Chris Eischen is reaching out to parents, especially dads, through several different online and in person projects that seek to empower parents to become role models, living their best lives for their children and for themselves.
Modern Dad Council, a YouTube channel, offers dads a variety of resources on parenting while Kick Ass Dad podcast’s primary focus is elevating parents’ roles in their children’s lives. Chris, a Lambertville native, is also a life coach and hosts workshops to teach people to discover who they are and what makes them happy.
When he’s not focusing on his role as a mentor, he works as the director of social media marketing for thingCHARGER, and he’s soon starting a marketing company called Cultivated Marketing and Consulting.
Impetus to help
The Bedford High School graduate has two children and also raised two of his spouse’s children as part of a blended family. The desire to help other parents stemmed from Chris’s own experience with divorce two years ago. At the time, he was working long hours to support his family. He thought it was the best thing he could do for them. However, after the divorce, he started thinking about the life he was living and how it was different from the life that he wanted to live. He went online to find something uplifting, and he found Kick Ass Dad. From there, he met other dad enthusiasts and with them, created Modern Dad Council.
Chris’s podcasts and workshops help parents create stronger personal relationships with their children through effective communication. Men are generally taught to push emotion away and not talk about it, so dads, generally, aren’t as well equipped as moms to handle emotions. The workshops teach dads the essential tools of good communication so they can hear what their kids are saying, observe what’s happening around them and make better choices to guide their children through life.
Communication is the key
Of course, better communication at home leads to better communication at work, at school and in the neighborhood. As parents build personal relationships with other adults in their children’s lives – principals, teachers, neighbors and the parents of their friends – they build a village where their children can grow and flourish in a safe environment. As the community comes together, they start to work together and celebrate each other. By seeking better relationships with their kids, engaged parents foster engaged communities.
Chris’s dedication to community engagement starts at home. He started a community garden in his neighborhood, where he grew up. He also plans to revive holiday traditions, such as the Fourth of July parade, and local events that were held when he was growing up.
“I want to elevate one family at a time, to elevate one neighborhood at a time, to elevate one city at a time to elevate the world.”
Chris Eischen is hosting Super Dad, a weekend retreat for dads of all ages in October.
For more information on this or other workshops, visit chriseischen.com.
