GeekAtSea is a series of conversation with curious people about startups, science, economic and tech, their successes and challenges. Come hang out with us and be rewarded with knowledge you will not find anywhere else!

Geek At Sea

Paul Davis was once a 2nd employee at Amazon, on track to earn millions. Instead of sticking around to get filthy rich though, Paul decided he did not want to wait for the life to pass him by. He chose to spend time with his family, left Amazon, and twenty years later still has no regrets. His life has been nothing but wonderful. This is Paul’s story.

Paul Davis  Second Employee at Amazon

This is a story of how Anthony Eden founded DNSimple to become the fastest DNS management solution provider in the world. He built himself a company that not only cares about their customers, but also created the perfect place for their employees. They work hard, but they also do it remotely, from around the globe. How did he do it, and what lessons does Anthony have for fellow founders and entrepreneurs? It’s all in this podcast!


Anthony Eden Founder and CEO of DNSimple

Paul Orlando is a startup founder, entrepreneur, Director of USC Incubator Program & Adjunct Professor for the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Paul also has an avid interest in history, which he explores though his blog called Unintended Consequences. Paul's writing is a delight in the times of clickbait and social media. His blogs explore peculiar concepts and require the read to think and to wonder of what is possible, without giving a clear answer.

Paul Orlando on Unintended Consequences Of Everyday Life

David Woodland is currently a Product Manager at Facebook, previously Head of Product at Palm.com and a Product Manager at Pebble. He is a father of 4, and a Management Consultant who found product-building life in Silicon Valley to be way more attractive than spreadsheets. 

On this episode we talk about his work and life balance, what it was like to work at Pebble, how his consulting career prepared him to be a great product manager and a tinkerer, how a team of 12 can launch a bran new smart phone from scratch,  how David got Stephen Curry, his childhood hero, to be the face of their company, and lastly, what it was like for him to be a Mormon in Silicon Valley.

David Woodland  A Management Consultant in Silicon Valley

Do you want to get inspired? This episode is for you.

Jason Calacanis is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He was one of the early believes in Uber, Calm, Robinhood and many others. He is a host of the show This Week in Startups, and the author of Angel, a founder of Launch.co, Inside.com, and a friend to many rich and famous folks in Silicon Valley.

On this episode, Jason shares his views and wisdom, advice that he's accumulated throughout his career, and lessons learned from other successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, and Jeff Bezos. 

Jason Calacanis  Entrepreneur turned Investor shares his insight about success hard work education and the future

Raising kids could be daunting, or it could ba lot of fun. Nathan is a startups founder and a dad who is making the best of every opportunity. We talk about his family, his work, and how the two intertwine to create a happy and healthy lifestyle. 

Nathan Kontny

Why would a dad of three kids trade his well paying job for a life of stress and uncertainty, and despite all odds, do it from his home in Texas, instead of moving to the hub of startups, the Silicon Valley? Noah Labhart is the founder of Veryable, a consultant and a podcaster. Today he explains why life of entrepreneur, although filled with challenges, was still the best choice for both him, and his family.

Code Story Noah Labhart  Startups and kids paying the bills worklife harmony and how to have it all

Roberto from the Expeditioners is the dad many wish they could be. Instead of holding a steady job, he and his family are busy traveling the world, taking gorgeous photos for brands that pay for his living. Roberto is fit and happy, and is not concerned with the norm. Find out what it takes to be a self-made entrepreneur, and how to be paid to be happy.

Roberto Gibbons Gomez How to get paid to have fun

Anthony Armendariz is a founder of <a href='http://funsize.co/?utm_source=smashnotes.com'>Funsize.co</a>, a design agency based in Austin, TX. He had been in the design business for many years, and eventually had founded his own company with his wife, Natalie. For many years they were working non-stop on Funsize, growing the team, and their client list. But one day, they decided it was time to do more than work, they were ready to have a baby. Although pretty terrified at first, Ant and Nat prepped themselves and their company for the changes, and it could not have worked out better! If you are a business owner struggling with the question of whether it is time to start a family, this is a must listen episode for you!

Before and After of having a baby  Anthony Armendariz  Partner and Head of Design at Funsize

Jonathan is a Seattle entrepreneur with two successful exists under his belt. He is currently the Chairman of PickMonkey and Geekwire, a prolific angel investor, and a generous donor to various non-profits. When Jonathan was a little kid, due to circumstances he ended up living in Hong-Kong with his grandparent until eventually reuniting with his mother in Edmonds, Washington in the 1976. Presented a new set of challenges for a kid who did not fit in, Jonathan learned to adopt and to persevere. This episode is his story of success and challenges, and what is going to impart on his child for the life ahead.

Jonathan Sposato challenges the meaning of the American Dream

What is a life of an entrepreneur really like and how does it affect family and marriage? As a former Microsoft exec and now a founder of a healthcare company, Stefan shares his owns experiences and those of his high-flying friends. The lows are low and the highs are high, but is it worth it? 

What about education. Can a good education really help to advance in life? What about travel, does that count as education? What can parents and teachers do to help our kids be smart in their life ahead? All those questions in more, in this thoughtful episode of Rad Dad.

Stefan Weitz on the importance of travel relationships and the pursuit of happiness

Mubashar Iqbal is a developer, dad, and a maker who just cannot stop creating products on the internet.  He is the guy behind Pod Hunt, Product News, Practical MVP and quite literally, 80 other projects. Some of them sold, some shut down, and some are making him passive income. He's been featured on Lifehacker, The Next Web, Mashable, Fortune and more.

Mubs Iqbal The man who launched  side projects and counting

Jason Schuller is a dad, a husband, and the founder of Press75, a WordPress theme company that he started in frustration, when a consulting client decided to skip paying the bills. That incident caught fire and set Jason on an entrepreneurial journey full of joys and setbacks. His company, and his lessons enabled him to be a successful founder, an engaged father and a thoughtful husband. 

Jason Schuller Press and how a WordPress theme set an entrepreneurial journey in motion

Vin is a entrepreneur and a family man. We talk about kids, marriage, divorce, time management and setting client expectations, mental and physical health, depression, counseling, diet and exercise and more.

 Vin Thomas Creativity and teaching children entrepreneurship from young age

Can you have a family, a successful company making millions of dollars in annual revenue, and do it all at your own pace, with a remote office company, while having a life that you want to live? Vlad sure can, and we think you can too. Life is too short to live someone else’s dream. The story of Webflow and life advice from Vlad, in this episode.

Vlad Magdalin Webflow and the future of software on the internet

One day, needing a break from his entrepreneur endeavors, Drew rented an RV and took his entire family on a trip around the United States, for a whole year. This is his story.


Drew Wilson In an RV around the world 

Bryce is the founder of Indie.vc, an investment fund focused on revenue over crazy growth. Fueled by his own desire to do things differently, Bryce lives in Salt Lake City, works from home, and while working hard also finds the time to be a hands-on dad, while living life to the fullest.

Bryce Roberts How Indievc is change the startup funding landscape for the better

Jason is a co-founder of Dent The Future, a community of entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives who are driven to “put a dent in the universe.” We talk about startup journey and how to manage a creative job while raising two kids.

Jason Preston on startups kids and making a Dent in the universe

Roel is a friend who spent most of his childhood in foster care. Before talking to him, I was completely unaware of kids in these situations, and wanted to share to make sure that others get a chance to learn something new. By the way, even the foster mom he loves and adores the most, said that some of the things said in the podcast she was totally unaware of. Yearning to fit in, and not wanting to worry his mom, Roel hasn't shared with her all these years.

content warning: the story involves some tragic childhood experiences.

Roel Williams Surviving foster care

Emily Campbell is a product designer based out of Moab, Utah where she lives with her husband and three kids. She makes the money, he plays with the kids, and together they are having an adventure of a lifetime.

Emily Campbell Joys and challenges of raising a family in rural America

Michael FitzGerald is a prolific American writer and the founder of Submittable.com. He lives and works in Missoula, Montana with his wife and two kids. Although it isn't the easiest place to run a company from, Michael lives for the joy of living, and Missoula is where it's at.

The day after raising their Series A funding, Michael found out that he had a terminal cancer and he was supposed to be dead in six months. Fortunately, thanks to the advancements in experimental medicine and a whole bunch of awesome friends, he was able to get the treatment and is here with us today.

This episode will bring you closer to FitzGerald and inspire you to take full advantage of every single day in your life. Enjoy!

Submittable CEO talks startups life cancer and living in Missoula Montana

One day a film student from NYU changed advertising forever. In a few short months Adam became the man who did it all - he was producing, casting, directing and starring in for the ads of the most recognizable names in tech. Square, Airbnb, Airtable, TrueCar, Slack, Webflow, Groupon ... the list goes on forever. The story of Sandwich video and how to run a successful business and have a family too.

Adam Lisagor How to start the worlds best video production company in LA

David Heinemeier Hansson has become a very influential person in technology and business, and has developed a number of philosophies which are helping him live a happy and fulfilling life. In this episode he explains how happiness is a simple secret.



DHH on startups and parenting in the new age

How do you enable your kids to create rather than consume? If you are a serial entrepreneur like Dan Shapiro, the answer is clear - make a device that can cut through any material with lasers, then put it in every household in America. Shapiro got inspired to create this company by his kids, and now he comes on Rad Dad to talk startups, kids and creativity.

Dan Shapiro How a childhood obsession with lasers led to the founding of Glowforge

Aubrey is a full-time designer living in Charleston, South Carolina. He was named one of Business Insider's Top 75 Designers in Technology and has worked for companies like Twilio, Authy, Science Inc., Color, Scoutzie and many others. While most people would consider running a business a full-time job in itself, Aubrey does all of this in a comfort of his own home. Listen and find out how this rad dad gets the most out of life!

Aubrey Johnson Homeschooling in the way of the future

Family life with three kids, the rising costs of education and where AI and machine learning will take us. Venture Capitalist Greg Gottesman shares business stories, as well as tips on parenting and education. It's a blast!

Greg Gottesman How one person started a doghotel revolution Rovercom

Eight years ago John co-founded GeekWire.com and had a kid at the same time - Although life hasn’t always been easy, the only thing he regrets is not doing both ealier in his life. Follow along and learn a bit about both entrepreneurship and parenting.

John Cook Joys and challenging of starting GeekWire

A Bay Area native, Zack is a successful entrepreneur, wizard of all things growth, and currently the CEO of a company called Dribbble. While some of his peers are busy cranking 14-hour days in the city, Zack is working with a fully distributed team, which enables him to hang out with kids, enjoy life, and spend absolutely zero hours commuting.

Zack Onisko How do you build a company around quality of life

Sean Grover is a psychotherapist from New York City, dad of two children, and an author of the book When Kids Call The Shots. For 25 years Sean has been teaching parents how to embrace their challenges and to create a happy functioning family. If you think your kid might be bullying you, if you lost all hope and don’t know how to deal with tantrums, or maybe you are just looking for some advice on how to be a better parent, this interview is for you. You will not be disappointed, guaranteed!

Sean Grover Tantrums whose fault is it

Geoff Ralston is a successful investor and entrepreneur, living in the heart of Silicon Valley. He founded Yahoo Mail, invested in hundreds of companies, and has seen dozens of successful exists. On this episode Kirill Zubovsky and Geoff Ralston discuss the price of entrepreneurship, challenges of modern-day parenting, device addiction, performance drugs, standardized tests and the future of education.

Geoff Ralston on the future of education and technology

One wild weekend Aviel and friends churned through idea after idea until one of them stuck. Some years later, Simply Measured was acquired, just as Aviel was having a newborn baby. Hear his startup story and what it is like to be a new dad in a super-high-stress environment.

Aviel Ginzburg Startup founder turned VC and a dad

Son of an Indian immigrant family, Giri is a Stanford graduate and a co-founder of Privacy Labs, a local Bellevue Washington startup. We talk about raising two kids in the new world filled with devices, what his company is all about, why privacy is going to be instrumental in the future, and how the world has changed since a few decades ago while Giri was growing up.

Giri Sreenivas on the kind of world do we want to create for our children

Parker Thompson is a Silicon Valley founder turned VC, known to many in startup circles for his anonymous personality of Startup L. Jackson. Hear Parker’s story and advice on raising three kids in a fast-paced world of tech entrepreneurship, and how to keep your kids safe and happy in a city full of millionaires.

Parker Thompson aka StartupLJackson on doing startups and raising a family in the most expensive city in the world

Caspar Babypants is an adored Seattle-based musician and a songwriter. Previously known as the lead singer of The Presidents of the USA, he now brings joy to families around town with his whimsical music that is loved by both kids and parents. In this interview, Chris shares his life story, how he came to be known as Caspar, and what lessons he learned about life and parenting, both as a famous rock artist with thousands of fans on MTV, and a humble Seattle children's artist, with thousands of fans at home.


Caspar Babypants Raising kids and finding yourself

Eric is a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who now teaches at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. He is also a venture partner and the founder of Creator Institute. He shares his insights about a radically new teaching philosophy you can apply to your kids today to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.

Eric Koester This professor dares you to publish a thousand books

When Mike's baby was born, they bought a camper van and headed to the wild. If you think that baby life means sitting at home, Mike is living evidence otherwise. Hear his story and get inspired.

Mike Folden Business life and adventure with a newborn

In this episode we talk to my friend Matt Wallington about his experiences of raising kids while at startups, then at Amazon, and how those impacted him, his kids and his marriage. We also talk about getting through a divorce, what to expect, and how to do it quick.


Matt Wallington Dads journey through a divorce

When Oleksiy’s daughter was first born, he didn’t feel the love for his child. Quite the opposite, he felt that his daughter was a new source of problems. Full of this difficult thoughts and busy at work, he was unable to share them with anyone, even his wife.

Oleksiy Kovyrin Postpardum depression in dads

Creativity can lead to some pretty unexpected places. Throughout his life, Michael learned to achieve the impossible and now he is teaching his daughter how to do the same.

Michael Parenteau The Pursuit of Happyness

Galen Ward is a CEO of a tech company and a father of two awesome girls. Listen and learn how to share the labor of parenting with your partner and how to set your kids up for success from the young age.


Galen Ward How To Raise Girls In A Male Dominated World Of Tech Entrepreneurship 

Matt Shobe is a father of 3 boys, a serial entrepreneur, a private pilot and a rad dad, who came to the Rad Dad podcast to talk about startups and what it takes to have a happy family while you are busy building a rocket ship.

Rad Dad Podcast