9. How Childhood Trauma Made Me the Dad I Am Today

What made me so passionate about supporting dads? My childhood trauma.  I grew up undiagnosed autistic in the 90s, and for most of my childhood, nobody—including me—understood what was going on. I was the kid who always stole attention, couldn't sit still, couldn't follow instructions, and got stuck in endless punishment cycles at school. My parents tried their best, but they didn't have the tools or support to navigate what I was going through. That early chaos shaped everything about who I've become—as a person, and as a dad. In this episode, I explore how fatherhood was the best (and hardest) tool I ever found to confront and heal my childhood trauma. I share how my early experiences led me into activism, social justice, and eventually conscious entrepreneurship. When my wife Serenity and I couldn't find baby food that met the nutritional standards we wanted for our daughter, we started Serenity Kids — now the fastest-growing and fastest selling shelf table baby food in the country. But none of that would have been possible if I hadn't been traumatized, and then been willing to do the work to face it and become a present father, husband, and leader. In this episode, I share: Why most parenting advice fails us and our kids How fatherhood became my pathway to healing childhood trauma What led me to start Serenity Kids and DadicatedJoe The real emotional labor of balancing marriage, parenting, and business What it means to stay dadicated 👉 Get 15% off your first Serenity Kids order with code: DADICATED15 https://myserenitykids.com/  Being dadicated isn't about having all the answers. It's about showing up. It's about committing to the kind of dad—and man—you want to be, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. Joe Carr is a dad to Della, husband to Serenity, co-founder of Serenity Kids baby food, and the voice behind Dadicated Joe. Follow Joe Carr on social media  Instagram: @dadicatedjoe  TikTok: @dadicatedjoe  YouTube @dadicatedjoe