Fatherhood (In A Nutshell)

In honor of Father’s Day, we decided to pull from the wisdom of some of our agents and speakers to get their perspective on the unseen parts of fatherhood. They do amazing things on a daily basis. It takes courage to show up, be present and do the hard work. The result of this hard work is easily seen, but what matters equally is the hard work that we don’t get to see. We asked ‘What’s one thing no one ever told you going into fatherhood?” 

• "Fatherhood is a rollercoaster of love, happiness and personal growth." - Jim Craig, father, Gold  Medal Olympian, sales and marketing executive

• "You can choose to be a great dad." - Shawn Hanks, father, CEO of Premiere Speakers Bureau

• "Fatherhood changes everything about your life in every way, but only for the better!" - Brandon  Edmonson, father, Premiere Speakers Bureau agent (healthcare, Nashville and Chamber of Commerce)

•  "Stop being a coach. Start being a cheerleader." - Erik Wahl, father, artist, innovator   

•  "Babies are awesome!" - Brian Lord, father, President of Premiere Speakers Bureau 

• "Like most guys, I was hoping for a son first because I understand boys and little girls kinda scared me, but I now have two daughters and girls are a lot of fun. There really isn’t much sweeter than a father/daughter relationship. It may sound obvious, but nobody ever told me what it does to your heart and soul when your little girl looks up and calls you ‘daddy,’ not to mention the first time they say it!" - Carl Ware, father, Premiere Speakers Bureau agent (non-profit)

• "You can fast forward childhood, but you can't rewind it. Don't miss the moments that matter because you won't get another chance at them." - Jon Acuff, father, Best-selling author of Do Over

• "Fatherhood, to me, is not about raising a good kid, you have to think about it like you are raising a good adult, a good citizen, a good boss or employee…or in my case with three boys, you are raising three fathers. Every day they are learning how they will one day treat their spouses, children, and everyone else around them." - Ryan Giffen, father, Premiere Speakers Bureau agent (k-12 and university)

• "Fatherhood is a $300,000 Beginners' Improv class which you signed up for because your wife thought you would be good at it." - David Finch, father, Best-selling author of The Journal of Best Practices  

Here at Premiere, we get the amazing opportunity to work with some of the most gifted and inspiring people on the planet. We get to hear stories every single day - real stories about courage and perseverance. We get to learn, be inspired and form new friendships every single day. Genuine human connection is highly valuable to us and something we strive for with every interaction we have. It has, and will always matter in the scope of humanity because it is what makes us truly human. Thanks for letting us focus in on the connection part for a moment. Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads and dads-to-be out there!