
Dad Starting Over
Welcome to the Dad Starting Over podcast.
Dad Starting Over · dadstartingover
Show overview
Dad Starting Over has been publishing since 2022, and across the 4 years since has built a catalogue of 272 episodes. That works out to roughly 90 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run ten to twenty minutes — most land between 9 min and 16 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 29 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 88 episodes published. Published by dadstartingover.
From the publisher
Welcome to the Dad Starting Over podcast! "Starting Over" means different things to different people. It could be that you're newly divorced and starting over fresh with a new life. It could be that you're still married and wanting to hit the reset button and finally do things right within your marriage. Whatever your story may be, you're in the right place. I'm Ralph, a.k.a DSO, the author of books including "The Dead Bedroom Fix", "Divorce Panic", "Real Talk" "Red Flags" and "REBUILD: The Complete Guide to Starting Over as a Man". You can learn more about me, my books, one-on-one coaching, and the member-only part of my site called the Brotherhood at https://helpformen.com
Latest Episodes
View all 272 episodesSexless Marriage… She Finally Agreed to Counseling. Then Used It Against Me.
Divorce Truths Men Need to Hear (Before It’s Too Late) - With Karen McMahon (Journey Beyond Divorce)
Sexless Marriage… She Says No Sex After Menopause Is Completely Normal
She Was Different Before Kids — What Actually Happened to Your Wife
Sexless Marriage… I Told Her It Was Over If Nothing Changed. She Laughed.
Sexless Marriage… Now She’s Always Going Out
Sexless Marriage: She Was Different With Him
Sexless Marriage… Wait, is My Wife Gay?!
Sexless Marriage… Then I Saw the Text Messages
Why Women Remember Everything
Sexless Marriage… Now She Wants an Open Marriage
Sexless Marriage for Years… Now She Doesn’t Want to Be Touched
Patriarchy Explained Without the Nonsense
Ep 372Sexless Marriage: “I Love You… But I’m Not In Love With You”
A 47-year-old husband wrote to me after 17 years of marriage.No big fights.No confirmed cheating.Just slow emotional drift.Then one day she said:“I love you… but I’m not in love with you.”Their marriage isn’t completely dead — but it’s nearly sexless. Rare intimacy. No initiation. No spark.I break down:• What that phrase usually really means• Why sexless marriages often slide into “roommate mode”• The role of new relationship energy• Why becoming “safer” makes things worse• What a man must do if there’s any real chance of rebuilding desireThis is not about blaming women.It’s about understanding the dynamic clearly.If you’re in a sexless marriage or feel like your wife is emotionally drifting away, watch this all the way through.Start with The Dead Bedroom Fix:https://deadbedroomfix.comIf you need grounded support from men who’ve been through this and won’t let you spiral, join the Brotherhood:https://helpformen.com/joinYou don’t want 20 years of polite indifference.You want to be chosen.
Ep 371High-Conflict Divorce: What Men Get Wrong (w/ Chris and Lisa from "Been There, Got Out")
Divorce isn’t just emotional — it can turn into psychological warfare.In this livestream, I sit down with Chris and Lisa from Been There Got Out, two of the most experienced voices I’ve spoken with on high-conflict divorce, legal abuse, and custody battles.We dig into:Why “being a good guy” often backfires in family courtHow false allegations gain traction (and why men are especially vulnerable)The biggest mistakes men make when communicating with their exWhy courts reward cooperation — even when the other side is acting insaneParallel parenting vs co-parenting (and what NOT to call it in court)How manipulators weaponize kids, restraining orders, and the legal systemWhat to do if you’re terrified of custody evaluations or taking the standChris and Lisa don’t deal in theory. They deal with the worst cases — the ones that never “cool off” and never resolve on their own.If you’re in a contentious divorce, haven’t seen your kids, or feel like the system is stacked against you, this conversation will give you clarity, grounding, and practical direction.👉 Learn more about Chris and Lisa’s work at https://beentheregotout.com👉 Join my men’s support community at https://helpformen.com/joinThis is one of those conversations every man should hear before things get ugly.
Ep 370When Trauma Destroys Everything
How does someone hold their life together at a high level for years — career, marriage, kids — and then suddenly blow it all up?I read a message from a follower whose wife unraveled after the death of her father. What followed was extreme weight loss, heavy drinking, multiple affairs, disappearing for days at a time, and eventually abandoning her family.I don’t interrupt the story. I read it straight through — then I explain what’s actually going on beneath the surface.We talk about unresolved childhood trauma, avoidant attachment, high-achievers who outrun their pain, and why some people seem to “change overnight” when their emotional scaffolding collapses.If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t recognize her anymore,” this video will help you understand what you’re seeing — and what it means for you going forward.I also talk about these dynamics in my book REBUILD – The Complete Guide to Starting Over as a Man, and inside the Help For Men Brotherhood, where men work through this kind of fallout together instead of carrying it alone.🔗 Join the Brotherhood: https://helpformen.com/join 📘 Learn more about REBUILD: https://readrebuild.com
Ep 368Why Marriages Drift Into “Kids Only” Mode
Most marriages don’t blow up overnight.They drift.They drift from us… to the family… and eventually to two exhausted roommates running a daycare.Once kids enter the picture, something subtle but dangerous often happens: the couple stops being the center of the relationship. Not out of malice. Not because anyone planned it. It just happens.And in most marriages, if nobody actively protects the couple, the marriage slowly disintegrates.From what I see, this responsibility usually falls on the man — and when he pushes for dates, intimacy, boundaries, or adult connection, he’s often shamed for it.I break down:Why marriages predictably shift into “kids first, marriage last”Why this creates dead bedrooms and quiet resentmentWhy men get labeled selfish for trying to fix itAnd why a strong marriage actually serves kids better than a child-centered oneIf this topic hits home, you’ll want to check out my book The Dead Bedroom Fix and the Help For Men Brotherhood — where guys are having these conversations honestly, without being shamed.👉 Join the Brotherhood: https://helpformen.com/join
Ep 367Why Age Gaps Suddenly Became Creepy
For most of human history, age differences in couples weren’t controversial at all.Now they’re treated like a moral crisis.So what changed?I break down the actual historical reality of age gaps, why people now claim they were “rare,” and why that argument doesn’t hold up when you look closely.We’ll talk about:How marriage actually worked for most of historyWhy peasant data gets misusedWhy remarriage matters (and gets ignored)The “elite-only” argument — and where it falls apartHow modern power-based thinking reframed dating and relationshipsAnd why women’s agency is often defended by quietly taking it awayThis isn’t about encouraging or condemning age-gap relationships.It’s about understanding why something that was once normal is now treated as suspect — and how that shift affects modern men navigating dating and relationships.If you’re confused by modern dating rules, you’re not broken. The rules changed.I see this confusion every day inside the Help For Men Brotherhood — men trying to make sense of relationships without losing their backbone or their sanity.If this video resonates, check out my book REBUILD and the Brotherhood at 👉 https://helpformen.com/join
Ep 366When Vulnerability Ends a Marriage
I got an email from a guy that perfectly captures a pattern I see over and over again.An anxious man.An avoidant wife.Years of emotional distance.One final attempt to “do the healthy thing” and open up…And then everything collapses.I break down:Why vulnerability isn’t the problem — but timing and containment matterHow passivity slowly kills attraction in long-term relationshipsThe anxious/avoidant dynamic so many men get trapped inWhy some divorces turn cold, transactional, and threatening overnightWhat men should focus on after the marriage ends instead of chasing closureIf you’re in a dead bedroom, walking on eggshells, or afraid to say the wrong thing in your own marriage, this video will probably feel uncomfortably familiar.I also talk about how men rebuild after this kind of emotional and financial hit, drawing from my book REBUILD – The Complete Guide to Starting Over as a Man, and why having other men around you — like inside the Help For Men Brotherhood — matters more than most guys want to admit.You’re not broken.You’re not alone.But passivity has a cost — and eventually, it comes due.
Ep 365The Real Reason Nothing You Try Ever Sticks
Most men don’t feel like their life is falling apart.It just feels… off.Not bad enough to force change.Not good enough to feel proud of.So they try new routines, new habits, new motivation — and nothing sticks.I break down why that happens and what actually causes men to stay stuck for years without realizing it. This isn’t about discipline, hustle, or grinding harder. It’s about structure, identity, and the quiet patterns that keep pulling you back to the same place.If you’ve felt frustrated by starting strong and slowly drifting back, this video will probably hit close to home.If you want support applying this kind of work in real life — with other men dealing with marriage problems, divorce, rebuilding, and direction — the Help For Men Brotherhood exists for that: https://helpformen.com/joinAnd if you’re in a rebuilding phase after a major life shake-up, my book REBUILD – The Complete Guide to Starting Over as a Man was written specifically for that chapter.This isn’t about reinventing yourself. It’s about choosing a direction you can actually live with.