How do you become a more present dad when work takes everything you have? Parenting coach Albiona Rakipi talks with Gabe Shirey, executive father coach and author of The Driven Dad Code, about why high achieving dads often struggle to connect with their kids at home, and the simple frameworks that change that fast. Gabe breaks down the fatherhood fallacy, the Five Ps from his Dad Dashboard (Prime, Presence, Play, Praise, Parting Words), and how 15 intentional minutes a day prevents the slow drift that dads often mistake for disrespect. Albiona and Gabe also cover why “help me understand” works better than “why did you do that,” how empathy lands when you feel it first, how to balance connection and correction, and the better questions that get kids talking beyond “fine.”
You can run a company, close the deal, and solve any problem in the boardroom. Then you walk through the door at home and have no idea what to do when your daughter hands you a Barbie. If that sounds familiar, you’re not failing. Nobody trained you for this part.
Albiona sits down with Gabe Shirey, executive father coach, speaker, and author of The Driven Dad Code, to talk about why being successful at work doesn’t automatically make you a connected dad. Gabe shares the simple frameworks he built for his own family (and the 1,000+ kids at the K through 8 charter school he founded), and why your relationship with your kids is built 15 minutes at a time.
Inside, they explore:
About Gabe Shirey:
Gabe Shirey is an executive father coach, speaker, and author who helps high-achieving fathers rethink how they approach parenting. His work focuses on helping dads move beyond the instinct to fix, correct, and optimize everything, and instead become more intentional about presence, connection, and the way they show up for their kids. Gabe is the creator of the Dad Dashboard, a practical system for building deeper connection with limited time, and author of The Driven Dad Code, which explores the “Fatherhood Fallacy” that success and discipline automatically translate into effective fatherhood. Today, he coaches executives and founders on applying the skills that make them successful in their careers to becoming more intentional fathers.
A special invitation from Gabe:
Gabe invites Parenting Reframe listeners to join his program, The Blueprint, and to subscribe at gabeshirey.com to be the first to know when The Driven Dad Code is released.
Mentioned in this episode:
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Until next time,
Albiona 🤎