412 – Mike Kinner of Colorado Springs CO Founder of Air-O-Sport & Father of Three Including A Son With Microcephaly

Transcript:

Mike Kinner’s son Samuel has a rare disease

Mike Kinner: To be honest, like, for the first, you know, I don’t know how long it was, I didn’t truly accept Samuel the way he was, you know, And I had a lot of, you know, anger towards myself, towards God, towards Samuel even, you know, and I and my wife literally taught me how to love him and taught me how to accept him fully. And, obviously, there’s a thousand things I wish that was different about his life, you know, but he’s, become my greatest teacher.

David Hirsch: That’s our guest this week, Mike Kinner, founder and CEO of Air-O-Sport, an outdoor game for the whole family and father of three, including, including his son Samuel, who has microcephaly, a rare disease. We’ll hear Mike’s family story and about the formation of Air-O-Sport on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Mike Kinner: Dad to dad, you’re not on your own.

David Hirsch: We walk this road together, heart and whole.

David Hirsch: Now say hello to the founder of the Special Fathers Network and host of the Dad to Dad Podcast, David Hirsch.

The Special Fathers Network Mastermind Group Experience is free for the first 30 days

David Hirsch: Hi, I’m David Hirsch, host of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast and the Special Fathers Network Mastermind Group Experience is the most comprehensive program the 21st Century Dads foundation offers. Dads raising children with special needs, meet virtually on a weekly basis and form meaningful relationships while sharing weekly wins, discussing books, and sharing heartfelt challenges. The Mastermind group is free for the first 30 days. Stop trying to figure out things on your own. I invite you to join one of the existing Special Fathers Network Mastermind groups. You’ll meet some extraordinary dads, exchange a lot of best practices, and recharge your fatherhood battery for the journey ahead. it might just transform your life like it’s done for so many others. For more information, please see the show notes or Simply go to 21st centurydads.org.

Mike Kinner: Through every season, in every stride, great dads are present. 247365.

David Hirsch: Now let’s listen into this conversation between Mike Kenner and David Hirsch.

Mike Kenner is the founder and CEO of Air-O-Sport

David Hirsch: I’m thrilled to be talking today with Mike Kenner of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who’s the founder and CEO of Air-O-Sport and father of three, including a son with microcephaly, a rare disease. Mike, thank you for doing an ah, interview for the Special Fathers Network Data dad Podcast.

Mike Kinner: Great to connect with you, David.

David Hirsch: You and your wife Stephanie have been married for 12 years and the proud parents of three children, daughters Eliana, 1, and MacKenzie, 9, and son Samuel, who has microcephaly, which is linked to several disorders including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, being deaf, visually impaired, and nonverbal. Let’s start with some background. Where did you grow up? Tell me something about your family.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, thank you. I grew up in Woodland Park, Colorado. It’s a small mountain town just on the, west side of Colorado Springs. It was a simple childhood. You know, I grew up in a small mountain town. A fun fact about our childhood. My parents founded, the Donut Mill. It’s a, iconic donut shop that they ran for 25 years. And, it was my first job, and they spread a lot of smiles to our local community.

David Hirsch: That is unique. The, donut shop, is that, like, in competition with what I would think of more traditionally as, like, Dunkin Donuts?

Mike Kinner: Absolutely. We always get roused about their commercials of time to make the donuts.

David Hirsch: So is that what your dad did for a living, or did he have other jobs?

Mike Kinner: yeah, from my whole childhood, he. That was his living, and he just loved it. he grew up as a. His first profession was a high school teacher. And, then he just got that entrepreneurial bug. And they were driving up to the mountain town of Woodland park that was very small at the time, and they decided to just start a bakery from scratch.

David Hirsch: That’s wild. Thanks for sharing. So how would you describe your relationship with your dad?

Mike Kinner: It’s been a beautiful relationship. Yeah. I’m really humbled and grateful to have a father who’s been, so inspirational and, supportive in my life.

David Hirsch: When you were growing up, did you have siblings?

Mike Kinner: I did, yeah. I was the youngest of, four. so I was, the baby, and I had two brothers and a sister.

David Hirsch: Okay, so you were the one that was trying to keep up with your older siblings.

Mike Kinner: Absolutely.

David Hirsch: When you think about your dad, what are the most important takeaways? Lessons learned.

Mike Kinner: Oh, man. His work ethic. He’s very innovative, and he just never complains. Even, as, you know, he’s 84 years old right now and has a lot of health challenges. But he’s just so positive, so supportive, and just, very encouraging.

David Hirsch: He does sound like a positive person. Thanks for sharing.

You’re involved in Front row dads and I’m wondering what influence that group has had

I’m thinking about other father influencers. I’m wondering what, if any, influence your grandfathers had.

Mike Kinner: Good question. My grandfathers, I had a very little relationship with my mother’s side. I think he passed when I was, like, 6 or 7 years old, so I didn’t have much of a relationship with. With him. And my dad’s dad passed away long, before I was around.

David Hirsch: Okay. any other men that come to mind? That played an influential role as a young guy or maybe as a young adult for that matter.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, there’s a number of business mentors that kind of came in different seasons as I was learning to lead as a professional. One spiritual mentor that came into my life was Paul Krueger during a very pivotal kind of season in my early 20s.

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Mike Kinner: And he was definitely a powerful guide in that season of my life.

David Hirsch: Are you still in contact with him?

Mike Kinner: somewhat. Not as much as I should be, but he’s definitely just a rock of a leader.

David Hirsch: Okay. And my recollection was you’re also involved in Front row dads and I’m wondering what influence that group’s had.

Mike Kinner: Oh yeah, it’s been an incredible community, to be a part of, honestly. Like I joined that group when I was in a really, really challenging space emotionally and physically and mentally. And I just really just dove into that community and the support group and the accountability and just to be around a powerful of growth minded men, was something I was really missing. There’s just so many men in that group that have their fingerprint in my growth.

David Hirsch: Yeah. Well, I really respect the work that John Vroman does with front Row dads and just thrilled to hear that you’re part of that group as well.

Mike Kinner: Absolutely.

So, from an education and career standpoint, where um, did your education go

David Hirsch: So, an education and career standpoint, where did your education go and where did your career start?

Mike Kinner: Yeah, I went to six months of college and I, at the same time I started my journey in sales and marketing and I, I was going for a business degree and I realized I was learning more through the books that I was picking up, like Think and Grow Rich and Failing Forward. And I decided to step away from college and I went down the sales road and I failed for the first four years of my life miserably. But I really went to the school of hard knocks, learned how to be more confident in my own skin and learned the ability to sell and persuade and really just establish trust. So most of my adult learning has been through books and conferences.

David Hirsch: I’m sort of curious to know, how did you and Stephanie meet?

Mike Kinner: We met online dating on a site that I think is still around eharmony. So we met through eharmony and she was living in Arizona at the time and we had a long distance relationship at first and I talked her into moving to Colorado and we got married a year later and the rest is history. Yes. Yes.

David Hirsch: You guys could be like a testimonial, for E. Heimery.

Mike Kinner: 100%.

David Hirsch: I love it.

Samuel has microcephaly and lissencephaly

Well, let’s talk about special needs. On a personal level, prior to having children, do you or Stephanie have any connection to the world of disability or special needs?

Mike Kinner: Not really. Yeah, we definitely, you know, not very minimal.

David Hirsch: What is Samuel’s diagnosis and how did it come about?

Mike Kinner: Yeah, his diagnosis is very complicated. So he has microcephaly and lissencephaly, like I said at the beginning. So he has basically a very small and flat brain. so his brain does not have the gyrations and folds that, you typically see in a brain. And, it was, just the way that he was formed. You know, my wife and I, we both have a very unique gene missing. And what it means is we have a one in four chance of having a baby with Samuel’s condition. So we didn’t know what we were getting into. And doctors gave us a really, really, grim picture of, you know, would he even be able to breathe because his brain was so small? Would his brain be able to tell his lungs how to breathe? And so his first breath, was, a miracle in itself.

David Hirsch: So was that diagnosed at the time of his birth, prior to his birth, or after his birth?

Mike Kinner: prior to his birth, yeah. They didn’t know officially the name, like, they thought it might be from Zika. There was a lot of unknowns. they were concerned about his heart and his brain size.

David Hirsch: so you had sort of a preview before he was delivered?

Mike Kinner: Yes.

David Hirsch: And he was the middle child. What turns out to be the middle child?

Mike Kinner: Yes.

David Hirsch: So you already had a young daughter, and, you know, you get this news. I’m wondering what were some of the fears that, you and Stephanie had at the beginning?

Mike Kinner: Oh, man. Like, it’s. It’s so. So many layers of it, you know? You know, one. You know, do I have what it takes to be a dad with, such a medically complex son? You know, what would it look like for my daughter? What would it look like for our quality of life? You know, we like to, you know, travel, and we like to go on adventures. You know, just the fear of, hey, what does life look like on the other side of this? And then ultimately, like, how is this going to impact my beautiful wife? You know, it’s.

David Hirsch: It was just.

Mike Kinner: There was a lot to it. And I remember being in that, you know, the room where the doctors told us the diagnosis, and it was just the biggest gut punch.

David Hirsch: Yeah, I can only imagine. Was there an important decision or decisions you can look back and say, if it wasn’t for this or wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, I’d say probably the biggest decision, following my wife’s example, you know, because, to be honest, like, for the first, you know, for I don’t know how long it was, I didn’t truly accept Samuel the way he was, you know, And I had a lot of, you know, you know, anger towards myself, towards God, towards, towards Samuel even, you know, And I. And my wife literally taught me how to love him and taught me how to accept him fully. And, obviously there’s a thousand things I wish that, was different about his life. Life, you know, but he,

David Hirsch: He’s.

Mike Kinner: He’s become my greatest teacher. Like, he’s. I have a library of a thousand books, and I’ve learned more through just the humble leading, of being a son or being his dad than any book I could ever read.

David Hirsch: Yeah, well, you know, it’s like a lot of things in life, were defined by how we deal with adversity, not

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David Hirsch: the fact that we had adversity. And, you can’t really read that in a book. You can get some insights, but I think it’s through your own lived experience that, you know, you get battle, tested. And thanks for sharing that. Stephanie was the one that was more accepting, at least initially, of just who he is. This is our son. M. You know, he didn’t have anything to do with this. Right. It’s our responsibility, and we just have to accept him for who he is and make the most of the situation. Super easy to say, but, usually it’s not like, hours or days that somebody comes to that realization. It could be weeks or months or years. Right. That, you know, guys come around to that way of thinking and embrace that. You use the word acceptance. And what came to mind is meeting your child where they are, not where you expected them to be or where you hope they will be. And again, making those adjustments is not a overnight experience. So I have a lot of respect for the two of you. Not to focus on the negative, but what have been some of the biggest challenges that, have resulted from Samuel’s, diagnosis and his experience.

Mike Kinner: Oh, man, there’s been so many challenges. You know, just the. The rhythm of, you know, a normal day. You know, it’s. There’s so many, like, low moments, you know, but, ah, also there’s so many beautiful moments on the other side of it. But I think just, you know, the first few years has his Care his sleep, everything it required to monitor his seizures. It’s just been such a layer upon layer of challenges. Thankfully, he’s in a much better spot now where we have a pretty good rhythm and he’s finally sleeping consistently. So we’re finally getting caught up with some of the rest. but at the end of the day, I think the biggest challenge is just normal does not exist in our house on a day to day basis.

David Hirsch: Have there been any profound insights that you’ve learned, as a result?

Mike Kinner: Oh man, so many. I think the biggest insight that kind of comes to mind right now would be, you know, the power of silence. You know, I’m always, I was the kind of guy who needed to fill in, you know, words and you know, awkward silence I never liked. So I try to fill in those gaps. And having a son who’s non verbal has allowed me to find more peacefulness in the silent moments and being able to say I love you without being able to hear back. Just the non verbal communication that I have with my son is a really unique thing that I never thought I’d learn to love, but I love it.

David Hirsch: Yeah. Well, thanks for sharing.

Is your son fed through mouth or through an NG tube or G tube

I’m wondering from a, feeding standpoint, has that been an issue as far as how he gets his nutrition? Is it by mouth or through an NG tube or G tube?

Mike Kinner: Yeah, we do it all through G tube. We tried everything else but the G tube just a lot simpler and more predictable.

David Hirsch: Okay.

Mike Kinner: We just have to be cautious not to, you know, not to cause any accidents and tearing the cord or anything. But he’s, he I wish he could because I love food and we just love. I just, my heart aches that he can’t experience the, the benefits of eating food, you know, but it’s definitely really, really heartbreaking when you think about it. But at the end of the day he’s, he’s got, he eats cleaner than anyone I know. He’s very consistent.

David Hirsch: Well, that’s important.

Um, what impact of these challenges have had on your family

what impact of these challenges situations had on his sisters, younger and older, your marriage, or extended family for that matter.

Mike Kinner: Oh man, I don’t know if we’d have enough time to list all of the challenges, but I’m a big, believer that every challenge has a seed of goodness on the other side of it, you know, But I think that from a sibling standpoint, you know, obviously my daughter had to really accept the idea of it always going to take more time and you have to be more patient and it’s not about me, you know, so she’s really been forced into, you know, have to put her goals and her desires on pause for a season, you know, and our, our little Eliana, you know, she’s just stepped into loving him and caring for him in such a beautiful way because she just emulates what she sees. And it’s just unbelievable the growth that these two girls have had by witnessing our intentional care with Samuel. But, it’s been really hard, you know, leading them the way they need to be led while knowing that, you know, Samuel has its own unique set of needs that come first sometimes.

David Hirsch: Yeah, well, that issue of, siblings and family balance is one that you’ll be experiencing for the rest of time. Right. It’s just different than other families. Right. There’s always these sibling rivalries that take place. You know, just the fact that you’re aware of the situation. Right. That you’re. Hopefully you or Stephanie or both can block out the, one on one time with your other kids. Right. To help compensate for the balance of your time and energy.

Hope Kids provides fun experiences for families with kids with special needs

Any supporting organizations that come to mind that have played an instrumental role in Samuel’s life or your family’s life as a result of his diagnosis, the one.

Mike Kinner: That really comes to mind that’s been just so life giving is Hope Kids, a resource that provides really fun experiences for

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Mike Kinner: families with kids with special needs. And for a season that we were really just felt like we were always stuck at home and it was hard to even imagine going to do something with all the requires to get Sam, you know, the equipment and support that he needs in case something were bad were to happen. And and we stumbled upon Hope Kids and they’ve, given us, you know, dozens of experiences that we would have never done even if we didn’t have Samuel. You know, everything from taking Samuel fly fishing to, you know, some, you know, special events with NFL, players we get to talk with on Zoom, you know, so it’s been, been really cool to be a part of that network and just having unique opportunities. And we’re surrounded by other families who are going through unique challenges.

David Hirsch: So is that a local organization there in Colorado Springs or a national organization?

Mike Kinner: I believe it’s national. I know they have a, variety of chapters. I don’t know how far their web goes, but, they’re definitely a beautiful resource.

David Hirsch: We’ll be back with more of the conversation on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast in just a few moments. But first, this quick message. Please help 21st Century Dads gather research on families raising children with special Needs by having them complete the Special Fathers Network early intervention parents survey. A link to the survey can be found in the show notes. As a token of our appreciation, each person, mom, m or dad, who completes the survey will receive a great dad coin. Thank you.

Air-O-Sport is a multi-generational backyard game founded in 2019

Now back to the conversation.

David Hirsch: Well, let’s switch gears and talk about Air-O-Sport. Founded in 2019. What was the backstory on starting this rather unique, organization and, sporting event?

Mike Kinner: Yeah, it is definitely a unique experience. So the, backstory is, you know, I grew up in a small town, as mentioned earlier, and play, was a big part of my childhood. And when my daughter came into my life, you know, I realized that I had, you know, these new smartphones had just taken over my attention. And I realized that her childhood is going to be so much different than my childhood. And I’ve realized that I just wanted something fresh, that I could play with her as she was growing, that I could play with my aging father, but also something that could scratch my itch. And I could play with my most competitive group of friends. And we started to get into a bunch of different backyard games, and it would always either be really competitive and fun for my buddies, but if we tried to pop it out at a barbecue, like, a bunch of people would be on the sidelines. So we essentially set out to create the ultimate backyard game. You know, a game that could be multi generational and you could adapt how you play it depending on the ability of the people you’re playing with. That was kind of the heart behind it of creating a game that was accessible and fun and multi generational. And it’s crazy because this was all before Sandler came into our life. But, like, during the innovation process when we were prototyping, we kept on asking, you know, how do you make this game more fun for everyone? And we tested at parks with older people, younger people, and we realized there are certain things that made it really ideal for a competitor but hard for a novice, you know, so we, we, basically designed the game to be inclusive, not realizing that Samuel’s story would be a core part of, you know, the purpose behind the sport.

David Hirsch: Yeah, very interesting.

Air-O-Sport is an inclusive flow sport that incorporates multiple sports

So what sport is it most like or what are the aspects of it? Remember, this is a audio experience, so we don’t have the visual aspect, to help tell the story.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, yeah. So imagine if you’re listening, imagine you have an arrow disc, it’s a beanbag Frisbee, and you have a target tower which is in the shape of a cross or a T, and you have these targets that are mounted on top of the target tower. And as simplest form you get points for knocking off targets. And it’s looks simple, but just like any good sport, it’s challenging to master and it’s a lot harder than it looks. And the official way to play it is almost like ultimate Frisbee meets basketball. You play on a team like 5v5 or 3v3 and you have two target towers on the opposite side of a court or a field and you work as a team to pick off the other team’s targets. And that’s the way we can play. We play competitively when we do official tournaments. The thing that’s cool is you can adapt the gameplay with visually impaired athletes to 3 year olds in all ages.

David Hirsch: Yeah, well, it sounds fascinating. So it’s a little bit like Frisbee golf. That’s what I heard you say. It’s a little bit like basketball. And was there another sport that it sort of incorporates?

Mike Kinner: Good, question. It incorporates so many of them. I’d say ultimate Frisbee. It definitely has elements of ultimate Frisbee and some elements of spike ball because it’s a 360 field of play.

David Hirsch: Okay.

Mike Kinner: And so I like to coin it, I like to call it a flow sport. It’s an inclusive flow sport where you can get into flow in three minutes.

David Hirsch: And where have you found the best acceptance or traction for this? Air-O-Sport.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, we’ve played it with so many different communities. So military, we’ve done Armed Forces championship with the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines competing in an Air-O-Sport battle. We also do corporate wellness workshops where we actually bring the game to corporate team building. And we create

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Mike Kinner: the ultimate team connection experience by playing a few versions of the game with corporate wellness in mind. And we also do events with the community programs here in Colorado Springs.

David Hirsch: Fascinating.

Where do you see Air-O-Sport being in the next five or ten years

So what’s your vision for the company if things were to play out to the best of your expectations? Where do you see Air-O-Sport being in the next five or ten years?

Mike Kinner: Yeah, I believe Air-O-Sport is the sport of the future. And I believe that we have the ability to create an experience that draws in kids who have dropped out of traditional sports and they aren’t playing anymore. And so I believe that we are going to have a wave of fans in the younger generation, but also in the older generation. I think with the rise of pickleball, people see that multi generation sports are needed for families to bond and connect. So I believe that Air-O-Sport will be one of the fastest growing sports in America in the coming decade. And I am hopeful that we will be able to make it one of the most adaptive sports in the world because you can cross train with it where you can play other sports by using Air-O-Sport as a vehicle, to make training fun.

David Hirsch: It’s fascinating. Well, from your lips to God’s ears. I’m hoping it is. It does become one of the fastest growing sports. I know pickleball sort of has been around for a long time, but it didn’t really catch on until about maybe four or five years ago. And now it just seems like it’s everywhere. And like you said, it’s not just for retirees, but it’s for people of all ages. And it wouldn’t surprise me if, you know, pickleball somehow sneaks its way into the Olympics, you know, five or 10 or 20 years down the road just because of its popularity. You know, you see these YouTube videos or these reels and they’re just insane.

Mike Kinner: Right.

David Hirsch: You know, about some of the things that happen on a pickleball court. So I suspect that you might benefit from the social, media and just explaining a little bit more, what is Air-O-Sport all about? So we’ll have to do a circle back a year, a couple, three years down the road.

Mike Kinner: Absolutely.

So I’m curious to know what role spirituality has played on your journey

David Hirsch: So I’m sort of curious to know what role spirituality has played on your journey.

Mike Kinner: It definitely has been fuel for my soul at the end of the day. There’s so many times when I was at the end of my rope and God met me right where I needed it most. So my faith has definitely been an anchor in so many different elements of my life.

David Hirsch: Well, I’ve heard it described that, by one of the guys in the network. He’s a rabbi actually. He’s the like the dean of the rabbinical college in Los Angeles. So he’s the rabbi of rabbis, if you will. And he has twins with one of them has autism non verbal and they’re in their late 20s now. And he said, I don’t know how parents can do this on their own. Right. Have the individual strength to do this on their own without God’s help. And you know, that’s not evangelizing, that’s just saying, you know, where do you go? Where do you get the strength to persevere? The day to day challenges, it’s something that people do have a crisis of faith like you had made reference to earlier in your own experience. Right. You’re sort of wondering, well, why me? Why our family? Why my son? And no, there’s a lot of questions, unanswered questions. Faith isn’t the, silver bullet, but I think it can provide families, with, you know, an opportunity to create another leg to the stool and a source of strength and hope for, you know, a better future. So thanks for sharing.

Mike Kinner: Yeah, thank you for asking. It definitely it does. And like you said, hope is everything. And I get. There’s a quote I heard recently, if you, you know, if you don’t have hope, you don’t have anything. And, you know, just the hope that I have of seeing Samuel and being able to play with him, you know, you know, in its full essence, you know, someday, like, it just gives me so much hope, you know, that there’s going to be glory on the other side of the suffering here.

Self care is often overlooked by parents, especially dads with special needs

David Hirsch: So I’m thinking about advice now. I’m wondering what advice you can share with parents, specifically dads, who find themselves in an unpredictable situation like you have.

Mike Kinner: I would say the biggest thing I wish I knew, you know, a couple years earlier, is just how pivotal it is, for self care, you know, to really take good care of yourself, you know, and be intentional about your morning routine as best you can. I know a dad with special needs, like, your morning routine goes out the window, but if there’s any anchor habits that could be established, it’ll change your trajectory and your mindset. You know, I think like for me, the sauna and ice bath that I do, almost on a daily basis has been so life giving for me to have that kind of self care. And like this morning, Samuel was in a really kind of just uneasy spot. And we took him in the sauna this morning and just give him the ability to kind of sweat out and release whatever he’s feeling, you know. So it’s been, But I say self care is like the biggest thing. I would encourage you, if you’re a doubt out there struggling, like, find one simple habit. And I remember for me, like, it was a micro challenge where I, I remember I was not in the best shape. I was really kind of mentally going on fumes. And I decided to start doing pull ups and I could barely do four pull ups. And then eventually it got

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Mike Kinner: to six and it got to 10. But just having some type of challenge that you could do daily to push yourself and to have like a brain break from, whatever stresses you’re feeling.

David Hirsch: Is so key, really good advice. That issue of self care is often one that’s overlooked by, parents, not just dads, but often by dads. And we think about self care as in, physical ability or physical wellness, but it goes much beyond that, you know, with our psychological welfare, our emotional welfare. And like you said, if you could just find one item, right, that you could incorporate into your daily routine and you start to exercise that muscle, if you want to call it that, right. And it gets stronger and stronger. You know, it’s it serves a, a lot of different roles or purposes. But most importantly, you know, if you’re not bringing your A game to your family, you’re failing. Right? So I think that, it’s not selfish to be doing something for yourself. It’s important to be selfish before you can be selfless. Right. So that you can be there to support your family.

Mike Kinner is part of the Special Fathers Network helping fathers with special needs

I’m sort of curious to know why is it that you’ve agreed to be a mentor father as part of the Special Fathers Network?

Mike Kinner: I think, to give back, you know, at the end of the day, I think there’s so much struggle in the, in this space and there’s so many dads who don’t have a blueprint. And if I can encourage one person, you know, I think it’d be so impactful.

David Hirsch: Yeah. Well, we’re thrilled to have you. Thank you for being part of the Special Fathers Network. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up?

Mike Kinner: I appreciate you, David. Thank you for believing in, the underdogs and thank you for supporting, so many dads in your journey. And I just thank you for your time today.

David Hirsch: That’s very nice of you. If somebody wants to contact you, learn more about Air-O-Sport, what’s the best way to do that?

Mike Kinner: You can reach out to me on LinkedIn @Mike Kinner and to learn about Air-O-Sport, our website’s playAir-O-Sport.com it’s a I R O sport.com and love for you to be a part of the army of amplifiers spreading the message of Air-O-Sport.

David Hirsch: I’ll be sure to include that information in the show notes. It’ll make it as easy as possible for somebody to follow up. Mike, thank you for your time and many insights. As a reminder, Mike is just one of the dads who’s part of the Special Fathers Network, a mentoring program for fathers raising a child with special needs. If you’d like to be a mentor father or are seeking advice from a mentor father with a similar situation to your own, Please go to 21st centurydads.org thank you for listening to the latest episode of the Special Fathers Network Data dad Podcast. I hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I did. As you probably know, the 21st Century Dads foundation is a 501c3 not for profit organization, which means we need your help to keep our content free to all concern. Would you please consider making a tax equal contribution? I would really appreciate your support Mike. Thanks again.

Mike Kinner: Thank you dad to the dead. You’re not on your own.

David Hirsch: We walk this road together, hard and home.

David Hirsch: And thank you for listening to the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. The Special Fathers Network is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Through our personalized matching process, new fathers with special needs children match up with mentor fathers in a similar situation. It’s a great way for dads to support other dads. To find out more, go to.

David Hirsch: 21stCenturydads.Org and if you’re a dad looking for help or would like to offer help, we would be honored to have you join our closed Facebook group. Please go to facebook.com groups and search dad to dad. Lastly, we’re always looking to share interesting stories. If you’d like to share your story or know of a compelling story, please send an email to david2stcenturydads.org the dad.

Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast features great conversations with great dads

David Hirsch: To dad Podcast theme was written and performed by Shane Madden. The show was produced by me, Tom Couch. Tune in again next week for another intriguing conversation on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Mike Kinner: Through every season, in every stride, great dads are present. 473-6524-7365.

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