagner: https://thedadedge.com
The Dad Edge Podcast: http://thedadedge.com/1531 
Mansfield's Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield
The Miracle Morning for Couples by Hal Elrod, Lance Salazar, and Brandy Salazar
 
Closing
If there's one thing Larry wants every business owner dad to hear from this episode, it's this: don't wait for a crisis. He read an email that same day from a man who waited seven years to address a marriage on the brink of collapse, and now he's scrambling. Clarity, challenge, strategy, accountability, and brotherhood aren't things you need once things fall apart, they're things you build before they do. Go out and live legendary.

Abbey Sharp has built an audience of over 2.5 million people calling out nutrition misinformation as a registered dietitian, and in this conversation she and Larry cut through some of the biggest confusion facing dads right now: the seed oil panic, the rise of "looks maxing" and muscularity-focused disordered eating in men, and how to feed a house full of picky kids without turning dinner into a nightly battle. Larry gets unusually candid about his own relationship with fitness and body image, and Abbey offers a grounded, non-restrictive framework for approaching food that she built out of her own recovery from an eating disorder.
The conversation also covers modeling healthy body image for kids, a practical division-of-responsibility approach to family meals, and Abbey's honest take on GLP-1 medications. If you've ever felt confused by conflicting nutrition advice online, or wondered whether your own relationship with fitness has quietly become more about fear than health, this episode offers real, evidence-based clarity.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] The seed oil debate: what the actual research says versus the online panic
[6:15] Ranking cooking oils by nutrient profile, and why canola oil gets undeserved hate
[16:09] Introducing Abbey Sharp: registered dietitian, author, and "the internet's no BS dietitian"
[17:45] Diet culture's impact on men, reframed as "optimization" and "looks maxing"
[19:02] How male-focused disordered eating often centers on muscularity rather than thinness
[21:42] Explaining "looks maxing" and its darker corners online
[23:23] Larry shares his own history: childhood bullying, a significant weight loss at 17, and fear of regaining it
[27:23] Finding balance: caring for your body without making it a referendum on your worth
[29:31] Why kids absorb body image messaging from watching their parents, long before anyone tells them directly
[34:00] Abbey shares her own teenage experience with orthorexia and how it shaped her career
[36:07] Introducing the Hunger Crushing Combo: protein, fiber, and healthy fats instead of restriction
[42:44] Abbey's take on GLP-1 medications: real benefits, real risks, and real social side effects
[47:07] Building a high protein, high fiber breakfast for kids without restricting carbs
[53:32] The Division of Responsibility approach to feeding picky kids without nightly battles
[58:24] Larry shares a childhood memory of being forced to eat spinach, and why pressure backfires
[59:40] Where to find Abbey: her podcast, YouTube channel, and family nutrition webinar
 
Five Key Takeaways
Not all cooking oils are created equal, and the sweeping "seed oils are toxic" narrative doesn't hold up under real research. The bigger issue is the ultra-processed foods most seed oils show up in, not the oil itself.

Disordered eating in men is often disguised as discipline. Framed as "optimization" or "looks maxing," compulsive protein tracking, fear of fat, and obsessive exercise get praised rather than questioned, which makes it harder to recognize as a real problem.

A helpful litmus test for a healthy relationship with fitness is whether it still lets you live your life: can you skip a workout, eat at a birthday party, or go out with friends without guilt? If self-care starts shrinking your life instead of adding to it, that's worth examining.

Kids absorb body image messaging by watching their parents, not just from what's said directly to them. Comments about needing to "earn" food through exercise or fearing weight gain teach kids that their body is a project long before anyone tells them so outright.

The Division of Responsibility approach to feeding kids means parents decide what, when, and where meals happen, while kids decide how much they eat. Keeping one safe, familiar food on the table for picky eaters reduces mealtime battles far more effectively than pressure or bribery.

 
Links & Resources
Bite Back with Abbey Sharp: https://www.abbeyskitchen.com
The Hunger Crushing Combo Method by Abbey Sharp, RD: https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/hunger-crushing-combo
The Board Room Mastermind: Guest Session: http://thedadedge.com/guest 
Roommates to Soulmates: http://thedadedge.com/soulmates 
Episode shownotes: http://thedadedge.com/1527
 
Closing

If any part of this conversation, especially the parts about food noise, fear of weight gain, or the pressure to always be optimizing, hit closer to home than you expected, you're not alone, and it's worth talking to someone. If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline is available for support and can help you find the right next step. Beyond that, the whole spirit of this conversation is permission: permission to eat the pizza, permission to miss a workout, permission to let your kids grow up without inheriting a fear of their own bodies. Go out and live legendary.

I've had a lot of impressive guests on this show, but Khalil Zahar's story genuinely stood out to me. He's the founder and CEO of FightCamp, a company he built from a simple idea, wanting to actually measure his own progress as a boxer, into one of the biggest names in connected fitness, with over $100 million raised and backing from legends like Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and Georges St-Pierre. He's also not married and doesn't have kids, but the lessons he's built his entire career around, discipline, discomfort, and identity, translate directly to fatherhood and marriage.
We started with the pivotal moment in his early 20s, a late night watching Sportscenter, that made him realize he didn't have unlimited time to become who he wanted to be. From there we got into his philosophy around seeking discomfort intentionally, why he believes identity has to come before outcome, and what it actually means to become the person who does the things you want to be known for, rather than chasing the result directly. He shared a personal story about training around a serious injury by controlling everything he could, his nutrition and mindset, when he couldn't control his body, and I shared a nearly identical story from my own torn patella tendon recovery.
We closed the conversation on what Khalil calls the mindset of a fighter, discipline, craftsmanship, accepting what you can't control, and learning to be genuinely thankful for your losses instead of resentful of them. If you've ever felt too comfortable, stuck in a rut, or unsure how to push yourself toward the version of you that you know is possible, this conversation gives you a real, practical way to start.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:04] Khalil's early 20s awakening: a late night realization that time wasn't unlimited
[3:36] His teenage dream of becoming a professional B-Boy and the intimidating scene around it
[7:00] The first concrete steps he took once he decided to stop just "trying a little"
[9:25] How Khalil's relationship with failure changed once he actually started taking risks
[12:20] Larry announces a rare, small-group preview of the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood
[12:37] Why embracing failure sooner would have changed everything, and Thomas Edison's light bulb story
[14:31] Taking the first, smallest possible step instead of trying to see ten miles ahead
[16:34] A full introduction to Khalil: FightCamp's founder, backed by Tyson, Mayweather, and Saint-Pierre
[18:11] Khalil's controversial philosophy: why seeking discomfort matters more than self-acceptance alone
[21:39] Practical advice for a man who feels too comfortable and stuck in a "dad bod" mindset
[22:01] The core idea: identity comes first, and outcomes follow from who you decide to become
[25:21] Larry announces Roommates to Soulmates cohort three, starting September 16th
[27:16] Diving deeper into identity versus tactics, using Khalil's 13 bodybuilding competitions as an example
[32:18] Why seeking discomfort is fundamentally about removing fear, not chasing a specific outcome
[35:51] Confidence built through keeping your word to yourself, even when you don't feel like it
[36:43] What the mindset of a fighter actually looks like, broken into four core principles
[38:18] The first principle: discipline as doing what you don't want to do
[39:48] The second principle: craftsmanship, applying full care and attention to everything you touch
[40:31] The third principle: you can't control your opponent, only how you prepare and react
[42:17] The fourth principle: losses and failure are praised in martial arts, not resented
[44:10] Larry's own story of controlling what he could control during a torn patella tendon recovery
[45:32] Khalil shares a strikingly similar story recovering from a severe hand injury
[49:17] Where to find Khalil and FightCamp
 
Five Key Takeaways
Time is not unlimited, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you stop just "trying a little" and start actually pursuing the version of yourself you want to become.

Identity comes before outcome. Instead of fixating on the result you want, define who that person would be and start living like them today, and the outcome tends to follow naturally.

Confidence isn't built by achieving a goal once, it's built by consistently keeping your word to yourself, especially in the small moments when you don't feel like following through.

You cannot control your circumstances, your opponent, or the environment around you. The only thing you control is how you prepare for and respond to what happens, and real peace comes from focusing there instead.

Losses and failure should be treated as lessons to be thankful for, not outcomes to resent. A fighter's mindset toward getting knocked down and getting back up applies directly to marriage, parenting, and business.

 
Links & Resources
FightCamp (Khalil's at-home connected boxing and kickboxing fitness platform) — https://joinfightcamp.com
FightCamp on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok — @fightcamp
Khalil Zahar on Instagram — @khalilzahar
Shownotes for this episode: http://thedadedge.com/1526
Roommates to Soulmates (Larry's 8-week marriage coaching cohort; next cohort starts September 16th, with free preview calls): http://thedadedge.com/soulmates
Join the boardroom: http://thedadedge.com/guest
 
Closing
What's staying with me from this conversation is Khalil's point that losses are meant to be praised, not resented, because that's exactly the mindset a marriage and a family need too. You're not going to get every season right, and neither is your wife or your kids, but treating a setback as a lesson instead of a verdict on who you are changes everything about how you recover from it. Whatever discomfort you've been avoiding lately, in your body, your business, or your relationships, let this be the nudge to take the smallest next step toward it.

This week's Wednesday Q&A is a little different, I'm running it solo since my usual co-host Joe couldn't make it, and honestly, it turned into one of the harder, more important conversations we've had. A man in our Alliance named Rich called in with a genuinely difficult situation: his 17-year-old stepdaughter recently went through a breakup, was hospitalized shortly after making statements about wanting to end her life, and Rich is trying to figure out how to support her while also being honest that he's not sure whether what he's seeing is a real crisis or a manipulation tactic she's learned to use.
I want to be upfront that I am not a licensed therapist, and neither is anyone else on this call. We have someone in our community who specializes in this exact area, and when a situation is acute, that's who we point men toward. What I can offer is real, lived experience, because one of my own boys went through a genuinely frightening season with depression and anxiety years ago, and I've been in the position of feeling completely out of my depth as a father.
If you're a father watching a child struggle right now and feeling like you have no idea what you're doing, or you're not even sure if what you're seeing is a real crisis, this conversation won't give you all the answers, because there often aren't easy ones. But it might help you feel less alone in it.
 
Timeline Summary
[1:02] Opening the Wednesday Q&A solo, and introducing today's difficult topic
[1:48] Introducing Rich, a leader in the Alliance's teen-parenting group, and his situation
[3:13] Rich shares that his 17-year-old bonus daughter has recently expressed suicidal thoughts
[4:33] Understanding the timeline: a difficult personal season followed by a breakup two weeks ago
[5:43] Larry announces Roommates to Soulmates cohort three, starting September 16th
[7:25] Larry's disclaimer: not a licensed therapist, and where the community sends acute cases
[8:37] Asking Rich what he'd want to see in his stepdaughter's life a few months from now
[9:49] The tension between wanting to support her and wanting to hold her accountable to her own goals
[10:47] Assessing her circle of friends and the instability there
[12:30] First piece of advice: don't go through this alone, and find a therapist she connects with
[13:20] The breakfast and games advice from a mentor, and why simple connection mattered more than conversation
[15:27] The medication journey: an initial diagnosis, a worsening condition, and a specialized brain scan clinic
[17:07] How a corrected diagnosis and a supplement-based approach turned things around over about a year
[17:32] Larry shares his own 2017 hospitalization following extreme physical training and severe insomnia
[19:29] Reiterating connection over correction as the throughline of the advice
[19:51] Larry announces a rare, small-group preview of the Dad Edge Business Boardroom Brotherhood
[24:19] Closing advice: don't go through it alone, connect first, and remember that without connection there is no influence
 
Five Key Takeaways
You don't have to be a mental health expert to support a struggling child, but you do have to know when to bring in someone who is. Recognizing the limits of your own expertise and connecting your family with the right specialist is itself an act of good fathering.

Connection has to come before correction. A struggling teenager often needs low-pressure time with a parent, free of goal-setting or serious conversation, far more than another conversation about fixing the problem.

Finding the right therapist matters as much as finding a therapist at all. A mismatch in chemistry or approach can make a child more resistant to help they genuinely need.

A diagnosis can be wrong, and it's worth getting a second opinion when treatment isn't working. A corrected diagnosis and a different treatment approach turned around a genuinely difficult, months-long decline.

You are not required to be blood related to be the father figure a child needs most. Consistent presence during a hard season is what a child remembers and trusts long after the season ends.

 
Links & Resources
Get the full show notes and every link from this episode: https://thedadedge.com/1525
Ready to stop feeling like roommates and start leading your marriage? Join the next Roommates to Soulmates cohort: https://thedadedge.com/soulmates
Know a dad with a story worth sharing, or want to be on the show yourself? Apply to be a guest: https://thedadedge.com/guest
 
Closing
If you're a father in the middle of a season like the one Rich is walking through right now, please hear this: you don't have to have it figured out, and you don't have to do it alone. Get connected with people who know more than you do, keep showing up for the small, ordinary moments of connection, and trust that the fruit of your presence will show up even if you can't see it yet. Without connection, we have no influence, so lead with connection first, every time. Go out and live legendary.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.