Gap to Gig cover art

Gap to Gig

Gap to Gig

By: Michael Jacobs
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About this listen

Build the life you’re working for.

Gap to Gig is the podcast for dads who want to crush it at work and still show up at home.

Each week, host Michael Jacobs talks with dads, founders, career experts, and creators about what it really takes to balance meaningful work and active fatherhood. From navigating career transitions and side hustles to staying present for hockey games and bedtime stories, Gap to Gig helps you create a life that feels steady, fulfilling, and built to last.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home dad reentering the workforce, a working dad craving more purpose, or a creator building your own path, you’ll find stories and systems to help you move forward with confidence.

Expect honest conversations about:

  • Work-life balance that actually lasts
  • Career change and meaningful work without losing yourself
  • Parenting and productivity that fit real life
  • Fatherhood, identity, and growth in the modern world
  • Mindset and systems that keep both business and family running smoothly

No fluff. No hustle-culture noise. Just real stories, practical tools, and genuine conversations about being a dad who wants both: meaningful work and a meaningful life.

If you’ve ever felt pulled between your career ambitions and your kids’ soccer schedules, you’re not alone. Each episode offers ideas you can apply right away, whether that’s a way to structure your week, handle burnout, or rethink what success really means for you and your family.

The show blends personal storytelling, expert insights, and actionable takeaways from guests who are building careers, companies, and creative projects that fit their lives, not the other way around.

Recent episodes feature:

  • Entrepreneurs who’ve built businesses around their families
  • Career coaches helping dads find work that fits their values
  • Creatives balancing passion projects with parenting
  • Productivity pros teaching how to reclaim time and focus
  • Everyday dads sharing their journeys from burnout to balance

If you’re ready to rethink success, build balance that lasts, and create space for what matters most, this podcast is for you.

Gap to Gig: Helping dads build the life they’re working for.

New episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you listen.

Gap to Gig, 2026 Career Success Economics Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • Stephanie Cordes on Finding Clarity When Success No Longer Feels Right

    Stephanie Cordes on Finding Clarity When Success No Longer Feels Right
    Jan 27 2026

    What do you do when your career looks successful on paper, but something quietly feels off?

    Stephanie Cordes is a career ownership coach who works with people at the exact moment when professional success and the life they want to live stop pointing in the same direction. She knows this moment personally. After building a successful corporate career, Stephanie realized that checking all the boxes did not automatically mean she was building the right life.

    Stephanie shares how to:

    • Recognize quiet misalignment before it turns into burnout

    • Reevaluate work and life goals as seasons and family needs change

    • Think beyond job titles and focus on lifestyle, income, and long term direction

    • Create a personal North Star that guides decisions without locking you into one path

    • Let go of the belief that every career change means failure

    • Explore new options while keeping stability for your family

    • Involve your partner in career decisions as a true team effort

    • Redefine what providing really means beyond a paycheck

    Dig Deeper

    Ring Camera

    Jamie Siminoff, Founder of Ring Camera

    Kim Possible

    Picture by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock

    Aquaphor

    Follow Stephanie

    Website: https://stephahead.com

    On X: https://x.com/stephcordesTES

    On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniecordesTES

    On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093172011381

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemcordes/

    On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephcordestes.bsky.social

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Kristian Leavell on Navigating Anxiety, Depression, and the Long Winter Season

    Kristian Leavell on Navigating Anxiety, Depression, and the Long Winter Season
    Jan 20 2026

    Why do anxiety and depression feel heavier during the long winter season, even when nothing is technically “wrong”?

    Kristian Leavell, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and dad, returns to talk about the emotional weight winter can bring, especially for fathers carrying responsibility at work and at home. The focus here is awareness, regulation, and small, realistic ways to stay steady when energy is low and motivation fades.

    Kristian shares how to:

    • Notice early signs of anxiety and depression by watching patterns, not isolated moments

    • Treat emotions as useful signals rather than problems to eliminate

    • Separate thoughts from facts and step out of spirals

    • Use small, practical actions to interrupt anxiety before it builds

    • Apply opposite action when motivation disappears

    • Practice mindfulness in real life, not perfect conditions

    • Talk with kids about emotions in ways that create trust and safety

    • Redefine strength as presence, not endurance

    • Check in on other dads without feeling the need to fix them

    Dig Deeper

    ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

    Cognitive Fusion

    DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

    The Jetsons

    How to turn crayons into candles

    Crash the Gates by Yellowcard

    Follow Kristian

    TherapyTokWithKris on TikTok

    TherapyTalkWithKris on Instagram

    TherapyTalkWithKris on YouTube

    DistinctApproachCounseling.com

    Email Kris

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Eddie Torba on Building a Career That Lets You Show Up for Your Kids

    Eddie Torba on Building a Career That Lets You Show Up for Your Kids
    Jan 13 2026

    What does it mean to succeed at work without missing the moments you never get back?

    Eddie Torba has spent decades in retail execution and operations, helping major brands adapt, rebuild, and evolve through massive industry change. Along the way, he made intentional career decisions to stay present for his family, from working nights and weekends early on, to shifting into remote corporate roles, to building a small consulting practice on the side.

    Eddie shares how to:

    • Design a career around family instead of fitting family into leftover time

    • Choose flexibility and stability without treating them as opposites

    • Build trust at work by delivering results, not logging hours

    • Protect family dinners, school events, and everyday moments that matter

    • Set boundaries that prevent burnout and protect mental energy

    • Create morning and weekly routines that support focus and balance

    • Explore a side path without overwhelming yourself or your family

    • Be honest about capacity before taking on extra work

    • Help kids understand the human effort behind convenience and consumption

    • Teach responsibility, work ethic, and perspective by example

    • Measure success by presence, not titles or constant availability

    Eddie’s story is a reminder that careers evolve, seasons change, and showing up consistently for your family is a choice you make again and again. His approach is practical, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in the belief that work should support life, not replace it.

    Dig Deeper

    Ad Populum

    EWS Consulting

    Party City

    Duck Tales

    Duck Tales theme song

    Knee Deep by Zach Brown Band

    Jimmy Buffett

    Follow Eddie

    Email Eddie

    Follow Gap to Gig

    On Instagram: instagram.com/gaptogig

    On TikTok: tiktok.com/@gaptogig

    On X: x.com/gaptogig

    On Threads: threads.com/@gaptogig

    On YouTube: youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg

    On your podcast player of choice: https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/

    Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: gaptogig.com

    Follow Michael

    On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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