256. The Conversations You'll Wish You Had With Your Dad with Guest Mick Naples

Welcome back to the podcast. With Father's Day here, I wanted to have a conversation that would cause all of us to pause and think a little differently about one of the most important relationships in our lives: the relationship we have with our dads. Today's guest is Mick Naples, author of Walking with Grizzlies, a book he wrote after losing his father and realizing there were lessons, conversations, and moments he wished he hadn't taken for granted. What I loved about this conversation is that it isn't really about fatherhood—it's about being a son or daughter and asking what responsibility we have in nurturing those relationships while we still can.

One of the things that stood out to me most was Mick's honesty. He openly shares that while he loved his dad, he didn't always appreciate him. In fact, many of the things he now treasures were the very things he overlooked when his dad was alive. As he reflected on his father's life after his passing, he began to see qualities, sacrifices, and acts of love that had always been there but that he simply hadn't fully recognized. It made me think about how often we focus on our parents' shortcomings while missing the gifts they've given us. And while none of our parents are perfect, that doesn't mean they aren't worthy of honor, gratitude, and intentional connection.

We also talked about something that we discuss often in Family Brand: relationships don't grow by default. They grow by design. As children become adults, the automatic proximity that once existed starts to disappear. We move away, build our own families, get busy with work, and suddenly years can pass without truly investing in the relationship. Mick challenged me to think differently about that. Instead of asking what our parents could be doing differently, what if we asked what role we have in strengthening those relationships? What conversations have we been putting off? What questions haven't we asked? What stories haven't we taken the time to hear?

Another part of the conversation that really stayed with me was the idea that many of the things our parents did that frustrated us as children can look very different through the lens of adulthood. As we become parents ourselves, we start to understand the weight of responsibility, the difficult decisions, and the imperfect ways people try to show love. It doesn't excuse every mistake, but it often creates empathy. And sometimes empathy opens the door to healing, understanding, and deeper connection.

More than anything, this episode felt like an invitation. An invitation to be intentional. To make the call. Ask the question. Write the letter. Schedule the visit. Have the conversation you've been meaning to have. Because one of the hardest lessons Mick learned is that sometimes "later" never comes. And if there's one takeaway I hope you carry from this episode, it's this: don't wait until a relationship becomes a memory to start appreciating it.

LINKS:

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• stan.store/familybrand
• familybrand.com/quiz
• familybrand.com/retreats.

Links For This Episode:

• walkingwithgrizzlies.com.

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 00:00 – Introducing Mick Naples and Walking with Grizzlies
• 02:30 – Why Mick wrote the book after losing his father
• 04:00 – "If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly"
• 05:00 – The kind of father Mick's dad was
• 07:00 – Losing his dad and the regrets that followed
• 09:00 – Honoring parents despite their imperfections
• 11:00 – Why adult children share responsibility in the relationship
• 14:00 – Building parent relationships by design, not default
• 15:30 – Seeing the value in your dad
• 18:00 – When hard parenting is actually an expression of love
• 20:00 – Why proximity creates connection
• 22:00 – How becoming a parent changes your perspective
• 24:00 – Idolize, demonize, then humanize your parents
• 26:00 – The example we're setting for our own children
• 28:00 – The regret of "I'll talk to him later"
• 30:00 – Conversations worth having before it's too late
• 33:00 – Faith, legacy, and the condition of the soul
• 36:00 – Mick's challenge for every son and daughter
• 37:00 – The Walking with Grizzlies resolution
• 39:00 – Final Father's Day reflections