Listen "Dad Braids' Founder, Strider Patton on Braiding, Presence, and Redefining Fatherhood"
Episode Synopsis
When artist and dad Strider Patton first decided to braid his daughter’s hair, he didn’t expect to start a global movement. But that’s exactly what happened. A San Francisco muralist and cofounder of The Rabbit Hole Children’s Theater, Strider turned his morning bonding time into Dad Braids, a viral project inspiring millions of fathers to show up with patience, creativity, and love (and maybe a French braid or two).In this conversation, Strider opens up about how fatherhood reshaped his art, marriage, and mindset: from running a children’s theater with his wife to waking up at 5 a.m. for quiet moments before the chaos hits. He talks about the early days of Dad Braids, how one playground compliment sparked a worldwide dad community, and why he believes in turning everyday “tasks” into moments of connection.We get real about the pushback too — what it’s like to challenge old-school ideas of masculinity, the internet’s mixed reactions to a dad teaching hair tutorials, and why empathy (not ego) is the secret ingredient in every good braid.Plus: the Scrunchie System that gamifies learning to braid, the “Dad Braids Toolbox” that belongs in every home, and what Strider hopes his kids and followers will remember most: that presence matters more than perfection.Equal parts heartwarming and hopeful, this episode proves that the smallest gestures, a braid, a breakfast, a bedtime story, can be revolutionary.
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