Larry Hagner built The Dad Edge to help men become better fathers and husbands — work that began with his own childhood, growing up without a stable father in a home shaped by fear.
His conversation with Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour is one of the most personal the show has aired: losing his biological father twice, reconnecting with him at thirty over an email and a Starbucks meeting, and the night Hagner realized he was becoming the very father he swore he would not repeat.
About Larry Hagner
Larry Hagner is the founder of The Good Dad Project, author of The Dad's Edge, and host of the Dad Edge Podcast — a community built on a simple conviction: good dads are made through learnable skills, not luck. His work centers on the practical side of fatherhood, marriage, and male friendship.
That focus comes from lived experience. Hagner grew up amid divorce, addiction, and fear-based parenting, found his biological father at twelve only to lose touch again, and finally got the conversation — and the apology — both men needed decades later. The Good Dad Project began when he chose to learn the role rather than repeat the one he was handed.
What Larry Hagner and Sean Kelly Talked About
- The story of losing his biological father twice and reconnecting decades later
- How father wounds quietly show up in marriage, parenting, and everyday conflict
- Why Larry Hagner believes good dads are built through skills rather than luck
- The night he realized he was becoming his father and decided to change
- The observation-thoughts-feelings-wants framework he uses to stop fights before they explode
- What the Drift does to intimacy in marriage and how couples can reverse it
- Why male loneliness and rusty friendships deserve more attention than most men admit
- How to end generational cycles without becoming cold, distant, or fear-driven at home
Why This Conversation Matters
Fatherhood content often stays theoretical. This conversation does not. Larry Hagner walks through the wounds, the reunion, and the exact tools he now teaches — with the warmth of someone who broke a cycle rather than just studied one. For any man parenting without a blueprint, this episode is a generous place to start.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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