Franco is an actor, host of The Professional Stepdad podcast, 60-second storyteller, and stepfather of five, who loves sharing wisdom, insight, and anecdotes about fatherhood. Driven by his passion to affect real change, Franco is on a mission to challenge the current narrative around the meaning and purpose of being a Step-Dad in today’s world.
Franco and I had a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable conversation, and I hope you learn from it and have as much fun as we did! Below are some of the key quotes and highlights from the episode. Also, be sure to check out all of the resources that Franco offers as well as others that we mentioned during our interview.
"My job for the first few years is to get to know the kids."
"The biggest challenge is always 'the others' in a blended family that think they know better."
"We have to block out the negative noise; the only thing we can control is what happens within the four walls of our home."
Importance of consistent base hits vs. trying for homeruns in every at-bat.
"If you're patient, it'll pay off."
Discipline is the Achilles heel of every blended family situation.
"When we speak badly about the others, we poison the well, and no one wins."
"Me, then us, then them." I need to improve myself, then work on us (the married couple) as a team, and then get to know them (the kids).
"Stepparents: we step up, we step forward, and we step through."
It is important to set goals for our family.
Contact, Franco's Resources:
contact@theprofessionalstepdad.com
http://www.theprofessionalstepdad.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfbbKa_DqXKi3ITQqBNmg7Q?view_as=subscriber
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-professional-step-dad-podcast/id1504288883
https://www.instagram.com/theprofessionalstepdad/
https://www.tiktok.com/@theprofessionsalstepdad?
Recommendations, etc:
https://www.5lovelanguages.com/5-love-languages/
https://www.5lovelanguages.com/book/the-5-love-languages-of-children/