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The Difference Between a Dad and a Father | Tony Robbins
What does it mean to be a father? Image of Tony Robbins speaking into microphone
Relationships
June 17, 2022

What does it mean to be a father?

An exclusive conversation with Tony, Sage, and Mary B. on the difference between a dad and a father
SpotifyApple Podcasts

As we approach Father’s Day, join Tony Robbins, his wife Sage Robbins, and host Mary B. as they discuss their fathers, their modern family, a 14-month-old daughter, and the distinction Tony draws between a father and a dad.

An archetype is just a fancy word for pattern and the universal father energy is within us and around us all, regardless of your relationship with your own father, whether you have children, or your gender. Our experience of father(s) shapes our life and influences who we become.

Fathers, brothers, grandpas, godfathers, uncles, and father figures hold the powerful possibility to affect us in meaningful ways. By also recognizing these energies within us and calling upon them in different circumstances and contexts, we are able to live life fully, with access to a multitude of gifts, abilities, experiences, and emotions.

We invite you to notice, honor, and appreciate the father figures in your life as we commemorate Father’s Day with this exclusive conversation.

EPISODE NOTES

[0:10] Introduction
[1:07] What does it mean to Tony to be a father?
[2:03] Father’s role has 2 sides: Father and Dad
[3:05] Every child has different gifts
[4:07] Tony’s unique upbringing
[4:57] Sage’s mom’s narrative: Dad is in service to the family
[5:54] Mothers shape children’s view of fathers
[7:03] Tony had no relationship with his biological father
[8:26] Tony’s second father
[8:49] The man Tony’s mom married before Tony was born
[9:11] Jim Robbins, Tony’s adoptive father
[10:57] Tony learned to manage conflict as a child
[11:14] Tony’s definition of an outstanding father
[12:00] Individuals not always related can affect us in most meaningful ways
[12:48] Be more than a dad, call them to the highest version of themselves
[13:45] Tony’s two-word on-stage reminder
[14:38] Father is a role of leadership, service even when it’s hard
[16:00] Tony’s fifth father, the ultimate father figure: Sage’s dad
[18:03] Brotherhood and father figures in Tony’s life
[19:24] Tony’s instant fatherhood at 24 years old
[21:22] Tony’s baby daughter: I delight in witnessing her gifts
[22:26] Dr. Carol Dweck’s growth mindset research
[24:54] For the whole story of this modern family listen to The Mother’s Day Episode
[24:56] Teaching Tony’s daughter her responsibility to life
[26:57] Men are hard on themselves
[28:14] There are no professional parents, go easy on yourselves
[28:30] Transition to Sage and Mary B.
[28:57] This Is Us is a TR tearjerker
[29:52] Father energy, the divine masculine[30:36] Sage’s father is legit[32:34] Qualities of The Father archetype[34:25] Yin and Yang energies in harmony[35:30] Tony as a father from Sage’s perspective[37:07] NBA Finals fan and pocket baby monitors[38:28] Masculine servitude to their beloveds[39:45] Masculine energy is all of us[40:38] Whose love did you crave, your mother’s or your father’s?[42:30] Honesty about past mistakes allows room to grow[44:13] Mary’s dad passed away while playing golf[46:37] Life lesson: tomorrow is not a given[49:33] The sticky labels we put on our parents[51:11] Books: Generations and The Fourth Turning, Bill Strauss and Neil Howe[51:34] Who you are is almost always the opposite of how you were raised[52:43] Resistance and judgment[54:24] Life is always completing itself, coming full circle[56:22] Observe your judgments of your parents and inquire within[59:02] Global beliefs that shape our world[1:00:41] How Tony expresses his care and respect of other men[1:02:45] Tony embodies fatherhood[1:04:28] Thank you and Happy Father’s Day

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  • Original Music by Abhinav and Sage Robbins

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