Morning, gents. Hope the weekend treated you well.

Pretty wild…we’re closing in on 300 issues of Dad Day. Appreciate you opening these up.

Quick heads-up: Early-bird tickets for our Austin experience, October 15–17, go live Wednesday. Gonna be a fun one!

Here’s what’s on deck today:

Let’s get into it.

And if you’re new here, welcome aboard. Glad you found us.

My 8- and 5-year-old are starting basketball back up, and it reminded me of something one of my coaches used to yell when I was probably 7 or 8.

“You gotta want the ball.”

For whatever reason, I can still hear him saying it.

His point was simple: don't stand around hoping someone passes it to you.

Go toward the ball. Call for it. Make it obvious you want to be part of the play. There's probably something in there for us dads.

Want a better relationship with your wife? Go toward it. Want to be in better shape? Go toward it. Want a closer relationship with your kids? Go toward it. Want to build something you're proud of? Go toward it.

A lot of the things we say we want require us to actually put ourselves in the play. You can't stand in the corner waiting for life to pass you the ball.

Sometimes you gotta call for it. You gotta want the ball.

We like mixing these up around here.

Sometimes Rad Dad is a Q&A with a dad doing cool stuff right now. Other times, we dig back a few decades and find a guy whose story is just worth knowing.

This week: Jimmy Stewart.

Hollywood legend. It’s a Wonderful Life. Oscar winner. Decorated WWII bomber pilot. But his answer when someone asked the most important thing he ever did?

“Marrying my wife.”

Stewart married Gloria in 1949. She had two young boys from a previous marriage. He adopted both, they later had twin daughters, and he raised all four as his own.

They stayed married for 44 years, until Gloria died.

His daughter Kelly later summed him up pretty well:

“Dad as a father was great, because he never lectured us on how to be good. He taught us by the way he lived.”

Movie star. War hero. Apparently a pretty damn solid dad, too. The example is usually louder than the lecture.

We got some rain in Charleston this past weekend, which is exactly why I keep this ^ Helly Hansen Jacket in my car. It’s lightweight, waterproof and is perfect for those random weather days. Big fan.

[ Stay Dry ]

Your feet and ankles do a ridiculous amount of work every day, especially if you run, lift, or spend a lot of time chasing kids around.

A few minutes of simple foot and ankle stretches can help maintain mobility, improve balance, and keep everything moving the way it should.

Nothing fancy…calf stretches, toe work, ankle circles, and some time barefoot can go a long way (stretches below). Add five minutes to your morning or post-workout routine and call it maintenance.

Your 60-year-old self will probably be glad you did.