Tommy Short - NCAA Division I Referee To Present Dad

Send us Fan MailMost dads do not need another hack. We need a standard we can actually live by when we are tired, stressed, and tempted to check out. That’s why this conversation with Tommy Short hits so hard. Tommy is a former NCAA Division I basketball referee and the author of The Call I Almost Missed, and he joins me to talk about what real leadership looks like at home, not under arena lights. We start with youth sports and the sideline behavior that steals the best lessons from kids. Tommy shares what he saw for years as an official, why you should never expect a perfect whistle, and how three honest words can disarm conflict fast: “I missed it.” From there, we get personal: why he walked away from officiating so he could be fully present as a dad, and the simple routines that shape his daughters’ character, like daily kindness reflections and making mistakes safe to admit. Then we dig into the tools Tommy is known for: Do Boring Better, Own Your Three Foot Circle, and his “86” personal standard built from missing the NBA. We talk about empathy, authenticity, curiosity, humility, and how “each day is the first day” becomes a reset button for fathers, husbands, and leaders. Finally, Tommy tells the story behind going a full year without a cell phone, what it revealed about performative living, and how to avoid the kind of regret that shows up years too late. If you care about intentional fatherhood, parenting, leadership, resilience, and being present in a distracted world, hit play, subscribe, share this with another dad, and leave a review so more families can find the show.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts!  Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!