Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Lofy and Shaun Ditty. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Matt had been thinking of starting a podcast but didn’t know what it should be. He talked with his wife and she suggested the podcast should be about him as a new Dad getting advice from all sorts of other Dads. So, in taking that advice and realizing the challenges to come with a then five months old, he set off and started The Dadass Podcast.
After having several dads on sharing their stories and recording over their favorite Dad drinks, he asked his good friend Shaun to come on and share his counseling background. Being interested in one day having a podcast of his own and being an aspiring mixologist, a partnership grew. Matt as the new Dad and Shaun as a funcle, dog dad and counselor specializing in working with kids. Ever since the guys have recorded over 70 episodes together in Shaun’s basement speakeasy, hidden behind a bookshelf with a collection of over 170 bottles of whiskeys and bourbons.
Through the first six months of the podcast, it grew to half women listeners and thus the focus shifted from dadding to figuring out this whole parenting and adulting thing. Followed by redefining the term Dadass to be a more inclusive term that is not just for Dads.
Guests and topics have ranged from Real Talk topics like raising culturally aware children, mental health discussions and LGBTQ issues; adolescent experts for sleeping, nutrition, counseling; and more light-hearted topics like parents who lead local breweries and distilleries like Fat Heads (Cleveland), North High Brewing (statewide), High Bank Distillery (Columbus) and Karrikan Spirits (Cincinnati), even reaching south-central Mexico with fifth-generation run Wahaka Mezcal.
At the beginning of 2021, we were featured as the cover story for Westerville Magazine and later 614 Magazine’s “People to Know in Columbus.” Last summer, the podcast began a partnership with local Cbus Dads Blog helping area Dads with tips and recommendations locally, along with helpful reads on relatable topics. Then in late August, the podcast was honored as Podcast of the Year at the 2021 Columbus Podcast Awards. In December, the guys partnered with Netflix and an animated film Back to the Outback with access to a prescreening and special opportunities for listeners and followers of ours.
Looking at the year ahead, there are big plans with national speakers, authors and distilleries, along with some future community initiatives the podcast and blog are working on to ensure a greater impact can be had from their platform. There is so much in store, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a wild ride to say the least. From technical difficulties and lost recordings to being stood up by guests, we have made the most of everything podcasting has thrown our way. We are getting to the point now where local breweries and national parenting resources are reaching out and recording with them regularly. It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come and where we intend to go in the months ahead.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Our podcast by name seems like it’s just for Dads, but it’s more than that. Our mission is to help us all try to figure out this whole parenting and adulting thing one conversation and drink at a time regardless of you’re a Dad, Mom, Husband, Wife, Funcle, Best Aunt Ever or just someone trying to get by while growing older. We blend together Dad jokes, dynamic discussions and cocktails to make this interesting to all adults just trying to figure it all out. This approach allows us to talk about such a wide variety of topics.
We are most proud of the community we have formed with listeners and followers. We’ve had multiple guests reach out to share their stories to ensure they could help other parents and partners navigate similar challenges they may face. That inspires us to continue this passion project.
It’s that same community that we believe helped us achieve the honor of Podcast of the Year for Columbus. We don’t take that lightly and are trying to use that honor to put together some campaigns this year to have a profound impact in our region.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to us is that we continue to build a community of listeners and followers across our platforms. Together we can all help support one another as we continue to learn and grow as parents and partners. That’s our mission and what motivates us with this passion project.
Contact Info:
- Email: thedadasspodcast@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.thedadasspodcast.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedadasspodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDadassPodcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DadassPodcast
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dadass-podcast/id1503225348
Image Credits
Westerville Magazine photo – CityScene Media Group Podcast Award Photos on stage and in crowd – Columbus Podcast Awards
