Show notes
This week I sat down with Rick Jordan, a self-made entrepreneur, CEO, keynote speaker, and host of Frequency with Rick Jordan. Rick went from financial struggles and nearly losing his home to building a company from the ground up and taking it public without outside investors or private equity, and he has made more than 1,200 media appearances on networks like Fox, Bloomberg, NBC, CBS, and ABC. He is also a dad of three, including twins.
We talk about his one word parenting philosophy, proximity, and how to connect with a teenager by entering their world. Rick shares the moment he stared up at a tornado and realized he had no regrets, losing his dad at 16, and the first six months of his business when his family was close to foreclosure. We get into self-examination, facing consequences, why "it's not that bad yet" can cost a man his marriage, and what it takes for a couple to keep growing together. If you want to live with no regrets as a husband and a father, this one is for you.
Timeline Summary
[0:00] Introduction and the November promo: The Marriage Drift book, a signed Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood, and two free courses
[4:25] Larry welcomes Rick Jordan, and two dads compare notes on kids leaving for college and missing home
[9:33] Rick's one word parenting philosophy, proximity, and how he has kept it from newborn twins to age 19
[14:47] A client with four teenagers spends hardly any time with them, and the pedicure reframe: enter their world
[19:07] Larry drives six hours to see his son at Arkansas and spends the day on groceries, laundry, and football
[23:11] Rick watches a tornado form 150 feet from his studio and finds he has no regrets
[30:03] Self-examination: a Navy SEAL friend asks "is it true?" and why you own the facts without apology
[35:22] Rick loses his dad at 16, and the uncle who caught him outside the house and helped him accept it
[43:04] A grief expert's chair analogy: let the chair fall and let yourself feel the grief
[46:06] Best Buy layoffs, newborn twins, and a near foreclosure in 2007 before a first $3,000 a month deal
[50:30] Why Rick held out six months for the right clients and reached $250K a year in recurring revenue
[52:27] "It's not that bad yet": why men wait on their marriage until their options fall off the table
[57:43] Choose your hard: why facing consequences is the core of being a man and a dad
[59:57] If your partner is growing faster, it's on you to catch up, and on them to lift you up
[63:30] Falling in love with your spouse seven times, and why you can't go back to who you used to be
[65:29] Rick's closing challenge to face the consequences, plus where to find him and his show
Five Key Takeaways
- Make proximity your parenting philosophy by staying close to your kids at every age, and ask what works for their schedule instead of demanding their time.
- With teenagers, enter their world instead of pulling them into yours, like the dad who finally asked his daughter to go get a pedicure.
- Practice regular self-examination by asking "is it true?" so you can own the facts, and remember that one bad moment doesn't define you, your response does.
- Face the consequences instead of avoiding them, because "it's not that bad yet" lets your options in your marriage and your life quietly expire.
- Keep growing with your spouse, and if you feel left behind, it's on you to catch up while your partner helps lift you up.
Links & Resources
Closing
The moment that stuck with me most was Rick staring up into that tornado and realizing there was nothing he wanted to change, because he had spent his life intentionally with the people who matter most. His story about the uncle who caught him at 16 and his reminder that "it's not that bad yet" is a trap are the kind of honest lessons that help us choose our hard on purpose. Pick one thing from this conversation this week, maybe asking your teenager what their world looks like right now. Go out and live legendary.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
